Letters: More food for thought
Re “The Food-Mood Connection” in the Nov. 8 Health section, Marni Jameson writes that science “has shot down most of the food-mood links accepted as conventional wisdom and perpetuated by self-proclaimed nutrition experts. If you think about it, it’s heartening to realize that you can’t easily influence your mood by a bagel or banana.”
Yet some studies reveal just the opposite. In fact, in “The Chocolate Happiness Undergoing More Pleasantness” (CHUMP) study, Dr Kevin Chan divided participants into three groups — those who ate dark chocolate, those who ate milk chocolate and those who ate no chocolate. Of course, the ones who received the chocolate expressed greater happiness than those who did not.
As for me, my day goes from bad to good after I eat a hot fudge sundae topped with whipped cream and almonds. What a delight!
David Tulanian
Los Angeles
Blood sugar testing can be vital
I enjoyed the featured topic of diabetes in your Nov. 1 Health section as I am a certified diabetes educator in Orange County. Overall, the articles were informative and helpful. However, I have to express some concern regarding blood sugar testing recommendations made in your article “A Lot of Choice in Diabetes Medications.”
In general, no matter what the medication, almost all those with Type 2 diabetes should do some testing, at least for periods of time. The frequency and timing will depend on factors such as current level of control, changes in treatment plan, personal factors, blood sugar goals, etc.
The blood sugar testing should be looked at as a tool to assist with fine-tuning medications and/or refining lifestyle changes to gain control. It is also an important tool for those at risk for low blood sugar or hypoglycemia — those taking hypoglycemic medications. It allows for prompt recognition and treatment and hopefully prevention of low blood sugar. Hypoglycemia has the potential for being dangerous to the person with diabetes and those around them, and can even be life threatening.
Your recommendation for testing in those taking sulfonylureas (SFUs) such as glipizide was misleading. Your article stated these medications “don’t require daily sugar testing.” This gave the impression that blood-sugar testing is not important for those taking these medications. SFUs are hypoglycemic medications, and low blood sugar is a significant risk for some — particularly the elderly and those who eat erratically. While frequent testing may not be necessary, it is critical that testing be done with any signs of low blood sugar so that treatment can quickly be initiated and dosages adjusted, or lifestyle factors addressed if it is a frequent problem.
The testing recommendations for medications such as metformin or Actos seemed arbitrary — I’m not sure where these recommendations came from. The recommendation that blood sugars need to be “closely monitored” for GLP-1 agonists is also not accurate. These medications are unlikely to cause low blood sugar — testing should be done at a level to determine effectiveness of the medication, but these medications do not require testing over and above any other medication that does not cause hypoglycemia.
The best advice is for patients to talk to their doctors about when and how often they should be testing, what their general goals are and how testing can help them fine-tune their plan. Encourage them to meet with a diabetes educator to show them how targeted testing can be a useful tool in gaining control of diabetes and to prevent and treat hypoglycemia depending on their medication plan.
Cathy Goldberg, MPH, CDE
Seal Beach
Prop. 19 takes a hit
Hooray to James S. Fell for noting the effects that use of pot can have on an individual [“Some Facts to Face Before Voting on Prop. 19,” Oct. 25]. Pot offers a chance to affect one’s weight, lungs, chronic cough and acute bronchitis, motivation, ability to perform and risk of heart attack — that is if one happens to have the motivation to rush out to the gym after toking!
I only wish Fell had actually gone into the “lung cancer and schizophrenia stuff” that he didn’t get to in this article.
I also send a shout-out to Steve Lopez for his recent brave experiment and entertaining column on marijuana smoking.
Jan Wader
Pasadena
::
While Mr. Fell’s citing of studies focusing on potential ill health effects of cannabis usage may have merit, the point of decriminalizing has much to do with easing the violence of drug cartels, taxing the product and putting an end to the expensive prohibition that has needlessly incarcerated casual nonviolent users (especially ethnic minorities). We are not talking about spinach, so your asinine attempt at writing in “stoner” style caters to a low denominator: fear and more paranoia.
Legalization may not eliminate any current trend of cartel violence, but I am ready to take that risk.
Scott Matz
Los Angeles
One man’s superstition …
Re: “A Little Superstitious? You’re Not Alone,” Oct. 25, the Los Angeles Times gives its readers an entire article on superstition, or beliefs held without scientific basis, and never mentions religions?
Bonnie Ann Baker
Irvine
The doctor is out
Regarding your Oct. 18 article “Doctors Can Be Fired, and Taught Too” — interesting material, but what if your doctor fires you? My late husband received a letter from our primary care physician, in this rural community, to wit: “ … to inform you that Dr. … is no longer able to be your primary care physician.” I wasn’t fired, but my husband was, and so I could hardly remain under that physician’s care — even though I liked being his patient.
No explanation was given nor sought, but my husband had multiple, complex, serious conditions that warranted frequent travels to Stanford Medical Center.
Ellen Nichols
Porterville
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