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Is your Doctor missing a trick or two?
1 July 2005
There are three things that I'm known for in my household:
ONE: I live in hope that Wales will win the Rugby World Cup.
TWO: I always do the washing up (a day late!)
THREE: I'm always talking about doctors.
I believe that in a civilised country, doctors aren't just there to get you better. They are there to help you prevent illness from striking in the first place.
But perhaps I'm asking too much of the NHS, because the reality is rather different. . . as a fellow Good Lifer found out recently. . .
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See your doctor - but go armed with the facts
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I always recommend you see a doctor before trying a new complimentary medicine.
So I was pleased to hear that Good Life reader, Graham R. went to his doctor to get his homocysteine levels checked out (as I suggested in a previous letter).
Just to recap, homocysteine is an amino acid that's found naturally in the blood. But too much homocysteine has been linked to a higher risk of coronary heart disease and stroke.
That's why it's a good idea to get your levels checked.
But when Graham went to his GP, he was told that they didn't do these checks.
Naturally, he was confused by this. He even asked if I wrote from America, as that's where these things are done!
So I contacted an organisation called Heart UK to check my information was right. And here's what they said.
'Homocysteine tests can be carried out on the NHS and would, I think if indicated, be more likely to be checked in a lipid clinic setting. However, if there is a family history of raised homocysteine levels, it would be worth discussing a possible test with your GP.
'Results of a large study on homocysteine in cardiovascular risk, are, I believe not due to be published for some time yet.
'You can download more information on homocysteine from our website: http://www.HeartUK.org.uk and I'd be happy to send you an info pack if you wish to forward your address.'
So. . . looks like that GP was fobbing Graham off.
It just goes to show, you really DO need to take charge of your health and find out what's REALLY going on. And I hope I'm helping you do just that.
If you'd like to receive more information about homocysteine, you can email ask@heartuk.org.uk to get an information pack.
In the meantime, here's what you should do to get your homocysteine levels under control. . .
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A nutritious 'work out' for a healthier heart
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- Boost your Vitamin B12. This vitamin works closely with folic acid to make healthy red blood cells which helps beak down homocysteine. Meat, fish, poultry, eggs, milk are all good sources.
- Vitamin B6 is another powerful weapon against homocysteine. Potatoes, bananas, raisins, bran, lentils, liver, turkey, and tuna are all great sources.
- Eat leafy dark green vegetables legumes (dried beans and peas) citrus fruits and juices and berries to up your intake of Folic Acid.
Recent evidence shows that low blood levels of folic acid are linked with a higher risk of fatal coronary heart disease and stroke - so don't just read this. . . get eating!
And while I'm on my high horse. . .
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How to stop getting older on the inside
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No matter how much we enjoy rich fatty foods and smoking - and there's always a time and place for these things - we really should cut down a little.
And it's not just because of the usual stuff about the diseases linked to these habits. . .
Scientists have just discovered that they also boost the ageing process . . . by a high margin.
The latest research shows that people who smoke cigarettes or are obese have shorter telomeres.
Um. Let's hold up there for a second.
TELOMERES?
No, I'd never heard of them either, but apparently telomeres act like the little plastic tubes that cover the end of shoelaces to stop them fraying.
They sit on top of chromosomes (the age gene) and prevent them from wearing out.
The shorter they are, the less they work. Which means a tubby smoker will be biologically older than their non-smoking, leaner counterparts . . . even if they are the same age!
'Our findings suggest that obesity and cigarette smoking accelerate human ageing,' said Dr. Tim Spector, of St. Thomas' Hospital in London.
But by how much?
Well, apparently obesity adds 8.8 years. While smoking a pack a day for 40 years adds another 7.4 years.
A bit of a depressing thought to leave you on - but I can't be 'cheery Ray' all the time, can I?
That's all for today. I'll write soon.
Yours, as ever.
Ray Collins
The Good Life Letter
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