MEDICAL MATTERS

[Stanley]

I'll bow to superior knowledge and continue to drink a pinta milk a day......

[Whyperion]

I hated those free 1/3 pint milks we got given at school, I complained it wasn't real milk ( I think it had a creater cream/solids percentage in it?- we used to have silver top at home, nowadays its semi-skimmed I prefer) Too much milk in one go and I feel sick,...... same applies to those sticky sports drinks too.

[PanBiker]

School milk was whole milk, what blue top nearly passes as now. It was one of the best schemes to promote the well being of children ever provided by government. Milk is widely regarded as a beneficial food and for many children it would be the only nourishment they got in the morning. Whole orange juice was provided for the lactose intolerant kids. The white water varieties of skimmed and semi skimmed milk had not really been developed when the free school milk was on offer. Regardless of the richness of the product, it was down to Margaret Thatcher that this service was stopped for the majority of children, shame on her.

[Tizer]

Stanley, I didn't see that programme but my friend did. She said the programme implied that milk was the best hydrater of the body at all times. The actual scientific report said it was the best hydrater of the body over and above sports drinks when the body is dehydrated after intense exercise. These two statements are quite different.

Good point, Sue. There are two many glib statements and claims made out of context in the media. Thanks for clarifying it.

"School milk was whole milk, what blue top nearly passes as now". Panny, I'm not sure why you write `nearly' in that sentence. The blue top milk is pasteurised and homogenised but it's `full fat' at around 4%. But I like your phrase `white water varieties' for skimmed and semi-skimmed milk.

Changing direction...`Vets: Ban the use of homeopathy in animals' LINK
I'm in favour of this. The report says the petition is based on animal welfare concerns but I'm surprised it doesn't mention that research has shown that animals other than humans do not exhibit a placebo response. The only benefit of homeopathy to humans is through a placebo effect but other animal species don't respond in the same way.

[PanBiker]

"School milk was whole milk, what blue top nearly passes as now". Panny, I'm not sure why you write `nearly' in that sentence. The blue top milk is pasteurised and homogenised but it's `full fat' at around 4%. But I like your phrase `white water varieties' for skimmed and semi-skimmed milk.

I wrote nearly as even if you buy blue top it does not settle with the cream on the top when left to stand. Even the 1/3 pint bottles we used to get as school had 2" of cream on the top. it used to force the silver top off in winter when the milk was delivered and left in the yard until break. Is the modern plastic bottled stuff mixed better or something?

[Tizer]

Yes, it's physically homogenised so that the fat remains in suspension rather than separating out. As you know, the market for bottled milk is now split in three - whole, semi-skimmed and skimmed. Therefore incoming milk is now separated into fat and non-fat fractions and then recombined as necessary to give the three product types with their differing fat contents. This allows the products to be standardised too whereas raw milk varies in its fat content. So the fat in the blue top is always 4%. It's basically the same fat as was present in your school milk, not chemically changed, just physically modified.

[PanBiker]

Thanks for the explanation Tiz, I wondered why the cream didn't separate. We still get bottled milk delivered up at the Clarion. I'm used to green now but I love full fat on my cornflakes on occasion, we get in when we are on holiday, for the grandchildren. My daughters two get it all the time. Sally doesn't have milk apart from a drop in coffee she prefers soya YUK!

[Stanley]

Homogenising milk for retail liquid sale started in the 1960s when the market for cream started to level off instead of being two annual peaks, Xmas and the Strawberry season. The biggest give-away to milk quality was the cream line which was deepest on milk with a higher Fat and Solids not Fat content. At about this time the dairies developed technologies for 'standardising' fat content at different levels for different markets by adding skim milk to whole milk. In order to hide the cream line the milk was homogenised. In it simplest form this involves blasting milk at high pressure on to a solid steel plate which broke up the fat molecules and stopped them separating out when the milk was still.
Semi skimmed milk is the most popular type of milk in the UK with a fat content of 1.7%, compared to a minimum of 3.5% in whole standardised milk and 0.1% in skimmed milk. Note that the 3.5% milk is standardised at that percentage, most milk straight from the cow is a higher fat content than this. This is why farm gate milk is relatively more creamy. I think Channel Island milk (From Jersey and Guernsey cows) has to be a minimum of 5% but in its natural state can be higher.
A parallel development was that with higher cream sales the processors had an excess of skimmed milk on their hands. At the beginning of the 1960s this went for stock feeding at a much lower price either as liquid or condenser dried powder. In order to add value the dairies promoted 'low fat yoghurt' and by dint of massive advertising created a higher value added market for what was virtually a waste product. Remember Ski Yoghurt? Brilliant concept and it led to the market for other products like Low fat cheeses and Crème Fraîche. By this method maximum profit was assured.....
A consequence of all this manipulation of the market to maximise profit is that there are very few people today who know what fresh warm milk straight from a healthy cow tastes like. I can assure you that it is light years from the 'milk' that we have been educated to accept as normal.
On a different subject, I am a fully paid up convert to the concept od sleeping without a pillow. I have modified the approach and now use a folded bath towel across the head of the bed because I like the feel of the rough towel and if my head sweats during the night it is easy to change for a clean one. My arm, back and knees all show an improvement. This may be down to my personal problems and may not work for everyone but I'd recommend you gave it a try.....

[Stanley]

The 'no pillow' strategy has been entirely successful and I am better for it.
Last week was interesting. I was dragged out of my normal routine and did a lot of walking, some of it in cruel heat. I was surprised by how well I coped as long as I took it steadily. I ate like a horse enjoying the Keele catering which was excellent. So good that I put a couple of pounds on.....
One thing that has surprised me is how quickly I recovered from the change and soon lost the stiffness in my legs. However, yesterday I went into more usual modes of exercise involving lifting, bending and awkward positions as I attended to my stove. I was surprised by how it knackered me! Completely different exercise and I shall have to get my shed legs back again. On the whole though I am in better nick for the change.....
Now to get closer to 168lbs!!

[Tizer]

Just a little more about milk...
Human milk contains about 4% fat. Of the milks consumed by humans, reindeer has the highest fat content at 22.5% and horse the lowest at 1.5%. Of milk not consumed by humans, gray seal has 53%, whale 35% and polar bear 31% fat.

[Stanley]

Nice one Tiz. There is a valuable clue embedded in there about the value of fat in extreme cold climates.... remember Susan Allport's book 'Queen of Fats' in which she proclaimed the value of long chain Omega3 oils and the fact that the Inuit communities with the highest fat intake had the lowest incidence of heart disease.... I wasn't wasting my time when I was doing my reading on lipids..... Tiz made the same points and slowly the scientific community is falling into line behind us except for the people under the influence of the food processors.....

[David Whipp]

The 'no pillow' strategy has been entirely successful and I am better for it.

I thought Stanley was going to comment that his next move towards a more Spartan lifestyle would be the removal of the mattress...!

[Stanley]

No way, and it's not Spartan just efficacious. My back, arm and knees are much better and I am perfectly satisfied with my 40 year old mattress which is as comfortable now as when I bought it. It's the Vi Spring Elite 5ft model. They still make the same one and the price is a shade over £2,000. It was £400 when I bought it from the two lads in Newtown, I forget their names. They tried to tell me the price when I ordered it but I told them not to as I would probably not buy it! We had no problems with the base but I had to take the treads of the stairs at King Street out to get it upstairs because it doesn't bend and weighs a ton!

[Marilyn]

I started taking high strength Magnesiun about a week ago hoping it would help with aches and pains...and I am totally confused about it because it seems my aches and pains are actually getting worse! Mind you, we have had several days of intense work in cramped conditions working on our van. I shall keep going with them for now, but noticing I am waking up several times a night with aching hips, mainly when turning over. Maybe they need longer than a week? Or maybe they don't work for some folk? I am not sure which way to call it just now.

[Wendyf]

Surely you get enough magnesium from all the veggies you eat Maz? Wouldn't the effect of taking them be a long term thing? I find my aches & pains arrive when the atmospheric pressure goes high or low...I'm OK in normal ranges!

[Marilyn]

Eeeee...maybe it is the atmospheric pressure then?
We've had several weeks of storm fronts coming through and another last night hit about midnight.
Perhaps that is it, because I am sore in areas that normally don't bother me!
( Magnesium seems to be all the rage just now, and touted as a replacement for paracetamol...but if that is the case, I don't seem to feel any good from it. Yes...I would have expected my truck load of veg a day would be sufficient.)

[Wendyf]

We are both sensitive Leo souls!

[Marilyn]

a fellow Leo. Knew there was something special about you...

[Marilyn]

Actually...I may have spoken too soon. I have noticed changes today...

[Sue]

Chocolate is rich in magnesium, if that is any help

[Marilyn]

Not a fan of Choclate unfortunately (or any sweet stuff).
I have found that I am full of energy on the Magnesium.

[Marilyn]

I've been on the Magnesium for over a fortnight now. Can't say it makes any notable difference to aches and pains. Energy levels are good though...
I shall take them until the container is empty...

[Stanley]

I sympathise with your attempt to identify a deficiency Maz. I do the same and take a multi-vitamin every now and again 'just in case'. Actually, with the breadth of my diet and the way I refuse processed food I doubt if I need anything. (I shall take a multi vitamin just in case!)
Later after walking down to the butcher's.... My back is a lot better today! I shall not be losing my head and doing anything silly.

[Stanley]

I'm happy to report that my back pain continues to heal. Not quite gone away completely yet but easily supportable. One thing I have found is that Voltarol analgesic cream is very effective.

[Stanley]

No pain and enough confidence to take no medication or back rub today. One of the things I find is that I have to beware of getting into the habit of taking a pill 'just in case'. I have to tell myself that I have no pain! Is this just me or does anyone else have this syndrome?