A Matter of Health

 

I believe we could do much to help ourselves with health issues, if only we pay more attention to what happens to and around our body. Most of us, however, are deep down into what I call  "happy escapism" : reading, watching TV, hobbies - leaving health symptoms to doctor appointments mainly.

There was a time, some ten years ago, when I often experienced palpitations. Scary! What usually stopped them was vigorous coughing and trying to sit or lie down in a certain position if there was a suitable place nearby.

After a while, I noticed a very crucial fact - that it never happened at home, only outside or in a shop. That puzzled me, and I started thinking hard until I solved the enigma. It was the rather heavy backpack that caused the palpitations . Carrying it, triggered some tissue that interfered with my heart electrical system (cardiologists will usually recommend ablation of that tissue if things do not improve with meds or otherwise).

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After eliminating the backpack from my life, no palpitations  occurred to me ever again, thank God. Since then, I don't even carry a bag in my hands or on my shoulder. I put it in the little shopping cart or in the wheeled duffel bag I take with me when I leave home.

Whenever I gain a few pounds (usually in winter), my knees immediately make me notice them. So, if I don't want this to affect my walking  and I wish to avoid injections and surgery, the only plausible solution is to get rid of the weight surplus. No big deal after all, and, so far, it works, thank God again. (People who do a lot of walking should consider protecting knees with some sort of brace; there's a variety of them on the market).

The soles of my feet get treated more or less regularly by placing them on a roller massage manual device .
It does good to the whole body, not only to the feet.

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Sometimes, pain comes and goes without apparently any cause or interference . If it persists, I'll try to locate it and understand its nature before I do something about it. I'll usually apply ice if I suspect swelling, or wear a compression sock if there's pain in the leg indicating possible, dangerous presence of a clot.

For a sore throat, I squeeze a lemon and drink the undiluted juice slowly. It has an immediate  beneficial effect. 

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Once, I cut my finger  in a bad place ; nothing I did could stop the blood flow , and I started to panick. Suddenly, I saw a clothes peg. I grabbed it and clamped my finger with it for a minute or two. It did the job, and saved me perhaps  a trip to the ER.

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The flu is a very nasty condition to an elderly person: fever, headaches, overall weakness.  The annual flu vaccine was of no help to me. Since the beginning of the covid-19 pandemic, I've discovered the mask. No flu so far, and that makes me happy and grateful to the little health device. I feel sorry for myself for all those winters of suffering when no mask was recommended, only the annual useless jab.

 

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Heart to Heart

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The other day, I read an article in the newspaper about a well-known cardiologist, expert in the angioplasty procedure (opening of blocked arteries ). The article (which also included a short interview with him) was full of praise for his skills  and humanity.

What caught my eye, though,  was the number of people undergoing the above procedure - hundreds per year - and that - only in the section of this particular surgeon , at one hospital.
That's quite a lot, considering that nowadays we know more about heart arteries getting clogged and how to prevent that.

Well, in fact, one thing is knowing, and another is doing something about it. People have great difficulty in dealing with stress and addictions to food and smoking -  the main causes of artery clogging. Exercising could help ( the cardiologist of the above mentioned article ,62, runs every morning  before starting his work at the hospital). Most people, however, exercise very little.

While reading the interview , I got the  impression that the surgeon was trying to avoid the subject of adequate life style needed to keep the  arteries clean.   He honestly and happily kept admitting that he saw himself as being a good...plumber, nothing more - implying, perhaps, that  his job was to fix things , not  tell people how to live their lives. 

I suppose, his cardio colleague, the one who's expert in the heart's electrical  activity, and performs ablations (procedure to improve heart rhytm),  sees himself as  a good ...electrician.

May God help us keep away from needing the services of these two life saving 'handymen'!


* web picture - modern logo for plumber