Zorba Paster on Your Health :: Listen

#1 Green Bay, WI Low Vivacity Vegetarian
Caller wonders if her vegetarian diet could be contributing to her lethargy. Z says it could be iron deficiency, but he doubts it. If so, she can eat spinach or other iron-rich foods that we’ll post on our website. Z recommends an SAD light – about $60. Use for 20-40 minutes per day. He also recommends an anti-depressant – even if just for the wintr. Prozac, Zoloft, Paxil or Selexa.

Topic Fatter Folks Live Longer?
Z discusses a recent JAMA study that said fat people live longer. Z says there is a lot wrong with this study, and quotes a Harvard researcher who said it was “rubbish”. The study was a “study of studies”. Morbidly obese still have higher rate of death, but the study covered people of mild obesity with BMIs between 25-30. Head of study did not control for smoking, and people who smoke cigarettes are thinner. She also did not control for cystic fibrosis or kidney disease – diseases that create skinny sufferers. 25 is an arbitrary number too – and Z questions why that number specifically means obese. Z also says that you may be over 25 if you are very muscular. Z says just look in the mirror (“Snow White Test”).

#2 Norman, OK Little Athlete’s Ankle Pain
Caller is mom worried about her 9 year old son’s ankle pain. Her son has started walking differently due to the pain, but loves to play soccer and basketball and hasn’t stopped playing them. Her son is 5’9” – so Z thinks that it is just growing pains. Z, however, recommends going to the doc just in case, because 9 is a young age to be in pain.

#3 Burlington, WI Too Skinny?
Caller lost 50 lbs 7 years ago, and now family thinks he’s too skinny. His BMI is 21, and he runs a ton – but Z says that he is healthy. Z says that it is his family who has the problem adjusting to his new weight. Physiologically, he is healthy.

E-mail Bring Vs. Take (Grammar Police )
Charlie in Fernandina Beach, FL corrects Zorba by saying he shouldn’t have said “bring this to your doc”, because “take this to your doc” is the grammatically correct phrasing. ‘Take’ is for moving toward the speaker, “bring” is for moving away from the speaker. Z and T and skeptical.

#4 Pewaukee, WI Sweaty Son
The caller has a 23-year-old son who sweats too much! Z recommends beta blockers – propranolol (generi) under the name brand Inderal. Can combine this with an h2 blocker – Zantac (150 mg twice daily) and if that doesn’t work, combine it with an antihistamine like Claritin (20mg or 2 tablets/day).

E-mail GMO No-Nos (Disagree With The Doc)
Frank, an organic farmer in AK, takes issue w/ Z’s statement that GMOs are harmless. Frank says the BT Toxin in GMO corn kills his bees. Z corrects himself and says that hybridization is a genetic modification that is done through a natural route, and this is the kind that he thinks is OK. He says there is a difference between this and modification that is done through the chemical/artificial route – which we don’t know enough about yet to come to a conclusion on.

TOPIC: Top 10 New Year's Resolutions
Z lists the top 10 new years resolutions. 1. Lose weight, 2. Get organized, 3. Spend Less Save More, 4. Enjoy Life to the Fullest, 5. Stay Fit and Healthy, 6. Learn Something Exciting, 7. Quit Smoking, 8. Help Others in Their Dreams, 9. Fall in Love, 10. Spend More Time with Family.

#5 Edna, KS Anxiety Meds Make Me Shake
Caller takes anxiety medication (Paxil) for social anxiety that he thinks is causing his left hand to tremor. Z says that it’s unlikely that the anxiety meds are causing this b/c it would typically be bilateral. Z asks if he sees tremor when picking up coffee cup – caller says yes, but not when he picks up food. He does have a tremor in his voice when in social situations. Z says that this sounds like an “intention tremor” and that beta blockers can help and so can diazepam (Valium), but he should get an evaluation and diagnosis first. Z says that alcohol will make tremor better for a while, and then make it worse if you drink too much.

Mythbuster: Ear Crease and Cardiac
T reads a question from Angie about whether or not having ear creases signals a risk of cardiac problems. Z says that only certain types of creases – those caused by collapsed blood vessels – do. Z says if you’ve had the creases your whole life, you’re probably safe. If not, and you’re the only one in your family, get a cholesterol test. As you get older, your ear lobes become more creased, so it’s usually just an age issue. Obviously, older age is associated with heart disease. Z says that cholesterol deposits around the eyes can be a sign of heart disease.

#6 Jacksonville, FL Delicious Foods and Dizziness
Z says this is a common problem with people who lose a lote of eight. The skin grows around the body. He says that surgery can be used to correct it. He says it might take 6 months to a year to go away.

E-mail Benjamin Button (Stump the Doc)
T reads an e-mail from John who wants to know if it’s possible to get younger!? He used to have many ailments, including a terrible back, but now everything is getting better and better –including his hearing and sight. Z says that a bad back on an MRI can improve, but his hearing and vision improving is a mystery. Z says it must be the strange case of Benjamin Button and asks T to double check the e-mailer’s name.

1/19/2013 (Roasted Garlic and Cauliflower Soup)