|
|
Historic treatments for rheumatoid arthritis have included gold salts, acupuncture, a diet consisting of apples or rhubarb, nutmeg, nettles, bee venom, bracelets made of copper, prayer, rest, tooth extractions, fasting, honey, vitamins, insulin, snow collected on Christmas, magnets, and electric convulsion therapy.
The average older adult in the United States takes five prescription drugs per day. Half of these drugs contain a sedative. Alcohol should therefore be avoided by most senior citizens because of the dangerous interactions between alcohol and sedatives.
Acetaminophen (Tylenol) in overdose can seriously damage the liver. It should never be taken by people who use alcohol heavily; it can result in severe liver damage and even a condition requiring a liver transplant.
Though the United States has largely rejected the metric system, it is used for currency, as in 100 pennies = 1 dollar. Previously, the British currency system was used, with measurements such as 12 pence to the shilling, and 20 shillings to the pound.
People about to have surgery must tell their health care providers about all supplements they take.
![Historian James Merrell notes several errors in Benjamin West’s famous 1771 painting, William Penn’s](https://biology-forums.com/gallery/47/medium_374628_15_08_15_11_40_28_222192176.jpeg)
![In Charles Russell’s Trail of the Iron Horse (1910) steel rails stretch nearly to the sun while wisp](https://biology-forums.com/gallery/47/medium_376063_22_08_15_11_31_02_223721954.jpeg)
![In 1879 an army officer founded the Carlisle School in Pennsylvania to “civilize” young Indians. The](https://biology-forums.com/gallery/47/medium_376063_22_08_15_11_31_03_223772092.jpeg)