London Is My Gymnasium
The weather is better today, so I did a trip round the various construction and other sites that I keep a watch on.
The pictures are in order and show how I went to the Excel to see the CrossRail progress, then over the cable-car to Greenwich. I then took the Jubilee line to Stratford and the DLR to Pudding Mill Lane station, again to look at CrossRail. I also had a coffee and some delicious gluten-free cake at the ViewTube, before coming back to Highbury and Islington station, where I did a bit of shopping.
I tend to use these trips as long walks with the occasional climb up and down stairs to get fit. I found that on the cruise stair-climbing with a rail on the left, was good for that side of my body.
Measles On The Way Back
There are reports like this one, that show measles is on the way back, with a large outbreak in Swansea.
I was never vaccinated against it as a child and never caught it, despite the fact that my sister did.
I eventually caught it in about 1973, when my children all had it. To complicate matters, I also had chicken-pox at the same time.
It didn’t leave me with any lasting effects, but for two weeks, I never got off the sofa, as I felt so wretched.
It was probably, the worst illness I’ve had in my life, from a point of feeling ill.
I would not wish it on my worst enemy.
So get those children immunised. Those that don’t are stupid!
How To Cut Strokes
I like to think, I’m more or less following what is said in this story. Here’s an extract.
Increasing potassium in our diets as well as cutting down on salt will reduce blood pressure levels and the risk of stroke, research in the British Medical Journal suggests.
One study review found that eating an extra two to three servings of fruit or vegetables per day – which are high in potassium – was beneficial.
Funnily enough though, I’ve never really liked salt on my food. Perhaps, it was because my late mother-in-law used it so liberally, but I think the preference goes back further than that.
In some ways though, the older I get, the more I believe that a gluten-free diet is good for you. I suppose Novak Djokovitch would agree!
Cancer Isn’t Funny!
But!
They were just talking about drugs for cancer on BBC Breakfast.
They were interviewing a guy from Wolverhampton with stomach cancer, whose specialist at the local hospital said that he should get a second opinion. So his wife searched the Internet and found that his specialist, was one of the world’s leading experts in keeping people alive with stomach cancer. According to the interviewee, she then said “What’s he doing in Wolverhampton?”
There was a lot more in a similar vein.
It was a classic interview about a serious subject, conducted with a real Midlands sense of humour.
The Awareness Of Coeliac Disease
According to the Restaurant Manager, there were twenty-four people on a gluten-free diet out of a total of 1,800 passengers.
But what surprised me was the number of passengers, who on seeing my bread or asking, why I declined a roll and hearing the answer, said that they knew of a coeliac or had one in the family.
Without doubt, the awareness of coeliac disease is increasing and this can only be a good thing!
Adverts On The BBC
The only television I watched was BBC World and it was good to see such as Nick Gowing, who I once met on holiday.
However, I was rather fed up with the adverts, for products I weren’t interested in. Although, one was for a mini diabetic meter, much like the device I use to test my INR. Although it was very small. It does show the way these devices are going.
I wonder how long before cruise ships such as the Oriana have a digital television service based on Freesat.
Why Do The Italians Live Longer Than Us?
This question is asked by Fergal Keane on the BBC web site in this article. This is the first two paragraphs.
What is it about the Italians? They smoke more than us, they earn less, their economy is in even worse shape than ours, they spend less on healthcare, and yet – they live longer. Not just a bit, but a whopping 18 months more on average.
They also have more years of good health before disease and disability set in.
Only speculation is offered as to the reeason of Italian longlivity. Although I do find this statement interesting.
There have been improvements in living standards here of course. But Alan Maryon-Davis, honorary Professor of Public Health at King’s College London suggests that Italy is a more cohesive and less divided society than ours. He said “There is a flatter social gradient – less difference between the haves and have-nots in Italy, and that is likely to play a role in health outcomes.”
He also speculated whether the British psyche was fatalistic when it came to illness: “I wonder if many people feel that they can ignore their health for decades in the expectation that the NHS will be there to bail them out when they get into trouble.”
Especially, as I had similar thoughts a week or so ago in this article.
It would be enlightening to see how long Italians, who have lived in the UK for some time, live! After all, if you are from an Italian family in the UK, you probably eat like an Italian, even if your family arrived here decades ago.
The article gives a lot of food for thought.
I Drunk A Lot Yesterday And Feel Much Better Today
Yesterday, I drunk more than I have for some time. I had three mugs of tea before I left home, two cups of tea with my lunch in Carluccio’s and then perhaps another four mugs of tea during the afternoon and another one late at night. I also had a pint of Aspall Cyder down the pub during the presentation.
So I probably drunk about two and a half litres yesterday.
As a child, my mother was always getting me to drink more and often the only drink I had during the day, was the third of a pint bottle of milk and perhaps a small cup of tea. It was very difficult to get me to drink water and if I did drink anything else it was squash or her home made lemon drink, made to a Mrs. Beeton recipe.
From the time, I started drinking alcohol, I’ve generally been a pint of real ale man, although for years, I followed my father’s lead and drunk small bottles of Guinness. Incidentally, those small bottles, which are unobtainable now, were low in gluten.
I think when I went gluten-free, I started to get the odd stiffness in my legs and breathing difficulties at this time of year. I used to think, I needed to have a cup of coffee before tennis to get myself going. But could it be that I had cut down on my liquid intake, by avoiding pints of beer. And also in those days a few years ago, decent cider, like Aspall wasn’t available in pubs.
I came out of hospital after the stroke feeling pretty rough and I don’t think I was drinking much inside. Basically, I’ve never been a great water drinker. I need something stronger, like tea, milk or lemonade.
I think I will keep up the high level of drinking.
As I’ve been drinking hard for the past month or so and having a deep bath every day, it does seem, that the stiffness in my lower legs has eased.
Strangely, my rhinitis isn’t too bad this morning either and my toe nails seem not to be their usual mess.
So perhaps the two most important women in my life, my mother and C, were right all along, in saying I should drink more. C of course was always making me cups of tea, when she was at home, as she was a serious coffee and water drinker.
So perhaps we had mutually beneficial habits. I think too, my son is another heavy drinker of the non-alcoholic kind.
But why is it, that things seem to always get worse for my body in the first few months of the year? I had a GP once, who said I might suffer from SAD or seasonal affected disorder. It did get better soon after that diagnosis, but C and I were taking at least a week’s holiday in the sun.
Profits Before Health In New York
It would appear from this story about banning the sale of large sizes of fizzy drinks in New York, that American lawyers are on the side of corporate profits and really can’t care about the obesity and health of the American people.
As someone, who is built like the Aldgate Sphinx, and has always been like that, I have never understood obesity and why people get that way. My father was the same and it looks like my son is too! At least we could share clothes, if we wanted!
Is This The Next Antibiotic?
Read any paper or web site this morning and the doom-sayers are saying that growing resistance to antibiotics is a big risk to us all. Read about it here on the BBC web site.
The BBC News tonight did talk about a company called Phico. I looked at their web site and although I know little of pharmaceuticals, I do feel that this company may have the look of another success out of Cambridge.
Let’s hope that for everyone’s sake, they’ve got it right!
Note that, because of the backing of the Wellcome Trust, they shouldn’t be lacking in resources.
The Anonymous Widower 