The blog is about health and gives useful information on health and disease.

You’re on the seventh hole, and you hear thunder in the distance. What do you do? None of the other players looks concerned, and this is your first day off in months. So you decide to play on. It’s the smart thing to do, right?

Wrong. No one, not even a golfer, is immune to lightning. Lightning kills about 100 people a year, and injures hundreds more, says Michael Cherington, M.D., clinical professor of neurology at the University of Colorado School of Medicine and founder of the Lightning Data Center at Centura Health, both in Denver. Men are four times as likely to get jolted as women, perhaps, in part, because they don’t come in out of the rain. He recommends several ways to lower your risk.

Pick up the signals. Darkening skies, sudden drops in temperature and increasing wind are all pretty good signs that a storm is coming and you ought to head for cover.

Use your ears. If you can hear thunder, you’re close enough to get zapped. You can measure how far away the storm is by counting seconds between the flash of lightning and the thunder-every five seconds equals roughly one mile-but just seek safe shelter immediately.

Follow an 11:00 a.m. curfew. If you’re hiking high altitudes like the Rocky Mountains, get down below timber-line by 11:00 A.M., Dr. Cherington says. “Most strikes occur after this time during the day.”

Seek safe shelter. The safest place during a storm is inside a safe shelter. When indoors, stay off the phone, out of the shower or bathtub, and away from appliances.

Stay away from single trees. If you’re on a golf course or any other open area, do not seek refuge under an isolated tree. The inside of a closed car or van is a relatively safe place to be. If a vehicle or safe shelter is not nearby, run into a forest rather than under a single tree. If you’re outside and you feel your hair starting to stand on end, a lightning strike is imminent. “Get into a catcher’s position, crouching on the balls of your feet, lower your head, and cover your ears,” says Dr. Cherington. “This is a very bad situation that’s best avoided.”

*121/36/5*

Years ago I spent a great deal of time explaining the “doctor within,” Super Foods, and so on, to a patient of mine, a well-known sports figure. He was suffering from frequent colds and a depressed immune system. He listened very carefully, asked intelligent questions and took careful notes. He came back to see me periodically, each time assuring me that he was following the program I had outlined for him. But I could tell from the examinations that his health was disintegrating. His laboratory tests and other clues told me that he wasn’t following my advice. His wife called me one day to say that he hadn’t made any changes in his diet or his outlook. Indeed, she said, he continued to eat all the wrong foods and did nothing to alleviate his stress. This man practiced a form of denial, and he eventually wound up with cancer.

Let me tell you about another patient, a man with diabetes, which required daily insulin injections. This wealthy businessman loved to eat large, thick steaks, sweet-and-sour Chinese food and deli-sandwiches. He ate his way through the fanciest restaurants in Los Angeles and, for that matter, all over the U.S., as he traveled about the country. He came to see me regularly, listening attentively as I explained how and why he should start protecting his “doctor within.” Like the sports figure, however, he didn’t make the commitment to his health. Then a diabetes-related gangrene attacked his foot, and part of it had to be amputated. Now he was ready to make the changes. Unlike a salamander, he couldn’t grow back the part of his foot he had lost. But by adopting all the health-enhancement techniques I’ve described in this book, and others that I designed specifically for him, he brought his diabetes under control. He is doing well, feels well and is looking forward to many productive and healthy years.

I can’t slap your hand every time you reach for unhealthy food; I can’t force you to follow the Immune For Life program. But I can tell you that there is no more precious thing on earth than your good health. Nature has endowed you with the best doctor you can have: your “doctor within.” As a physician, my advice is to take care of it. You’ll be rewarded with long life, vibrant health and happiness.

*152\80\8*

As a rule, you can’t feel good if your muscles are weak. Instead, you feel tired, below par. Feeling this way affects your emotional state. You probably feel depressed and unhappy with your inability to perform the activities you want to do. Many people tell me they can’t carry bags of groceries because their arms feel too tired.

For these and other reasons, it’s important that you tone the large-muscle groups in your arms and legs. Brisk walking or jogging tones your legs. Swimming tones arms and legs. For my arm exercise I keep two barbells near my bathroom sink. I turn on the Physician’s Radio Network in the morning to hear the latest medical news and do these three exercises for the muscles of my arms and shoulders. Start with light weights; three or five pounds is fine. I believe it’s better to do more repetitions with light weights than to struggle through fewer repetitions with heavy weights. You can always increase the weight as you get stronger.

Bicep Curl: The biceps are the muscles on the “inside” of your upper arm, the muscles that tighten when somebody rolls up their sleeves and “makes a muscle.” Hold one weight in each hand, with your arms resting at your sides. Your little fingers should be closest to your body, your thumbs furthest away. Keeping your elbows firmly at your sides, lift your hands, bending your arms at the elbow, and bring the weights up until they almost touch the front of your shoulders. Then lower your arms back to the starting position and repeat. Do five to start. Gradually work up to 20 to 30 curls without stopping.

*110\80\8*

CRUNCHY POTATO SALAD

2 lbs. potatoes 1/2 cup celery 1/2 cup sweet red peppers 3/4 cup scallions 1/4 cup parsley 1/2 cup nonfat yogurt

2 tbls. cider vinegar

1 tsp. curry powder

Wash all vegetables. Skin potatoes, chop celery, pepper and parsley; thinly slice scallions. Steam or boil potatoes until tender, then drain. Cut potatoes into 1/2-inch cubes, and combine with chopped vegetables. In a small bowl, mix yogurt, vinegar and curry powder. Stir yogurt mixture into potato mixture. Cover and refrigerate until serving time. Excellent for carry-out lunches.

Serves 4 to 6.

OKRA STEW

1 large onion

4 medium tomatoes

1 clove garlic, minced

1 six-oz. can tomato paste

2 tsps. lemon juice 1/2 tsp. oregano

1 lb. okra

Wash vegetables. Chop onion and tomatoes. Saute onion and garlic in water until tender. Add tomato paste, tomatoes, lemon juice and oregano. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Wash okra and cut off the cone-shapped top. Add to tomato mixture. Simmer, covered, 20-30 minutes. Serve over hot grains.

Serves 4.

*67\80\8*

Take care of your “doctor within” and your immune system— starting now. Don’t wait for the trouble signs to appear, because by then it may be too late. The road to lifelong immunity starts right here, right now, with the Immune For Life program.

The Immune For Life program begins by acknowledging the importance of your “doctor within.” I designed the program to, first, stop harming the good doctor and, second, to begin strengthening this ally. Whatever your immune status, you can begin—right now—to make the changes in your habits and lifestyle to stop harming your “doctor within” and put you on the road to vibrant health and happiness. Here are the basics of the Immune For Life program:

1. Do you know if your diet is sabatoging your “doctor within”? Or how many health-destructive negative thoughts pass through your mind every day? Knowledge is power. Find out whether your life-style and daily habits are helping or harming your “doctor within.” In the Immune For Life Workbook that starts on page 149, you’ll find a series of quizzes that will help you evaluate your daily habits and thoughts. Taking the quizzes will teach you a great deal about yourself and will point to potential trouble spots for your “doctor within.”

2. Stop harming your “doctor within” and immune system with the dangerous Standard American Diet. Instead, add years to your life and life to your years by switching to the Super Food diet. Find out which foods are the Super Foods, with extra power to protect you against cancer, heart disease, strokes, diabetes, depression and other diseases.

3. Make sure your “doctor within” is getting all the vitamins and minerals it needs by adopting a Nutri-Prevention program of supplements best suited to your needs. Your program may include DLPA—dl-phenylalanine—a natural and safe nutrient that bolsters the immune system, blocks chronic pain and relieves certain types of depression by protecting and enhancing the endorphin hormones.

4. Meld your mind and body into an invincible barrier against depression, negative thinking, physical and emotional disease. Learn how not to be a stress seeker who risks heart disease and other problems by trying to take on the world single-handed. Find out whether you’re a stress phobic, with depressed, unhappy thoughts that increase your risk of cancer and other diseases. Learn to make affirmations and visualizations a part of your everyday Immune For Life program.

5. Discover how brisk walking and other simple exercises can strengthen your “doctor within,” bolster your immune system and fight depression.

6. Soothe and simultaneously energize your “doctor within” with Meditative Relaxation. This is an excellent way to dispose of the stress, anger and frustration that are so destructive to your health and happiness.

The Immune For Life program is relatively simple. But it all depends on your making, here and now, a firm and irrevocable commitment to zestful health, happiness and longevity.

*23\80\8*

When you pay more than 50% of the support for an individual, tax benefits can result… • When the individual’s income doesn’t exceed $3,200 in 2005 or $3,300 in 2006 (excluding tax-exempt income, such as from municipal bonds and the tax-free portion of Social Security),

you may be able to claim him/her as a dependent to obtain a tax exemption of $3,200 in 2005 and $3,300 in 2006.

note: New rules apply to a qualifying child. Income may not matter and support only becomes critical if the child pays more than half.

• Even if the individual has income exceeding the limit, you may be able to deduct medical expenses you pay on his behalf if the individual is a relative. (Ë “relative” is a parent, grandparent, sibling, child, grandchild, aunt, uncle, niece, nephew or in-law.)

*90/47/1*

Consider asking your doctor not to include especially sensitive information in your record. You might say, “If I tell you something very personal that may be relevant to my care but that I don’t want to be written in my chart, would you respect my wishes?” If your doctor is unwilling to honor your request, you’ll have to decide whether you still want to reveal the information.

Keep in mind that keeping important information out of your chart could compromise your care down the road—especially if you see another doctor or if your doctor fails to remember what you said. Keep information out of your record only if you feel doing so is absolutely essential.

Be wary of any medical information you give out, no matter how innocent it seems. A TV ad once offered free information on pollen counts to anyone who called an 800 number. The names of those who called were then used by the drug company that had sponsored the ad to market an allergy medication.

Get a copy of your medical records to make sure all information is factually correct. An error in your chart could lead to the loss of employment or future insurance coverage.

In most states, you have a legal right to your medical records. In the rest, you can ask your doctor for a copy of your chart. If your doctor won’t provide it, you’ve got to wonder whether your doctor views health care as a democracy or a dictatorship.

*81/47/1*

Grain products, including pasta, oatmeal, hot and cold breakfast cereals and bread, are divided into two subgroups— whole and refined. Whole grains, by definition, contain the entire grain—the bran (outer coating), germ (seed embryo) and endosperm (also called the kernel, it makes up most of the seed). Examples include whole-wheat flour, cracked wheat (bulgur) and brown rice.

Whole grains are rich in fiber, which has been shown to reduce risk for heart disease, diabetes and some cancers. They provide large amounts of vitamins and minerals that are sometimes lacking in our diet, including magnesium, selenium, potassium, zinc, vitamin E and chromium.

Refined grains are milled to remove the bran and germ, which gives them a finer texture and lengthens their shelf life. This process is also nutritionally devastating—it removes the healthful fiber, iron and many  vitamins and other vitamins and minerals found in whole grains.

Since refined grains are digested more quickly than whole grains, they can cause spikes in blood sugar and insulin secretion, which can increase hunger—and diabetes risk. Refined grains include white flour, white rice and white bread.

*72/47/1*

Placing duct tape (or other tape) over warts to get rid of them is not just an old wives’ tale. A recent study found that placing tape over warts is more effective at eliminating them than standard medical therapy.

the study: Participants who had warts on fingers, palms, heels or soles of the feet were divided into two groups. One group put tape on warts for six days, then soaked the warts and scraped them with emery boards, waited 12 hours and reapplied the tape, repeating the process. The other group had their warts frozen off by a doctor, which is standard therapy.

result: After just two months, 85% of those using the tape had gotten rid of their warts, versus only 60% of those who had received the standard freezing treatment.

*62/47/1*

The researchers say there is no clear proof that surgery is better than rehabilitation, and suggest that rehabilitation should routinely be made available to people who have chronic low back pain.

Their cost analysis also found that, on average, surgery is much more expensive per patient than rehabilitation.

However, the researchers caution, this conclusion could change if more patients who receive rehabilitation go on to require back surgery in the future.

Limit conversation with your doctor before he/she takes your blood pressure.

background: Many people whose blood pressure is normal at other times experience a sudden rise in pressure at the doctor’s office.

cause: Anxiety associated with interacting with the doctor. This “white coat” effect—named for the doctor’s garb—makes it hard to get an accurate reading.

study: Hypertensive patients who talked with the doctor before having their blood pressure checked had a sudden rise in blood pressure. This effect was more drastic during discussions of stress and disease than during chitchat. During periods of silence, blood pressure rapidly fell.

*53/47/1*