Santa Fe New Mexican - Healthy Living
Health briefs
SOMETHING OLD, SOMETHING NEW TO THINK ABOUT
Punk that pup!
Those of us who live in the West are accustomed to sharing our territory with coyotes. They run up and down our driveways, jump fences to hunt in our yards and fill the night air with their calls. Living close to nature has its rewards, but the downside is the ongoing danger that predators can pose to our pets, especially small dogs.
Recent research has documented that coyote attacks on pets are increasing, even in urban areas like Chicago. California and Texas also report increases in attacks on pets.
Fencing your yard, walking or hiking with a leash and carrying a small megaphone are commonsense approaches to protecting your pet. But attacks — not only from coyotes but also from hawks and other birds of prey, bobcats, foxes, large aggressive dogs and even the occasional raccoon — can come out of nowhere and be over in seconds.
To give small pets a better chance of surviving an attack, a California couple whose dog was killed by a coyote designed the CoyoteVest.
On first glance, the vest looks like a Halloween costume gone horribly wrong or a fashion statement from a punk rocker turned entrepreneur. The vest is made of punctureresistant Kevlar, the same material used in bulletproof vests. And the doggy armor is augmented by removable chrome spikes on the neck and sides, and fluorescently colored bristles along the top — all of which give the vests their punk look.
The vests make small dogs look larger, and their odd appearance may confuse a predator says the company’s website, providing pets with both a physical and psychological barrier to attacks.
Can a CoyoteVest guarantee that your pet will escape or survive an attack? No, but accumulating anecdotal evidence says that it might help. Vest costs about
$100 and are available online at CoyoteVest.com.
Orange you glad...
The sweet potato, an orange root vegetable native to the Americas, is a nutritional powerhouse. Rich in vitamins C and B6, potassium, calcium and iron, it’s also a powerful antioxidant and a major source of beta-carotene, which the body can convert to vitamin A. High in both soluble and insoluble fiber, the lowly tuber can also help regulate a human’s — and a dog’s! — digestive system. (Dogs can also convert beta-carotene to vitamin A, which, according to petmd.com, “promotes healthy skin, coat, eyes, nerves and muscles” in canines.)
Those health benefits are one reason sweet potatoes are often added to commercial dog food and treats, especially grain-free varieties. But many dogs also benefit from a small amount of sweet potato added directly to their daily dinner plates.
Sweet potatoes added to the doggy diet should always be fully cooked — steamed, boiled or roasted — unsalted and unseasoned. Never give a dog a raw sweet potato. AKC.org also suggests
removing the skin to make the root easier for Fido to digest. The same source points out that pumpkin can deliver many of the same health benefits at about half the calories, so if your dog has a weight problem, has diabetes or is inactive, pumpkin may be the better choice. If you buy canned pumpkin, be sure it does not have added sugar or spices.
If you decide to add sweet potato or pumpkin to your dog’s diet for its nutritional value or to help regulate bowel movements, start small — somewhere between a teaspoon and a tablespoon per day will do it. Many sources suggest talking with your vet before starting any new diet regimen. Too much vitamin A can cause health problems, and recent research suggests that sweet potatoes may not be safe for all dogs.
Grocery shopping:
It’s a dirty job
In 2011 Consumer Reports shared the results of a University of Arizona study that concluded: “Most shopping carts teem with germs.”
More recent research indicates that things have not improved. In 2017 Reusethisbag.com, in conjunction with EMLab P&K, surveyed more than 100 grocery stores of different sizes in 10 states. Researchers found large swaths of harmful bacteria — 75 percent of which could cause illness — on almost all surfaces at upscale and budget, large and small grocery stores. The most harmful bacteria were found on grocery carts, which, researchers concluded, harbor more bacteria than toilet handles and bathroom doorknobs.
Fortunately, easily accessible sanitizing wipes can do a good job of reducing the germ load on shopping carts. Use the wipes many stores provide, or bring your own, to wipe down cart handles. If you put children in the cart, also wipe down the seat. And if your children like to ride in those small plastic carts they can steer themselves, use additional wipes to clean up the steering wheel and the cart seat before they drive off.
Reusable shopping bags, which are now in greater use, especially where local ordinances and store policies discourage paper and plastic, are eco-friendly. But according to another study from the University of Arizona, they are also portable petri dishes, riddled with bacteria, yeasts and molds that can make you sick. But, once again, the threat is relatively easy to clean up.
The first line of defense is to wash those bags — after every trip if possible. Check bag labels for cleaning guidelines. Insulated bags, which aren’t designed to be thrown in the washer, can be decontaminated with antibacterial wipes, taking special care to get into the seams. To cut down on cross-contamination, use separate shopping bags for raw meats, seafood and produce — and label them if necessary to remember which bags you use for which purpose. A separate bag for nonfood items can also be helpful.
The Cleveland Clinic says you can reduce the amount bacteria on reusable grocery bags by keeping them out of the trunk of your car, even though that may be the easiest way to make sure they accompany you to the market. Storing the bags in a cool, dry place where air can circulate will help keep bacteria from multiplying, especially in hot weather.
Gluten-free facts and fads
The National Institutes of Health estimates that only one out of every 100 people — or 1 percent of the population — has celiac disease.
But research by the Mayo Clinic in 2017 revealed that one in every five people (20 percent) are following a low-gluten or gluten-free diet, even though they have not been diagnosed with celiac, a serious autoimmune condition.
Perhaps, as Dr. Daniel A.
Leffler, clinical research director at the Celiac Center at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, comments on the Harvard Health Blog, “It’s become hip to go gluten-free.”
Gluten-free foods are no longer limited to health food stores, and the market for them is growing. Zion Market Research estimates that the global gluten-free product market, which reached $4.72 billion in 2017, will reach $7.6 billion by 2024.
Are people wasting their money? It all depends on where they fall on the celiac disease-sensitivity scale.
When people with celiac disease eat even the tiniest amount of gluten (most commonly found in wheat, rye and barley), the protein triggers an immune response that damages the lining of the small intestine. This in turn interferes with the absorption of nutrients and can lead to osteoporosis, nerve damage and seizures.
Celiac can now be confirmed with a blood test and an intestinal biopsy, but the only treatment is to follow a very strict gluten-free diet — which is not as easy as it sounds. Gluten is found in some of the most unlikely places, including supplements and toothpaste. And a recent study published in the American Journal of Gastroenterology and reported in USA Today concluded that “thirtytwo percent of restaurant foods labeled gluten-free contain gluten.” Unsurprisingly, the biggest offenders were pasta and pizza; more than half the samples marked as glutenfree tested positive for gluten. If you have celiac disease, you might want to give waiters and cooks the third degree, asking how foods are sourced, stored and prepared to avoid cross-contamination.
Although there is not yet a diagnostic test for it, non-celiac gluten sensitivity, once suspected of being a fantasy, is now generally accepted as real. People who are sensitive to gluten experience some of the symptoms of celiac disease (diarrhea or constipation, vomiting, fatigue) but without the intestinal damage. While they are not in the same danger as their celiac counterparts, gluten-sensitive people may be able to relieve their discomfort by avoiding gluten. But, as Leffler suggests, everyone else may be wasting their money buying higher-priced gluten-free foods.