Doctor Column

What You Need To Know About Vegetarian and Semi-Vegetarian Diets

Several years ago, in one of Angelina Jolie’s press conferences about her movie SALT, she reportedly said: “A big juicy steak is my beauty secret. But seriously, I love red meat. I was a vegan for a long time and it nearly killed me. I found I was not getting enough nutrition,” Jolie’s remarks caused passionate responses from vegans. For example, “The vegan diet saved my life. I’ve lost weight, my blood pressure is down, my cholesterol is lower and I have more energy.”

Decoding Your Doctor’s Precriptions

“Why do doctors have such terrible handwriting? I can barely read a word on my prescription slip. Take a look at this:” Sig. 1 po 45 min ac breakfast qd. Look familiar? The truth is many doctors do have horrible handwriting but most likely you cannot understand what’s written because they write in code. Doctors combine words and abbreviations, a medical short-hand, allowing for communication between pharmacists and physicians.