BERWICK AREA HEART SUPPORT GROUP
JANUARY 2007 NEWSLETTER
Berwick Area Heart Support Group. Hon President P.D.DrHigham Affiliated to the British Heart Foundation
Next meeting January 10that the day Hospital, Berwick Infirmary from 7.00pm – 9.00pm Guest speaker Graeme Gillespie.
Graeme is a Clinical Psychologist, based at North Tyneside Hospital and having responsibility for patients in the Northumberland NHS area, give us a talk on some of the psychological problems associated with illness in general, and where applicable to heart matters.
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DR HIGHAM’S TALK
The Group’s pre-Christmas special proved to be just that.
Thanks to all who contributed the food and the refreshments.
Welcome to the new members and the many returning members.
Out turnout was well over 30 persons, and Dr Higham commented on the big audience.
Thanks again to recent members for bringing others from the Cardiac Rehab at the Swan Centre, and thanks to Dr Higham!
Dr Higham brought with him remarkable pictures from the new CT scan (Computer aided Tomography) that he has been working on at North Tyne and that is being installed at Wansbeck. A 10 second X ray scan collects enough information for more than an hour of later work by the specialist who explores on the computer what is effectively a ‘virtual world’ of the scanned heart and its surroundings. A quick look reveals much, but then the specialist must measure and interpret the relevant details. A single ‘virtual’ artery can be isolated, straightened and measured and the key details of the artery shape, particularly the wall, will provide information on the extent of disease. This is particularly important for diagnosing ‘chest pains’ and weighing up the value of treatments like stenting or bypass.
Dr Higham spent some time sharing his thoughts about these early days; his intensive study in Munich and the ‘learning curve’ for him and his team. Other teams use the CT scanner, and sometimes the lung specialist can see a calcified artery following a scan for carcinomas, or, vice-versa, the heart scan sees a carcinoma. One
grateful lady has already been saved this way. Much of his thinking is on integrating the new technology with existing methods and optimising the ‘horses for courses’. CT scans, for example, do not see ‘blood flow’ as well as echo sound, and the sound technique has an advantage in not
having any X ray risk. Dr Higham discussed the risk versus benefit of X rays. The CT scan has options for ‘low dose’ screening that could be applied in future for screening large numbers of people. There is good reason for not introducing unnecessary risk for what prove to be healthy persons. Even in its current use, risk from CT is very low compared with abdominal X ray; perhaps a cancer risk of one in a million. A key use for low-dose CT scans is to pick out calcification of arteries. This is where the artery wall starts to become ‘bony’, eventually leading to the classic hardened artery. CT picks this up brilliantly – bright segments along the artery wall. A ‘calcium score’ is better at predicting the progress of disease and the likelihood of any event than a blood test, and focuses attention on the provision of treatment for these individuals.
It seems that we are looking at a new era in understanding artery and heart disease, and importantly at information that will be specific to the individual patient.
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[Phil adds that after the meeting a member of the group, who undergoes treatment for osteoporosis that involves taking a lot of calcium, raised the matter of whether this might affect the arteries. This can be discussed with the Osteoporosis Clinic, but apparently there is what the medics refer to as a ‘calcium paradox’. Calcium is more likely to be depositing in the artery wall at the same time as it is reducing in the bone – these processes seem to be two sides of the same coin. Treatment for one using supplemented calcium or vitamins D and K, could perhaps benefit the other?]
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AVOID PASSIVE SMOKING & HELP THOSE NEAR TO US TO STOP
We know now that passive smoking is particularly dangerous for heart patients. To help those close to us to change, the following could be helpful.
Just 20 minutes after you have smoked a cigarette, your body begins an ongoing series of beneficial changes:
20 minutes: Blood pressure drops to normal. Pulse rate drops to normal. Temperature of hands and feet increases to normal.
8 hours: Carbon monoxide level drops to normal. Oxygen level in blood increases to normal.
24 hours: Chance of heart attack decreases.
48 hours: Nerve endings start re-growing. Ability to smell and taste is enhanced. Walking becomes easier.
72 hours: Bronchial tubes relax, making breathing easier. Lung capacity increases.
2 weeks to 3 months: Circulation improves. Walking becomes easier. Lung function increases up to 30 percent.
1 to 9 months: Coughing, sinus congestion, fatigue, and shortness of breath decrease. Cilia re-grow in lungs, increasing ability to handle mucus, clean the lungs, and reduce infection.
1 year: Risk of coronary heart disease is half that of a smoker.
5 years: Lung cancer death rate for the average ex-smoker (one pack a day) decreases from 137 per 100,000 people to 72 per 100,000.
10 years: Lung cancer death rate for the average ex-smoker drops to 12 deaths per 100,000, which is almost the rate of nonsmokers. Pre-cancerous cells are replaced. Other concerns, such as cancers of the mouth, larynx, esophagus, bladder, kidney and pancreas, decrease. (There are 30 chemicals in tobacco smoke that cause cancer.)
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Wally’s Yarn
CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL THE KIDS WHO WERE BORN IN THE1930's 40's, 50's, 60's and 70's !!
First, we survived being born to mothers who smoked and/or drank while they carried us.
They took aspirin, ate blue cheese dressing, tuna from a can, and didn't get tested for diabetes.
Then after that trauma, our baby cribs were covered with bright coloured lead-based paints.
We had no childproof lids on medicine bottles, doors or cabinets and when we rode our bikes, we had no helmets, not to mention, the risks we took hitchhiking.
As children, we would ride in cars with no seat belts or air bags.
Riding in the back of a pick up on a warm day was always a special treat.
We drank water from the garden hose and NOT from a bottle.
We shared one soft drink with four friends, from one bottle and NO ONE actually died from this.
We ate cupcakes, white bread and real butter and drank soda pop with sugar in it, but we weren't overweight because......
WE WERE ALWAYS OUTSIDE PLAYING!!
We would leave home in the morning and play all day, as long as we were back when the streetlights came on.
No one was able to reach us all day. And we were O.K.
We would spend hours building our go-carts out of scraps and then ride down the hill, only to find out we forgot the brakes. After running into the bushes a few times, we learned to solve the problem .
We did not have Playstations, Nintendo's, X-boxes, no video games at all, no 99 channels on cable, no video tape movies, no surround sound, no cell phones, no personal computers, no Internet or Internet chat rooms..........WE HAD FRIENDS and we went outside and found them!
We fell out of trees, got cut, broke bones and teeth and there were no Lawsuits from these accidents .
We ate worms and mud pies made from dirt, and the worms did not live in us forever.
We were given BB guns for our 10th birthdays,
Made up games with sticks and tennis balls and although we were told it would happen, we did not put out very many eyes.
We rode bikes or walked to a friend's house and knocked on the door or rang the bell, or just yelled for them!
Schools had trials and not everyone made the team. Those who didn't had to learn to deal with disappointment. Imagine that!!
The idea of a parent bailing us out if we broke the law was unheard of.
They actually sided with the law!
This generation has produced some of the best risk-takers, problem solvers and inventors ever!
The past 50 years have been an explosion of innovation and new ideas.
We had freedom, failure, success and responsibility, and we learned
HOW TO DEAL WITH IT ALL!
And YOU are one of them!
CONGRATULATIONS!
You might want to share this with others who have had the luck to grow up as kids, before the lawyers and the government regulated our lives for our own good.
And while you are at it, forward it to your kids so they will know how brave their parents were.
Kind of makes you want to run through the house with scissors, doesn't it?!
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RECIPE OF THE MONTH
Lemon Baked Haddock
450g (1lb) Haddock
4 tsp Lemon Juice
1 tbsp Butter or Margarine
1 tsp Lemon Rind
1/8 tsp Salt
1/8 tsp Rosemary
Salt & Black Pepper
Preheat oven to 180°C: 350°F: Gas 4.
Divide fish into 4 portions.
Place on in a baking pan.
Mix butter or margarine, lemon juice, grated lemon rind, rosemary, salt, and pepper.
Pour over fish.
Bake for 25 minutes or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork
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Berwick area heart support group
February 2007 newsletter
Next meeting February 7th at the day Hospital, Berwick Infirmary from 7.00pm – 9.00pm Guest speaker Dr Mike Lavender is Director of Public Health with the NHS Northumberland Care Trust, and is based at Morpeth. One of his big interests is smoking cessation. That is, he wants to persuade all of us, collectively and individually, to stop smoking for our own health and for the sake of others. You can learn at his talk just how important that is for heart disease and other arterial problems. Health promotion generally and an overall reduction in risks to health must be of interest when we know that the vast majority of our serious illness and disability in middle age could be prevented, if we started early enough. Prospects for a disability-free old age could be much improved as well! Interestingly, also, occurrence of different health problems varies very considerably across both the County and the Borough. Mike Lavender gave a well-attended talk to our Group a while ago and it is great to welcome him back. The Group welcomes anybody interested in health promotion who wants to attend.
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January Meeting Report
At our meeting on the 10th January Dr. Graeme Gillespie, a Clinical Psychologist, based at North Tyneside Hospital, and having responsibility for patients in the Northumberland NHS area, gave us a talk, and some good advice on some of the psychological problems associated with heart problems
Dr. Gillespie made a change his talk on this occasion and whilst it made it easier and more entertaining to listen to, to write it all out would take a good few sheets of paper, as much of it was contained on slides.
He commenced his talk by asking, “Heart problems; where’s the need for psychology?” Basically heart problems are ‘plumbing problems’, which a Cardiologist deals with, right? He reminded us, that Angina is a narrowing of the blood vessels, usually by a build up of plaque, (containing Cholesterol) in the vessels, which supply the heart muscles, so that when the heart has to work harder for any reason and the blood vessels cannot supply sufficient oxygen we get a pain. A heart attack is when that same plaque on the artery walls erupts or leaks, causing a clot that blocks the blood vessel causing oxygen starvation in the heart muscle supplied by those vessels.
By its very nature heart problems bring big changes to our lifestyle, and doubt for the future. This can include, not working, unable to return to previous job, reduction in income, restricting activities, loss of confidence and frustration. All magnified because of medical investigations, treatments, assessments, travelling and waiting times, with thoughts of possible operation, and doubts about the vulnerability of your heart.
All this can be the starting point for many of the psychological problems associated with heart problems. Dr. Gillespie said he treated people with heart problems, not people with problem hearts. As a result of heart problems each of the following interact with each other.
Social Context in the middle includes the effect on family and partners, because it’s not just ourselves that our heart problem concerns.
All this combines to produce STRESS, that merry-go-round, that just seems to go faster and faster.
To help understand stress, we have to remember that our bodies were designed 1000s of years ago, when our ancestors lived in caves, (When according to cartoonists, sexual foreplay consisted of a bump over the head with a club, and then being dragged by the hair to the nearest cave)
Stress starts as some form of threat, in reply to which our bodies release a hormone called adrenaline. This gives our bodies an immediate boost of power or energy. Threats to our early ancestor usually came in the form of another predatory animal, which would like to eat him, and the boost of energy was to give him the strength to either run away or to stay and fight, and possibly have the predator for his tea instead. It is called the fight or flight syndrome, but when the danger was past, our caveman could relax, and contemplate his actions.
Today we get stressed for different reasons, (all the dinosaurs and sabre tooth tigers have gone), but when we do, the same changes occur in our bodies, just as the caveman. We breathe harder, to give the muscles more oxygen. (If we breathe too heavy, we breathe in more oxygen than we breathe out, and we hyperventilate). Our heart beats harder, to get the oxygen in the blood to the big muscles. Our muscles tense up, because of all the extra blood, ready for this sudden burst of power. We begin to sweat,(ladies perspire elegantly) this is to cool our bodies, and our blood. Eyes focus more intently, and because all this extra blood is needed in the big muscles, the lesser ones become depleted and we get this feeling of ‘butterflies in the stomach’. Do you recognise these feelings?
These are some of the major changes to our body, but meantime the brain is also in overdrive, thinking of the best moves to solve the problem.
Our cave man only had to decide whether to run or fight, and even if he chose to fight and things got too much, he could maybe still angle an escape.
Our problems are not so black and white, regardless of what decision we make it does not happen straight away. It can take days, weeks and months to get resolved, especially when medical treatment is involved, during which time our thoughts take over, and especially when the negative thoughts creep in. This can, and often does send our bodies into another stressful if not a panic situation. Then what happens? Yes you’ve guessed it, we produce more adrenaline, and again we can’t use it up, it does all the same things it is meant to do, fight or flight remember, and all these things are happening to our bodies, sometimes the feeling gets that bad that it’s difficult to tell the difference between the effects of the adrenaline or the feelings of another heart attack, i.e. raised heart beat, heavy breathing, pumped up muscles, chest pain, and sweating. So what does our body do this time it’s under stress? Of course it does, it produces even more adrenaline and round and round we go, in a vicious circle of going nowhere, apart from felling very unwell, and feeling very down and very soon depression can soon set in.
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Down thoughts, or depression, tell you to do the wrong things. It will make you feel you can’t be bothered, don’t want to go out, don’t want to meet people, don’t want to do things, and soon you become socially isolated. Again this can be another destructive cycle
Fortunately there are ways to break these vicious cycles. By interrupting the effects adrenaline has on our bodies, we can feel a lot better.
Breathing If we can concentrate on our breathing in a relaxed, focused way, this will help slow our heartbeat. The heart manual gives advise on breathing exercises.
Focus our minds Try thinking of more pleasant things such as nice places to be, or your favourite holiday, or your favourite place, (spend the lottery jackpot for the umpteenth time) anything to get rid of the ‘What if’ feeling.
Change your thoughts, think positive, do a crossword, join outside groups, start doing some of the things you used to do, rekindle some old friendships that may have dwindled because of previous negative attitude, even if it means making an effort initially, it does get easier.
Relaxation Exercises
All covered in the heart manual, but anything to get rid of the tense feeling.
Exercise
As I’ve said several times adrenaline produces the fight or flight syndrome, we don’t have the facilities to literally do either of these, unless you join a recognised club, but exercise in any form burns up this excess. Exercise is highly recommended for cardiac rehab. The rehab classes at the Sports Centre is a good place to start, and when ready continue with the Fit 4 Life classes also at the Sports Centre. Walking is another good form of exercise. There are several venues for this advertised elsewhere in this newsletter.
All the above is the down side; on the up side is the fact that we have an inbuilt resilience, a determination to get on with life, a sense of humour. Some of us cope with stress better than others but most of us cope in a way that suits us, being positive and being able to stay positive and being able to take some sort of control of our lives helps.
Two subjects Graeme did not mention are laughter and sex. I think they play a great part in our attitude to life
I can remember Bob Monkhouse saying in one of his last TV shows, that at 75 he was still enjoying a very active, satisfying and meaningful sex life. The fact that he lived at No. 74 meant the walk home was not too taxing either.
As for the power of laughter; it keeps you young, and keeps troubles at bay, and does all the things that exercise does for you. It’s a great healer, and it has helped lots of people through troubled times.
Britain has had many problems throughout its long history, but its people have always been able to raise a laugh, and see a funny side. It doesn’t matter which political party is in power, they have not been able to stop the British public from having a good laugh. Mind you, they did get very close with the Poll Tax.
I do apologise to those that have heard them before.
Wally.
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For Sustained Weight Loss, Here Are Secrets of the Formerly Fat
Borrowed from: New York Times Syndicate
16 January 2007. As anyone who has done the yo-yo thing will tell you, the only thing harder than losing weight is keeping it off.
But the pattern of loss followed by gain is hardly inevitable, says obesity researcher James O. Hill, co-founder of a national registry (USA) of more than 6,000 people who have lost an average of 70 pounds (5 stone) and kept it off an average of six years.
"There is little similarity in how they lost weight, but great similarity in how they are maintaining their weight," says Hill, who is director of the Center for Human Nutrition at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, USA.
These successful losers, most of them middle-aged white women, tend to share several patterns of behavior:
1. They eat breakfast. Unlike fat people, who typically skip breakfast but do have lunch and then eat virtually non-stop from about 4 p.m. until they go to bed, "these people almost never skip breakfast," Hill reports. "We think maybe that calories ingested in the morning have a greater satiating effect than calories eaten later in the day."
2. They monitor their weight. "These people use scales a lot," Hill says. "Almost all of them use a scale weekly, and some use it daily." Such regular checks enable them to catch weight regain early on, he says, so they can take action to get back on track as soon as they see their target number go up more than two or three pounds.
3. They get a lot of exercise. "Walking is huge"; Hill reports. A survey of participants in the registry found that on average, they get 60 minutes of physical activity per day, with 28 percent mostly walking, 49 percent combining walking with cycling, aerobics or lifestyle changes such as parking farther away, and 14 percent mainly doing activities other than walking. Meanwhile, 9 percent "do nothing" -- i.e. they control their weight through diet alone.
4. They watch what they eat. Most successful losers report consuming fewer calories per day over the long term, with only about 25 percent of the total derived from fat, compared to 30 percent or more in the typical American diet. In addition, their eating habits are consistent from day to day -- they don't take "holidays" when anything goes.
5. They stay away from the television. The formerly fat "watch much less TV than the national average" -- about 10 hours a week, or less than half of the typical 28 hours or so. Presumably, they're less likely to be snacking and more likely to be physically active during the non-watching hours.
Hill says that many people who regain weight had tended to ignore one factor -- the "energy gap" that a large weight loss creates.
"When you lose weight, your energy requirement goes down," he explains. "If you are a 220-pound person (15st10lb) and you drop to 180 pounds (12st12lbs), for example, your body needs 320 fewer calories per day.
That's a lot less. You just can't go back to the lifestyle you lived before."
To burn 320 calories by walking, Hill notes, a person must take 6,400 steps. Interestingly, that is almost exactly the difference between the 11,000 steps taken each day by the average member of the weight-loss registry and the 5,300 steps taken by the average person who comes to Hill's weight-loss clinic for treatment.
The U.S. National Weight Control Registry established in 1993, is open to individuals 18 and older who have lost at least 30 pounds and maintained that loss for at least one year. Signups are free, and names are kept confidential.
Besides similar weight-control strategies, Hill says, many of the registrants have similar backgrounds. Two-thirds were overweight as children, and about the same number had at least one parent who was overweight.
"What's amazing," he observes, "is how many of these people change careers to reflect their new interest in food and nutrition.
They become dietitians. They become personal trainers. They change their friends and their social lives. To sustain weight loss requires large behavioral changes. They've essentially changed their environment."
Phil adds: I was interested in the above because I have done, and still do, almost exactly the same as most of these Americans, and my background as a child was also similar. Although I am not a ‘dietician’ or ‘personal trainer’ I did become and still am a health freak. (I manage to keep a few friends however). I started by going on a ‘whole food’ plant-based diet and taking daily exercise whatever my work or home commitments, ‘rain or shine’. I felt so much better, and could enjoy exercise as if I was young again, and this gave me a continual ‘high’. I called it the physiology of optimism. I eat even less fat and oil than these people and if I over eat at all it is only on fresh fruit and green vegetables and salads. One key for me, as for the above, is not to make ‘meals out’ or special occasions an excuse for changing my daily habits. I like it that way. Otherwise, Wally’s recipe for resilience (see above) seems about right, even without joining a Boxing Club!
Berwick Area Heart Support Group
March 2007 newsletter
Next meeting March 7th at the day Hospital, Berwick Infirmary from 7.00pm – 9.00pm Guest speaker: (This talk is RESCHEDULED from February)
Dr Mike Lavender is Director of Public Health with the NHS Northumberland Care Trust, and is based at Morpeth. One of his big interests is smoking cessation. That is, he wants to persuade all of us, collectively and individually, to stop smoking for our own health and for the sake of others. You can learn at his talk just how important that is for heart disease and other arterial problems. Health promotion generally and an overall reduction in risks to health must be of interest when we know that the vast majority of our serious illness and disability in middle age could be prevented, if we started early enough. Prospects for a disability-free old age could be much improved as well! Interestingly, also, occurrence of different health problems varies very considerably across both the County and the Borough. Mike Lavender gave a well-attended talk to our Group a while ago and it is great to welcome him back. The Group welcomes anybody interested in health promotion who wants to attend.
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February Meeting Report
Due to the severe weather conditions on the morning of the last meeting, and the forecast for the remainder of that day ( February 7th) Dr Lavender and ourselves thought it would be best to reschedule his talk for this month March 7th.
In place of Dr Lavender’s talk we had a quiz and a discussion on Fibre, rather than do a report I have made up a small Fact Sheet on fibre.
Terry
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What is fibre?
Fibre in food is the part you cannot digest. It will pass through; modified perhaps by the bacteria in your gut. Fibre comes exclusively from plants and is made up of a number of complex carbohydrates. There are broadly two types of fibre: soluble and insoluble; those that can dissolve in water and those that cannot. There are few calories, vitamins or minerals available
in the fibre fraction itself, but when fibre is obtained with the natural ‘whole food’, it will typically bring with it a lot of important vitamins, minerals or other protective ingredients. Green leaved vegetables for example, particularly kale, are high in Vitamin K that protects both our heart and bones.
Soluble fibre - includes for example fruit pectin, and gums and mucilages, such as those from linseed. Good sources of soluble fibre include generally all fruits, vegetables, seeds and grains (if they have not had the outer layers taken off), and especially the bran fraction of oats and barley. Linseed otherwise known as flaxseed, and all the ‘legumes’, such as beans, lentils, peas are good sources and there are several different kinds of chickpeas that are enjoyed by many when used in Indian and Greek cuisine as Dahl or Hummus. Similarly, ‘whole’ Soy products will have soluble fibre although the concentration in the ‘milks’ is quite low. Soluble fibre can help to lower blood cholesterol levels, and as a bonus helps with constipation.
Insoluble fibre – All the ‘whole food’ sources of soluble fibre also contain an additional insoluble fraction. This fraction includes the celluloses, hemicelluloses and lignin, which make up the structural parts of plant cell walls. Good sources are, for example all food grains if they come with their outer layers, especially the bran of wheat, sweet corn or rice, the skins of fruits vegetables, nuts, seeds, and of course, again, the legumes. Beans are a plentiful source. Insoluble fibre adds bulk to faeces and helps prevent constipation and associated problems such as haemorrhoids. It is worth noting that although rice bran, like oat and barley bran seems to bring extra useful properties, wheat bran on its own is mostly a ‘bulking factor’ and brings no special advantage for your heart, especially if it comes in a box with a large dose of salt and sugar.
What does fibre do?
Fibre is very useful for healthy bowel function and general health.
When fibre passes through the bowel it absorbs a lot of water, so it increases the bulk of the waste matter. This also makes the waste softer and increases the speed and ease with which it passes through the bowel. The digestive system is lined with muscles that massage food along the tract from the moment a mouthful is swallowed until the eventual waste is passed out of the bowel (a process called peristalsis). The two types of fibre both help to speed up the process. On the other hand, because sugar or easily digested starch is less concentrated in ‘high fibre’ foods then we are less likely get a ‘sugar rush’ after our meal. Compare for instance eating an apple and drinking apple juice.
Dietary fibre is needed to keep the digestive system healthy but it also contributes apparently in several ways to other processes, such as helping control blood glucose sugar levels. ‘High fibre’ ‘whole food’ diets are now standard recommendations for people suffering pre-diabetic conditions. This change in food seems to do more than control the sugar absorption, and can reduce for instance muscle ‘insulin resistance’ that leads to full diabetes. Similar food recommendations are made these days in order to encourage better control of cholesterol and blood fat levels. In countries with traditionally high fibre diets, who eat perhaps five times as much fruit and vegetables and use for instance ‘unpolished’ rice and ‘Dahl’ as mainstays for their food, diseases such as bowel cancer, prostate cancer, breast cancer, diabetes and coronary heart disease are very much less common than in “the West”.
Why is fibre important for weight loss?
A change to whole food’ is not the only way to lose weight, but the feeling of fullness which fibre produces can help people who are trying to lose weight to control their appetite. Many overweight people experience several months of relatively ‘effortless’ weight loss if they make a major change to a regime of ‘high fibre’ with lots of fruit and non-starchy vegetables. They are also recommended to take more exercise at the same time. Weight loss achieved in this way can lower blood pressure, lead to better sugar control, and reduce general levels of inflammation in arteries and joints.
Risk factors for development of heart disease include blood cholesterol, triglycerides and diabetes
Whole foods and also the bran fraction of oats and barley are helpful in lowering blood cholesterol. Higher blood cholesterol levels are associated with the build up over decades, sometimes from teenage years, of changes in the artery linings. These changes begin as “fatty streaks” and gradually go on to become inflamed and permanent plaques or ‘lesions’ in the walls of arteries. Any inflamed lesion can become very dangerous because if it leaks or discharges into the artery it is very likely to cause a clot. A sudden clot blockage is particularly dangerous (we know it as ‘heart attack’) but the gradual narrowing of the artery caused by the swelling, can itself lead to intermittent interruptions in blood flow and give rise to the disabling symptoms of ‘angina’.
It is thought that soluble fibre lowers blood cholesterol by helping us excrete it. (Bile acids are made from blood cholesterol and these acids help digest dietary fats). Bile will bind to soluble fibre and then be excreted with the fibre. It is not clear whether fibre fractions of cereals are more protective against coronary heart disease than the fibre from fruit and vegetables, so it is better to enjoy both, and the other protective ingredients that come with the natural ‘whole foods’.
How much fibre should we eat?
In the UK most people eat far too little fibre, on average about 12 grams a day or less. Ideally, adults should aim for an intake of more than 18 grams a day.. Eating a lot more fruit and bulky vegetables and grains etc. however, does have consequences. You not only will need to adapt your tastes and cooking, you will notice other effects!
A word of caution is relevant. If you would like to increase your fibre intake from a relatively low level, it is best to do it gradually. This is because a sudden increase may produce wind, bloating and stomach cramps - and changes in frequency of bowel movements. Learn to cook beans properly! A gradual increase will allow you to adapt to problems.
Post script: you should drink enough fluid
A high fibre diet may not prevent or cure constipation unless you drink enough water every day. A high fibre breakfast could contain around 10g of fibre per serving and if these cereals are not accompanied by enough fluid there is a possibility of constipation.
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Wally’s Yarn
A Bit Of Tommy Cooper
Two blondes walk into a building..........you'd think at least one of them would have seen it
I went to buy some camouflage trousers the other day but I couldn't find any.
I went to the butchers the other day and I bet him 50 quid that he couldn't reach the meat off the top shelf. He said, "No, the steaks are too high."
A man came round in hospital after a serious accident. He shouted, Doctor, doctor, I can't feel my legs!" The doctor replied, "I know you can't, I've cut your arms off".
Two Eskimos sitting in a kayak were chilly. They lit a fire in the craft, it sank, proving once and for all that you can't have your kayak and heat it.
Our ice cream man was found lying on the floor of his van covered with hundreds and thousands. Police say that he topped himself.
Man goes to the doctor, with a strawberry growing out of his head. Doc says "I'll give you some cream to put on it."
'Doc I can't stop singing The Green, Green Grass of Home'. "That sounds like Tom Jones syndrome. ' Is it common? ' "It's not unusual."
A man takes his Rotteweiller to the vet. "My dog's cross-eyed, is there anything you can do for him?" "Well," says the vet, "let's have a look at him" So he picks the dog up and examines his eyes, then checks his teeth. Finally, he says, "I'm going to have to put him down." "What? Because he's cross-eyed?
""No, because he's really heavy"
Two elephants walk off a cliff...boom, boom!
What do you call a fish with no eyes? A fsh.
Apparently, 1 in 5 people in the world are Chinese. There are 5 people in my family, so it must be one of them. It's either my mum or my Dad, or my older Brother Colin, or my younger Brother Ho-Cha-Chu? But I think its Colin.
Police arrested two kids yesterday, one was drinking battery acid, and the other was eating fireworks. They charged one and let the other one off.
"You know, somebody actually complimented me on my driving today. They left a little note on the windscreen. It said, 'Parking Fine.' So that was nice."
A man walked into the doctors, he said, "I've hurt my arm in several places"
The doctor said, "Well don't go there anymore
******
Recipe of the Month
Microwave Cinnamon, Apple
& Raisin Oatmeal
serves 2
Ingredients:
1 cup porridge oats
1 cup milk
1 cup water (For more intense flavour, use apple juice in place of the water)
1/3 cup raisins
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 apple -- peeled and diced (small pieces)
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
Method
Combine all ingredients in a large microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on high for 4 minutes, stirring at the end of every minute, or until thick and creamy Allow oatmeal to set in microwave for one minute then sprinkle with cinnamon before serving.
Berwick Area Heart Support Group
April 2007 newsletter
Next meeting April 4th at the day Hospital, Berwick Infirmary from 7.00pm – 9.00pm Guest speaker: David Catt from the Borders Organic Gardeners, will give an illustrated talk on growing fruit and other good food in the small garden.
*****
March Meeting Report
HEART DISEASE – FREQUENTLY FATAL AND MOSTLY PREVENTABLE
Reaching out to Berwick - the focus moves on from stopping smoking to reducing blood pressure.
Dr Mike Lavender, who recently spoke to Berwick Area Heart Support Group, is Director of Public Health with the NHS Care Trust, and is based at Morpeth. His team check the figures and promote effective health initiatives. Prevention is always more effective than cure. When Mike first came to speak to the heart group two years ago in 2005, the ‘stopping-smoking’ campaign was uppermost in his mind. He sees all the death certificates from across the county. We know that smoking, including passive smoking, not only damages lungs but also profoundly increases the risk of dangerous heart events. A reduction in smoking among the middle-aged across England and Wales over the last 25 years has reduced death from ‘heart disease’ by at least a quarter. This is about the same as the reduction from all the improved medical and dietary interventions for heart disease put together over the same period. Government has said that areas most in need must get the special funding for public health outreach in the community. Some parts of Northumberland needed more help than others. The figures showed that there were more casualties from heart and artery disease in the old industrial areas where, also, fewer people were stopping smoking in middle age. However the gap is beginning to close. The south is improving faster now than Berwick.
Stopping smoking rapidly helps prevent fatality from heart disease, but heart disease is still the biggest single cause of death and probably also the biggest cause of disability. (Heart disease is responsible for 27% of deaths in those under 75 years; Berwick is about average). The disease is frequently fatal and mostly preventable. About 50% of the improvement in recent years – measured as postponed deaths – has been the result of improving ‘risk factors’, and another 40% of the improvement has been from deaths postponed by medical treatment. The heart group agreed with Dr Lavender that we have seen our local heart services improve enormously in the last few years. Chest pain clinics now see 100% patients within 14 days. The training of paramedics and the improvement in emergency services has been astonishing. This is critical for us ‘up-here’ in Berwick. As patients and families, we appreciate also the new drug regimes not just for emergencies, but also for follow-on treatments, and importantly for people such as those with ‘late-onset’ diabetes who are at particular risk. The heart group was also able to tell Dr Lavender just how much we appreciate cardiac rehabilitation and the dedicated nurse and the staff at the Swan Centre. The biggest need however continues to be to tackle those ‘risk factors’ that cause the problems in the first place.
Helping people stop smoking is by no means finished, but with the 'smoking in public' law due to come into effect in July this year (it is already in place in Scotland and Wales), the message to both young and old is very clear. There are and will be fewer ‘early’ deaths, and fewer ‘disabled years’. As smoking drops from causing 24% of deaths to causing 11% of deaths in those aged under 75, Dr Lavender is now focussing particular attention on high blood pressure, ‘hypertension’. This mostly preventable and ‘treatable’ condition accounts for about 25% of deaths in the under-75 category. Unfortunately GPs probably have identified as yet only half those who need treatment now. As well as drugs for some of us we all need to stop putting on weight and to exercise more. We need to include our children in this. (This sounds familiar to heart patients in the Berwick Group.)
Can we follow up the anti-smoking campaign? We need the one-stop shop. Local people are being trained as ‘health trainers’, initially in the Blyth area, to support people who need to change habits in order to help reduce blood pressure and other risk factors. These initiatives are proving themselves. Mike Lavender and his team measure the effectiveness. Well-trained health teams need to go where people are – to the social clubs, to companies entering employee’s health promotion schemes, to the street on market days. These very new initiatives on trial in the south of Northumberland will ‘outreach’ as far as Berwick. Watch for the ‘Street Doctor’ coming to a place near you. The Group gave a warm welcome to local GP Dr Wooding who came to Dr Lavender's talk. "
Phil
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Wally’s Yarn
OWE MY MOTHER
1. My mother taught me TO APPRECIATE A JOB WELL DONE.
"If you're going to kill each other, do it outside. I just finished cleaning."
2. My mother taught me RELIGION.
"You better pray that will come out of the carpet."
3. My mother taught me about TIME TRAVEL.
"If you don't straighten up, I'm going to knock you into the middle of next week!"
4. My mother taught me LOGIC.
" Because I said so, that's why."
5. My mother taught me MORE LOGIC.
"If you fall out of that swing and break your neck, you're not going to the store with me."
6. My mother taught me FORESIGHT.
"Make sure you wear clean underwear, in case you're in an accident."
7. My mother taught me IRONY
"Keep crying, and I'll give you something to cry about."
8. My mother taught me about the science of OSMOSIS.
"Shut your mouth and eat your supper."
9. My mother taught me about CONTORTIONISM.
"Will you look at that dirt on the back of your neck!"
10. My mother taught me about STAMINA.
"You'll sit there until all that brussel sprouts are gone."
11. My mother taught me about WEATHER.
"This room of yours looks as if a tornado went through it."
12. My mother taught me about HYPOCRISY.
"If I told you once, I've told you a million times. Don't exaggerate!"
13. My mother taught me the CIRCLE OF LIFE.
"I brought you into this world, and I can take you out."
14. My mother taught me about BEHAVIOUR MODIFICATION.
"Stop acting like your father!"
15. My mother taught me about ENVY.
"There are millions of less fortunate children in this world who don't have wonderful parents like you do."
16. My mother taught me about ANTICIPATION.
"Just wait until we get home."
17. My mother taught me about RECEIVING.
"You are going to get it when you get home!"
18. My mother taught me MEDICAL SCIENCE.
"If you don't stop crossing your eyes, they are going to freeze that way."
19. My mother taught me ESP.
"Put your jumper on; don't you think I know when you are cold?"
20. My mother taught me HUMOUR.
"When that lawn mower cuts off your toes, don't come running to me."
21. My mother taught me HOW TO BECOME AN ADULT.
"If you don't eat your vegetables, you'll never grow up."
22. My mother taught me GENETICS.
"You're just like your father."
23. My mother taught me about my ROOTS.
"Shut that door behind you. Do you think you were born in a barn?"
24. My mother taught me WISDOM.
"When you get to be my age, you'll understand."
25. And my favourite: My mother taught me about JUSTICE.
"One day you'll have kids, and I hope they turn out just like you!"
*****
Recipe of the month
Salmon with Herbs in Newspaper
A copy of The Berwick Advertiser, Berwickshire News (It must be a paper of your choice covering the river Tweed area)
4 large handfuls fresh mixed herbs (dill, basil, rosemary, flat leaf parsley, and fennel tops)
1 (3 1/2 to 4 pound/ 1.5 kilogram) whole salmon, scaled and gutted
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Olive oil
2 lemons, thinly sliced
6 spring onions, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons fennel seeds, cracked
Open out the paper to the middle page, and scatter half the herbs over it. Place the salmon in the middle of the paper and season inside and out and rub with olive oil. Scatter over the lemon slices, spring onions, fennel seeds and remaining herbs, tucking some inside the fish.Drizzle with a little extra olive oil. Wrap the paper around the salmon, securing it well with lots of string. Dampen the paper well under the tap. Place parcel directly on the top shelf of a preheated 425 degrees F (220 degrees C) oven, for 35 minutes, or preferably, cook on the barbecue or on a rack over a campfire for about 25 minutes on each side.
Yield: 6 servings
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Difficulty: Easy
Berwick Area Heart Support Group
May 2007 newsletter
Next meeting May 2nd at the day Hospital, Berwick Infirmary from 7.00pm – 9.00pm Guest speaker: Dawn Scott -Public Health Nurse Consultant, Northumberland care Trust, will give a talk on- Childhood Obesity in Northumberland .
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March Meeting Report
At our meeting on Wed. 4th. April, our speaker was David Catt a member of Borders Organic Gardeners. (BOG). His talk was entitled ‘Growing fruit and other good things in a small garden’; having said that he then added that his own garden was a two acre riverside area with a rock cliff at the rear and the river at the front. Not all of which is cultivated, and in his own words it is best described like a jungle with clearings, but from these ‘clearings’ he is virtually self sufficient in vegetables, apples and a variety of soft fruit. He is responsible for the fruit and veg, someone else looks after the lawns and flower beds.
He has a degree in Agriculture, and has had a lifetime of interest in gardening. As a child he always helped his father in the garden, gradually earning a little plot of his own. His first crop as a small lad was Tom Thumb lettuce. As he grew older he looked after all the fruit and veg in the family garden.
And so we return to his talk, which was backed up with numerous slides, which always makes it more difficult to put into words.
ORGANIC GARDENING PRINCIPLES
Soil Fertility
Pest Control
Encouraging biodiversity and wildlife.
Taking each in turn :-
SOIL FERTILITY
The condition and productivity of soil can be improved using Compost. This opens up the soil and helps with water retention and can either be purchased, and it will state on the bag that it is organic, or you can produce your own. Just about all garden and kitchen waste (excluding
meat), can be composted. Large amounts of grass cuttings and kitchen waste need to be mixed with fibrous waste such as prunings or
even screwed up newspaper; otherwise you could get a soggy smelly lump, rather than usable compost. David did say that he composted all his waste, including cooch and docks. He could do this because of the amount of heat generated by other things he composted killed off the cooch and dock. Compost should be made throughout the year and allowed to sit for a year before using.
Mulch
This is a layer spread over the surface of the garden, its advantages are that it:-
Adds organic matter to the soil
- · Suppresses weeds
- · Looks tidy
- · Uses up waste products.
And what can we use?
- · Matured compost
- · Shredded prunings
- · Purchased products ie, Bark or cocoa shells.
- (Iused cocoa shells in my garden one year and every time it rained the garden smelt of chocolate)
- · Sheet material, polythene etc. After digging, a sheet of polythene laid across will help heat the ground and will suppress any weeds.
- · Saw dust and shavings. (These create an acid soil as the wood breaks down, and initially these can take out goodness from the soil, but it will eventually put that goodness back.
Minimised digging
This is achieved using deep dug or raised beds, these should be narrow enough to work on without treading on the soil. This way the soil does to get compacted and needs minimal work to keep it in good condition.
- · Additives could include a liquid feed made with comfrey, or a ‘tea’ made with nettles (both these are home made)
- · Seaweed meal
- · Lime (not for potatoes)
- · Other organic fertilisers.
To make the comfrey feed put the leaves into a container, cover, allow to rot. A black liquid will be produced witch can be put onto the garden.
For the nettle tea, ½ fill a dustbin with water, fill with nettle leaves, resulting mixture is high in nitrogen.
PEST and DESEASE CONTROL
- · Buy and plant resistant varieties.
- · Create sturdy plants, do not overfeed.
- · Careful siting.
- · Encourage natural predators.( Ladybirds, Lacewings love aphids)
- · Barriers (put nets around soft fruit, and nets can stop carrot root fly, and butterflies on cabbage, plastic discs around cabbage stems will help stop club root)
BIODIVERSITY AND WILDLIFE
- · Try and counteract loss of habitat elsewhere. (resist hard pruning in autumn, insects live in the hollow stems over winter)
- · Encourage pest predators. (Hedgehogs love slugs and snails)
- · Plant insect attracting plants.
- · Have a pond (ONLY IF ITS SAFE), but frogs love insects etc.)
- · Erect nest boxes (lots of small birds are insect eaters)
- · Feed the birds all year. (Keep them in your garden, not your neighbours)
- · Create winter homes / hotels for insects.
“But we haven’t got the room”, I hear you say, but David has the answer. The second part of his talk was entitled,:-
Fruit for the small garden.
This can be the most productive with the least amount of effort, it can produce high value fruit, easy to store,(most goes into the freezer and does not need blanching as do most vegetables). It can be grown in a mixed border or up walls; some can even be grown in tubs.
BUSH
- · Black currants
- · Red currants
- · Gooseberry (needs taming, keeping under control)
- · Blue berries (Need acid soil, can be grown in containers)
CANE
- · Raspberries
- · Blackberries (Too big for most small gardens)
- · Strawberries and Alpine strawberries.
TREE FRUIT
Apples and Pears. (Some varieties grafted onto dwarf root stock, which can be grown in pots on a patio)
STONE FRUIT
Plums and cherries,(can be trained to grow against north facing walls)
If you do have room for a small vegetable plot, once you have constructed/prepared your plot, use rotation to get the best from it. Ideally it would be nice to have four such plots, or split a larger plot into four. Try not to grow the same vegetable in the same spot two years running.
Year one, Potatoes, compost, no lime.
Tear two, Cabbage and beans/peas, add lime and compost.
Year three, miscellaneous, salads, leeks, spinach, add more compost.
Year four, Onions, carrots, and parsnips.
Even, as said earlier, you may find room for some on your favourite salad stuff or veggies amongst the daffies and bedding plants just don’t eat the wrong bulbs.
And in the immortal words of all the late night newsreaders, “And finally”. David left the two confused ones to last.
RHUBARB, a vegetable used as a fruit, grows well in any out of the way corner. Benefits from compost. David suggested Seaweed Meal
TOMATOES. A fruit used as a vegetable. Can be grown in a 10litre pot or bigger,. a growbag, or even in the border, but this far north if outside they would need protection., but one in a pot in the porch or conservatory could be quiet interesting, especially if you have grandchildren.
Thank you David for your time.
Wally
Raised blood pressure?
Lower salt lowers risk even if it makes only a modest difference to blood pressure. “About what one might expect from a moderate dose of a statin,"
Mike Lavender in his recent talk told us that after ‘Stopping Smoking” his next big target is to raise awareness of high blood pressure. Our GPs have probably been able to spot only about half of us who unknowingly are walking around with the condition.
We know that raised blood pressure increases risks for stroke and heart attack. The reason is that this increase we often see as we go into middle-age is a ‘marker’ for arteries not functioning as they should. The elasticity, typical of youth is no longer the norm. Extra pressure is felt throughout the system if the big arteries that take the blood from the heart are no longer elastic enough to respond to each push.
A recent study (reported in the BMJ) has followed up patients from previous studies. These patients had reduced their salt intake to counteract ‘high-normal’ blood pressure (‘pre-hypertension’). This follow-up is useful because it covers a reasonable number of people, nearly two and half thousand, and has looked at them over a long period – and many years after their original blood pressure readings and their change of habit. Reducing their salt by roughly a third or a quarter has meant a similar reduction in heart attack and stroke. "That's about what one might expect from a moderate dose of a statin", said Dr. Cutler, one of the authors.
Its worth remembering that these people, apart from their ‘pre-hypertension’, were not particularly ‘at risk’: they were below 140 SBP ‘systolic’ and between 80-90 DBP ‘diastolic’. Although they got only a modest reduction in BP by reducing salt intake, the real benefit was in not developing heart disease later. The researchers concluded that lowering sodium intake, “even among those without hypertension, reduces the risk of future cardiovascular disease,"
It is expected that reducing salt intake even further, down 50%, will bring even greater benefits over time. In the original studies, when they altered the salt habit, people were aged 30 – 54, but were in their 40s and 50s by the time of the follow-up.
We know that risks roughly double for every 20 point rise in systolic blood pressure from 120 upwards. (For elderly persons the situation is often more complex, and your Doctor is the person to keep track.) The importance of treating high blood pressure (actual hypertension), however for all middle age groups becomes clear. Hypertension is usually defined these days as greater than 140/90. The importance for our young relatives in reducing salt intake in order to help prevent later disease is worth thinking hard about. ‘Salt’ is a habit. Getting used to lower salt might be difficult at first but it looks as though once the habit is broken, people are happy enough with the lower intake. Quote: “For the intervention group compared with controls, these results were:
- Significantly more reported liking low-sodium or unsalted foods (71% versus 64%, P=0.003).
- Significantly more reported usually or always using low sodium products (47% versus 29%,P<0.001).
- Significantly more reported reading food labels for sodium content (66% versus 44%, P<0.001).
- Significantly more reported keeping track of their daily sodium intake at least sometimes (28% versus 20%, P<0.001).”
Phil, April 2007
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Recipe of the Month
Smoked haddock with creme fraiche and chives
Serves 2 and takes only 15 minutes from start to finish
400g smoked haddock (about 4 fillets) skinned
2 tbsp half-fat crème fraiche
Small bunch of chives, snipped
150ml semi-skimmed milk
Freshly ground black pepper
Place the fish in a frying pan and add a little freshly ground black pepper (and perhaps a squeeze of lemon juice). Pour in the milk and bring to simmering point, then simmer gently for 12 minutes.
Remove the fish to a plate using a fish slice, increase the heat and add the crème fraiche. Continue to simmer for 2-3 minutes until the sauce reduces and thickens slightly.
Return the fish to the sauce, scatter in the chives and let it bubble for about 30 seconds.
Serve with mashed potato and broccoli
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Wally’s Yarn
I was in the Co-op the other day buying a large bag of Pedigree for my dog and was in line to check out.
A woman behind me asked if I had a dog........ Duh!
I was feeling a bit crabby so on impulse, I told her no, I was starting The Pedigree Diet again, although I probably shouldn't because I'd ended up in the hospital last time, but that I'd lost 50 pounds before I awakened in an intensive care unit with tubes coming out of most of my orifices and IV's in both arms. Her eyes about popped out of her head.
I went on and on with the bogus diet story and she was totally believing it. I told her that it was an easy, inexpensive diet and that the way it works is to load your pockets or handbag with Pedigree nuggets and simply eat one or two every time you feel hungry. The package said the food is nutritionally complete so I was going to try it again.
I have to mention here that practically everyone in the line was by now enthralled with my story, particularly a tall guy behind her.
Horrified, she asked if something in the dog food had poisoned me and was that why I ended up in the hospital.
I said "No..... I was sitting in the street licking my rear end when a car hit me".
I thought the tall guy was going to have to be carried out the door.
Berwick Area Heart Support Group
June 2007 newsletter
Next meeting June 6th at the day Hospital, Berwick Infirmary AGM from 6.30 then normal meeting 7.00 pm – 9.00pm Guest speaker: Jenny Garland. Will give a talk and demonstration on Reflexology
******
FIVE YEARS:
LOOKING FORWARD TO OUR JUNE AGM
Phil writes:
We have come some way from our BEGINNING in 2002. Congratulations all round, and thanks to Dr Higham, cardiologist who is our Honorary President and who has backed us all the way. The Group owes a lot to our own combined efforts but on your behalf I would like to add a special personal thanks to Terry. Without him the Group would not have worked and you would not be reading this Newsletter.
Dr Higham was going to come to this June's AGM but he regrets he cannot, because he is on-call that week. That's the nature of the job. One of his colleagues was going to come in his stead, but is called away to Italy; again the increasingly international nature of the job. (You may remember that Dr Higham was in Germany for his introduction to the highly technical new CAT scans).
I thought you would be interested in the short summary of an American statement on cardiac rehabilitation (see below). This is a measure of the international recognition given to patient participation in regaining and keeping our health. Thinking about our own cardiac rehab, we can note the support that Berwick has gained this last 5 years. Mandy and the Swan Centre rehabilitation is a real life-line. Smoking cessation intervention and support is available. Mike Lavender (Director of NHS Trust Public Health) support for smoking cessation and now blood pressure reduction are worth another mention. As a Group we have received special help from Graeme Gillespie, clinical psychologist, and his section on relaxation and coping is linked to our website and is one of the most popular 'visits' out of the hundred thousand visits made to the site every year. (Terry gets deserved congratulation again for his construction and maintenance of the site.)
As a Group we find ourselves linked to many health professionals and the wider community, walking for health initiatives and so on. A feature of our meetings has also been the contribution of friendly 'body-mind' integration - call it 'psychosocial support' or whatever magic you like - by several therapists, mostly friends of our Michael R. We are looking forward to Jenny & Reflexology at our AGM (we keep the business part of AGM short), so LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING YOU AGAIN WEDNESDAY EVENING AS USUAL!
Abstract--The American Heart Association and the American Associationof Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation recognize thatall cardiac rehabilitation/secondary prevention programs shouldcontain specific core components that aim to optimize cardiovascularrisk reduction, foster healthy behaviors and compliance to thesebehaviors, reduce disability, and promote an active lifestylefor patients with cardiovascular disease. This update to theprevious statement presents current information on the evaluation,interventions, and expected outcomes in each of the core componentsof cardiac rehabilitation/secondary prevention programs, inagreement with the 2006 update of the American Heart Association/AmericanCollege of Cardiology Secondary Prevention Guidelines, includingbaseline patient assessment, nutritional counseling, risk factormanagement (lipids, blood pressure, weight, diabetes mellitus,and smoking), psychosocial interventions, and physical activitycounseling and exercise training.
Phil
*****
Monthly meeting report
Our speaker at the meeting on 2nd. May was Dawn Scott, a Public Health Nurse Consultant with Northumberland Care Trust, who gave a talk on Childhood Obesity.
( It’s been a very long time since I saw my childhood, but right up until I got married I was lean as a whippet. I thought I would put that in just in case those who know me now might think I’ve always been this size. I blame marriage not E numbers. Wally )
(whilst reading the first line I began to wonder what he hadn’t seen for a long time, could it have been his knees? feet,? or maybe something else, his toes!!!!! Terry)
There has now been a multi agency group set up to try and halt the year on year rise in obesity rates in schoolchildren under 11 years, by 2010. This includes Dept. of Health, Dept. of Education, and Dept. of Educational Skills, Dept. of Culture, Media and Sport.
Overweight and obese are both clinical conditions based on a individual’s Body Mass Index (BMI). BMI is measured by dividing body weight in kilos by the square of the height in metres. Overweight is 25kg/m2, Obese is 30 kg/m2.
The original figures they worked with were based on health survey figures from data obtained between 1995 and 2005, and show the percentage of obese children in England as:-
1995 9.9%
1996 10.6%
1997 10.9%
1998 11.6%
2000 13.4%
2001 13.1%
2002 15.5%
2003 13.7%
2005 14.3%
Northumberland has selected two specific age groups to monitor. These are Reception class in First Schools (4 to 5 year olds), and First Year (Year 6) in Middle Schools (10 to 11 year olds). In 2006 a survey was sent to every school. After parental permission was obtained each child in the above age groups was weighed and measured. There are a total of 6740 children in these groups, and for one reason or another, the details of 5655 were obtained (83.9%). Total number of children in both groups recorded as obese was 736, which is 13.02% (Reception 9.3%) and (Year 6, 16.6%)
Broken down even further 14.8% of all boys (436) were classed a obese, 9.6% (136) in reception, and 19.8% (300) Year 6.The girls faired a little better 11% obese, 9.1% (126) in reception, and 13.1% (174) in year 6.
Where does Berwick feature in all this? Not as bad as some but not as good as some others.
This graph is for overweight children in both groups. It did not reproduce as well as I hoped, but the lighter columns refer to First Schools, the dark ones Middle Schools. The large arrows above indicate Berwick’s Schools. Totals in each group are added together as a cluster. Totals for First Schools are 8.7%, whilst the Middle Schools is 11.1%
This graph is for obesity levels. Again the arrows above indicate Berwick’s Schools. First Schools 10.5% and Middle Schools 17.5%
As you may have guessed Dawn did have a slide show as a basis of her talk. The slide she used headed Northumberland Child hood Obesity Pathway to intervention and care is quite complicated so hopefully it will reproduce slightly larger on the next page, and is readable, and self explanatory
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As individuals there is a lot we can do, especially with our own grandchildren if you get roped in for childminding duties. Dawn suggested, getting them involved with the preparation of vegetables for a meal, if not the cooking, or at least explaining where a lot of our veggies come from, because many of them just don’t know, they know they come from the supermarket, but not how they got there, any thing that lets them know there is an alternative to ready made processed food. Another suggestion was to try and get them interested in the garden. If you grow your own, try and get the kids to help, or if possible give them a little bit of garden they are responsible for. Try and create an alternative to the computer or TV. The list is endless, but it gets them to eat less fat, sugar or salt, or anything that gets them a bit more active, must be for the better.
Wally’s Yarn
Last month my wife and I went to Ireland for a break, Whist there I heard this story on the radio, its religious so I hope no one is offended.
A new young Curate was sent to a parish to help out an elderly Vicar with his duties.
To break him in slowly the old Vicar suggested that the Curate spent some time making house calls. As there was only a push bike for transport it would give him a chance to find his way around and for the parishioners to meet him.
After a few days he returned to the Vicarage to tell the old Vicar that whilst he was on his calls someone had stolen the bike.
The Vicar told him not to worry about it, and suggested that the Curate took the sermon the following Sunday. He explained that if he used the 10 commandments as his text, when he got to “Thou shall not steal” if he looked around the congregation he would see the guilty face of the person that had stolen the bike. The Curate agreed and suggested that he took the whole Service and the old Vicar could have a lie in. Both men agreed.
Over lunch, after the Service when the Curate got back to the vicarage, the old Vicar asked how the Service had gone, and the Curate said that he was quite satisfied, and was not aware of any mistakes. The Vicar asked if he had pinpointed the person responsible for stealing his bike. The Curate had to confess that he didn’t get that far, he had only got to “Thou shall not commit adultery” when he suddenly remembered where he had left it.
“There was one mistake you made” said the Vicar. “Apparently when you related the parable about the feeding of the five thousand you got a little mixed up.
Apparently you said Jesus fed 4 people with 5000 loves and 4000 fishes”. He continued by saying that the lady that had rang him to point out the error, hadn’t realise the mistake herself until her grandson who was with her had pulled at her sleeve and had said “That’s not hard, anyone can feed 4 people with all that bread and all those fishes” The Curate accepted that he was in the wrong and promised to put it right the next week.
At the service the following week he repeated the parable correctly, and when meeting the congregation after, the woman identified herself. She thanked the Curate for putting things right. Her Grandson piped up and said,” It’s still not much of a miracle though” The Curate queried why he thought that, and asked how the lad thought he could feed a multitude with 5 loves and 4 fishes”.
“Easy” said the lad, “Give them last weeks leftovers”
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