New H7N9 strain of bird flu virus threatening China

There is evidence emerging in China that a new H7N9 strain of the bird flu virus is threatening the human population. There are already 18 deaths and over 100 known cases. The problem of course is establishing whether the patients and victims contracted the virus from poultry, or from human-to-human transmission. At this point, 50% of the patients say that they had contact with poultry in markets or the workplace. It seems probably that there is a strong link to poultry, but its probably not airborne contact. Its early days. The World Health Organisation has sent officials to China in order to appraise the problem.

This might be a confidence-breaker? It would take about 6 months to find a vaccine (only urgent if its sufficiently contagious); then up to 6 months to produce enough vaccine if it spreads globally. Only need enough for people in quarantine if its contained, otherwise everyone boards a plane needs it; and of course anyone who shows symptoms. That depends on how well its contained in rural areas to prevent it spreading to cities, and ultimately overseas. Perhaps people commuting or going abroad ought to be wearing face masks...though its uncertain how effective masks are. It seems probable that they will decrease your chances of infection.

The virus is at this point apparently threatening people with immune deficiencies  This of course diminishes the virility of the strain. Should the virility of a new mutation emerge with greater communicability, then ultimately the threat posed could be more serious. This is of course why authorities will be looking to prevent the spread of the virus in humans by killing infected poultry in close contact with humans. Of course that control measure becomes more difficult once all livestock are infected. At that point, the emphasis shifts from control to immunisation.


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Author Andrew Sheldon| Applied Critical Thinking | www.SheldonThinks.com

The value of fruit - when to eat?

Someone mailed me this - and it seemed to be based on reasonable premises; though you will need to verify for yourself. Some of it is not controversial.

We all think eating fruit means just buying fruit, cutting it up and popping it into our mouths. It's not that easy. It's important to know how and when to eat fruit.

What's the correct way to eat fruit?

Fruit should be eaten on an empty stomach. Not after a meal!

Eating fruit like that plays a major role in detoxifying your system, supplying you with a great deal of energy for weight loss and other life activities.

Fruit is the most important food.

Let's say you eat two slices of bread, then a slice of fruit. The slice of fruit is ready to go straight through the stomach into the intestines, but it's prevented from doing so.

In the meantime, the whole meal rots and ferments, and turns to acid. The minute the fruit comes into contact with the food in the stomach, and digestive juices, the entire mass of food begins to spoil.

Eat your fruit on an empty stomach, or before your meal! You've heard people complain: Every time I eat watermelon I burp, when I eat durian my stomach bloats, when I eat a banana I feel like running to the toilet, etc. This will not happen if you eat the fruit on an empty stomach. Fruit mixes with the putrefying other food and produces gas. Hence, you bloat!

There's no such thing as some fruits, like orange and lemon are acidic, because all fruit becomes alkaline in our body, according to Dr. Herbert Shelton who did research on this matter. If you have mastered the correct way of eating fruit, you have the Secret of Beauty, Longevity, Health, Energy, Happiness and normal weight.

When you need to drink fruit juice drink only fresh fruit juice, NOT the concentrated juice from the cans. Don't drink juice that has been heated. Don't eat cooked fruit; you don't get the nutrients at all. You get only the taste. Cooking destroys all of the vitamins.

Eating a whole fruit is better than drinking the juice. If you should drink the juice, drink it mouthful by mouthful slowly, because you must let it mix with your saliva before swallowing it. You can go on a 3-day fruit-fast to cleanse your body Eat fruit and drink fruit juice for just 3 days, and you will be surprised when your friends say how radiant you look!

KIWI: Tiny but mighty, and a good source of potassium, magnesium, vitamin E and fiber. Its vitamin C content is twice that of an orange!

AN APPLE a day keeps the doctor away? Although an apple has a low vitamin C content, it has antioxidants and flavonoids which enhances the activity of vitamin C, thereby helping to lower the risk of colon cancer, heart attack and stroke.

STRAWBERRY: Protective Fruit. Strawberries have the highest total antioxidant power among major fruits and protect the body from cancer-causing, blood vessel-clogging free radicals.

EATING 2 - 4 ORANGES a day may help keep colds away, lower cholesterol, prevent and dissolve kidney stones, and reduce the risk of colon cancer.

WATERMELON: Coolest thirst quencher. Composed of 92% water, it is also packed with a giant dose of glutathione, which helps boost our immune system. Also a key source of lycopene, the cancer-fighting oxidant. Also found in watermelon: Vitamin C and Potassium.

GUAVA & PAPAYA: Top awards for vitamin C. They are the clear winners for their high vitamin C content. Guava is also rich in fiber, which helps prevent constipation. Papaya is rich in carotene, good for your eyes.

Drinking Cold water after a meal = Cancer!

Can you believe this? For those who like to drink cold water, this applies to you. It's nice to have a cold drink after a meal, however, the cold water will solidify the oily stuff that you've just consumed, which slows digestion. Once this 'sludge' reacts with the acid, it will break down and be absorbed by the intestine faster than the solid food. It will line the intestine. Very soon, this will turn into fats and lead to cancer. It is best to drink hot soup or warm water after a meal.

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Andrew Sheldon www.sheldonthinks.com

Painful Journey with Sciatica

This personal account of overcoming Sciatica comes from my father. Its a fantasy way of saying he has a pinched nerve I suspect. You could see this account as the medical service being thorough or over-servicing. Hmmm...at the end of the day you end up with the knowledge that you are ok.

I am a 72yo, reasonably fit man for my age. I played a lot of sport throughout my younger days and have always been an active person, living a life in the outdoors, enjoy gardening (i.e. I grow clivias on the Central Coast NSW, Australia). I have for many years practiced simple yoga regularly and for a number of years now have been careful about my diet.

In May 2011, over a period of 2-3 week, I developed pain extending down my right leg as low as my ankle. I became useless and had to sit down and put my feet up to diminish the pain. The doctor performed X-rays and prescribed pain-killers (Voltarin, Norflex, Tramal, Norspan patches and Naproxen), however most of these drugs made me feel sick and the patches which went on my shoulder made me violently sick for weeks, whilst the pain persisted. The X-rays didn`t reveal much and the doctor wasn't sure what was causing the pain.

I then had a few sessions of Physio. The well-qualified physio (with 2 diplomas) suggested some stretches and indicated some tightness in some leg muscles. He gave me a leaflet and didn't do much else for me.

Meanwhile, I was thinking it was my hip playing up (since I had had a hip replacement on the left side 10 years previous as well as a partial knee replacement on this same side as the leg pain). I decided to put my name down to see an Orthopaedic Surgeon - which entailed a 6 week wait. Now August, I also decided to get a CT scan done and get some injections (into the L4-5) to no avail. No one could tell me what ailed me, however the CT scan did identify spinal stenosis and a disc bulge or protrusion in the L4-5 disc and so it went on. I eventually got to see the Orthopaedic Surgeon who said I had no worries with hip or knee. He also conveyed that “the pain would go away in a few months!!!".............not saying why it would go away!!!

I however continued to go to muscle therapists, chiropractors and Physios as the pain endured. I still tried to do exercises and stretches to no avail. I had become quite depressed during this 5 month period. I had no trouble sleeping as when I lay down the pain left me. One day I awoke in the morning with no pain. It eventually subsided as the Orthopaedic Surgeon indicated. In about the 1st week of December I called the surgeon's secretary to provide feebdback; that the pain had gone away he anticipated.

I had found out just before this follow-up from a pharmacist that: hard tissue gives way (succumbs) to soft tissue (bulge & nerve). I would have loved to have known this whilst I was enduring over 6 months of pain; that when there is a bulge or a protrusion it entraps the nerve against the hard disc (pinched nerve) and causes pain all along the sciatic nerve (the longest nerve in the body) branching out behind the knee and travelling right down into the foot.....the hard disc eventually wears away and the pain subsides!!!

So there you go. After editing my dad's account, I empathise with his painful persistance. :)

Something interesting to me in this account is the fact that my father went back to his doctor with feedback. This is important, though I suspect there is a lack of formalised process by which this can be done. i.e. Telling the secretary probably will not make it to the surgeon. There really needs to be a third-party database by which doctors can log-in and amend and update a patient's records, so this can be used by researchers who study such issues. I really think this is a problem with our medical institutions...that there is a lack of process. This is often the case with professionals. I guess we can sympathise with doctors because they perform some 6-8 years of study, and then they have to learn software. Maybe they wouldn't have to if research was on the job? Then they might be using modern medicine.

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Andrew Sheldon www.sheldonthinks.com

Research supports hope for Andropause sufferers

If you read the following article you might be inclined to believe that - if you are over the age of 40 years old and tired, that you are suffering from Andropause. The reality however is that people who are purported sufferers could have any number of symptoms for other ailments; perhaps dietary or even a lack of exercise.

I am very sceptical of many of these labels which are adopted because of apparent "links". The problem with this research is that its steeped in empiricism. It is not science at all; its statistical correlation devoid of causation. Its the problem which arises from a misuse of the scientific method.

This problem is highlighted by the fact that this study discredits previous research. Who is to say that this research is any better. Is there any deductive analysis to disprove the old study, or is that just ignored. I'm very sceptical. Human ignorance abounds.

This is what happens when your hard-earned tax funds are expropriated to unconditionally support research, with no effective accountability. Its all a scam, with climate change and medical research backing pharmaceuticals the ultimate con.

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Andrew Sheldon www.sheldonthinks.com

Cure for diabetes imminent?

Hope for sufferers of type 1 and type 2 diabetes. Research around the world is identifying methodologies for curing both forms of diabetes. I refer potential and actual sufferers to the following websites:

1. Irish Times

2. LA Times

3. Time.com

This is surely positive news for sufferers of obesity vulnerable or stricken with diabetes.

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Andrew Sheldon www.sheldonthinks.com

Over-eating due to government intervention

The message from the US government is eat less, and eat more fresh fruit and vegetables. This is of course not new information. It's like a parent telling their children not to laze around, but who bought the TV, and placed no restrictions on its use. The problem as I see it is that democratic governments are as flawed as their totalitarian cousins. They might not extinguish your 'political existence' but that is only because they can 'enslave' your economic existence. So long as you, as an individual, don't meddle with their political longevity, they are pretty happy. When you do, then you go to goal, like Pauline Hanson in Australia, or you, as a lone individual, get assassinated. John F. Kennedy was perhaps an example of that; its hard to say since I have no compelling evidence.

In common with totalitarian regimes is that they are superficial or concrete-bound. So when a government states after years of research what we already knew - that we are eating too much - it is really missing the point. The problem is that we are eating too much because of them. The reason is more important. We are over-eating for psychological reasons. We are not dealing with the causes because evading, compartmentalising and rationalising are 'coping mechanisms' used to evade that which we do not have a strategy to otherwise resolve. When humans cannot come up with a conceptual solution to a conceptual problem - which is the intrusive government - it goes looking for a concrete solution, whether it be 'physical' anxiety such as compulsive disorders like over-eating, or 'mental anxieties' or evasions like psychosis.

The reality is that the way in which we are governed is so important that it goes to the crux of our relationship between ourselves and others (ethics) and our productivity (i.e. efficacy), our self-worth (i.e. self esteem), and our expectations (i.e. Absolute or logical standards vs moral relativism).

The government will keep advising that you curb your eating. That is like telling you to be happy, to avoid psychologically illness, and to be happy. It does not help at all. In fact, it does more worse than good. It gives people hope of a 'government solution' when they are part of the problem. Want to know more about the nature of government. If you are looking for empirical evidence of that as a research, you are falling prey to one of the greatest myths, that induction is the only basis for scientific investigation. It is the basis of society's moral scepticism.

Disclaimer: This blog could be good for your health.

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Andrew Sheldon www.sheldonthinks.com

Best conceived adventure survival guide

The focus for most of these blog articles is internal health. This post will focus upon physical well-being in your external environment. It was inspired by this story of a 72yo man who was trapped in a flood. Humans have poorly developed critical thinking skills. There are several reasons for that:

1. Regulated living - we live in regulated or managed living spaces

2. Safety net - we have people telling us what to do, how to do it, procedures to follow, and even when we fail, there is someone to restore us to health or safety when we fail.

There are however those instances when we take it upon ourselves to engage in some adventure where we place ourselves beyond the safety, protection and responsibility of our fellow human beings. If we do not consider the risks, or take preventative steps, we can place our lives in danger, as well as the lives of those called upon to recover our bodies, or return us to safety. There are a great many adventurers in NZ, many of them tourists, who need to be recovered by rescue agencies. Here is an example of an adventurer who has had an interesting experience. It is interesting for a number of reasons:

1. He engaged in an adventure activity by himself. That is a high risk activity even if he is well-prepared. I know you can anticipate slippery surfaces, loose rocks, and take steps to avoid them, but consider that during a multi-day trek, you will make a million steps, and you will have roughly 1 second to determine the appropriateness of each step. You will be tired, you will be unfocused (by the last thousands of steps), even if you recognise that seemingly greater danger of a slippery slope. It is not worth it. I have done it myself - gone kayaking by myself. But you do need to actively plan your trip, and diligently anticipate every risk. Its hard to do when you have not been where you intend to go. How can you know ALL the conditions?

2. He took protective measures. The guy was well-prepared for his trip. He took a GPS device, he had a satellite phone, spare food and an emergency beacon. He abandoned the GPS when he was being flooded out of his tent. He could not get satellite phone reception in the storm and his emergency beacon was broken. Fortunately, he was able to fix the beacon. The moral of this tale is that even contingency plans can fail in a certain context.

3. He did not fathom how conditions could change. According to his story, the creek rose 1 metre in a few minutes. This creek gully was experiencing a flash flood which he did not anticipate. Humans have been living on the earth just 3 million years. Your active life experience is just 100 years at best. This is a very short period. We have yet to see the worst events of this planet. The terrain which you cross actually holds evidence of its risks, i.e. The huge boulders moved by rivers in flood, or glaciers in different times. The Earth has not changed; its just that we fail to appreciate that the Earth embodies change beyond our short perspective. There are often high or 'stranded' sediment deposits above normal river channels. These can suggest ancient alluvial beds stranded as the creek incised into the valley, or they might be your best indicator of what can happen when the river/creek is in flood. Acknowledging these plausible risks entails knowing something about the processes that shape the Earth, as well as some knowledge of rock and fluid mechanics, i.e. Applied physics, and this will help you develop a perspective that will preserve your life under all possible conditions.

4. He most probably did not have a plan. There are different types of plans.

a. A procedural plan allows you to get what you want.

b. A contingency plan allows you to keep what you have - that is your life.

The best laid plans are those which are based on the best possible information, which identify, assess, qualify and quantify all plausible risks. It does not mean that they are perfect. You might not want to plan for a 1-in-200 year flood condition, but you might want to be aware about the probability of a certain flood occurring. The safety precautions or contingency plan might entail very little consideration, and even the remedial measures might be simple, if they were only considered. They might not entail carrying more provisions into the bush. They might simply entail acting in a different way.

People tend to be sceptical about the need for plans. I have always been a planner. Even if not acted upon, they are useful for developing awareness of issues and perspective. People think short-range because of self-indulgent disregard for preparedness, because they lack information, or because they have a subjective disdain for objective reality. Critical thinking is loathsome to them because it entails self-discipline and judgement, whether of conditions they would prefer not to know about, or judgement of others, which they fear will be reciprocated.

Survival requires objectivity and critical thinking. We cannot always rely on the support of others. You would have disdain for these qualities, but call upon others to exercise them? Your disdain is shared by them, so you might be placing your life in the hands of disinterested savours. Self-preparedness is your most practical form of survival. This might seem like a burden until you recognise that such preparedness is actually a source of wisdom, efficacy and pride. When you realise that, you will actually embrace the process. Disdain is a position of ignorance or disempowerment.

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Andrew Sheldon www.sheldonthinks.com

Blood test for cancer under development

This is particularly good news for people under the age of 40 years since you can rest assured that you have the least prospects of developing cancer whilst this new technology is developed, and rolled out. Researchers have developed a blood test so sensitive it is able to detect cancer cells for 13 different varieties of cancer in a single, non-evasive diagnostic test. The test is far easier than a body scan. The technology is not new. As a geologist, mining companies for decades, have long sampled rocks, soils and alluvium for gold and other minerals in concentrations of as little as 2-3 parts per billion. This is the same type of technology. The difference is that they had to first identify the cells I guess.

This is a huge development. I can even see the day when people over 40 years will get these tests for free each 6 months in exchange for blood donation. The only problem might be the fact that the world probably does not need as much blood. But this just might mean smaller blood samples. More probably it will just offset the cost. But maybe other developments like cell harvesting might subsidise such tests.

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Andrew Sheldon www.sheldonthinks.com

The role of exercise in your life

Exercise is an important aspect of every persons life. If you don’t have a career which allows you to live as our forefathers, then you are undertaking a regime it was not intended for. The old adage ‘use it or lose it’ is truer than ever, whether we are talking about you muscle strength, general fitness or even your mind.

Heart monitors has developed a test which allows you to calculate the maximum heart rate or appropriate heart rate you ought to achieve in order to achieve certain health-related goals, whether its:

1. Maintaining fitness

2. Losing weight

3. Increasing stamina

4. Increasing muscle strength

These are all goals which we can achieve at all ages, though their utility will differ at different times in your life. The best exercise regime is that which is embedded in your life, but is also flexible enough for you to adjust depending on the context of your life. For instance:

1. Establish a routine. Going to a gym 5km from your home might be a chore. But what if you made it a part of your daily routine, like always going prior to shopping for the family, or perhaps as a train stop on your way home from work. If you have an appointment some days, then you can always go another day to make up for lost time.

2. Make it serve a purpose. You are more likely to sustain an activity if you recognise the functions it serves; whether its mental alertness, toned body, physical stamina, business networking or extra-family relationships.

3. Making it fun is the best way to ensure you do it. Some of us like competitive sport because it appeals to our basic values. I hate the idea of working out in a gym, but I do like bike riding because I like exploring. I like table tennis because its competitive and is not going to strain muscles reaching for a shot.

4. Make it sustain physical health – not diminish it. I am one of the few family members who has not strained his muscles, and thus maintained an achieve exercise regime. As we get older our bodies degenerate. Our muscles weaken, our bones become brittle and they lose mass. Some sports like squash, and even tennis become too strenuous on our bodies, so more care is needed, or an alternative needs to be considered.

5. Replace fluids. If you are performing sport, drink before, during and after to ensure adequate fluids. This is particularly important if you are riding a bike because you might be on a road when you collapse from heat exhaustion or dehydration.

6. Good diet: If you exercise without a healthy diet you are actually diminishing your immune system. Ensure enough Vitamin B & C, and enough sunshine (Vitamin D).

The value of exercise has long been recognised for reducing the effects of depression, creating a more positive outlook on life, as well as conferring the positive effects of changed environment and positive body image.

The first step before you start exercising is to establish your maximum heart rate.

There is a mathematical formula to predict your Maximum Heart Rate, which is based on your age. Some formulas also consider your weight. The formula is simply:

WOMEN: HR = 226 - your age

MEN: HR = 220 - your age

If you are a 32-year-old woman, your age-adjusted maximum heart rate is 226- 32 years = 194 bpm (beats per minute).

The second task is to establish the required heart rate to achieve your exercise objective.

The following table is intended to match your exercise regime with your intended goal. For instance, if the 32yo woman above intended to simply lose weight she should exercise at 60-70% of her maximum HR of 194bpm. i.e. 116.4 to 135.8bpm. Since her goal is to lose weight, the amount of exercise she does will depend on her dietary intake of calories. Her exercise regime will however affect her metabolism.

Ideal For	Benefit Desired	Intensity Level (% Maximum heart rate)
Light Exercise	Maintain Healthy Heart/Get Fit	50% - 60%
Weight Management	Lose Weight/ Burn Fat	60% - 70%
Aerobic Base Building	Increase Stamina Aerobic Endurance	70% - 80%
Optimal Conditioning	Maintain Excellent Fitness Condition	80% - 90%
Elite Athlete	Maintain Superb Athletic Condition	90% - 100%

Source: www.heartmonitors.com/exercisetips/heart_rate_basics.htm

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Andrew Sheldon www.sheldonthinks.com

The value of Vitamin D

For years we have been told the dangers of excess exposure to sunshine. What we have not be told about is the cost of our lack of exposure to sunshine. Maybe those melanoma advertisements were just too effective? Maybe fears of ozone layer destruction made us reflect more on the intensity of the sun. Those fears were overstated however. But more probably most people simply lack sunshine exposure because of livestyle decisions. Less outdoor sport & sun, more indoor sports, if not computer games and TV.

The problem is that sunshine is a major source of Vitamin D.

What difference does Vitamin D make?

Adequate Vitamin D will reduce your risk of heart and bone diseases, cancer (some 17 different cancers by 77%, including breast & ovarian cancers), fibromyalgia and diabetes (Type-1 & Type 2), as well as auto-immune disorders like M.S. and rheumatoid arthritis. Contrary to popular belief, sunshine reduce your risk of skin cancer if exposure is not excessive. Researchers have used Vitamin D to block malignant melanoma tumors from developing in human cells. Today, heart disease, cancer, hypertension, and diabetes are commonplace, while they were very rare a century ago.

Sunshine is however important for other reasons, particularly mood enhancement, who reduces a person’s vulnerability to depression and anxiety, particularly if combined with exercise. Walking in the sun will raise your spirits and it may save your life.

What are the risks?

There is a single risk of excess sun exposure – skin cancer. It is seldom a point argued in TV advertisements, but there is a single racial group whom are particularly vulnerable to skin cancer, the Celtic/Irish population, and yet the world is being scared into over-concern about skin cancer. It must be acknowledged that the amount of sun spot or solar flare activity is not constant, so neither is your exposure. Incidentally, such variabilities in solar radiation are a likely explanation for 'perceived' global warming. Regardless, sensible exposure to the sun is not dangerous under any conditions.

The role of Vitamin D

Vitamin D performs a number of roles in the body:

1. It functions as a hormone.

2. It is a vitamin

In 1990, Professor Gary Schwartz, Ph.D of Wake Forest University, made a positive correlation between the incidence of prostate cancer and a Vitamin D deficiency. Those with a Vitamin D deficiency were people who primarily live in the extreme latitudes or polar regions. Contrary to his observation, we are given warnings about the ‘summertime’ risk of solar exposure, but this fails to consider the winter deficiency. His studies in the US showed that men in the tropics (with higher sun exposure) were 20-40% less likely to develop prostate cancer than those men in northern USA. Prostate cancer patients consistently show a Vitamin D deficiency.

How Vitamin D works

Vitamin D helps your body reduce the risk of getting cancer.

1. Converts tumor cells into normal cells. Cancer cells divide rapidly in your body but don’t differentiate themselves into specific cells. Vitamin D helps this process, restoring the cancer cells to productive cells and inhibiting cancer growth.

2. Prevents cancer cells from multiplying. Cancer cells can’t reproduce and spread to new tissue when introduced to Vitamin D.7 Laboratory and animal studies show that Vitamin D prevents cancer cells from multiplying and also tells them when to die.

3. Keeps cancer from spreading. Vitamin D promotes normal cell growth. As a result, it helps prevent cancer cells from spreading.

4. Suppresses genes responsible for cell proliferation. Research shows that Vitamin D can suppress genes prone to mutation and likely to form cancerous growths.8

5. Inhibits formation of new blood vessels that feed tumors. During the creation of new blood vessels, new vessels begin to branch off existing vessels. This is bad news if they’re cancerous. For any tumor to have a chance to grow, there must be formation of new blood vessels to feed it. Vitamin D inhibits formation of these vessels naturally, starving the tumor of the nutrients it needs to grow.

How to Get Enough Vitamin D

1. Get 10 to 15 minutes a couple days a week. It’s free, and will make you feel great. Depending upon where you live, this might not be possible.

2. Eat foods with high Vitamin D. Best sources are small fish like herring, sardines, and anchovies. Stay away from the larger fish that are higher up on the food chain, as the mercury content may be too high.

3. If you can’t get enough sun because of work commitments, climate conditions, consider taking a Vitamin D supplement every day, and not just a multivitamin. Take cod liver oil, because it’s the best natural source of Vitamin D after sunshine. Just a 1,360 IU (i.e. a single teaspoon) of Vitamin D is all that is required, though you can take up to 5,000IU, particularly Vitamin D3. A multivitamin will only give you 200-400 IU of Vitamin D3.

Food Sources of Vitamin D

1 Tablespoon Cod Liver Oil 1,360IU

3-1/2 ounces of Salmon, cooked 360IU

3-1/2 ounces of Mackerel, cooked 345IU

3 ounces Tuna fish, canned in oil 200IU

1-3/4 ounces Sardines, canned in oil 250IU

8 ounces Orange juice, fortified 100IU

1 cup Milk, organic, from grass-fed cows and fortified 98IU

¾ to 1 cup of Cereal, fortified 40IU

The radicalisation of science

Note how society is full of self-righteous, uninformed people who seize upon any popular slogan with little thought of their own. i.e. You might see a person disparage a parent for allowing their children to play in the sun. The sunscreen makers clearly have an interest in misrepresenting or sensitising your risk from sun exposure. This is despite sunshine being one of the best ways of delivering Vitamin D to the body.

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Andrew Sheldon www.sheldonthinks.com

Survival guide - How to perform CPR

Its a basic skill that we should all know..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ArXuQwjj7Q&has_verified=1

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Andrew Sheldon www.sheldonthinks.com

Cheap Health Services in the Philippines

I regularly travel to the Philippines so I often avail of the cheap health care facilities in the country. The benefit of the Philippines is:
1. Cheap flights with discount airlines like Tiger Airways (Singapore), Air Asia X (Malaysia) and Cebu Pacific (Philippines). These airlines use either Manila or Clark airports in the Philippines. Air Asia X is currently expanding its destinations to Sydney and Korea, so watch these airlines.
2. Cheap accommodation in regional areas of just $US20, or $70 in central Manila, though door-to-door inquiries in Ermita will find you a place for $20/night.
3. English speaking

You can of course combine your dental and medical work with a holiday. I would suggest that you do not have to go to an expensive high-class, expensive hospital in the Philippines for test work. I found a cheap diagnostic lab in Lipa City, Batangas which does X-rays, blood tests, mamograms, etc. The turnaround is 8-24 hours, so you can hang out at Starbucks or McDonalds.

This makes sense if you travel to these places or you have dental or medical work which exceeds $US10,000. I have my teeth cleaned for about $6, though its going to be more if products are imported, or you go to classy establishments with foreign-educated doctors.

Some tips on using these services:
1. Doctors like to refer you to their mates, so they can each charge a P600 fee, and give you no advice at all. If you are rich, fine, you are helping these doctors serve the long queue of poor customers outside, as you as a foreigner are given centre-stage. Go straight to diagnostics if you know what you have.
2. Make use of any Filipino relationships you have established. If they have some family doctor, they can help you save money. The chances are that they are competent if your friend comes from a 'upper' middle class family.

Filipinos can be the worst and best people. Great friends to have if you find a good one. Some of you might be interested in retiring in the Philippines. If so check out my Philippine foreclosed property blog. On our last trip we went to Puerto Galera, which is not a bad place to retire. Many foreigners. At this point the tourist area facilities are under-capitalised, but a Robinsons shopping mall is currently under construction at Calapan.
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Andrew Sheldon www.sheldonthinks.com

Are you experiencing joint pain?

I have for a long time been experiencing joint pain and what I thought to be "circulation issues". The incidence of this was usually associated with drinking alcohol, and I thought eating animal fats, or simply fats, but fact it was an accumulation of uric acid in my blood. I am slightly over 40yo, and such problems occur from this age, usually in men, but also in women. You can specify a blood test to test for uric acid.

If your levels are in the upper levels of the recommended range you might have a susceptibility to the build-up of uric acid. If your uric acid levels are over the recommended levels, you will want to adjust your diet, and if the problem persists, you should consider medication.

Foods containing uric acid and the compounds that metabolize into uric acid include most animal meats, such as beef, lamb, pork and seafood. Poultry and ham, the "white meats," can have some purine, so should be eaten in small amounts. The "red meats" are most detrimental, particularly bacon, because of its added processing. Alcohol and breads which contain yeast also have high uric acid so should be avoided.

Gout is a common form of arthritis arising from high levels of uric acid in the blood stream. To prevent gout, those susceptible to
uric acid accumulation need to know how to lower their uric acid levels. The easiest way to lower uric acid is though proper eating habits and medication. This means limiting alcohol and avoiding purine rich foods, which will convert to uric acid.

The good foods you can eat are:
1. Black cherry juice (or "sour cherry or bitter cherry") helps to relieve the gout symptoms in conjunction with a uric acid-reducing diet.
2. Folic acid can also assist in reducing inflammation in gout episodes.
3. Increase your intake of low-fat dairy foods to lower your uric acid levels, eg. Low fat milk, yogurt and cheese
4. Drink plenty of water to lower uric acid. I have previously criticised the need to take water because I thought the body always produces an excess (unless you do strenuous exercise or live in a tropcal/hot climate). For gout/uric sufferers at least, like myself, my previous advice does not hold. They should be having eight glasses of water a day. Liquids low in caffeine and calories help to remove uric acid from the blood stream. Mother SOMETIMES knows best after all.
5. Celery, tomatoes, cabbage, parsley, kale and all green leaf vegetables are also helpful in low uric acid diets.
6. Fresh fruits including blueberries, strawberries, bananas and cherries are some of the fruits gout sufferers should include in their diet.

Sources:
www.joint-pain.com/foods-high-in-uric-acid.html
www.ehow.com/how_2056151_lower-uric-acid-prevent-gout.html
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Andrew Sheldon www.sheldonthinks.com

Best cooking method

I am a low-maintenance person. I don't invest a lot of time and energy in cooking. Basically you could say I eat to survive, as opposed for the enjoyment of eating. So here is how I ensure I make my food as nutritious, flavoursome and easy to prepare as possible. Basically my system rests upon steaming.

1. Buy one of the stainless steel multi-level steamers. I have one made by 'Ideal Kitchen', Made in China, which has served me well. I have a large one, however you could save energy by getting one which matches the amount of food you need to cook (i.e. how many people you are cooking for).

2. Fill the pot with hot water - why heat up water twice (i.e. hot water cylinder & stove)

3. Use enough water that it does not burn dry

4. Cook in stages - meats and hard vegetables first (i.e. red meat, carrots, potatoes). The amount of time needed depends on how the food is prepared. If thinly sliced you can cook food for less time, and simply cook all at once.

5. Empty the ingredients on a plate. If you want to cook the ingredients, you can pour under cold water, but better to let the food simply cool.

What I do is stick to my favourite vegetables each night, but change the meat. i.e. Beef, lamb, frozen fish satchels in a plastic bag. With these satchels, I get taste variety, as I eat the vegetables using the source from the fish. i.e. Birds Eye Hoki fish in mint & mushroom sauce, if I am not mistaken. I sometimes place steamed vegetables in the hot plate with fried mince or egg, for another flavoursome option.

The benefits of this method are:

1. Reduced cleaning - I only need to wash utensils, one plate, glass lid of steamer, the steamer pot and the steamer. Simple rinse if you have just cooked. Already sterilised by hot steam. You don't have to wash the vegetables.

2. Reduced fat - Steaming removes all the animal fat

3. Kills germs - The dirt and insects which maybe in the food are killed, and they tend to fall out of the vegetables. Bacteria will be killed. Steaming offers a more even form of cooking than most forms as hot water vapour gets in everywhere.

4. Detoxifies - Any volatile chemicals like pesticides are going to be driven off

5. Safety - Mixed concerns here. Be careful not to burn yourself when lifting the lid on the steamer - those gases are hot. Its hard to set the house alight because there is no oil. Mind you I guess there is animal fat (i.e.) derived from the cooking, though its usually not much. I often burn the streamer dry, and I find it gives the food a slightly burnt taste. You will usually smell the burnt residues in the steam water before you burn the house down.

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Andrew Sheldon www.sheldonthinks.com

The health benefits of capsicum

One of the most impressive vegetables in terms of nutrition is capsicum. I have long eaten this vegetable because of its taste. It has a great flavour, so I need not add any seasoning to my steamed vegetables. The benefits are:

1. Stabilises blood pressure

2. Improves circulation

3. Anti-fungal agent

4. Anti-flatulence agent

It is said to help you avoid heart attacks. See the following website for more information.

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Andrew Sheldon www.sheldonthinks.com

Coping strategy for a heart attack – Attention over 60s

Heart attacks become more probable over the age of 60yo. Here are some tips on how to stay alive. Firstly:

1. Always keep two aspirin and a bottle of water here by all the time, particularly next to your bed
2. Have a phone close at hand if you live alone, so you can call for help
3. Know the emergency number in your country, and have it programmed into your speed-dial. i.e. 911 in the USA/Canada, 000 in Australia, 111 in New Zealand, 999 in Britain, Other countries – see Wikipedia or your telephone directory
4. Have your neighbour’s telephone number as well.

The majority of heart attacks occur during sleep, so the victim doesn’t wake up. If you are one of the “lucky ones” who is awoken by the chest pains, then you need some information about how to react:

1. Do not lie down!
2. Immediately dissolve two aspirin in your mouth and swallow them
3. CALL Emergency
4. Unlock the front door
5. Phone your neighbour or a family member who lives nearby:
6. Hell out "heart attack!
7. Tell them you have taken 2 aspirin.
8. Take a seat on a chair or sofa near the front door, and wait for the arrival of help
9. DO NOT lie down ~ unless you fall down.

P.S. If you are bored, start writing your final will. My guess is you won’t be.

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Andrew Sheldon www.sheldonthinks.com

The benefits of Vitamin C (Swine flu)

Here is a good article about the usefulness of Vitamin C in fighting swine flu.
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Andrew Sheldon www.sheldonthinks.com

Improving your immune system

There are some interesting hypotheses around about the role of cleaning agents in undermining our immune systems, as well as causing diseases and respiratory conditions like asthma. I recently saw a study that concluded that anti-bacterial cleaning agents were sanitising our environment so muh that our immune systems were becoming hyper-sensitive.

This is interesting because I lived in the Philippines for 2 years and during the first 6 months I would often have diarrhoea as a result of the food. I was drinking distilled water though used tap water to clean my teeth. But in time my body adjusted. Being back in Australia for Spring though its evident to me that my immune system is more tolerant because I don't seem to have the same hay fever that affected me in Australia or Japan in years past. It might be too early to say. I also find that my stomach is stronger too. Food combinations that upset my stomach before no longer do. Importantly I am pretty well eating the same type of food as I did before I left. Same brands too.

I would not read too much into this anecdotal evidence.
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Andrew Sheldon www.sheldonthinks.com

The importance of diet and exercise to Asians

Asian and other developing countries seem to be the most vulnerable in the switch to a Western diet. Australians like myself have nothing but excuses for exercising. We have beaches to run along, few trains that require chasing, and a dry, cool climate climate to do this, in a plethora of greem grassy parks.
In Asia its not as easy. Living in Tokyo there are crowded streets, but in as much as you can choose where you live it is possible to select a place where you can get exercise. In Tokyo the best place is near a river. I lived in Sumiyoshi for a period, so I could ride my bike up the river. This is pretty well the only green precinct of any size in Tokyo aside from the Imperial Garden and a few other parks (like Harajuku). In the suburbs too there are no so many parks. You almost have to go to the rice padi areas to find open space.
In the Philippines it gets even worse. You are lucky if you can find trees in Metro Manila, and still rarer to see grass outside of the scarce golf clubs in the city. Its also hot, polluted and the streets are pretty disgusting in most parts of the city. Of course you can choose where you live. I recommend a city apartment because:
1. On the weekends and at night the streets are quieter
2. You can walk around the city late at night when there is no pollution.

But herein lies the problem. Filipinos generally have little discipline. They dont eat vegetables in their diet. If you go out you will be lucky if you get any vegetables, and you will get a lot of bone and fat in your meet. Their beef & pork is literally 1/3 bone, 1/3 fat and 1/3 protein. Well if you are aspiring to get out of the Philippines, you are in luck. There are plenty of jobs for graduates in the top rankings. The problem is if you eat this crap, you will end up in hospital with hypertension and severe cramps. Why? Hello! Because you eat crap and live a sedentary life in front of a computer screen. It is near impossible to get real juice in the Philippines. Its mostly sugar and water. I mean other than pineapple juice and imported grocery items.
Herein lies the problem. The Philippines is so impressed by Western junk food that it has abandoned traditional healthy food. In the provinces they still eat a better balance of food. There is still the franchise crap, but its the 'treat' rather than the norm. It is the middle class that is too busy to think, who have a narrow materialistic conception of success that they miss the point of life - the pursuit of value in every aspect of life. Middle class Asian aspirants are so befuddled with money and what it can do that they have a single focus - to use it. But what for? Nope, not long range goals like building a career or buying a house, but to buy flash brand name clothes, cars and phone to impress their friends or GF. Its all about perceptions. A huge fraud that makes them empty people. You might well say its the same in the West, but this is more extreme. There is no genuine pride in this pursuit.
These people might get the girl of their dreams, and they can show the world that they have a trophy, but they will soon realise the cost of that pursuit. They will have acquired another empty vessel in their life, a vessel that requires an unending flow of money. They might eventually realise or they might lower themselves further to retain this false pride, this delusion of achievement. And that really stupid comment she said last week will be forgotten. They will repress it. They might even conclude that was the first time she said something stupid, instead of realising that she has been repressing all personal thoughts since they met. Live and learn...
The Western diet is crap... eat it at your peril.

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Andrew Sheldon www.sheldonthinks.com

The impact of fat on personal health

We are told that fat or oil in our diet is bad, that western diets have too much oil. This is not strictly correct. We are not so much eating too much oil or fat (ie. solid oil) but rather:
1. Eating too much - too many calories
2. Not getting enough exercise because of our sedentary lives sitting in offices or at TV and computer screens.
3. We are eating the wrong types of fats

Our bodies actually need fat. You can simply argue that changing to other forms of nutrition will help you. If you eat too many calories they will be converted into fat regardless of the source. But there is good and bad fats (or oils). The table at this Wikipedia page "Fatty acids in dietary fats" shows that virgin olive oil is the best form of dietary or edible oil. The reason is the high proportion of mono-saturated fats. Interesting the next best oil is canola (rapeseed) oil. You will readily note that canola oil is much cheaper than olive oil. Given that its only 10% less beneficial in terms of monosaturated fats, you might want to consider it. Olive oil does have other benefits though. For cooking purposes I understand that olive oil is more stable as a cooking oil than say canola oil, so you might not want to use canola oil to many times, as it might turn carcinogenic. The flipside is that olive oil is very expensive, so better to change canola oil regularly for health reasons.
Palm oil comes in distant 3rd place, but other oils are mostly saturated fats. The problem with saturated fats is that they will be converted low density lipid (LDL) triglycerides which clog up your arteries. A high ratio of low density lipid (LDL) triglycerides to high density lipid (HDL) triglycerides is linked to cardiovascular disease and pancreatitis, but you should also avoid excess total cholesterol numbers as well. These scales are age related, so consult a doctor. I find when I dont exercise enough and eat well that my blood circulation gets a bit restricted. Your body is telling you things if you listen to it. I miss the wide range of vegetables in Australia!

I miss the freshness and variety of foods in Australia. You can find nice vegetables in the PhilippinesPhilippines in the countryside - say Laguna or Baguio - but if you buyy from an SM grocery store in Metro Manila the quality is shocking - nevermind the price. I saw lovely green beans in Laguna for P190 for 10 kilograms ($US0.40/kg). If I ate them for a month, thats 3 months supply. I dare say those Manila-bound vegetables lack refrigeration, so after the 7-8hour truck trip to Manila in a tropical climate, they are not looking the best.

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Andrew Sheldon www.sheldonthinks.com