Zorba Paster on Your Health :: Listen

#1 Franklin, WI Hand Sanitizers
Caller worried that hand sanitizers ruin our immunity. Z basically agrees. Studies have shown that it tends to be the case that children raised in sterile environments have more asthma and allergies. Oversanitation of children, he says, is a bad idea. Adults need to stay clean, but not to the hyper-extent that they do.

#2 Gifford, WA Pinhole Glasses
Caller wants to know the legitimacy of “pinhole glasses” which she is using to help with her tired eyes. Z says that there is science behind this, because squinting to look through the holes actually alters the lens of your eye. Z also says that her tired eyes may be due to the fact that she reads a lot and could be using the wrong glasses. He recommends getting new reading glasses.

Topic Hearing Loss Causes Dementia
Z and T discuss research showing a link between hearing loss and dementia. Z says there are 2 types of dementia: ½ are Alzheimer’s, and ½ are vascular disease. He questions whether hearing loss could be causing dementia (via causes like isolation and sensory overload) or whether hearing loss could be because of dementia. Z advises that the brain is a muscle and we should continue to use it to prevent dementia.

#3 Spokane, WA Cons of Electric Cigs
Caller was tentatively diagnosed with Celiac’s, but he hasn’t had a biopsy. He’s gone on a gluten free diet and all of his symptoms except his diarrhea have gone away. Z says that the only way to truly test for Celiac’s disease is to get a biopsy. He advised the caller to get a biopsy, and to check to see if it could be a whole host of other problems like IBS, lactose intolerance, etc, etc. Z also alerts the caller to the fact that there is gluten-free beer!

E-mail Mexico Bike (Listener Question)
Mike from Appleton, WI is in Mexico biking and wants to know if there are negative consequences to inhaling the dust from the dirt roads. Z says that the exercise is more important than the fact that he is inhaling dust. He does warn, however, that dust is a problem, especially if you have a problem such as asthma

#4 Lafayette, IN Alcohol Flush
Caller suffers from alcohol flush and is worried it might cause asophogial cancer, according to something she read. Z says he has never heard of this. He then proceeds to tell her how to help her problem. He recommends testing out a couple of different solutions. On separate days, experiment with drinking a bit of alchol and first taking Pepsid. If that doesn’t work, take Pepsid plus an over-the-counter antihistamine (such as Zyrtec, Allegra, Claritin or Zantac). If that still doesn’t help, add an aspirin. And finally, if that doesn’t help, add the drug Singulair (generic montelukast sodium).

#5 Wichitah, KS Bedroom Breathing
Caller was screened and told that he has sleep apnea. He wants to stop his snoring, and is curious about the procedure called a “uvulectomy” in which they remove the soft palette in the back of one’s mouth. Z says that first of all, he doesn’t believe in the screening, and that the caller needs to go in and get the full confirmatory test. Z advises, however, that the caller waits until that he reads his goal weight (180 lbs at 6 ft) until he goes, because weight loss is a treatment for sleep apnea. Z also does not think that the uvulectomy procedure has a high success rate and would advise against it

E-mail Queasy Car Ride
Hillary in Lake Mills, WI worried about getting carsickwhile driving in hills of Vermont. Z recommends that she try driving, using a Scopolamine patch that you put on the back of your ear, an over the counter non-drowsy antihistamines (Zyrtec, allergra, etc), or a drug called Zofran originally used to prevent the nausea of chemo-therapy.

TOPIC: Mediterranean Miracle
Three groups were studied. One group was made to eat a low-fat diet, one group was given 4 tablespoons of olive oil a day, and one group was given an ounce of nuts a day. People on the Mediterranean diet who were at high risk for heart attack and stroke had a 30% reduction in heart attack, stroke and death. That is huge! That’s as good as a statin, BP pills and rigorous exercise! Z says that this is a watershed study. They actually had to stop study because to continue it, knowing what they did, would be inhumane

#6 Jacksonville, FL Nsaids and Canker Sores
70 year old caller wants to know his target heart rate. Z says that the typical formula is 220 minus your age times 80%. The caller wants to know, however, if he can go over 80%. Z says that it’s not a magic number and that the caller will be fine. Z does warn, however, that once you smoke 100 cigarettes in your lifetime, you’re immediately in a higher risk category. Z recommends eating healthy too! A Mediterranean diet with fruits, veggies, and healthy fats!

Mythbuster: Airplane Radiation?
Z says that yes, this can be a risk for pilots, because they may get more melanoma; however, for most, the exposure is too little to be a concern

#7 Port Wing, WI Vix on Feet
Caller wants sto know if there’s science behind why when she has her kids (and husband) take a shower and then puts Vix Vapo Rub on their feet and covers them with socks, they seem to get better from their colds? Z says that there’s not really science behind it, but it obviously is helping them with something mentally that is then causing them to feel better physically. Z says keep it up!

E-mail Ounces to Pounds (Stump the Doc)
T reads an e-mail from Gary in Rhinelander, WI who wants to know how ounces can add pounds to the waistline. Z says it’s because we are incredibly efficient beings. It’s just part of nature.

3/16/2013 (Taco Tuna Patties)