Grapefruit Juice

I noticed your comment on grapefruit juice raising blood levels of some medications. This is true, but as a medical doctor, I purposely use it to increase absorption of an expensive drug. Grapefruit does not actually improve absorption of medications. It does, however, interfere with the breakdown (metabolism) of dozens of drugs. In effect, that raises blood levels and increases the impact the drug has on the body. Your strategy does require careful monitoring. The grapefruit effect is highly variable.

Grand Cru, a mainstay of Govan's Belvedere Square, is a quiet little secret of a good cocktail joint. You associate the place with wine, I'm sure. But they have a pretty nice little drink program and a team of bartenders who can make you just about anything your heart desires. But if you'd rather let the menu do the ordering for you, let me suggest you try The Old Man and the Sea - the drink not the acclaimed novel, though both are Hemingway crafted. Cuba 1935. As bartender Constante "Constantino" Grande's mixed drinks at his bar, El Floridita, "a scruff, bearish man entered and asked to use the bathroom.

Grand Cru, a mainstay of Govan's Belvedere Square, is a quiet little secret of a good cocktail joint. You associate the place with wine, I'm sure. But they have a pretty nice little drink program and a team of bartenders who can make you just about anything your heart desires. But if you'd rather let the menu do the ordering for you, let me suggest you try The Old Man and the Sea - the drink not the acclaimed novel, though both are Hemingway crafted. Cuba 1935. As bartender Constante "Constantino" Grande's mixed drinks at his bar, El Floridita, "a scruff, bearish man entered and asked to use the bathroom.

It has come to this, an almost dreaded time of year for we imbibers: having to base our beverage choices around the temperature outside. Is it really "weather appropriate" to drink an Old Fashioned when it's 103 degrees? Shall I enjoy a frothy Guinness next to the pool in a swimsuit? Call me crazy, but I say no. Still, if you don't want to take my word for it, I've got professional backup: Brendan Finnerty and Randal Etheridge, co-owners of Idle Hour in Federal Hill. Their drink - Josh's Last Call - is the answer to your overheated woes.

I was admitted to the emergency room with extremely low blood pressure and an altered heartbeat. They thought I might be in shock, and they treated me with antibiotics although no infection was ever found. If I had died, as several doctors and nurses thought I might, no one would have known the cause of my death.It wasn't until I was out of the hospital that I read about grapefruit juice interacting with Procardia. That clicked, because I had consumed more than a quart of grapefruit juice the day I was admitted.

Pamplemousse: "grapefruit" in French; or, the name of a sunny winter fruit cocktail at Bluegrass Tavern in Federal Hill. Kelli Kulnich, bar manager at Bluegrass, admits, "Grapefruit's always remind me of my grandmother ... you know, the big box of citrus?" In fact, I also recall my grandmother's own advice: eat one every morning for breakfast and you'll never get sick. I'm pretty sure the same is true here, except this grapefruit comes with a side of vodka AND Scotch. Healthy?

If grapefruit increases the action of Lipitor, is it OK to drink grapefruit juice and reduce the dosage of Lipitor to save money? This is an intriguing strategy. Researchers have occasionally used grapefruit to boost the power of some expensive medications. Cyclosporine (Sandimmune), used to prevent organ transplant rejection, can cost thousands of dollars per year. Although grapefruit juice may enable transplant patients to lower the dose and save money, researchers find that there is too much variability among patients and in batches of juice for this to be safe.

Christmas pears will be appearing in supermarketsComice pears should be appearing in the supermarket any day now. These are the mail-order Christmas pears -- a real bargain when you get them locally, even if they are more expensive than other varieties. They are extremely fragile and may look bruised and unappealing in the market, but usually the blemishes are only skin deep.Don't try to cook with these sweet, juicy beauties; they turn to mush. But they are a superb dessert pear, particularly with soft ripening or bleu cheeses.

Several of your columns have discussed how certain foods and beverages affect drugs. We were especially interested in grapefruit juice and Procardia, since my husband takes this drug for high blood pressure.When he asked his doctor about grapefruit juice, the physician told him not to pay any attention to that information. He insisted there is no mention of such an interaction in his current medical reference book and assured my husband he could take Procardia with any juice he wants to use.We are confused and don't know what to believe.

It has come to this, an almost dreaded time of year for we imbibers: having to base our beverage choices around the temperature outside. Is it really "weather appropriate" to drink an Old Fashioned when it's 103 degrees? Shall I enjoy a frothy Guinness next to the pool in a swimsuit? Call me crazy, but I say no. Still, if you don't want to take my word for it, I've got professional backup: Brendan Finnerty and Randal Etheridge, co-owners of Idle Hour in Federal Hill. Their drink - Josh's Last Call - is the answer to your overheated woes.

Picture a curvy-but-cute, sassy-yet-sweet lass with a passion for beer. She is buxom, bawdy, smooth-bodied and straight up. Is she every man's fantasy? Pretty close. She's the image that developed in my mind when when I tried Alewife's signature beer cocktail, the Hop Betty. A beer … cocktail? Talk about a dream come true. Don't question it; just trust general manager and co-owner Bryan Palombo and his team on this one. After all, this is revolutionary stuff here. Palombo takes pride in claiming that his cocktail is the first hops-infused drink in the city.

Pamplemousse: "grapefruit" in French; or, the name of a sunny winter fruit cocktail at Bluegrass Tavern in Federal Hill. Kelli Kulnich, bar manager at Bluegrass, admits, "Grapefruit's always remind me of my grandmother ... you know, the big box of citrus?" In fact, I also recall my grandmother's own advice: eat one every morning for breakfast and you'll never get sick. I'm pretty sure the same is true here, except this grapefruit comes with a side of vodka AND Scotch. Healthy?

If the Black Eyed Susan were a race horse, it would be a sprinter. It makes one strong move, then fades quickly. The strong move occurs this weekend when the cocktail will be in demand at Pamlico Race Track, during both the running of the Black Eyed Susan Stakes on Friday and the Preakness Stakes on Saturday. Over these two days, about 25,000 servings of the libation, poured into commemorative glasses, will be sold at track officials say. But as soon as Preakness weekend ends, so does the does the local thirst for the Susan.

I was out in the alley digging through the lunar landscape of snow, when I accidentally hit the button on my cell phone and rang my brother-in-law in Arizona. I was up to my keister in cold, as I heard that the temperature in Phoenix was headed toward 80 degrees. Ouch! I switched the conversation to citrus. In keeping with family tradition, the Arizonans had shipped us boxes of oranges and grapefruit. It is payback for the crabs we Marylanders feed them in the summer. Our snowbound household had already polished off the oranges.

If grapefruit increases the action of Lipitor, is it OK to drink grapefruit juice and reduce the dosage of Lipitor to save money? This is an intriguing strategy. Researchers have occasionally used grapefruit to boost the power of some expensive medications. Cyclosporine (Sandimmune), used to prevent organ transplant rejection, can cost thousands of dollars per year. Although grapefruit juice may enable transplant patients to lower the dose and save money, researchers find that there is too much variability among patients and in batches of juice for this to be safe.

I noticed your comment on grapefruit juice raising blood levels of some medications. This is true, but as a medical doctor, I purposely use it to increase absorption of an expensive drug. Grapefruit does not actually improve absorption of medications. It does, however, interfere with the breakdown (metabolism) of dozens of drugs. In effect, that raises blood levels and increases the impact the drug has on the body. Your strategy does require careful monitoring. The grapefruit effect is highly variable.

Picture a curvy-but-cute, sassy-yet-sweet lass with a passion for beer. She is buxom, bawdy, smooth-bodied and straight up. Is she every man's fantasy? Pretty close. She's the image that developed in my mind when when I tried Alewife's signature beer cocktail, the Hop Betty. A beer … cocktail? Talk about a dream come true. Don't question it; just trust general manager and co-owner Bryan Palombo and his team on this one. After all, this is revolutionary stuff here. Palombo takes pride in claiming that his cocktail is the first hops-infused drink in the city.

I was out in the alley digging through the lunar landscape of snow, when I accidentally hit the button on my cell phone and rang my brother-in-law in Arizona. I was up to my keister in cold, as I heard that the temperature in Phoenix was headed toward 80 degrees. Ouch! I switched the conversation to citrus. In keeping with family tradition, the Arizonans had shipped us boxes of oranges and grapefruit. It is payback for the crabs we Marylanders feed them in the summer. Our snowbound household had already polished off the oranges.

Christmas pears will be appearing in supermarketsComice pears should be appearing in the supermarket any day now. These are the mail-order Christmas pears -- a real bargain when you get them locally, even if they are more expensive than other varieties. They are extremely fragile and may look bruised and unappealing in the market, but usually the blemishes are only skin deep.Don't try to cook with these sweet, juicy beauties; they turn to mush. But they are a superb dessert pear, particularly with soft ripening or bleu cheeses.

Psssst. Here's The Plan: We get a couple of really attractive mega-stars who can charm the Junior Mints off a movie crowd. We throw in a villain with a vaguely James Masonesque accent. We cram in a couple of really neat car chases in New York City, some sleek, black helicopters, maybe a fire-bombing or two. The plot? Well, it won't make a lot of sense, some "Manchurian Candidate" mumbo-jumbo that wouldn't stand up to five consecutive seconds of consideration. But with everything else we'll have going, who'll notice?