{BE SURE TO READ & HEED THE VITAL INFORMATION WHICH APPEARS AT THE VERY END OF THIS SERIES OF ARTICLES!}

In the many posts of DAXRICH.COM you will find a great deal of brand new, fresh articles, features and stories but also, we present some of the more popular and vital pieces that have appeared in the pages of our popular monthly, hard-copy publication, PERSONAL SUCCESS - THE NEWSLETTER.

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Coffee - Trick Or Treat? (10.30.06)

Coffee is a beverage - like red wine - the mere mention of which can start a discussion, if not a flat-out argument. It has its longtime supporters, as in, ‘’I couldn’t possibly start each day without my fix of coffee!'’ plus its detractors, who seem to delight in maligning the bean with comments like, ‘’The stuff will kill you! It causes cancer, at the very least, and I’ve heard that it even raises cholesterol!'’

Regardless, it appears that a fair amount of recent bonafide research proves some significant benefits to be derived from the brew, such as:

Lowering the risk of Parkinson’s disease, diabetes, colon cancer, headaches and even tooth cavities!

A study at Harvard analyzed the data of 126,000 people over a period of 18 years and calculates that drinking one to three cups of caffeinated coffee daily can reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes, BUT: Increasing consumption to six cups or more each day slashes men’s risk by 54% and women’s by 30% - when the stats are compared to people who drink no coffee at all.

One study in The Netherlands states flatly that the stuff should be classified as a ‘’health food'’ owing to the extraordinary benefits to be realized, including an 80% drop in cirrhosis of the liver plus a 50% reduction in gallstones.

Those figures are based on consuming just two cups a day.

Another fascinating report discloses that people who drink alcohol and smoke, but are also heavy coffee drinkers, tend to have far less heart disease or liver damage compared to non coffee drinkers.

Naturally, one wonders if all these good things emanate from the caffeine itself and if so, would the results be the same if one were to drink tea or soft drinks that are equally heavy in the substance. No one seems to know the answer to that one - yet - but there is a consensus that the higher the caffeine content the better - with approximately 85mg of the substance per an 8 ounce cup appearing to be optimum.

According to my calculations, that’s about 4 times the amount of caffeine to be found in most tea, cola or even chocolate, which has a large quantity.

WHAT TO DO?

Use your own best judgment - we do not feel that enough broad-based data has been presented in the medical journals, for example. Certainly, more will be forthcoming, as there is a huge and powerful lobby for coffee producers just as there is for wine - and it has now become virtually irrefutable that consuming a couple glasses of the red stuff every day is extraordinarily beneficial. So for now, hold the coffee and pour me some more of the vin, n’est pas?

SOME FOLKS GIVE HEADACHES TO ASPIRINS!

With recent frightening disclosures about the perils of using such costly prescription pain-relievers as VIOXX, CELEBREX, BEXTRA - and who knows what else by the time you read this - folks who suffer pain are being forced to look elsewhere for solace. Fortunately, as with many things in life, the old tried ‘n true may end up being the best choice!

There are scads of different over-the-counter pain relievers on the market, but how do you decide which one will work best for your symptoms? Some people use Tylenol as the drug of choice, others use Advil or Alleve. There are times when those expensive pain relievers are unnecessary, however. A simple aspirin may be a better choice. All pain relievers are not the same.

‘’The difference is they work in different places and they do different things,'’ says Than Hogan, director of the Drug Information Service in Jacksonville, Florida, which runs a hotline for baffled consumers.

Pain relievers fall loosely into four categories:

First compounded from willow bark centuries ago and later synthesized in the laboratory and sold under the trademark of Aspirin in 1899, Acetylsalicylic Acid is one of the oldest drugs known to mankind. Besides knocking out the common headache, it alleviates the fever, pain and inflammation caused by arthritis and other ailments.

Motrin, Nuprin and Advil (with the basic potent ingredient Ibuprofen) are anti-inflammatory, although they are also used as pain relievers.

Tylenol (with its principal ingredient of Acetaminophen) is in a class by itself, effective as a fever and pain reliever, but ineffective in reducing inflammation. For children, or those with sensitive stomachs, Tylenol is a good choice.

Alleve is a trade name for Naprozen Sodium which relieves a variety of minor pains associated with colds, headache, toothache and muscular problems.

For general pain, Acetaminophen is often recommended, although plain ol’ aspirin is successfully used as well - often by older folks not impressed with newer, more expensive remedies. Tylenol can be dangerous: If repeated use goes beyond recommended dosage, one could wind up with liver damage.

Pain relievers also may clash with other medications, or duplicate medications already being taken, doubling their effect. Consult your pharmacist before grabbing the first package off the shelf and inform him/her what type of pain you’re having . . . whether muscular or skeletal . . . is it short term or has it been around for a long time . . . and has a doctor ever prescribed anything for it?

The first thing to bear in mind is that many manufacturers make similar products. You need to look at the label to see the active ingredients to figure out what’s in the medication.

READ THE LABEL & SAVE $$!

A glance at the label may show little difference between generic brands and their more expensive name-brand counterparts - indeed, most wise shoppers will opt for the generic brand and save considerably. I stock up on 50 caplets of 550 MG each of Acetaminophen for a dollar a bottle. The same composition as a well-known or even a store brand will cost $5.99! Label-reading can also provide you with vital warnings about over-dosing and side effects.

Remember this about pain-relievers:

Many of us take a daily aspirin to help keep the blood thinned out and pumping nicely to avert a heart attack. Two things about that:

Five years ago we said that our research indicated that only a half of a standard 5 grain tablet or less was adequate and recently, in the late winter of 2005, medical researchers were (finally) telling the media the same thing!

Perhaps, the MOST important thing to know about all this is that if one decides to take aspirin therapeutically to stave off heart problems, it must BE aspirin: Not Acetaminophen or Ibuprofen or a buffered-type product, but aspirin - just PLAIN, CHEAP ASPIRIN.

FURTHERMORE - and this is really vital and not known by enough folks even in the medical field, I fear: If a person takes aspirin prophylactically as discussed above, Ibuprofen must NOT be taken with any frequency - as it all but totally destroys the effectiveness of the aspirin! To date, no such self-defeating connection has been linked to Acetaminophen or Naprozen Sodium.

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HEALTH BOOSTER: Into The Woods . . . (10.23.06)

Frankly, I hate yard work. I did enough of that when I was a kid - mowing huge lawns for a quarter - and THAT with an old reel-type push machine. Or raking leaves, shovelling snow and other tough tasks. Therefore, for the past many decades I’ve always insisted on hiring someone else - anyone else - to do those chores.

Recently though, the Amish fellow who normally does that sort of work around BLUE HERON POINTE was busy with his enormous Belgian eight-horse team plowing his fields for a few days so the ‘’pick up sticks'’ portion of our yard work was not getting done.

We have, by actual count, 47 huge hickory trees, and after a big storm there’s always a big pile of small sticks and limbs - if we’re lucky. Once in awhile we’ll get a large branch breaking off and we always nervously consider the possibility of a whole cotton-pickin’ tree - or two - slamming into the ol’ homestead whenever there’s a big storm.

Anyway, we hired the young Amish cousin of Verne Troyer - ‘’Mini Me'’ from the Austin Powers movies - the kid I once told you about - and frankly, I don’t know what happened to him (maybe he got star-struck?!). But . . . he simply failed to show up. Before you know it, S.E.’s out there picking up the sticks, so I thought ‘’Oh crap!'’ - I’d better help. (That term is actually a much milder version of what really came to mind!)

We got the job done - even burned the pile of brush we accumulated. One nice thing about the boondocks: You can still actually burn your leaves, branches or whatever - no license, no penalty, etc., as would be the case almost everywhere else.

Unfortunately, both of us also ‘’got some poison ivy'’ in the process. Mine was not too bad - just an itchy patch by one eye. SuEllen however, got it on her hands, arms, chin and belly. (Well okay, she tends to work harder than I do!) I looked for the calamine lotion - although remembering from past experience the stuff is totally worthless.

We were out of the calamine, but S.E. had an idea: She had heard from her Amish buddies that Chickweed was good for all sorts of skin problems. Well, we went over to the local Amish store (out in the middle of nowhere) and bought a can of Chickweed salve. We applied liberally and in a few minutes, the itch was gone. By the next day our rashes had dried up and had all but disappeared.

Naturally, S.E. researched Chickweed every which way from Sunday and discovered some fascinating things, to wit:

Chickweed - which is a small fast-growing 12-15 inch tall green plant - and most people treat it as a worthless weed - grows everywhere. We have some on the north side of our house, for instance. People in the past have chewed it up and used the resulting yuck as a poultice for many skin problems - from sunburn, to poison oak and ivy, chiggers and even skin cancer.

Chickweed has traditionally been eaten - in salads, mostly. It has a mild, refreshing flavor and remarkably, incorporates all of the following properties: Vitamin C, mucilage, rutin, parta amino benzoic acid (PABA), gamma linolenic acid (GLA, an omega-6 fatty acid derivative), niacin, riboflavin (B2), thiamin (B1) beta carotene (Vitamin A), magnesium, iron, calcium, potassium, zinc, phosphorus, manganese, sodium, selenium and silicon!

Medicinally, chickweed is a tonic, a diuretic, demulcent, expectorant and is mildly laxative. It is sometimes recommended for asthma, bronchitis and congestion. It even helps fight obesity and is often an ingredient in herbal weight-loss preparations.

Chickweed is found in quite a number of over-the-counter drug products as well as some of the higher-priced prescribed pharmaceuticals. For instance, it aids in correcting PMS imbalance, is one treatment for arthritis and liver problems as well as reducing the negative effects of alcohol consumption.

Birds - including chickens - love the stuff, hence the origin of its name.

Well, there you have it - a cheap, little-known natural product that you may find handy when battling a case of the itches and/or even burns: An Amish lady told us she prefers it over aloe vera when she or a family member gets a minor burn. I’d suggest GOOGLE-ing ‘’chickweed'’ and informing yourself of ALL the many uses for the stuff (which by the way, is a bit smelly).

HEALTH WARNING!

Statistically, you may well be amongst the millions of people now regularly taking one of the statin drugs such as Lipitor, Pravachol, Zocor, etc., in an effort to help pretty-up your lipid profile. Recently, CRESTOR, a new contender has made the scene with splashy teevee commercials that look like they were produced by Doctor Seuss - really quite clever productions.

Turns out though, that an inordinate number of people are developing kidney failure, severe muscle pain and even muscle deterioration after taking the drug for more than three months. Class action suits popping up, and the FDA is investigating. (Aren’t they supposed to do that before a drug is released to the unsuspecting public?!)

Finally, this: As we’ve reported numerous times over the years, CoQ10 is a vital antioxidant - believed by many to be the most important of all - but with natural aging, the body diminishes production, which for everybody signals a need to supplement.

BUT it has now been discovered that all statin drugs virtually deplete any natural production of CoQ10, thus it becomes essential to supplement daily with a good quality product to offset the damage caused by the statin intake. Talk this over with your doctor as he or she should know all about this - it’s been reported in all of the top medical journals.

P.S. Earlier, I mentioned using a reel-type, push mower when I was a kid. Coincidentally, SuEllen recently obtained one from an old Amish fellow, had it professionally sand-blasted and repainted and it is available, if interested, in the AMISH CRAFTS page of her www.NiftyStuff4U.com

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BIRD FLU: FLUKE, FOLLY OR FACT?

Data from very recent international news reports:

‘’The World Health Organization (WHO) states that Bird flu is a bigger challenge than AIDS.'’

‘’One by one, the Bird flu is making its way across the world - country by country. Over 120 people have died from it.'’

‘’At an emergency meeting in Geneva, Dr. Margaret Chan, a leading expert on the deadly H5N1 strain of avian flu, told a gathering of some 30 world experts to prepare for the transmittal of the strain from birds and animals to humans.'’ She continued: ‘’Should our efforts fail, the high levels of morbidity (death), the social and economic disruption that a worldwide pandemic will bring . . . would be devastating.'’

‘’Dr. Michael Ryan, director of Epidemic and Pandemic Alert and Response at WHO, said, ‘We truly feel that this present threat is likely to stretch our global systems to the point of collapse.”’

‘’Worst case economic cost is $4.4 trillion.'’

‘’President Bush asked Congress for $7.1 billion to fund a National Preparedness Plan, but got only $3.8 billion. So far the NPP has earmarked 90% of that for vaccines (which do not yet exist) against the Bird Flu. If/when a vaccine is developed, it will require 6 to 12 months to produce.'’

‘’With a pandemic we would need 742,500 ventilators (machines that pump oxygen into patient’s lungs), yet our nation currently has a total of only 105,000 ventilators, but in a normal flu season, all but five thousand of those are put to use! Bottom line: It would take another $18 billion to buy the needed ventilators, alone.'’

YIKES! {and) DOUBLE YIKES!

As of this writing (early in March) my own dire prediction - made last fall - has thankfully, NOT yet come true: I felt then, that by the end of March we would have our first reported case of Bird Flu here in the U.S. Of course, we haven’t yet gotten to the end of March, and unfortunately, there is often a serious lag betwixt fact and reportage by all governments, so . . .

Regardless, you probably do not need to be scared any more, because the fact is: IF the Bird Flu - the current strain or perhaps, as many experts contend, yet another one - deigns to hit us broadside, we shall all be in the deep doo-doo unless we take major precautions - in advance.

It should be pointed out also, that any number of other catastrophes may befall us - from earthquakes, floods, fires, insurrection or what-have-you. That is mentioned, because even if you have no interest or concern about the birdie flu - you may wish to consider the meat of this article anyway, as it could help save your life from some other nasty event.

By the way, before we DO leave the ‘’scare-tactics'’ part of this piece, allow me one more sobering statistic: To date, the H5N1 strain has killed over half of all the people who have contracted it. The Spanish flu of 1918 - the one everyone keeps referring to when reporting on the current potential threat - killed 40 million people but get this:

That figure represented only 1 in ten cases, which means only 10% of those who contracted the Spanish flu perished. Compare that with current stats: If so far, over 50% have died - versus - a comparatively ‘’small'’ 10% in 1918 . . . if a billion of our current world’s population (of 6 1/2 billion) were now to contract Bird Flu - we could realis-tically expect over 500 million people to die!

Bear in mind: In 1918 we did not have global ‘’fast'’ transportation as is commonplace today. Now, if someone in London, already infected with (anything), gets on a plane headed for New York he/she will have infected at least a couple hundred people on the aircraft by the time of touch-down. Then, all those folks will go hither and yon - spreading the disease exponentially.

WORTH SOME SERIOUS COGITATIN’!

All of the foregoing (and we have SO much more research ‘twould take ten of these newsletters crammed full to extrapolate) - certainly, got US to thinking hard about the subject, and what we (and you) might be able to do to survive. And again, although we are concentrating on only the bird flu here, there really are any number of other disastrous events that could be survived, if the basic steps we shall discuss were to be taken.

First, how many of us, right now, are truly prepared: Individually, as a family or in community units? Probably, very few! Stop for a moment and realize the consequences of a very large number of your fellow citizens contracting any serious illness - even if, we hope, they all survived:

With hundreds of thousand of sick and dying all around us, one by one we would lose all of our utilities - water, electric, fuel sources for heating, fuel for transportation. Buses, taxis, planes, trains and our individual vehicles would no longer be functional.

There would be nobody to pick up your trash, no one to drive trucks to transport food and medical supplies across the country.

Retail outlets - including supermarkets - would be shuttered. Hospitals would certainly make every attempt to provide services, but what happens when the doctors and nurses and support staff all fall prey to the disease?

You can see where dire consequences would be rampant within a few days or weeks after any number of humans contracted the disease - from another human. Right now, it is believed that bird flu has yet to transmit from bird to human - although there are documented reports of bird to animal transmittal - in cats.

Methinks, the minute we learn that it has transmitted to pigs, the dominoes will start to fall, as a swine’s physiology is very close to our own (especially, to some of our eating habits - HA!)

HUNKER IN YOUR BUNKER!

I truly believe - as do others, including some top newscasters (Ted Koppel and Tom Brokaw, for starters) that the only genuine hope any of us will have is to develop a bunker mentality. Simply put, we would need to prepare ourselves for an extended spate at the ol’ homestead - with only our immediate family and/or close friends - allowing no one to leave unprotected or anyone else to enter the sanctified space.

We would not be able to ‘’go out'’ - to stores, post offices, theatres or any other place. As stated, most all such would be closed down anyway. We would not be able to go to our places of employment! That’s a tough one, isn’t it . . . but the consequences of mingling with your fellow citizens ‘’out there'’ would definitely be potentially disastrous. There’s just no getting around it IF, as we’ve stated several times now, human-to-human transmittal of the disease were to become a fact.

As you can start to see here, we’re talking about a horribly topsy-turvy world - at least for the ‘’duration.'’ And how long is that? No one seems to know. But we’ve heard the numbers of 1 1/2 to two full years! Along the way, there are some obscene facts that the experts also predict:

So many dead people that corpses will be piled up in parking lots. Possibly, by government fiat they must necessarily be burned en masse. But let’s not dwell on the negative crap - let’s get serious about what we would need to do to prepare for basic survival - so that eventually, together, we can emerge and rebuild our society if it were to come to that!

BASIC PROTECTION

Again, without getting too ‘’chicken-little'’ about all this, we need to protect our properties and our families. Guns, for starters. If you do not now have any, consider at least a handgun or two - ditto for a 12 or 20 gauge shotgun. Stock up on shells, Noooooooo, you say? I fully understand.

But: Let’s say you’re hunkered in your bunker, there are ‘’No Trespass'’ signs that you’ve posted on all sides of your house, yet all of a sudden, one or more people start trying to bang down your door or break the windows. Gonna just sit there cowering? I don’t think so! You are a DAX-DOER, after all!

You may want to acquire an electric generator that is gasoline-fired. If so, make certain that you set aside a goodly supply OF gas in the proper, approved containers. Be ever-so careful about that - you do not want to create a more dangerous situation than you are attempting to prevent!

A few sheets of 4′ X 8′ plywood (3/8′’ thick or greater) plus a half dozen good-size plastic or canvas tarps would be handy to have - if windows or the roof get damaged by wind, falling trees or whatever. There will be no glass people or roofers whom you can call to fix!

Alarm systems on windows and doors may be prudent. There are inexpensive individual battery operated devices available - probably better than a central type which is powered by electricity, although our own systems have sturdy battery back-ups that last quite awhile, we discovered. But I remind you: Probably, there will be no dependable source for that or water, etc.

Indeed, another major consideration IS water. If you have a nearby natural source, river, lake, pond or even run-off from your roof - you can survive simply by boiling water or adding four drops of regular (UNscented) bleach to a gallon of water and allow to sit for 30 minutes before drinking.

If there is absolutely no nearby water source, you must factor in a great amount of bottled water in your list of things to stock up!

Cell phones may work longer than traditional hard-wired types, but best not to count on them - or anything else that we now take for granted. Computers, internet, emails, etc. No doubt there would always be pockets of ‘’normal'’ activity - but it is doubtful that all of us could be or would be served on any consistent basis.

You need to prepare a means to heat and/or actually cook foods. Bunsen burners, charcoal or wood grills - other devices that may use propane, if you care to store a supply.

Some method to heat at least part of your house -even if only one room, in a pinch. If you have a fireplace - do you have either a large supply of firewood or the means to produce it (saws, axes, splitters, etc.)? Are there trees in your yard or otherwise nearby? My thinking:

There’s always that big deck out back that’s ugly, anyway! Ditto for some old furniture . . . HEY! We’re talking opportunism mixed with necessity, here!

FOOD: LOAD UP THE LARDER!

This is the greatest consideration for most of us, I suppose, although again, if YOU have plenty of grub, and your neighbors do NOT - those firearms mentioned earlier may become even more vital! Well, what would you need to stock up on? Many things, but probably not the sort of stuff you would normally fill your shopping cart with:

Canned (not frozen!) foods of all kinds. Basic vegetables such as corn, beans of several varieties, tomatoes, mushrooms, olives, artichokes, etc. Fruits, including peaches, pears, cranberries and other varieties that you and yours like. Soups and stews. Tuna, salmon, clams, chicken, turkey, beef, etc. Juices of whatever kind you prefer.

Condiments and spices will make even the most common or bland foods a gourmand’s delight! Jarred garlic, catsup, a variety of mustard, salad dressings, pine nuts. And for sure, a compliment of cumin, Garam Masala, cinnamon, curry and chili powders, onion flakes, coriander, dill/poppy/ sesame seeds, paprika - and many more! When you start making a list, you’ll find it darn near endless, and you may need to pare it back.

Remember, there would probably be no reliable source of refrigeration, so your foodstuffs must be of the kind that will not require it. Hence, you may want to consider stocking up on various pastas, rice and grains (oatmeal, couscous, etc.)

It seems like it would be a good idea to get several large plastic containers with lids in which to store those latter items, to avoid damage from the elements or from bugs or rodents or other scavengers.

OTHER BASIC NECESSITIES

Toilet tissue! Hand and face soaps. Paper towels. Kleenex. Laundry detergent. Several gallons of bleach - and perhaps, a large wash tub and a washboard! Dishwashing detergent - you’ll need to clean your eating utensils one way or another. Make sure you have plenty of cloth towels of various kinds and sizes.

Ditto for blankets, pillows, sheets and related items. You won’t be able to just go out and pick this stuff up if you need it - but have failed to put it back somewhere.

A wind-up/solar-powered radio may prove inval-uable, plus several regular flashlights or better, hand-crank models. Note: DDD tests of Faraday (type) proved them useless! (Report next month).

You can live without some things, of course - but ‘twould be nice to have: Deodorants, hair sprays, shaving supplies, some tasty (canned) items such as candy, nuts, other snacks. How about a whole bunch of reading material, hobby and craft materials and games to occupy everyone’s time whilst waiting out the (whatever)?

MONEY

If such a horrible scenario as we’ve suggested were to actually materialize, the government would, no doubt, invoke any number of emergency rules, laws and regulations that would prohibit most law suits and such based on non pay of accounts, etc. If there is no one to accept payments - how would you make them? Regardless, it appears that currency as such, would be worthless for the duration.

First, to whom would you give it? You would not be in contact with anybody - no mail in or out of your ‘’Bunker!'’ It seems likely that IF the world’s Word Wide Web could be kept up and running, there are many, many things that would drastically change within a few weeks. One such may be the payment of accounts.

Currently, many of us are gradually switching over to paying certain bills on-line - but that option is not available in all cases. For instance, our gas and electric companies do NOT offer the option. Bet they will if there’s no other way to get their $$! Of course, you’d need to have your funds in an account that could be tapped electronically, if you wish. Something else to ponder, isn’t it . . .

Back to actual cash: It’s hard to envision any circumstance where it would be useful, so other than a very few dollars on hand - just to remind yourself what the stuff looks like - why bother?

MEDICAL SUPPLIES

You may be called on to be the family doctor or nurse so make certain you have on hand:

Lots of band-aids, adhesive tape, ACE bandages, anabiotic cream, hydrogen peroxide, rubbing alcohol, witch hazel, and similar basic care items. Fasteeth or similar product. My dentist told me once to take along a small tube when I travel. If a filling or even a bridge comes out, you can cement it back in for at least a temporary fix. After all, you certainly would not want to go to a dentist - if there were one to go to - during a pandemic!

You’ll need to stock up on any prescriptions, if possible, and of course, such things as aspirin, Advil, Tylenol, Prilosec, Alka-Seltzer, Immodium, Preparation-H, eye wash, Ben-Gay, etc. Each person’s list would be different - try and fill out your own as completely as you can.

TOOLS

You may well need to assume the role of ‘’Mr./Ms. Fix-it'’ so you’ll need some tools: Hammers, pipe and adjustable wrenches, pliers, blow torch, flux and solder (you may need to do some plumbing repairs), hand drill, hand saws (perhaps, a gas-powered chain saw), utility knives, scissors, tin snips, wire cutters, nails of all sizes, a box of different kind of wood and metal screws, wire . . .

. . . duct tape, plastic tape, several lengths of rope, shovels, axes - even a decent-size vise. (There’s a picture of me somewhere standing next to my work bench and my red-painted vise and the inscription, ‘’This is my only vise . . . ‘’ (yes I KNOW it would be spelled viCe!)

NICE TO HAVE

If your electricity and other utilities were to remain functioning, you’d like to have available some replacement furnace filters, extra salt for the water softener, filters for whatever type of device you have to purify your water supply, etc.

How about extra pairs of reading glasses . . . hearing aid batteries . . . canes . . . even a set of crutches or a walker (who knows?!) . . . women’s make-up . . . tooth paste . . . tooth brushes . . . dental floss . . . mouth wash . . . booze . . . smokes (if you’re still hooked!) . . . lots of disinfectant and hand cleaner . . . a hand-crank cell phone charger!

WE’ll NEED A TRUCK!

Darn near it, for sure. Or, many trips to the store and yes, many charges on the old plastic card, I suppose. But IF you and yours are alive after a siege of the flu - or other widespread nastiness - it would all be worth it, wouldn’t it?

I mentioned earlier other possibilities that may lay us all low for a spate - including a major earthquake. You probably already know of the many, many experts who say it’s not a matter of ‘’if'’ or even ‘’where,'’ but ‘’when.'’

Here’s something I just ran across: A disastrous MEGAQUAKE (that’s what ‘’they'’ call it) is pre-dicted in the subduction zone in the Pacific North-west which will cause a catastrophic earthquake of 9.5 (Richter scale) plus a tsunami of unprece-dented proportions which will affect the flow of all goods and services throughout the entire United States. Worse (they say) than the recent tsunami in Sumatra that claimed 270,000 lives!

Okay, so I apologize if I’ve scared you silly and there comes about no reason to BE scared, or prepared. On the other hand (is my watch, as one of my former employees was fond of saying) . . . at least, I’ve given you something to seriously think about. So regardless, let’s be ready!

There should be no waste of money invested in the items we’ve listed (as well as many more that YOU will, no doubt think of) as these items could be systematically consumed starting immediately - as long as each week you replaced whatever you’ve used up. And of course, as any good stock kid knows - rotate the inventory!

I would strongly urge you to pursue this matter beyond these pages! For starters, plug pertinent data into GOOGLE: ‘’Bird Flu'’ ‘’Avian Flu'’ ‘’Flu Pandemic.'’ Also, there are those two informative websites I gave you in a recent issue for up-to-date official data, plus specific regions if/as they are affected: www.Pandemicflu.gov {and} www. cdc.gov/flu/ pandemic.htm Plus, all major news media offer free on-line Bird Flu updates.

If you really get the beejeebers scared out of you, there are numerous places on line that will be glad to sell you anything you can think of that is germane to the topic. Bird flu mask protection at: www.cooper safety.com A free avian flu planning guide is available at: www.Fluplan.com

(2) Additional ‘’DAX-Thoughts:'’ (’tis like old home week around here - ‘’DAX Thoughts'’ is what my monthly editorial was called in the afore-mentioned venerable ‘’DAX Money-Maker'’ of yesteryear.) Frankly, I hesitate to mention the first item as it is so conflicting, but . . . I’ve never held back on you before as to my true beliefs, so:

SuEllen and I have discussed, researched and pondered the subject of Bird Flu every which way from Sunday. That’s how we came up with all the data that we’ve presented here. BUT (and this is where it gets a bit nutty, I admit) - we agreed that in our case we would NOT carry out a plan such as we’ve outlined.

We have no children in-house to worry about or protect but, S.E. has declared that for her, ‘’there is a fly in the ointment'’ with a plan such as we’ve detailed above:

Several weeks or months into our ‘’Hunker In Our Bunker'’ - living where we do, amongst scads of Amish folks, there would no doubt come a time when some kid would knock on our door, in tears, begging for help because his/her parents, grand-parents and other relatives were deathly ill or already deceased.

He or she would need help to care for any remaining children, old folks or whatever. S.E. says she could not bear the thought of turning them away, and neither of us would. Thus, we’d both get exposed to the damn disease and die anyway - so why delay the inevitable with a bunch of stored-up food and other necessities?

Philosophically, I agree with that. Nonetheless, I’m currently arguing the notion that we could at the very least, help some of those poor Amish kids live longer. So, we’ll have to see. Generally though, I do not prevail in such debates . . . Regardless, do no allow our dilemma to influence your decision or action! Be your own best counsel!

FLASH!

As we go to press, we have received a statement from Michael Leavitt, Secretary of Health & Human Services. (Finally) recognizing the consequences OF a pandemic he suggests that ‘’Americans should start collecting cans of tuna fish and powered milk and store under their beds.'’

Oh . . . CRAP! That is as vacuous as the declaration from former head of Homeland Security, Tom Ridge, when he advised Americans to stock up on duct tape and plastic sheeting in anticipation of further terrorist attacks after 9/11!

If that’s as far as the thinking of our leaders has progressed - we are all in deep birdie doo-doo and MUST take definitive steps to protect ourselves!!!!

DOUBLE FLASH! (Whatever THAT may be!)

The above article first appeared in the May 2006 issue of PERSONAL SUCCESS - THE NEWSLETTER. Yes, I KNOW that I mentioned that at the very start of the piece, but I know from experience that many people just skim text, and I want you to see the significance of the DATES involved, because . . .

. . . the first week of AUGUST 2006 - just three months later - the big news of the world was that U.S, officials had discovered Avian Flu in a single swan in Southeast Michigan (of all places), although they rushed to calm fears, saying that the strain was not believed to be the kind that is easily transferred to humans.

Okey-dokey . . . but here I am, trying to warn people of the world - but most especially, citizens of the United States - even though, at the time the first article was published NO signs of Bird Flu had yet presented anywhere - and now, the cotton-pickin’ nasty stuff is almost in my own back yard, and the very first place in the entire country to have it in ANY form!

True, I am located in SouthWEST Michigan - but you get the point. Further, I live on a 1,059 acre private lake and we have hundreds of birds flying in and out daily - Canada geese, Blue Heron (hence, our spread’s name, BLUE HERON POINTE), ducks, robins, Kingfishers, Purple Martins and you got it . . . SWANS! We have 8 that live ON our property!

My parting thought on all this: Neither you nor I or anyone else can just take for granted that Bird Flu will NOT ‘darken our door'’ and perhaps, the odds are still in our mutual favor that it will never come to pass . . . yet, methinks, the crux of the foregoing article would be worth considering and perhaps, taking some defensive steps to protect you and yours just as a precaution. ’nuff said!

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ODDS ‘N ENDS TO ENSURE YOUR HEALTHIER ODDS ‘N ENDS

SOME FOLKS GIVE HEADACHES TO ASPIRINS!

There are scads of different over-the-counter pain relievers on the market, but how do you decide which one will work best for your symptoms? Some people use Tylenol as the drug of choice, others use Advil or Alleve.

There are times when those expensive pain relievers are unnecessary, however. A simple aspirin may be a better choice. All pain relievers are not the same.

‘’The difference is they work in different places and they do different things,'’ says Than Hogan, director of the Drug Information Service in Jacksonville, Florida, which runs a hotline for baffled consumers.

Pain relievers fall loosely into four categories:

First compounded from willow bark centuries ago and later synthesized in the laboratory and sold under the trademark of Aspirin in 1899, Acetylsalicylic Acid is one of the oldest drugs known to mankind. Besides knocking out the common headache, it alleviates the fever, pain and inflammation caused by arthritis and other ailments.

Motrin, Nuprin and Advil (with the basic potent ingredient Ibuprofen) are anti-inflammatory, although they are also used as pain relievers.

Tylenol (with its principal ingredient of Acetaminophen) is in a class by itself, effective as a fever and pain reliever, but ineffective in reducing inflammation. For children, or those with sensitive stomachs, Tylenol is a good choice.

Alleve is a trade name for Naprozen Sodium which relieves a variety of minor pains associated with colds, headache, toothache muscular problems.

For general pain, Acetaminophen is often recommended, although plain ol’ aspirin is successfully used as well - often by older folks not impressed with newer, more expensive remedies. Tylenol can be dangerous: If repeated use goes beyond recommended dosage, one could wind up with liver damage.

Pain relievers also may clash with other medications, or duplicate medications already being taken, doubling their effect. Consult your pharmacist before grabbing the first package off the shelf and inform him/her what type of pain you’re having . . . whether muscular or skeletal . . . is it short term or has it been around for a long time . . . and has a doctor ever prescribed anything for it?

The first thing to bear in mind is that many manufacturers make similar products. You need to look at the label to see the active ingredients to figure out what’s in the medication.

READ THE LABEL!

A glance at the label may show little difference between generic brands and their more expensive name-brand counterparts - indeed, most wise shoppers will opt for the generic brand and save considerably. I stock up on 50 caplets of 550 MG each of Acetaminophen for a dollar a bottle.

The same stuff under a well-known or even a store brand will cost $4.99! Label-reading can also provide you with vital warnings about over-dosing and side effects.

A couple things to remember about pain-relievers:

For years, many of us have been taking a daily aspirin to help keep the blood thinned out and pumping nicely to avert a heart attack. Two things about that:

We told you about five years that our research indicated that only a half of a standard 5 grain tablet or less was adequate (if no serious problem is indicated) and recently, in the late winter of 2002, medical researchers were (finally) telling the media the same thing!

Perhaps, the MOST important thing to know about all this is that if one decides to take aspirin therapeutically to stave off heart problems, it must BE aspirin: Not Acetaminophen or Ibuprofen or a buffered-type product, but aspirin - just PLAIN, CHEAP ASPIRIN.

FURTHERMORE - and this is really vital and not known by enough folks even in the medical field, I fear: If a person takes aspirin prophylactically as discussed above, Ibuprofen must NOT be taken with any frequency as it all but totally destroys the effectiveness of the aspirin! To date, no such self-defeating connection has been linked to Acetaminophen or Naprozen Sodium.

FREE MEDICINE FOR SENIORS

We have told you before of the several programs that are in place to provide 100% free life-saving drugs to older, indigent folks, and we believe the best way to set into motion such a program is through one’s doctor. He/she has all the facts, the forms and the understanding of the patent’s dilemma and can best implement such an action (which generally draws from the good graces of large drug companies who supply the product.)

LOW COST MEDICINE FOR SENIORS

More recently, Phizer (best known for producing a new lease on a sex life for millions of people via Viagra), announced a new program whereby certain people (65 and older) can obtain a variety of prescription drugs for just $15.00 a month each - regardless of the usual going rate which can run into the hundreds of dollars. In addition to the age requirement, one must be on Medicare and have a combined income of no more than $24,000.00 annually.

LOW COST MEDICINE FOR EVERYBODY

There’s a currently popular book called, ‘’The Consumer’s Pharmacy Guide.'’ It sells for about $15.00 from Green Tree Press, 3603 West 12th St, Erie, PA 16505 or via the web at: www. greentreepress.com It addresses the fact that many Americans are saving huge sums of money by either going to Canada or Mexico or ordering by phone or the Internet from these countries.

Once, when I was in Pakistan I got deathly ill from food poisoning. My host happened to be the Chief Honcho in Asia for Eli Lilly and stopped by a pharmacy to pick up some Lomatil which he delivered to my hotel.

There, as in many countries, few drugs are controlled by the government or require a prescription. Further, the drug in this case, which I was familiar with in the U.S., cost a mere penny per pill there, rather than the dollar or so back home!

Such is the case with virtually ALL drugs today: In America we pay through the nose for our medical needs of all kinds but especially, the drugs we are prescribed. Several dollars per dose is no longer uncommon.

Congress recently changed the law prohibiting U.S. citizens from obtaining prescribed drugs from sources other than American pharmacies and the floodgates have opened, to put it mildly.

At first, folks organized bus-loads of golden-oldies who made a day trip to Canadian or Mexican border cities, stocked up on their drug needs and went home. Savings of up to $3,000.00 per person were claimed! Today, most people order over the Internet and their day-trips are usually to a Casino instead of a drug store - HA!

FIGHTIN’ FRIGGIN’ FIBROMYALGIA! (Update)

The battle against FMS rages on! We just learned that fresh research at the University of Florida portends for a possible dietary adjustment/ treatment for this nasty condition, to wit:

It seems that test subjects who had suffered FMS for many years AND were known to be allergy-sensitive (common amongst FMS patients) became all but pain and FMS-free a few months after eliminating MSG (monosodium glutamate) as well as Aspartame from their diet! Now, these two food additives do not seem to cause FMS, yet once deleted seem to ‘’cure'’ it by their absence!

I mentioned in the March issue that many people were lauding the benefits of tart cherry juice concentrate - claiming that it all but wiped out all symptoms of FMS. Well, I got a couple bottles (one such at $14.00 makes two full gallons of strong-flavored juice, consumed in two or three eight ounce portions per day) and gave it a good try.

To make my own research valid, I quit taking the Malic Acid tablets that previously had become my own particular best weapon against FMS. After the Malic Acid was out of my system the familiar nasty pains returned in various parts of the ol’ bod and for over a week after I began the cherry juice regimen not much improved.

At about the third week I noticed a definite improvement and by the time the first bottle was consumed the pain threshold had been reduced considerably. Now, about six weeks into the trial, most all pain is gone except in the fleshy part of both thumbs - and that pain can be a killer at times. (By press time even THAT pain was considerably lessened!)

Nevertheless, methinks, I will stay with the cherry juice for awhile rather than the Malic Acid as the juice offers many good additional benefits owing to the extraordinary antioxidant properties as thoroughly documented by major medical researchers which, again, we have reported to you in past articles, plus in the report on the topic - available via the DAX BOOK NOOK.

An Important Caveat: Tart Cherry Juice contains about 110 calories per serving (approx. 2 tablespoons of syrup per 8 ounces of water) PLUS a hefty 27mg of carbohydrates. If you are watching your weight and health in general, you may need to factor in those rather large numbers into your daily intake - especially, as ‘’regards the carbs!'’

I’ve requested research data on an alternative delivery method - that of cherry juice concentrate capsules - and so far it looks good: 3.5mg per capsule - no data on calories . . . yet.

DAX DENTAL DETAILS UPDATE

This will be brief - but is good to know: Nearly a year back, we told you about our changing our personal tooth-cleaning apparatus (from) the previously pretty-good Braun Oral B (with its round rotating at dizzying speed brushes) to the newer SoniCare which adds to the whirling dervish concept SONIC action (the same type that jewelers use to clean your rings - without solvent or other ‘’wet'’ substances).

HEED THIS!

In the interim since we started using the SoniCare we’ve learned of a potential hygiene problem with the brush if careful and meticulous care is not given the interface between the brush head and the motor body, as a nasty build-up of MOULD and/or fungus may occur.

As the base for the brush (as well as the individual brushes) are somewhat pricey (ranging from $100.00 down to about $69.00 if you catch a sale) - many people tend to use just one and change the heads each time another person brushes their toofies. If that’s the case, chances are the act of changing said brushes would reveal any crud build-up and the same would be eliminated.

If you have a SoniCare system for each member of the family as do we, however, you may not have reason to take the thing apart very often - except for the recommended brush replacement every six months. So . . . best to rip that sucker apart every few days, thoroughly clean, and dowse with hydrogen peroxide to ensure all mould is killed off.

Why put yourself through all that expense and bother? Well, if your results are anything like ours you’ll save a bundle over the course of time as well as have much healthier (and better-looking) teeth! S.E. and I both noticed a significant difference in appearance and ‘’feel'’ after only a few days and our dentists (we have different ones) told us independently they had never seen such healthy gums and teeth (in either of US, that is).

And in my case, I’ve been able to reduce regular cleaning visits from every three months to every six months. That saves me two visits at $165.00 each year!

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OKAY, OKAY - WE HEAR YOU!

Our various discussions in these pages during the past 12-14 months - about diets, heart, health and such - have engendered an enormous response from DAX-DOERS the world-over.

We know that you, like myself, are (statistically) overweight, out-of-shape, probably heart and health impaired and most of all . . . downright worried.

Worse, I sense from letters, fax and emails, that you are confused about what is the genuinely best path to follow to ensure improving your overall health and really, once you ‘’get to it'’ - your anticipated longevity.

After all, not a day can pass in our lives without hearing many reports of a conflicting nature about diets of all kinds, bolstered by declarative statements of medical experts that never seem to jive with the guy or gal who is being interviewed on another channel: Right?

Sadly, many people who are thus bombarded by contradictory information, claims, advertising pitches and such simply throw up their hands and decide that, since no one can agree on much of anything, why worry, why even try to get healthy or stay healthy - the net result being, that the preponderance of Americans are actively killing themselves off. It should not be that way, but it is.

Look, here’s a true fact - a DAX-FAX, if you will: You and I truly are what we eat. No, that should not conjure up cartoon images of Jill as a huge ice cream cone or Jack as a big fat burger. It means that the foodstuffs that each of us chooses to consume on a long-term basis most assuredly does determine the overall state of our health that we either enjoy or . . . suffer.

If you doubt that a particular dietary regimen is suspect - for gosh sakes, research it! Do not - ever - take anyone’s word solely for anything that may affect your health, pocketbook or whatever else is near and dear to you. That includes ME:

For well over four decades now, I have implored all DAX-DOERS to take whatever I say as a suggestion - a starting point - something to get you thinking, investigating, studying and only then . . . deciding what is the best course of action for YOU!

Definitely, I have certain clearly defined beliefs about what is and what is not ‘’good {or} healthy'’ - for me - and yes, I extend that belief to you and anyone else I care about. But that does not necessarily mean that ‘’what I say must go'’ - for you:

You must make that decision for yourself - after you have become fully informed from all available sources.

And a momentous decision it would be for most Americans - to wholly alter their way of glutinous eating which incorporates: Lots of meat, pastries, candy, junk food such as potato chips, cookies, soft drinks, sugar - sugar - sugar - and all the other harmful foodstuffs any thinking person knows is ‘’bad'’ (read that as dangerously unhealthy).

The loudest ‘’we hear you'’ is this, and it has been stated by many a DAX-DOER in various ways but comes down to this:

‘’Look Dean, I now realize that the wrong way of eating can and most likely will contribute to a shorter life for me, or at the least, cause me to suffer a stroke, heart attack, diabetes, osteoarthritis, kidney/gallbladder/liver disease, high blood pressure, etc. . . .

‘’. . . BUT I find it difficult and downright confusing to now - at this stage in my life - switch to any entirely new way of eating - which essentially, as I see it, bans every delicious food item I have loved for, well, all my life!

After all, we all eat at least three times a day, plus snacks. And the ‘’healthy way'’ of doing that is totally different - even alien to what I’m accustomed to.'’

YES! YES! YES! You are totally correct oh, sickly, corpulent one! I really do hear you! Been there, suffered that and . . decided to overcome all those obstacles, regardless of how negative and foreboding they may be!

The best part - once an intractable decision is made - is that (and at this stage you’ll just have to take my word for it) none of this ‘’new lifestyle'’ is bad - indeed, it is virtually all GOOD. Different perhaps, but that does not mean inferior.

THE FIRST VITAL ‘’TRICK'’ TO EMBRACE

Obviously, you must fully commit to a healthier way of eating and realize that doing so is a positive and good decision not a negative one or worse, a ‘’denial of life’s pleasures.'’ If, at the initial stage of all this, you need to buttress your decision, try this on for size: Imagine that you are booked to fly across the country next Tuesday.

Later today, and each hour for the next several days between now and next Tuesday the national news is filled with virtually nothing other than reports of many commercial aircraft crashing and killing all passengers and crew. By Tuesday, the statistics reveal that almost 70% of all aircraft have crashed during the past week and there was not a single survivor.

Well, friend - ready to take that cross-country flight? No? Why not? Don’t you want to take the chance of defying the odds? After all, some people will get on their assigned planes and get to their destination without incident. Maybe, you will be one of the lucky ones - the 30% who make it rather than the 70% who do not.

Any problem making THAT decision? Didn’t think so: Well, the choice of eating the way most Americans have been eating - the way that’s been killing us off in droves - is one way to go. Or, you can, once and for all, make a momentous decision to step away from that path to the grave - and take a different route. ’tis up to you . . .

FASCINATING CHALLENGE

Personally, I have come to view this whole deal as an exciting process of dreaming up, creating and preparing delicious foods that are close to 100% healthy for me and anyone else who is interested. I consider it a real challenge - one I have met with great interest, realism and . . . success!

A BIG SECRET

Variety may well be the spice of life - but spice is truly the variety of food! When we embark on a quest to devise a never-ending list of meals that are not only sustaining but satisfying, the very first thing to embrace is the concept of seasoning - whether for an entrée, a side dish or a dessert.

Ever had a terrifically delicious ‘’simple meal'’ at a restaurant and afterwards, wondered why YOUR home-prepared version of essentially, the very same thing, just does not taste that good?

Chances are that it’s the seasoning that sets the otherwise two identical dishes apart. Simple as that. Stop and think: Anyone can make ‘’Kentucky-Fried'’ chicken. True, it may be New Jersey-Fried or Ohio Fried, but there’s no mystery to the process or the product. It’s a dead bird cooked in hot oil!

The only thing that sets it apart from that which you or a hundred million others may make at home is the special blend of spices. Truly, nothing beyond that. Ditto for a Wendy’s hamburger, a Domino’s pizza or whatever.

And so it goes when you are preparing healthy meals at home - which do NOT include any of the ‘’fast-foods/fast-death'’ products. Seasoning. Spices. Condiments. Not just salt or pepper or catsup or mustard, but shaved gingeroot, cilantro, celery, caraway, fennel and dill seeds, balsamic, apple, white or red wine vinegars, oregano, cinnamon, tumeric, bay leaves, thyme, parsley, basil, cumin, cloves, marjoram, chili or curry powder.

Use your imagination and drop a few raisins, mandarin orange slices or walnuts in an other-wise bland green salad. Imagination must certainly be the key word for another seasoning called ‘’Liquid Smoke!'’

I can take a can each of garbanzo and dark red kidney beans, add some diced onions, celery, garlic, dairy-free feta cheese crumbles and just the right combination of vinegar and spices and place before you a veritable gourmet, 100% healthy masterpiece! Guaranteed!

Much study needs to be done to become expert on meal preparation to ensure that you and yours never tire of whatever ’tis you’re turning out, but to my mind therein is the fun of all this:

Finding new recipes or better still, taking tried and true old ones and revamping them to eliminate any harmful ingredients - replacing them with better nutritional values.

Substituting the terrific new and very delicious non dairy cheese products is one such step. Or replacing traditional meat entrées with the many soy or vegetable-based faux meats that include sausages, burgers, veal cutlets, and BBQ ribs to name a few. No cholesterol, no trans fats, no clogged arteries - no worries.

As you continue educating yourself on how to construct healthy meals - and obviosuly, there are never ending sources including the many food preparation shows on the teevee as well as an endles supply of ideas on the Web - you’ll find it helpful to gradually build up an inventory of many different - even exotic - spices and condiments as alluded to earlier.

At first, you may prefer to purchase just small containers and when you find something you and yours really like - buy the stuff in larger quantity -at greatly reduced prices. We buy our spices at a restaurant supply chain that is (now) open to the public. A dollar or two will yield a supply of most any spice that is many times the quantity which the usual supermarket offers for several dollars.

To make your new task easier, stock your larder with only items that you have determined are ‘’good'’ for you or as with some spices, are simply neutral as regards food value. Most important: Avoid having on hand any foodstuffs that you KNOW are ‘’bad.'’

If there are others in your household who do not share your concern or need to eat super-healthy, you’ll need to bolster your own resolve at every turn to avoid succumbing to gobbling up avail-able ice cream, cookies, meats, etc., or whatever else tempts you.

However, I feel it totally unfair to expect others to ‘’go without'’ just because you or I have decided to do so.

Recently, whilst preparing a healthy dinner, I quickly also made up a tasty shrimp cocktail for SuEllen. Currently, I eat NO fish, fowl or meat of any kind, BUT I found it no problem whatsoever to prepare and watch her eat the shrimp. Frankly, I smelled the stuff and found it off-putting!

So, in time, it should likewise pose no problem for you as you will definitely come to look upon all foodstuffs as either helpful or harmful - good or bad.

Once you condition yourself to look at any food item and quickly ascertain whether it is something you should or should not consume - any temptation is fleeting.

LOW FAT, LOW CARB, LOW CAL, LOW WHAT?

All of the foregoing brings us back to what, for most of us, still remains the ‘’big question'’ - as in, ‘’so what the heck can I eat and what can’t I eat?'’

In past articles, we have discussed at great length the merits and demerits of all currently popular diets. What we finally decided made the most sense was to take the benefits to be realized from each and combine into a workable plan.

All no-fat or no-carbs or very low calories and similar doctrines are fine but can get boring. Thus, we have created an amalgam, which in my own case (only), totally eliminates all meat, poultry, seafood, cooking oils and dairy products and concentrates on vegetables, fruits and complex carbohydrates only.

Simple carbohydrates are highly restricted and include white potatoes, white pasta (with or without egg yolks), dairy products, candy, etc., but complex carbs - eaten sparingly - include grains, vegetables and fruits - within reason and preferably in season! I drink a lot of pure water every day - plus a couple glasses of red wine.

The net result is a diet that is very low in all known harmful elements:

Animal fats, nutrition-less calories and excessive carbohydrates, cholesterol or triglycerides. It all comes down to a matter of attitude - a state of mind - and yes . . . adjustment. I think it’s all well worth the effort and once again, if it is approached with an open mind and a desire to have some fun with it all, the task becomes one to look forward to rather than dread.

In my case, I have been able to eliminate all prescription drugs of any kind, have lost a great deal of weight and inches, have much more stamina to walk, run, jog, work, etc., and in general, just feel a heck of a lot better in all ways.

As for you: Well, you’ll just have to let me know -and I wish you would!

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‘’SOMETHING I ATE DIDN’T AGREE WITH ME!'’

Or, as the villain in an old James Bond movie said - after he’d offed a secret agent by having him thrown into a pool of sharks, ‘’Something he didn’t agree with, ate him . . .'’} Incidentally, here’s something I’ve never told you:

The late Ian Fleming, the originator OF the entire James Bond series of books, wrote much of his manuscript at the vacation retreat of one of my own publishers, Lyle Stuart, in Jamaica. What’s that got to do with the price of butter in South Africa - not a darn thing . . .

Heartburn. What? That’s what we’re going to talk about right now. Okay . . .

No doubt you’ve had it - probably, many, many times. Most of us suffer from it fairly often - some, every day. Statistically, one in ten has heartburn at least once a week - one in three has the problem at least once a month. Many things cause it, including stress, although generally it is set off by certain foods: Acidic, spicy or fatty foods being the principal culprits.

Add to the list caffeine, chocolate, orange, pineapple, grapefruit and tomato juice and you have a variety of offenders that just may make your life miserable - unless you take some steps to either avoid or mitigate the problem.

KNOW THINE ENEMY

You might first want to make certain that you truly know your foe, because the term heartburn is very misleading. Actually, the heart is not involved with real heartburn, which by the way is technically called, esophageal reflux. It generally is a burning sensation in the chest that radiates into the esophagus.

What is happening is a regurgitation of very sour and bitter-tasting material into the throat and mouth. At the lower end of the esophagus is a sphincter which, under normal situations, closes after food is passed into the stomach, preventing any ‘back-up,’ as it were.

When something causes the sphincter to malfunction, the thing literally flops open, allowing bile and other nasty stuff to head north. In some people, it can be so bad as to mimic the symptoms of a heart attack including pain radiating from the upper abdomen into the neck.

If that is accompanied by difficulty in swallowing, dizziness, shortness of breath, vomiting (especially with blood) it may well be that a heart attack is in progress, so it is best not to dismiss ‘heartburn’ lightly in all cases.

In fact, it seems to me that the best thing to do is either avoid heartburn altogether (which CAN be done) or failing that, know how to ameliorate its effects promptly so there is no confusion about whether it is heartburn or possibly the onslaught of a heart attack.

AVOIDANCE TECHNIQUES

The most logical thing to do is find out what foods cause heartburn in your case. Generally, that’s fairly easy, and in addition to the list given at the start of this piece you may find that peppers (both mild and hot), alcohol (particularly brandies), colas containing caffeine, coffee (as well as both hot and cold tea) - all may be added to your list.

For some people, dairy products, i.e., milk, cheese, sour cream, cream cheese, etc., can also induce heartburn. For many people, consuming fatty foods such as ribs, steaks and related marbled meats will set off a miserable episode. Ditto for certain spicy condiments such as horseradish, soy sauce, sesame oil, mustard - even ketchup.

Once you have established that, yes, by golly such and such seems to give you heartburn - then, simply avoid such foods - or limit them.

Simply overeating causes heartburn in many folks, because too much food in the belly forces acid upwards to the throat. In this case, it would be wise to get under control that well-known foe of dieters: The over-active FORK!

Another cause of heartburn that many people do not realize is that of eating too close to bed time. Heartburn is generally much worse when a person is lying down, and if the stomach is filled just before retiring, the problem is compounded. If one avoids eating about three hours before bedtime the incidence of heartburn may be avoided altogether.

Many medicines (both prescribed and over-the-counter) as well as vitamin and mineral supplements are common stimulants for heartburn. Usually, one can avoid the problem by ingesting the substances with a couple swallows of food ahead or immediately after. Each person responds differently, it seems.

Be especially alert for (heartburn type) reaction to birth control pills, most heart medicines and beta-blockers, antihistamines, antispasmodics, aspirin, vitamin C in pill form, ‘horse-pill’ size multi-vitamins and other such products that do not readily dissolve in water. Oft times, such substances seem to just ‘lie in the gut.’

That does not mean one should stop taking medicine or vitamin supplements - just either consume with food, as suggested, or perhaps, in the case of certain vitamins alternatives can be found. For example, I much prefer to take my daily 5,000 mg of vitamin C in crystal form. The stuff dissolves instantly in water or juice, which in turn, is used to swallow all the other goodies I take.

Only recently, have researchers began to realize that excess stress can also cause heartburn because of increased production of acid in the stomach. As an example, recall a time when you were suddenly ’scared out of your wits’ for some reason:

The odds are, adrenalin production dramatically increased in your body, along with all sorts of other chemical reactions including increased acids. One of the side effects of your fright may well have been a mild or even serious case of heartburn.

Another cause that affects some is that of too tight clothing or a belt drawn one notch too many. That, along with being overweight - especially, if that extra flab is around your belly (as it invariably is with most men and many women, although the latter always seem to complain about excess weight on the hips and thighs) - it all conspires to constrict one’s middle - the stomach region - and that results in virtually squeezing the contents which, in turn, forces all those otherwise wonderful digestive juices in the wrong direction.

We have been told (but have not yet personally tested the theory) that heartburn can be prevented by running an ordinary large white potato through a juicer, diluting the product with some warm water (one part juice to two parts water) and drinking BEFORE a meal. Also, some health food practitioners claim that a couple capsules of gingerroot extract taken before a meal may stave off the onset of heartburn.

There may be fresh, scientific cause to believe the ‘’potato cure'’ as we have just learned that scientists claim that the lowly spud may actually absorb the e-coli bacteria in one’s gut!

It is (now) well-known that compulsive smokers frequently suffer greater incidents of heartburn. Although, smoking itself may relax the specialized sphincter muscle and thus trigger the esophageal reflux, we tend to think that adding to that singular cause is the fact that most people seem to smoke right after (some AS) they eat . . . consume alcohol and otherwise engage in activities which by themselves can create the problem - added together really make for trouble!

After reviewing the foregoing, you may now know exactly what is causing your li’l ol’ heart to feel aflame now and then . . . and if so, it’s up to you to take steps to avoid future problems. But what to do if you forget or suffer the malady despite precautions?

REMEDIES

The best thing to do - IF heartburn is a recurring and frequent problem is to seek compe-tent medical advice. Your doctor may decide on a more rigorous approach than suggested here, and as indicated earlier, heartburn could be a signal of something more serious.

Here is a relatively simple thing one can do - and I like it because it’s portable. When heartburn is definitely ‘in progress’ and something is needed fast, two capsules (280mg each) of Activated Charcoal frequently do the trick. As I say, one can carry the things in a pocket or purse when dining out or reach for the bottle if at home.

We have recommended Activated Charcoal a couple times in the past, most notably as part of a concentrated regimen for reducing blood cholesterol, as the stuff is an extremely good absorbent agent - virtually sucking up everything in its path and carrying it through the digestive system.

That, by the way, is also why we feel it best NOT to take the stuff too soon after ingesting any kind of medicines or vitamin supplements as the good properties of the same may well be whisked away. Personally, I have found that for ME, a couple capsules of Activated Charcoal almost instantly eliminate heartburn in the rare instances when I get it. I say ‘rare,’ because nowadays that is the case:

Formerly, I could expect to have an attack of heartburn after virtually every meal until I drastically modified my eating habits - which is another story - and one we have discussed in the past and will return to in the future, because in my mind THAT is the essence of great health (what you allow to enter your body, that is).

Most people, when confronted with the specter of heartburn, do what, to them, is the logical thing: They reach for some antacid such as Tums, Rolaids, Maalox, etc. These work temporarily for most people, but there’s an inherent problem with most such products:

They contain a goodly bit of aluminum hydroxide (200 mg in just one teaspoon of Maalox© Plus, for example!) - and the efficacy off that is certainly to be called into question when we realize that Alzheimer researchers now seem certain that excess aluminum is one cause of the horrible disease.

Additionally, some antacids can lessen your body’s ability to metabolize calcium and phosphorus resulting in overall weakness, loss of appetite, pain and even damage to bone structure. Geez! Do we really need that?

Next time you get heartburn, if at home or somewhere that you can get ahold of it, try a tablespoon of lemon juice. The first time I tried this, I was at a restaurant, and when I sensed heartburn symptoms coming on I grabbed the lemon wedge from the iced tea, squeezed it into a spoon and swallowed. Worked like a charm!

For some, apple cider vinegar works similarly, as well. One must be careful though, as vinegar sometimes causes diarrhea.

One additional thought to ponder: Nowadays, because so many people do suffer from heartburn, physicians have come up with a radical remedy - that of surgery. Fortunately, only about 5% of sufferers ever feel it necessary to resort to such drastic action, but we are told that for those who do, the success rate is extremely high.

The procedure is called fundoplication, and involves creating a high-pressure zone in the lower esophagus which prevents that nasty recurrence of reflux activity.

We are certain of this: None of us really need suffer from the age-old malady of heartburn - not with what we now know! Either we can prevent it (obviously, the preferred tact) or, we can quickly get it under control - without resorting to possible harmful treatment, as we have in the past.

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WHEN TWO SHINGLES INTERMINGLE . . .

Years ago, when I was young and foolish - as opposed to nowadays when I’m old and foolish(!) - I often found myself perched on a steep roof, generally on a miserably hot day, shingling a roof somewhere - either as part of executing a daily job as a carpenter or whilst pursuing some home improvement program whereby I need to slap on a new roof to a house, apartment building or other structure.

I hated the task - and frequently ‘got myself through it’ by singing now and then a slightly altered version of the Frank Sinatra ('’tingles'’) line, ‘’When two shingles intermingle . . .'’

A couple years ago, SuEllen mentioned one day that she had contracted shingles. I said, ‘’Oh great - then you can also contract a roofer - ’cause I’m sure not gonna shingle the roof!'’

Turns out, her shingles were some kind of a nasty skin rash which (I now know) wreaks havoc with nearly a million people in the U.S. ever year. It is a painful viral disease that can occur at just about any age but often afflicts older people.The word, ’shingles’ is an Americanized version of the Latin word ‘cingulum,’ which means ‘belt.’ That, we presume, is because shingles often occur in the mid section of the torso - the area where a belt would be worn.As mentioned, it’s a virus - the very same virus as the one which causes chicken pox in children. In fact, it is believed that the disease sort of hibernates in nerve cells near the spine for decades until it decides to pounce and create all sorts of misery in later life.Essentially, it seems to appear when a person’s immune system is weakened - when a person is under severe stress or in some cases, when another disease has appeared and debilitated one’s system.

The most important thing about shingles is that it should not be ignored, tolerated or suffered silently. There are a number of remedies that are effective including various anti-viral drugs. The earlier the problem is detected and treated the better the overall results. In fact, many people, once diagnosed and treated, can go for years without further problems.

Not too surprisingly, a healthful diet - the exact type which we have ‘preached’ for years in these pages - can be most beneficial in both forestalling and controlling the disease.

Currently, statistics show that as a person ages the odds of contracting shingles increases: One specialist, Stephen E. Straus, M.D. (National Institute of Allergy & Infectious Diseases) says that upwards of 20% of all Americans between 50 and 80 will get shingles. But at age 44, that is of little solace to S.E. since she already owns it!

Shingles can be excruciatingly painful - almost unbearable to some. One of my late night favorites, David Letterman, came down with a really serious case of shingles a few months ago and claims it’s the most painful thing he has ever experienced - worse than his quintuple by-pass heart surgery a couple years back.

Fortunately, shingles are manageable, if not wholly curable: Simple analgesics usually are effective, but strong narcotics are occasionally required to quell more severe attacks. A less powerful prescription drug, Acyclovir, has become the current treatment of choice for many and the one S.E. uses. She says it usually knocks out the worst symptoms within 24 hours.

Certainly, anyone who has the disease should seek professional assistance immediately. Early symptoms may include fatigue, fever, severe headache and flu-type illness.

You can get additional information by contacting VZV RESEARCH FOUNDATION, 40 East 72nd St., NY, NY 10021. Phone: 212-472-3181, FAX: 212-861-7033 or get modern: (That includes YOU too, Dave!) and visit: WWW.VZVFOUNDATION.ORG

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When It Comes To Personal Medical Concerns - Today, You have An Odd Choice:

POKE & PRICK {or} POINT & CLICK?!

Fortunately, as we still more or less live in a ‘’free society,'’ we actually can choose both. Thus, when an illness of some sort befalls us we can call up our doctor, make an appointment, and generally, within a few days, pay him or her a visit and of course later, also pay him or her a large some of money - often equatable to the national debt of some third world country.

That’s fine and certainly, each of us must maintain a good, solid relationship with at least one or more actual, living and breathing ‘’white coat.'’ So much for the method involving our getting poked, prodded and suffering the occasional needle.

But we can also turn to the Internet, access one of the tens of thousands (literally) websites and do in-depth research on whatever ails us. It’s really the best of two worlds - two distinct disciplines.

Not surprising, the traditional medical commun-ity is not thrilled about the growing number of Americans - especially, those 78 million Baby-Boomers - who have taken to researching any and all maladies that befall them - and in many cases, opting for actual advice on treatment gained from data accumulation, the true-life experiences of others suffering a similar condition, and so on.

Many of us will concoct a combination approach whereby, before and after an actual consultation with a doctor, we will delve into all the data we can find on the subject at hand (osteoarthritis, fibromyalgia, etc.) and in that way take control of our own destiny rather than merely leaving it to the sole discretion of the medico.

If you are an old hand at surfing the net, you already know there is a seemingly unending supply of anything and everything you’d want to know about any subject. Probably the quickest way to find what you want is to go to GOOGLE.COM which by any measure is currently the best search engine there is - and of course, it’s 100% free.

Once there, type in key words that fit your search: Heart problems, knee pain, warts - whatever. Almost at once up pops a list of (usually) many, many websites with a cursory description of what you’ll find if you elect to log on.

You will also find discussion groups which often provide surprising data on various popular drug therapies, certain physicians plus most anything you can imagine. Many people (not me, frankly) enjoy the so-called ‘’support'’ offered by others posting messages on the boards. I do not person-ally care for that sort of thing because, despite the good intent, I find it a too-dependant approach - akin to the ‘’Weight-Watcher'’ people. Of course, there is that old saying, ‘’Misery loves company.'’

To get you started, you may want to go to www.webmd.com - a site originally established by former U.S. Surgeon General, Dr. C. Everett Koop. It covers just about all things medical: Breast cancer research, menopause, male impotency problems, prostate cancer, etc.

There are sub-sites that address only women’s or men’s problems as well as just children’s. They also offer a free health e-letter, as do many other sites - including the principal ISP, AOL.

Warning: As you mosey around the web you will be exposed to ALL sorts of data - many crackpot notions - and the never-ending attempts to sell you something. You may well decide to grab onto something, but do be super-careful: Avoid going on some far-out treatment you hear about until you’ve discussed it with others who are unbiased.

Also, it’s easy to misinterpret what someone says. If hydrogen peroxide taken internally is lauded as a cure for a variety of ills, it does not logically follow that one should grab a bottle of the stuff and guzzle it down - even if some such research has been done.

It may not ‘’go without saying,'’ so, I’d better say it: Be really suspicious of any and all offers on the web that require you to provide them with personal data of any kind and certainly, make sure that any site that you give your chargecard data to has, at the very least, that little ‘’locked padlock'’ symbol in the lower righthand corner.

And this: Do not be mislead into believing that you can get your prescription drugs over the net at any price significantly less than you’d pay at your local pharmacist. We (and many others, including the AARP) have repeatedly compared prices - on and off the net - and we’ve come to the conclusion that for the most part it is safer and less costly to acquire Rx locally.

As an adjunct to THAT: Recently, our Michigan Attorney General spear-headed an inquiry invol-ving 125 elderly volunteers who canvassed drug stores throughout the state to check on pricing. They discovered that of the top five drugs prescribed to senior citizens, the price of an identical product would vary as much as 400%!

When we moved to this new area, we discovered our prescription costs, on average, were 11% more. That’s odd, because everything else in this part of the state - from property taxes to fuel for the automobiles is considerably less - so much so that I have calculated we save annually well over $7,000.00 just for ‘’making the big move!'’

Anyway, there is SO much data of all kinds to be had from the net - and so quickly - that you need to be careful. But by opening one’s mind (plus a number of those web pages) a great deal of helpful info can be had that, if nothing else, can augment one’s understanding of what the ‘’white coat'’ is telling you about your particular physical condition the next time you manage to get an appointment. So, maybe it should be ‘’Poke & Prick'’ PLUS ‘’Point & Click.'’

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SHORT OF $? THERE’S ALWAYS A WAY!

How often have you heard someone bemoan the fact that they just can’t seem to afford anything - a trip, another car, a new teevee, clothes or whatever? You’ll hear them complain, ‘’Oh, if only . . . puff-puff . . . I had the . . . cough-cough . . . MONEY!'’

Point being - if one has an expensive, destructive habit (such as smoking) simply by quitting they could soon come up with the wherewithal to purchase a whole LOT of great stuff. I’m told that cigarettes cost upwards of $70.00 per carton these days - is that possibly true?!

When I worked in the grocery store as a teen-ager they were 20 cents a pack - a buck-fifty for a carton every other week ‘’on special.'’ Anyway, a heavy smoker nowadays could be burning up several hundred bux or more per month - well over five grand a year! Over time, that adds up to significant amounts that could be better invested in any number of places. Just think: That would compound (with interest and adding each years savings TO savings) to in excess of $75,000.00!

Can’t quit, you say? BULL TICKEY! Anybody can quit! Heck, I did - after smoking cigarettes (initially) then a pipe and cigars for half a century! I quit totally on September 25, 1992 and haven’t had a puff of anything since! The precise method I used is outlined in our popular report ‘’How To Quit Smoking. Period.'’ (See the DAX STORE for details). I feel confident that the methods outlined therein will help you quit once and for all. And the low price is just 3-4 packs of ciggies . . .

However . . . as I’ve said many times before . . . if you prefer to puff, huff and hack all day and waste your money and smell like crap - and die sooner than you need to - go for it! That is totally your business - not mine or anybody else’s. (Both my late brother and late brother-in-law decided that’s what they preferred, and they REALLY went up in smoke: Both were cremated!)

BUT if you refuse to quit - even though you could - do NOT use the expense of your stupid habit to hold you back from some of life’s greater opportunities that cost a few thousand bux now and then. Generator!'’

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GREAT DISCOVERY: MEN & WOMEN ARE DIFFERENT! (DUH . . . )

Details of various major studies - mostly funded by your tax dollars (can we have another ‘’Duh?) -have recently started to appear in prestigious publications such as JAMA (Journal of the American Medical Association) as well as from respected sources that include the U.S. Surgeon General and the American Heart Association - all to the end effect of informing us that (again) men and women are different.

In this instance, the purpose is to alert the populace to the fact that, although some ailments that men and women confront may appear to be similar - even identical, in reality, they may be very different. At least, as regards the way the female body reacts versus her male counterpart.

For example: We have mostly all known for a few years that whilst anyone - male or female - may contract heart disease, there are significant gender differences. Generally, a man having a heart attack will exhibit fairly common symptoms such as a heaviness in the chest, a tingling in the left arm - probably, shortness of breath and profuse sweating.

Conversely, a woman experiencing an actual heart attack may or may not present any of those particular symptoms but instead, may have a neck or shoulder pain, abdominal discomfort and so on. Often, a genuine heart attack is overlooked as merely flu symptoms! Obviously, it behooves one - male or female - to bone up on what to look out for - based, in this instance, on the sex which nature chose for them. But the differences only start there, we are told:

Dr. Catherine DeAngelis, editor of the aforementioned JAMA has made it a point to study and report on women’s maladies in particular. She points out that whilst everybody and their sister has been worrying about breast cancer for the past several decades, it is actually lung cancer that is the number one cancer killer of American women. In fact, women who do NOT smoke are more apt to contract lung cancer than men (who also do not smoke).

Some medicines to treat AIDS metabolize in men faster than in women which necessitates a gender-appropriate dosage to be effective.

Young women especially are statistically starting to suffer from IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome) at a much higher rate than men of any age.

Both men and women may have ulcerative colitis or Crohn’s disease - but any medication prescribed for females must be carefully monitored and adjusted monthly due to their hormonal differences.

Men are less prone than women to contract an autoimmune disease such as lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis or fibromyalgia and others where disease-fighting mechanisms mistakenly attack the body’s own tissues.

Although it has long been argued that men also have a ‘’sort-of'’ menopause (and the issue is still heatedly debated in some circles) there is no doubt that women definitely do and that difference between the sexes makes for significant health concerns and subsequent treatments that men do not face.

Until as recently as a decade ago, scientists generally excluded women from overall medi-cal research - including vital drug studies - because they believed that the only true, basic differences between men and women were those based on their reproductive organs.

LIKENESSES ALSO OVERLOOKED

Oddly, our research shows where many maladies which have traditionally been considered gender-specific only - in reality, often cross over from one sex to the other. Examples:

We all hear a lot about osteoporosis - usually, in the context of how horrible it is for women (replete with those teevee commercials showing little old ladies all bent over from the disease) but the fact is, men also are susceptible - accounting for some 20% of all those afflicted.

The aforementioned fibromyalgia is another example. It is true that the preponderance of those who suffer that nasty ailment are women - but as a male victim, I can assure you the lousy effects OF the disease are just as bad when we experience ‘em!

Migraine headaches - again, generally thought to be almost exclusively a problem that women suffer - is most definitely one that many hundreds of thousands of men are hit with on a regular basis, as well.

The list goes on - both as regards significant differences between the sexes as well as those afflictions which heretofore were thought to be gender-related only. It just pays to have an open mind and do your research!

WHILST ON THAT SUBJECT

If you have discovered the benefits (and necessity) of being your own best advocate when it comes to matters of personal health, sooner or later you may want to secure copies of all your medical records from doctors, hospitals, readi-care units, laboratories, radiological units - even dentists and other ancillary providers. (When calling, just ask to be referred to the Medical Records Department).

The first and most obvious consideration in that regard is to always request that a copy of anything that pertains to YOU is automatically sent to you at the same time that your health provider receives his/her copy. Nowadays, it’s becoming fairly common for informed people to make such requests so you should encounter no argument. If you do - be suspicious and DEMAND those copies!

Now, there’s a problem with older records. Once upon a time we could rely on calling up a hospital or doctor’s office and requesting copies of X-rays. At the least, a written report of the diagnosis could be had - although, I have obtained actual film a couple times. These documents would be for treatments or procedures going back many decades.

Today, new federal regulations allow care providers to dispose of most all vital records after 6 - 7 years. By the way, that is the actual way the phrasing appears - not 6 years or 7 years but . . . 6 -7 years. Dumb. I wonder what the Feds would have told Martha if, upon entering prison, she’d said, ‘’We’ll, I’ll stay 4 - 5 months, okay?'’

One other helpful suggestion: Any time and EVERY time - a health provider writes a prescription for you - and bear in mind, even certain nurse practitioners can do so these days -before you get the script filled at your pharmacy make a photo copy and drop in your ever-growing home medical file - for future reference. It may really come in handy at some time.

Many people find it far less costly to get scripts filled at the mega-mart stores such as WAL or K Mart - and most such have copying machines available for a few cents - the point being, you need not go out of your way to get a copy. Or, simply ask the pharmacist to provide you with a copy BEFORE he fills the thing. Some will - some won’t. The answer to such requests will, again, ‘’tell you something,'’ eh wot?!

Speaking of ‘’sex:'’ Do you recall a cute teevee commercial from 10-15 years back wherein a little girl said to her little male friend, ‘’Jeffrey, are you the opposite sex or am I?'’

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NOW, SEE HERE!

Unfortunately, that’s the big problem: Far too many of our nation’s eyes no longer have the ability to see - the result of a pervasive condition called MACULAR DEGENERATION. That’s a little known disease that some ophthalmologists warn is at the center of a possible epidemic which may lead to failing eyesight and total blindness for upwards of 30 million baby-boomers! Already, some 13 million are thought to suffer from M.D.

First striking a person generally, between the ages of 55 - 60, at the onset one notices a wavy distortion of otherwise straight lines. Letters on billboards, stop signs and the like appear to be enmeshed together.

As the disease progresses one gets the sensation there’s a huge blotch obscuring everything in the center of one’s perception. Ultimately, only peripheral vision is possible - only those things off to the sides of one’s line of vision can be discerned rather than those straight ahead.

At this time, no real cure is known although the scant formal research that’s available certainly points to some preventive steps we can all take to pretty much be assured of NOT contracting Macular Degeneration in the first place.

Most of the familiar culprits that we have all learned can do our bodies so much harm not surprisingly come into play with M.D., as well:

Excessive smoking and/or alcohol.

High animal fat diet.

Unbridled free radicals.

Ultra-violet rays - especially those from prolonged sun exposure.

MECHANICS OF DESTRUCTION

Somehow, the macula, which is in the retina, is damaged - sometimes destroyed, causing the vision problems. Naturally, traditional scientists, drug companies and others seeking to make a buck are researching various drug/and or surgical procedures to remedy the situation.

After all, with or without a calculator, when one starts multiplying 30 MILLION prospective patients times whatever amount of money you’d care to plug into the equation - hey! We’re talking quite a few bob, eh wot?!

Laser surgery is being tried, but so far that appears to be most risky, and in some cases accomplishes little other than to cause permanent blindness. Others are experimenting with that once familiar drug-nemesis, thalidomide, which you may recall caused numerous and horrible birth defects in many babies born in the late 1950s. The popular cancer drug, Interferon, is also being tried to fight M.D. (with modest success, we are told).

There are various focus groups sprouting up (naturally!) - one such is the Macular Degeneration Task Force which is lobbying Congress for more research funding. Currently, although M.D. accounts for more serious vision problems and outright blindness than ALL OTHER CAUSES COMBINED - only about 5% of government research bux are being spent on M.D.

There is a free newsletter available: If interested, contact: THE MAGNIFIER, Box 9752, San Jose, CA 95157. Phone: 1-408-260-1335.

BE SMART!

Meanwhile, whilst everyone else is running around seeking a cure, or a way to make a fast buck, we can take some logical, easy, low cost steps towards ensuring we do NOT suffer the problem, such as:

Making sure to incorporate leafy green and yellow vegetables into our daily diet.

Reducing or eliminating smoking and excessive alcohol consummation.

Switching from high animal fat to no or very low fat diet.

Insisting that we get a goodly daily intake of all essential antioxidants such as Vitamin C, Selenium, Vitamin E, Pycnogenol, Beta-Carotene and CoQ10.

If you’re worried about all this - as well you should be - the brightest light that we see is the fact that the AARP recently got all hots up about the M.D. problem and is lobbying Congress in a big way to get necessary funding for research, education and the like so everybody stands a far better chance of avoiding the disease than otherwise might be the case.

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BEWARE OF WHAT YOU SNIFF!

I usually put this sort of short piece at the end of a larger article, but this is just too important to ‘’postscript,'’ so here ’tis, right up front:

Elsewhere, I referred to a trip SuEllen and I took last fall to Branson, Missouri. Well, we almost never made that trip - indeed, S.E. almost never made ANY more trips anywhere, because of what happened to her just two days before we departed. I was at WINTERWOOD late on a Thursday afternoon when the phone rang. It was S.E.’s dentist telling me to come and get her as she was having a bad reaction to nitrous oxide.

At the time, S.E. was merely undergoing a semi-annual cleaning and the hygienist spiked the valve to 35 (or more - no one knows for certain) instead of the usual 30 which was shown on her chart. S.E. passed out, her blood pressure (normally, and for her, healthfully far below normal) zapped up to 165 over 120 and she was in very bad shape. She became very ill when she finally awakened and I had to drag her sorry self off to the ER.

It took a full 12 hours for her to fully recover and even then she had a serious relapse several days later (when in Branson). Horrific neck pain, split-ting headache, etc. Naturally, the dentist and staff tried to cover their behinds in every possible way - fearful that we would sue. Little did they know that seldom do we sue others. Others have sued us - generally for dumb and unfound reasons.

In such cases, we defend ourselves with a countersuit and to date have been 100% victorious. Picked up some nice ‘’fun money'’ that way. In any event, this warning: Do not take nitrous oxide just for the thrill of it (as some younger folks do). It can be a killer. If you absolutely must have it to calm you down when getting dental work done - fine. But make darn sure the operator knows what she/he is doing and that they start with lower valve readings and not just hit the ‘’high'’ button right off the bat.

Also, make certain a dentist is on the premises when your teeth are being cleaned. In most places it is the law, but nowdays that means little. A dentist should have the additional medical training to save your life if something goes awry whilst in his/her care. I always have my dentist give me three or four shots (literally - that’s NOT an exaggeration!) in the sensitive areas of my mouth before unleashing her sidekick to clean my pearly whites. ‘course, pain-killing injections can do you in, as well, if administered improperly.

Speaking of teeth-cleaning. We heard the following from an antique dealer in Arkansas whilst we were touring Eureka Springs. ‘’The toothbrush was invented in Arkansas, you know. Had it been invented anywhere else, it would have been called a teethbrush!'’

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A DOZEN OR SO EXCELLENT HEALTH TIPS YOU CAN USE TODAY!

Most do not need further amplification - but all are worth passing along.

We have occasionally reported on prostate problems, diagnosis and treatment. Often, we hear from men (of all ages, but generally 60 and older) who have had surgery in an attempt to combat diagnosed prostate cancer. To a man, each has sworn they wish they had never had the surgery!

Nearly all seem to (now) recognize there are better, less costly and far less painful ways to treat the problem. Actual statistics compiled by researchers back them up: Worldwide, those who have had prostate surgery do not live any longer than those who do not have the surgery! Yikes! A lot of pain, incontinence and embarrassment for nothing?!

Now, statistics are funny things as you know, and certainly, the fellow who is convinced that he’s still here only because he HAD the surgery is not going to be swayed by statistics of any kind! More power to him!

Some alternative medicine approaches include eating lots of tomatoes and/or tomato-based products every week. This might include pizza and spaghetti (assuming each has a tomato-based sauce) and even tomato juice or vegetable juice containing lots of the red stuff.

Also, Saw Palmetto has now been demon-strated (in nearly two dozen scientific studies -all double-blind, placebo-controlled) to equal or surpass the effectiveness of the well-known drug, Proscar®, which is the drug usually prescribed by doctors. In fact, here are some actual test results concerning urine flow rates using Saw Palmetto versus Proscar:

After three months of using, there was a percentage comparison of 13.2 for the Saw Palmetto against a much lower 10.4 for the Proscar®.

As with everything - talk to your doctor if you have any problems - but always go for that second - even third opinion before allowing drastic surgery to be performed on you!

DMSO has resurfaced! Maybe you recall how, back in the mid ’70s tucked sideways between all the Disco madness (I loved it - S.E. hated it! I still PLAY the music - S.E. leaves the house!) was a petroleum product called DMSO which was ballyhooed as the miracle cure for arthritis or any other type of muscle or joint pain. The stuff smelled bad, was greasy and quickly banned for medicinal use by the government.

The latest version is a cousin of DMSO and is called CMO (Cerasomal-cis-9-Cetyl Myristoleate. This new product is being pushed by a fellow with some credibility, Harry W. Diehl, who was with the NIH (National Institutes of Health) for some 40 years. Now 85, Diehl claims CMO has cured his own arthritis which had gotten so serious that he could not walk or use his hands. CMO is synthesized from male beavers and sperm-whale oil and is administered by injection as well as orally.

It is very expensive ($250 or so) and difficult to obtain and we have absolutely no personal knowledge of its efficacy nor have we assembled even anecdotal data aside from Diehl’s claims, which we have no reason not to believe. Here are a couple source numbers, but we would strongly suggest first experimenting with any or all of the other palliatives we have suggested in the past (also presented in our report, ‘’How To Beat The Pain Of Arthritis,'’ available via the DAX BOOK NOOK) before embarking on a truly unknown path! 1-800-837-0468 (Wholistic Alternative Company) and 1-619-632-5382 (DNA Pacifica).

CHEW ON THIS! I told you awhile back that I’d had some industrial grade dental work done - including titanium post implants in my lower jaw bone. This is modern technology - up-to-the-minute, state-of-the art dentistry. Oh yeah? One of our operatives in Paris reports that french anthropologists have just found the skull of a man who lived 1,900 years ago. The upper right molar of the long deceased 30 year old man is a metal tooth that was hot-hammered into tooth shape and then pounded into the bone. That hurts just thinking about it!

Subsequent bone growth successfully inte-grated the implant into the jaw resulting in a permanent solution to any chomping problems the fellow may have had. The man’s body was found in a Gallo-Roman graveyard near what is today, Essonne (France) and clearly destroys the notion that modern day tooth implant procedures were ‘invented’ only 30 years or so ago! However, I’m willing to bet that MY three implants were far less painful than the one which the aforementioned very brave soul had installed!

TAKE A HIKE! Research - gobs and gobs of it -prove that older people especially, can benefit enormously from plain old walking - one to two miles a day depending upon individual health, of course. One 12 year study disclosed that walking two miles per day cuts in half the risk of death! Dr. Jody Wilkinson of the Cooper Institute for Aerobics (Dallas) says 60% of all Americans do not get enough regular exercise - and that older people are even less active.

There was an extended study that commenced in 1965 called the Honolulu Heart program wherein over 8,000 men were studied closely -including smokers, non smokers, those who exercised, those who did not, etc. A huge stack of data can be easily summed up thusly: Of those who walked two miles or more daily, 24% died during the 30+ year study. Of those who walked less than one mile daily, some 41% dropped dead. Walking (or not) was the only criterion differential in the study.

By the way, I mentioned once before that personally, I’ve settled on a high quality treadmill to do my walking - and recently yet another study shows that of all the major exercise equipment being used today - from Air Dynes (in the past, my personal favorite) to an Easy Rider or StairMaster - the treadmill has been found to be the most beneficial overall. Most treadmills have a built-in monitor to keep track of your pulse, speed, time, distant travelled, etc.

Hope for the ‘Zit face!’ If you have a teenager suffering from acne, it may, after all, be something he or she ate that didn’t agree with them. Probably NOT an excess of chocolate or other sugary goods as once suspected, but more likely the miserable ‘normal’ American diet which is so deficient in certain nutrients necessary to combat acne. Actually, without going into a whole lot of tedious data here, red blood cell glutathione peroxidase is a powerful antioxidant which the body produces to control various skin conditions.

This pimple-puss fighter is bolstered by a synergetic effort of selenium and Vitamin E, and very few adults, let alone teens get an adequate supply. Deplete a couple other needed minerals such as zinc (especially low in sexually active males) and chromium as well as certain digestive enzymes - and you’ve got a face that only a mother could love!

The foregoing makes a pretty sound case for getting your offspring eating a more healthy diet as well as taking those daily vitamin and mineral supplement tabs!

Benefits from heavy drinking! Water, that is: There is nearly universal agreement amongst medical researchers that each of us should swig at least 8 eight ounce glasses of water each and every day. Lots of reasons: Keeps all the plumbing working well - especially the kidneys which are nothing more than ingenious filtering plants that remove all the nasty stuff from our bodies.

Lots of water is probably the absolute best treatment you can give for your skin - and whenever you see a person who looks younger than their age - assuming they haven’t visited a plastic surgeon of late, the chances are they have been consuming a whole lot of plain old water for most of their life - and of course, stayed out of the sun as much as possible. The thing about water is this: Most people do NOT drink it - at all! I do not personally know anyone other than myself who actually gets a glass of water and drinks it on a regular basis.

They may drink tea, coffee, colas and other such beverages - but seldom plain old water! I have always insisted on having a glass of fresh ice water by my side no matter where I am. Years ago, when Hameed and I were travelling throughout Europe he always joked about how the very first thing I did was to scope out where the nearest restrooms were - on trains, planes, restaurants, hotels, etc.

He once said, if I didn’t drink so much water I wouldn’t have to ‘go’ so often. I replied, if I didn’t drink so much water I wouldn’t look ten years younger than him. He said, ‘’But you ARE ten years younger than me!'’ To which I replied, ‘’See - it works!'’

It’s okay to blow your top! Whenever I get mad - really angry - folks who know me well, scatter! As a young man I was taught to contain anger, put a smile on my face and keep a stiff upper lip. That quickly led to all sorts of stress, exacerbation of ulcers (I now know, as do you, if you are a regular DAX reader, that ulcers are actually CAUSED by bacteria) and other stress-related maladies. Fortunately, I came to learn the value of ‘’speaking one’s mind'’ and anyone who crosses me knows I will do just that!

To me, that’s just being honest and when someone tries to mess YOU up, consider using a few choice words rather than biting your lip! Plus, you now have research to back up that decision: Medical and psychological studies prove that those of us who ‘’let off steam,'’ ‘’tell it like it is,'’ or in some other euphemistic manner rid ourselves of the angst that would otherwise build up within - have fewer heart attacks, a much lower rate of cancer, suffer far less from other debilitating diseases and very seldom become alcoholics or otherwise abuse drugs.

Along with the foregoing, it should be noted that there is ‘’new thinking'’ as regards so-called ‘’mild hypertension.'’ (That’s high blood pressure). It used to be that mild hypertension was not considered dangerous in any way - until statisticians discovered that a high number of those diagnosed thusly were dropping dead from stroke and heart disease -a phenomenal 60% of ‘em! Now, we have these new agreed-upon classifications:

Normal: 120/80

High Normal: 130/85 to 139/89

Hypertension Stage 1 (This is the level that used to be called ‘mild’): 140/90 to 159/99

Hypertension Stage 2 (formerly ‘moderate’): 160/100 to 169/109

Hypertension Stage 3 (formerly ’severe’): 180/110 to 209/119

Hypertension Stage 4 (formerly ‘very severe’): 210 & up (over) 120 & up

Three of the most critical steps to take immediately should you discover you have any reading above ‘normal’ include:

Sensible weight-loss, if now obese. This is NOT the time to use any drugs to help you reach your weight-loss goals unless your doctor specifically authorizes doing so!

Stop smoking entirely - if still plagued by that habit - PLUS avoid as much as possible secondhand smoke.

Cut way back on consumption of alcohol. Plus, I hope it goes without saying (but I’ll say it anyway!) that no other drugs - especially of the illicit kind- should be entertained - only those prescribed by a qualified medical practitioner.

+ + + +

SINUSITIS: TWO TYPES . . . BOTH NASTY! . . .

If you can avoid it, you really do not want either type - accute or chronic! Trouble is, if you live in certain parts of the country sinusitis may well be part of your everyday life - like it or not. There’s good reason why an old sinusitis treatment once advertised on television by saying (that) taking the product was ‘’Like sending your sinuses to Arizona.'’

Here in Michigan, as well as many other parts of the country - especially, humid areas such as Florida, Louisiana and many others - sinus problems are just the way it is. So, around these parts we know all about the condition. Do you? If not, here’s some helpful data:

Sinusitis is the inflammation of the mucous membranes in the sinus cavities. It is usually caused by infection, allergies or irritation from toxic substances which seem to thrive in moist air. There are two distinct types and it’s best to know which is which - especially, which you have in the event you find yourself suffering.

There is acute sinusitis and chronic sinusitis. The former often responds well to antibiotics, decongestants and antihistamines - any of which will generally cause the gunk in the sinus cavities to drain away.

Chronic sinusitis may or may not respond to medication although there should be some temporary relief. When symptoms persist, it then is looked upon as chronic (an illness that just hangs in there making your life miserable!) and your crack medical team may decide to convince you to have surgery.

What do you have?

Hopefully, NOTHING - but here are some symptoms to review, if you do have some nasty blockage, sniffles, headaches, etc. The first four indicate acute sinusitis.

Congestion (stuffed-up-snout) on just one side of your nose. (Or as I’ve called it since I was a kid: ‘’Just one of my noses is stuffed!'’ (My mother used to enjoy telling folks that I apparently had TWO noses!)

Pain in only a specific or concentrated area.

Pain suddenly starts.

Stuff draining from your nose is discolored. (I didn’t say this article would be pleasant!)

The following three symptoms indicate you probably have chronic sinusitis:

Frequent and often very severe headaches.

Pressure in the head that is intense.

Congestion on BOTH sides of your nose.

The only way to be certain is to carefully document your symptoms and visit your doctor or a nose/ear specialist. Sometimes, a CT scan or even an MRI will be recommended and whilst neither is fun and both are fairly expensive, it’s a good idea to go along with the suggestion:

More serious conditions may be the root cause of the otherwise common symptoms listed, and may not be detected unless subjected to more intensive scrutiny.

Chronic sinusitis usually lingers on following a basic acute attack (that comes on quickly, but soon entirely clears).

Generally, that’s due to an inflamed mucosal lining or anatomical obstruction preventing the sinuses from draining properly. (Yours truly has a ‘’deviated septum'’ (doesn’t THAT sound perverted?!) - the result of a football game that went bad when I was about 12: Nose was smashed against head of opponent. In those days who had helmets?!)

Our bodies constantly produce mucous as a lubricant for various body parts and if the millions of hair-like cilia are prevented from doing their job of moving the stuff across tissue linings - then, inflammation may occur, causing passages to swell shut and wreak all sorts of havoc (he snuffed, loudly).

What to do about it: MAYBE, surgery. Surgery can correct chromic sinusitis in many cases by enlarging the natural opening and allowing the cilia to move the mucus through the normal channel.

Today, we have what is called endoscopic surgery which is pretty effective as it restores the flow of mucus by removing obstructions, allowing the normal flow of mucus AND air through natural openings, whereas in the past, sometimes surgeons just plowed through a whole new route around the obstructed passages which sometimes made for plumbing problems down the road.

Surgery can be performed under local or general anesthesia, and the procedure should put you out of commission for maybe two or three days at most, although to completely recover requires about a month.

What a person needs to do (obviously) is have a serious heart-to-heart discussion with the personal physician as well as whomever will actually be doing the cut-cut AND the fellow who administers the really strong ZZZZZZ stuff.

Maybe other remedies are preferred or certainly should be tried first. Not often, but sometimes, sinusitis - even the chronic version - can be medicated away or ‘’waited out.'’

Exercise certainly helps, by the way. Just sitting around being idle and complaining generally just makes it worse. Get up and do some jogging or walking and soon, the sinuses tend to clear out.

Also, a daily sauna with some eucalyptus drops in the sauna heater helps a whole lot!

Whilst on the topic: Did I ever tell you my idea for a band many years ago when really nutty names were being given to rock bands? ‘’Sy Nus And The Post Nasal Drips.'’ Really - I was serious, whilst at the same time being oh so clever. Or, so I thought. Unfortunately, the powers-that-be looked down their stuffy noses(!) at my ‘’Sy Nus And The Post Nasal Drips . . . ‘’

BE SURE TO READ AND HEED THE FOLLOWING VITAL INFORMATION:

Information contained herein, and in all other materials we produce, is obtained from sources deemed reliable, but no guarantee of same is issued. The publisher assumes no liability for consequences resulting from the use of any information presented. Specific business, personal, legal or medical advice is not intended, and in all cases readers are urged to counsel with their own attorney, doctor, accountant, broker or other personal advisor before acting on any data found herein which is presented as news and information only. Entire contents ©MMVI. All rights reserved under International and Pan American copyrights.

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