Minor Side-Effects

Something was always  troubling me about so-called 'minor' side-effects of medications, though I never could clearly verbalize it. Then in the P. Weintraub article (see Statins and More) I read that certain drugs cause

‘…reduced energy and a lack of interest in activity, increased fatigue after exercise, erectile dysfunction…’

It just made me realize that many modern medications, which sole purpose is  ‘to control a condition’, or ‘to improve one’s quality of life’ in fact do nothing of the kind!

For the moment let’s disregard that such drugs are not intended to cure - with this old-fashioned and naïve idea I parted years ago. So, because they are incapable of curing modern drugs are largely focused on alleviating symptoms (see… practically any doctor-related posting of mine).

And though frantically trying to avoid pills myself, I always hesitated criticizing those who were not, as for many people medication might be the only way to manage through the day.   

Regarding possible side-effects I used to think like this:

‘As long as I am generally healthy I naturally do not want to put up with minor discomforts. But if my life were at stake, I might become much more tolerant to such things.‘

When I started reading fine prints more attentively it hit me that side-effects of modern drugs may be much more damaging then they seem.   

For example, when they warn you of ‘possible dizziness’ – it means - you might abandon your regular walks (out of fear to lose balance and fall).  Dizziness is also likely to lower appetite and weaken the determination to follow clean and healthy diet:

This is not easy to do even when you feel OK. Now imagine trying to eat right when you are nauseous and your taste buds are all confused.

When a drug instruction mentions such effects as ‘reduced energy and… increased fatigue after exercise’ – it means that your resolution to exercise regularly would be additionally and powerfully obstructed.  

It all looks like not a big deal, but healthy diet and exercise are exactly the factors that help body to heal: to strengthen its immune system, to increase metabolism, to suppress inflammation. This way diet and exercise contribute to prevention and reduction of practically all modern debilitating diseases!

Well, because of the side-effects of medications, people who need lifestyle changes most are particularly hindered in making these changes!

Quite a paradox.

Have you ever tried working out with an inflammatory back ache? 

Yoga, by the way, is highly beneficial against muscle inflammation. It increases blood circulation and flashes toxins out of your body.

But doing yoga with aching back or shoulder is hard. Almost every asana that you did with mindless ease hundreds of times turns into a pretty painful challenge. And it may take some time (weeks at least) to calm things down.

I know people who discontinued yoga for months in such conditions.

Even a zealous yogi would hesitate to work out while feeling ‘dizzy’ or ‘overly fatigued’ – that is, experiencing the most innocent of the common  medication side-effects.

It would present an even tougher challenge for a sedentary-living person. Would such a person dare to start exercising in these circumstances? I doubt it.

I also wonder how many people around me are driving every day with ‘minor cramps’, or ‘light markers of depression’ and other disregarded attention deficit inducers...

So it looks like the impact of drugs with minor side-effects basically comes to this:

Regular consumption of chemicals without cure

Experiencing all sorts of discomfort and having difficulty performing everyday tasks

Inability to assist natural healing processes

And then there are such effects as ‘lack of sex drive’ and ‘erectile dysfunction’ that do not physically hurt but may impact your life on a fundamental level.  

Who decided that these things are 'minor'?  

Statins and More

For quite a while I hesitated sharing my cholesterol doubts, thinking it could be perceived as yet another sample of my unconventional and anti-doctors views.

But then, and after the last posting had already been done, I came across an article ‘The Other Drug Problem’ by Pamela Weintraub. It was not only about cholesterol medications but also regarding high blood pressure treatments, anti-acids and more. This article changed my feelings completely:  

First of all, I realized that there is nothing original in my concerns – they are shared by many and are well grounded. According to Weintraub the issue is actually way deeper and is explored there in detail.

For a moment I even regretted my previous posting’s amateur reasoning, I wished, I could’ve simply put a string to this article instead. The problem was, I read it too late, and also – there was no electronic address underneath it in the Experience Life magazine.

Here I must say a few words about this magazine. And I am not encouraged in any way to do so. It is simply good. I paid little attention to it at first, because it started coming for free when we became Lifetime Fitness club members (I even threw several issues into recycling without opening).

But being quite skeptical at the beginning about this ‘auxiliary fitness promoter’ I was pleasantly surprised by sensitive and unbias health-related information I found there.

In this respect the Experience Life is in perfect contrast with the Whole Living - the magazine I‘ve been subscribing for several years. It started out as Organic Living with high standards on the ideas they promoted and products they recommended. But after it was bought by Martha Steward it became just another unscrupulous advertising engine.  

Feeling determined to share the information of the article by Pamela Weintraub I encircled several extracts in it and then surmised to go to the magazine's website. Isn’t it nice that every regular publication has a website nowadays?

I found the article right there!

I decided to copy the encircled extracts anyway, so that my effort and enthusiasm was not wasted. And then if someone is interested, the string to more information is below.

About the side-effects of statins and other drugs:

‘The Statin Study Group, directed by University of California at San Diego (UCSD) physician and scientist Beatrice Golomb, MD, PhD, who says:

Three common classes of prescription drugs in the United States — statins for reducing cholesterol, angiotensin II antagonists for lowering blood pressure, and proton pump inhibitors for reducing stomach acid — can all cause side effects worse than the problems they aim to treat. And the symptoms caused by one drug may necessitate the use of the others.’

Regarding the so-called 'minor side-effects' of statins (and other drugs) that were never paid much attention to:

‘…reduced energy and a lack of interest in activity, increased fatigue after exercise, erectile dysfunction…’

“In these studies, the decrease in death from heart disease was fully offset by increases in violent death from suicide, homicide and accident,” (Golomb)

‘A 2010 study published in The Lancet Oncology, for instance, reported an increase in cancer diagnoses among ARB users. Other side effects include headache, dizziness, lightheadedness, nasal congestion, back and leg pain, and diarrhea. And, while rare, side effects such as kidney failure, liver failure, allergic reaction, a drop in white blood cells and localized swelling of tissues (angioedema) can all be fatal.’

On the biasness of medical studies financed by the pharmaceutical industry:

‘As Golomb notes, clinical studies designed to prove the efficacy of a certain drug have inherent limitations, particularly as it relates to examining safety.’
‘Underlying their marketing strategy is a host of scientific studies that “exaggerate positive results and bury negative ones,” says Shannon Brownlee, author of Overrated: Why Too Much Medicine is Making Us Sicker and Poorer (Bloomsbury USA, 2007).’

On high blood pressure:

‘…while doctors routinely treat patients with mild to moderate systolic pressure of 140 to 160, it is only for those with moderate to severe hypertension — people with blood pressure over 160, the top 5 percent of the curve — that “we get a modest bang for our buck. Between 140 and 160 there is no good evidence that the benefits outweigh the harm,” James M. Wright, says.’

On the concept of medical prevention by giving drugs to healthy people:

‘According to internist and clinical pharmacologist James M. Wright, MD, PhD, professor at the University of British Columbia, statins have no proven net health benefit as a preventive.’

The Other Drug Problem

By Pamela Weintraub / April 2011

http://www.experiencelife.com/issues/april-2011/wellness/the-other-drug-problem.php

With the last and so popular concept I had a personal encounter (see Health Advocate Wanted).  Still I think, there is much more to discuss about it. 

Should I Lower my Cholesterol?

A slim and perfectly athletic young woman once told me that she was worried about her high cholesterol numbers in the last test. I laughed the issue off.

‘Labs make mistakes’ – I said – ‘Do you feel well? If yes, forget about it’.

Another 27-year-old ballerina-type was recommended by a doctor to cut down on… egg yolks.

We both found it funny.

But then my doctor called me just to say:
- Your current cholesterol level is not acceptable. You must be put on medications.

I did not feel like laughing. The fact that he did not even consider a non-medical alternative somehow felt especially upsetting.

I received it as the message to stop my 'natural, drug-free' nonsense and become like everyone else – passive and submissive to whatever doctor orders me to do.

When things like this happen, I first panic and think ‘Maybe it is time to change my ways. He (she) sounds so confident, and who am I to dispute a professional?’

But then I eventually calm down and start thinking straight. I ask myself:

-     Is there anything wrong with me (dizziness, fatigue, or pain)? Maybe I   feel weaker than in my 40s or 30s?

-     No; and actually, since yoga, - even better and stronger.

-     But can I trust my body? Every day people are urged to trust nothing but medical tests.  You hear countless stories about perfectly healthy individuals suddenly dropped dead with massive stroke or cardiac arrest.

-     Well, I doubt these stories are accurate.

-     Then why should I be scared of heart attack?

Currently doctors push young and old to lower blood cholesterol though its nature is not exactly clear (some say it depends on the amount of fat you eat; others – that consuming fat is irrelevant). These recommendations are based on the opinion that elevated level of LDL (bad) cholesterol is  one of the factors (family history, obesity, etc.) that in combination might be strong indicators of heart vulnerability. Yet again, many doctors advise to be ‘on the safe side’ and to lower it even if you have no relevant history or weight issues.

Being confused by all this controversy I felt like additionally researching the subject. Having high levels throughout my life and no heart problems ever, I grew a strong suspicion that the role of cholesterol in heart conditions is somewhat overrated. Thus I was looking specifically for the relevant studies that would prove or refute this hypothesis.

As usual, the first round was totally fruitless, though quite educational as I had been flooded with indisputable recommendations to lower cholesterol regardless of anything else.

I changed the inquiry to “cholesterol, study, controversial” and this is what I found:

1 – The clinical study led to a scandal in the medical world had found that an expensive anti-cholesterol drag and a much cheaper one (that included only one of the counterpart’s many components) perform the same. In fact the data for the cheaper one shows even slightly more benefits.

2 – The basic ingredient - statin reliably lowers cholesterol and was proven to bring benefits against heart conditions.  However it is not clear yet if the benefits observed were provided by lowering cholesterol or due to other healing mechanisms.

3 – The recommendations regarding cholesterol by everyone familiar with the results of this and similar studies are extremely cautious.

(The ENHANCE Trial and What It Means, By Richard N. Fogoros, M.D., http://heartdisease.about.com/cs/cholesterol/a/statins.htm;

CLEARING UP THE CHOLESTEROL CONFUSION! by Dr. Robert Preston, N.D.,  http://www.vitality-corp.com/)

  

I am thinking about changing the doctor.

Borsch - as Promised

After the success of the raw celery soup I was determined to make raw borsch from the same book (Sergey and Valya Boutenko, Fresh. The Ultimate Live-Food Cookbook).

Here is the recipe:

3 cups water

3 beets

1 small gingerroot, sliced

3-4 large garlic cloves

6-7 bay leaves

2 cups water

2 carrots

2 stalks celery

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

3 peeled oranges with seeds removed (to avoid bitterness)

1 tablespoon honey

¼ cup olive oil

1 teaspoon sea salt

½ cup walnuts

¼ head cabbage grated

1-2 carrots grated

½ bunch parsley chopped

The first 5 of these ingredients must be blended, others – finely chopped and it serves up to 6 people.

The celery soup had been gone so fast that my confidence in the ‘Borsch project’ grew real strong. I decided this time to make a full portion.

I cut beets into large chunks and felt already happy for not being asked to grate them. ( Raw beets are extremely good for your blood, but grating them takes some effort and is quite messy!) I also put only two oranges instead of three, because mine were large. Other than that I followed the instruction.  

Here is the result

For some reasons, though, I misjudged  the '6 people' mentioned in the recipe. I took them for rather moderate eaters, probably trying to lose weight and watching their portions.  My husband’s guess is that I was just hungry at the moment.

Well, I definitely  underestimated them!

The borsch poured out from the Vitamix filled the large salad bowl which I use for Thanksgiving dinners.  We started tasting it already anxious of not being able to eat it all. And what would I do with the rest? I cannot throw such a good thing away.

These thoughts were not exactly appetite – boosting. Still we liked it a lot!  

We ate two servings each and then I had one more out of guilty conscience.   The rest was put into the fridge to delay uncomfortable decisions.

The next day, however, I changed my mind and after warming it up a little, finished the borsch. By keeping it for so long and heating slightly, I probably lost some nutrients but still as the soup was never boiled, there must’ve been plenty of nutrients left.

And it was as good  and fresh the next day as it was the first day.

Who is Afraid of Suzanne Somers

Before we discontinued cable TV I saw her quite often, mostly on QVC or some other shopping network.  Then she was on Oprah show describing her anti-aging regimen.  The camera had shown a battery of plastic cups filled with pills that she took regularly and sworn by.  It looked slightly odd but I deeply sympathize with a cancer survivor on her journey to sustaining health. 

Suzanne Somers on the Oprah show

Lately I saw Somers again in “60 minutes” that was dedicated to her book ‘Knockout’ about doctors providing alternative cancer cures. Though being not a fan or follower, I was still struck by the attermost rejection of it by conventional medicine.

Our praised political correctness was nowhere in sight.

The representatives of the mainstream medical science interviewed in the episode explained that no success story can prove effectiveness of the treatment or approach, because all these successes are subjective, and could’ve been resulted from other factors (misdiagnosis, other treatments taken in parallel, etc.) Personal success stories are usually called anecdotes and are not admitted as scientific evidence. Only clinical studies can be admitted as such.

Not trusting my amateur understanding I checked the term in several dictionaries and on relevant Internet sites. According to them a clinical study (trial or protocol) is a thoroughly documented testing provided on a group of volunteers. The results are obtained via monitoring certain measurable parameters and comparing them to similar parameters in the group taking placebo.

It looks like such an approach excludes subjective judgment and coincidental reactions. But does it really?

Is the possibility of misdiagnosis not applicable to participants in a clinical study, or a possibility of alternative (or other) treatment taken in parallel clandestinely or unconsciously?

 We know that emotional support can be a powerful weapon against despair and thus, - a contributor to successful healing. But is it possible to make all the participants in a trial getting such support in equal (measurable) portions?  How about different lifestyles and medical history that are also difficult to reliably measure? Besides, there are multiple evidences of placebo being as effective as the tested drug.

And to make things worse we hear all too often of drugs thoroughly tested and FDA approved yet shown in years of application no sizable benefits (though caused dangerous side-effects.)

All these weaknesses of even the most unbiased medical trials are well known, still the representatives of mainstream science  demonstrate unshakable superiority. They are science. Others are charlatans.  

...The actress who usually projects a rather gregarious and flamboyant personality this time was uncommonly reserved. In response to accusations in incompetency she did not mention any of the issues above, just asked:

‘Why then so little success is gained against cancer in almost a century of research?’ 

Somers’ opponents were not intimidated by the question. They looked confident and comfortable replying that some progress had been made, in particular, not all (?!) the drugs of the 70s are still in use today. 

Indeed with no goals or timelines ever been set and no real competition to mind such a progress may qualify as totally fine.

And feeling so, the major scholarly concern is not about lack of their achievements but rather with the possibility of people being misguided by the books like Somers’. They worry that some of her readers might decide against conventional treatment and that would be detrimental to their health. 

Here I would like some help to check the logic. Please, tell me where I make a mistake:

      Cancer is one of the deadliest diseases in our part of the world.

      Success of modern science against it is still modest, which means that MANY PATIENTS DIE AFTER CONVENTIONAL TREATMENTS.

 Why then the decision to do something else is considered fatal?

Mrs. Somers did what all of us do when we straggled for a solution (medical, or other) for a long time, and finally found it – we rush to share the good news with our family and friends. By doing so we expect no other rewards than seeing someone else benefited from it. Today with the advantages of the Internet we can share our little victories with virtually the entire world.

There must be something good in this!

Of course, no health-related information should be trusted without questioning. And Somers’ book is no exception from this rule.  But nowadays we all need to learn processing information and taking the responsibility for our decisions.

Because, frankly, no one else would.

So here is the link to another information  regarding healing cancer naturally:

http://greensmoothiesblog.com/cancer/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+GreenSmoothiesBlog+%28Green+Smoothies+Blog+by+Victoria+Boutenko%29

It is from the blog that I follow. Check it if you know someone who may need it.

Vitamix

Hurray, we've received the Vitamix blender!

Victoria Boutenko recommended us for the company promotion.

That's my  new blender

For those who do not know what Vitamix is, I will just say that it is a powerful blender which can do not only very creamy smoothies but much, much more. You can also check it on the Internet if you never heard of it.

And to understand why we are so lucky see “Dismissal, Introduction…”

With my old blender (the one that I kept in the garage because  of its noise) I made the same recipe again and again – put in some greens (usually one or two varieties) and two bananas for taste.  It was not bad - banana makes the drink thicker and sweeter (actually a little-bit too sweet).  My husband tried once to use oranges instead of bananas – the mixture came out watery and quite acidic.

We got discouraged and decided not to experiment with other fruits - just stick with bananas.

But no matter how I like smoothies and the way they make me feel, after a while, I’ve gotten bored with their sweet taste. On the other hand I really love creamy soups but don't have them too often, because they are usually over-processed. Chefs like to roast or bake ingredients, then cool them, then blend them together and after that heat the mixture again.

Double-cooking leaves hardly any nutrients in the final product, besides there is an opinion that it makes food carcinogenic (see “Paul Bragg and Other Gurus“). So I’ve been thinking about something raw and nutritious, yet yummy (but not sweet for a change!) 

Actually I had an idea in mind for quite a while. In S. and V. Boutenkos’ book “Fresh” I found the recipe of the raw beets soup called “borscht”. Needless to say that I made traditional borsch (that is my spelling of it!) a zillion times in my life. But since in America we somehow stopped eating soups at dinner. 
OK, I became lazy! 

Still you cannot make such a dish in a low-speed blender, for which reason my plans had to be postponed. But when the Vitamix arrived I immediately made my proud announcement.

My husband unfortunately did not share my enthusiasm:

-          Let’s first do our usual smoothie and see how the thing works.

-          But don’t you like something different now when we’ve got the means?

It turned out, he did not. In fact he liked almost nothing I suggested – no spinach soup, no humus, not even salsa. Of spinach, he was particularly apprehensive. It reminded him of something dull and dreadful from his early childhood. 

After bargaining for a while we met each other in the middle - that is, on a simpler recipe of the cream of celery soup. Here it is:

1 medium bunch celery, chopped

3 cups of water

¼ cup olive oil

¼ cup lemon juice

1 tablespoon honey

Spicy pepper to taste

1 teaspoon sea salt

1 avocado, sliced

1 small sweet red pepper, chopped

The first 6 ingredients are blended until creamy; others are added to the ready soup. It serves 5.

I made it on Thursday and here is my report on the experience:

The soup was ready in 10 min. This time included washing of the blender before its first use as it is recommended by the instruction, and actual  preparation. It also included: opening and closing the door for cats who first wanted out (one after another), and the next moment, and in the same order – in.

My version  of  raw cream of celery soup - with a dash of dill

What is important - we both liked it!

I expected significant noise from this much larger and heavier appliance  but it was actually quieter than my old blender and even easy to clean.

So, raw borsch is definitely on the menu!

Multivitamins Then and Now

It was a decade ago when I was still in my 40s.

We actually were at a party talking about usual things – weather, kids and diets, when a friend’s wife asked me what vitamins or supplements I was taking. 

-      None - I said innocently, - Why should I?

-      Everyone must, because we do not consume enough nutrients with food.

I made an attempt to explain that for that reason I tried to eat better.

She was not convinced,

-      Oh, you are just too young to understand it, but wait until you hit 50! Believe me, you won't feel good unless supported by vitamins.

This I could not argue.  At that time 50s seemed to me like a still distant milestone and I was not sure if after it people do not fall apart.

Being obviously considered eccentric I had suddenly felt uncomfortable and tried to change the subject... 

Now I see a lot of information supporting my point of view. In fact, this posting is directly inspired by the article by Sarah Mahoney "Should you kick the Multivitamin habit?" (http://health.msn.com/medications/articlepage.aspx?cp-documentid=100265403&gt1=31053) that I recommend to everyone. It confirms the point 100% and explains its aspects much better than I ever could.

What puzzles me is the fact that I knew it then (for additional proof see “The Compulsive Liar”).

In all honesty I cannot remember what made me so settled on the issue when practically everyone around thought differently:

It could be that the concept of eating chemical-laden food and compensating for it by consuming more chemicals seemed double flawed to me.

Or maybe, I was afraid that constant artificial boost would distort my bodily warning signals. So, I would feel OK when I  actually wasn't!

And being unable to trust my body I would become the doctors' dream patient - the one who has no other choice but to completelly rely on their judgment and obediently follow their recommendations.

To this I could never agree.

Back then at the party I was too shy to share my concerns.  Now these very concerns have become pretty much common place.

Or, have they?

How Clean is …Clean?

It seems like a major trend in human civilization that every new generation raises its standards of hygiene. And we do not need history books to prove it.

I am old enough to remember wooden stove in our kitchen and once-a-week bath that my mom and grandma arranged for me by heating water on that stove in a zinc bucket; then - pouring this water into a portable tub mounted on two stools for stability. 

A lot of labor went into this procedure, including the efforts of keeping the room uncommonly warm. So, no wonder, it was not provided too often.

I also remember that keeping myself clean was quite tricky for me.  In my neighborhood  kids spent a lot of time outdoors. We played hide-and-seek behind somebody’s coal shed, built mud fortresses, tasted almost everything that grew around and washed our hands only when were specifically demanded to.



The Chess Match (1902) by Carl Probst (1854-1924)

That’s how our mothers wanted us to be

Mothers were understandably frustrated by the inability to save our clothes pressed and spotless for long. They expressed this frustration quite openly (nowadays it would’ve been considered child abuse). So, naturally, the necessity of staying clean felt like  a burden and quite unrealistic.



That’s how we really were (old post card)



Later, when I was raising my daughter, we had our own bathroom with hot shower in it. I was proud of “taking good care” of my daughter and for a while she was a very neat little girl.

That all had ended when she went to kindergarten. To my surprise she became extremely enthusiastic about dirt. Picking her up in the evenings after work I would again and again find my daughter in a sandbox diligently steering something like a mud-pie. Her hands and feet  were always dripping wet and dirty. As uninformed as I was at that time on this type of behavior, I sensed that she was filling some kind of natural void and let her continue doing it.  

Well, working full time I could not stop her anyway.

For many years my ambitions for cleanliness were much higher than available means. At times we had no heating or hot water in the tap (sometimes, no water at all). These ambitions were completely met only in America, where for the first time in my life I had a washer and drier.

The dignity of daily shower followed by putting on fresh clothes head to toe had a wonderful smell! In fact nice smells were everywhere – of honey-glazed popcorn in a movie theater, of potpourris in friends’ houses, or of elegant perfume in the mall.  

My husband’s allergic cough was one of the first warning signals that made us question the sources of nice smells. With time we learned that chemical fragrances can be toxic and some of them disturb hormonal balance, others are linked to asthma and cancer. I was particularly disappointed to discover that pleasant air fresheners and fragrant candles could actually be poisonous.

To make things worse, the study, published in the Environmental Impact Assessment Review, found that many popular scented products – including those that claim to be "green" – emit numerous chemicals not listed on the label, including some considered toxic and possibly carcinogenic. In many cases out of an average of 17 chemicals per product only one compound -- ethanol – was actually listed on the product labels (ttp://depts.washington.edu/exposure/press_release.html)

This made choosing safe beauty and cleaning products quite confusing: I either had to do an extensive research every time I was out of shampoo or - to go for completely unscented stuff with minimum ingredients (like two or three).

Then new information arrived that put all my traditional ideas regarding cleanliness upside-down. 

One of them I already mentioned in “Dismissal, Introduction...” – some studies say that organic produce is better eaten unwashed because it contains good bacteria beneficial for digestion and immune system. These bacteria are  lacking in our diet otherwise, and water, on the other hand, includes a long list of contaminants. (The last is not theory but everyday life!)

Other studies promote early introduction of babies to natural environment with all its germs. Babies' exposure to germs and bacteria during their first year of life is considered critical for the formation of a strong immune system.

According to the study provided by the University of Wisconsin and published in The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, having pets in early childhood protects kids from cold later:
      
…young children who grew up with a dog in the home had stronger immune systems that were more effective at fighting off chronic respiratory problems.

And another study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that kids who grow up with cats or dogs may have a lower risk of developing pet allergies as well as other common allergies like ragweed, grass, and dust mites (http://www.ivillage.com/10-health-benefits-owning-pet/4-b-315239#ixzz1Ci1WNHNE). 

Even soap is not good for you anymore: sources say that using soap on your skin too often strips it of important protective elements and makes it more prone to various skin conditions (http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/31/fashion/31Unwashed.html?_r=3&pagewanted=all).

Of course, some of these conclusions may be untrue or exaggerated. However, they all were provided independently and like elements of the puzzle create a quite clear picture of excessively sterile civilized life.

Apparently it makes us weaker rather than stronger and in combination with myriads of new industrial pollutants drastically increases our vulnerability.

Or putting it plainly, in our perpetual struggle to be clean we probably hit the top (or the bottom).

Cleaning the Act

In 2002 around the end of January my husband developed persistent dry cough. Thinking it was cold we tried usual remedies for a while.

Unfortunately it did not go away, not even changed to a milder, mucus-releasing stage commonly preceding recovery.  His cough was especially draining in the mornings gradually calming down (or so we wished to believe) to the end of the day.

At one point we decided to go to the doctor. My husband was put through a series of tests which confirmed nothing specific. The doctor suggested antibiotics but after they did not work, attributed the cough to some kind of allergy and prescribed a nasal spray.

We obediently purchased the remedy. At home I read its ingredients, which included something hormonal and got scared. I suggested he was not taking it.  Instead we examined potential allergens in our household that were bought about the same time he started coughing.  After several empty trials we singled out drier softening tissues. They were recommended by a friend who said they would make our bed sheets especially soft and smelling nice.

As soon as I stopped using these tissues my husband’s cough was gone.     

It was a sign for us to start the transition toward less hazardous household cleaning products. However, for many reasons this was never our high priority.

Now I think that we’ve been lucky in this respect, because in parallel with our reluctant and slow chemical makeover the  greater variety of less hazardous products appeared on the market and eventually these two processes met somewhere in the middle, where the price was right.

We started buying more natural detergent and dishwasher liquid, then I returned to the old-fashioned baking-soda-and-vinegar cleaning solutions. And on one sunny spring morning all the harsh stuff that had  still been in occasional use was moved out from the house and stored outside, in the garage.  

While implementing these little improvements we did not give much thought to the  fashionable trend of “going green” (I have a particular distrust to flashy concepts like “global warming” or “carbon footprint”). We were simply focused on what was good and healthy for us (and for our cats).

By the way, with heavy snow showers lately and  remarkably low  temperatures I did not hear much about global warming. Does it mean - we passed the fad?

Speaking of my house-cleaning reform, I was also trying to be less wasteful. My habits in this department had been formed in the 80s and 90s, when women in the Soviet Union were diligently saving and reusing disposable plastic bags (and, yes, sometimes washed and hang-dried them on the cord!)

Vendors in grocery stores and at food markets expected us to have our own packaging resources.

This is a staged photo, and of the earlier era, but something like this...

And no respectable working mother would have left her house in the morning without two or three neatly folded used bags in her (sometimes, quite fashionable) purse. 

In America for a short period of time I was proudly discarding paper towels used as place mats for casual dinner thinking - this was a more civilized way. After realizing that I was American enough I returned to saving and reusing those of the towels that were still clean.  

We learned to limit watering our lawn in the beginning of summer. It  lets grass to develop strong root system able to thrive on less water later on. And we rarely turn on our conditioner in summer because our house is located and built so smartly (see “My American House”, if curious). It does not need much cooling.

...At this point I reread all the above and decided that my attempts at cleaning my space are far from impressive. I could've gone completely organic or entirely home-made, but I didn't.  I might be too frugal, or just - too lazy. Then I asked myself,

 "How clean is ...clean?"

and realized that I do not have a ready answer.

                                         

Max in Winter

In summer our cats Max and Masia are pretty much look-alikes. Though they are not blood-related, there is a reason why they resemble each other (see “Our Furry Stress Busters - 2” for explanation). 

But somewhere around Thanksgiving Max starts to expand. While Masia seems not to be impacted by dropping temperatures (she remains sleek and elegant), Max becomes more and more furry.

“Look at me, just look at me! What am I supposed to do with all this fur?”

He is not happy about it and about things in general.

The first time he saw snow he was very enthusiastic. He lifted up his little flat face so that it was practically parallel to the sky and tried to figure out where these white things were falling from. He also chased them around the deck.

But then he realized that green grass was gone and with it – chipmunks, and baby moles, and mice, and rabbits. He had no one to play with and to chase after. He was disappointed.  

And I got a strong impression that he blamed me for all these unfortunate changes.

I guess his logic was the following: as I was, in his opinion, the person responsible for all important things in our house (such as, food and comfort) then, I also should have been the one who controlled weather. He was incapable of preventing me from spoiling it, but at least, he could show me his uncompromised disapproval.

I did what all the arrogant adults do around unhappy minors – pretended that I was unaware of his feelings. I joined everyone in patting him and telling him how cute he was, because he was awfully cute in spite of his attitude.

When he entered the room as a scowled furry cloud on short paws people usually reacted “Whoa-a!” and rushed to touch and pull at him. 

In the early February his fur turned to felt. Once rubbing his belly I noticed an egg-size spot of bare skin. The spot was accurately oval and had a pink tint that seemed inappropriate. I rushed to my computer to make a quick research on feline skin problems.

First of all, I must warn everyone – never do any research in panic. But if you did (I probably would anyway) please, do not trust your conclusions. Because in such state of mind all  scary conditions look exactly like the one you are researching. 

I was convinced that Max got ringworm. When (and where) I grew up this condition was considered extremely contagious and impacted cats were not even treated. They were…

In the vet hospital my husband and I were reassured that it was not the case anymore. Max was promised doctor’s attention even though he had no prior appointment.

Waiting for the doctor in the lobby with Max in the carrier on my lap, I was  watching  very well-behaved big dogs with their owners passing by. Dogs looked like they did not mind it, even the one with front paw in cast and in plastic bag wrapped around it.  Its owner was deservingly relaxed and smiling.

I was neither. I worried that Max was scared and tried to cover the carrier with my puffy parka sleeves so that he could not see the dogs. But he did not need to see them to know - they were there. Max also sensed my anxiety (cats can do this). From time to time he screamed and tried to get out. This added to my neurosis which added to his…

When finally we got into the doctor’s office we both were shaken and Max did not want to behave. He lashed his claws at anyone approaching him. The doctor offered a sedative shot for Max and I asked one for me. Everyone (except Max) laughed.

It was not ringworm – just fur peeled away by excessive self-grooming. The doctor trimmed it a little and we took Max home enormously relieved. I mean my husband and me, because Max was still very upset.

So much so, that he peed in the car on our way home. He was still in the carrier on my knees when it happened. I remember being surprised that the smell of his urine was actually much lighter than the one coming from the litter box.

But with regard to the cause of the accident my husband and I  disagree completely. I think, it was Max’s reaction to stress, while my husband is adamant that Max had just to hold it for too long being  away from his litter through the ordeal.

I guess, he can not admit such a weakness in a male member of our family.