Uvongo Pharmacy & House of Slimming

Signing out ....

2009-04-23T13:59:00.002+02:00

As I sold this pharmacy in December 2008, this blog will be kept for archive purposes. A sort of memento (more for myself I suppose...).
If someone wants to contact me, do so via the comment facility.

Greetings and salutations

In the words of Terminator: "I will be back.."

Pieter

Newsletter October 2007

2007-10-23T09:06:00.000+02:00

Maybe it is the time of the year, maybe it is the post-world cup euphoria trying to get back to some level of normal, but I detect a certain amount of emotional fatigue in the people I meet on a daily basis. Fatigue deeper that could be explained by just the lack of sleep due to a bit of world cup celebrations.

And celebrate we did. The nation sang the praises of the heroes in green and even while we were doing that, our brave and able minister of sports, Makhenkesi Stofile, said that the Boks squandered the opportunity after their first title triumph in 1995 to make the game truly representative of the country's racial mix and a repeat failure was unacceptable.
Am I suddenly feeling even more fatigue creeping in? Or is it a severe bout of nausea?

These characters in politics are trying their utmost to topple the cart. They stand on their soap boxes and whinge because rugby is an easy target, but they don't ever develop fields in townships, underwrite coaching classes or supply the nutrition needed to turn 75kg weaklings into 115kg tighthead props. It is just another attack on an established part of a forbidden culture.

Somewhere during the last week somebody filled my pothole. Thank you. It lasted all of two days. Nice gesture. Next time please try bitumen.

Another possible reason for emotional fatigue is the realisation that we are being lied to in a massive way. The state of the economy is but one that comes to mind. Is it really as strong as we are led to believe?

From the retailers out there I hear a different story. From the hospitality industry even worse reports. "Business is very quiet", is a common answer these days.
We are also kept in the dark about the level of crime. One can only ascertain that the statistics are totally warped. I mean, if the chief of police needs protection from his ultimate boss, how much control is out there?

All right. Time for positive thoughts. This coming Saturday, the 27th of October 2007, it will be exactly ten years since we took over from Eddie and Anne Pyle. Unbelievable. To all our loyal customers and patients who helped us achieve this milestone, a BIG Thank You! Please keep on supporting us and all our new endeavors so that we can make it through another ten years!

Report back:
We recently ran a very successful campaign called "State of you Health Week". Well in the end it ran for much more than a week and I must say it was hugely successful. A whole lot of people are now more aware of the dreaded Metabolic Syndrome; a lot are on treatment already, another batch are subscribing to a new lifestyle; one that creates healthy habits and stave off the warning signs.

The success of this round has led us to believe (and we are already planning) that we can do more. We are in the process of starting a Cholesterol Treatment Program, followed soon by more conditions. It will take the form of a treatment regime running over a period of weeks with medication, tests, eating plans, information sessions, feedback, education and more tests.
After completion the individual will have a healthier lifestyle, a better prognosis, and enough accumulated knowledge to make informed decisions where it comes to diet and habit. Watch this space. Or better still, contact us if you think we can help you with your particular problem. We will look at it and if within our field of expertise, we will device a program accordingly.

Treatment of emotional fatigue is excluded though. Try the guys in the top office. The ones with the Pierre Cardin Suits. The ones planning the next rugby world cup team selection.

Weight loss: When it's unexpected....
For most people, dropping a few kilogram without meaning to is a welcome surprise. But do you know when unexpected weight loss is a cause for concern?

Causes are varied:
There are many possible reasons for unintentional weight loss, including:

Changes in diet or activity level. Skipping meals, eating on the run, eating less fat or preparing food in new ways may contribute to unexpected weight loss. A particularly hectic schedule may cause you to drop a few kilo’s as well. Change your lifestyle. Eat healthy.

Mood changes.
Anxiety, stress and depression can affect your weight. Beware.

Medication.
Some over-the-counter and prescription drugs may cause weight loss. Ask.

Difficulty chewing or swallowing.
Dental problems can make it difficult to chew, and many conditions can interfere with swallowing. With esophageal dysphagia, food feels as if it sticks or gets hung up in the base of your throat or chest. Certain neuromuscular problems can weaken your throat muscles, making it difficult to move food from your mouth into your throat and esophagus. Get immediate diagnostic confirmation and treatment.

Poor absorption of nutrients.
This may be a problem with malabsorption disorders such as celiac disease, a digestive condition triggered by consumption of the protein gluten. This protein is found in bread, pasta, cookies, pizza crust and other foods containing wheat, barley, rye and some oats. Some people might also suffer from food intolerances like Fructose. Fructose is a sugar found in fruit. It's also a basic component in table sugar (sucrose). In addition, sorbitol — a sugar alcohol — is converted to fructose during normal digestion. So if you have fructose intolerance, you should avoid foods that contain fructose and sucrose as well as sorbitol. There are tests available. Do it.

Nausea.
If you're feeling queasy, you may eat less and lose weight. Many conditions can trigger nausea.
Viral and bacterial infections, hormonal changes and various digestive disorders can all make you nauseated. If nausea persists have it checked out.

Inflammatory bowel disease.
Ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease are the two most common forms of inflammatory bowel disease. These often painful and debilitating conditions cause chronic inflammation of the digestive tract, which may prevent you from digesting or absorbing much of what you eat. These are serious.

Pancreatitis.
Pancreatitis is a condition in which digestive enzymes attack the pancreas rather than break down food in the small intestine. Chronic pancreatitis may cause weight loss, even when your appetite and eating habits are normal.

Lack of blood supply to the bowel.
If the blood flow to your small intestine is reduced, you may develop a condition called intestinal ischemia. Signs may include unintentional weight loss.

Hyperthyroidism.
The thyroid hormones regulate every aspect of your metabolism, from your heart rate to how quickly you burn calories. When your thyroid gland produces too much of the hormone thyroxine, you develop hyperthyroidism. This condition causes weight loss, even when your appetite is bigger than normal. There are diagnostic tests - ask your doctor.

Diabetes.
Diabetes affects the way your body uses blood sugar. Even when you eat as much as usual, you may lose weight if your muscle tissues don't get enough glucose to generate growth and energy. This is especially true with type 1 diabetes, in which very little sugar gets into your cells. With uncontrolled diabetes, sugar lost in the urine may also contribute to weight loss.

Cancer.
Many types of cancer cause unintentional weight loss, including cancers of the pancreas, gallbladder, colon and stomach. Cancer treatment may have the same effect.

S.O.S:
If you plan to trim down, by all means, do it in a controlled manner through a recognised eating plan. If you however are not on any conscious diet and suddenly start to drop weight, take note and take action. It may be your only wake-up call.

Hartsiektes neem toe.
Elke jaar kry meer as 47 000 Suid-Afrikaners ’n hartaanval. Ja, jy het reg gelees.
’n Kwart van hulle – sowat 12 000 – sterf onmiddellik! Daar word gereken dat voortydige sterftes weens hart- en bloedvatsiektes gaan tussen nou en 2030 met 40 persent toeneem.

As jy een van die nagenoeg 40 persent van die bevolking is wat met slegte hartgene gebore is, kan jy werklik keer dat dit – soos ’n lig – aangeskakel word. En as jy met goeie hartgene gebore is, kan jy ook jou hartvate teen skade beskerm deur sekere van jou gewoontes te verander.
Baie van die faktore lei tot ’n lae vlak van inflammasie in die bloedvatwande, en hierdie rooi en geswelde binnewande is dan uiters vatbaar vir verdere skade deur die ander faktore.

Hier is jou negepuntplan om jou risiko te beperk, saamgestel uit inligting deur Harvard-navorsers, hartspesialiste van die Mayo-kliniek en Suid-Afrikaanse navorsers:

1 As jy rook, hou op met rook.
Hetsy dit sigare, sigarette, lae-teer of "ligte" sigarette is.
Rook is een van die belangrikste faktore wat alle hoërisiko-hartgene aanskakel.
Dit beskadig verder die binnewande van bloedvate so erg dat die vate verstop kan raak.
As jy ophou rook, daal jou risiko vir ’n hartaanval binne drie jaar. Rokers wat ouer as sestig is, kan vyf tot sewe jaar by hul lewe voeg deur op te hou rook. Passiewe rook is ook ’n belangrike risikofaktor.
2 Doen oefening. Dit hou minstens twintig verskillende gesondheidsvoordele in.
Oefening maak die hartvate sterker en meer oop, dien as stresontlaaier en bekamp oorgewig. Fiksheid kan jou risiko vir hartsiektes met ’n derde verminder. Onfiksheid is selfs ’n groter gevaar vir jou hart as om oorgewig te wees. Probeer om minstens twee uur per week te oefen.
3 Beheer jou gewig.
Hoe vetter jy is, hoe dikker is die vetlaag om jou hart en ander organe. Mense met ’n appelvormige lyf – die manne met die boepe – het ’n groter risiko vir hartsiektes as iemand met ’n peervormige lyf.
4 Vette in die kos.
Eet van jongs af kos wat min versadigde en transvette bevat.
Dit keer dat ’n spesifieke hartgeen aangeskakel word.
5 Vetsure.
Eet minstens drie keer per week vis en ander kos wat baie omega- 3-vetsure bevat.
Kies haring, makriel, tuna, sardyne, forel, salm en ander olierige vis. Hierdie "goeie’" vette kan jou risiko vir bloedstolling en diep veneuse trombose verminder. Boonop laat dié vette jou gouer versadig voel.
6 Voedsel keuses.
Eet meer vars groente en vrugte, veral sitrusvrugte, spinasie en ander groen, blaarryke groente, want hulle bevat baie vitamien B en foliensuur wat mense met hoë cholesterolvlakke se hart kan beskerm.
7 Vesel.
Eet meer veselkos soos hawermoutpap.
Tien gram ru-vesel per dag kan jou risiko vir ’n hartaanval met 20 persent verlaag. Soek veral na die sogenaamde "Oat Bran"; dit het ‘n geweldige goeie effek op cholesterol.
8 Ken jou tellings en hou dit in toom.
As jy jou bloeddruk van 140/90 mm Hg kan verlaag tot 120/80 mm Hg, kan jy jou risiko van ’n beroerte halveer. Met elke breuk wat jou slegte LDL-cholesterolvlak daal, daal jou risiko vir ’n hartaanval ook. As een bloeddrukmiddel se newe effekte jou pla, gesels met jou dokter sodat jy ’n ander een kan probeer. Moenie net jou middels staak omdat jy lus het nie. Inteendeel moenie ooit enige voorskrif medisyne uit eie besluit staak nie.
9 Leer om stres te verwerk.
Dit lyk ál meer of langdurige stres ook die bloedvatwande vatbaarder maak vir skade. Leer om te ontspan. Begin met vyf minute per dag en verdubbel die tyd elke dag totdat jy effektief en doelbewus ontspan vir ten minste 2 uur voor slaaptyd. Om te gaan slaap soos ‘n opgewende horlosie-veer is net moeilikheid soek.

911 !!!
As ’n mens benoud voel, skielik moeg is of ’n sooibrandgevoel oor jou maag en bors het, veral ná oefening, kan dit ’n angina of ’n hartaanval wees. Jy moet beslis nie eers wag en kyk of die sooibrand ’n hartaanval is of nie. Toediening van ’n stolsel-oplosser binne drie tot vier uur kan ’n lewe red en die kans vergroot dat die pasiënt sonder hartskade herstel.
Wees ingelig

New in stock: A more feminine Shower Gel with seductive Jasmin. From the colour to the lingering fragrance of Gardenia Jasminoides, this will drag you back to the shower every time!

To be launched soon:
A more masculine Shaving Cream for the manne. But equally as effective for ‘em long legged ladies if the men do not hide their own creme permanently!

Newsletter September 2007

2007-10-11T09:53:00.000+02:00

Just another day in paradise....Phil Collins wrote this song many years ago and tonight the meaning is lost to me but the title explains my feelings... I have my son Christiaan home for the week, my parents arriving tomorrow, my sister and my daughter Lize and soon-to-be son in law Dirk arriving in 3 days for the weekend. Plus most of my friends are here or arriving soon. Why? Little party for little birthday.
‘Nough said.

Oh yes, my wife is still here as well. (She made me say this).

Let’s get back to the pothole issue (been dragging on in this newsletter for two months):
I am so proud to announce that the not-so-subtle hints directed at the local authorities finally paid off. Yes. They finally addressed the pothole issue with purpose. They took one of the potholes in Mitchell street and relocated it to Douglas street!

I am now the proud owner of my own pothole. They stole it from somebody else and installed it right in front of my driveway. I am so sorry for the personal loss someone in Mitchell drive suffered because of this but I am proud to announce (and to comfort them) that this, my own new pothole, is alive and well, living in Douglas road (acknowledgement to Jacques Brell).
In fact, it is so alive, it is growing at an almost exponential rate! Every morning it is just so much bigger. It multiplies overnight... I am sure Steven Spielberg can make something out of this...but thank you, Mr Local Authority, I will nurture it and see that it grows to (your) standard proportions. If, one day soon, I do not arrive for work, let it be known that I went into the hole and never resurfaced...

Quote of the week: Mr I.M. Patient, waiting patiently for his repeat prescription was prompted about the recent slip of our (beloved) national cricket team in the 20twenty Wcup: "The biggest tragedy is that they didn’t play abroad....then we could have made the buggers swim home". In retrospect, what a tournament! Such class! The old Leather-on-Willow will never be the same.
Let me in the same breath state that (so far) our rugby is outplaying my (and many other’s) hopes. Such national confidence!?
Why do we even doubt them? Sisssssss! Let us all unite and wish them well. Go John! (And Go Bobby! {for Dr Skinstad’s sake})

So now we have covered the (spooky) local phenomenon of migrating potholes, the (sorry) state of our cricket, the (brave) state of our rugby, the (....watch this space .....) coming health week..(in fact, see bottom part of page 2 for details)..

Did we do something that you thought might be worth discussing? Please phone 0393150040, email pcn@venturenet.co.za or jut stop me on the road cycling......
As they say, Spring has sprung and we are on our way to a lovely summer with long days and lots of opportunities to panelbeat our winter-softened bodies. In line with our coming health week in October, let us look at exercise.

Exercise away your blues
Regular exercise may work as well as medication in improving symptoms of major depression, researchers have found.
In a study of 202 depressed adults, investigators found that those who went through group-based exercise therapy did as well as those treated with an antidepressant drug. A third group that performed home-based exercise also improved, though to a lesser degree.
Importantly, the researchers found, all three groups did better than a fourth group given a placebo -- an inactive pill identical to the antidepressant.
Doctors may not start widely prescribing exercise as a depression treatment just yet. But for patients who are motivated to try exercise, it could be a reasonable option, the study authors say.
By the end of the study, it was found that 47 percent of patients on the antidepressant no longer met the criteria for major depression. The same was true of 45 percent of those in the supervised exercise group. In the home-based exercise group, 40 percent had their symptoms go into remission. That compared with 31 percent of the placebo group.

How it may work
There are several theories on why exercise might improve depression. For example, physical activity seems to affect some key nervous system chemicals -- norepinephrine and serotonin -- that are targets of antidepressant drugs, as well as brain neurotrophins, which help protect nerve cells from injury and transmit signals in brain regions related to mood.
Exercise may also boost people's feelings of self-efficacy and promote positive thinking. Some experts speculate that group exercise, with its social aspect, may have added benefits.
Though the home exercise group in this study did better than the placebo group, it's not clear whether it's as good as supervised classes. Home exercise may be more convenient, but patients possibly do not push themselves as hard on their own.
So get off that couch, switch off the TV, put away the stress-ball and get ready to join some exercise program. It will, as a side effect, trim the body into a mean shape and last but not least, it might just save you from another lifestyle scourge, namely Metabolic Syndrome.

This is something that we want to address in all seriousness next month during our "State of your Health" week.
During this period (October 1-5) we will do the following to bolster awareness of this syndrome:
Full Lipogram (Total Cholesterol, HDL, LDL, Triglycerides)
Blood sugar
Blood pressure
Cardiac Risk Profile
BMI (Body mass index)
Waist circumference (waist to hip ratio)
Results while you wait
Free information pack on conditions featured namely Hypertension, Obesity, Cholesterol, Insulin resistance, Diabetes II, Lack of exercise.
We will supply information on diets, precautions and all the do’s and don’t’s.
Price?
Only R150.
But please phone for an appointment. We are getting full already so do not delay. Your may not be as healthy as you think.

Ek het aanvanklik gedink dat ‘n artikel oor aanvullings vir kinders nie goed ontvang sal word nie omrede die demografiese verspreiding wat betref ouderdom in my teiken area, maar toe besef ek dat elke persoon wat hierdie lees of self klein kindertjies het of, bevoorreg is om ‘n oupa of ouma te wees. So neem kennis en neem aksie.
Volgens die kenners het kinders deesdae redelike ernstige gebrek aan baie van die belangrike voedingstowwe soos vitamiene en minerale.

Vandag is dit bykans onmoontlik om 100% van die voedingstowwe te verkry uit die kos wat ons eet. Faktore soos ons besige skedules wat lei tot die eet van kits kosse, die manier van kos voorbereiding wat weereens baie keer gebasseer is op spoed en nie soseer kwaliteit nie, vinnige rypmakings-prosesse op plase, hormone wat toegevoeg word, voedsel bestraling om raklewe te verleng, genetiese manipulasie, preserveermiddels wat bygevoeg word, en ook begrotings kwessies wat ons somtyds laat gryp na die goedkoper opsies instede van die beter voedings-opsies, alles het tot gevolg dat die aanbevole daaglikse inname van meeste van die belangrikste voedingstowwe nie bereik word nie.

By kinders in die groei-fase van hulle lewe is ‘n gebrek aan enige van die voedingstowwe baie ernstiger as by volwassenes. Ons as groot mense kan dieet tekorte gou aanspreek en normaliseer, maar kindertjies groei baie keer op met ernstige tekortkominge in hulle dieet en dit wys eers dalk eendag as hulle self groot is, maar dan, helaas, is dit te laat om te herstel. Die kind het met die probleem opgegroei en die tekort het dan deel geword van sy lewe.
Ons moet dit nou aanspreek en seker maak dat hulle die regte stowwe, in die regte verhoudings, in die regte formaat, inkry.

Studies het gewys dat een derde van kinders ‘n tekort het aan yster, ‘n half het ‘n tekort aan sink, en soveel as negentig persent kry te min magnesium in. Meer as die helfte het ook hopeloos te min vitamien C in hul daaglikse inname en soveel as dertig persent het erge tekorte aan vitamien B-6.

Die maatskappy Bioharmony het in assosiasie met Patrick Holford getree en bring nou internasionale voedings deskundigheid na Suid Afrika. Dit verseker die hoogste standaarde van veiligheid, effektiwiteit en kwaliteit. Patrick se navorsing het gelei tot spesifieke formules wat die bou-stene is van goeie gesondheid en balans en welsyn.
Die maatskappy bemark ‘n produk wat hulle noem Optimum Nutrition for Smart Kids. Die naam behoort eintlik te wees Optimum Nutrition for Kids by Smart Parents! Hierdie is die naaste aan die volkome voedings aanvulling wat daar te verkry is.
Hierdie middel bevat 12 vitamiene en 10 minerale in bio-beskikbare vorm, dit is nutrisioneel geskik vir kinders 1 jaar en ouer.
Dit is vry van suiker, laktose, koring en glutien.
Dit word versoet met xylitol (geen aspartame of sakkarien)
Beskikbaar in natuurlike vrugte geure.
Ook beskikbaar in die reeks is Get up and Go for Smart Kids. Ek kan nie genoeg onderstreep dat kinders regmatig moet kan aanspraak maak op die regte voeding nie. Ons sit alreeds met die sogenaamde "passiewe generasie" as gevolg van TV, rekenaars, allerlei elektroniese goeters wat kinders weghou van gesonde, aktiewe, speel-speel grootword. Ons skep onaktiewe, oorgewig, ongesonde, fast-food kinders. Gee hulle ‘n kans.

Newsletter August 2007

2007-08-21T11:18:00.000+02:00

And so we still have the potholes. Despite my pleas. Only now they seem to use a slightly darker colour gravel to fill these craters. So now the loose gravel is less visible. Now we are going to have fun and games going through corners on anything with wheels.

While on the topic of pebbles; I have another one in my blue suede shoe: Litter. Roadside litter. Specially brought in and imported from the Eastern Cape. Normally transported by busses proudly displaying a logo of some church from Flagstaff or beyond on the rear window.
These busses, filled to scary permutations of capacity, do regular stops on the way to the South Coast, to allow passengers the chance to purchase or otherwise obtain items of edible origin and purpose. These are then consumed and the packing material (the red little boxes with the caricature of the cute little yellow chicken on the side) is stored en masse in the bus while travelling North on it’s way to Durban....
....until it reaches the first bridge over the toll road at Ramsgate, or if that one is occupied, the next, or then any other available illegal stop.
Then these bothersome boxes, bottles and plastic bags are promptly removed by some of the passengers and dumped next to the road while some of their fellow travellers-in-time take the golden opportunity to biologically relieve themselves. All this in clear view of whoever wants to see. Pity is that many small children walking our roads see this and accept this manner of behaviour as the norm.
And we sit with the rubbish that is whisked away by the fresh coastal breeze and left hanging from fences and roadside bushes. "Eish!"

One last cry of anguish: Persons travelling in the modern version of the German Tiger II Tank or nowadays called the Minibus-Taxi, consuming liquid refreshments and then unceremoniously throwing the glass bottles out the window, to shatter and subsequently spread it’s deadly load of thousands of razor sharp particles over a vast area of road where thin tyres on bicycles, tender skin on children’s feet, soft cushions on animal’s feet get cut and stabbed and destroyed.
How can we ever dream of educating or stopping these beings from turning our lovely coast into another neglected dump? Am I crying into the wind here? Next time you see something like that, show your disgust vociferously or any way you feel would be appropriate. I know what I normally do but it will not be fit for printing.

And then my apologies for my own minister’s latest little steps. I fully realise that to be able to publically deny the existence and origins of a killer viral disease, to single-handedly destroy a centuries-old profession, to run a whole government department into a fraud riddled heap of cow dung, to cripple the public healthcare system, to sink the provincial hospitals, all these and then to be in her position of power purely and solely by the grace of her great friend Thabo, must be enough reason to have a nightcap in the hospital. Or maybe two or three. Point is not to be caught. Especially not by the press.

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This coming week is Deaf Awareness Week (DAW). It is a week dedicated to educating the public about hearing loss, deafness, deaf culture and sign language. The aim is to ensure that hearing people understand deafness and the culture of the deaf community.

A person who is unable to hear some sounds is said to present with hearing loss.
A person who is able to hear some sounds is said to be 'hard of hearing'.
A person who is unable to hear any sounds is said to be 'deaf'.

The ear is made up of three parts i.e. outer, middle and inner ear. Hearing loss can result from an obstruction or damage in any of these three parts.

There are three main types of hearing loss:
Conductive hearing loss occurs when there is an obstruction in the transmission of sound to the inner ear. The problem lies in the outer ear.
Sensorineural hearing loss which is caused by the inappropriate functioning of the cochlea or the hearing nerve.
Mixed hearing loss is a combination of the above.

Excessive accumulation of ear wax or infection of the auditory canal in the outer ear can cause temporary hearing loss. Perforation of the eardrum, infection or fluid in the middle ear and otosclerosis can lead to difficulties in hearing. The natural aging process, excessive exposure to noise, medication that is toxic to the auditory system and head injuries can also cause hearing loss.

Signs and Symptoms of Hearing Loss
* Discharging ears
* Ear-aches/pain in area of head/ear
* Ringing, buzzing and roaring sounds in the ear
* Swelling around ear
* Blocked sensation in the ear
* Frequent requests for repetitions
* Sits near the television or has the volume loud
* A baby’s babbling ceases around six to eight months of age or the babbling is replaced by screaming.
* Insufficient language development as the child grows and difficulty in following instructions.

Prevention of hearing difficulties:
* Attend to ear-aches, discharge and discomfort in the ear immediately
* Do not ever insert any objects into the ear canal
* Do not instil ear drops not prescribed for yourself into your ears
* Do not expose your ears to excessively loud music
* Be aware of the causes of hearing difficulties and its applicability to yourself
* Screen your hearing ability regularly.

A hearing test is carried out using advanced equipment that allows the audiologist to identify the site, severity and possible cause of the hearing loss in patients from newborns to geriatrics. Management can either be medical; i.e. referral to ENT or rehabilitative, i.e. hearing aids, sign language training, etc. Hearing people tend to have a number of myths and misconceptions about deaf people.
DAW aims to discredit these misconceptions by educating the public and making them aware of the true nature of deafness.

Always remain positive and relaxed when communicating with the deaf. Show that you care; your attitude can build confidence.

**********************************************************************************

Allergieë neem met rasse skrede toe:

Twintig jaar gelede het dokters geskat dat sowat een tot twee uit twintig mense aan hooikoors, asma, ekseem of ander vorms van allergieë ly. Nou toon navorsing dat tot een uit elke vyf mense aan 'n allergie ly. Met stuifmeel as een van die allergie-prikkels vir hooikoors en asma, is Suid-Afrikaners in die lente en somer meer as ooit vantevore van allergieë bewus.
'n Mens kan op enige ouderdom 'n allergie ontwikkel, maar kinders (en veral seuns) is die vatbaarste. Anders as wat medici aanvanklik gemeen het, blyk dit dat kinders nie juis allergieë ontgroei nie, maar net een allergie afskud om 'n ander een te ontwikkel. Dit blyk wel dat die intensiteit met ouderdom afneem.

Die immuniteitstelsel van allergiese mense "oorreageer" op allergene - stowwe wat skaars deur die oorblywende 80% van die bevolking se immuniteitstelsels opgemerk word. Verskillende allergene kan verskillende simptome ontlok. Dit kan wissel van rooi en waterige oë, hooikoors, asma, 'n jeukende veluitslag, galbulte, diarree en 'n skielike verlaging in bloeddruk tot 'n skokreaksie en selfs bewussynsverlies.

Die meeste allergiese reaksies is bloot lastig, maar geen reaksie wat tot asemhalingsprobleme, slukprobleme of duiseligheid en bewussynsverlies lei, moet onderskat word nie. Dit kan lewensgevaarlik wees en kan noodbehandeling verg.

Sommige mense het 'n hoër risiko om allergieë te ontwikkel omdat omgewings- sowel as genetiese faktore ter sprake is.
Die genetiese faktore bepaal hoe jy op 'n allergeen reageer, maar die allergiese reaksie word eers in werking gestel as jy daaraan blootgestel word.
As albei ouers aan allergieë ly, is die kans 75% dat hul kinders ook allergiese reaksies sal ontwikkel. As dit net een ouer is, daal die kinders se kans tot 50%. As nie een van die ouers probleme ondervind nie, is daar steeds 'n 10%-kans dat die kinders een of ander allergie kan ontwikkel.

Die belangrikste allergene:
Stuifmeel: Die stuifmeel van die bloekom-, eike-, doring-, olyf-, wilger-, sipres- en plataanboom is die algemeenste, terwyl stuifmeel van kikoejoegras en fynkweek (Bermuda grass) veral hooikoors veroorsaak.
Huismyte: Dié piepklein goggatjies is 'n algemene oorsaak van asma. Hulle hou van warm, vogtige plekke soos matrasse en gestoffeerde meubels. Daar is gemiddeld 10 000 myte, wat van afgedopte mensvelletjies leef, in 'n matras.
Troeteldiere: Die velskubbe, droë speeksel en urine van katte, honde, rotte, muise, hase, marmotte, voëls, perde, koeie, hoenders en talle ander diere kan allergieë veroorsaak. Veral kat-allergene kan maande lank in die lug sweef en tas sowat die helfte van alle asmalyers aan. Budjiemis kan ook ernstige longprobleme veroorsaak.
Sigaretrook: Selfs passiewe rook veroorsaak asma.
Medisyne-allergieë: Die antibiotiese middels penisillien, swawel-bevattende medisyne, barbituraat-behandeling teen epilepsie, insulien, sommige narkosemiddels en kleurstowwe wat ingespuit word vir sommige skanderings, kan allergiese reaksies ontlok.
Voedsel-allergieë: Sowat 2% van die volwasse bevolking en 2%-8% van kinders ly aan ware voedselallergieë. Die meeste daarvan word deur grondboontjies, eiers, suiwelprodukte, koring, neute, soja, vis en skulpvis veroorsaak.
Ander allergieë: By- en perdebysteke kan ernstige allergiese reaksies ontlok.

Raadpleeg jou dokter as jy een van die volgende simptome het:
Kwaai maagkrampe, naarheid, braking of diarree - dit kan voedselvergiftiging wees;
as jy moeilik asemhaal of pyn ondervind met asemhaling - dit kan asma of 'n hartaanval wees; as jy skielik galbulte ontwikkel saam met 'n gejeuk en vinnige hartklop - dit kan die aanvang van 'n anafilaktiese skokreaksie wees;
pyn in jou sinusse, koors en 'n neus-afskeiding - dit kan 'n hardnekkige sinusontsteking wees;
'n hoes en verkoue wat nie binne tien dae verdwyn nie;
'n geswelde gesig, veral om die oë en van die lippe en mond; of as die simptome skielik erger word of oor-die-toonbank-antihistamiene nie jou simptome verlig nie.

Moenie dié simptome ignoreer nie.

Newsletter July 2007

2007-08-07T09:25:00.001+02:00

Go Robbie GO!
In the Tour de France a win is a win; even if it is by a matter of millimeters. A win is also the pinnacle of pride and honour for the cyclist, his team and his country. So when Robbie Hunter took the 182km 11th stage between Marseilles and Montpellier for the South African team Barloworld, he made big-time history. The first South African, the first cyclist from Africa to win a stage in this very gruelling race. Well done! We are so proud!

This wonderful news come at a time when the South Coast is reeling from a very dark and tragic two weeks on our roads. So many accidents, so many deaths, so many broken bodies. Let us hope that this is not the beginning of a trend and that it was just a very stark reminder of the importance of road safety.
May this also serve as a urgent reminder and wake-up call to the authorities to attend to the absolutely horrendous condition of our roads. I am sure that a substantial percentage of all accidents are caused by the enormous potholes and subsequent loose gravel found all over town. While on the subject, let me openly beg of the roads department to stop filling these holes with loose gravel; it takes less than a day for the traffic to remove the gravel, leaving the hole as it was, but in the process scattering thousands of little pebbles all over the road, making it a disaster area just waiting for a victim on a motorbike or bicycle or even a motor vehicle to come around the corner and slide into oblivion.
Instead of making huge speed-bumps, use some of that labour and material to fill the potholes please! (I fully support the bumps - I’m just trying to make a point.)

Now that I’ve worked myself up a shade or two, I can just as well post some rhetorical questions right here and right now:
Having just read the news of the poor elderly couple at Swartberg that were stabbed and beaten to death on Friday, I compared the modus operandi with other similar recent cases. In fact, one can probably do this with hundreds if not thousands of cases of brutal attacks, murders, robberies and the like. Is this a unique Africa genetic trend to kill for a cell phone? Is it a previously unheard of tradition to slash and slain and rape to obtain a couple of rand? Or is it a very well orchestrated manouevre born in the dark abyss of political boardrooms and bred by hate-driven hidden agendas?
Am I even suppose to think along these lines, let alone write it down in a public letter? So many questions - it confuses me. In days gone by there were tremendous witch-hunts to discover the so called ‘third-force’ behind some alleged incidents of the past.
Maybe it was there, maybe not.
Is there another one at work today?
Where are we heading? Will the powers not take any wisdom away from the tragedy of a whole missing generation north of our borders?
I want no answers. I know what I want to believe. Please pray that I am wrong.

Health News: Probiotics;
With the warmer weather (hopefully) on it’s way, and the associated higher incidence of gastric problems, now is perhaps a good time to talk about Probiotics. Although it is a word that is thrown around a lot these days, it is more than just hype and fashion. It has a tremendous positive effect on general health.

So-called good bacteria in the intestines, which may help people with inflammatory bowel disease, allergies and some forms of cancer, work even when they're inactive.
Called probiotics, they are bacterial organisms that contribute to the health and balance of the intestinal tract. Recent studies have proven the health benefit of these bacteria.
The effectiveness of probiotics has been attributed to their live, metabolic activity. But active probiotics are used in only a small number of food products, such as yoghurt. Active probiotics are unsuitable for most food products because they induce fermentation, which changes the taste, texture and freshness of food on an hourly basis.

Potential use of inactivated probiotics:
Probiotics contain immune system-stimulating DNA that makes them just as effective when they're inactive. The finding of various studies offer the potential to use inactivated probiotics in a variety of food products.
The study also outlines a method to determine and select which probiotic bacteria provide the most benefit for people with inflammatory bowel disease.
Elderly people should take probiotic supplements - including drinks, capsules or yoghurt - to protect themselves against bowel conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) or previously called ‘Spastic Colon’. Just be aware that not all commercially available yoghurt contains probiotics. Read the labels!
People over age 60 have about 1 000-fold less "friendly" bacteria and more disease-causing bacteria in their guts when compared with younger adults.

Boosts friendly bacteria
Probiotic products, which contain live strains of bacteria, can help boost the amount of friendly bacteria in the guts of older people and help protect them against acute conditions like traveller's diarrhoea, antibiotic-associated diarrhoea, seasonal gastro-enteritis as well as chronic bowel diseases.
While probiotic products are useful for healthy adults - for example, helping to fight bacteria that cause food poisoning - they are even more beneficial for older people.

The application in paediatric medicine is only now beginning to surface and we have seen, in our own pharmacy, the dramatic effect that these products bring about when given to young children, even small babies. Diarrhoea, food allergies, indigestion, colic, mal-absorpsion, bloated tummies, and many more can be treated without side-effect producing conventional medication, which sometimes leave these kids dazed and confused.

Come and speak to us about this wonderful gift from nature.

Vir die MANNE (maar die vrouens moet asseblief ook hierdie lees):

DIE meeste mans sal veel eerder 20 km in die reën hardloop, vyf kinderpartytjies op 'n streep bywoon, inskryf vir ‘n kursus in Russiese Prosa, as om hulle aan te meld vir 'n dikderm- of prostaatondersoek. 'n Kinderpartytjie kan dalk 'n man sy vrou se guns laat wen, maar 'n prostaatondersoek kan verseker sy lewe red.

Hoofoorsake van dood:
Volgens die Mediese Navorsingsraad (MNR), was die tien hoofoorsake van sterftes in die jaar 2000:
1. MIV/vigs: 24,6%
2. Geweld: 10%
3. Tuberkulose: 8,1%
4. Hartsiektes: 7,8%
5. Beroerte: 5,9%
6. Padongelukke: 4,4%
7. Longinfeksies: 3,5%
8. Chroniese lugwegobstruksie: 3,4%
9. Longkanker: 2,1%
10. Suikersiekte: 2,1%

Van dié sterftes kan deur klein lewenstylaanpassings soos veiliger seks (MIV/Vigs), rookstaking (longkanker en emfiseem), voldoende behandeling van asma (emfiseem), en minder alkohol gebruik en groter paraatheid en bewustheid (geweld en padongelukke), voorkom word.
Daar is egter min twyfel dat die uitwerking van baie siektes wat mans se lewe bedreig, deur vroeë siftingstoetse verklein kan word. In baie gevalle kan sterftes voorkom word deur vroeë opsporing en behandeling, en in ander gevalle kan siftingstoetse tot doeltreffender behandeling en 'n hoër lewensgehalte lei.

Siftingstoetse
Navorsing toon die volgende toetse kan 'n groot verskil maak.
Bloeddruk: Al om die ander jaar as jy in jou twintiger- of dertigerjare is, en jaarliks van jou veertigerjare af.
Cholesterol. (bloedmonster) Al om die ander jaar as jy in jou twintiger- en dertigerjare is en 'n familiegeskiedenis van hartsiektes het, en jaarliks van jou veertigerjare af.
Tipe 2 diabetes (suikersiekte) (bloedmonster). Alle mense met 'n verhoogde risiko behoort elke drie jaar vir suikersiekte getoets te word. Mense met 'n verhoogde risiko is diegene met 'n familiegeskiedenis van diabetes, alle volwassenes en kinders wat oorgewig is, en almal met hoë bloedcholesterolvlakke of hoë bloeddruk.
Prostaat. (bloedmonster vir 'n PSA-telling en 'n rektum-ondersoek). Alle mans in hul veertigerjare met 'n familiegeskiedenis van prostaat- of borskanker behoort jaarliks 'n ondersoek te ondergaan. Alle mans van 50 jaar en ouer behoort een keer per jaar 'n ondersoek te ondergaan. Een uit elke agt mans ouer as 50 jaar sal prostaatkanker ontwikkel.
Dikdermondersoek. ('n Kolonoskopie - 'n inwendige ondersoek). Elke vyf jaar as jy in jou twintiger- of dertigerjare is en 'n familiegeskiedenis van dikdermkanker het. Elke drie tot vyf jaar as jy in jou veertigerjare is en 'n familiegeskiedenis van dikdermkanker het; andersins elke vyf jaar. Jaarliks as jy 50 of ouer is.
Velondersoek. (Deur 'n dermatoloog gedoen.) Elke jaar vir mans bo 40. Mans wat gereeld gholf of krieket speel of gespeel het, boere, vissermanne en ander buitelug mans het 'n groter risiko om velkanker op te doen. Ook mans met donkerder velle kan velkanker opdoen.
Testes-selfondersoek. Maandeliks, veral as jy onafgedaalde testes het, as jy of jou broer of pa al 'n testesgewas gehad het, of as jy onvrugbaarheidsprobleme ondervind of ondervind het.
So voor jy die volgende braai reel, die komende manne-tee beplan, nog ‘n kinderpartytjie bywoon, jou motorhuis (weer) regpak, doen die sinvolle en regte ding; gaan maak ‘n afspraak met jou dokter en kry gemoedsrus.
Die toetse wat ons self kan uitvoer by die apteek is Bloeddruk, Diabetes, Cholesterol, PSA.
Kontak ons gerus vir meer inligting.
(Vir die vrouens wat tot hier nog bly lees het, neem aksie. Laat jou man getoets word voor sy volgende kar paaiement. So kan jy dus seker maak dat hy vir nog baie lank die paaiement sal kan betaal).

Newsletter June 2007

2007-08-07T09:08:00.000+02:00

“This year our winter was on a Tuesday.”

That was the message on our notice board over the weekend. Really fantastic weather we’ve been having down here while the rest of the country was caught in numerous bitterly cold spells
Having said that, and knowing my luck at predicting anything in life, it might just change in the week ahead. I did have a sneak preview of the weather patterns for this coming week as we are doing a quick round trip to good old Gauteng from Wednesday to Saturday. Why was I not surprised when the bureau said: “Gauteng residents should brace themselves for a strong cold front and isolated showers accompanied by wind in the coming week, said the National Forecast Centre in Pretoria on Sunday”. It went on to predict as follows: “The cold front is likely to pass through Gauteng some time on Tuesday night. Wednesday is expected to be much colder, with the wind contributing to the chilly conditions. Early-morning temperatures are likely to fall sharply on Thursday as a result of the wind dropping on Wednesday night”.
Now call that bad luck but that is exactly when we have to be there. My son Christiaan is turning twenty one years old on Wednesday and I will not miss that for anything in the world; least of which, a little cold front!

Coming back to the point about our own weather at the coast, what a blessing to be here in the winter. Beautiful clean sea, crisp fresh air, seabirds all around, dolphins, whales and many more. Let us hope that the rest of the winter spectacle will this year arrive in all it’s glory: The annual Sardine migration. Last year they managed to slip past or maybe they never even ventured this far North before turning East, one will never really know. I just hope that they will arrive in their millions. Always a true moment of awe to see the whole ocean becoming alive with movement, colour and life!

We would like to express our happiness with the return of Doctor Manda Brits to her surgery after a recent spell of bad health. We are delighted that she is getting stronger every day and that her patients can again benefit from her personal attention. It is our wish that she recovers completely.
It has been very quiet on the coast for the last couple of weeks and the businesses are really feeling the brunt of whatever caused this complete drop in trade. The recent and ongoing public sector strike is not helping either. As a local businessman, all I can ask for is that the public support the local businesses as much as possible. Negotiate an acceptable fee, insist on excellent service levels, and once that is achieved, support that business.Support the small private businesses in your area. They are the main entities offering much needed employment; they are in fact the back-bone of the economy, both local as well as national. The corporate world is not always the answer. Think about it for a little while.

Keep barbecue cancer-free

Now that we have officially reached the midway point of winter, and with the more than excellent weather experienced recently, a lot of us are heading outdoors for that great South African way of life called the weekend braai. Where else can one truthfully discuss the reasons for the Springbok’s failure to beat the All Blacks than around a crackling fire waiting for the coals to settle. The nice piece of meat picked with great care and prepared with even more attention to detail is lying ready to be sacrificed for your culinary delight.
But; it is not all good news I’m afraid, and I’m not referring to the Rugby Test. According to a lot of publications over the years the process of cooking meat over very high temperatures can cause long term health problems. Fortunately we now have some ideas to limit the effect. Researchers have found ways to limit cancer-causing substances in your weekend braai meat. Among the cancer-causing compounds in cooked meat are heterocyclic amines (HCAs), which are created when heat acts on amino acids (building blocks of protein), and creatinine in animal muscle. The longer the cooking time and the higher the heat, the more HCAs. That means that barbecuing produces the most HCAs, followed by pan-frying and broiling. Baking, poaching, stir-frying and stewing produce the least HCAs.

The experts offer the following advice for limiting HCAs:
·Before you barbecue meat, partially cook it in the microwave and then throw out the juices that collect in the cooking dish. Finish cooking the meat on the grill. Precooking a rack of ribs for a few minutes in the microwave reduces HCAs by up to 95 percent.
· Flip meat often. Doing so every minute reduces HCAs by up to 100 percent. This is likely because constant flipping keeps internal meat temperatures lower.
· Marinate meat before grilling. This can greatly reduce HCAs. For example, one study found that chicken marinated for 40 minutes in a mixture of brown sugar, olive oil, cider vinegar, garlic, mustard, lemon juice and salt cut HCAs by 92 percent to 99 percent.
· Don't cook meat to "well done." Use a meat thermometer and cook poultry to an internal temperature of 74-82 degrees C, ground beef, pork and lamb to 71-77 degrees C, and beef steaks and roasts to 63-71degrees C.
· One or two days before you barbecue, eat cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, kale and brussels sprouts. These vegetables contain compounds that activate enzymes in the body that detoxify HCAs.

Whatever you do, enjoying the food is always the main thing. Fixing Jake White’s errors are not that easy though but, following the above tips on how to braai and the expert advice offered by your fellow rugby advisors around the fire, the day might just turn out to be a great success!

‘n Bietjie oor Vitamienes en aanvullings:

Spring jy verkoue vry as jy aanvullings gebruik? Moet jy meer vitamiene sluk wanneer jy gestres is? Sonder vitamiene en minerale sou ons doodgaan, want dié mikrovoedingstowwe is noodsaaklik om die gestel gesond en lewend te hou.
Vitamiene en minerale hou jou gesond deur die liggaam se biochemiese prosesse te bevorder. Van dié elemente speel ’n deurslaggewende rol in gesondheid. Magnesium bevorder byvoorbeeld minstens 300 verskillende biochemiese reaksies in die liggaam. Die liggaam kan onmoontlik behoorlik funksioneer as daar ’n tekort aan vitamiene en minerale is.
Uitermatige moegheid, slapeloosheid, buierigheid en depressie is tipiese simptome van ’n dieet wat te kort skiet aan noodsaaklike mikrovoedingstowwe. Die vitamiene en minerale wat ons inkry, behoort hoofsaaklik van vrugte en groente afkomstig te wees. Maar moderne voedselverwerkingsmetodes, arm grond en ’n ongebalanseerde dieet beteken ongelukkig dat ons verreweg nie genoeg vitamiene en minerale inkry nie.
Dis veral noodsaaklik dat mense wat weens siekte, ouderdom of spesiale diëte nie gebalanseerd eet nie ’n omvattende reeks aanvullings gebruik. Goeie voeding help die liggaam ook om weerstand teen siektes en infeksies te bied. Vitamiene en minerale gee jou boonop energie en lewenslus en bevorder langlewendheid.
Werk aanvullings net as jy dit elke dag gebruik?Luister na jou liggaam. Jy kan aanvullings sporadies gebruik, bv. wanneer jy siek is, of so besig is dat jy maaltye oorslaan. Dis ’n wanopvatting dat jy elke soort vitamien en mineraal in die aanbevole daaglikse dosis nodig het.Die liggaam kom trouens maklik reg met die wisselende vlakke van voedingstowwe wat dit deur die loop van die dag inkry. Boonop hou die liggaam ’n voorraad van amper alle soorte voedingstowwe in reserwe – insluitend vitamien C. Aanvullings werk vinnig. As jy dus danksy ’n tekort aan vitamiene of minerale (veral yster) nie lekker voel nie, sal jy waarskynlik binne ’n paar dae beter voel as jy dit vir ’n rukkie gebruik.
Is dit beter om aanvullings soggens of saans te drink? En behoort dit saam met of sonder kos geneem te word? Die meeste aanvullings word nie behoorlik op ’n nugter maag geabsorbeer nie en moet dus saam met kos geneem word. Dis nie belangrik hoe laat jy aanvullings drink nie, solank dit naby etenstyd is. Die nadeel van aanvullings net voor slaaptyd is dat dit dikwels ure ná jou laaste maaltyd is. Soggens is gewoonlik ’n goeie tyd, mits jy ’n gesonde ontbyt geniet. Yster-aanvullings werk baie meer doeltreffend as jy dit met ’n glas lemoensap afsluk. Moenie tegelyk groot dosisse kalsium-aanvullings gebruik en kos eet wat ryk is aan yster nie, aangesien kalsium die liggaam se absorpsievlak vir minerale versadig en nie plek laat vir yster nie. Dit kan gebeur dat mense wat kalsium-aanvullings gebruik ’n ystertekort ontwikkel.
Kalsium word die beste geabsorbeer wanneer dit in kombinasie met magnesium gebruik word. En aangesien kalsium ’n natuurlike kalmeermiddel is, is dit raadsaam om dit voor slapenstyd te drink om ’n goeie nagrus te verseker.

That's it for June 2007!

Newsletter May 2007

2007-05-29T00:06:00.000+02:00

I must admit, the reaction to the new format newsletter has been a bit of a mixed bag. Most people welcomed the change. The reaction to the offer for a free website though, was a total non-event.
I thought offering something for free would get some sort of reaction, but it seems that people are maybe a bit suspect of freebies or maybe I overestimated the readers’ need to have their own website. Even for free.
Oh well, I tried. If anybody still maybe wants to see the website in action, come and see me. It is a lot of fun.
So the Super 14 was won by the Sharks in 80 minutes of spectacular rugby.
The other guys won it back in 2 minutes of spectacular tactical robbery. That is all I’m going to say about that.
While on the subject of spectacular rugby, I believe Her Majesty, the Queen has announced that the last Saturday in May will in future be a British National day of Mourning.
Well done boys. You almost made up for the Twikenham Humiliation

So wat gebeur op die Suidkus behalwe rugby, nog rugby en die een en ander koue frontjie wat ons laat gryp na truie en daardie tweede kortbroek?
Vertel my. Ek dink ons grootste problem op die Suidkus (seker maar enige plekkie onder Thabo se son) is die absolute verval van die basiese dinge wat mens elke dag mee saam leef. Dinge soos kragonderbrekings, reuse gate in ons paaie, onbekostigbare brandstof om ons onbekostigbare voertuie se onbekostigbare bande te verwoes op die onherstelbare plaaslike dorps-roetes op pad om onbekostigbare kruideniersware aan te koop om die onversadigbare honger mee te stil. Wow! Daar is te veel on-woorde in daardie paragraaf. Dis onvergeeflik. Dis egter ook onmoontlik om die verval te ignoreer.
Wat doen ons? Ons aanvaar elke nuwe wet en elke nuwe verval en elke nuwe verskoning en elke nuwe afbreek van ons waardes met onverstaanbare gemak.
As ‘n bokser genoeg houe geabsorbeer het, het hy twee keuses; Val of Veg. Dit is in elk geval ‘n ingebore en geskape liggaamlike funksie; Adrenalien, afgeskei deur die by-nier, maak ons gereed vir die sogenaamde “Veg of Vlug” reaksie. (Dis die ‘hol-kol’ op jou maag as jy jou gwar afskrik.) Dalk is dit nou tyd vir liters Adrenalien in ons dorp, land en streek. Kies asseblief tog net reg tussen die twee reaksies!

Ok. Back from the parade ground;
I must say, I have always been a sucker for gadgets, hi-tech goodies, and new stuff. So tonight, for the first time, I am sitting, writing this, next to my pool (yes I know it is cold and I am dressed accordingly), it is quiet and the night-life of insects and little froggies and crickets are slowly waking up (in between the sounds of cars hitting the potholes in Bank street). Yes, I have gone mobile. Laptop. Now you will never be rid of me. I can now sit and write on the top tier of King’s Park if I want to, at the foot of Cleft Peak in the Drakensberg, on the launching beach at Paternoster on the West Coast, in New York (I wish). Anywhere! Whoopee!

Before we get to the health section, may I please take this opportunity to express my sincere appreciation to everybody reading this newsletter. You are either a account customer, a cash customer, a visitor to the coast, a visitor to one of my websites, a subscriber to my mailing list, or just a casual shopper who took the challenge to read this far. Either way, you have somehow influenced my life and my wish is that I can somehow have some sort of positive effect on yours.
Keeping you healthy
Let us look at a couple of interesting news items from the world of Health and Beauty.

Coffee may fight gout

High uric acid levels in the blood are a precursor of gout, the most common inflammatory arthritis in adult men. It is believed that coffee and tea consumption may affect uric acid levels but only one study has been conducted to date.

A new large-scale study published in the June 2007 issue of Arthritis Care & Research examined the relationship between coffee, tea, caffeine intake, and uric acid levels and found that coffee consumption is associated with lower uric acid levels but that this appears to be due to components other than caffeine.

Coffee is one of the most widely consumed beverages in the world. Because of this widespread consumption, its potential effects have important implications for public and individual health.

Coffee shuns uric acid
The results suggested that levels of uric acid in the blood significantly decreased with increasing coffee intake, but not with tea intake. In addition, there was no association between total caffeine intake from beverages and uric acid levels. These results were similar to those found in the only previous study on the topic, which was conducted in Japan. Interestingly, there was an association between decaffeinated coffee consumption and uric acid levels. "
These findings suggest that components of coffee other than caffeine contribute to the observed inverse association between coffee intake and uric acid levels. A recent study found that coffee was associated with lower C peptide levels (a marker of insulin levels). The researchers in the current study suggest that because there is a strong relationship between insulin resistance and elevated uric acid levels, the decreased insulin levels associated with coffee consumption may lead to lower uric acid levels.
Coffee is also a major source of chlorogenic acid, a strong antioxidant, which may improve insulin sensitivity. Chlorogenic acid also helps inhibit glucose absorption in the intestine. The researchers note further that their results could be due to an effect of non-caffeine components found in coffee, which would also explain why coffee affected uric acid levels but tea did not.
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Clues to ringing in the ears:

The ringing or buzzing in the ears known as Tinnitus varies among patients according to the condition's clinical characteristics. People with tinnitus have ringing, buzzing or whistling sounds in one or both ears. The condition, which can be due to a medical disease or unknown causes, can be constant or intermittent, chronic or acute.
According to the researchers, more than 8 percent of patients rated their condition as grade I (weak degree of tinnitus loudness), close to 60 percent as grade II (medium degree of loudness), and just over 32 percent as grade III (strong degree of loudness).
In terms of annoyance with tinnitus, about 39 percent said they were mildly distressed, nearly 24 percent said they severely distressed, and about 13 percent were most severely distressed.

Loudness tied to annoyanceMost of the people with grade I conditions reported mild tinnitus distress, those with grade II were split, and about two-thirds of people with grade III conditions had severe or very severe distress. The findings indicated a moderate correlation between tinnitus loudness and annoyance, the researchers said.

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Green tea may soothe bladder inflammatory conditions.
Green tea may help protect against bladder inflammation, a new study suggests. It was discovered that Catechins found in green tea protected both normal and cancerous bladder cells from inflammation. Although further studies are needed, the results indicate herbal supplements from green tea could be a treatment option for various bladder conditions that are caused by injury or inflammation. In a laboratory study normal and cancerous bladder cells were exposed to two major catechin components of green tea - and then exposed the cells to hydrogen peroxide.
Hydrogen peroxide normally damages or kills cells, but the two major catechin component offered significant protection to the cells. The concentrations of the two kinds of catechins were at levels that can be obtained through normal dietary intake!
Conclusion: If you are prone to bladder conditions, go to Mac Banana and buy some quality Eve’s Jasmine Green Tea . However, if you suffer from Gout, get yourself a Plunger and go buy some good quality coffee beans at Beaver Creek Coffee Estate. If you don’t have time for shopping, just sit back and listen to the noises in your middle-ear.
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PeeCee is proud to announce the launch of the next exciting products in our range of
Luxury Personal Indulgence:

Nourishing Hand & Body Cream
This exciting new cream is a must for dry skin, it is a must for any skin! Pamper yourself with the moisturising effect of a ph-buffered aqueous cream as a base, enhanced with the essential oils of Lavender and Jasmine.
It contains the richness of Avocado Oil. Although it is classed as a vegetable oil, the avocado is really a fruit since it has a stone - but none-the-less; it yields a rich and extremely deep penetrating oil, rich in vitamins A, D and E, lecithin, as well as potassium - known as the youth mineral.
It furthermore contains proteins, lecithin, beta-carotene and more than twenty percent essential unsaturated fatty acids. The fatty acids contained are palmitic, palmitoleic, stearic, oleic, linoleic and linolenic.

Benefits of avocado oil to the skin
It is high in sterolins, which are reputed to reduce age spots, help heel sun damage and scars. It is the sterolins (also called plant steroids) in the oil that helps to soften the skin and imparts a superior moisturizing effect.
For this reason it is an ideal ingredient to include when formulating for people with dehydrated, sun or climate damaged skin, as it is an extremely good moisturizing and nourishing compound, assisting in the regeneration and rejuvenation of the skin.
It was found that avocado oil significantly increases the amount of collagen in the skin - which normally is under attack as we grow older.
Avocado oil is easily absorbed into deep tissue, and with its wonderfully emollient properties, makes it ideal for mature skins. It also helps to relieve the dryness and itching of psoriasis and eczema.
Try this luxurious cream and enjoy freedom from itchy, winter skin.

Newsletter April 2007

2007-05-16T03:48:00.000+02:00

‘n Verandering is so goed soos ‘n vakansie!
Na amper tien jaar het die nuusbrief nou uiteindelik verander. Die hele formaat is anders, en al het ek hoe lank geskop teen die kommersieële aanwending van die nuusbrief, het ons nou finaal besluit om op ‘n beperkte basis wel bemarking te gebruik om te help dra aan die koste van die publikasie.

Yes the new format newsletter will have on the last page, a few selected commercials, which will help to carry the cost of the production. The letter will also be four half pages which translates to double the size of the old format.

Hierdie advertensies sal altyd aan die leser die voordeel van ‘n besparing op ‘n aktuele produk bied sowel as die doel dien dat die firma(s) betrokke, sal bydra tot die koste van die brief.

That out of the way, it is time to get to the business of doing newsletters. While writing this, Sri Lanka is trying to outflank New Zeeland and get a decent score on a nice batting track. Only time will tell. I think the relevance of today’s match will only hit us after (I refuse to phrase it as “if”) we have won the Hopping Kangaroos tomorrow. By the time you read this we will know who has won the final! If the post office is any slower we might even know who won the Super 14 final!
We sure saw a couple of very good matches during this cricket world cup. It will also be remembered not only for the Woolmer-case but also for the three coaches (so far) that made their exit due to poor performance. The money game knows no mercy! “Win or cheers”. It was a case of going from hero to zero in one tournament for some of them.

Wat die rugby aan betref, mmmhhh. Weet nie so mooi nie. Dinge is half deurmekaar op die oomblik. Jy wen die top span net om die volgende week geklap te word deur ‘n baie swakker span. Vir so ‘n opwindende maand van sport resepteer ek eintlik geweldig min kalmeermiddels en anti-depressante. Dalk doen die vloeistof-apteek beter met sy Vintage! Solank iemand of iets net die pyn verdoof en die volk se senuwees rustig hou is ek dankbaar.

What’s in a name?
And so now it will be Durban and Cape Town’s turn to have name changes forced down their throats. Some of the street names in Cape Town have been in use for hundreds of years. Even the resident ghosts will now get lost. In Durban they want to honor people who actually killed loads of people during the struggle! I can imagine how it will feel to drive down xxxx street knowing that Mr xxxx killed your father. Talk about a one way street – out of there I suppose.

Terwyl ons by die naam kwessie stilstaan, net so vinnige kwinkslag:
Bykans elke dorp of stad en stat het mos nou al ‘n Mandelarylaan. Hulle reken as jy die Man uithaal is dit nog maar steeds net Delarylaan.
Aangesien ek nie meer my nuusbrief op die internet gaan publiseer nie, kan ek nou baie makliker in Afrikaans ook kommunikeer. Die nuusbrief op die internet word nou vervang met ‘n Weblog op ‘n nuwe webruimte. Sien later vir meer besonderhede.
Selfs jy, die leser, kan binnekort jou eie webruimte besit – deur my ruimte. GRATIS.
Lees voort. Dis die waarheid. En jy kan hom bedryf in suiwer Afrikaans. GRATIS.

Keeping you healthy

What is Syndrome X?
The term “Syndrome X” refers to a collection of metabolic abnormalities that put patients at greater risk of stroke and coronary artery disease. The condition is characterised by elevated levels of cholesterol as well as triglycerides, higher incidence of obesity and insulin resistance.
Insulin is the hormone excreted by the Pancreas in reaction to the elevated presence of carbohydrate (sugar) in the circulation following the intake of food. The purpose of the hormone is to facilitate the transport of sugars (in its elementary form as Glucose) from the blood, to where it is needed for the processes that will create energy and sustain life. These sites are the cells of the muscles, the brain, organs, etc. When a person becomes Insulin Resistant, it means that the body is not as receptive to the effect of Insulin and as a result, more and more Insulin is excreted in order to reduce the amount of glucose in the blood. It becomes a vicious circle and ultimately Adult Onset Diabetes Mellitus results.
It's estimated that about 8 million adults in the South Africa have Syndrome X, which is often overlooked by doctors. A non-pharmacologic treatment for these patients is sometimes needed, since certain drugs prescribed to lower blood pressure have occasionally been shown to actually worsen carbohydrate and lipid metabolism in Syndrome X patients, negating the beneficial effects of those drugs.
Working off weight helps
Overweight people with Syndrome X who exercised and lost weight had a 47 percent reduction in insulin overproduction, a condition called hyper-insulinaemia.
Patients who exercised but didn't lose weight had a 27 percent reduction.
The patients who achieved the greatest weight loss showed the most significant improvements in abnormal insulin responses.
In the last five years there has been an increased appreciation that hyper-insulinaemia is an independent risk factor for mortality, and that it can even be seen as a marker or mechanism underlying this increased risk.
Studies highlight the importance of lifestyle modifications such as exercise and weight loss, which have no adverse effects on the cardiovascular system and do not interact with any drugs.
Why wait? To have us check your BP and Total Cholesterol and Blood Sugar will cost about the same as a bottle of Vintage. No, not the Rubicon Sir, I mean only about R60! In fact, it is the same price as a medium sized sympathy card. Get the drift?

Die Psige van Gewig Beheer
Hoë bloeddruk, beroerte, hartsiektes en diabetes. Die meeste mense wat oorgewig is, is inderwaarheid terdeë bewus van hierdie gesondheidsrisiko's en -gevare wat met oorgewig gepaardgaan. Hulle weet ook presies wat die regte dinge is om te doen om gewig te verloor.
Gewigsverliesprogramme en diëte sou eenvoudige en suksesvolle oplossings gewees het indien oorgewig slegs 'n kwessie van te veel eet was. Maar hoekom sukkel so baie mense om gewig te verloor?
Sielkundige faktore speel 'n belangrike rolDaar is geweldig baie mense wat nie al die al die faktore wat tot oorgewig lei ondersoek nie. Almal weet dat ongesonde eetpatrone en 'n onaktiewe leefstyl beslis oorsake is, maar baie mense ignoreer die belangrike rol wat sielkundige faktore kan speel.
Baie mense eet te veel in 'n poging om spanning, stres of 'n emosie beter te hanteer. Ons kan byvoorbeeld probeer om stres te elimineer deur oormatig te eet. Ons etery help ons nie om stres doeltreffender te hanteer nie, maar dit bied diep gegronde vertroosting. Ongelukkig is dit 'n duur prys om te betaal. Dié vorm van stresverligting lei dikwels tot skuldgevoelens. Só ontwikkel dan 'n bose kringloop van spanning, eet, skuldgevoelens, meer spanning en nog meer eet.
Om gewig te verloor en die laer gewig permanent te handhaaf, is besonder moeilik omdat mense geprogrammeer is om vir oorlewing te eet. Eet verskaf kitsbevrediging, terwyl gewigsverlies 'n lang en stadige proses is.
Moenie uitstel nie. Ons is nie sielkundiges nie maar ons kan jou vet persentasie en jou Body Mass Index bepaal en sinvol oor ‘n gesonde dieet en paslike program gesels. Gesondheid is belangriker as skaamheid. Reg?

So what is the story with this free website?

If you are not into the cyber-stuff, then please skip this entire section and move on to the bottom of the last page where you will find some good and necessary merchandise at amazing prices. Please support this campaign. (Only on the hardcopy version. - ed)

But if you are by now ever so slightly intrigued and want to know more, let me elaborate some.
It is not always possible to offer people something for free, so this is truly exciting!
A lot of people would (secretly) love to have their own website. Somewhere where they can fiddle and publish, tweak and create, change and republish, and in general, be creative. Become a writer! Isn’t it true?
Up to now that was either too expensive, or you needed to be a nuclear scientist to understand or operate it.
Own and operate your own personalized website!Now we have the ability to own a website with amazing features and to operate it is so easy. Even I can do it.

What can you do with this site? Firstly, you can invite people to become members, and then you can start a forum on your favorite topic or sport or passion or hobby and keep an active discussion going with your members. Alternatively, use it as a medium to discuss matters with family – like email but without ever receiving the uninvited offers to enlarge certain body parts!

Secondly, start a blog (web log) or diary. This is where you post your thoughts and invoke conversation. Invite your members to become authors, let them publish their own stories on your blog, then invite comment from whoever else reads it and ultimately it becomes a whole community, sharing ideas and eventually it grows into an active piece of reference where everybody can gain and share information and advice.

Thirdly, create your own electronic photo album. Here, everybody can share their favorite moments with the group. Ideal for loved ones overseas or that long lost cousin twice removed living in the Outback. Share in his admiration for overweight retired Australian Spin Bowlers.
A picture says a thousand words remember?

As well as; own your own little shop on the internet!
“Wife’s been making those cute little pillows for years” and by now every family member and most neighbors have enough of them lying around? Your home is saturated with ‘em? Heish, take leetle peecture, post it to your Pillow Shop on your website, and if your website is active enough with your blog and your diary and your photo album all going like crazy, you might just discover that there is a huge market out there for those cute little things she’s b’n makin’!
People might want them and they will buy it from you. Quite possibly. There are, in true fact, people out there, selling a variety of goodies in enormous volumes; just by doing the right things on their websites. And I will show you. And you will be grateful. And you will thank me. And I will be happy.

Any more details and I will scare everybody away. Interested? Please contact me. I will explain. The system will be up and running within the month of May. This is a truly remarkable opportunity. And it is GRATIS! Free!

Your web address will be something like: www.johnbrown.peecee.net or www.pillows&things.peecee.net or www.flyfishing.peecee.net or www.golfrules.peecee.net etc.
Let your imagination take you places! Set it free.

Gratis Web ruimte

Soos ek vroeër reeds genoem het, jy kan selfs kies om jou web ruimte in Afrikaans te doen. Alhoewel die internet terme meestal in Engels is, kan jy verkies dat die medium vir kommunikasie Afrikaans is en bly.

Hierdie is ‘n semi affiliasie sisteem wat beteken daar is skakels op jou ruimte wat die leser neem na ‘n ander kommersieële web ruimte waar hy of sy dan items kan aankoop, totaal onverwant aan die tema van jou web ruimte. Die kersie op die koek is egter dat jy, deur niks te doen nie, affiliasie fooie (of kommissie) verdien van omtrent 16% op enige iets wat die koper aanskaf, direk vanaf die ander web ruimte. Jy weet nie eers van die transaksie nie. Niemand gaan ryk word uit so stelsel nie maar elke sent verdien sonder om iets te doen daarvoor is ‘n absolute bargain! EN jy kry jou web blad gratis as gevolg daarvan.

Die hele stelsel word deur jouself gemoniteer en beheer. Soos hierbo genoem; hoe besiger jou web ruimte, hoe meer besoeke is daar, hoe groter is die kans om iets te verkoop in jou eie aanlyn winkel of om affiliasie fooie te verdien deur ander ruimtes se verkope. Klink te goed om waar te wees?
Kom traai my! Ek wag.

Newsletter March 2007

2007-03-29T05:46:00.000+02:00

Life is a Bicycle Ride
But before we click into the pedals, allow me to express my sincere shock at recent events like the tidal conditions that ravaged our coastline, and to everybody that suffered some sort of loss due to that, my condolences.
I am obviously as shocked as anybody else about the whole Woolmer issue and the implications thereof for professional sport. The world has gone money-crazy. Or just plain crazy! Period.
Then it is with palpable amazement that we saw Shaun Pollock went for 8 runs per over against our friends from down under. And the Sharks – “oh my goodness Doll, what went wông”?
As they say in the classics, ‘Winning isn’t everything. It is the only bloody thing’.

Which brings me to the topic; Life is a Bicycle Ride. “Huhh?”
Firstly, some (boring) background facts, necessary to create the analogy between a bicycle race and the true essence of life, life itself. It is also necessary to inform the reader of some of the more subtle nuances of the sport which will become evident when the comparison is made.
What is the purpose of competitive cycling? To win of cause. Yeah, I hear you say, when someone like myself competes in a big cycle race, who will I be winning? I will be winning thousands of other recreational but competitive cyclists and in turn will be beaten by thousands other and better cyclists. I will be racing against my own watch. To better our time, to better our position, to better our national seeding; those are the things that drive us.
How do you do this? You use other people. Yes, just like that. And you do not even have to ask permission. As one of the famous Sporting Equipment companies says; ‘Just do it’.
How? You ride with a fast group and you make use of the collective slipstream of say thirty or more fast moving cyclists. It more or less sucks you in and drags you along. It is called ‘Drafting’. This way you can conserve enough energy to see you through a tough race. All you need to do is be alert, (crashes, sometimes major, do happen), and try not to be dropped from this group (called a Peleton) on the hills. If you can stick with a fast group, suffer on the hills and sit tight in the flat and downhill areas, you can achieve excellent times. But as I said, be alert. You can also lose contact with the peleton if you are only watching the one or two persons immediately in front of you because they can in fact be losing ground and if you are not awake, you might suddenly find yourself in a little slower group of three cyclists with a awful gap of fifty meters to the main group. To catch them without the effect of drafting takes a tremendous effort.
Now that you have some of the background, the following sequence of events will make a bit more sense.
During the very recent Cape Argus Cycle Tour in Cape Town, the very same type of scenario happened to me and after the immense pain it caused me; I made the comparison mentioned earlier.

After the normal hectic start, the first climb out of the CBD caused the muscles to burn prematurely as everybody in the starting group jostled for a comfortable position in the peleton. From the top of the hill, going down into (aptly named) Hospital Bend, we passed a huge pile-up of tangled bicycles and cyclists lying on the road surface. Ambulances, choppers, emergency vehicles, officials screaming, marshals directing us through the carnage of more than twenty cyclists that crashed. Off we were over the next hill, but everybody subconsciously slowed down just a tad due to a certain sense of apprehension. This passed within five minutes and we were screaming through Muizenberg, Vishoek, and on to Smitswinkel, the first real tester of a hill. By now we were all more or less tucked into positions picked with great care.
Now, Freddy Mercury (late) from the band Queen (former) wrote two very apt songs, namely ‘Fat Bottomed Girls’ and ‘Bicycle Race’. So, I was positioned behind one of those girls in one of his races. Behind her for no reason other than the slightly wider slip stream she offered. She, lets call her Big Mama, in turn, was directly behind a very skinny fellow with big calf muscles and a very fancy and expensive bicycle. I suppose she thought that he will slice through the air? Who knows.
I got real comfortable just sitting there, getting pulled along and looking at nothing but the rear wheel of Big Mama’s bicycle. By now we have topped the hill and were heading into a slight headwind going towards Kommetjie on a long flat(ish) stretch. That is where it happened. I looked up, jerked out of my trance by the lack of noise so reminiscent of a huge peleton going at speed. It must have been a couple of minutes before I realised that something was amiss. Skinny lost contact with the peleton. We were now three solitary cyclists fifty meters behind the main group, and rapidly losing more ground. Sore Legs Naudé, Big Mama, and Skinny. I pulled out of Mama’s slipstream and rolled up to Skinny. “You lost them” I panted. (“You incompetent little Twit” I wanted to say.) “Help me catch them”. “Please” And I put the hammer down and started the worst fifteen minutes of the entire race. After only about two minutes I glanced back and they were not on my wheel! They were ten meters behind. “Come please” I begged, hoping that we can alternate the front position to maintain speed and conserve energy. Not today though. Mama is trying her best but without the peleton, she is just not able to keep up. Skinny, my friend Skinny, has discovered a new comfort zone behind Mama’s slightly enlarged frame. He is now drafting and nothing is going to pry him out of that spot. He is floating on air, getting propelled by the wind breaking abilities of someone not even closely on the same level of fitness that he is. But it is nice.
And that, is the story of life itself.
Let’s be honest, we all want to succeed in life, beat the Jones’s, better our ‘Life Seeding’, excel, win. Early in life you realise that you probably cannot do it all by yourself. You need people. You need partners. Team members. A peleton. All you have to do is make use of their collective momentum, expertise, knowledge, conserve your assets, and if it lasts and you can remain prominent in this society, you will have enough energy and abilities and the necessary means to make a final dash for the winning line and take the honours.
But you always get the like of Skinny and Mama. She tried but was not equipped. He lost contact with his group, labelled himself as a failure and immediately went into a new comfort zone. You get them in life and no amount of begging can get them to help you. They are what today’s youngsters refer to as losers. Learn from this analogue; If they are not contributing to your race through life and, most importantly, if they do not want your help, better leave them behind. They will always find a Big Mama to comfort them and lead them. They will also eventually reach the same finish line, albeit somewhat later. That is inevitable in life. As they say, ‘Life is a Terminal Disease – nobody gets out alive’. Some just ends better than others, but then again, some are happy to have a lower life-speed-seeding than others. The beauty lies in the fact that we are all so different yet we are all riding in the same Bicycle Race called LIFE. Make the most of it, make use of the collective drafting of your family, friends, colleagues, and when you finally make your sprint with energy conserved with their help, remember to thank them in your heart when you take the honours.
What happened with the rest of the race? I left the two of them behind, burnt up unnecessary energy and fuel to try and catch the peleton, and after fifteen minutes of pain could not get closer than an agonising twenty meters. I had to slow down and wait for the next big group from behind to preserve whatever energy I had left. They arrived soon after that and I managed to finish in that group in a respectable time. At the end, I lost almost twenty minutes to the initial group. And Skinny? I saw him finish by sheer luck (there are thousands of cyclists) – he was just ten minutes behind me. Without Mama. What happened to her I do not know. I hope she finished well because she tried so hard.
Last lesson? If you get thumped on the nose and you cannot keep up with your peers, make the necessary adjustments, reorganize, work hard and you will win old Skinny. If only just. And remember, comfort zones are never permanent. Greetings from the saddle,
Pieter & Renette Naudé.

Newsletter February 2007

2007-03-29T05:45:00.000+02:00

Not a Heat Wave.
This was according to the SA Weather Bureau on the 7th of February. They also “promised” cooler weather. They also could not foresee any real danger to the Mozambican coastline due to the summer cyclone season.
I’m beginning to trust them as much as the Department of Health.
“Did I say that your Honour?”

Question: If you saw a heat wave, would you wave back?
OK. Yes it has been slightly warmer than expected. And why would three air conditioners decide to pack up in a relative short period of time, right in the middle of a supposedly non existing heat wave? I do not know the answer to these and other questions but what I do know is that this type of excessive heat combined with the high humidity experienced lately, is quite dangerous. Yes, not only is there a high discomfort index involved, there is actually a high risk index as well.
Apart from running out of beer halfway through the next Sharks game, there is a very real threat of Dehydration, Heat injury, Heat fatigue, and with those, the very dangerous possibility of Over-Hydration due to the wrong advice and subsequent incorrect ways to treat or prevent Heat related conditions.
So in the midst of this slight heat ripple (ala SA Weather), let me elaborate a bit on the body’s ways to handle or sometimes not handle such heat.

Core Temperature:
The body's dominant forms of heat loss in a hot environment are radiation and evaporation. However, when air temperature exceeds 35°C, radiation of heat from the body ceases and evaporation becomes the only means of heat loss. Evaporation is maximally efficient in a dry environment. If humidity reaches 100%, evaporation of sweat is no longer possible and the body loses its ability to dissipate heat. Now, to cool down, it becomes dependant on electric aids like fans and air conditioners, or riding on the back of a very fast and very tough Ford Bantam, or cycling downhill all day. If these are not available, your core temperature will gradually increase, dependant on the level of activity, until it reaches dangerous levels.
If one tries to keep your level of activity as low as possible, seek out cooler areas, and rehydrate correctly, the core temperature will not readily go to dangerous levels.

Dehydration:
Sweating is the way in which the body maintains its core temperature at 37 degrees centigrade. This also results in the loss of body fluid and electrolytes (minerals such as chloride, calcium, magnesium, sodium and potassium) and if unchecked will lead to dehydration and eventually circulatory collapse and heat stroke. The progressive effect of fluid and electrolyte loss on the body is as follows:
% body weight lost as sweat & the physiological effect:
2% - Impaired performance
4% - Capacity for muscular work declines
5% - Heat exhaustion
7% - Hallucinations
10% - Circulatory collapse and heat stroke
Electrolytes serve three general functions in the body: Many are essential minerals, they control movement of water between body compartments, and they help maintain the acid-base balance required for normal cellular activities. A liter of sweat typically contains 0.02g Calcium, 0.05g Magnesium, 1.15g Sodium, 0.23g Potassium and 1.48g Chloride. This composition will vary from person to person.
Elderly persons are at increased risk for heat-related problems because of underlying illness, medication use, declining adaptive thermoregulatory mechanisms, poor access to air-conditioning. Neonates have an increased risk of heat-related illness because of poorly developed thermoregulatory mechanisms and inability to make behavioural adjustments.
Chemical items that may affect the ability to regulate temperature are amongst others; Beta-blockers, Certain cold & flu medications, Diuretics, Ethanol, Antihistamines, Certain older antidepressants, Aspirin (regular use), etc.
Rehydration is the replenishment of water and electrolytes lost through dehydration. It can be performed by oral rehydration therapy (drinking an electrolyte solution) or by intravenous therapy (adding fluid and electrolytes directly into the blood stream).
As oral rehydration is less painful, less invasive, less expensive, and easier to provide, it is the treatment of choice for mild dehydration. Because severe dehydration can rapidly cause permanent injury or even death, intravenous rehydration is the ultimate treatment of choice for that condition.
Drinking plain water causes bloating, suppresses thirst and could lead to over hydration. It is a poor choice where high fluid intake is required. Water contains no carbohydrates or electrolytes.
Concerns about the potential risks of Over-hydration and consequential hyponatraemia (low blood sodium levels) for endurance athletes have been raised in several quarters following the death of a female runner during the 2002 Boston marathon.
The athlete, who died of hyponatraemic encephalopathy (swelling of the brain caused by severely reduced blood sodium), had reportedly ingested excessive amounts of fluids before, and during the race.
Hyponatraemia results from an abnormally low concentration of sodium in blood plasma. A sustained decrease in plasma sodium concentration disrupts the osmotic balance across the blood-brain barrier, leading to a rapid influx of water into the brain. This, in turn, leads to swelling of the brain, which can progress to confusion, seizure, coma and even death.
Various factors can lead to a fall in sodium concentration, including loss of sodium in sweat and decreased sodium intake. But the rapid intake of large quantities of fluids, which effectively dilutes the blood, appears to be the major cause of dangerous reductions.

Now that I have your attention, what am I trying to say? Only that when nature turns tough, our frailty becomes very evident. Temperature goes up, humidity goes way up, lawn needs a trim, out you go with your old army-issue green metal water bottle strapped to your locally made leather belt, filled with the goodness of H2O. Under the fig tree, there is the regulation Coleman cooler, filled with more water and lots of ice.
For two hours you toil away, all the time feeling thirsty and sweating like the proverbial Hog. Dizziness starts to bother you every time you take the sharp left turn around the bed of Malva parviflora,, nothing much, must be the new beta blocker you started last week. At the next turn, you will allow yourself ten minutes and enjoy a cold beer or two.
One hour later, the headache hits you. Extreme thirst! Drink more water. Take two, no, take three aspirins for the bloody headache!
You are in trouble. You went from high core temperature to hyponatraemia via dehydration and because of the wrong rehydration.
Making no sense?
In brief, and in conclusion:
Nothing wrong with mowing the lawn. Wrong time of the year / day though.
Nothing wrong with alcoholic refreshments. But not when you are already severely dehydrated.
Nothing wrong with drinking water. But it has NO ELECTROLYTES!
Drink the right stuff! Rehydrate with either a good sports drink, or even some rehydration preparations sold as conjunctive treatment for severe gastro-enteritis. Or contact me for a cheap homemade emergency recipe.
Most importantly, know your body and how much heat it can handle; know how much your body loses through perspiration.
We have less than a month for this heat to make way for the wonderful autumn weather we know so well and can only dream of at this moment.
Enough of the clammy stuff. Greetings from the pool,
Pieter & Renette Naudé Will be in Cape Town for the middle two weeks of March. Hopefully cooler down there! Keep healthy and hydrated! See soon.

Newsletter January 2007

2007-01-29T08:43:00.000+02:00

“Listen to your Mother” must rank amongst the most frequently used pieces of instructive conversation anybody heard in their lifetime. How many times did you hear that phrase? What has she actually taught you?

Mothers taught us RELIGION; "You’d better pray that will come out of the carpet."
Mothers taught us about TIME TRAVEL; "If you don't straighten up, I'm going to knock you into the middle of next week!"
Mothers taught us FORESIGHT; "Make sure you wear clean underwear, in case you're in an accident."
Mothers taught us about BEHAVIOR MODIFICATION; "Stop acting like your father!"
Mothers taught us GENETICS; "You're just like your father."
Mothers taught us about JUSTICE "One day you'll have kids, and I hope they turn out just like you!"
But the most important thing she taught anyone of us is; “Wash your filthy hands before you touch anything.”

And that will be the theme for this newsletter: Contamination. I am going to inform you, to shock you, to wake you up. I don’t often do informative newsletters but this is very necessary and I will fail in my professional capacity if I do not share this with you.

Here goes.

The Six Common Household Items With the Most Germs
Germs in the home can show up where you least expect them, even if you diligently try to keep your home clean. Despite good efforts by most to keep their homes germ free, over 65 percent of colds, 50 percent of all cases of diarrhoea, and 50 percent to 80 percent of food-borne illnesses are caught in the home and common household items are often to blame.

So what is the most germ-ridden room in your house? It's not the bathroom--it's the kitchen. In fact, there could be up to 200 times more fecal bacteria on your kitchen cutting board than on your toilet seat. This is likely because people regularly disinfect their bathroom while kitchen items may be overlooked. (Wow you really needed to know that, don’t you?) (Hope you are not eating at the moment)

The following household items are commonly overlooked sources of contaminants that can easily be kept clean with a little elbow grease.

1. Kitchen Sponges and Rags:

The moist environment of sponges and rags is an ideal place for bacteria to flourish. Wiping your counters or dishes with a dirty sponge will only transfer the bacteria from one item to another.
Replace kitchen sponges and rags often. Ideally, this should be about once a week. Allow them to dry out between uses. Most bacteria can only survive a few hours on dry surfaces. Make sure that you remove all organic material from the sponge or rag before you leave it to dry.
Disinfect sponges regularly by putting them in the dishwasher. Rags should be washed in the washing machine and then dried on high heat. You can also sterilize sponges in the microwave. A dry sponge can be sterilized in the microwave in 30 seconds, a wet sponge in 60.

2. Cutting Boards:

The cracks and crevices in your cutting board provide plenty of space for bacteria to grow. Be careful of cross contamination. If you use your cutting board for raw meat or fish, be sure to sanitize it thoroughly before chopping vegetables! To clean the board, first hand-wash it using hot water and dish detergent to remove any food particles. You can then use an approved antiseptic surface spray and wipe dry with absorbent tissue.

3. Kitchen Surfaces

Kitchen countertops can still harbor germs even if they look clean. This is especially true if you've "cleaned" them with a dirty sponge or rag. The kitchen tap and handle is an often-overlooked source of potentially harmful bacteria.

4. Sink Drains

The drains in both your kitchen sink and bathtub provide yet another moist environment that bacteria love. Use baking soda and an old toothbrush to get rid of stains, grit and grime around drains. Disinfect drains regularly as you would any other surface.

5. Doorknobs

Bacteria can easily accumulate on doorknobs and other handles such as the particularly problematic refrigerator handle. Anyone can transfer bacteria from their hand to a doorknob, and these bacteria can cause illness, especially if the person is sick, doesn't wash their hands after going to the bathroom, or has touched raw food. When you touch the doorknob you may also pick up the bacteria, which can then enter your body if you touch your eyes, nose or mouth. Wash your hands frequently, even if they don't look dirty, but be careful not to overdo it. If you wash your hands too frequently, the fatty acids in your skin will be depleted, which leaves you susceptible to open wounds and sores that actually increase the risk of infection. Antibacterial soaps are completely unnecessary, and they cause far more harm than good. It would be wise to identify a simple chemical-free soap that you can switch your family to. Treat doorknobs and the refrigerator handle regularly with a good antiseptic surface spray.

6. Toothbrushes:

It's important to replace your toothbrush every three months not only because of bacterial accumulation but also due to bristle wear. Replace your toothbrush after you've had an infectious illness to avoid coming in contact with any lingering bacteria.

I'd like to mention that I don't recommend going through your home on an antibacterial cleaning frenzy. Doing so will disrupt the balance of bacteria in your home, wiping out both good and bad varieties, which could pave the way for harmful bacteria. You are better off using antibacterial/disinfectant cleaners on an item-by-item basis rather than as an all-purpose cleaner. Also be aware of the ingredients in commercial cleaners as many contain harsh chemicals that can be harmful to your health. Speak to us.

Germs are Easily Transferred From Everyday Objects To Hands

A new study has found everyday objects such as telephones and kitchen taps can transfer high levels of potentially dangerous bacteria to the hands. And from the hands, bacteria often end up on the lips. In one of the studies, the researchers looked at coliform bacteria, including fecal coliforms, on the palms of volunteers' hands after making dinner, cleaning the house, doing laundry, using a public restroom, petting a dog or a cat, or returning home from elementary school. The volunteers' hands were disinfected before the activity. Surprisingly, they found that people had the least amount of microorganisms on their hands after leaving a public restroom, while people had the most after making a meal. After making a meal, cleaning the house ranked next with transferring the most bacteria, next came petting a dog or a cat (dogs transmitted the most germs of the two) (However cuddly they may be, cats and dogs can bring a multitude of germs into your home. If your cat walks on the kitchen work surfaces make sure you clean them thoroughly before preparing food. Cats and dogs have also been found to be a source of salmonella!), then came returning home from school, then doing the laundry (because of handling underwear), and finally using a public restroom.

Some statistics:

Squeezing out a sponge transferred between 100,000 to a million organisms to the hands!
If somebody in the house is sick the toilet should be disinfected every time they use it. A typical trip to the loo can create up to 100 billion potentially disease causing organisms some of which end up in the air and on the toilet after flushing - even if the lid's put down.
When they added the mix of organisms to volunteers' fingertips, they found that 35% to 40% were transferred to the mouth. This is a dose large enough to cause infection with organisms that cause colds and diarrhea.

So what am I saying? “Listen to your Mother”: Wash your hands! And pay attention to contaminated surfaces in your environment without getting paranoid or obsessive or compulsive or plain hooked on washing!

What kind of germs are we talking about here? Well, anything, but commonly the most prevalent ones are those causing Food borne Diseases like Viral Gastroenteritis like Rotavirus, Bacterial Gastroenteritis like the Salmonellosis, Influenza, Colds, Inflammatory Bowel Disease, Arthritis, Kidney Failure, and many more.

To prevent harmful bacteria from growing in food, always:

· Refrigerate foods promptly. If you let prepared food stand at room temperature for more than 2 hours, it may not be safe to eat. Set your refrigerator correctly.

· Cook food to the appropriate temperature Foods are properly cooked only when they are heated long enough and at a high enough temperature to kill the harmful bacteria that cause illness.

· Prevent cross-contamination. Bacteria can spread from one food product to another throughout the kitchen and can get onto cutting boards, knives, sponges, and countertops. Keep raw meat, poultry, seafood, and their juices away from other foods that are ready to eat.

· Handle food properly. Always wash your hands before touching food and after using the bathroom, changing diapers, or handling pets, as well as after handling raw meat, poultry, fish, shellfish, or eggs.

· Clean surfaces well before preparing food on them.

·Keep cold food cold and hot food hot.

· Maintain hot cooked food at 60°C or higher.

· Reheat cooked food to at least 75°C. Refrigerate or freeze perishables, prepared food, and leftovers within two hours.

· Never defrost food on the kitchen counter. Use the refrigerator, cold running water, or the microwave oven.

· Never let food marinate at room temperature; refrigerate it.

· Divide large amounts of leftovers into small, shallow containers for quick cooling in the refrigerator.

· Remove the stuffing from poultry and other meats immediately and refrigerate it in a separate container.

· Do not pack the refrigerator. Cool air must circulate to keep food safe.

So why am I going on and on about disinfecting and cleaning and wiping and drying and hygiene and germs and what not?

Whoever was present during the past holiday season saw the desperation and suffering of these poor souls from far away that came here to relax and get some well deserved rest.

They got the dreaded Gastro instead. They could not relax (especially certain sphincter muscles), they could not rest (they had to stand in line with hundreds other victims to share overcrowded public bathrooms or wait patiently at the local pharmacy for some form of help).

What caused the outbreak? Nobody really knows, I don’t think there was enough time for any healthcare staff anywhere to run detailed microbiological diagnostics; everybody were just trying to plug holes (pun intended). What caused the condition to become so big and almost out of control? Let me tell you: Everything that you have read so far in this edition was ignored at some stage by someone and those individual cases blended into a panic-stricken sea of disease. Whole families were affected; whole buildings were affected, the whole coastal area became a quagmire of diarrhoea, vomiting, dehydration, spasms, fever, and total misery.

Were you part of this? Were you affected? I seem to think that the locals were immunological better prepared or maybe we were more confined to our own areas and did not share the public places with as many people as did the holiday makers. Whatever the reasons, I did not see many local people affected as bad as some of the visitors.

People were blaming the tap water, they were blaming the lagoons, and they were blaming the restaurants, the air that we breathe. They blamed the locals, the locals blamed them, they blamed the doctor’s surgeries, the hospitals, even the municipalities were implied, and all that was in fact wrong was they didn’t wash their hands! They didn’t listen to Mother.

Here is the bottom line: When you are near another human being, follow these rules, called the Naudé Paranoid Hand Rules:

When this other person approaches you, sneak a quick glance in the general direction of their hands.

If this other person is busy with some activity like preparing food, serving drinks, cleaning; sneak a longer glance in the direction of their hands. If this other person is attempting to touch you or indicating by way of gestures that you are about to be touched, take a long hard stare at their hands.

Why?

One reason only; look at the hands and ask yourself these simple questions: “Where were those hands just now? What did they touch? What are under those nails? From where did those fingers recently emerge?

Then follow those hands and see what and where they touch.

Be scared. Be very scared.

That is enough of the scary stuff.

Maybe on second thoughts, time for a quick commercial - seeing that it is now almost commonplace to do that; my manufacturing business called PeeCee has launched a product called PeeCee Protection Spray, born out of fear and frustration during the Gastro Epidemic. It is an extremely effective antiseptic surface spray. Pity it only came out off the development stage right at the end of the season, it could have saved a lot of people a lot of misery. We supplied a group of sports people in a bus with a couple of bottles of spray when they had 5 or 6 people already sick. They sprayed the grips and common surfaces in the bus and nobody else became sick during the remainder of their tour!

At the same time the germ spread like wildfire through even upmarket residential blocks.

We supplied a lot of people during those last weeks of the holiday season, and we obviously used the product liberally in the pharmacy where hundreds of people handled prescriptions, money, handbags, towels and what else on a daily basis.

We sprayed the counters, the toilets, the door handles, the cash drawers and on top of that we washed our hands every 2 hours. Result? During the entire 4 weeks, through contact with all those affected people, we had NO incidence of Gastro amongst my staff! Am I getting through to you now?

This situation can easily repeat itself in the future. Will you be prepared?

Wow, this was a long one. Wet of the Press (pun NOT intended).

Greetings and a show of clean hands,

Pieter and Renette Naudé

Newsletter December 2006

2006-12-30T06:12:00.000+02:00

Grudge-Purchases versus Joys of Choices

So here we are again, it is Christmas day, it is HOT and it is time for the monthly newsletter. It was indeed another tough year and the recent developments around the professional fee as explained last month didn’t help much.

But life goes on, we will have to take some serious and lasting decisions in the New Year, there are going to be some rather dramatic changes to the face of Pharmacy in general but more so at Uvongo Pharmacy. Watch this space . . .

One thing that I cannot change because it is a part of the intricate nature of human beings; we just hate making Grudge-Purchases! The complete opposite is the wondrous Joys of Choice. “What are these two concepts”, I hear you ask yourself?
Let me give you two typical scenarios which will explain the above, but more importantly, will hopefully highlight why there is battle raging in certain type of shops. A battle? Yes, and you have probably fired some fiscal shots at the keeper yourself!

“Good evening Sir, welcome at WDC Exclusive Grill house”, the man in the Tuxedo purrs your way. “Table for two I presume?” he adds with a smile. A genuine smile; because he knows something that you don’t. In fact, he knows a lot of things that you would never even think about. He leads you through the dimly lit interior to a luxurious-looking, well set table, with the soothing sounds of a subtle water-feature nearby. You get comfortable; the man has now disappeared, but is quickly replaced by a reincarnation of James Dean, smiling as well, because he also knows something! “Good evening folks, my name is Philipe, I will be your absolute servant toning, your wish will be my command”.

By now can start to pick up the smell of some glorious dishes from tables around you. You can also see the texture of the food, you can almost feel it under your knife, and you can nearly not wait for Philipe to return with the wine list so that this wonderful experience can begin in earnest! Man, you can all but taste those last plates of food delivered to the smart looking couple in the corner. You want this food. You want this wine. You want this evening.
You are almost halfway through the bottle of Rubicon 2000 when two lovely young girls deliver the stuff dreams are made of; your perfectly prepared Swiss Trim Rump Steak with the Blue Cheese sauce and stuffed with Black Olives. Three hundred grams of Heaven! Right there on your plate. Streams of Amylase are released into your mouth by the Salivary glands in anticipation of the taste explosion and pure enjoyment that is to follow. You take your first bite. You really wanted this so much! You actually booked in advance!

Another time, another place: “Good evening Sir, welcome at WWFF Pharmacy”, the man in the white shirt sings in monotone. He looks tired, drained and his clothes a bit tatty. “Prescription, I presume?” he adds with a slight flash of terror in his eyes. True fear; because he knows something which you also know and he knows that you know and he knows what is coming.
You woke up that morning with a slight burning sensation in your chest. Didn’t think much of it, but by mid-morning you were doubled-up in pain and vomiting what seams to be Swiss Trim Rump with….
“No it is not the food, you had an Angina attack sir”, the doctor exclaimed while scribbling attentively on a piece of paper you immediately recognise as that much hated and ancient means of communication between different fields of the medical fraternity; the prescription!

Back at the pharmacy, your prescription to a scared looking reincarnation of Emily Hobhouse. Scared, because she also knows what you know.
The prescription is finally filled and brought back to you. You gladly take ownership of the medicine because you really want to get rid of the fear the doctor planted in you when he told you about your high cholesterol and the danger to your heart. You want this medicine. You want to prevent the pain.

Get the picture? Not yet? Here goes:
There are quite a few similarities here, but there are also some definite differences. It all comes to boil at an extremely crucial point in both scenarios: The handing over of the Bill of Account. That is where the capsule hits the stomach acid (or ze pooh-pooh hits the fan). You act out of defence, you act because of social experience, and you act because of a certain gut-feel, depending on what scenario you are paying for.

At WDC Grill house you open the bill, you immediately add at least ten percent to the amount (depending on how much Mr Dean impressed you), and you briefly scan the account to make sure that the R340 for a meal for two is acceptable. You do not realise that WDC is short for We Charge Double – they just made a gross profit of at least R200. You accept, making a bit of a grumbling noise while fishing out your Amex Gold. You can still taste that Chocolate Clafoutis when your receipt is handed over. Lovely!

At WWFF Pharmacy you open the bill, you immediately start swearing and asking for discount, threatening the poor assistant with the latest legal changes to the pricing structure of prescription medicines. You cannot believe that the three items for a potentially threatening situation can be as much as R340. You do not realise that WWFF is short for We Work For Free – they have just made a gross profit of R60 Reluctantly you fish out the card, make the payment, temporarily relieved of the fear, possibly from all the Adrenaline pumping through your body, brought on by the anger.

Why the difference in attitude? You wanted both products? Both products did something for you. The one tasted like heaven and added two points to your already elevated cholesterol levels; the other didn’t taste like anything and dropped your cholesterol level by ten points and will continue to do that for the next thirty days. But you wanted both?
You have just lived two scenarios;

1: You made the choice from a menu and decided how much you are prepared to pay for the pleasure. You actually planned to make this Choice-Purchase.
2: You had no choice from the prescription and did not want to purchase medicine. It wasn’t planned and you resented this Grudge-Purchase.

And you will resent that purchase every time, and because deep down you don’t really want it, you will feel entitled to knock down the price.
Lastly, why did the respective people who met you at both premises react the way they did? At WDC they knew that you will gladly pay, even more than the perceived price, without as much as a frown. At WWFF they knew that there was going to be a battle as soon as it came to the payment. Smile versus apprehension. Good news versus bad news.

As long as we keep on selling grudge-items, we will be on the receiving end of this wrath of the public and we will have other interested parties trying to undercut our professional fees. It is a way of life. As long as the public occasionally take a look at similar scenarios, realise that life is all about choice but that we, are not the reason for their ailments; we are just the persons in charge of the substance that will make them better.
Sometimes though, if we all make the right choices with our lifestyles, some of these ailments might never create the necessity of making a Grudge-Purchase.

Quick commercial? We perform Cholesterol tests. Affordable!
You can even add ten percent if you like the treatment. Just pay the man in the tatty white shirt. No discount. Appreciate his service.

Then again, if Manto keeps on applying the pressure, you might find Mr Dean-look-alike employed at number 5 Foster street at the MYCAP Seafood Grill and Dispensary. That is short for Make Your Choice And Pay.

Festive Greetings from the kitchen,

Pieter and Renette Naudé.

PS: I have nothing against the Restaurant fraternity. In fact, I spend way too much money at these fine establishments! They supply an excellent product accompanied by excellent service and should be paid well for it, don’t you agree? Till next time…….

New pricing regulations

2006-12-21T01:47:00.000+02:00

It is with great relief that we read the following statement by The Pharmacy Stakeholders Forum (PSF):

It is with relief that we can announce that the dispensing fee published on 1 December 2006 will not come into operation on 1 January 2007.

Following an application challenging the dispensing fee brought by the applicants (Pharmaceutical Society of SA, South African Progressive Pharmacists’ Association and United South African Pharmacies) the Department of Health agreed to suspend the implementation of the dispensing fee. This agreement was formalised by an order issued by the High Court of South Africa (Transvaal provincial division). This order specifies that the dispensing fee will not come into operation on 1 January 2007, pending the outcome of the challenge to the dispensing fee regulations.

The Pharmacy Stakeholders Forum (PSF) thanks the Minister and the Department of Health for this relief and the PSF would like to recommit itself to finding a resolution to this matter as soon as possible. It would be welcomed if such a resolution can be found outside of the legal process.

The PSF would like to ensure the public that there is no reason to believe that pharmacists, who are members of an ethical profession, will seek to exploit the situation by charging excessive dispensing fees.

Newsletter November 2006

2006-11-27T05:28:00.000+02:00

We are heading towards another festive season at a dizzy speed. Just the other day we were mopping up after an exceptionally wet Easter weekend and now – still mopping up – we are right here, one month away from Christmas!

My goodness, did we have some rain this year or what?
Then again, maybe, if your roof has some seemingly unstoppable leaks, any rain, whether it is a shower or just a little drizzle, will always get your attention.
I have had so many specialists diagnosing the problem, suggesting a solution, fixing it, taking my money, leaving, getting called back to re-fix it at the next whiff of a frontal system, sometimes getting more money to throw more water-proofing material at the problem and still not fixing it really.
In fact, I am getting worried that all this added material being piled up on my roof might one day proof to be too heavy for the structure and my entire humble abode will sink into Mother Earth like the houses did in Carletonville in the Sixties and Seventies.
With the current witch-hunt for illegal dwellings by you-know-who, I should actually apply for amnesty for the amount that my roof has been raised (without plans), by layer upon layer of membrane glued onto it.
I am going to give it one more try. If that fails, I will sell everything and move to the driest of our arid regions where water doesn’t drip from your ceiling every time it rains more than ten drops or your neighbour decides to water his garden. Go where it leaks sand instead. Sand can be swept under a carpet; water not.
Okay, so I exaggerated a bit. It is not that bad. Anybody wants to make me an offer I cannot refuse? “What was that question sir?” “Oh, no, the price for the house does not include two pairs of gum-boots”.

And so it came to pass that Manto Msimang decided to make some time between the Southern Hemisphere Irresistible Tomato Soup conference (acronym not allowed) and the Young Emerging Beetroot Organisation (acronym YEBO) to announce the new and much debated pricing structure for medicine. How do you justify rigid price control in a free market system? I suppose only in Africa is that considered a possibility.
Within a week the newspapers started quoting some experts from the pharmaceutical, statistical and economic fields, all in agreement that the fees are totally inadequate. The one newspaper headed their article “The end of the era of the Corner Pharmacy”. Wow. Sitting on the corner as I do, that really hurt.

Risking my neck in debating this issue, let me offer only a few short pointers to illustrate aspects not normally evident to the public.

Government wants to assure two aspects with all this interference into medicine.
They want (1) more affordable medication (2) available to the people. What people? If you look at the 1994 Health Charter it becomes evident that previous disparities needed to be addressed. “The supply of affordable healthcare to the poorest of the poor” was mentioned.

How? Again, two aspects: Drop the price through absolute control and allow corporate supermarket groups to obtain pharmaceutical licenses – previously only granted to registered pharmacists. These chain stores were supposed to open dispensaries in the rural areas to reach the poorest of the poor.

Point is: It is not happening. It never will. All the corporate dispensaries are in affluent suburban areas where expensive chronic medication is dispensed. They want to make their shareholders happy. Not the poor.

The supply to the poor has in fact diminished to the extend that a lot of small towns and villages previously serviced by a rural chemist are now totally devoid of any pharmaceutical services due to the fact that the interference and control has forced the smaller chemists out of business and the newly announced fee structure is going to cause a large scale closure within a few months. The people living in these areas now have to travel to the nearest bigger town to get their medicine. Some saving to them!

Bottom line: I agree that medicine is expensive but I also know that it is not only the last link in the supply chain that is to be blamed. Why then cut it off?
If the traditional community pharmacy is not there anymore, you have two choices: Long queues at the supermarket where the pharmacist will not know the names of your children and the health status of your partner, or even longer queues at the state hospital where the pharmacist will not even care if you have any children.
God forbid.

Enough said. Quick commercial: With the exception of one, all the promised items in my PeeCee range are now available. I am quite proud and we are planning to go national in the New Year. The range is affordable and available. Without price control. “Eish, there he goes again!”

This time of the year a lot of people do a lot of travelling – if you are planning a trip somewhere, please read the following:
Just four hours of travel in a plane, train or car can triple your risk of potentially deadly blood clots in the legs. It is called deep vein thrombosis (DVT). The risk of DVT increases along with journey length. Those at greatest risk were people who travelled for more than 12 hours, people with certain kinds of inherited blood conditions, women taking oral contraceptives, and people taller than 2 meters, who are most affected by lack of leg room.
A traveller's risk of DVT can be reduced by moving the feet, walking around if possible, and drinking water or non-alcoholic beverages in order to prevent dehydration.

Lastly, I have seen some gripping evidence that one must control your weight but the following was too good to ignore. Only in America will they conduct research like this! Have a nice snigger: Losing weight can help you save money at the petrol pumps. That's the message from new research that found Americans' expanding waistlines are affecting fuel consumption and causing them to burn 4.3 billion more litres of fuel a year than they did in 1960. Based on recent average petrol prices, that means that Americans are spending about $2.2 billion (R15.6 billion) more a year to lug their extra kilograms around in their cars, the Associated Press reported. And the researchers noted that 4.3 billion litres is enough to fill almost 2 million cars with petrol for an entire year. – www.news24.com

That’s it for this month, have a wonderful summer, keep safe.
Pieter & Renette Naudé (and one of the kids currently visiting)

Cholesterol - drug free??

2006-11-20T05:39:00.000+02:00

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Dog food secrets revealed

2006-11-20T05:17:00.000+02:00

"Give me ONE day and I'll give you
the happiest dog in town!"

Discover in One Day the amazing recipes that took John Miller 50 years to develop.

Your veterinarian will be asking you for your secrets.

50 years ago, a young dog-fancier, John Miller wanted to improve his dogs growth. After analysing commercial dog food formulas, he found they were all loaded with unhealthy chemicals.

John developed a better recipe himself and tried it on his own dogs... using healthier ingredients...

Click on:
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Health Warning! Ladies Take Note!

2006-11-06T10:21:00.000+02:00

Serious Health Hazard:

Somebody kindly sent me this information and I felt it is so important that I adapted it somewhat and included in this letter for your attention. I cannot give credit to the original author because I do not know him/her but offer my thanks to that person for bringing this to everybody's attention.

HANDBAGS:

I never gave it a thought. Who would have thought?

Does anybody know how many women sit their handbags on public toilet floors - then go directly to their dining tables and set it on the table? Happens a lot!

It's not always the 'restaurant food' that causes stomach distress. Sometimes "what you don't know 'will' hurt you"!

Read on...

It's something just about every woman carries with them. While we may know what's inside our handbags, do you have any idea what's on the outside? You may think twice about where you put your handbag.

Women carry handbags everywhere; from the office to public toilets to the floor of the car. Most women won't be caught without their handbags, but did you ever stop to think about where your handbag goes during the day?

"I drive a school bus, so my handbag has been on the floor of the bus a lot," says one woman. "I put my bag on the floor of my car, and in toilets."

"I put my handbag in grocery shopping carts, on the floor of the toilet while changing a nappy," says another woman "and of course in my home which should be clean."

Most women told us they didn't stop to think about what was on the bottom of their handbag. Most said at home they usually set their handbags on top of kitchen tables and counters where food is prepared.

Most of the ladies we talked to told us they wouldn't be surprised if their handbags were at least a little bit dirty. It turns out handbags are so surprisingly dirty, even the microbiologist who tested them was shocked.

Microbiologists agreed that nearly all handbags tested were not only high in bacteria, but high in harmful kinds of bacteria. Pseudomonas can cause eye infections, staphylococcus aurous can cause serious skin infections, and salmonella and e-coli found on the handbags can be the cause of gastro-enteritis and could make people very sick.

In one sampling, four of five handbags tested positive for salmonella, and that's not the worst of it. There was fecal contamination on the handbags. Leather or vinyl handbags tended to be cleaner than cloth handbags, and lifestyle seemed to play a role.

People with kids tended to have dirtier handbags than those without, with one exception. The handbag of one single woman who frequented nightclubs had one of the worst contaminations of all. Some type of feces, or possibly vomit.

So the moral of this story - your handbag won't kill you, but it does have the potential to make you very sick if you keep it on places where you eat.

Use hooks to hang your handbag at home and in toilets, and don't put it on your desk, a restaurant table, or on your kitchen countertop.

Experts say you should think of your handbag the same way you would a pair of shoes. "If you think about putting a pair of shoes onto your countertops, that's the same thing you're doing when you put your handbag on the countertops" - your handbag has gone where individuals before you have sneezed, coughed, spat, urinated, emptied bowels, etc!

Do you really want to bring that home with you?

Newsletter October 2006

2006-10-26T09:35:00.000+02:00

Of birthdays, anniversaries, and salutations;

Quick rundown why everybody should send me money NOW: October is not my top money-saving month. So many days to remember, so many people that expects more than morsels to celebrate with anything ranging from chocolate-cake and tea, to merlot and brie.

We had in quick succession; 8^th - my sister’s birthday, 17^th - our anniversary (25 nogal!), 20^th - my brother-in-law’s birthday, 27^{th -} my wife Renette’s birthday (a bit more than 25 nogal!), 27^th - the pharmacy’s birthday (58 years of which we had the joy of the previous 9), and then the month will be over.

There is an old saying in Afrikaans: “Oktober, die mooiste, mooiste maand.” It seems to be quite true. It is indeed a beautiful month. Just look at who shares birthdays in October:

Sting, Mahatma Gandhi, Kate Winslet, Brit Ekland, Chevy Chase, Paul Simon, Cliff Richard, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Angela Lansbury, Evel Knievel (on the 17^th nogal), Alfred Nobel, and on the 27^th – John Cleese for humor, Theodore Roosevelt for insight and Captain James Cook for bravery.

The fact that I know most of these names so well gives my age away or says a lot about the days when we were still taught some sort of history.

Enough of the old: Now for some exciting current news:

Thank you. Now let’s move onto some interesting medical snippets picked up recently. (Courtesy of 24.com)

Fat may shield cancer

Fatty tissue may hinder the body's ability to destroy cells that can cause cancer, suggests a Rutgers University study.

It has long been known that overweight people are at increased risk of certain types of cancer, but scientists have been trying to understand the reasons why and whether losing weight can help reduce cancer risk or offer any benefits after a tumour has formed.

Based on their findings in mice, the Rutgers team suggested that fat cells may secrete substances that impair the programmed death of genetically damaged cells, which is one of the body's main defenses against cancer. If damaged cells survive, they can become cancerous.

Almonds could help you lose weight

A handful of almonds, a rich source of flavonoid antioxidants, vitamin E and magnesium, may enhance the feeling of fullness in people and aid weight management, suggests a new study.

Satiety has been called the 'Holy Grail of nutrition' and is seen as a key target in the battle against obesity, which is taking a heavy toll around the globe. More than 29% of South African men and 56% of South African women are currently classified as overweight or obese, according to the latest statistics by the Medical Research Council of South Africa. Foods marketed for satiety enhance feelings of fullness after eating, acting as a boost to a person's will power. People found their daily almond snack to be very filling, and so they naturally compensated in their caloric intake at other times of the day. In other words, almond consumption could displace other foods from the diet, leading to a more stable weight.

Cholesterol drugs help smokers

The millions of people who take cholesterol-lowering statin drugs may have another reason to cheer: These medications may also help boost the lung health of smokers and former smokers.

And a second study reported at the American College of Chest Physicians annual meeting in New Orleans found that these drugs - which include Lipitor, Prava, Simvastatin, and others - may also protect people with severely clogged carotid arteries, the main blood vessels to the brain.

Cell phones sabotaging sperm

Heavy cell phone use can harm a man's sperm count and quality, says a study by researchers in the United States and India.

They tracked 364 men being evaluated for infertility. The men were divided into three groups, based on their sperm count.

Among men whose sperm counts were within the normal range, those who used a cell phone for more than four hours a day produced an average of 66 million sperm a day, 23 percent less than men in the same group who never used cell phones.

(Moral of the story? Never make a date with your cell phone)

Some interesting facts about water

Only 1,1% of the water on earth is suitable for drinking.

Our bodies consist of 55 – 75% water.

Depression and fatigue are often symptoms of dehydration.

It is healthy to drink water with meals, as it aids the process of digestion.

The best way of getting rid of water retention is to drink a lot of water.

Water allows the body to metabolise fats more efficiently.

Good water intake prevents the skin from sagging.

Water is the main food the body needs.

The thirst reflex only appears when our bodies are already dehydrated.

Children dehydrate more quickly than adults do, and a survey revealed that 65% of schoolchildren drank too little water.

A 2% reduction of water levels in the body can lead to a 20% decrease in mental and physical performance.

Dehydration may induce contractions in pregnant women.

And now for a quick commercial: My own range called PeeCee:

Judging only from sales in our own shop, it is going to be a hit. The Bath Salts are flying, the Shaving Crème is quite popular, the Bath Oil is a winner and the Air & Fabric Spray is still our best seller! Soon we will have a Shower Gel and an After Sun Soothing Spray as well as our own branded Palm Oil Soap.

Please support us in the process of branding this range by buying the products. They are good, they are affordable, and they are proudly local!

One day you can brag to your friends that you were using these products when they were still unknown and made in a little pharmacy on the coast!

Have to love and leave you now, gotta shake up some more salts!

Greetings from around the Anniversary Cake,

Pieter and Renette Naudé

Nice reference about Newsletters

2006-10-13T08:53:00.000+02:00

Hi, Yes am getting newsletters – thanks a mill. Funny how you only get feedback about “wrong thing” but never “right things”.
Your newsletter is a “RIGHT THING” and much enjoyed especially good for a good belly laugh which is supposed to be good for the body – depends on how fat you are and how much “wobbles”. I “wobble” with glee every time I get your Newsletter.
Keep it up.

Thanks so much for your time and effort.

Marian & Phyllis Anderson

So look on the left of the page near the top and subscribe. Apart from the Newsletters, you will be able to get "early warning" messages about serious current health threats.
Easy to opt in and to opt out.
The same mail listing is used for PeeCee Manufacturing Chemist

Much to be gained!

These bathsalts are 2 die for!

2006-10-06T06:56:00.001+02:00

Bathsalts

Photo Here

All salts are made with either Sea Salt, Rock Salt, Magnesium Sulphate, Sodium Bicarbonate or a combination of those.
Oils used are true Essential Oils and other fragrances are water soluble perfumed oils.
The invigorating range of Bath Crystals comprises the following:

1. Lavender - the age old feeling of well-being when surrounded by the wonderful bushes of Lavandula angustifolia or commonly known as English Lavender is replicated in the essence of this bath crystal. It has a soothing and calming effect on the nerves, relieving tension, depression, panic, hysteria and nervous exhaustion in general and is effective for headaches, migraines and insomnia. Lavender relieves pain when used for rheumatism, arthritis, lumbago and muscular aches and pains.

2. Rose - apart from the amazing sensation of being in a bed of roses it also soothes and harmonizes the mind and helps with depression, anger, grief, fear, nervous tension and stress and at the same time addresses sexuality, self-nurturing, self esteem and dealing with emotional problems.

3. The Woods - ever been in a real Pine Forest? Not only the smells, the ambience, the soft light; it is a deeper awakening of the senses.
This bath salt contains Pine Oil combined with Frankincense to address a variety of upper respiratory tract conditions - the Frankincense clears the lungs and helps with shortness of breath, asthma, bronchitis, laryngitis, coughs and colds while the warming properties of Pine help with rheumatism, arthritis, gout, muscular aches and pains and it can stimulate circulation.
Got the sniffs or just feeling blocked up and locked out?
You know where to go and what to pick up.

4. Ocean Breeze - nothing extraordinary - just the breeze from the Indian Ocean trapped in an almost translucent light blue bath salt. Pour into your bath, close your eyes, listen to the waves, feel the day roll of your shoulders. A day at the beach without the sunburn, the sand and the wind.
And did I mention that the presentation of these salts are designed to blend with the best in bathrooms or spa areas. Real stunners if I may say so

Newsletter September 2006

2006-09-25T19:00:00.000+02:00

Second-hand suppositories and other less welcome issues...

...and let it never be said that this is not the way to open a community newsletter. It is miles (ok, meters in multiples of one thousand for the metric babies) better than any national newspaper on any day in recent months (years?).

Some day, hopefully sooner rather than later, I will experience a wondrous moment in time: I will find a newspaper front-page that is not bleeding, gasping, dying or already beyond rigor mortis.

I will grab said hypothetical newspaper in both hands and publicly rejoice. I will inform everyone within reach, in no uncertain terms, that this particular newspaper caries GOOD NEWS!

Then I will go clean myself and my immediate area, pick up the phone and call the editor.

Then I will probably wake up and realise that is was all just a figment of my imagination. A dream. There just seem to be no good news from any paper these days, and especially not from our local TV stations and in particular, nothing from the politically biased, openly vindictive guy on SABC’s Morning Live!

At least I have some good news today: “There is no such thing as a second-hand suppository”.

Yes, one can maybe share some medicine (never a good idea) but some are better if used once and never again - least of all by the neighbours.

Before I get emotionally carried away again, let us drop the (sorry) issue of SA Today. (Maybe I must start a newsletter on the Internet called SA Today. Anybody interested?)

While on the subject of the Internet, and immediately I’m trespassing on one of my Newsletter rules not to advertise via this medium, please go look at the following web-sites if you can:

http://www.peecee.typepad.com

http://uvongopharm.blogspot.com

and soon http://www.peecee.co.za

The first one gives you some information about the new PeeCee Bathroom range which we are now manufacturing, the second one has been around for a long time and contains the newsletters, some medical info, a facility where you can subscribe to my mailing list and then the last one will soon be the official commercial web site for PeeCee Manufacturing Chemist. We are going to take our product range into a much wider market area and the web is just the beginning.

As they say in the classics, ‘watch this space’.

So, in keeping with the classical format of previous newsletters, what else will be deemed less welcome (according to the opening header)? I should complete the statement somewhere.

I do not know; you tell me? What else is less welcome in our (your) life? We have already determined that certain dosage forms are less welcome if slightly pre-used (wonderful phrase emulating from the second-hand car industry). Also, certain personal items like reading glasses are less welcome if pre-read (phrase courtesy of the second-hand book store).

So what do we do with the stuff in our lives that are less welcome?

Maybe one must do the ‘cleansing thing’? Make your list of all that is not welcome anymore and then ruthlessly weed them out. If, on the other hand your list contains the names of your neighbour or your pharmacist, rather just opt to ignore them; no weeding please.

I am of cause referring to inanimate objects of irritation (IOI) – (try saying that acronym without your teeth might cause permanent paralysis of the cheek muscles).

Here is what we need to do: Brave the attic, storm the garage, enter the Wendy House with courage, pull open those long-forgotten drawers in the spare room, wherever you need to go, make your list. Divert stuff to junk. (Sounds very computer-like doesn’t it?) Yes, if you haven’t used it in five years, forgotten all about it, hated it from the beginning; divert to junk!

At this point I might want to quote some wise person from somewhere saying something like “Junk is something you desperately needs two weeks after you threw it away”.

Now, if this person was correct, his little piece of wisdom would have made him famous and as such he or she would not be referred to as ‘some person’, now would it? So, assumption, this person was wrong. Which means divert it to junk.

So once your list is complete, take said items to the waste disposal, or donate it to somebody who might need it, or sell it on E-Bay or at the local Ctenocephalides canis markis or commonly known as the Flea Market. Point is, get rid of it. Make space in your home. Make space in your life. Part with the old and redundant. In a sense, it is sort of a re-birth.

Go back often to that empty area you created in your garden shed, enjoy the space, and ponder a moment on the purpose of life which is to renew, to grow. To go forward boldly even though we always need the past to teach us and guide us in the right direction. Take your own body for instance; all the cells are replaced all the time regardless of your age. They are replaced (represents re-birth) according to the message and code in your genes (represents the past) to form new cells and in the process old cells die and the body gets rid of it (divert to junk).

Lesson over.

What is achieved with this whole exercise apart from keeping you away from the doom and gloom of the newspapers?

Just think of it as some sort of cleansing. Make way for something new. Detox your life. Feel refreshed and free. It works. Trust me.

In conclusion, please do not give the stuff to me, do not dump in illegal areas, do not offer to pay any accounts with old wristwatches or refurbished dentures from the pre-war era, do not accidentally get rid of any golf clubs, bicycles, magazines, fishing gear, stuffed animals without the explicit permission of the owner of said articles of household disagreement.

That being said and all, let us be joyous; Spring has sprung. Question is just, where?

To the Free State Cheetas: “Why?”

To the rest of the world, greetings from the attic,

Pieter & Renette Naudé

Newsletter August 2006

2006-08-30T10:34:00.000+02:00

Why, oh why, oh why…?
The front page of the Fever newspaper dated 25 August 2006 ran a full page article headed: “Another cold-blooded killing”. It told the horrible story of the senseless shooting and subsequent killing of our very popular Beeld newspaper Distribution Agent, Schalk Visser. He was statistic number X on the now fast becoming notorious, N2 toll road, earlier this week.
I do not need to and definitely do not want to repeat any details here, but I can vouch that Schalk, as an agent, as a patient of ours, and as a human being, will be seriously missed. Not only did he deliver my newspaper personally every morning; come sickness or inclement weather, he also had a little special greeting or short piece of wisdom to share ever so often. Schalk, God bless, and to Kotie, may His peace and love guide and embrace you and your family in these troubled times.

Which brings me to exactly the point in question; these troubled times. What is being done to ease the pain of our nation and country going to the dogs and rushing back towards the Middle Ages? I thought the new generation all firmly believed in the exponential expansion of the universe which dictates that after the initial “Big Bang” explosion everything is supposed to be moving away from the initial point of density, (including – and especially; Time), but no, in our beloved country (pun intended) we seem to be heading forward towards the past.
Not only are we reminded relentlessly of our immediate past and the supposed atrocities of said era, we are also accelerating at more than a dizzy rate back to the barbaric middle ages and even before that.
The Five W’s:
Who is going to stop this landslide into the abyss?
What is needed to bring back the future?
When is the pendulum going to reach the apex?
Why are we expected to absorb all this mayhem?
Where is the point of no return?

Dear reader, normally my newsletters are marked by, (and from what I’ve been told,) quite popular, because of some degree of humour expressed, but this month I cannot comprehend the funny side of anything. I am sorry, in these times of sorrow, of violence, of fear, of hate, a little one-page newsletter by some weird guy trying to be funny might not seem significant to most, but I normally treasure the opportunity to make just a few people smile while reading my strange mind, printed in a letter. This time, however, I doubt. I am too upset to entice even a smirk!

Last point on this issue: Think long and hard about the five W’s. Someone will have to stand up and answer these sooner than later.

Now on a different note:
During all those lonely hours in the bicycle saddle one eventually starts to notice a lot of things normally missed by people rushing past in their motorised vehicles. Not that there is anything wrong with the last mentioned method of perambulation! In fact, we all love our car or truck or bakkie or buggy or whatever blows your hair back. If you have enough hair to be blown back, that is.
Anyway, getting back to whatever point I’m trying to make, mechanical powered means of transport and human powered means of transport are not really compatible on the road and more often than not, the human powered one turns out to be the bottom feeder in the traffic food-chain.
This was vividly emphasised recently when another cyclist was killed by a speeding motorist in Durban. This sparked a massive outcry and eventual mass protest ride (or memorial ride as it was labelled) where, according to reports, more than two thousand cyclists took part. The reason was to get the message to the top of the food-chain that us pedal-powered travellers need more safety, consideration and respect from fellow road users as well as from the authorities.
Fat chance!
They do not care! They do not believe that we need to even exist. All they are concerned about is the next ridiculous salary cheque, the best way to scrape the last morsels from the travel allowance, the most mileage from the expense accounts, the most opportune moment to fall asleep during Parliamentary sessions without being caught on camera on channel 58.

They do not care about cyclist being killed by mad motorists at five in the morning, they do not care about a family-man getting gunned down on a busy main road during bright daylight, they do not care about the old farmer having the soles of his feet removed with a pocket knife after being held in boiling water in order to exhume information from him, they do not care if a little five year old girl is raped because some barbaric tribesman unearthed the wisdom that the despicable act will cleanse the perpetrator from the African Flu (which our dear minister of health fortunately believes can be cured by just eating Beetroot!). They do not care. Yes, I know I’m on thin ice. Yes, I know I’m being negative. Yes I know I’m ranting and raving.
Somebody has to do it.

Oh, yes, coming back to what we witness while out riding our bikes; a lot, I can give you my word. We see things and activities that would have gone unnoticed if in a car. I also believe that we sometimes see things we are not supposed to see or maybe people do not realise that we are out there and that we can actually see! Ranging from minor traffic offences to serious drunken driving by some serious members of society to people sneaking home from late night activities not normally smiled upon by society, people leaving houses (before first light ) where they are not personally responsible for the bond, and the list gets longer almost every time.
Maybe one day soon we can do a newsletter where I will be the roving (or be it cycling) observer, reporting ‘from the bike’ and revealing some lekker local corny news for all to share?!
Names and places will be changed to protect the writer.

That is all from the podium for this month. I do not apologise for my black mood. I do apologise for forcing it onto you. We should however not ignore the real state of affairs. The truth might dawn too late for tears.
Take care out there, be alert, be wise, and above all; be healthy.

Newsletter July 2006

2006-08-09T12:56:00.000+02:00

Twelve little newsletters since the rebirth in August last year: That is where we are now. Time is no-one’s fool indeed. For the newcomers, we started with edition 1 on the 24th of November 1997, one month after the day we took over the pharmacy.
For 5 years, without missing a single one, we produced sixty editions of the letter, doing the last one on October 27th, 2002; exactly 5 years to the day from the time we took over. It also was my wife Renette’s birthday (it pays to advertise as it is almost time for it again). On that day, a Sunday, I typed the last newsletter. Until August last year, that is. Thirty four lazy months! But we’re back.

So last month saw the story of little Flenters the dog. My heartfelt thanks go to everybody who phoned, or came in to enquire, or just passed a nice comment on his wellbeing. Quite a popular doggie!
Also, the tongue-in-cheek “genuine” sympathetic observations about the broken toe have been noted. Thanks. Really, thanks.
It has healed now, so let us please leave the history behind.

This coming weekend sees us off to the Imfolozi game reserve up North to do a mountain bike ride through Big 5 country in aid of conservation.
You do not have to be quicker than the lion; you just have to be quicker than a fellow cyclist. Easy. No broken tows or anything to fuel some patient’s sense of humour. We sincerely hope so.

Almost one third into this letter and I haven’t said much; just filling up the space, just killing time.
Time. That’s it. We will talk about time. Now, after the end of another spectacular Tour de France, I suddenly have so much time to myself. But what is time, and why does it not give more of itself, or wait for us, or stop occasionally?
Nobody knows why and nobody knows what time really is.
The American Heritage Dictionary defines time as "a nonspatial linear continuum in which events occur in an apparently irreversible succession."
The Oxford English Dictionary defines time as "the indefinite continued progress of existence and events in the past, present, and future, regarded as a whole."

What?
And I thought it was only the stuff that I never have enough of? The stuff that drags me back home after a long cycle session, the stuff that makes an evening with friends fly into history, the stuff that makes fun disappear and pain lasts for a seeming eternity.

How much time do we have? Time; for anything, not just for life itself? Do we know and do we appreciate the time lent to us for a given aspect of your life or a moment in your life?
We all know how relative time can be; ten minutes left in the game when your team needs to score 1 more point to win goes a lot quicker than ten minutes left of the sermon when your eyelids feel like two trapdoors.
We are brought up to wish time away. From childhood, in fact, especially during our earlier (for some, much earlier) days, we are forever looking forward to something, always wishing for the holidays to begin, hoping that the time will come to go to high school, later on it is a matter of cannot wait for little Johnny to start walking and talking. Of course, after some time we realize that we have a child with wings and the voice of an angel and that he never stops asking questions and never slows down to even a mild blur, then we tell him to sit still and shut up. (Or we wish the time away for him to go to school to give us a little bit of peace and quiet?)
Point is; how much time are we allowed in our lives? And why do we never stop and make time work for us, instead of being a slave of something like time; who eventually leaves you, literally, dead in its tracks?
“How”, you ask me? “Now”, is my answer.
Do it now. Stop your clock! You can’t stop the Greenwich Time, but you sure can stop your ‘own time’. You cannot make time or take away time, remember it is a linear continuum and it stops for no-one. The trick (and I’m absolutely NO expert), is to go with the time-scale and not try to jump ahead of the clock by rushing headlong into everything.
We rush and fuss, we torment and cry, we toil and boil, all in vain trying to beat the linear nature of time.

King Solomon (970-928 BC) wrote: "There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every event under heaven” … and we all know the rest of the famous verse. So much wisdom, just think about it; in today’s life where there is never enough time for everything, could this verse still be true?
I say “yes”. All we have to do is to make a list like Solomon did in the Bible. If you find that there are way too many things for the time allowed, you have a choice. Make time or cut the list in half. Yeah, by now it is evidently clear that only one of the two is possible. So?
I’m cutting my list. My new list will fit into the time allowed;
I will stop trying to stretch time to fit the list.
Wow, what time is it? OK. Just kidding.
Time for Staff news.

And now, it is time to go. Remember, cut the list. Also remember to get a Polio vaccination if travelling to Namibië or Botswana.
Greetings from the chronometer,
Pieter & Renette Naudé. (Count how many times the word Time appears in any article. Time is no-one’s fool, indeed.

Newsletter June 2006

2006-06-29T16:28:00.000+02:00

The Story of Flenters; a case of the underdog beating the odds…

But first; warm words of thanks to all the people who gave me their email addresses. Also, warm(ish) words of request to those people who bounced my first informative email not to block or bounce or reply with unkind words of praise unless they made sure that it is not perhaps any life saving information from the local pill-guy!
And then, lastly, to those wonderful people who wanted to know what “email” is, well, God Bless you; you are from an era where “going home” meant “if you want to say something to me, pack a basket, get on your horse, I’m in the house next to the Wattles on the South slope of Mount Ben Macdui. See you soon.” You, Sir / Madam, have no need for email; you must have the most wondrous memories! Bless you!

There are still many people out there who have not replied but I will be patient. Do not, if you fly into another country, pick up a dreaded disease, come back by ambulance and then blame us for not warning you when in fact it was done by email but you missed out because you were scared of spam mail, junk mail, the boogieman, electronic warfare or whatever your personal phobia is all about. Point made.

Flenters a.k.a. Pondo alias Lotto also under the nom de plume of Stinky, the story, in one part, told first hand (or is that toe?)
It was early one chilly Thursday morning in June, in the year of our Lord 2006, when a group of valiant young men, (of which I was one - noticed the word young somewhere huh?), left the parking at a local resort, made famous by the millions lost there over the years by local people naively feeding hard-earned currency to noisy inanimate objects of sin! (“Ja Dominee, ek het hulle nou mooi gesê, hoor!”).
Having made such a lavish intro, let’s get back to the essence of the story; nine men and their cycling machines (sounds like a movie the older folks might remember – but cannot email us if they do remember) set off from the beach at the Wild Coast Sun on a 3- day mountain bike trek to Port St Johns.

It was not quite light enough but eager to get away we started a long peddle down the absolutely pristine beach south of the Hotel. For more than an hour we cycled below the high-water mark (yes, it was low tide madam, and no, we didn’t need snorkels). On the firm sand it was such a pleasure, especially when the sun came up behind us, casting long, strange looking shadows slightly to the right and in front of us. If you looked over your shoulder the other riders were sharply silhouetted against the serene backdrop of red and ochre. Not much was spoken. Everyone almost drowned in the beauty of the moment.

Then we did a river crossing, carrying the bikes above our heads, a toe made sudden contact with a submerged rock, a little bone snaps like a green twig, and one of the nine gets a sudden reduction in overall speed and agility. The next twenty hours over three days will be remembered for the Biology lesson: “How often the human body needs a little limb like the number 4 toe”. Vividly. Vocally. Repeatedly. Continuously. Ad nauseum!!

Ok, so it was not all fun and games, but, nobody will ever forget the eyes of Flenters when he became Pondo after winning a Lotto but before he became Stinky for a brief moment.
For the sake of the colonial descendants (“Dis die Ingelse Dominee”), the word Flenters is Afrikaans for something that is torn, shredded, in rags, smithereens etc etc.

So here follows the story of Flenters:
At the end of day 1 of this epic trek along the coastline (and it was more mountaineering and carrying the bike than cycling in the end), we came to Port Grosvenor where we spent our first night in a cottage.
Jan and Natalie, our backup team, caterers, and support, were getting the cottage sorted out and unpacking the food from the support vehicle (yes Sir, it was a Landy). The local African families looking after the cottages on a daily basis were very kind and helpful and they were accompanied by their trusted canine friends. The typical rural, skinny, long legged and short haired dogs so well known to us all were placidly mingling with the crowd.
Note: This breed has recently made name overseas as a very resilient type of dog, immune against most known canine diseases, the dogs are extremely loyal and very lovable (given the right treatment and affection of course). It is now known as Canus Africanus and fetches huge prices in England! Or, typical George Bush style marketing:” Canus africanus: the basenji. (barkless hunting dog: forerunners of breeds such as the pharaoh hounds).
Anyway, rounding a corner of the cottage, carrying my kit, limping severely, (yes it was my toe), feeling so sorry for myself, I looked upon two small brown pools of hope! They were eyes and the eyes belonged to a little Aficanus puppy, barely a few months old. There he was looking up at me, almost fearless, with lots of hope, wagging little tail kicking up a puff of dust. “Waar kom jy nou vandaan Flenters?” I exclaimed. He was in a sad state. The expression ‘skin and bones’ suddenly took on a whole new meaning. His little body was covered by patchy dry hair. His ears were hanging. He had numerous little sores and scratches over his entire body. He was totally malnourished and neglected. But his eyes were wide awake, full of life, eager. A real feisty little fellow!

And so it came to pass that ten men and a lady simultaneous experienced the sudden desire to feed the little doggie. And well-fed he became. Within hours he had a firm and rounded middle where previously there were only ribs and ticks. He was now one of the boys. He wanted to show his utter gratitude by running from one person to the next but he suddenly had a spot of difficulty negotiating the corners. He was probably feeling a bit top-heavy with all that cheese (“Camembert nogal, Dominee”) and other food stuffed inside over the previous hour. Eventually he succumbed and fell asleep between somebody’s feet next to the fire.

So when did Flenters become Pondo by winning a lotto?
A little before sunset three of us walked down (sorry, two walked down and one dragged along biting his tongue) to the beach to look at the sunset behind the hill inland from the village. Suddenly he was there: Flenters; with us, emanating a strong sense of belonging, head held high, ears halfway up already. Suddenly, a movement on the beach about 500 meters away; members of a local African family returning home after a day fishing on some remote beach. Flenters made a guttural little noise and set off into the sunset. “He’s gone now”, Eddie said. Barely were those words out when Flenters changed speed and started to produce what he thought was a fearsome growl. “He’s turned on his own people” Dix cried out and we doubled over laughing. Flenters only stormed away a mere twenty yards before he returned, ears now in the full-up position, carrying his new-found belly two inches higher off ground level. In fact, he was floating two inches above all previous levels. He was now one of us! He became the dog called Pondo, now living on the lovely Coffee farm called Beaver Creek just outside Port Edward with Eddie, his son Robbie and the family. Never again will he be Flenters again, never again will he go hungry again; he won a big lotto on that weekend in June of 2006.
In conclusion, he was legitimately bought from the family in Grosvenor for real money and it was indeed a rare occasion where a business transaction came out beneficial for three parties; the African family, Eddie and obviously for Pondo.

I went to see him on the farm last weekend, taking my daughter Lizé and wife Renette for breakfast (on Father's Day!) at Beaver Creek’s coffee shop and he is something to see!
Go there for a premium coffee and a scrumptious meal one day soon and you will see Pondo, the African dog that won more than a lotto.

Oh yes, and Stinky?
You take a puppy from one meal a week to three meals a day and some intestinal process will erupt fifteen minutes into a two hour ride in a real taxi with nine real tired guys with a real driver that were really upset about Pondo’s lack of potty training!

Greetings folks, be kind to your muti-man, he is slower than normal! Thank you for giving us your time,

Pieter & Renette Naudé.

And now for something completely different....

2006-06-13T14:47:00.000+02:00

Household odors getting your nose in a knot?
Towels smelling like yesterday's socks?
Curtains with the whiff of dead rat?
Tablecloth speaking to you from a deep curry grave?

We manufacture a range of sprays designed to satisfy the most discerning olfactory senses.

No CFC's, no colorants, no artificial fragrance.

Spray the smells away with PeeCee Air Freshener and Fabric Spray.

Available in 250ml pump action transparent plastic bottles.

Magnesium (3)

2006-05-23T21:16:00.000+02:00

Intake and deficiency of Magnesium

Magnesium is second only to potassium among those who failed to meet the intake targets in a UK survey. More women than men failed to reach their target and the younger age groups were worst affected.
The low average intake of Magnesium is often reflected in the low proportion of magnesium from cereals. In a well-balanced diet, the wholegrain food group should provide at least half the magnesium intake. Magnesium intake would be improved several fold by simply replacing refined cereal products with wholegrain equivalents.

Other factors can lower magnesium status, including malabsorption, kidney problems, endocrine disorders and alcoholism.

Magnesium absorption can also be jeopardised when calcium intake is very high: for maximal absorption of both minerals, the Ca:Mg ratio in the diet should be 2:1. Ideally, therefore, magnesium should be included in calcium supplements for bone health. Interesting though is that from the Carbohydrate food group ("sugary products”), which include jams, confectionery and soft drinks; beer (!) is the main contributor of magnesium in this category because yeast contains high amounts of magnesium.

The effects of mild magnesium deficiency include a variety of signs and symptoms affecting the neurological and neuromuscular systems. These include muscle cramps or twitches, palpitations and restless legs. More seriously, magnesium deficiency may cause or exacerbate cardiovascular disease (heart disease), especially arrhythmias (irregular heartbeats).

The assessment of magnesium status proves to be problematic. Although commonly used, serum magnesium concentration is inadequate. Red blood cell magnesium, although a better measure as it reflects the intracellular nature of the mineral, is still not universally accepted. The best method is a classic research technique: recovery of magnesium from 24- hour urinary magnesium excretion following a known load of magnesium administered parenterally, compared with a baseline 24-hour urinary magnesium. In other words, give the subject a known amount of magnesium and collect urine over a 24 hour period. Compare the excretion of magnesium with the excretion over a similar period without taking the extra amount of magnesium. This should indicate how well magnesium is absorbed, utilised and excreted.

Tough tests to do. The best to do is to ensure adequate intake through the natural dietary process. Eat healthy.
More on that in the next (nr 4) session on Magic Magnesium . . . .

find-a-buy

2006-05-16T22:08:00.000+02:00

Fresh from the printers: A new Blog.
E-bay look out! Bid-or-buy beware!
He's on a roll.....

find-a-buy

Magnesium (2)

2006-05-13T14:26:00.000+02:00

Sources of Magnesium.
Good sources of magnesium in the diet are confined mainly to wholegrain cereals, nuts, beans
and seeds. Other very good sources of magnesium include leafy green vegetables, like spinach.
The effect of milling on the magnesium content of cereals can be seen by comparing the content in a portion of brown rice with white rice or a slice of wholemeal bread with white bread.
Cereal refining was responsible for an estimated 50 per cent decline in magnesium intake in the 20th century.
For a table with the most common sources plus the contents of Magnesium in each, please email me.

Function of Magnesium
The body contains about 25g of magnesium: 50 per cent in bone, 27 per cent in muscle, 19 per cent in other soft tissues, and only 1 per cent in blood.
Magnesium functions in most systems of the body, including energy pathways, the replication of DNA and synthesis of RNA. Its role is intimately linked to that of calcium. Indeed, low blood magnesium enhances parathyroid hormone secretion, which promotes bone demineralisation.
At the cellular level, magnesium can act as a calcium channel blocker by inhibiting the calcium entry into the cell (where calcium regulates cell activity).
In the nervous system, magnesium acts at synapses (the gaps between nerve cells) as a depressant. Furthermore, the mineral can inhibit the release of adrenalin, high levels of which increase urinary magnesium output, perpetuating a vicious cycle of deficiency.

Magnesium is excreted by the kidneys, and urinary output increases with increasing doses up to 2g daily. Higher intakes are unabsorbed and laxative – hence the traditional use of Epsom salts (magnesium sulphate) for constipation. Normally, the kidneys are excellent at regulating blood levels of magnesium and hence it is difficult to demonstrate low body magnesium status through plasma magnesium concentration in normal healthy people. This is especially so as equilibrium between the body tissues is slow – up to 100 days – so plasma magnesium values do not fully reflect total body status.
More to follow . . .

Magnesium

2006-05-11T16:11:00.000+02:00

In a multi-part series, I will highlight some issues regarding the mineral Magnesium, sometimes lacking in the modern diet and causing a lot of discomfort, especially if you're into serious training!

Magnesium is the fourth most common mineral in the body and second only to potassium inside
the cell. It acts as a co-factor in more than 300 enzyme pathways including energy metabolism and nucleic acid synthesis (DNA, RNA).
Its involvement is pervasive and includes bone structure, muscle contraction, nerve cell activity, heart muscle function, hormone receptor binding, blood clotting, calcium channel regulation, membrane electrolyte balance, neurotransmitter release and vasomotor tone. Its antagonism
to calcium has led to it being called “nature’s calcium channel blocker”.
Despite its importance, magnesium is the nutrient that is most lacking in the British diet,
apart from potassium. Magnesium deficiency is rarely life threatening, but it can reduce quality of life through a plethora of minor health complaints such as headaches, cramps, palpitations and muscle twitches.

More to follow.......

PeeCee Productions

2006-05-07T21:17:00.000+02:00

Go check this out: The guy might even look familiar!

PeeCee Productions: "Creating Marketing DVD's"

What I do and love doing is creating short marketing DVDs or SCDs for small businesses. A lot of small business owners are ripped off by big marketing guru's by creating rigid, pre-conceived crap.
A lot of sSll Business owners do not make use of in-house DVD marketing because they are scared, or do not know what or how to go about doing it, or they believe that it is beyond their financial reach.

Think again"

Go read more .... PeeCee Productions

Aromadough

2006-05-06T09:42:00.000+02:00

Now this is something to rant & rave about!
Aromatherapy Play Dough!
Found this delightful idea during our recent travels to the Cape
And the nice thing is, we are now selling these!

Aromadough:
"Need to de-stress or want to be energised?"

Aromadough could be just the tonic!
Aromadough's unique moisturising formula
(with beeswax, grapeseed oil and cocoa butter)
allows for a slow release of essential oils
for 'hands on' fun therapy!

For children we have a squeeze for
• Sneezes & wheezes
• Quiet play and sweet dreams
• Recovery and well-being

Think Fun, Fragrance & Freshness
and give aromadough as a gift
or keep a a handful at your fingertips
– at home, work or in the car.

Simply Squeeze and Release!"

Done a bit of travelling

2006-04-29T11:40:00.000+02:00

Middle Earth, Route 62, and other cheesy bits as we travelled through this beautiful country.
What else can I write about except our lovely holiday?
Why would I do that in the first place?
Answers; Firstly – definitely no report on the (sorry) state of our sport – I believe there is a new little family game being played in the living rooms over weekends, it is called Skip the shame and involves the challenge to see who can page through all the TV channels and spend the least amount of time in the channels where another South African team is (again) being beaten. Ouch.
Secondly, I need to pick a time to tell the people about my holiday when they are not thinking about holidays. That way I can get back at them for when they go away when we cannot; December, Easter, any other time….
This is my turn to get other people jealous and although I realize that most people have much more elaborate stories about their overseas travels, their boat trips, their space trips (Hi Mark), and we have only been down to the fairest Cape, it is how we got there that excites me and if this sounds boring, just skip to the bit right at the end where I beg for money and say goodbye.

Ever heard of places like Hobbiton, Middle Earth, Summerton, Gwala Gwala? Do some of these names sound like they come from Tolkien’s book Lord of the Rings? Then you’re right, and probably know that I’m talking about Hogsback, the Eastern Cape’s best kept secret high in the Amatola mountain range.
This mysterious hamlet on the top of the mountain is just a short drive away from King Williams Town on the R63 driving East. Just before a little town called Alice turn right and just follow the road, it snakes higher and higher into the mountains until you get the feeling that you must have missed it, there can not be a town somewhere higher up. When you get this feeling it is about another five kilo’s. Carry-on, the last bit is gravel but very good surface. The forest becomes darker and mistier as you get nearer and just when you expect a Hobbit or another character from the book around the next bend, the trees open up and there they are, the three Hogs of Hogsback; three similar shaped mountain peaks each resembling the rounded back of a Hog.
When you have taken your pictures and turn to your left you will see the first signs of this peaceful mountain retreat; a B&B sign! There are many of those and rightfully so, as more and more people discover the wonders of these wonderful places off the beaten track.
I promised Renette that I will show her a place with waterfalls, fairytale streams, mystical forests, swirling mists and all the other romantic catch-phrases I could dream up. She doesn’t like travelling by car very much so I had to make up by taking her to amazing areas and show her amazing sights. Well, I was as surprised as she was at the beauty and nuances of this little town with its enchanted butterflies, magical mushrooms and at the very top of the main (!) street a delightful little chapel called “St. Patrick’s on the Hill” which is always open! Yes, you can go there and have your quiet moment at any time; it is not locked up and behind sliding security gates with armed guards. In fact, nowhere in this town did I see a single guard of any sort.
The most amazing little moment happened on one of our drives through the outlying areas; we saw two small African girls about six years old next to the road, obviously wanting something from us. Renette gave them a packet of sweets (Wine Gums – but in our defence, that was all that we had in the car). She felt so sorry for these girls that she gave them each a couple of coins, maybe R5-00 each. They immediately dived into the sweets as we started to drive off and then the smaller of the two came running back to the car, waving a coin in her little hand, shouting “Sweets please”.
We just burst out laughing from the joy of this little encounter. She has no use for the money where she lives but she knows damn well that it can buy her more sweets! If only we had more sweets!
We only spent one night in this captivating town, in a place called King’s Lodge. Fantastic food, even better wine, amazing hosts, absolute peace.
I can write pages on what we saw and felt and experienced in Hogsback during only one day and one night but then it will become boring. Did I mention that they have, what is possibly one of the world’s largest labyrinths just outside the town on a resort called The Edge. This is literally on the edge of the mountain cliffs. This labyrinth is described as a ‘Chartres design, eleven-circuit with 700m of pathway’, so walking in and out again is 1.4km! If that doesn’t clear your mind of all the stress, nothing will.
Enough of that. Let’s travel on. Day two will be boring except for a few interesting shops in towns like Pearston, Aberdeen, Willowmore. We ended the drive via Meiring’s Poort – Renette’s first time- and then on to Prince Albert, our stop for the night. Real old-world pace, real Karroo hospitality, and a pharmacy in an old house with a real veranda or stoep where the pharmacist can spend some time with the patients over a cup of coffee while they watch the peak hour traffic – 5 cars, 2 tractors, 1 municipal truck. Opens at 9 and closes at 5. If the dispensary was big enough to accommodate another one person I would have made the lady a partnership offer! What a life!
Next day, Swartberg Pass! Not to be recommended if you travel with a low sedan motor vehicle with a trailer! Hair-raising at best but wow! What an experience. This pass built in the late eighteen hundreds by Mr Bain (son of the famous Bain from the even more famous Bain’s Kloof Pass outside Wellington) is still in very good condition and one cannot believe that it was built by an engineer without computer aided design systems, aerial photography, laser levelling systems etc. Just sheer brilliance and amazing talent with incredible patience! As I said, do it at least once in your life. With a Bakkie.
Where to next? Day 3, the famous Route 62 from Oudshoorn to Worcester and then on to Cape Town. Route 62 is a story on its own and I need writing space and a lot of time to tell it all. Suffice to say that we bought a lot of wine, tasted and obtained amazing mustards (might be stocking those soon – watch this space), spoiled ourselves with unique jams, olive spreads, one of the world’s best Port wines, we stopped for a refreshment at the famous Ronnie's Sex Shop pub and restaurant in the middle of nowhere (that is another story believe you me and it is nothing what the name suggests, just a bar on a farm next to a main road between Barrydale and Ladismith) Oh yes, Barrydale; should have been Fooddale, there are so many eating places in such a small town. Tourism is alive and well on Route 62! Lunch at Joubert-Tradouw cellars just outside town and the view of the Tradouw valley and the Langeberge with its cloud blanket complimented the Olive Ciabatta, cheese, salads, jams and cold meats.
At Ladismith we picked up some original Ladismither cheeses in various stages of maturation ranging from light yellow to very blue. This famous cheese factory did not produce for a long time but was re-opened some time ago and if cheese is your thing and if your medical aid has approved your cholesterol pills as chronic medication and if nothing else gets you on the R62, the Ladismither cheese will!

So ended day 3 of 14 with us arriving in Cape Town. Somewhere in-between those days was a little cycle race called the Argus where I raced against almost 38 000 other cyclists. I did not come first but I did win some of them, but the importance of the cycle tour was somehow overshadowed by the rest of our holiday. If I look back at the two weeks, the enormous amount of fun we had, the quality time we spent exploring new worlds, the uncanny volumes of food we gulped down, the laughter we shared, I just want to say “Vita Magna Est – Life is great”
And thank you to my wife Renette for sharing these wonderful moments with me and thank you to my staff who kept the wolf from the door and thank you to my patients for continued support.
Now please stop making impulsive plans to go on a cheese and olive shopping spree and rather sent us the money you would have spent. That way we can go again and come back and tell even better stories. Sort of your travel guide – I will travel and you will guide your money into the right pocket.

South Coast HEAT

2006-01-14T18:37:00.000+02:00

Anybody out there ever felt the humid heat on the South Coast of Kwazulu Natal in Jan, Feb, March? Just been out cycling and it is hot baby~! HOT!!!Into pool, through cold shower, perspiration still pouring.
Just another lovely day down South!We are here:

This is the little village of Uvongo where the business is located (just off the photo on the right hand side, 2 blocks away from the beach).
The area is well known because of the holiday town of Margate situated just south of Uvongo.

Champagne Castle

2006-01-04T15:40:00.000+02:00

Recently revisited an old favourite spot in the Drakensberg region of Kwazulu Natal, South Africa. Part of the Cathkin Park area, it is nature at it's best.
Did some mountain biking, hiking, lots of time with the family, good- no - excellent South African wine and a couple of braais (barbeques in other parts of the world.)
Restored the soul and refreshed the body.
One needs to go back ever so often to recharge the systems.
Love the 'Berg!

Juicy Fruiter

2006-01-04T15:32:00.000+02:00

Juicy Fruiter
Found this interesting blog - a guy that actually loves his job!
Go pay him a visit.

T'is me - I'm back

2006-01-03T21:29:00.000+02:00

Right here in your face. I was more or less absent from this piece of cyber real estate. Now, I'm back.
Watch this space!!
Novelists, cyclists, healthy people, sick people bla bla bla.
I will talk to ya soon, hear?

2005-06-21T15:55:00.000+02:00

Human Nutrition

Essential Nutrients

Nutrients are classified into five major groups: proteins, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins, and minerals. These groups comprise between 45 and 50 substances that scientists have established, mostly through experiments with animals, as essential for maintaining normal growth and health. Besides water and oxygen, they include about eight amino acids from proteins, four fat-soluble and ten water-soluble vitamins, about ten minerals, and three electrolytes.
Although carbohydrates are needed for the body's energy, they are not considered absolutely essential, because protein can be converted for this purpose.

Energy

The body uses energy to carry on vital activities and to maintain itself at a constant temperature. By using a calorimeter, scientists have been able to establish the energy amounts of the body's fuels—carbohydrates, fats, and protein. About 4 calories each are yielded by 1 g (0.035 oz) of pure carbohydrate and 1 gram of pure protein; 1 gram of pure fat yields about 9 calories.
Carbohydrates are the most abundant foods in the world, and fats are the most concentrated and easily stored fuel. If the body exhausts its available carbohydrates and fats, it can use proteins directly from the diet or break down its own protein tissue to make fuel. Alcohol is also a source of energy and yields 7 calories per gram.
Alcohol cannot be oxidized by the body cells but must be processed by the liver into fat, which is then stored by the liver or in the adipose tissue.

Functions of Nutrients

Proteins

The primary function of protein is to build body tissue and to synthesize enzymes, some hormones such as insulin that regulate communication among organs and cells, and other complex substances that govern body processes. Animal and plant proteins are not used in the form in which they are ingested but are broken down by digestive enzymes (proteases) into nitrogen-containing amino acids. Proteases disrupt the peptide bonds by which the ingested amino acids are linked, so that they can be absorbed through the intestine into the blood and recombined into the particular tissue needed.
Proteins are usually readily available from both animal and plant sources. Of the 20 amino acids that make up protein, eight are considered essential—that is, because the body cannot synthesize them, they must be supplied ready-made in foods. If these essential amino acids are not all present at the same time and in specific proportions, the other amino acids, in whole or in part, cannot be used for metabolizing human protein. Therefore, a diet containing these essential amino acids is very important for sustaining growth and health. When any of the essential amino acids is lacking, the remaining ones are converted into energy-yielding compounds, and their nitrogen is excreted. When an excess of protein is eaten, which is often the case in countries with heavy meat diets, the extra protein is similarly broken down into energy-yielding compounds.
Many illnesses and infections lead to an increased loss of nitrogen from the body. This needs to be replaced by a higher consumption of dietary protein. Infants and young children also require more protein per kilogram of body weight.

Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates provide a great part of the energy in most human diets. Foods rich in carbohydrates are usually the most abundant and cheapest, when compared with foods high in protein and fat content. Carbohydrates are burned during metabolism to produce energy, liberating carbon dioxide and water. Humans also get energy less efficiently from fats and proteins in the diet.
The two kinds of carbohydrates are starches, which are found mainly in grains, legumes, and tubers, and sugars, which are found in plants and fruits. Carbohydrates are used by the cells in the form of glucose, the body's main fuel. After absorption from the small intestine, glucose is processed in the liver, which stores some as glycogen, a starchlike substance, and passes the rest into the bloodstream. In combination with fatty acids, glucose forms triglycerides, fat compounds that can easily be broken down into combustible ketones. Glucose and triglycerides are carried by the bloodstream to the muscles and organs to be oxidized, and excess quantities are stored as fat in the adipose and other tissues, to be retrieved and burned at times of low carbohydrate intake.
The carbohydrates containing the most nutrients are the complex carbohydrates, such as unrefined grains, tubers, vegetables, and fruit, which also provide protein, vitamins, minerals, and fats. A less beneficial source is foods made from refined sugar, such as confectionery and soft drinks, which are high in calories but low in nutrients and fill the body with what nutritionists call empty calories and it will be stored as fat!

Fats

Although scarcer than carbohydrates, fats produce more than twice as much energy. Being a compact fuel, fat is efficiently stored in the body for later use when carbohydrates are in short supply. Animals obviously need stored fat to tide them over dry or cold seasons, as do humans during times of scarce food supply.

In industrial nations, however, with food always available and with machines replacing human labour, the accumulation of body fat has become a serious health concern.

Dietary fats are broken down into fatty acids that pass into the blood to form the body's own triglycerides. The fatty acids that contain as many hydrogen atoms as possible on the carbon chain are called saturated fatty acids and are derived mostly from animal sources. Unsaturated fatty acids are those that have some of the hydrogen atoms missing; this group includes monounsaturated fatty acids, which have a single pair of hydrogens missing, and polyunsaturated fatty acids, which have more than one pair missing. Polyunsaturated fats are found mostly in seed oils. Saturated fats in the bloodstream have been found to raise the level of cholesterol, and polyunsaturated fat tends to lower it. Saturated fats are generally solid at room temperature; polyunsaturated fats are liquid. ¹

Tour Durban Cycle Tour

2005-06-21T12:56:00.000+02:00

And so it came to pass that the Tour Durban was done in (almost) perfect weather. We were charged up and ready. And the results speak out . . . read more below.
Also read about my son Christiaan's first ever cycle race . . .
Results for: Pieter Naude in Mr Price Tour Durban (24/04/2005)
Gender: Male
Club: Amanzimtoti Cycling Club
Age: 47
Start Time (Official): 6:08:39
Distance: 96 Km
Category: Vets 45-49
Batch: SACF Licenced Men 40+
Finish Information:
Finish Time (Net): 2:48:27
Avg. Speed (min/km): 1:45
Avg. Speed (km/h): 34.20
Race Positions:
Category (Gross): 64 out of 280
Gender (Gross): 618 out of 2027
Over All (Gross): 641 out of 2413
Category (Net): 65 out of 280
Gender (Net): 623 out of 2027
Over All (Net): 646 out of 2413

. . . and my son Christiaan did his first race. Started training about 3 weeks ago, no prior experience, still shaky and unsure on the bike, many training hours short for such a distance, and he did . . . ta-da . . . wait for it . . . 3 hours 55 minutes!!!

Well done my son. You will keep me in training because otherwise I will get my behind kicked by junior!!

Been there done that . .

2005-04-03T17:46:00.000+02:00

We are back in town, in cyberspace and in your face. Done the Argus, got the T-shirt and spent 10 lovely days in the Cape.

Didn't fall, didn't get blown away, didn't get mechanical trouble or punctures,didn't spare myself and did a respectable 3 hours 23 minutes in winds of up to 40km/h! We had to actually pedal HARD DOWN Chapman's Peak into Houtbay! Unheard of! One should be screaming down there at over 70, not push like hell to get 30!?!

Nevertheless; good race, excellent organization, always an honour to particpate and finish, always a pleasure doing business with the S'Easter!

Spent time in Cape Town, spent some money in Cape Town. Some days wonder if the emphasis on international tourism is not killing the local holiday-maker's (financial) fun. Maybe it's just me? Maybe I lost track of prices . . .

Went to Stormsriver Mouth - SA National Parks Board - Tsitsikamma National Park. Fantastic. One word: Fantastic. Been there before but I was amazed and totally overwhelmed by the quality of the service, the friendliness, the neatness, the hospitality. Then we went to the on-site restaurant and that totally bowled me over; world-class cuisine at affordable prices - with a setting like that one can easily expect to pay through your neck but not here! Congratulations SANparks. You've done us proud. I am NOT getting paid to say this but every reader of this log should make a plan to go there. At least once. It is worth every penny and is food for the soul.

We will be back next year to do it all again. For the love of the sport, the love of the Cape province, for no reason other than just to be there.

Argus Cycle Tour

2005-03-08T21:33:00.000+02:00

As we will be traveling from Southern KZN to Cape Town for the annual Argus Cycle Tour there will be little if any postings here as I only have room for my beloved bicycle and not for my PC.
We are doing a little extended tour after Race Sunday and I cannot wait to show Renette what the Garden Route is all about. (Going to visit my brother Philip in Knysna).

Surely I also cannot wait to do some cycling in those lovely mountains!

All in all we will be back arround the 24th of March and I might just have a couple of things to report back on (I hope).

Wish me luck and if you are a fellow cyclist, "no chain!"

Greetings from the saddle,

Pieter

Runners / Cyclists / Walkers : Pay Attention!

2005-02-27T17:21:00.000+02:00

The risks of severe renal damage caused by endurance events

Although today’s ultra marathon runners and endurance cycling event participants are very well informed on issues such as training methodology, dietary requirements, hydration, footwear and all the vital do’s and don’ts that a variety of experts have experienced or researched, there are sports people who risk their very lives during endurance events such as the Comrades Ultra Marathon, the Argus cycling tour.
One can have all this information at hand and still end up with serious medical problems after the race.
Why?
Mainly because there are so many variables on race-day that might affect a healthy and well trained athlete such as temperature, humidity, the rate of wind movement across the body, the electrolyte balance in the body, individual susceptibility to various conditions etc.

The main problems related to kidney function during and after a race of this magnitude are:

Bloody urine (haematuria) after excercise

Acute Kidney Failure

Kidney stones

1. Bloody urine is quite common and is often due to repeated impact of the walls of the bladder against each other with subsequent bruising and bleeding. This causes bleeding in the bladder which is evident as the athlete passes urine after the race. This condition should clear within 72 hours as the wall of the bladder is repaired. This can effectively be prevented by trying not to empty the bladder completely just before and also during the race. The half-filled bladder is less likely to get as traumatised as a completely empty one. Although this is a self limiting condition, care must be taken and medical help should be obtained to exclude other, more serious reasons for haematuria. Bleeding in the bladder for periods longer than 48 to 72 hours must be considered as potentially serious and action must be taken.

2. Acute kidney failure is a serious condition and should be treated as such. Although not an uncommon complication of Heatstroke and Dehydration, in a lot of cases endurance athletes developed kidney failure without these predisposing conditions.
Reasons are unclear but seem to indicate that certain individuals might have a specific musculoskeletal defect that causes excessive breakdown of muscle tissues during prolonged exercise, with a resulting leakage of a substance called myoglobin into the blood circulation. This substance ultimately arrives in the kidneys and is filtered but acts as a toxin or poison to the kidneys, causing failure.
This is a variable that is unknown until it happens.
Other reasons for kidney failure on this basis of toxins being filtered are the use of anti-inflammatory drugs or pain killers before and during the race. Popular items are Indomethacin, Ibuprofen, Diclofenac, Aspirin, Naproxen. Athletes take these to prevent pain and reduce inflammation, thus shortening the recovery period. These agents are best left in the medicine cupboard and should not be taken as there is little evidence that they are effective for this application and the risks far outweigh the advantage.

What are the symptoms of acute kidney failure? The first and most obvious one is the inability to pass any significant urine during the first 24 hours after the race. This should immediately trigger the alarm bells and the athlete should seek immediate medical help – preferably a hospital with a renal care unit where dialysis can be, and probably will be performed. Missing this important first sign will cause the person to feel really ill after 36 to 48 hours with severe headaches and nausea. The headache is due to a steep rise in blood pressure as well as the increase in metabolic end-products not being removed from the system. At this stage the failure is well established and will need repeated renal dialysis until the kidneys recover.

Prevention:

Avoid heat stroke

Drink 100 -125ml fluid every 10 to 15 minutes as well as 400 to 500ml before the race.

Sponge frequently and adequately

Do not overestimate your ability, especially near the end of the race (60km and more)

Do not ignore warning signs (weakness, stumbling, headache, nausea, dizziness, apathy)

Abstain from taking anti-inflammatory drugs

Have a test done to determine the general condition of the kidneys well before the race.

Common urine dip tests can exclude kidney infection, certain metabolic disorders.

GFR test (Glomerular Filtration Rate) can determine the rate at which the kidneys filtrate and secrete metabolic waste. This test is available at some pharmacies and also at most pathology labs.

3. There is an abnormally high incidence, about five times normal, of kidney stones among male runners. It must be added that runners most likely to develop stones are those that have been running for the longest time, running the longest distances during training and who are the fastest runners.
Here the message is quite clear:
Always avoid dehydration.
Repeated dehydration can lead to the formation of kidney stones.
Drink optimal volumes of fluid during, but also immediately after the race, especially in hot and humid climates.

Brought to you by Uvongo Pharmacy where we are "Hooked on Health" and where fitness is a way of life.

We accept that sometimes, failing is inevitable.
Failing to try is not an option!

Prostate trouble

2005-02-25T16:56:00.000+02:00

Between us men: Prostate trouble?

If you can answer yes to one or more of the following questions, chances are that you are suffering from BPH (Benign Prostate Hypertrophy) or enlargement of the prostate in the absence of malignancy.

1. Abnormally low volume of urine voided each time?
2. Feeling that bladder is not completely empty after urination?
3. Dribbling after urination?
4. Have to get up often during the night to urinate?
5. Do you feel the urge to urinate within two hours after previous urination?
6. Any discomfort and / or urgency when you feel the need to pass water?
7. Is voiding done in “stages”?

Some “comforting” news: About 70% of men will suffer from these symptoms during the average lifetime. It is quite common in men over 45 years and sometimes even much earlier.

Prostate? What/why/where/how?

It is a gland within the male urogenital system with the function of secretion. It is controlled and developed by the male hormones, especially Testosterone. It secretes a substance that contributes to the formation of seminal fluid which enhances the mobility and fertility of spermatozoa. It also prevents this fluid from running into the bladder and redirects it towards the penis. Starting at (normally) the age 40, due to a decrease in Testosterone and a shift in the normal hormonal balance, (all part of the natural phenomenon associated with aging), the prostate becomes enlarged causing a narrowing of the urethra (tube which carries urine from the bladder to the outside). This is what causes difficult urination.

Prostate hypertrophy (enlargement) almost always starts off as a benign condition. It may unfortunately be a much more serious condition than anticipated. It is not something to ignore. The sooner you recognize and talk about this “natural” problem, the sooner you can get a proper diagnosis done by your doctor, hopefully eliminating the more serious forms and consequences of prostate hypertrophy. BPH presents itself in stages:
Early detection during phase I can still be treated and controlled without expensive medicine or surgery.
During phase II proper diagnosis is essential and prescription medicine might be prescribed.
Phase III is much more serious and ultimately might need surgical intervention by a specialist.

How do we avoid stage III?
Early detection and treatment is the answer.
Regular check-ups from the age of 40.
Never ignore the symptoms.
Accept the fact that it is a very real and common problem which can be diagnosed, treated and sometimes prevented.

Advice for a healthier prostate:
A healthy lifestyle, exercise, cutting back on alcohol & tobacco & coffee, low-fat high fibre diet, adequate intake of minerals and vitamins and yearly examinations all form a good base.
The Natural Remedies department at Uvongo Pharmacy strongly suggests the intake of a natural substance called Saw Palmetto, a herbal extract derived from the Serenoa repens plant. This herb, taken regularly can relieve the symptoms and halt the progress of prostate conditions during phase I. This in itself can prevent or delay treatment with harsh chemicals and/or surgical intervention.

Still scared or shy or ignorant? Then you did not read this with complete honesty and it is suggested that you read it again or phone us at 0393150040 to discuss your health and your safety.