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| Medical Information: Health Advice I Forgot to Offer During the Holidays |
| Nicholas V. Costrini, M.D. Medical Director Georgia Gastroenterology Group, PC |
| Well, the holiday season is over. I am a complete wreck. When a man, certainly a single man takes on the roles of party planner, host, dog keeper, housekeeper and parent to a pair of very independent children who have cruised into town for Christmas and New Years, it is enough for me to offer deserved praise to my x-wives and send me back to the hospital emergency room trauma unit for some relative peace and quiet. All of us go through the holiday season and during that time take on roles we normally do not have to accept at other times of the year. Ill bet we stood in the same lines at the Kroger. I was the guy who had two carts, spent an embarrassing amount of money, and apologized for taking so much time. Stating, I only come here twice each year was taken with good cheer by the lady with a lonely turkey in her basket. She did ask when I would be back so she could then plan a trip to visit her mother in Florida rather than spend the time waiting for me to check out. I was not the fellow who dented your bumper in the mall parking lot but I did get the jerks license number. Call me. I sat next to you at the restaurant downtown and had time to read Moby Dick as service was a tad slow for your table and mine. We could have exchanged pictures of our family members from the beginning of time - in the hours that separated the flash of the waiters pencil scribbling our orders and the fatigued scroll of my signature on the credit card slip. I cannot believe how much your table tipped the waiter compared to the morsel of gratuity deposited by yours truly. You were really in the role of Santa for that guy. I was in the role of the Grinch. If I didnt nod hello or say Happy Holidays please forgive me. I am in a better frame of mind now. I know I should have said something useful, interesting, or at least nice. It just wouldnt come out then. As for my guests, I spoke to most of them but didnt have time to tell them something memorable or useful. We all do that. We assume the role of host or hostess and become like Swiss cheese. We are so concerned about the pate, the turkey, the wine, and the help that we neglect saying something delightful or truly substantial. As for my children, they are just old enough to be aware that they are successful. Horrible time to be a parent. I could not take them under my wing, offer profound directions about their careers, or send them to their rooms when I was tired. We had a good time, but I again didnt offer some good and hardy information. To all of the people in line at Krogers, in the mall parking lot, at the restaurant, and all my guests, and my children, I offer the following new information and medical advice that will carry you into 2002. The Harvard School of Medicine, Department of Nutrition has recommended that all Americans should take a daily multivitamin. It is likely that an inexpensive, generic multivitamin preparation may indeed reduce the risk of heart disease, colon cancer, and breast cancer. If you drink one or two alcoholic beverages per day, you are more likely to benefit from a multivitamin preparation. Typical multivitamin preparations contain the Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) of thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, folic acid, and vitamins A, C, B6, B12, D, K, and E. Regarding Vitamin E, the RDA is only 30 IU; for possible long-term cardiovascular protection, a supplement of 400IU is worth purchasing. The data supporting the cancer-protection role for folic acid is quite strong; the data does not support a similar role for vitamins C and A. So, in contrast to the preachings from the medical ivory towers of the past century, a daily multivitamin has merit for all Americans. That bit of news would have been a real party thriller I am sure but I just couldnt come up with it for my guests. There you have it. In my myriad holiday contacts, I found a good number of smokers. At one restaurant, I sat in the non-smoking section. The table next to me was in the smoking section. (Figure that one out!) I forgot to mention to those diners the latest recommendations for smoking cessation. Physicians are advised to be nice, avoid beating patients with sticks or threatening other bodily harm. Rather, drug therapy with Zyban twice daily and a nicotine patch are now considered first line therapy. The Surgeon Generals new recommendations strongly favor drug treatments because the data clearly show the impressive success of these measures. Ladies, you will gain less weight on Zyban than going cold-turkey and you will be more successful. Smoking is not a bad habit. It is a serious medical condition that causes 430,000 deaths per year. Your physician will gladly help you in making 2002 the year you Do it. Now, I could have turned to the lady in the Kroger line with carton of Kools in her cart and offered this information but I just couldnt find the time or the words. After waiting in line behind me for forty minutes, I could see she needed a smoke badly. Perhaps she will read this, get some Zyban and stop smoking. If she is really lucky, she may be behind me in the Kroger line next Christmas. I hope she will speak to me during that hour. I will try to have something pleasant, cheery, and helpful to say next time.
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