Laterlife Healthwise - 9
Dec 2000

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Aches and pains?

Glucosamine, the available-off-the-shelf complementary remedy for arthritis and muscle pain, now comes in the form of a gel. For some years, doctors have welcomed glucosamine in oral form as a safer way to ease pain than conventional anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). Several trials show that it is effective in cases where the pain is mild to moderate.

In one sports practice, chiropractor Chris Turner recommended 1500 mg a day for a month for patients with osteoarthritis, sports injuries and post-surgical joint rehabilitation as part of their overall treatment plan, and found that 60% benefited.

The new GlucOsamine Gel is a non-sticky, cooling preparation containing glucosamine and horse chestnut extract. It is absorbed through the skin to provide immediate relief and can be used along with other treatments, including glucosamine taken by mouth.

GlucOsamine Gel can be bought from Boots, Superdrug, Tesco, Holland & Barrett and GNC.

The makers of Glucosamine are Health Perception:

email:
health.perception
@btinternet.com

Address:
Health Perception, Unit 12, Lakeside Business Park, Swan Lane, Sandhurst, Berkshire GU47 9DN.

Catch that cold before it starts

Here we go again, another season, another reason for wishing someone would devise a cure for the common cold. Since it's a viral infection, it won't respond to antibiotics, though a doctor might consider them for people with chronic chest problems who develop a secondary bacterial infection.

There are preventions and ways to help curtail a cold. The favoured ones are vitamin C, zinc and echinacea. Here's a breakdown of how they help and how much to take.

1. Vitamin C. Lots of research suggests that you can get a shorter, less severe class of cold by taking 1-3 grams a day, all year. Oranges, grapefruit, lemon juice, strawberries, blackberries all provide vit C. For the biggest dose from natural sources, you can't beat blackcurrants.

There's none in dried fruits or dried veg or lentils and other pulses. There's always more in uncooked than cooked, but frozen and canned veg and fruit can be a better source than stuff that's been lingering at the bottom of the fridge or in a fruit bowl for days. Manufacturers add extra to some products (they’ll say so on the pack). Vit C is easily lost in cooking, soaking, even chopping. Top up with some in tablet form just to be sure.

2. Zinc. Research on this is mixed, but there's some evidence that zinc lozenges, up to ten a day, help if you take them at the first sign of a cold and stop when symptoms disappear. The best dose is 15-25 mg per lozenge, which should be of the zinc gluconate (possibly plus glycine) variety, so read the pack carefully. Lozenges with citric acid or tartaric acid are thought to be less effective.

High intake of zinc is not recommended on a regular basis as it can impair immune function. And you should know that in some people the lozenges cause mouth irritation and nausea. You get zinc in such foods as seafood, beef, wholegrain cereals and pulses.

 

3. Echinacea. Here's another one you take just for the duration. At onset of cold (or flu), the recommended dose is 3-5 ml in liquid form, every two hours on the first day, then three times a day for 10-14 days. In capsule or powdered form the dose should be 300-600 mg three times a day for the same period.
   Echinacea is not a good idea for anyone with an autoimmune illness like multiple sclerosis or an allergy to flowers of the daisy family. If in doubt, have a word with your doctor.

Look Good, Feel Great with Diana Moran

Diana Moran demonstrates how to keep fit using a series of simple routines

More Exercise Beats Arthritis (Video and booklet)

Part of a series designed to demystify healthcare, this pocket-sized guide looks at hormone replacement therapy. Each section includes questions and answers. The main points are signposted by John Cleese.

For books on Health visit the Amazon Family and Health Section.

Don't forget if you buy books or videos from Amazon by linking from laterlife, you generate money for Charity.

   

And then there's chicken soup

That old joke about the restorative qualities of chicken soup, known as Jewish penicillin - the standby of Yiddishe mommas - is no joke at all. Chicken soup turns out to have anti-inflammatory properties which ease sore throats and nasal congestion.

The findings have been published in an American medical journal, The Chest, where scientists from Nebraska report on the magical/medicinal results of boiling up a chicken in a pot with a mix of vegetables. The brew is thought to inhibit white blood cells that stimulate production of mucus and cause blocked noses and some coughs.

Making Jewish chicken soup is a doddle. You put a boiling chicken in a large pot with some chopped up carrots, couple of onions and leeks in big chunks, stick of celery, parsley, peppercorns and salt. Boil for at least two hours, remove chicken which can be used in a risotto or other dish. Strain off vegetables and discard, then add some more carrots and cook till ready to eat. (I must admit that my mother always retained the long-cooked carrot and onion which was unfashionably soft and mushy but added a comforting sweetness.)

In case you suspect that the really important ingredient is someone toiling over a hot stove for your welfare, you should also know that the scientists found many commercial brands had a positive effect against colds too.

Never too late

Researchers on smoking habits are forecasting that deaths from lung cancer will decline in the coming years if present trends continue. This is due to fewer smokers among people of fifty-plus - people that is, who once smoked but gave up.

If you are still puffing away, all is not lost. Those who stop in middle age halve the risk of getting cancer at 75. Not quite as good as the forecast for smokers who give up at a younger age, and who reduce their risk by more than 90%, but still an encouraging incentive.

Exercise - what's stopping you? Excuse No. 9

'I used to go in for a lot of sports, but I had several injuries'

Accidents do happen, and sports injuries from minor sprains to grazes or even broken limbs are not uncommon. We read about famous footballers having to rest up for months after an injury. But many sports injuries are caused by not listening to your own body, pushing yourself too hard, perhaps not taking enough time to warm up before a session or cool down afterwards. If you have had problems, it makes sense to talk them over with your doctor or physiotherapist before you start again. And if you join a class or a gym, make absolutely sure that the trainer who shows you round and the teacher who takes the class knows of your situation before you start. Think about taking up a gentler sport - golf, walking, bowling. Don't talk yourself out of doing any regular exercise for fear of injury. You could end up with more general stiffness, more aches and pains in the long term.

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If in any doubt about any of the information covered in healthwise articles and it's relevance for you, consult your GP.

Previous articles in the healthwise series

Edition 8

Happiness is a regular work-out
It's true - you don't see...........

Do GPs and pharmacists use herbal medicines?

Don't give up on the blood pressure pills

Time for the flu jab
You think you don't need it?.......

Getting better after breast cancer
October has been delegated breast cancer awareness month,.......

plus excuse number 8. in the series of excuses for not exercising

Index to all previous Healthwise editions

Living Well : Taking Care of Your Health in the Middle and Later Years

The Relate Guide to Loving in Later Life
This constructive guide to sex, loving and relationships for the 50-80s age group suggests that life - and loving sex - begin at 50+.

10 steps to energy

Tapping into high levels of energy through what you eat, think, feel, how you move and relate to your life

Visit our Product section too: Health and Beauty in laterlife where we have selected a small range of Health stores where you can buy products online. Between them they cover the spectrum of traditional and alternative health products and therapies that you might be interested in.

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