It has been long time since I last posted, so I will first bring events up to speed before I begin my discussions… I finished at Flower Hospital and now I am spending 3 weeks at St. Charles hospital in the East Side of Toledo… I really do not like it — the ride is long and other things… Madhujit has a job interview in New Jersey today and I wish him all the luck and hope they offer what he is looking for. I told Madhujit to stop in a pharmacy and ask for the average salary of a pharmacist, but he probably will not do it. Luckey spent the night yesterday and this was an experience… I have a princess bed, which is very high up from the ground and poor luckey could not make it up there… she did not sleep at all either, she just kept going from side to side, slightly whining, and I felt sorry for her, but I did not get much sleep at all. Everything here is getting settled, and we are waiting for Madhujit’s parents to get here.
On to the discussions.
First, as a product, Zicam, a zinc nasal spray, works wonders with the common cold if you use it as soon as you start feeling the symptoms of a cold coming on. It does shorten the duration if used properly. This is the product that I would recommend all the time for people that came in to ask me for something to treat a cold. Unfortunately now, I will not recommend it. Recently, though there is nothing to back this claim, it is said that intranasal zinc sulfate can cause loss of the sense of smell, in some cases, this loss can be permanent. Why does this happen? The theory is that applying high concentrations of zinc in the nose might damage the sensory nerves in the nose. Again, nothing has come out recently, but this is concluded from events in the past. In the 30s, zinc nasal sprays were used to treat polio. From this data, it was determined that about 25% of the people that used it, ended up with either permanent or temporary sense of smell.
Thus, I am no longer recommending this product, though at one time, I thought it was a great product, armed with this information, it is not worth the risk of loss of smell– imagine never being able to smell the fresh sweet aroma of Lilacs in the spring or the smells of mixing spices baking in an apple pie. Keep in mind that this is only associated with nasal sprays. Oral zinc is still ok to use.
On to DVTs. DVT stands for deep vein thrombosis, which is a blood clot in the leg. There is a concern that this can happen during plane flights, especially long plane flights. Most people are sitting for a long period of time and they are getting no circulation through the legs, increasing the risk of clotting. They even developed a special name for this “economy class syndrome”. The concern always existed for people with a history of clotting, recent major surgery, the elderly and also obesity, because the risks of clotting are higher. There is also a concern for women using oral contraceptives, because this can increase the risk of clotting also.
So what can you do to avoid this, because avoiding the flights are not an option to a person that loves to travel or people that travel long distances to bring families together regularly.
First, drink a decent amount of fluid before boarding. Although, caffeine and alcohol should be avoided because these are naturally diuretics ( meaning people have to urinate more). Additionally, do not take sedatives before your flight… this can increase the risk of clotting because you are not moving about. You can also prepare yourself by getting a pair of compression stockings. These are available through a prescription from your doctor, or a pharmacy should be able to order these for you. It is best to see the doctor beforehand because there are many pressures available and additionally they are expensive ( about 60 to 90 dollars for a pair of socks, but if ordered correctly, they can be a life saver). Though most insurances will not cover them, you can look into using your flex account to reimburse you for the stockings.
There is some discussion of whether taking 325mg of Aspirin might be helpful ( Aspirin acts as a blood thinner), though experts are still duking it out over this, but if you are not allergic to it, what will it hurt to take one…. it might even help with the pressure headaches that some people develop. Keep in mind, aspirin is not recommended for anyone already on blood thinners, like Plavix, Lovenox, Warfarin, or Coumadin.
While you are on the plane, there are some things that you can do to keep yourself from clotting. First, get up once in a while and walk around. Though this is not possible for some people ( I have a strange habit of just sitting in a plane and not getting up throughout the entire flight– I have an odd phobia about getting up in planes) it is possible to do some exercises while in your seat. Exercises such as knee lifts, ankle turns or heel lifting and toe moving can reduce the risk of clotting.
Enjoy travelling, but travel safely, especially if you fall into any of the risk categories.
The strawberries of summer are going to be upon us soon… recent studies recommend getting a good dose of these and other red fruits, like tomatoes and cranberries. Recommended doses are 5 to 9 servings per day. It is said that a diet rich in red fruit can help maintain healthly hearts, improve memory function, and maintain urinary tract healths. They contain phytochemicals that are showing to be helpful to our healths, so go ahead, break open a pomegranate and enjoy…