Posted by sb417 on February 4, 2004, at 11:37:06
In reply to Re: MAOI diet and Chinese restaurants--any advice? » gardenergirl, posted by cubbybear on February 4, 2004, at 3:25:47
The OP said she didn't want to draw too much attention to herself or appear to be high maintenance. Printing a card, whether in Chinese or English, with the words "It's a matter of life and death," is certainly going to draw attention to herself. Why not just play it safe and stick to the blander foods until you are no longer on MAOIs? The MAOI diet is NOT a game. It is serious, and there ARE life and death reasons for adhering to it. A hypertensive crisis can be a crisis that will resolve OR it can progress and cause a cerebral hemorrhage and/or death. Cerebral hemorrhages are devastating and nearly always fatal. One reason many doctors refuse to prescribe MAOIs is that they fear patients will not take the MAOI restrictions seriously. If you or someone you know and trust do not prepare your food, there is no way you can know what ingredients are in it. Printing a card is a good idea, but will the cooks read it? Can they read? Will they understand it? The kitchen may be filled with knowledgeable people, or they may be overworked, lowly paid illegal aliens who can't speak a word of English. If they speak Chinese, how do you know which dialect to use? By the way, a friend of mine who is on an MAOI ate some hamburger meat at home. He prepared it himself and used no forbidden ingredients. He ended up with a hypertensive crisis. As it turned out, the meat was a few days old and had begun to age. Aged and/or fermented foods are to be avoided at all costs. If you are unable or unwilling to follow the dietary restrictions, then it's best not to take an MAOI.
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thread:309075
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