Yittz's Clinic!!

[GuGu]

Sounds like a viral illness but i would advice you to:-
1) see a doctor
2) take some paracetamol or ibuprofen
3) call in sick- doesn't sound like you are able to work.

Han Solo

I don't take medicine I've never taken medicine. And I hate going to the doctor. I am at work as I'm typing this. I haven't called in sick, fortunately I'm off tomorrow. I had a few shots of vodka and that helped me to sleep last night. BUT I'm starting to get light headed more often and now I have blurry vision. I don't think it's safe to drive, so tomorrow I'll be home the whole day finishing up some talk shows I downloaded. BUT GAWD THIS SUCKS! My neck also hurts. My breathing hasn't gotten better either. Any suggestions for the breathing? Something natural, no medicine!

[Han Solo]

I don't take medicine I've never taken medicine. And I hate going to the doctor. I am at work as I'm typing this. I haven't called in sick, fortunately I'm off tomorrow. I had a few shots of vodka and that helped me to sleep last night. BUT I'm starting to get light headed more often and now I have blurry vision. I don't think it's safe to drive, so tomorrow I'll be home the whole day finishing up some talk shows I downloaded. BUT GAWD THIS SUCKS! My neck also hurts. My breathing hasn't gotten better either. Any suggestions for the breathing? Something natural, no medicine!

Dear,

you are talking to a doctor

If not medicine, then what else that i can't recommend in seriousness?

Taking vodka for dizziness and shortness of breath doesn't sound at all like a good plan.

Really suggest you to take some simple painkiller rather than unworkable vodka and go see a doctor, you sound like you need it.

Han Solo

[Aphraeleiss]

She's messing with ya.

[yittz]

I heard 'yu nu xin jing' is good for the above. But first you need to suppress your emotions.

What's your concern with medicine anyways? You know most drugs came from or were developed from natural sources. Think of them as more concentrated and more specific. I still think you should see your gp and see what they can do about your concern.

[Aphraeleiss]

Nah, she just drinks honey and eats fish. It's worked for at least 16 years.

[GuGu]

Dear,

you are talking to a doctor

If not medicine, then what else that i can't recommend in seriousness?

Taking vodka for dizziness and shortness of breath doesn't sound at all like a good plan.

Really suggest you to take some simple painkiller rather than unworkable vodka and go see a doctor, you sound like you need it.

Han Solo

I know you're a doctor. But to chat with one online and to really go in and see one is very different.

Thanks for your help, I'm doing a lot better now. Yesterday was my day off, I just stayed at home watching tv and drinking lots of soup. I woke up very refreshed and now I'm at work.

[spyefox]

someone once suggested to me to drink tea with honey and put a bit of lemon/lime in it. It sure taste good esp. when you have sore throat.

[Han Solo]

I do that too, but i also do lemon + coke, and lemon + salt + sprite.

Han Solo

[pemberly]

when one of my friends had a sore throat, we were at a chinese restaurant, and she ordered a hot coke with ginger and lemon. first, i thought it was weird that they had that on the menu. and second, it smelled really funny. but she said it helped.

[GuGu]

I do that too, but i also do lemon + coke, and lemon + salt + sprite.

Han Solo

My mom actually came over to my house and brought me chicken soup with ginger, lemon grass and some kind of weird looking root-like ingredient. It was soooo good! I was going to eat the chicken but she said I couldn't and fed that to my nieces. Why did she do that? Is it for a medical reason or is it just because my nieces wanted it? And she also squeezed some lime juice added a little honey and hot water for me to drink.

Plus she told me that I was sick because I wasn't eating real food. Is it not healthy or can I get sick easily since I only eat instant noodle? Yeah, I only eat instant noodle as a midnight snack because I work evenings, but at work I eat salads. So she told me to go over to her house at least once a week to eat. I think she's only saying it so that I go over to the house more often, right? Or is there some truth to what she said?

[HuangYushi]

To Han: I hope you don't mind me answering the questions below.

My mom actually came over to my house and brought me chicken soup with ginger, lemon grass and some kind of weird looking root-like ingredient. It was soooo good! I was going to eat the chicken but she said I couldn't and fed that to my nieces. Why did she do that? Is it for a medical reason or is it just because my nieces wanted it?

Unlike the Western belief that "chicken soup is good for a cold", a lot of Asians (especially the Chinese/Chinese-descent) believe that chicken is not good for people who have a cough and/or a cold. I can't give you the rational for that, since I don't really believe in it although I'm Chinese. Since your mom made a soup with chicken for you, I guess she's not too concerned that the liquid might be harmful for your condition. The added herbs was a plus-point. But she probably thought the flesh of the chicken was a different story altogether, so she didn't allow you to eat it. The other possibility is that most chicken tastes flat after it has been boiled for a long time (3-4 hours at least) to make medicinal/herbal soup, so you might have actually gotten the better end of the deal!

And she also squeezed some lime juice added a little honey and hot water for me to drink.

Honey + hot water = home remedy for "heatiness", i.e. whenever you feel like a sore throat, stuffed nose or a combination of the above coming on. Therefore, take a tip from your mom -- keep a jar of honey at home. Works without the lime juice. And always use hot water, never cold.

Plus she told me that I was sick because I wasn't eating real food. Is it not healthy or can I get sick easily since I only eat instant noodle? Yeah, I only eat instant noodle as a midnight snack because I work evenings, but at work I eat salads. So she told me to go over to her house at least once a week to eat. I think she's only saying it so that I go over to the house more often, right? Or is there some truth to what she said?

Dr Han (or a nutritionist on the forum) will have lots more to say about this, so I'll just make my comment short: *Yes*, your mom is *absolutely right*. You are not eating balanced meals with foods from all the different food-groups, so your mom hopes that you'd have at least one decent balanced meal at her home a week.

[spyefox]

Is it not healthy or can I get sick easily since I only eat instant noodle? Yeah, I only eat instant noodle as a midnight snack because I work evenings, but at work I eat salads. So she told me to go over to her house at least once a week to eat. I think she's only saying it so that I go over to the house more often, right? Or is there some truth to what she said?

You sure do have a very healthy lifestyle by only eating noodles and salads
Do you know noodles are made of lots chemicals and stuffs? I heard that eating noodles is only recommended ONLY ONCE a week (I'm talking about instant noodles).

You do need to eat protein and carbo on a daily basis, last time I heard it's good for your immune system too.

[yittz]

Salads good. Noodles bad. And where do you get your protein + unsat oil.

Re: chicken
Apparently eating eggs is bad for fevers, as the high conc. of protein gets converted to heat thereby inc. temperature. Chicken is also high in protein - I am not sure if that's related.

Q for Han:

When ever I get a fever, I like to let it do it's job - ie burn baby burn. But my parents are like you have to take the tablets (only to lower temp and anti-inflam). If I am happy to tolerate the fever and the crap feeling inflammation brings (as silly as it sounds), isn't it better if I just wait till my body naturally decide to reset the temperature (as long as I monitor the temp. and it doesn't get too high).

One more, if I get a fever, how do I know if it's bacterial or viral? If I don't, is it better to go ahead take anti-biotics or just wait and let the immune system kick its ***?

[Han Solo]

Salads good. Noodles bad. And where do you get your protein + unsat oil.

Re: chicken
Apparently eating eggs is bad for fevers, as the high conc. of protein gets converted to heat thereby inc. temperature. Chicken is also high in protein - I am not sure if that's related.

Q for Han:

When ever I get a fever, I like to let it do it's job - ie burn baby burn. But my parents are like you have to take the tablets (only to lower temp and anti-inflam). If I am happy to tolerate the fever and the crap feeling inflammation brings (as silly as it sounds), isn't it better if I just wait till my body naturally decide to reset the temperature (as long as I monitor the temp. and it doesn't get too high).

One more, if I get a fever, how do I know if it's bacterial or viral? If I don't, is it better to go ahead take anti-biotics or just wait and let the immune system kick its ***?

1) Egg --> temperature, first time i ever heard of it. Really dodgy.

2) The problem with temperature during fever is not the temperature itself, the body can cope with high temperature in the range of <40 degree celcius. The big problem with high temperature is the muscle ache, headache and the rest. There;s where the anti-inflammatories help out.

There;s no point in taking medicines just to reduce the temperature if you are feeling comfortable.

3) Most viral infections have prodromes with sore throat, dry cough, runny nose, sore muscles and fever. Bacteria infections may have these symptoms as well, but often may have other features.

Generally, if you need to take antibiotics for a fever, i would suggest that you seek professional medical advice.

Han Solo

[kidd]

Hi. I just listen to a radio show that talks about vegetarian. It says that a vegetarian diet is healthier than a meat diet and fruitarian diet is actually the most suitable for human. But then, I read an article about eating according to blood type. It recommend people with blood type O to eat a meat heavy diet especially red meat.

So, which one is true?

[GuGu]

Thank you to HuangYushi, Spyefox, and Yittz for your help. I've decided to get up an hour earlier than normal and cook myself food to take to work. And I bought myself a bottle of honey too. Just incase I need it. I still refuse to make an appointment with a doctor, even though I see them all the time during work hours.

Also, my mom says that my brother doesn't get sick often because he eats a lot of onion and garlic. Is it true? Does onion or garlic have something in them that helps fight against catching a cold?

I am not a vegetarian, but I don't eat or cook meat all the time. I mean I won't deny it when it's served to me at someone's house, but if I had the opportunity to choose between roasted chicken or steam vegtables, I would more than likely choose vegtables. Is it okay that I don't eat meat? Or do I have to eat it for a healthy diet? If so, then are you guys saying vegetarians have an unhealthy diet?

[pemberly]

i remember doing a research project in biology a long time ago comparing life spans and health of 2 groups of ppl indigenous to some island. the vegetarians died a lot earlier than the meat eaters. but the meat eaters had more health problems such as osteoporosis. i think the lesson there was to eat a balanced diet. (that includes soda )

[yittz]

Yeah that egg thing sounds dodgy - I saw it in a Chinese TV show, general knowledge competition.

Regarding inflammation - is it a good idea to tone it down a bit with anti-inflamms during periods of fever. What I mean is - is the body's immune system overexcited and would be just as effective if I take anti-inflamms?

One more Q for Han: I was diagnosed with a bacterial throat infection based on green sputum (2 days after initial typical symptoms) and high neutrophil count in FBC. Are these things correlated with bac>viral?

Re: vegetarians
Just make sure you get all the ess. amino acids from beans and corn, as well as other minerals (iron, cal) and fatty acids.

[Han Solo]

To all,

Vegetarian diet can be as healthy as meat-based diets. The essential proteins/fat/carbohydrate can be met with a vegetarian diet. however, most vegetarian diet lacks Vitamin B12 and also irons (important for ladies).

Only heard of fruitarian diet in "Notting Hill"- so can't comment.

Blood type specific diet is a baloney as far as i'm concerned.

To yittz,

Green sputum really means the destruction of leucocytes- it can really be bacterial (mostly) or viral. The high neutrophil count tends to favor a bacterial type infection.

Secondly, do not worry about the anti-inflammatory dampening out the body's response - it is to prevent the over-active inflammation that causes all the discomfort.

Han Solo

[Arcane]

I know there's always laser for mole-removing as well as surgery. But I don't want to get rid of my moles through these methods. Then there's acids which could get rid of your moles and most likely leave scars.

Recently I heard of products like BIO-T that could help you get rid of moles and the chances of getting scar is pretty low. Do any of you have any experience with these over-the-counter products?