Rheum & Hematologist Checkups and Omega 3 Info
I skipped out on working for Joan on Tuesday because I was at Rob’s he had kept me up until 4-5 am that day, then was power outage or something cuz when I woke up the clock was blinking and when I checked time on a watch it was already after 11am. There is no long distance service on Rob’s home phone and he had only few minutes left on his cell, I could not remember Joan’s phone so I called Home asked Dad to contact her for me apologize for not being able to make it. I wanted to leave ASAP and try get there put few hours in but Rob convinced me to stay. At 2:00 I tried again to leave but Rob begged and whined for me to stay until 3:30 when he left for work.
On the way home I got stuck in bad storm it was raining so hard I could barely see car in front of me, everybody was going slow and just following the tail lights in front of them. When I got near home the storm let up to humid sunny sky but I hit horrible construction traffic and was stuck in a sweltering car for an hour crawling along in traffic. I had to put sun block on, because I was starting to get a burn. I have very fair skin plus one of the meds I’m on Lasix causes increased sun sensitivity. It took me nearly 3 hours to get home when my normal drive is an hour. I was sore, exhausted and quite freckled by the time I got home.
Wednesday May 16th my brother Aral’s birthday. He’s still in Cali right now but I mailed him a card with lil money and a gag gift, an “Ask Jesus” statue, in the bottom it has the blue fluid with multi-angle cubes that give answers to questions, like a Magic 8 ball.
Wed morning I saw my hematologist, Dr. Winegarden at SJM woodland Hospital. Last time I saw him was 6 months ago so there was a lot to go over with him from all the other doctors tests and such. Dr. Winegarden is concerned about me having AntiPhospholipid Antibody syndrome (APS), he wants to put me on coumadin as stronger preventive for strokes and clots than just aspirin therapy. But I am a weird case so he’s not sure what to do and is having me referred to specialist at U of M hospital. I don’t think I need coumadin, between daily aspirin and high doses of Omega 3 oils my blood should be thinned enough to prevent any problems.
On the way out I stopped by Clark eye center signed a medical release so Dr.Nemeth & I could get copies of all previous files/tests.
Thursday may 17th I saw my Rheumetologist, Dr. Dowd. This also was a 6 months check up and a lot to review. He prescribed an increase in my Omega 3 supplements from 3000 to 5000mg a day. He tired before to give me a prescription for a concentrated high dose but my insurance refused. He warned me that the over the counter fish oil I have been taking has vitamin A and impurities, which is OK for a person taking one a day but the high doses I have been prescribed/need could be causing me to get too much Vit A. So he told me to either buy the ones they offer in his office or buy a high grade Omega 3 supplement with the highest concentration of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) I can find.
Explanation of the different grades of Fish oil supplements:
Cod Liver Oil -This is the lowest quality fish oil since it has a low concentration of long-chain omega-3 fatty acids and contains the highest levels of contaminants (organic mercury, PCB’s, and DDT). In addition, high-dose usage of cod liver oil is not recommended due to the high levels of Vitamin A found in this form of fish oil. This is the most inexpensive form of fish oil, and often cause “fish burps”.
Health Food-grade Fish Oils- The levels of contaminants in fish oils is often determined by the size of the fish and their relative rank in the food chain. Small fish (such as sardines and anchovies) are short-lived and therefore are less prone to accumulate environmental pollutants. On the other hand, larger fish such as salmon and mackerel are predatory species that are long-lived and therefore contain higher levels of pollutants. A typical one-gram capsule of health-food grade fish oil contains approximately 300 mg. of long-chain omega-3 fatty acids. Another type of higher-grade health-food fish oil is known as “fish oil concentrate”. This type of fish oil consists of ethyl esters of the fish oil that has been subjected to fractional cooling. A one-gram capsule of this thermally fractionated health-food grade fish oil will contain up to 500 mg. of long-chain omega-3 fatty acids. Health-food grade fish oils are acceptable in small amounts (no more than 3-4 capsules per day) without inducing significant gastric problems.
Ultra Refined Fish Oil -Ultra refined fish oil starts with thermally fractionated health-food fish oil that is then distilled by highly complex refining technology into fractions rich in long-chain omega-3 fatty acids that are exceptionally low in the long-chain monoenes (that cause gastric distress) and pollutants such as PCB’s and oxidized and polymerized lipids. The individual fractions are then combined to provide the most appropriate balance of EPA and DHA for the finished oil. The typical one-gram capsule of pharmaceutical-grade fish oil will have at least 600 mg. of long-chain omega-3 fatty acids. The increase in the purity of the oil is why it costs nearly twice as much. This purity is also reflected in a dramatically improved taste profile. Only ultra refined fish oils enable you to consume the required daily intake of long-chain omega-3 fatty acids without gastric distress or fear of accumulation of environmental pollutants.
(ref. http://www.healthtransformations.net/products.html)
Omega 3 health benefits:
Improve Cardiac Health
The American Heart Association has recently recognized the importance of the Omega-3 essential nutrients EPA and DHA in promoting cardiac health, lowering blood triglycerides and C-reactive protein, and protecting against cardiovascular disease.
Benefits Joints and more.
A 2007 meta-analysis of the analgesic effects of Omega-3 fatty acid supplementation for inflammatory joint pain show Omega-3s are useful in easing pain and promoting joint comfort. In another study involving rheumatoid arthritis patients, patients ingesting higher amounts of EPA and DHA saw a reduction in their arthritis symptoms in a period of time. Omega-3 fatty acids have also been shown to benefit cognitive, vision, and hormonal functions, and assist in the maintenance of a healthy weight.
Promotes Positive Mood
Research has revealed that the omega-3 component EPA has a powerful mood-elevating and mood-stabilizing quality Leading physicians have shown in clinical trials confirming the positive effects of EPA on mood
Web sites studies/reserach on depression, bipolar disorder & omega 3:
http://www.pendulum.org/bpnews/archive/001874.html
http://www.bastyrcenter.org/content/view/1060/
http://www.mcmanweb.com/article-15.htm
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