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Archive for the ‘Health Advice’ Category

Testing and Treatment of Vitamin D is a Major Part of Obama Health Reform!

Wednesday, March 31st, 2010

Okay, so maybe it’s not in the bill, but it should be. Vitamin D deficiency is easy to test and cheap to treat and it is estimated that over 80% of Americans are deficient. On a weekly basis, we are collecting more solid evidence that something so simple could greatly improve health for a vast majority of Americans. The newest research out this week has to do with Vitamin D deficiency and incontinence.

Incontinence…yep, the inability to hold ones urine. It is one of those things people don’t like to talk about but is really quite common in about 25 million adult Americans. Approximately 80% of sufferers are women.

So, what does Vitamin D have to do with this? Well, Vitamin D deficiency has now been associated with incontinence.

And then the other piece of news is related to Vitamin D and winter flu’s. This one supports the idea of appropriate levels and supplementation of Vitamin D in children leading to a significant decrease in winter flu and asthma incidence.

So, if you haven’t already, get your Vitamin D tested.

Tags: deficiency, health, incontinence, obama, reform, research, Vitamin D, winter flu, women
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Friends Don’t Let Friends Play Sports With a Concussion

Sunday, January 17th, 2010

This play on a famous slogan seems like common sense to many. Unfortunately, until recently, kids have been allowed to continue and are sometimes even encouraged to continue playing after being injured. Some people say it creates courage, persistence, determination, toughness, success, commitment to team, etc. But this mentality and consequently allowing kids back into play too soon is extremely dangerous!

This week one of my sons suffered a significant concussion and facial injuries at a sporting practice. We went to the ER and had further evaluation during the week. What I found is that not everyone in the community is aware of the impact of concussions and especially ‘second impact syndrome’. Second impact syndrome occurs when a person gets a concussion before fully healing from the last one. This can be deadly as the brain is more vulnerable. (A recent example) This also leads to a longer recovery time and a higher risk of long term consequences.

I also found that the research & science around concussions in kids is exploding and more serious than previously thought. For example, it is not uncommon to have difficulty in school performance a month after the other symptoms from a concussion have disappeared.

There is a new law becoming the standard of care in the State of Washington for youth concussions – the Zack Lystedt Law (see video). One of the primary concerns with concussions is a players desire to return to play and a downplay of symptoms. It is important we all know the signs of concussions so we can help keep our kids safe. We also need to create a culture of speaking up for safety, even if it is not popular or against peer pressure. We can model it for our kids and have conversations with them about the consequences. We owe it to one another.

A child’s life or wellbeing is ALWAYS more important than a game. That is true sportsmanship!

Please review the symptom sheets from the :
Washington Intercollegiate Athletic Association and the CDC
Seattle Sports Concussion Program and UW/Harborview and Seattle Children’s

Tags: brain injuries, coaching, concussions, head injuries, sports injuries, Zackary's Law
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New Year – New Decade – New Beginnings – Fresh Healing and Growth

Friday, January 1st, 2010

How do we heal our spirit, heal our hearts and heal our minds? How do we maintain, or even regain our strength and faith in ourselves and others and the world?

We are barraged by the news with the pain, tragedy and the problems in our community and in the world. It is important to know what is going on in the world, but a steady diet of what is going wrong, can lead us to feel overwhelmed with negative emotions…fear, mistrust, skepticism, anger, hurt, loss, powerlessness…..a constant state of stress. On top of that are our own lives and the difficulties close to home.

How do we stay focused on all that is good? How do we gain a sense of trust and a sense of feeling in control of our lives? How do we heal in small ways and large, to be able to positively maneuver this world and to heal and grow and have a sense of wellness?

How do we create peace within ourselves, our lives and our community local and global?

We do this step by step. As Sweet Honey in the Rock sing “drops of water turn a mill”.

To help this process in the new year, every week I will write something in this blog that will hopefully inspire us to heal on many levels and ways, to grow, to see the positive, to feel empowered or just to provide a perspective, a thought, or a suggestion of action. My hope is that it is helpful in some way on your journey in this life.

I look forward to walking this leg of the journey with you.
Happy New Year!

Tags: global, healing, health, new beginnings, new decade, spritiual healing, stress, world
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Feeling Blue? It could be Seasonal Affective Disorder

Tuesday, December 29th, 2009

December is a month known for events….and emotions. Excitement, fun, contentment, anxiety, loneliness, fullfillment, sadness…a full spectrum of emotional possibilities. And sometimes many positive and negative at the same time.

It is also a time when we have the shortest days of the year It is the time of year when sadness and depression are at their highest in the Northern Hemisphere. Sometimes that sadness or depression is due to a condition called “Seasonal Affective Disorder” or SAD. Some research estimates that it affects up to 20% of the American population (half a million Americans). It can affect women, men, teens and children.

Although your symptoms are clues to the diagnosis, not everyone who has SAD experiences the same symptoms. Common symptoms of winter-onset SAD include the following:

A change in appetite, especially a craving for sweet or starchy foods
Weight gain
A drop in energy level
Fatigue
A tendency to oversleep or even restless sleep
Difficulty concentrating
Irritability
Anxiety or worry
Increased sensitivity to social rejection
Avoidance of social situations and a loss of interest in the activities you used to enjoy

Most researchers agree that SAD is due to a combination of factors including hormone imbalances (ie melatonin) and neurotransmitter imbalances, all due to the change in the amount of sunlight. There is new research that is looking at Vitamin D (which is also a hormone) as a variable in this issue as well.

Treatments include light boxes which have full-spectrum lights, balancing hormones, vitamins, getting exercise, and stress reduction. If you have an opportunity to go to a warmer, brighter climate, that has been shown to be helpful as well.

It is important to note that all of these symptoms could be due to other health concerns including more serious depression or anxiety concerns, so getting a medical evaluation would be important. Also, getting a medical evaluation for SAD could pinpoint which treatments would be most successful for you.

So, if you have the blues more than a couple of days, maybe it is time to get an evaluation.

Tags: anxiety, fatigue, light boxes, melatonin, restless sleep, SAD, seasonal affective disorder, Vitamin D, weight gain
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New Breast Cancer Screening Guidelines • What am I supposed to do now?

Tuesday, November 24th, 2009

This week there has been a raging war of words around the US Preventive Services Task Force recommendations for screening around two women’s health care issues. Well, in the US, anyway. Mammograms and Pap tests (smears).

The mammography guidelines have stirred up a lot of fear, accusations, confusion, political posturing, and backtracking, among many other things. Bubbling up for moments are reasonable conversations about the science and the guidelines.

I am a huge advocate of screening and early detection. Like most providers, I have seen cancer in young people, AND in people not considered high risk. I have also seen people in high risk categories of a disease, who never get the disease. Screening is an important tool in health care.

With that said, I think it is important to remember that these are “recommendations”.
I also want to remind people that the CDC and other organizations have relied on the advice of the US Preventive Services Task Force to set standards because of the excellent, thorough and unbiased work they do. Much of Europe has been using these guidelines for years based on a meta analysis of many research projects over decades from around the world.. And on the global health scale, these countries have a much stronger record of health than the US, which consistently is in the bottom for most health indicators except expenditures.

So, bottom line is to look at screening both individually and societal. There are costs…not just monetary, but other costs. There are unnecessary treatments and surgeries

We know screening mammograms can detect early stage breast cancer, but when do we start….at 40? 35? 30? 20? What about for men, who tend to find out later, and for whom the cancer is deadlier? How do we decide? This is what this task force is providing us information about. The recommendations are not “deciding whether you should ever screen a 40 year old”, but “when” and “how often”. Not blindly follow the guidelines, but evaluate and make the best educated guesses about early detection.

Now let’s take a big breath.

My recommendations are – Go over your family history, personal history, lifestyle and toxin exposures. BRACA gene? (Those at higher risk need to start earlier and potentially with an MRI) Look at geographically where you live, and whether cancer rates are higher. Your ethnic background makes a difference in terms of cancer risk as well. Physical exams and present health concerns. Look at the statistics and incidences. THEN make a decision. Not out of fear, but out of empowerment and knowledge. And don’t forget about intuition. Intuition is a powerful tool. This is often mistaken for fear, but if you have a gut feeling or are worried, by all means talk with your doctor and get a mammogram.

Also, it is important to remind ourselves of the reality that none of us knows everything and that even tests are not 100%. In this country we are looking for perfection and absolutes. But in reality, there are none. Weigh the factors….the pros and cons. And then make a decision that is right for you. Don’t judge others for their decisions. Re-evaluate often. The research and you change all the time.

You are in control of your health. Make the choices that make the most sense for YOU.

Here’s a recent article that I found interesting from the New York Times.

Tags: BRACA gene, breast, cancer, detect, early, early detection, health tools, pap, preventive, screening, smears
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