Newsletter June 2006

The Story of Flenters; a case of the underdog beating the odds…

But first; warm words of thanks to all the people who gave me their email addresses. Also, warm(ish) words of request to those people who bounced my first informative email not to block or bounce or reply with unkind words of praise unless they made sure that it is not perhaps any life saving information from the local pill-guy!
And then, lastly, to those wonderful people who wanted to know what “email” is, well, God Bless you; you are from an era where “going home” meant “if you want to say something to me, pack a basket, get on your horse, I’m in the house next to the Wattles on the South slope of Mount Ben Macdui. See you soon.” You, Sir / Madam, have no need for email; you must have the most wondrous memories! Bless you!

There are still many people out there who have not replied but I will be patient. Do not, if you fly into another country, pick up a dreaded disease, come back by ambulance and then blame us for not warning you when in fact it was done by email but you missed out because you were scared of spam mail, junk mail, the boogieman, electronic warfare or whatever your personal phobia is all about. Point made.

Flenters a.k.a. Pondo alias Lotto also under the nom de plume of Stinky, the story, in one part, told first hand (or is that toe?)
It was early one chilly Thursday morning in June, in the year of our Lord 2006, when a group of valiant young men, (of which I was one - noticed the word young somewhere huh?), left the parking at a local resort, made famous by the millions lost there over the years by local people naively feeding hard-earned currency to noisy inanimate objects of sin! (“Ja Dominee, ek het hulle nou mooi gesê, hoor!”).
Having made such a lavish intro, let’s get back to the essence of the story; nine men and their cycling machines (sounds like a movie the older folks might remember – but cannot email us if they do remember) set off from the beach at the Wild Coast Sun on a 3- day mountain bike trek to Port St Johns.

It was not quite light enough but eager to get away we started a long peddle down the absolutely pristine beach south of the Hotel. For more than an hour we cycled below the high-water mark (yes, it was low tide madam, and no, we didn’t need snorkels). On the firm sand it was such a pleasure, especially when the sun came up behind us, casting long, strange looking shadows slightly to the right and in front of us. If you looked over your shoulder the other riders were sharply silhouetted against the serene backdrop of red and ochre. Not much was spoken. Everyone almost drowned in the beauty of the moment.

Then we did a river crossing, carrying the bikes above our heads, a toe made sudden contact with a submerged rock, a little bone snaps like a green twig, and one of the nine gets a sudden reduction in overall speed and agility. The next twenty hours over three days will be remembered for the Biology lesson: “How often the human body needs a little limb like the number 4 toe”. Vividly. Vocally. Repeatedly. Continuously. Ad nauseum!!

Ok, so it was not all fun and games, but, nobody will ever forget the eyes of Flenters when he became Pondo after winning a Lotto but before he became Stinky for a brief moment.
For the sake of the colonial descendants (“Dis die Ingelse Dominee”), the word Flenters is Afrikaans for something that is torn, shredded, in rags, smithereens etc etc.

So here follows the story of Flenters:
At the end of day 1 of this epic trek along the coastline (and it was more mountaineering and carrying the bike than cycling in the end), we came to Port Grosvenor where we spent our first night in a cottage.
Jan and Natalie, our backup team, caterers, and support, were getting the cottage sorted out and unpacking the food from the support vehicle (yes Sir, it was a Landy). The local African families looking after the cottages on a daily basis were very kind and helpful and they were accompanied by their trusted canine friends. The typical rural, skinny, long legged and short haired dogs so well known to us all were placidly mingling with the crowd.
Note: This breed has recently made name overseas as a very resilient type of dog, immune against most known canine diseases, the dogs are extremely loyal and very lovable (given the right treatment and affection of course). It is now known as Canus Africanus and fetches huge prices in England! Or, typical George Bush style marketing:” Canus africanus: the basenji. (barkless hunting dog: forerunners of breeds such as the pharaoh hounds).
Anyway, rounding a corner of the cottage, carrying my kit, limping severely, (yes it was my toe), feeling so sorry for myself, I looked upon two small brown pools of hope! They were eyes and the eyes belonged to a little Aficanus puppy, barely a few months old. There he was looking up at me, almost fearless, with lots of hope, wagging little tail kicking up a puff of dust. “Waar kom jy nou vandaan Flenters?” I exclaimed. He was in a sad state. The expression ‘skin and bones’ suddenly took on a whole new meaning. His little body was covered by patchy dry hair. His ears were hanging. He had numerous little sores and scratches over his entire body. He was totally malnourished and neglected. But his eyes were wide awake, full of life, eager. A real feisty little fellow!

And so it came to pass that ten men and a lady simultaneous experienced the sudden desire to feed the little doggie. And well-fed he became. Within hours he had a firm and rounded middle where previously there were only ribs and ticks. He was now one of the boys. He wanted to show his utter gratitude by running from one person to the next but he suddenly had a spot of difficulty negotiating the corners. He was probably feeling a bit top-heavy with all that cheese (“Camembert nogal, Dominee”) and other food stuffed inside over the previous hour. Eventually he succumbed and fell asleep between somebody’s feet next to the fire.

So when did Flenters become Pondo by winning a lotto?
A little before sunset three of us walked down (sorry, two walked down and one dragged along biting his tongue) to the beach to look at the sunset behind the hill inland from the village. Suddenly he was there: Flenters; with us, emanating a strong sense of belonging, head held high, ears halfway up already. Suddenly, a movement on the beach about 500 meters away; members of a local African family returning home after a day fishing on some remote beach. Flenters made a guttural little noise and set off into the sunset. “He’s gone now”, Eddie said. Barely were those words out when Flenters changed speed and started to produce what he thought was a fearsome growl. “He’s turned on his own people” Dix cried out and we doubled over laughing. Flenters only stormed away a mere twenty yards before he returned, ears now in the full-up position, carrying his new-found belly two inches higher off ground level. In fact, he was floating two inches above all previous levels. He was now one of us! He became the dog called Pondo, now living on the lovely Coffee farm called Beaver Creek just outside Port Edward with Eddie, his son Robbie and the family. Never again will he be Flenters again, never again will he go hungry again; he won a big lotto on that weekend in June of 2006.
In conclusion, he was legitimately bought from the family in Grosvenor for real money and it was indeed a rare occasion where a business transaction came out beneficial for three parties; the African family, Eddie and obviously for Pondo.

I went to see him on the farm last weekend, taking my daughter Lizé and wife Renette for breakfast (on Father's Day!) at Beaver Creek’s coffee shop and he is something to see!
Go there for a premium coffee and a scrumptious meal one day soon and you will see Pondo, the African dog that won more than a lotto.

Oh yes, and Stinky?
You take a puppy from one meal a week to three meals a day and some intestinal process will erupt fifteen minutes into a two hour ride in a real taxi with nine real tired guys with a real driver that were really upset about Pondo’s lack of potty training!


Greetings folks, be kind to your muti-man, he is slower than normal! Thank you for giving us your time,

Pieter & Renette Naudé.

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Magnesium (3)

Intake and deficiency of Magnesium

Magnesium is second only to potassium among those who failed to meet the intake targets in a UK survey. More women than men failed to reach their target and the younger age groups were worst affected.
The low average intake of Magnesium is often reflected in the low proportion of magnesium from cereals. In a well-balanced diet, the wholegrain food group should provide at least half the magnesium intake. Magnesium intake would be improved several fold by simply replacing refined cereal products with wholegrain equivalents.

Other factors can lower magnesium status, including malabsorption, kidney problems, endocrine disorders and alcoholism.

Magnesium absorption can also be jeopardised when calcium intake is very high: for maximal absorption of both minerals, the Ca:Mg ratio in the diet should be 2:1. Ideally, therefore, magnesium should be included in calcium supplements for bone health. Interesting though is that from the Carbohydrate food group ("sugary products”), which include jams, confectionery and soft drinks; beer (!) is the main contributor of magnesium in this category because yeast contains high amounts of magnesium.

The effects of mild magnesium deficiency include a variety of signs and symptoms affecting the neurological and neuromuscular systems. These include muscle cramps or twitches, palpitations and restless legs. More seriously, magnesium deficiency may cause or exacerbate cardiovascular disease (heart disease), especially arrhythmias (irregular heartbeats).

The assessment of magnesium status proves to be problematic. Although commonly used, serum magnesium concentration is inadequate. Red blood cell magnesium, although a better measure as it reflects the intracellular nature of the mineral, is still not universally accepted. The best method is a classic research technique: recovery of magnesium from 24- hour urinary magnesium excretion following a known load of magnesium administered parenterally, compared with a baseline 24-hour urinary magnesium. In other words, give the subject a known amount of magnesium and collect urine over a 24 hour period. Compare the excretion of magnesium with the excretion over a similar period without taking the extra amount of magnesium. This should indicate how well magnesium is absorbed, utilised and excreted.

Tough tests to do. The best to do is to ensure adequate intake through the natural dietary process. Eat healthy.
More on that in the next (nr 4) session on Magic Magnesium . . . .

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He's on a roll.....

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Magnesium (2)

Sources of Magnesium.
Good sources of magnesium in the diet are confined mainly to wholegrain cereals, nuts, beans
and seeds. Other very good sources of magnesium include leafy green vegetables, like spinach.
The effect of milling on the magnesium content of cereals can be seen by comparing the content in a portion of brown rice with white rice or a slice of wholemeal bread with white bread.
Cereal refining was responsible for an estimated 50 per cent decline in magnesium intake in the 20th century.
For a table with the most common sources plus the contents of Magnesium in each, please email me.

Function of Magnesium
The body contains about 25g of magnesium: 50 per cent in bone, 27 per cent in muscle, 19 per cent in other soft tissues, and only 1 per cent in blood.
Magnesium functions in most systems of the body, including energy pathways, the replication of DNA and synthesis of RNA. Its role is intimately linked to that of calcium. Indeed, low blood magnesium enhances parathyroid hormone secretion, which promotes bone demineralisation.
At the cellular level, magnesium can act as a calcium channel blocker by inhibiting the calcium entry into the cell (where calcium regulates cell activity).
In the nervous system, magnesium acts at synapses (the gaps between nerve cells) as a depressant. Furthermore, the mineral can inhibit the release of adrenalin, high levels of which increase urinary magnesium output, perpetuating a vicious cycle of deficiency.

Magnesium is excreted by the kidneys, and urinary output increases with increasing doses up to 2g daily. Higher intakes are unabsorbed and laxative – hence the traditional use of Epsom salts (magnesium sulphate) for constipation. Normally, the kidneys are excellent at regulating blood levels of magnesium and hence it is difficult to demonstrate low body magnesium status through plasma magnesium concentration in normal healthy people. This is especially so as equilibrium between the body tissues is slow – up to 100 days – so plasma magnesium values do not fully reflect total body status.
More to follow . . .