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Is It 'Done' Yet?

Most people think that they can tell if food is thoroughly cooked by looking at its color or texture. Research conducted by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) shows that, in many cases, you can’t tell if food is thoroughly cooked and safe to eat just by looking at it. “The only way to know for sure that food is safely cooked is to use food thermometer,” says Gainesville Memorial Hospital clinical dietitian Kathie Robinson.

“Cooking food until it reaches a safe internal temperature is a key step in keeping food safe,” explains Robinson. “Food needs to be cooked to a temperature high enough to kill bacteria. If food isn’t cooked to a high enough temperature, harmful bacteria such as Salmonella and E. coli can multiply to dangerous levels and make people sick.”

Americans typically use a food thermometer when cooking holiday and other special meals. “It is important to use a thermometer every time hamburgers, roasts, chicken, pork, egg casseroles, and combination dishes such as meat loaves are prepared,” stresses Robinson. “Not only will you reduce the chances of getting a foodborne illness, you will find that using a food thermometer helps prevent undercooking and overcooking, giving your food the best possible flavor.”

To get an accurate reading, food thermometers must be placed correctly. Typically, the food thermometer is placed in the thickest portion of the food. Food with irregular shapes should be checked in several places. Use the following guide to accurately check food temperatures:

Whole poultry – insert the thermometer in the inner thigh near the breast. Make sure the thermometer does not touch the bone.

Roasts, steaks and chops – insert the thermometer in the middle of the thickest part, away from fat and bone.

Casseroles and egg dishes – insert the thermometer in the thickest area or in the middle.

Patties and other thin foods – insert an instant-read thermometer sideways (at an angle).

What are considered safe internal temperatures? The USDA provides the following temperature guidelines.

 

FOOD Safe internal temperature
(Degrees Fahrenheit)

GROUND MEAT (beef, pork, veal, lamb) 
160

FRESH BEEF, VEAL, LAMB
Medium rare 145
Medium 160 
Well done 170

CHICKEN and TURKEY 
Whole 180 
Breasts, roast 170 
Thighs, wings, legs 180

DUCK and GOOSE 180

STUFFING (cooked inside or outside bird) 165

PORK
Medium 160
Well done 170

HAM 
Raw/Fresh 160
Pre-cooked 140

EGGS Cook until yolk and white are firm
EGG DISHES 160 

CASSEROLES 165

LEFTOVERS 165

When Hormone Replacement Therapy Is Not The Right Choice

Recent news about the dangers of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) has caused some women to consider stopping the therapy and start looking for alternative treatments.

If you are considering stopping hormone replacement therapy you need to consult with your doctor to determine if discontinuing therapy is the best choice for you. The decision to stop therapy will be made if the potential risks to you are greater than your individual benefits.

If the decision to discontinue HRT is made, you should taper off the therapy to avoid symptoms of withdrawal. How you taper off HRT depends on the type of therapy used. Your doctor will provide specific information on how to safely and effectively reduce the hormones you are taking.

HRT is a “blanket” therapy that treats several symptoms. If HRT is not the right choice for you, one specific therapy must be used for each menopause-related symptom.

The most common symptoms of menopause are hot flashes, problems sleeping, and vaginal dryness. A lack of estrogen during menopause also causes bones to lose calcium, increasing your risk of osteoporosis. This lack of estrogen also puts you at greater risk of heart disease.

Lifestyle Changes and Alternative Treatments

Here are some lifestyle changes and alternative treatments that can help relieve common menopausal symptoms.

Hot Flashes

* Dress in layers of all-cotton clothes.

* Keep a fan in your home and work place.

* Avoid hot beverages and soups, spicy foods, caffeine, and alcohol.

* Reduce stress.

* Exercise regularly.

* Keep a record or diary of things that spark hot flashes and avoid these triggers.

* At the onset of a hot flash, take slow, deep abdominal breaths and drink a cold glass of water or juice.

* Soy may be helpful for short-term relief of hot flashes and night sweats. Limit intake to 50 grams of soy each day. Excessive soy intake may increase other health risks.

* The dietary supplement black cohosh may be helpful in the short-term treatment of hot flashes.

* Flaxseed contains a natural hormone-balancing substance. Put a couple of tablespoons of freshly ground flaxseed in your smoothie, yogurt, or cereal or bake it in bread.

* Talk to your doctor about prescription medications.

Difficulty Sleeping

* Exercising regularly is one of the best ways to get a good night’s sleep.

* Avoid alcohol, caffeine, large meals, and vigorous work or exercise right before bedtime.

* Use cotton sheets and lingerie and sleep in a cool room.

* Avoid napping.

* Go to bed and get up at the same times every day.

* Take steps to reduce hot flashes.

Vaginal Dryness

* Use over-the-counter vaginal lubricants.

* Prescription estrogen creams are available for severe cases of vaginal dryness.

 

Reducing Your Risk of Osteoporosis and Heart Disease

You can reduce your risk of osteoporosis and heart disease by:

* getting enough calcium and vitamin D,

* exercising regularly (using weight-bearing exercises),

* talking to your doctor about getting a bone scan,

* having your blood cholesterol level checked,

* checking your blood pressure regularly,

* eating a low-fat, low-cholesterol diet,

* not smoking, and

* limiting alcohol.

FDA Banning Ephedra

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a consumer alert urging consumers to immediately stop buying and using dietary supplements containing ephedra.

The FDA plans to prohibit sales of dietary supplements containing ephedra. The ban isn’t immediate because federal rules require certain steps to be taken before a ban can take effect. FDA has sent 62 letters to firms marketing dietary supplements containing ephedra and ephedrine alkaloids alerting them to stop selling these products as soon as possible.

FDA’s action is based on diligent and thorough work by the agency to obtain and review all the available evidence about the risks and benefits of ephedra, including its pharmacology, studies of ephedra's safety and effectiveness, adverse event reports, and reviews by independent experts.

FDA's evaluation found little evidence for ephedra’s effectiveness other than for short-term weight loss, as well as evidence suggesting safety risks.

Recent studies have confirmed that ephedra use raises blood pressure and otherwise stresses the circulatory system, effects that have been conclusively linked to significant and substantial adverse health effects like heart problems and strokes.

Ephedra, also called Ma huang, is a naturally occurring substance derived from botanicals. Its principal active ingredient is ephedrine, which when chemically produced is regulated as a drug. In recent years, ephedra products have been extensively promoted to aid weight loss, enhance sports performance, and increase energy.

Some of the products that contain ephedra include Metabolife, Thermalean, Ripped Fuel, Diet Fuel, Stacker 3, NaturalTRIM, Hydroxycut, Power Shape, Xenadrine RFA-1, Metab-O-Lite, and Metabolift.

Products that contain ephedra may list it on their label. To see if a product contains ephedra, look for these ingredients on the label: Ephedra, Ephedrine, Ma huang, Ephedra sinica, Sida cordifolia, and Pinellia.

"Matters of Health" is a weekly health information column provided in the public interest by Gainesville Memorial Hospital. Readers may suggest topics for future columns by writing: "Matters of Health", Gainesville Memorial Hospital, 1016 Ritchey Street, Gainesville, Texas 76240 Attention: Gayla Blanton. You may also review "Matters of Health" on the hospital website at www.cookehealthnet.com.

Health Tip

If you need to lose weight, do so gradually

If you are overweight, losing 5 to 15 percent of your body weight may improve your health and quality of life. Aim to lose about 10 percent of your weight over a 6-month period. This would be a 20-pound weight loss for someone who weighs 200 pounds. Losing 1/2 to 2 pounds per week is usually safe. Even if you have regained weight in the past, it's worthwhile to try again.

 

Oral Cancer Symptoms

Few things in life are a bigger shock than learning you have cancer. I created this guide to oral cancer symptoms after visiting with my Mesa Dentist.  Here you will find answers to some of your questions about this form of cancer. Please realize you are not the only one facing this and there are great treatment options especially when early action is taken.

The symptoms of oral cancer are important to recognize. Catching any cancer early will make treatment much easiser and less invasive. The most common symptoms to be looking out for are:

• Sudden persistent swelling.
• Formation of lumps or bumps in the mouth.
• Appearance of rough spots or crust.
• Erosion on lips or gum line.
• Sudden development of velvety white and red speckled patches.
• Bleeding on the lips or gums.
• Unexplained numbness.
• Persistent sores on the face, neck, and mouth.
• Stiffness in the jaw.
• Chronic sore throat.
• Ear aches.
• Dramatic weight loss.

If you notice any of these symptoms, contact your local dentist immediately. These are all indicators of serious health issues that need immediate attention.

Are you in the high risk group? Men are twice as likely than women to develop oral cancer. Men who are over the age of 50 are in the highest risk group. An estimated 35,000 people in the U.S. are diagnosed with oral cancer every year. Some of the most common risk factors for developing oral cancer are:

• Smoking .
• Use of smokeless tobacco.
• Excessive alcohol consumption.
• Family history of cancer.
• Excessive exposure to the sun.

To lower your risk of developing oral cancer, stop smoking, give up smokeless tobacco, limit alcohol and protect your skin when out in the sun. Regular dental check ups are essential for catching the disease in the early stages. Dentists in Mesa have been able to save lives by catching the cancer in the early stages. Do not ignore these symptoms. Make an appointment as soon as these symptoms are present, especially if you are in a high risk group.

Medical Insurance Broker

Today I receive my private medical insurance through a plan offered as an employee benefit through my employer. The coverage is good and my premium is reasonable compared to the medical services I receive and what I have to pay out of pocket. I started giving thought to what would happen if I lost my job or if my employer could no longer afford to offer healthcare coverage to me. That is when I would find myself in the individual market for directly purchasing my own health insurance and the first thing I would do is find a trustworthy medical insurance broker.

Sure, I could shop around myself. Maybe it will be easier to do this in a few years when state-run health insurance exchanges are setup as part of implementing the new healthcare reform legislation passed by the United States Congress. However, between now and then, and probably even after, I would need help navigating the individual insurance market as well as understanding results of the new legislation that could benefit me or that I need to be aware of when making a decision to purchase individual medical insurance.

A reputable medical insurance broker would not charge me, making his or her money in referral or commission fees charged to the health insurance or managed healthcare company from which I purchased coverage. However, this is only one part of being reputable. I need to believe that the insurance broker is making the best recommendation for my medical needs and that the coverage to which I am being directed is the most cost effective for me.

In order to know that I am dealing with a trustworthy broker, I need to do my homework before shopping around. Nothing complicated. I first need to learn the basic jargon that describes how healthcare services are paid for with private medical insurance and more specifically, what my out of pocket costs are going to be when I receive those services. Second, I need to understand my own coverage needs because this will affect my out of pocket costs.

The Egg Diet: Adrian Brody’s Fad Diet

Hollywood is known for introducing tons of fad diets to the main stream.  Some are semi-reasonable, while others like the lemonade diet are dangerous or completely impractical.  However, the Adrian Brody egg diet was a fad diet that the Hollywood star used in order to drop weight quickly for a movie role.  Also known as the egg and grapefruit diet, this fad diet is a high protein, low carb diet that also takes advantage of how hard grapefruit is to digest.  This results in a low calorie and high protein diet where the fruit is also hard to digest, leaving out carbs almost completely and helping to accelerate the weight loss process.

This eating plan has actually been mentioned by many different names.  It’s been called the Adrian Brody diet, egg diet, Adrian Brody egg diet, egg and grapefruit diet, egg fad diet, Hollywood grapefruit and egg diet, and many others.  These all refer to the same eating plan, or at least a different version of it.  This is not a weight loss plan that is meant to be a permanent or long term plan, but as a short term crash diet to lose weight fast over several weeks, it has proven to be a fairly effective option for many dieters.

While it might not be the best diet out there for long term weight loss, there’s little argument that the egg diet can be a great way to jump start a weight loss program, or instill some movement into one that has plateaued.  This is not going to be the best eating plan for everyone, but for people who love their eggs and grapefruit, or who don’t care much for carbs, then this could be a much better option than many of the other fad diets that are around.