Surgery fasting outdated
If you’ve had surgery, you know the drill: Don’t eat or drink anything after midnight. In doctor-speak, it’s NPO, non per os, which is Latin for “nothing by mouth.”
However, this is likely an unnecessarily long time to go on an empty stomach, says a report in the March issue of the Johns Hopkins Medical Letter Health After 50.
The NPO originated to prevent pulmonary aspiration, where stomach contents could enter the lungs and possibly block airflow, putting patients at risk for infections such as pneumonia. Modern anesthesia techniques make that problem much less likely, except for people who have medical problems such as gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).
Researchers now know that the stomach empties a lot faster than was once thought. Anesthesiologists from the University of Chicago recently compared the aspiration rates of patients who followed NPO guidelines with those who were allowed to drink unlimited amounts of clear liquids up to three hours before surgery. The researchers found no difference.
In fact, it is thought that too long a fast can lead to headaches, nausea, dizziness and even dehydration, making it more difficult for nurses to draw blood. Providing you get the OK from your doctor, the American Society of Anesthesiologists offers these more relaxed food and drink guidelines for healthy people who undergo elective surgery:
Up to two hours before surgery: clear liquids, including water, clear tea, black coffee, carbonated beverages and fruit juice without pulp.
Up to six hours before surgery: very light meals, such as toast and tea with milk.
Up to eight hours before surgery: heavy meals, including fried or fatty foods and meat.
The hair-raising diet
Your diet could be to blame if your hair is a disaster, notes a story in the March issue of Woman’s Day.
Banish split ends with bananas, which promote hair elasticity through tryptophan, an amino acid, as well as vitamins B, C and E. Stop the snowflake fall of dandruff by adding flaxseed oil to foods such as salads. Its omega-3 fatty acids reduce oil secretions, which can lead to flaking.
If your hair stubbornly refuses to grow, eat more eggs and milk. Hair-transplant surgeon Alvi Armani of Los Angeles says both offer a lot of vitamin A, important for hair growth.
Marijuana is not meek
Some teens continue to smoke marijuana because they assume it is the same allegedly harmless type used by hippies in the 1960s and ’70s. Not true, says drug expert David Deitch, chief clinical officer of Phoenix House treatment centers.
In the March issue of Good Housekeeping, Deitch explains why today’s pot is trouble. First, it is dangerously strong.
In 1970, THC, the active ingredient in marijuana, amounted to less than 1 percent of the pot. By 2006, THC levels rose to 7 percent. This amount can disrupt the brain and create risks for cognition, memory and learning problems, he says.
In addition, one joint of marijuana does as much harm to the lungs as five cigarettes, according to research from the Medical Research Institute of New Zealand. That’s because there are no filters, and the smoke is inhaled deeply.
Check up on your food
Soon there will be no mystery as to which foods are the most nutritional. Top scientists are working furiously to rank all foods on a scale of 1 to 100 based on content of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, protein, saturated fat and a lot more.
Called the Overall Nutritional Quality Index (ONQI), the assessment will be available at supermarkets nationwide by August. You can get a sneak preview at the Web site www.onqi.com.
