Tag: cholesterol

Men’s Shed Morpeth – 28 February 2014

The transcript of a talk given at Morpeth Men's Shed on 28 February 2014.
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27 February 2014
What are the Health Benefits of Coconut Oil?

Coconut Oil is advocated as a wonderful product that has a multitude of health benefits. An example of the potential benefits is shown below.

The health benefits of coconut oil include hair care, skin care, stress relief, cholesterol level maintenance, weight loss, boosted immune system, proper digestion and regulated metabolism. It also provides relief from kidney problems, heart diseases, high blood pressure, diabetes, HIV, and cancer, while helping to improve dental quality and bone strength. These benefits of oil can be attributed to the presence of lauric acid, capric acid and caprylic acid, and their respective properties, such as antimicrobial, antioxidant, anti-fungal, antibacterial and soothing qualities.
It sounds too good to be true.
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10 January 2014
What is a Heart Attack?

Below is an overview of the mechanism that leads to cardiac myocardial infarctions (or heart attack). It took many decades for a basic understanding of this process.

The consensus at the beginning of the 20th century was that heart disease is a normal part of aging. In 1913, a 28 year old pathologist, Nikolay Anitschkow (or Anichkov), working at the Military Medical Academy in St. Petersburg, showed that by feeding rabbits cholesterol dissolved in sunflower oil induced vascular lesions closely resembling those of human atherosclerosis, both grossly and microscopically. Controls fed only the sunflower oil showed no lesions.

Another difficulty in understanding heart disease is that there are a number of factors involved. Researchers, practitioners and the public become attached to one aspect. Some argue passionately regarding one aspect of heart disease and become blind to other factors.
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6 January 2014
To alkalise your body – what does it mean?

A number of books and websites tells us we need to alkalise our bodies for optimal health. What does this mean? Is alkaline water a scam or does it really have health benefits?
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2 October 2013
Muesli

Dr. Maximilian Bircher-Benner was born in Switzerland in 1867. He studied medicine in Austria, Germany and Switzerland. He created muesli based on a dish he and his wife was served on one of his mountain hikes.

He operated a small private clinic and advocated a diet based on fruits, vegetables and grains. He believed that people should consume a large proportion of uncooked food.
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8 August 2013
Tim Kaufman – Disabled to Ironman

Walking out of the doctor’s office, reality had finally sunk in. I was not going to be around for another year. My wife and kids would very likely not have a husband or father within the year. My blood pressure was 255/115, and I was on three medications to bring it down. My cholesterol (300 mg/dL, 7.8mmol/L) and triglycerides (279 mg/dL, 3.15mmol/L) were off the charts. Aside from a heavy load of prescribed medications, I was also self-medicating and struggling with addictions of all kinds.

My weight became so out of control that the doctor could no longer weigh me in his office. I had trouble breathing and suffered from severe sleep apnea.

I was born with a genetic disorder called Elhers-Danlos syndrome, and my joints are very loose and hypermobile. The excess weight was too much for my already destroyed joints to handle. I was constantly on crutches, canes, and immobilizers. I was cast and fitted for very expensive leg braces that would hold my legs from buckling. My wife was actually putting my socks and shoes on for me in the morning. Nothing was working, and my life was spiraling out of control.
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1 July 2013