Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, July 20, 1993 TAG: 9307210121
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: CAROLYN CLICK
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
Most of the time, keeping healthy and avoiding heat-related illness as the temperatures soar is a matter of common sense: avoid prolonged exposure to the heat and sun, drink lots of liquids, don't leave young children and pets in cars or other closed spaces.
But sometimes we forget that the food we prepare for dining outdoors also wilts in the heat and can be a conduit for bacteria if left out too long. The latest Mayo Clinic Health Letter provides some good tips for outdoor food safety, including this easy to remember "two-hour" rule. That is, two hours is the maximum time food should be left unrefrigerated. That drops to one hour if the temperature is 85 degrees or higher.
To ensure food stays cold, use an insulated cooler. Pack ice or a frozen gel-pack on top, with foods to be kept coldest at the bottom of the cooler. Pack directly from the refrigerator to the cooler and wrap all foods in separate plastic.
But what about your breath?
Advocates of garlic as an all-purpose cure-all can call on two more studies to prove the strong-smelling bulb adds more than spice to life.
A study in the June issue of the American Journal of Medicine suggests concentrated garlic supplements can lower cholesterol. Forty-two volunteers with elevated cholesterol took either the tablets or a placebo over a 12-week period. After the test ended, those taking the garlic tablets had reduced their cholesterol levels by 6 percent, while those in the control group saw only minimal changes. Levels of lipoprotein cholesterol, or LDL, (known as "bad" cholesterol) were reduced by 11 percent in the garlic group and 3 percent in the control group.
The study conducted by Tulane University researchers follows research published in the May issue of Lipids showing that garlic actually reduced oxidation of LDL. Because the oxidation process is linked to heart disease, the University of Kansas researchers who conducted the study suggest the concentrated garlic tablets may contribute to a reduction in heart disease.
Garlic has played a role in herbal remedies for centuries. Pyramid builders in ancient Egypt supposedly ate garlic to make them stronger, and athletes in ancient Greece chewed on the bulbs to give them energy before their competitions.
The smell has deterred many garlic lovers from imbibing too much of their favorite spice, but tablets now on health food shelves are advertised as odor-free.
`Night, 'Night Can't sleep? Counting sheep? You might try calling 1-900-84-Sleep. For a charge of $3.25 per call, the Better Sleep Council provides telephone tips through its Dial-A-Sleep Expert program to resolve problems ranging from insommia to sleep disorders.
Money generated by the calls will pay for sleep research and education, council spokeswoman Caroline Jones said.
The Alexandria-based council has also published a 24-page "Good Night Guide" which provides tips on improving your night's sleep. Among those pointers: try to go to bed at the same time each night and wake up at the same hour in the morning. Sleep experts say those who try to "catch up" with long weekend snoozes are fooling themselves. In fact, such weekend marathons often result in a draggy feeling on Monday morning, just when it's time to head back to work.
Regular exercise, although not right before bedtime, also improves sleep, as does refraining from too much caffeine. Don't overeat right before bedtime or go to bed hungry. Either condition is bound to make you toss and turn.
And for those who enjoy a hot toddie before bedtime? Alcohol actually interferes with deep sleep and should be avoided. Smoking too.
A good mattress is also integral to what the sleep council calls "building a good night's sleep from the bottom up." After sleeping for eight to ten years on one mattress, the council advises it might be time to consider getting a new one. (One caveat: the Better Sleep Council is a non-profit association funded by the International Sleep Products Association, a trade group for the mattress industry, which is, of course, interested in selling more mattresses.)
For those who complain they can't sleep because of the stresses of daily life, one of the Dial-A-Sleep experts, Dr. Joyce Brothers, suggests identifying "stress traps" like the "mad morning dash" that build tension throughout the day and keep people from relaxing when they finally can. She also advocates taking stress breaks during the working day and creating a stress-free sleep environment at home. To keep it stress-free, develop nightly rituals to prepare the body for rest.
If all else fails, she suggests cognitive-focusing mind games like that old stand-by, counting sheep. It's so boring, she said, you're bound to fall asleep.
To obtain a copy of the guide, mail $1.00 to Better Sleep Council, P. O. Box 13, Washington, D.C. 20044. 683-8371
by CNB