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Bananas can ease heartburn
I have suffered with acid reflux for several years. One night, when dealing with a bad session, I ate a banana. Within 30 minutes, I was able to go back to sleep. Since then, whenever a bad episode of heartburn occurs, I eat one or two bites of banana, and the problem goes away. It works every time, and it's not a drug. We almost always have a banana in the house.
We're not surprised that you have found bananas helpful. Doctors in India have prescribed bananas or banana powder to treat indigestion and stomach upset from aspirin. In an eight-week study published long ago (1990) in the Lancet, banana powder relieved indigestion in 75% of the patients.
Electric shock is used to start hearts that have stopped beating. In a pinch, would it be possible to start a heart using a stun gun?
Doctors use defibrillators to shock a heart out of a life-threatening rhythm. A stun gun is no substitute for a defibrillator! We consulted two cardiologists who both said this would not work and is a very bad idea.
If you are concerned about needing a defibrillator "in a pinch," you can purchase an AED — automated external defibrillator. These home models detect life-threatening heart rhythms and use an electrical shock to restart the heart. They usually cost $1,200 to $1,700. AEDs are sometimes found in airports and other public spaces.
Joe Graedon, a pharmacologist, and Teresa Graedon, an expert in medical anthropology and nutrition, can be reached at www.peoplespharmacy.com or care of this newspaper.
We're not surprised that you have found bananas helpful. Doctors in India have prescribed bananas or banana powder to treat indigestion and stomach upset from aspirin. In an eight-week study published long ago (1990) in the Lancet, banana powder relieved indigestion in 75% of the patients.
Doctors use defibrillators to shock a heart out of a life-threatening rhythm. A stun gun is no substitute for a defibrillator! We consulted two cardiologists who both said this would not work and is a very bad idea.
If you are concerned about needing a defibrillator "in a pinch," you can purchase an AED — automated external defibrillator. These home models detect life-threatening heart rhythms and use an electrical shock to restart the heart. They usually cost $1,200 to $1,700. AEDs are sometimes found in airports and other public spaces.
Joe Graedon, a pharmacologist, and Teresa Graedon, an expert in medical anthropology and nutrition, can be reached at www.peoplespharmacy.com or care of this newspaper.
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