Just in case you do not know...

Credit: www.megacare.com

My very good old friend, Goh Gim Chye, with very good intentions, forwarded us this message which he had received from a friend of a friend of a friend of a friend…….and so on in the chain.

“Dangerous for you, United States have found new cancer in human beings caused by Silver Nitro Oxide. Whenever you buy recharge cards, lottery tickets don't scratch with nails as it contains Silver Nitro Oxide coating and can cause skin cancer.”

Alarming, but silver nitro oxide sounds usual. So we looked up the American Chemical Society website for further information. No such a compound exists.

Next we turned to Hoax-Slayer and this is what we found:

“The information in the warning message is untrue. The coating on scratch tickets is made of specialized latex inks. There are no credible references to a compound called "Silver Nitro oxide". There are no credible medical or scientific reports that suggest that scratch ticket coating has been linked to skin cancer. There are no credible references to an organization known as the 'Medical Research Authority of the US'. The warning is a hoax and should not be forwarded.”

According to the Orlando Sentinel, the 10-ingredient formula for the material that covers lottery scratch-off tickets is just as big a secret as the 11 herbs and spices used to make Kentucky Fried Chicken. Click HERE for one of several patents filed for such formulae.

But what is the stuff?

The most the Florida Lottery will say about the coating is that it is a silicone- or wax-based, nonadhesive material. Saying anything more could compromise the security of the scratch-off games (and recharge cards), said lottery spokeswoman Shelly Safford.

But Safford said the coatings on the tickets manufactured by Scientific Games Corp. just outside of Atlanta are safe.

And Mr Goh Gim Chye also included a few “Health Tips” in his email:

1.     Answer phone calls with the left ear.
2.     Don't take your medicine with cold-water.
3.     Don't eat heavy meals after 5pm.
4.     Drink more water in the morning, less at night.
5.     Best sleeping time is from 10 pm to 4 am.
6.     Don't lie down immediately after taking medicine.

Tips no. 3 and 4 sounds reasonable, but we would like to highlight tip no. 6 in this post.

Don't lie down immediately after taking medicine.

Some people have difficulty swallowing medicines in solid dosage forms like tablets or capsules. Those pills that become lodged in the upper or mid-oesophagus may irritate its lining leading to ulcers, bleeding, perforation and strictures. The oesophagus is the muscular tube that connects the throat and the stomach.

Drug-induced oesophagitis is becoming increasingly more common. Several antibiotics such as doxycycline (commonly prescribed for acne and pimples), non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, potassium chloride, iron tablets and quinidine are common offending agents.

Thus, you should not lie down immediately after taking medicines to ensure that the pills pass through the oesophagus into the stomach.

Other precautions you should take include:

1. Swallow tablets or capsules while you are in an upright or sitting position.
2. Before taking a tablet or capsule, swallow several sips of liquid to lubricate the throat, then       swallow the tablet or capsule with at least a full glass (8 ounces) of liquid.
3. Tell your doctor if painful swallowing continues or if pills continue to stick in the throat.

Thank you Mr Goh, we shall come back with our comments on the other tips in our future posts.