Add a social component to your exercise by joining a fitness class or finding a workout buddy. You’ll incorporate two major components that fight inflammation: socializing and exercising. (Courtesy Spectrum Health Beat)
Tamping down inflammation is a must for people with a chronic inflammatory diseases like rheumatoid arthritis or lupus.
But you can be exposed to damaging inflammation without having a specific medical condition.
Inflammation prevents the body from adequately reacting to stressors and puts the aging process on an unwanted fast track, increasing the likelihood of problems like heart disease.
The negative effects of inflammation can be so significant that leading researchers from the University of Bologna in Italy coined the phrase inflamm-aging.
So making anti-inflammation lifestyle choices is good for everyone.
How to avoid inflamm-aging
Eat a heart-healthy diet focusing on foods like fatty fish, fruits and vegetables. Keep in mind that sugar is highly inflammatory.
Get active with moderate cardio exercise. Remember: Good health guidelines call for 30 minutes a day on at least five days per week.
Lose excess weight, especially if you’re carrying those pounds around your middle.
Avoid exposure to all forms of secondhand smoke and, of course, if you smoke, quit.
Limit alcohol to one drink per day if you’re a woman, two if you’re a man.
Clock seven to eight hours of sleep every night. Some people need more, others need less, but this is the sweet spot between not enough and too much.
Manage stress. Stress is often unavoidable, but you can minimize its effects with techniques like deep breathing and meditation.
Stay social with strong connections to friends and family.
Also, talk to your doctor about ways to boost heart health and any other steps appropriate to your needs to counter inflammation.
The answer to that question could determine how you feel day-to-day.
If you’ve found meaning in your life, you’re more likely to be both physically and mentally healthy, a new study reports.
On the other hand, people restlessly searching for meaning in their life are more likely to have worse mental well-being, with their struggle to find purpose negatively affecting their mood, social relationships, psychological health and ability to think and reason.
“We found presence of meaning was associated with better physical functioning and better mental functioning,” said senior study author Dr. Dilip Jeste. He is senior associate dean for the Center for Healthy Aging at the University of California, San Diego, School of Medicine.
“Many think about the meaning and purpose in life from a philosophical perspective, but meaning in life is associated with better health, wellness and perhaps longevity,” Jeste continued. “Those with meaning in life are happier and healthier than those without it.”
This conclusion comes from a three-year study of more than 1,000 people aged 21 and older living in San Diego County.
All participants were asked to fill out a battery of questionnaires that assessed their physical and mental health, as well as how sharp their brains function.
They also filled out a questionnaire aimed at determining the amount of meaning they’d found in life, as well as their continued search for meaning.
Meaning in life is a very individualized concept, Jeste said. It could be drawn from your faith or from your family, from your work or your community service, or your role in society.
Jeste and his colleagues found that as people get older, they tend to follow along a U-shaped curve in their search for meaning in life.
The search for meaning is high in young adulthood, as people make decisions about career and education and family that will shape the rest of their lives, the study reports.
“That’s a period of considerable anxiety. You are desperately searching for meaning, but you haven’t found it,” Jeste said of people in their 20s.
As people grow older and settle into their lives, they are more and more likely to discover the things that give their lives meaning, the researchers found.
But then, as people enter their old age, the search for life’s meaning again starts to roil within them, results show.
Physical and mental infirmity challenges their notion of themselves—and the increasingly frequent deaths of family and friends force them to contend with grief and their own mortality, Jeste said.
“They start questioning the meaning that they’d found in life at an earlier age and they start searching again,” Jeste said. “The purpose at 75 cannot be the same as that at 35.”
These big questions—and whether you’re still looking for the answers, at whatever age—are associated with your personal health, results show.
Contentment with life was associated with better physical and mental health, while a continuing search for meaning was associated with poorer mental health and less effective brain function, the study showed.
You could imagine that a doctor finds meaning in their life because they help people who are suffering, and that provides them with satisfaction and a solid base for happiness, said Dr. Philip Muskin, a professor of psychiatry with the Columbia University Medical Center, in New York City.
On the other hand, a doctor suffering from burnout who questions whether they’re really helping others isn’t going to be either happy or healthy.
“If you are still searching for meaning as a physician, that is likely to make you unhappy,” Muskin said. “Not necessarily depressed, but if you are still searching for meaning that is likely to make you uncomfortable in life.”
So what can you do to provide yourself with a firmer understanding of your life’s purpose?
Jeste suggests that the Serenity Prayer provides one blueprint—accepting the things in life you can’t change while working to improve the things you can.
“You can find the things that you can do that make you happy and that are useful to others,” Jeste said. “By doing that, you create your own value to society.”
Thoughtful conversation also can help, Muskin said, either with your friends or your family, or a religious figure or a therapist.
“Ask yourself the hard question. What is it I want to get out of this?” Muskin said. “Meaning comes from many different sources, and if you truly feel you don’t have meaning, you should sit with someone and have that conversation. What are we doing?”
Middle-aged people can help maintain the meaning they’ve found in life by making solid plans for what they will do in retirement, Muskin added.
“I see this all the time in my practice—people who retire into nothing,” Muskin said. “They have made no plans. They were professionals for years and decided to retire and their lives are empty. Now they’re searching for meaning in life because what they did and who they were never much separated.”
The new study was published online recently the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry.
When it’s time to move into an assisted living facility, everyone involved in the move will have a lot of questions. If you are helping a loved one decide which community is right for them, you should be asking a lot of questions during tours.
Before going in, you’ll probably have a general idea of the things you need to know and the topics you’ll want to cover. You definitely need to cover basic housekeeping questions like:
Cost and payment options
Insurance coverage
Waitlist
Discharge policy
What services are included and which are extra
But, there are other, more specific questions regarding lifestyle, quality of life and the general feel of the facility that you should be asking. Often, these questions reveal more about the community and are more important than the “housekeeping” questions. If you’re looking for assisted living in Grand Rapids, Michigan, or anywhere, make sure to ask the following questions.
What are the “age in place” options?
If your loved one is thinking about leaving their home for assisted living, it’s probably going to be a big change. Once they make the move, consistency will be important and another move will be the last thing on everyone’s mind. Before you choose an assisted living facility, ask about the level of care they can offer if your loved one experiences any health changes or setbacks? Do they have the services to care for them if they experience dementia or if they lose mobility? What about hospice? Is this a community your loved one can stay in as long as they need to? Make sure the next move they make is as permanent as possible.
How many personal items are allowed?
Personal touches are important when it comes to feeling at home in a new environment. How much of their own furniture, decor and home items can your loved one bring with them to their new home? Will they be able to completely outfit their apartment with their own furniture and favorite rugs? Will there be room for their favorite books, pictures, or wall art? Bringing a touch of home may be an important deciding factor in choosing a place so it’s an important question to ask.
What services are offered on site?
The services offered on site can make a facility feel more like a community than just a place. By offering beauty salons, libraries, cafes, mailboxes and even walking paths, residents can make their own appointments and attend them without leaving the facility. This can add a level of independence and they won’t need to rely on rides or public transportation to enjoy these small pleasures.
What are other residents/families saying?
During your tour, take some time to aim questions not just at the staff, but at other residents. Try to time a visit when other families will be visiting so you can chat with them as well. Ask about the general mood of their loved one, their activity levels and what their favorite things to do are.
What types of activities, either within or outside the facility, are offered?
How will the facility help your loved one remain active, engaged and social? While many residents will want to plan and attend their own activities outside the facility, it may be best for some to stay close. For these residents, it’s comforting knowing that there will be activities for them to participate in whether or not they choose to leave the community daily or stay. Daily activities and an active social life are important to everyone’s well-being and are particularly important within an assisted living facility.
Don’t just ask surface level “housekeeping” questions. To get a feel for what life will look like within a community, dig deeper and ask questions that matter.
Women don’t always want to talk about their difficult moments and, sometimes, they may even think they’re somehow to blame for how they feel.
As a result, too many women suffer in silence.
Midlife and menopause can be a confusing time as women deal with common experiences such as night sweats, anxiety, weight gain and low sex drive.
About 80% of women have symptoms that lower their quality of life and affect their work and relationships with family and friends. It can disrupt a woman’s sense of normalcy.
As Laura, a nurse practitioner I work with, says: “Menopause is normal, but suffering is not.”
Happy and connected
One of the highlights of summer in West Michigan is the Coast Guard Festival in Grand Haven, Michigan.
This big event reminds me of the power of community.
I grew up in Grand Haven and I’ve always loved how the week-long Coast Guard activities bring so many people home to experience the downtown streets, all bustling with families and friends out walking and enjoying the events.
It’s a time for reconnecting to people and place.
Being intentional about maintaining close ties with family and friends doesn’t just feel good—it’s a practice that helps us cope when times are hard.
Researchers have conducted studies to understand why some people cope with change and hardship better than others. One of the things they’ve found is that people who do three things in particular cope better than others:
They believe they deserve to be happy.
They keep a support network around them.
They ask for help when they need it.
Menopause is a time to reach out to others for help, just as you would with health issues like PMS or postpartum depression.
Our patients say they don’t feel embarrassed about their questions when they come to us. They know we will provide answers about why something is happening to them.
Most importantly, we give them options that will help them feel better.
We become a woman’s support network, which in itself starts a chain reaction in which we’re able to help others—one woman will come see us, then tell her friends and family about us. Soon, we’re seeing her whole group.
And that group becomes the support network for each other, too, as they discover they can understand and help each other.
A friend in need
One of our patients experiencing menopause—I’ll call her Janine—had felt like many women, in that she felt alone.
She felt embarrassed about her hot flashes and she did everything she could to keep people from noticing.
The anxiety about the possibility of having a hot flash, however, would only make a hot flash come on.
Night sweats kept her up at night. She grew more and more anxious and stressed. Out of the blue she experience some bleeding.
When her husband mentioned something about not having sex anymore, she felt really bad.
She’d been afraid that her pulling away would make her husband mad, or lead to something even worse.
But she just didn’t feel like herself. And she didn’t know what to do.
She felt alone, without answers.
Thankfully, Janine has a good friend—a friend who got frustrated at her for canceling dates to get together.
Her friend, Sue, showed up at her home one day and said, “I am not leaving without us talking.”
By the end of the conversation, Janine knew she was not alone in her symptoms of menopause.
There was hope.
As it turns out, Sue had been in to see us at the Midlife, Menopause & Sexual Health clinic. She chose to take hormones and she had been following our SEEDS program.
She was now drinking plenty of water, she’d given up sugar, she had quiet time each day and she walked every morning.
She had found a support group and got help when she needed it—and then she shared that info with her friend.
That connection could change Janine’s life.
Whether you’re in Grand Haven or in your own hometown this summer, take a minute to be grateful for beautiful communities. Be grateful for supportive family and friends.
When you have problems, reach out to them and ask for help.
Whatever group you turn to for help—a book club, a wine club, women at the hair salon, the church, the YMCA—recognize that it’s possible for other women to feel the same way you do. It’s OK to ask for help.
“So, first of all, let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is … fear itself — nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance.”
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Dr. Adam London, Administrative Health Officer for Kent County, right, and Brian Hartl, county epidemiologist. (Supplied/Kent County)
Kent County Health
There is a lot of information flying around the internet and the airwaves — if not in your household — about the COVID-19 virus (coronavirus), so the Kent County Health Department, led by Dr. Adam London, Administrative Health Officer for the county, continues to offer videos with up-to-date information. Go here for the story.
Dr. Afriyie Randle
Dr. Afriyie Randle
In our newest feature, Medical Moments, host Dr. Afriyie Randle, discusses the coronavirus. Such as did you know the first human coronavirus was discovered in the mid-1960s and today there are seven different types of the coronavirus that can infect humans. Go here for the story.
Fact to keep in mind:
The Flu and The Virus
So far, the new coronavirus has led to more than 100,000 illnesses and more than 3,000 deaths worldwide. But that’s nothing compared with the flu, also called influenza. In the U.S. alone, the flu has caused an estimated 34 million illnesses, 350,000 hospitalizations and 20,000 deaths this season, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Here are 10 suggestions from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:
Test your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors every month. Yes, this is an addition to changing the batteries once a year.
Wash your child’s toys just as you do your hands. (Think of how much time they spend on the floor.)
Wipe up spills as soon as they happen to avoid bacteria growth.
Put together a mini health kit and tuck it into your daily tote. Include adhesive bandages, alcohol wipes, pain relief medication, hand sanitizer, a mini tube of sun protection and an instant ice pack.
Make that wellness appointment you’ve been putting off. Ask if you need a tetanus booster. It’s a must every 10 years.
Put the poison control number—800.222.1222—on all phones and make sure all family members know when to call it.
Before leaving the house do a double check for safety. That means putting on sunscreen, sunglasses and a hat for a walk and other activities, or a helmet and other gear for bike riding, or looking at the treads of your shoes before a run.
Schedule a radon test for the air in your home. Have your water checked if you get it from a private well.
Change your contact lenses on the right schedule. Don’t risk eye health by trying to extend their life past the prescribed usage, whether they’re dailies, monthlies or anything in between.
Can’t do a full floss after lunch? Use dental picks to get rid of food caught between your teeth and prevent bacteria buildup.
The evidence continues to mount that staying socially engaged as you age helps keep dementia at bay.
In a new study, British researchers found that being socially active in your 50s and 60s may reduce the risk of developing dementia.
The findings showed that people in their 60s who interacted with friends nearly every day had a 12% lower risk of developing dementia than people who saw a couple of friends every few months.
“This has important implications for people in middle-age as it suggests that keeping socially active is important for brain health. We know that it has other health benefits in terms of benefiting physical and mental health,” said lead researcher Andrew Sommerlad, a research fellow in the division of psychiatry at University College London.
Social activity during midlife was linked with better memory and reasoning skills, he said.
“We think this may be because social contact gives us a chance to exercise different aspects of thinking, like memory and language, which may make people more resilient against the damage which accumulates in the brain in people who develop dementia,” Sommerlad explained.
For the study, Sommerlad and his colleagues collected data on more than 10,200 people who took part in the Whitehall II study between 1985 and 2013. During that time, the participants were asked about their contact with friends and relatives.
In 1997, the study participants also took tests of their thinking abilities. The group was followed until 2017.
The researchers also found an association between being socially active and dementia risk for those who were 50 and 70, but it wasn’t statistically significant.
Sommerlad said that other studies have shown similar results, but this study followed people for a much longer time.
“This gives us much more confidence in the idea that more social contact may reduce dementia risk, although a study like this can never definitively prove it,” he said, since it can only show an association.
In any case, Sommerlad encouraged people to stay connected.
Dr. Sam Gandy is director of the Mount Sinai Center for Cognitive Health and NFL Neurological Care in New York City. He said, “I tend to believe these findings are correct.”
Many studies have shown that being mentally and physically active affects keeping the mind sharp, he noted.
“Physical activity, mental stimulation and social engagement are popping up in these studies left and right all around the world,” Gandy said.
Some patients in these studies may have the beginnings of mild cognitive impairment, which is an early stage of dementia, he said. But he is confident that this possibility is well known and researchers can take it into account.
The bottom line for Gandy is that keeping your blood pressure and cholesterol low and maintaining a healthy weight along with eating a healthy diet—and staying mentally and socially active—is the best recipe for delaying or preventing dementia.
Some studies have suggested that even people with dementia can benefit from a healthy lifestyle, he added.
Gandy thinks that for those with early signs of dementia, these interventions might have some value.
“But not for those with mid- to late-stage dementia or those who are bed-bound,” he said.
The report was published online recently in PLOS Medicine.
Dr. Adam London, Administrative Health Officer for Kent County, right, and Brian Hartl, county epidemiologist. (Supplied/Kent County)
By WKTV Staff ken@wktv.org
There is a lot of information flying around the internet and the airwaves — if not in your household — about the COVID-19 virus (coronavirus), so the Kent County Health Department, led by Dr. Adam London, Administrative Health Officer for the county, continues to offer videos with up-to-date information.
In today’s video — travel. London and Brian Hartl, county epidemiologist, discuss what you need to know and how COVID-19 may impact your travel plans. To view the latest video, visit here.
For complete information from the Kent County Health Department on the local news dealing with the COVID 19 virus, and to view all the videos visit here.
According to the health department, public information will be distributed “as the situation warrants it.”
According to the county, here are some basic facts:
COVID-19 is caused by a new respiratory virus. In December 2019, the virus began circulating in humans. Health experts are concerned because little is known about this new virus and it has the potential to cause severe illness and pneumonia.
State level information is updated daily at Michigan.gov/coronavirus. Also available are the total number of people who may have been exposed to the virus who are referred to local public health for monitoring or assessment.
Symptoms of COVID-19 may appear in as few as two days or as long as 14 days after exposure to the virus, and they include: fever, cough and shortness of breath Reported illnesses have ranged from mild symptoms to severe illness and death.
Health experts are still learning about how this new coronavirus spreads. Other coronaviruses spread from an infected person to others through the air by coughing and sneezing; close personal contact, such as touching or shaking hands; touching an object or surface with the virus on it, then touching your mouth, nose or eyes.
The same steps you would take to prevent spread of flu and the common cold twill also help prevent coronavirus disease, including: wash your hands with soap and water, cover your mouth and nose with a tissue or upper sleeve when coughing or sneezing, avoid contact with people who are sick, and stay home if you are sick and contact your healthcare provider.
Do you eat healthy during the week, then ease off the brakes on the weekend? You’re not alone.
But such a five days on-two days off eating regimen can erode diet quality, according to a study published recently in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
Not only did participants take in more calories on weekends than on weekdays, they were less healthy calories, to boot.
They consumed more alcohol and fat, and ate less of the good stuff, like yogurt, fruits, dark green and orange vegetables, chicken, nuts and seeds, and whole grains.
And if the calories you consume on the weekend exceed the number you take in during the week, that’s a net surplus—read: weight gain.
Besides stalling any weight-loss efforts, weekend junk-food binges can also negatively impact the healthy bacteria in your gut.
A lab study published in Molecular Nutrition & Food Research found that cycling on and off junk food was almost as detrimental to the delicate balance of the gut microbiome as eating it all the time.
In particular, a junk-food diet reduces the microbes needed to metabolize flavonoids, a category of micronutrients thought to help with weight loss and brain health.
If you look forward to letting loose on the weekends, find other ways to unwind.
For instance, try a new activity—you’ll burn more calories and boost your weight-loss (or control) efforts.
If going out for a big brunch is your downfall, schedule a trip to the gym instead.
Weekends are also perfect for doing some healthy cooking. Make enough to have for brown-bag lunches so weekday eating is more satisfying.
Waistline and cardiorespiratory fitness are but two areas where health suffers when a sedentary lifestyle takes hold. The good news: The body responds just as quickly to positive lifestyle changes. (Courtesy Spectrum Health Beat)
A new study proves that the old adage “use it or lose it” is definitely true when it comes to fitness.
After just two weeks of sedentary behavior, formerly fit people had:
A decline in heart and lung health
Increased waist circumference
Greater body fat and liver fat
Higher levels of insulin resistance
“The study showed that two weeks of reduced physical activity—from approximately 10,000 steps per day down to 1,500 per day—caused changes in health markers that are associated with Type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease,” said study author Kelly Bowden Davies. She’s a lecturer at Newcastle University and the University of Liverpool in the United Kingdom.
But the good news from the study is that the body seems to quickly bounce back once you start moving again.
“It’s important to note that when people resumed their normal activity levels after this period, the negative health changes were reversed,” she said.
The researchers recruited 28 healthy, regularly active adults. Eighteen were women. The average age of the study volunteers was 32.
Their average body mass index—a rough measure of body fat based on height and weight measurements—was just over 24. A BMI under 24.9 is considered normal weight.
The study volunteers had been quite active, normally clocking about 10,000 steps daily.
Bowden Davies said most of this was just from daily activity, rather than structured exercise. She said they usually participate in no more than two hours of structured exercise weekly.
The researchers asked the volunteers to cut their activity drastically. They dropped an average of just over 100 minutes a day, the researchers said.
After two weeks of couch potato life, the study volunteers underwent a battery of testing. These results were compared to findings measured when the study started.
Bowden Davies said cardiorespiratory fitness levels dropped by 4% in just two weeks.
Waist circumference rose by nearly one-third of an inch. Liver fat increased by 0.2%. Total body fat went up by 0.5%. Insulin resistance increased and triglyceride (a type of blood fat) levels went up slightly.
Fourteen days after resuming activity, these measures all bounced back, the investigators found.
“Even subtle increases in activity can have a positive effect on health. Moving more and breaking up sedentary activity is encouraged,” Bowden Davies added.
Dr. John Osborne, an American Heart Association spokesman, said this was a very interesting and somewhat surprising study.
The findings validate advice he gives his patients.
“If you can be a shark or a turtle, be a shark—always moving. This study showed you can lose the benefits of exercise very quickly, but the good news is that when they became sharks again, all the benefits came right back.”
Another expert who reviewed the study, Dr. Edmund Giegerich, chief of endocrinology and vice chairman of medicine at NewYork-Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital in New York City, was also somewhat surprised by the magnitude of changes that happened in just two weeks.
Giegerich said the study confirms how important it is to stay active.
“Going from being sedentary to more active can help a great deal in preventing the onset of Type 2 diabetes. Just try to be more active. You’ll feel better, and if you’re trying to lose weight, it can help a little. You don’t have to run a marathon. Walking is fine. Just get up and get moving,” he advised.
Both experts pointed out that the study was small—and in a larger group, the findings might be different.
The study was also only done for a short period of time.
Bowden Davies, Osborne and Giegerich all suspect that if people who are at a lower fitness level stop almost all of their activity that the results might even be worse.
The study was presented recently at the European Association for the Study of Diabetes meeting, in Barcelona. Findings presented at meetings are typically viewed as preliminary until they’re published in a peer-reviewed journal.
Though the decision to move to assisted living may be bittersweet or difficult, making the process of moving easy and fun can help a new resident settle in more quickly and begin the enriching lifestyle that assisted living communities provide. Here is a rough timeline of how to plan the move to assisted living in the coming year. Let’s get started!
6+ Months ahead:
Six months or more ahead of the move may seem like a long ways away, but it’s never too soon to start decluttering. Start sorting out keepsakes, allowing plenty of time and opportunities to talk about the memories associated with them. Friends and family may feel similarly attached to objects such as childhood artwork or trophies, so it’s great to get everyone involved in this first stage. Giving things full of memories to family is a great way to keep them around while decluttering. If you can, limit sorting to only about one to two hours per day, and keep things light and companionable.
In terms of logistics, gather up important or sensitive documents, and if necessary, go over them with trusted accountants, doctors, and other professionals to determine what needs to be kept.
It’s also time to begin searching for a real estate agent, if necessary. Gather a few options and go with the best fit for you.
Also, start planning creative meals with pantry and frozen food items. Who knows what you’ll come up with?
3 Months ahead:
Contact your assisted living community and obtain a floor plan for you or your loved one’s future apartment. Start planning what goes where, and don’t be afraid of downsizing. Make lists! Are you giving furniture to friends and family, and if so, who gets what? What are essential medications and toiletries that need to get to the apartment? Start decluttering in earnest, and research moving companies if finances allow.
2 Months ahead:
Visit the assisted living community and start getting familiar with their facilities. Making a new home is daunting, but the more comfortable you are with the space before you move, the better. Plan a garage sale and start donating any furniture, decorations, clothing, or other items. It’s also important to make plans for any pets – can they come with you, or do they need another home?
1 Month ahead:
Buy packing materials, such as boxes, tape, and labels, and start packing non-essential items slowly. Be sure to label everything clearly to make unpacking simple. Start donating frozen and canned foods to local food pantries.
This is also a great point to notify the post office, utilities, banks, credit cards, and others about you or your loved one’s change of address. Make a list of everywhere your address needs to be changed and check it off as you go.
2 Weeks ahead:
Get family and friends together for packing and cleaning. Leave no stone unturned! Coordinate plants and valuables, and consider leaving them in a trusted family member’s care so they don’t get neglected in the action.
1 Week ahead:
Pack a day-of-the-move kit, including toiletries, clothes, and bedding. Check and double check rooms, and get rid of any remaining food in order to defrost the refrigerator.
Moving day:
Work with your movers on fragile or special pieces, but most of all, stay relaxed. You’ve done all the legwork, so focus on you and your loved ones today.
After move-in:
Arrange lots of visits with family, and make a goal to try out one new activity every day. Pretty soon, it’ll feel just like home!
Moving to assisted living in Michigan doesn’t have to be a hassle. By leaving yourself plenty of time and doing things little by little, your 2018 move will be just an exciting next step.
Researchers are concerned that chemicals used in the manufacture of mattresses could affect the health of children and infants. (Courtesy Spectrum Health Beat)
Most people consider their bed a safe haven, but new research suggests your body heat might trigger the release of potentially harmful chemicals from your mattress.
Mattresses are known to release minute amounts of gaseous chemicals called volatile organic compounds.
These compounds come mainly from the polyurethane used in the mattress, but also from other chemicals used in flame retardants and plastics, the researchers said.
Unfortunately, your body heat appears to increase compound emissions from your mattress, according to tests conducted on eight different types of polyurethane mattresses.
But don’t toss out your mattress just yet: The estimated doses of most compounds remained well below the levels that could cause health effects, researchers noted.
However, some compounds did reach levels of concern for infants and young children, if their ages were considered in exposure calculations, the researchers added.
“There is no reason to panic and yet it is important to understand that air quality in our sleeping micro-environment is important with regard to our exposure to various pollutants such as VOCs,” said senior researcher Yael Dubowski, an associate professor with the Israel Institute of Technology. “Hence, we should make an effort to improve it.”
Health effects associated with compounds range from eye, nose and throat irritation to headaches and organ damage, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Some compounds, including benzene, acetaldehyde and formaldehyde, have been associated with increased cancer risk.
For the study, Dubowski and her colleagues subjected eight different mattresses to simulated sleeping conditions, mimicking the elevated body heat, humidity and carbon dioxide caused by humans when they sleep for even a few hours.
The mattresses had been allowed to air out for at least six months prior to the study, noted Sarah Evans, an assistant professor of environmental medicine and public health at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City.
“Often we think, well, if you let something air out for a little while, you can dramatically reduce the level of chemicals that are off-gassed,” said Evans, who wasn’t involved with the study. “In this case, even after six months they still saw appreciable levels of off-gassing.”
Body heat appeared to increase each mattress’s release of compounds, compared with the levels released when the mattresses were not in use, researchers found.
Estimated exposures remained below the “No Significant Risk Levels” set under strict California environmental laws, researchers noted.
However, if the exposure levels took into account a child’s age, the picture took on more concern. For example, compounds linked to cancer such as acetaldehyde, formaldehyde and benzene approached or exceeded age-adjusted levels, researchers said.
The new study was published recently in the journal Environmental Science & Technology.
Experts are generally more concerned about children’s exposure to compounds, said Dr. Kenneth Spaeth, chief of occupational and environmental medicine at Northwell Health in Great Neck, N.Y.
Babies in particular spend a lot of time in their crib, lying on foam mattresses that produce these gases, said Spaeth, who had no part in the study.
“By virtue of their age and size, they have heightened vulnerability to potential toxic effects,” he said.
Even if these chemicals don’t do immediate harm, there is concern that exposure will increase their lifelong risk of cancer, Evans and Spaeth said.
The best way to protect against compounds is to maintain good ventilation inside your home, by opening windows and using fans, they said.
“Indoor air can have as much as 10 times higher VOCs than outdoor air,” Evans said. “Getting fresh air in can really help reduce those exposures.”
Consumers also can choose mattresses made of materials other than polyurethane foam, Evans said. Mattresses containing cotton, wool and natural latex will all produce lower levels of gases.
Unfortunately, it can be very difficult for consumers to suss out what’s in a mattress and what sort of compounds those materials might produce, Spaeth said.
“Consumers are in a very difficult position,” Spaeth said. “It’s very hard to get good information about what a mattress contains, and even if you know that, unless you have a good understanding of the different materials it’s hard to know what chemicals might be emitted from those materials.
“The chemicals that are being emitted are not going to be listed in a label that indicates what the mattress is made of,” Spaeth said. “These are byproducts of the materials.”
Starting yoga at or after 60 is extremely beneficial to your joints, muscles, bones and for your flexibility. It also allows you to stay mentally fit even as you experience changes in your body. Instead of focusing on what you do, start by focusing on how you do it. Some poses may require you to use a chair or extra mats for comfort. Prioritize your well-being at all times; get an instructor or studio with experience working with yogis over 60 to help you get started. Speak to your doctor in advance if you have pre-existing condition that may affect your flexibility.
Slightly lift one leg, with the toes touching the ground and the heel touching the inner part of your ankle. Hold it for up to 30 seconds if possible and repeat with the other leg.
As your balance improves, move your raised foot upward; the goal is to try and get the leg to rest above your knee.
Warrior II
Warrior II is a standing pose that strengthens your lower body, stretches the hip area and improves your bone density.
Place your feet firmly on the ground at hip-distance, and your arms resting on your side.
Turn right and move your right foot up to 4-feet wide at a 90-degree angle.
Take a deep breath, lift your arms to shoulder height, and exhale. As you exhale, lower your right leg, allowing the thigh to stay parallel with the floor and your lift leg straight. Try to hold it for up to 30 seconds and focus your energy on your breathing.
Release slowly and repeat with the other leg.
Bridge
The bridge pose is an excellent choice for your hips and lower back, especially if you spent many years working at a desk or if you have not stayed active over the years.
Lie flat on your back, allowing your feet to rest flat on the floor, keep them apart at hip distance under the knees with your arms resting straight on your side.
Feel the floor, breath in and press your hands to the floor.
As you exhale, squeeze your ab muscles, lift your pelvis and spine off the ground and try to get them into the bridge position. Try to hold it for up to 30 seconds, and release slowly starting with the shoulders until you are lying flat on the floor again, with a towel or a blanket under your shoulders for extra support.
Yoga improves lives; it reduces anxiety, stress and depression, it lowers the risk of obesity, cancer, cardiac conditions and diabetes, improves performance and makes you feel good. Start slowly with simple poses and advance gradually to stretch your body further and hold poses longer. You will also enjoy the reflective activities that allow you to focus your energy inwards.
The burning discomfort behind your breastbone that moves up toward your neck and throat. The bitter or sour taste of acid in the back of your throat.
Heartburn.
It’s caused when acid from the stomach flows backward, or refluxes, up into the esophagus, irritating the throat, vocal cords and entrance to the lungs.
For most, it’s a minor annoyance. But for some, it’s a sign of gastroesophageal reflux disease, a condition that could lead to even more serious health problems.
1. Do you frequently have one or more of the following:
An uncomfortable feeling behind the breastbone that seems to be moving upward from the stomach?
A burning sensation in the back of your throat?
A bitter acid taste in your mouth?
2. Do you often experience these problems after meals?
3. Do you experience heartburn or acid indigestion two or more times per week?
4. Do you find that antacids only provide temporary relief from your symptoms?
5. Are you taking prescription medications to treat heartburn, but still having symptoms?
If you said yes to two or more of the above, you may have GERD. To know for sure, see your doctor or a gastroenterologist. In most cases, an endoscopy should be performed to evaluate the severity of GERD and identify the possible cause.
Don’t ignore your heartburn
Up to 20 percent of Americans suffer from typical symptoms of GERD, noted Praveen Sateesh, MD, a gastroenterologist with Spectrum Health Medical Group. These symptoms include:
Frequent heartburn (two or more times a week)
Difficulty swallowing (dysphagia)
Food sticking in the esophagus
Dry cough, hoarseness or sore throat
Regurgitation of food or sour liquid (acid reflux)
Sensation of a lump in the throat
While heartburn is the classic symptom, an estimated 65 percent of people with GERD experience atypical symptoms.
“These lesser-known symptoms are important to note because patients and their doctors may not associate them with reflux disease,” Dr. Sateesh said. “They therefore don’t pursue appropriate treatments.”
Atypical symptoms of GERD include:
Chronic cough
Persistent sore throat
Hoarse voice
Persistent postnasal drip
Chronic throat clearing
Choking
Dental erosion
Chest pain
Over time, Dr. Sateesh said, inflammation caused by GERD wears away the lining of your esophagus and can cause some serious complications:
Asthma, chronic cough and ear, nose and throat problems. These are known as extra-esophageal manifestations and the connection to GERD often goes unrecognized, even by health care providers.
Peptic stricture. This is a chronic acid injury and scarring of the lower esophagus. Patients often complain of food sticking in their throat, Dr. Sateesh said.
Barrett’s esophagus. This is a precancerous condition where the lining of the esophagus changes to resemble intestinal tissue. Once this happens, patients who initially experience heartburn won’t be able to feel the burning sensation any longer and incorrectly think the problem has gone away. Barrett’s is the No. 1 risk factor for developing esophageal cancer.
Esophageal cancer. This cancer is increasing at fast rate in the U.S. and results when GERD or Barrett’s is left untreated for many years.
To learn more about acid reflux and heartburn, including treatment tips, watch Dr. Sateesh on Fox 17 Morning Mix.
Nearly nine in 10 American adults lose sleep to binge watch TV, a new survey finds.
The more than 2,000 U.S. adults who took part in the American Academy of Sleep Medicine poll in September ranked sleep as their second-highest priority, with family being first.
But despite considering sleep important, 88% said they’d stayed up late to watch multiple episodes of a TV show or streaming series.
The rate was highest (95%) among 18- to 44-year-olds. Many also delay bedtime to play video games, read and watch sports, the survey revealed.
“It’s encouraging that Americans rank sleep as one of their highest priorities, but choosing to binge on entertainment at night instead of sleeping has serious ramifications,” AASM president Dr. Kelly Carden said in an academy news release.
Younger adults (aged 18 to 34) were more likely than those 35 and older to have stayed up late to play video games (72% versus 38%), and men were more likely to do so than women (59% versus 42%).
Two-thirds of respondents said they’d lost sleep to read. Women were more likely to do so than men (71% versus 61%), the survey found.
Nearly 60% of adults lost sleep to watch sports, including 75% of men and 45% of women. Adults between 25 and 54 years of age were more likely than those in other age groups to have stayed up late for overtime or extra innings (54% versus 51%).
That lost shut-eye can have serious consequences, Carden said.
“Sleep is essential to health, well-being and safety—and chronic insufficient sleep can lead to an increased risk of health problems, mood disorders and motor vehicle accidents,” she pointed out.
Losing sleep due to streaming, reading or playing video games can also lead to negative feelings. For example, 24% of respondents admitted feeling frustrated after delaying their bedtimes.
Feeling bad was most common for those in Generation Z (born in 1997 or later), who said that staying up late caused frustration (32%), worry (23%) and guilt (19%).
Such feelings can make it harder to drift off, especially if a person tries to make up for the lost sleep, according to the AASM.
The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 2 percentage points and a confidence level of 95%.
After retirement, you may find that you have a lot of extra time on your hands that you don’t know exactly what to do with. While having different hobbies and finding social activities can help fill the time, another thing to consider could be volunteering some of your time within your local community.
Senior volunteers are especially great for charitable programs and other organizations because your free time is more flexible than that of many other volunteers. Being able to make a difference no matter what your age is has benefits both for you and for your community. Here are some reasons why you should get involved and some different areas you can volunteer in.
Why is it important to get involved?
There are many societal and moral benefits to volunteering your time
which we are all well aware of. However, there are other benefits of
volunteer work that can have a more direct impact on your life and your
health.
Volunteering is good for your cognitive health
By being engaged through activities like volunteering, you can lower your risks of memory health issues like dementia. Staying active and keeping your mind busy in healthy ways can significantly decrease your chances of getting memory diseases like dementia or Alzhiemers as you continue to age.
Volunteering prevents senior depression
Senior depression and isolation is a very serious condition that can lead to a degradation of both your mental health and your general physical state. Meeting new people and remaining active in your community can help you avoid feelings of loneliness and isolation that often arise after retirement.
Volunteering encourages physical activity
It can be hard to stay physically active as a senior, but volunteering is a great way to get in some more activity and movement than you might normally get in a day. From walking as you clean up litter, to helping cook food at a soup kitchen, to playing games with kids, there are plenty of opportunities for healthy activities while volunteering.
1. Food drives and soup kitchens
One of the simplest ways to help out in your community as a senior volunteer is helping feed the hungry through food banks, soup kitchens, food drives, and organizations like Meals on Wheels. These kinds of volunteer opportunities have a major impact on those in need.
2. Helping other seniors
Senior volunteers are able to understand other seniors better than younger volunteers, so there are plenty of opportunities to help seniors with dementia and memory care, socialization, and caregiving through programs like Seniors Helping Seniors.
3. Tutoring and teaching
You don’t need to have been a teacher to be able to help kids and younger people learn. Most people looking for tutoring just need someone who is willing to go at their pace and clearly explain, which senior volunteers can provide. Local schools and after-school care programs are often looking for volunteers to help with tutoring.
4. Work with youth and younger generations
Teaching isn’t the only way you can help younger generations. There are many programs where you can work with youths like Foster Grandparents. Foster Grandparents provides role models and mentors for children across America who need help with reading, who have been abused or neglected, or who have disabilities, among other things.
5. Help with animals and animal organizations
Volunteering with animal shelters or local animal rights groups can bring your love for animals into your retirement years. Shelters are always looking for people to help take care of animals and make sure all these lovable creatures get the attention they deserve.
6. Volunteer with your past career
You can use the skills you gained in your previous career in your
volunteering efforts. There are plenty of people who would benefit from
your expertise in areas like:
Another big area that is in need of senior volunteers is the environment. Cleaning up litter from parks and streets in your community can make a difference not only on the environment, but in the appearance of your local community, as you are able to see the direct impact of your volunteer work.
Find a cause that matters to you
While these are some of the most popular volunteering opportunities for seniors, there are plenty of other causes that need the help of senior volunteers. Finding a cause that is important to you helps you maintain your dedication, as the motivation behind your volunteer work strongly resonates with you.
Doing some research into your favorite causes and letting that inform which organizations or programs you reach out to can help ensure that your volunteer work is going to the people you are most proud to volunteer with. Your assistance is invaluable to many different groups, and both you and your community will benefit from your volunteer work, no matter where you focus your efforts.
The rise in use of prescription medication—and illegal drug usage—has rendered middle-age adults a substantial fall risk. (Courtesy Spectrum Health Beat)
New research shows they are a significant risk among middle-aged adults.
Why? Blame multiple prescription medications, as well as alcohol and illegal drug use, a new study suggests.
Health care providers “typically think about falls in people over age 65. But these people were primarily in their 50s and falls were an important concern,” said study author Julie Womack. She’s an associate professor at Yale University’s School of Nursing.
For the new study, the researchers analyzed data from the Veterans Aging Cohort Study, which includes patients who receive care through the U.S. Veterans Health Administration.
The team identified 13,000 fall cases and compared them to patients of similar age, race, sex and HIV status, who did not suffer falls.
The use of multiple medications was a significant factor in falls among patients with and without HIV.
The researchers examined HIV status because people being treated for HIV infection take several medications, often at a younger age.
Medications associated with serious falls included those commonly used to treat anxiety and insomnia (benzodiazepines, like Xanax), as well as muscle relaxants and prescription opioids (such as OxyContin).
The findings suggest that programs designed to prevent serious falls in older adults may need to be modified to address risks for middle-aged adults, according to Womack.
“Fall risk factors are highly prevalent in the baby boomer generation more generally. The next step is to look at interventions for the middle-aged,” she said in a Yale news release.
Those interventions could target drinking and illicit drug use in addition to taking multiple medications, Womack said.
“When we’re thinking about fall prevention programs, we have to think about alcohol and substance use. We need to help individuals cut back,” she suggested.
Womack noted that it’s important to reduce falls in middle-aged and older adults because falls are associated with injuries, hospitalizations and death.
The study was published recently in the Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome.
People who watch less TV and are physically active live more years free of heart disease, according to a new study.
Past research has shown people who are highly physically active tend to live more years free of cardiovascular disease.
But researchers of a study published recently in the Journal of the American Heart Association wanted to look specifically at how TV viewing habits fit into the equation.
Using data from 13,534 people ages 45 to 64, investigators studied three factors—how much TV people generally watched, how often they were physically active in their leisure time and how long they lived without having a stroke, heart failure or coronary heart disease.
After an average of 27 years, people who were highly active and watched little or no TV lived about two and a half years longer free of stroke, heart failure and coronary heart disease than those who often watched TV and weren’t active.
TV watching impacted health regardless of physical activity, the study found.
Those who seldom watched or never watched TV lived about a year longer free of each type of cardiovascular disease than those who often watched TV.
“This study suggests that engaging in any physical activity and viewing less TV could help you live more years free of (cardiovascular) disease,” said Carmen Cuthbertson, the study’s lead author.
“Because there’s such a large cardiovascular disease burden in the U.S., we wanted to focus on how to extend the years you live in health,” said Cuthbertson, a postdoctoral fellow in the epidemiology department at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
The study was limited, she said, by the fact that participants were asked only about “leisure time” activity and not about household chores or physical activity during work or commuting.
She said she’d like future studies to incorporate wearable devices to track physical activity and sedentary time.
Bethany Barone Gibbs, a professor of health and physical activity at the University of Pittsburgh who was not involved in the study, applauded the research for focusing not on death, but on how people can live longer lives free of cardiovascular diseases.
While the results don’t prove frequent TV watching causes heart disease, she said, its findings help clarify how physical inactivity affects health.
“Studies have shown that people who sit for hours at a time develop various vascular dysfunctions—blood begins pooling in the legs and circulation gets worse, especially in the extremities, which we think causes vascular damage that can lead to the long-term development of heart disease,” said Gibbs, vice chair of the American Heart Association’s Physical Activity Committee.
“TV watching is just one domain of sedentary behavior, but it’s also a really modifiable behavior,” she said.
The study began in the late 1980s before smartphones and the internet impacted how long people sit in front of screens, Gibbs said. She called for new in-depth research into how cardiovascular health is affected by overall sitting time as well as binge-watching TV.
“Now, we can sit back and not even have to lift a finger to watch the next show on Netflix,” she said. “I think television-watching is becoming an even more important target when it comes to behavior change and reducing our risk of cardiovascular disease.”
Joining social groups and establishing their own support network is an essential component to a caregiver’s quality of life. (Courtesy Spectrum Health Beat)
If you’re a caregiver for a family member, you need to look after your own mental health to provide the best care for others, an expert says.
Caregivers are at increased risk for depression and anxiety.
Clinically significant symptoms of depression occur in 40%-70% of caregivers, and major depression occurs in 25%-50% of these caregivers, according to the Family Caregiver Alliance.
“Taking time to care for yourself is not selfish. In order to have the strength to care for a loved one, it is extremely important that caregivers take care of their own physical and mental health,” said Dr. Vassilios Latoussakis, a psychiatrist at Gracie Square Hospital, a psychiatric facility in New York City.
Latoussakis offered the following advice.
Pay attention to your stress levels, he said in a hospital news release. If you find yourself crying, losing your temper or having fantasies of rescue or flight, seek help.
Stress can affect your physical health, causing problems such as headaches, sleep issues, heart troubles, high blood pressure, and elevated fat and sugar levels.
If you’re feeling the effects of stress, make an appointment with your primary care provider, Latoussakis advised.
There are a number of ways to reduce stress, including regular physical activity, relaxation techniques such as breathing, yoga or mindfulness, making time to see friends and doing activities you enjoy.
It’s important to have a support network of people with whom you can talk, confide and gripe.
Another good idea is to join a support group of caregivers where you can share concerns, practical issues and problems, Latoussakis said.
More than 34 million Americans have provided unpaid care to an adult aged 50 or older in the past year, according to the National Alliance for Caregiving and AARP.
I recently heard about two patients who ended up in the hospital with gallstones just a short while after they gave birth to their babies.
They both ended up having their gallbladders removed.
Women who experience gallstones after their child is born will typically experience this within two to four months after delivery.
More than 25 million people suffer from gallstones, but women encounter this at a much greater rate than men—and that’s before pregnancy is factored in.
You are indeed more prone to gallstones when you’re pregnant.
Why? The extra estrogen in your body. Among its various effects, estrogen increases cholesterol.
Progesterone can also lead to gallstones. This hormone relaxes tissue, including within the gallbladder.
Battling blockages
About the size of a pear, the gallbladder is located below the liver.
Though you can live without it, the gallbladder does have its use.
The liver makes bile, which is stored in the gallbladder. When we eat food—especially high-fat food—bile is released from the gallbladder and sent to the intestines to aid in digestion.
In some cases, the bile crystalizes and forms gallstones. These can be as small as sand or as large as a golf ball.
Gallstones are usually composed of calcium bilirubinate, cholesterol and calcium carbonate.
It’s critical to understand that gallstones can cause a problem when they block ducts. They won’t allow the bile to leave, which can cause inflammation, or cholecystitis.
People may have gallstones and not even know it. Symptoms only tend to arise when the stones block or obstruct the body’s natural processes.
Symptoms include:
Upper abdomen pain, which can radiate to right shoulder and back
Steady pain after eating fatty meals
Abdominal pain lasting longer than five hours after eating
Fever or chills
Nausea or vomiting
Yellowing of the eyes
Dark urine
Clay-colored bowel movements
In the past we’ve looked at a condition called cholestasis of pregnancy, which entails symptoms similar to those experienced by gallstones.
Testing for gallstones can involve an ultrasound, which helps doctors visualize what is happening. A blood test can also reveal signs of infection.
Doctors can use CT and MRI imaging to further uncover problems.
Antibiotics may be used if there are signs of infection, but doctors may turn to surgery to remove the gallstones or the gallbladder.
Promoting prevention
There are some steps you can take to help reduce the chances of developing gallstones.
First and foremost: Eat healthy and keep your weight under control. Yes, if you’re pregnant you will be gaining weight—you are growing a human being inside you. But excess weight isn’t helpful.
Other useful tips:
Limit bad fats and make sure you’re getting healthy fats, which are monounsaturated fats and omega-3 fatty acids.
Heart disease can seem so distant, so unreal, and something you don’t have to worry about.
Unfortunately, it is very real, especially for women.
There’s no time like the present to start assessing your own goals on how you want to age and how you can enjoy better heart health. Where do you stand on meeting your goals? If having a heart attack is not something you want to experience, you need to act now.
Having a health goal is important and also the key to staying healthy as you age.
Making health changes such as exercising daily, changing eating habits, and practicing stress-reduction techniques can be challenging, especially if you don’t start with a clear goal.
When my patients say, “I can’t believe you are asking me if I want a heart attack; of course I don’t want a heart attack,” I show them how their actions speak louder than their words. By choosing not to exercise, eating high-sugar foods and allowing stress to rule their lives, they are actually choosing a heart attack.
The good news is that it’s never too late to get healthy, but the sooner the better.
A patient I’ll call Adrienne is living proof that heart disease can affect just about anyone.
At age 39, she suffered a heart attack—way too young—or so she thought. Adrienne was going through a very stressful time in her life and was having shortness of breath occasionally.
Adrienne thought being winded had to do with the stress she was experiencing or maybe because she was tired and had not been eating well. She would simply rest until she felt better and forget about the feeling until it would happen again. Adrienne never even considered she might be having a heart attack.
However, one day the feeling came back and persisted for a long time. When she received some especially bad news, her breathing became very labored, and she knew something wasn’t quite right. She mentioned her symptoms to her husband, and he insisted they go to the ER immediately. Just minutes after arriving at the ER, Adrienne had a full-blown heart attack.
Fortunately for Adrienne, the ER staff took her symptoms seriously. She is alive today thanks to the prompt and expert care she received that day.
Not everyone is as lucky as Adrienne.
More women die of first heart attacks
Many women don’t get help quickly enough or they are not taken seriously when they go for help. But the facts don’t lie: More women than men die from their first heart attack and more women than men have fatal heart attacks.
As Adrienne went through cardiac catheterization, open heart surgery and cardiac rehab, she learned she had risk factors for a very long time, but never realized it. As a result, she never received the preventive treatment needed to prevent a heart attack, and she wasn’t aware of the early symptoms.
Adrienne’s shortness of breath and fatigue had been going on for more than a month, but she never knew the severity of her condition.
Adrienne began to learn more about her health and important risk factors of heart attacks. These include family history, cholesterol levels, blood sugar levels, high blood pressure, obesity, smoking, diet, high stress, inactivity, inflammation (which can be caused by diet and the presence of heart disease), and age.
In addition, activity and increased stress level can affect your risk of having a heart attack. Adrienne had risk factors she never knew she had.
Unfortunately, Adrienne’s story isn’t unique.
Too many women either don’t know the warning signs of a heart attack or ignore them because they don’t want to bother anyone.
Know the symptoms
It’s important that we know the signs and symptoms of a heart attack, especially because they are different in women than men.
Men tend to experience a heaviness, like an elephant, on their chest. They also notice a true pain in their chest that radiates to the left arm and up the neck.
Women tend to have more subtle signs. The most common symptoms for women are progressive shortness of breath on exertion or with great stress, unexplained fatigue, nausea, subtle chest heaviness, neck pain, or arm pain.
I have had patients who dismissed some of their symptoms as jaw pain from TMJ or simply sleeping funny. I have even seen patients who presented with new onset hot flashes years after menopause. After sending them to a cardiologist, they find out they have angina and they ended up with heart surgery instead of hormones.
Risk scores also help physicians predict your chances of having a heart attack in the next year, and even in the next 10 years. My favorite scoring system is the Reynold’s Score, and it can be done at home by going online to reynoldsriskscore.org.
You will need to know your family history, total cholesterol level, HDL cholesterol level, systolic blood pressure (number on top), and C-Reacting Protein (CRP) level. You will also be asked if you smoke, which is a significant cause of heart attacks.
Other tests used to assess risk include an ultrasound of the artery in your neck to determine your risk of stroke, and a CT scan of the chest to look for calcium in the artery walls.
When you have symptoms, it is important to have two tests performed: an EKG to see if your heart is suffering low oxygen from blockages, and a stress test with an ultrasound of the heart (ECHO). If you are experiencing symptoms such as chest heaviness or shortness of breath, you will want to go to the ER or call 911.
In our clinic, we use risk scores, including the Reynolds Score, to score for Metabolic syndrome. This syndrome is a strong predictor of experiencing a heart attack or stroke.
If a woman comes to us for hormone therapy and also has Metabolic syndrome or is at high risk for a heart attack, we will not prescribe hormone replacement therapy as it would put her at greater risk for a heart attack. However, if she is at low risk and does not have Metabolic syndrome, hormone replacement therapy can actually lower her risk of having a heart attack or stroke.
In the not-so-distant past, it was common for women to go to the ER with chest pain and shortness of breath, only to be told it was heartburn or an anxiety attack. It was even thought that women couldn’t have heart disease.
Fortunately, health care experts now take this issue seriously, and we are very aware that heart disease affects both men and women.
We wish that every woman knew her risk factors and made healthy choices to avoid suffering a heart attack. Too many women (and their families) suffer an unnecessary loss. Take control before it happens to you.
Even mild anemia—low levels of hemoglobin in the blood—may raise a person’s odds for Alzheimer’s disease and other types of dementia, a new study finds.
The same Dutch research also found a correlation between heightened dementia risk and high blood levels of hemoglobin.
“With around 10% of people over age 65 having anemia in the Americas and Europe and up to 45% in African and southeast Asian countries, these results could have important implications for the burden of dementia,” noted study lead author M. Arfan Ikram, of Erasmus Medical Center in Rotterdam, the Netherlands.
Hemoglobin is the protein in red blood cells that transports oxygen.
The new study included more than 12,000 people averaging 65 years of age. None of the participants had dementia at the beginning of the research.
Hemoglobin levels were measured at the start of the study and 6% of the participants were found to have anemia.
The participants’ health was then tracked for an average of 12 years. During that time, 1,520 developed dementia, including 1,194 who were diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, according to the report published online recently in Neurology.
The study was not designed to prove cause and effect.
However, the research showed that people with anemia were 41% more likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease and 34% more likely to develop any type of dementia than those without anemia, the team reported.
In another finding, people with high levels of hemoglobin were also more likely to develop dementia.
Those with the highest levels were 20% more likely to develop dementia than those with levels in the middle.
Those with the lowest hemoglobin levels were 29% more likely to develop dementia than those with levels in the middle, the research found.
In a journal news release, Ikram added that the findings could be significant, given that “the prevalence of dementia is expected to increase threefold over the next decades, with the largest increases predicted in the countries where the anemia rate is the highest.”
The question of how hemoglobin levels affect dementia risk is still unclear, however.
“More research is needed to determine whether hemoglobin levels play a direct role in this increased risk or whether these associations can be explained by underlying issues or other vascular or metabolic changes,” Ikram explained.
Dr. Satjit Bhusri is a cardiologist at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City. Looking over the findings, he stressed that hemoglobin’s role as an oxygen transporter to the brain might be key.
“Any quick or slow loss of oxygen will lead to a cognitive decline and manifest as dementia,” he noted. Conversely, Bhusri said, “elevated hemoglobin is a reaction to some underlying disease. That disease is forcing the body to produce more hemoglobin. This can result in an increase in thickness of blood and poor flow to the brain.”
Another expert believes the findings should serve as a reminder to doctors to pay attention to even mild anemia when it occurs.
“I think that physicians should not write off mild anemia in any age group, because it clearly is associated with brain dysfunction over time,” said Dr. Guy Mintz. He directs cardiovascular health at Northwell Health’s Sandra Atlas Bass Heart Hospital in Manhasset, N.Y.
Mintz also noted that many of the participants in the study were still in their 60s and 70s, so “we are not looking at an elderly, frail group of patients.”
As for people with elevated levels of hemoglobin, he believes that in many instances this happened in response to the smoking habit.
So, the link between hemoglobin levels and dementia “can be another motivational tool to get these patients to stop smoking,” Mintz said.
Your dog might be your heart’s best friend, if a new study is any indication.
Researchers found that compared with people who had no pets, dog owners tended to have fewer risk factors for heart disease: They got more exercise and had healthier diets and lower blood sugar levels.
Even compared with other pet owners, they were doing better with diet and exercise.
The study of nearly 1,800 Czech adults is not the first to suggest our canine friends can do our hearts good. In fact, in 2013 the American Heart Association issued a scientific statement saying that dog ownership is likely linked to a lower risk of heart disease.
That was largely based on evidence that people with dogs are more physically active. The new findings suggest the benefit might extend to diet and blood sugar levels.
It’s easy to see how having a dog could get people moving, according to senior researcher Dr. Francisco Lopez-Jimenez.
And it’s possible that dog owners’ lower blood sugar levels were related to their exercise habits, said Lopez-Jimenez, a cardiologist at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn.
It’s less obvious, though, why dog ownership would encourage a healthier diet. One possibility is that the two are not directly related, he said.
On the other hand, past research has shown that dogs do more than demand walks and get us moving: They offer companionship and emotional support, according to Lopez-Jimenez.
“They can decrease your feelings of loneliness and give you a sense of purpose,” he said. “You have someone to look after.”
And that, he speculated, might encourage people to take better care of themselves.
Dr. Glenn Levine, a volunteer medical expert with the AHA, was lead author of its statement on pets and heart health. He said that, overall, there is “reasonably good data” that adopting a dog can increase people’s physical activity levels.
“That’s the strongest and most direct (cardiovascular) benefit,” said Levine, who is also a professor at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston.
He agreed, though, that pets might support heart health in less-direct ways, too.
“There may be other benefits as well—including reduced stress, greater companionship and happiness, and other factors that could lead people to take better care of themselves,” he said.
For the study, the researchers used data from a health survey of 1,769 Czech adults, aged 25 to 64.
Overall, more than two-thirds of dog owners (67%) met the “ideal” AHA recommendations for exercise. That means 150 minutes of moderate aerobic exercise, or 75 minutes of vigorous activity, each week—along with muscle strengthening exercises a couple of days per week.
In contrast, only 48% of people without pets met that ideal, as did 55% of other pet owners, the findings showed.
When it came to diet, few people met the AHA ideal, which includes plenty of fruits, vegetables, beans, fiber-rich grains, fish and lean meat.
But dog owners were doing better than others: Fewer than 7% scored in the “poor” range for diet, versus 16% of people without pets and 13% of other pet owners.
Dog owners did, however, fall short in one heart-health measure: Their smoking rates were highest.
It’s not clear why, according to Lopez-Jimenez—and it might not hold true in other countries, such as the United States. In general, smoking is more common in Eastern Europe.
The bottom line, according to Levine, is that people might enjoy health benefits from having a canine companion. But the AHA does not advocate adopting a dog for that purpose.
“The primary purpose of adopting or rescuing a dog should be to give the dog a loving and caring home,” Levine said. “The health benefits that may come from this are a bonus.”
The findings were published recently in Mayo Clinic Proceedings: Innovations, Quality & Outcomes.
On the latest episode of WKTV Journal In Focus, we welcome two leaders of the Kent County Board of Commissioners, arguably the most influential group of elected officials in the county. While often little understood, it is a governing body whose decisions and leadership impact residents in a myriad of ways, from its health department to its road crews, from its park system to the county sheriffs office.
The commissioners last month elected their leadership and we have two of those leaders in studio today, Commission Chair Mandy Bolter and Vice-chair Stan Stek. Ms. Bolter represents District 5, which includes all or part of Cascade, Lowell, Bowne and Caledonia townships. Mr. Stek represents District 6, which includes the City of Walker and part of the City of Grand Rapids.
Top among the topics discussed are how and why the county was able to approve nearly $18.7 million for three strategic capital funding projects — all without the need for any issuance of bonds, which are repaid with taxpayers’ money.
Also discussed are the scope of county services and responsibilities, the relationship between the county and both state and federal governments, as well as challenges for the coming year in county governance.
WKTV Journal In Focus airs on cable television in the Wyoming and Kentwood areas on Comcast WKTV Channel 26 and on AT&T Channel 99 Government channel (see our Weekly On-air Schedule for dates and times). All individual interviews included in episodes of WKTV Journal In Focus are also available on YouTube at WKTVvideos.
Menopause is often referred to as a “perfect storm” where all the odd changes and symptoms women experience collide.
This collision creates insulin resistance resulting in increased belly fat.
At the Spectrum Health Medical Group Midlife and Menopause Clinic, we have an entire team to help women with menopause symptoms, including weight gain.
One of our team members, Irene Franowicz, is a registered dietician who practices what she preaches. She encourages healthy eating and cooking and she teaches others how to prepare healthy foods in her weight management program, Eating the Mediterranean Way with Low Glycemic Carbohydrates.
Even better, Irene demonstrates techniques to counteract the effects of aging and menopause.
Right before and during menopause, one of the most common complaints women experience is weight gain. Many of my patients say, “I am doing the same things with my diet and activity level, but I keep gaining weight.”
One of my patients—we’ll call her Sarah—has experiencing this. At age 49, Sarah struggled to stop gaining weight. She knew she already had a bit of a weight problem, and at age 45 she noticed it was becoming more difficult to lose weight.
Busy juggling family and work, Sarah would often eat on the run as she and her family headed out the door to soccer games, school events and other functions. She exercised when she could, but it wasn’t enough. To make matters worse, when Sarah was 48 years old, she broke her foot and couldn’t move around for five weeks.
Unfortunately, she gained 15 pounds during that time.
Sarah knew her risk of gaining even more weight was high, because she had two strikes against her: she had diabetes when she was pregnant and diabetes ran in her family.
When her periods became very sporadic and she started having hot flashes, she came to see us in the Midlife and Menopause Clinic. From this visit, Sarah learned she was in perimenopause and smack dab in the middle of a perfect storm.
Modify meals
Sarah came to the right place for answers.
We helped her understand that her low estrogen was making her metabolism worse by making her more insulin-resistant. As a result, her body was storing every calorie it could.
No wonder she continued to gain weight. She was trying very hard to make some positive changes, including getting more sleep, drinking more water and exercising more regularly. Sarah still needed more help with her diet, so we sent her to Irene’s class at Spectrum Health.
Irene centers her teaching on the Mediterranean diet because it is low glycemic, meaning it’s low in simple sugar.
Irene’s real passion is working with women in perimenopause and menopause and teaching them how to eat in a way to overcome weight gain. Her low glycemic meal plans are carbohydrate-controlled and high in antioxidants. She created the Mediterranean diet program to help the thousands of women who come to her and say, “I can’t seem to lose weight any more, even though I am eating the same.”
In her classes, Irene offers ideas for meal plans, plus recipes for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks. Each week, the participants sample delicious recipes and leave with a list for grocery shopping.
Irene has seen great success in women who have adopted her Mediterranean diet program and she enjoys teaching how dietary modifications can reverse the metabolism. It’s simple—even with small weight loss, sugar levels drop.
After seeing me and then talking to Irene, Sarah was thrilled to learn we’re all teaching the same concepts.
She started preparing meals in advance and making healthy, tasty snacks for her entire family. Before too long, Sarah had lost 9 pounds and her sugar level dropped while her energy level went up—she was overjoyed.
Instead of feeling like her life was on the downslide, Sarah now envisioned a much brighter future for herself. She even considered joining Irene’s strength training and yoga classes, something she never thought she could do.
Using a team approach to health care, Irene and I often refer patients to each other. When Irene sees women struggling with hormone issues, she refers them to us in the Midlife and Menopause Clinic and we also send patients to Irene’s classes. We share our skills to provide a wide net of support to as many women as possible.
Have you ever felt like you are running out of energy for life? I’m not talking about being tired after a long day, needing space after arguing with someone, getting stressed about bills, or worrying about what your boss thinks of you. I’m referring to a form of fatigue that creeps in slowly over time, somehow never fading and always getting stronger. It’s a phenomenon called burnout, a term seldom used in modern medicine, but a powerful word that reflects this problem.
Burnout is the process of dealing with chronic stress, anxiety, and mental or physical energy used that results in a person never seems to be able to ‘recharge’ and feel rested and relaxed. It’s like a single parent never having a break from caring for a newborn, whose free time is used to think about laundry, dinner, rent, and a mind full of other problems. As you can guess, a person who is constantly ‘on the go’ will eventually run out of energy. Unlike normal fatigue, burnout doesn’t allow us a chance to rest and recover. Instead, we push ourselves harder and longer until we can no longer do much of anything. Our mind and body ‘crash and burn,’ so to speak, and we may find ourselves hating our life and seeing few options.
Fortunately, burnout can be recognized as it starts to develop, and we can learn how to deal with it. Here are a few things you can ask yourself to determine if burnout is happening to you:
Do I feel that I have no energy or desire to do anything these days?
Am I typically on ‘auto-pilot’ when I am working or spending time with others?
Do I remember the last time I took a break and really enjoyed my time without worrying about something?
Am I afraid that I can’t do my responsibilities anymore?
Do I find myself fantasizing about quitting work or other responsibilities?
Am I losing my temper easily, or have little patience with people I love?
Preventing and recovering from burnout are similar. Here are some options to address burnout:
Recognize that you feel overwhelmed and need to do something about it.
Try to prioritize needs, and put aside tasks are not imperative.
Ask for help with responsibilities so tasks are not all up to you.
Find time for small breaks throughout the day to relax you mind and body.
Consider medication and/or mental health therapy for long term benefits.
A final note: Anyone can experience burnout, and it takes awareness, humility, and strength to recognize our limits so we can recover from burnout. If we ignore our self and our needs, our body will force us to stop, and we may wish we were had taken actions to prevent the damage.
The doctors at Spectrum Health Medical Group and in our OB/Gyn practice are always encouraging our patients to be physically active.
The benefits of living an active lifestyle include keeping your cholesterol, blood sugar and weight under control; preventing cancer, type 2 diabetes and heart attacks; and improving your sleep.
Even better, regular physical activity also reduces falls, joint pain and depression. It helps you feel better about yourself.
Fitness is something that can be measured and improved, and it starts with having a goal.
When I talk to my patients about fitness and goals, I am always reminded of a patient I’ll call Cathy.
Cathy aims to get ‘hot’
While rushing from one room to another in my office one day, I came around a corner too quickly. I almost ran into a woman I didn’t know, so I excused myself.
She stopped me and said, “You don’t recognize me, do you?” I confessed that I wasn’t sure who she was, and she said, “Then you probably don’t remember what you said to me last year, either?” Again, I admitted that I did not. She continued, “You asked me how I wanted to be in the next year when I turned 50, and I had to really think about it. I decided I wanted to turn 50 and feel ‘hot’. So, I decided I would do what it would take, and I just ran my first half marathon. Now I feel ‘hot’!”
We stood there in the hallway for a few minutes and talked about her transformation, and hers was such a great story of how a single goal could change an entire lifestyle.
Cathy’s story began about a year before our chance encounter in the hallway of my office. She had come in for her annual exam, and she was discouraged about her weight and overall fitness level. She left my office that day approximately 25 pounds over a healthy weight, had belly fat she didn’t like, and wore clothes two sizes larger than she wanted.
Like many women, Cathy had a very busy work life, and she barely had time for anything besides work and family. It seemed that after a long work day, her evenings were filled with preparing dinner, packing lunches and helping her kids with homework.
Cathy would try to take a walk on the weekends, but she didn’t have time to exercise regularly, and she got winded just walking up a flight of stairs. She didn’t do any strength training, wasn’t flexible and often complained of leg cramps.
And the list of bad habits went on, including:
Drinking too much coffee and not drinking enough water
Eating on the run
Eating very few fruits and vegetables other than an occasional salad for lunch
Cathy knew that she wanted to look “hot,” but she also knew she had a lot of planning and work to do if she was going to become the person she envisioned in her mind.
During her annual visit, I mentioned the Presidential Fitness Test (adultfitnesstest.org) as a way to find a general measure of how she compared to other women her same age. She looked it up, saw what she was up against, and created a goal to help her on her journey to better health.
Achieving her goal
Cathy’s goal: She wanted to be fit. More specifically, she wanted to be able to run at least three miles, be physically stronger and more flexible. She knew she would not only feel better about her appearance but also be stronger as she faced her next 50 years of life. Her goal kept her motivated when it would have been much easier to give up.
Of course, there were barriers that Cathy knew she would need to overcome—time, motivation, energy and knowledge. During her visit, we talked about starting small so she wouldn’t get discouraged and give up.
She took my advice and started taking walks whenever she had even a little free time—at lunch, after work (before making dinner), and after dinner. Cathy began doing sit-ups and push-ups in the morning before her shower, and stretching every night before bed.
As the weeks and months went on and she had increased energy, Cathy added more to her routine. Her walks turned into a walk/run combination, eventually running more than walking. She started with just 15-20 minutes of exercise at one time but gradually increased the time as she became stronger.
One thing that really helped Cathy stay positive was to measure her exercise by time instead of distance or speed. This proved to be very beneficial to Cathy and helped her keep working toward her goal.
It also helped that Cathy’s husband and kids supported her efforts to become more physically fit. Her husband would take walks with her at night after dinner, and her son rode bikes with her on the weekends. She even found herself wanting to go for a walk instead of grabbing coffee with a girlfriend.
Cathy’s hard work and persistence began to pay off. At that point, she had dropped one pant size, her belly fat started to decrease, and she no longer had leg cramps. More importantly, Cathy’s blood pressure improved, her cholesterol decreased, and her blood sugar made it to the normal range.
As Cathy’s activity level increased, her numbers continued to go down. She was encouraged to keep on her journey, and by the time I saw her, she had run a half marathon, gone down three pant sizes, and lost 35 pounds.
She said she’d never felt better in her life. Although it took almost a year, Cathy met her goal and turned 50 feeling “hot.”
Taking on the responsibility of caring for an aging or ill loved that can no longer take care of themselves one is one that many family members take on without question. They are happy to take care of the person that, in many cases, cared for them and they will do so with complete devotion. But, even the most devoted caregiver can struggle to find a healthy balance between their own life and the duties of care giving. This is where respite care comes in. Respite care is temporary, professional care of a dependent person that provides relief for their usual caregivers.
A Commonwealth Fund study reported that 60 percent of the family caregivers surveyed, ages 19-64, reported “fair or poor” health and one or more chronic conditions or disabilities, compared with only 33 percent of non-caregivers. There are 16 million caregivers, and 9 million of those have health problems of their own.
Taking time off to care for themselves is something caregivers should consider a necessity, not a luxury. And when it’s time to take that break, they can turn to respite care services. While they may be reluctant to take a break, here are some reasons to take advantage of the respite care services offered by local assisted living centers.
Avoid isolation and depression
When a loved one needs constant care, it’s tempting for a caregiver to shut out the world and focus on giving them the care and attention they need. But becoming socially isolated from friends can affect more than their social life. Too much social isolation can lead to feelings of loneliness, despair and eventually depression. This is often a worry in regards to the elderly if they can’t travel or get out on their own, but it is something that can affect caregivers as well. While our loved ones can be great company, it’s important to see out other interactions and nurture friendship to avoid loneliness and depression.
Stay in good health
We already mentioned that a large number of caregivers report significant health problems. But, it should be noted that many of those health problems could be avoided if the caregiver to the time and energy to take care of themselves and not just their loved one. Taking the time to exercise, visit healthcare providers, or just get out into the fresh air can have positive effects on our health. Caregivers suffering from illness, chronic pain or other ailments cannot provide the best care possible to their loved ones.
Exhaustion
Sometimes, being tired can be worse than being sick. Especially being over tired. And, not getting enough sleep can make our bodies more prone to illness. Nights spent listening to see if your loved one will get out of bed or fall in the night can affect sleep even if it feels like they are getting enough. It may be hard to fall into a deep sleep if you are constantly worried or on guard. Even one night away can reset your clock and leave you feeling awake and alert.
Stay mentally focused
Exhaustion and illness can not only affect our bodies but our minds. If you are in charge of distributing medication or tracking the diet of your loved one, you need to be as focused and alert as possible. Letting your mind wander or become clouded can be a dangerous mistake. But if you aren’t getting enough sleep or are feeling overwhelmed, it can happen easily.
Stay positive
Stepping away from the trials of caregiving even for a day or two can offer a whole new outlook on life. If caregivers feel overwhelmed, exhausted or ill it can be difficult to remember why they chose to be a caregiver in the first place. By stepping away or taking a vacation, they can renew their bodies but also refresh their minds and gain a new, positive outlook on the perks and rewards of caring for their loved one.
The opportunity to refresh and renew is good for both the caregiver and the patient and should be taken advantage of. A day away here and there and vacations can help make sure that caregivers are at their peak physical and mental health. Taking advantage of respite care opportunities is a great way to take the time caregivers need to take care of themselves.
A good mood is infectious among teens, but depression is not, a new study suggests.
Researchers looked at more than 2,000 American high school students to see how they influenced each others’ moods. They found that a positive mood seems to spread through groups of teens, but having depressed friends doesn’t increase a teen’s risk of depression.
In fact, having plenty of friends in a good mood can halve the chances that a teen will develop depression over six to 12 months. Having a lot of happy friends can also double the likelihood of recovering from depression over the same time period, the researchers found.
However, the study could only show an association between happy friends and a lower risk of depression or a faster recovery from depression. It cannot prove a cause-and-effect relationship between these factors.
“We know social factors, for example living alone or having experienced abuse in childhood, influences whether someone becomes depressed. We also know that social support is important for recovery from depression, for example having people to talk to,” study author Thomas House, a senior lecturer in applied mathematics at the University of Manchester in the U.K., said in a university news release.
“Our study is slightly different as it looks at the effect of being friends with people on whether you are likely to develop or recover from being depressed,” he added.
These findings suggest that promoting friendships, through such activities as social clubs, might help guard against depression, House noted.
“This was a big effect that we have seen here. It could be that having a stronger social network is an effective way to treat depression. More work needs to be done but it may that we could significantly reduce the burden of depression through cheap, low-risk social interventions,” House concluded.
On the latest episode of WKTV Journal In Focus we continue WKTV’s series of discussions on the impact of Michigan’s recent legalization of recreational marijuana.
First we talked with the executive director of Michigan’s Marijuana Regulatory Agency, the state office which controls both the state’s medical and recreational marijuana distribution facilities. See the video here.
Now, In Focus is Kent County Sheriff Michelle LaJoye-Young, who discusses the current and evolving legal aspects of the recreational marijuana, specifically how the law enforcement community is reacting to the laws associated with legalization.
Kent County Sheriff Michelle LaJoye-Young on the WKTV Journal In Focus set with host Ken Norris. (WKTV)
Specifically, the Sheriff talks about where is it legal and illegal to smoke marijuana in public, and while there are laws on the books dealing with driving while impaired by alcohol, it is a new and evolving situation when it comes to driving while impaired by marijuana and other cannabis-derived products.
WKTV Journal In Focus airs on cable television in the Wyoming and Kentwood areas on Comcast WKTV Channel 26 and on AT&T Channel 99 Government channel (see our Weekly On-air Schedule for dates and times). All individual interviews included in episodes of WKTV Journal In Focus are also available on YouTube at WKTVvideos.
Taking a moment each day to journal or plot out your thoughts could help you improve your focus, a key aspect of your well-being. (Courtesy Spectrum Health Beat)
If you’re satisfied with your life, you probably have emotional well-being.
Emotional well-being can be mastered just like any other skill, according to Richard Davidson, founder of the Center for Healthy Minds at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
How? By developing four key traits, said Davidson, a neuroscientist.
Resilience
The first is resilience. Research at the Center for Healthy Minds found that, over time, regular mindfulness meditation can help you learn how to bounce back from adversity.
Mindfulness meditation teaches you to become aware of your thoughts and emotions, center yourself and decide how you would like to proceed with the rest of your day. Find out more at mindful.org.
Positivity
Having a positive outlook is the second key trait—both finding the positive in others and being positive in the way you approach life.
Another type of meditation called compassion meditation is said to bring measurable changes after two weeks of 30-minute-a-day sessions. The goal is to switch from being judgmental to being caring.
Focus
Next is improving your attention level. A Harvard study found most people spend nearly half of their waking hours not paying attention to what they’re doing.
Letting the mind wander typically makes people unhappy, the researchers concluded. Practice focusing on the here and now, one task or activity at a time.
Generosity
Finally, become more generous of spirit. This means feeling happy for others when they do well rather than being envious or bitter, emotions that only hurt you.
Generous behavior activates circuits in the brain that promote well-being while enhancing the lives of those around you.
Yes, it takes time and effort to change your thinking and the way you see the world, but the benefits are infinite. And the more you practice, the more natural it will feel.
The Meijer State Game of Michigan will have local events this weekend; snow will be involved and registration is still available. (Supplied/Meijer State Game of Michigan)
WKTV Staff ken@wktv.org
The main weekend of the Meijer State Games of Michigan’s Winter Games will take place this weekend, Feb. 14-16, with local sports including indoor archery, ninja, fencing, cross country skiing (freestyle and nordic), karate, disc golf, shooting sports and wrestling.
Online registration as well as onsite registration is still available for some main weekend sports, according to supplied material. For more information about onsite registration, times, locations and entry fees for events, please visit stategamesofmichigan.com. Registration information is located on each sport’s page.
The main weekend will begin with an athlete celebration hosted by the Grand Rapids Griffins on Friday, Feb. 14, at the Van Andel Arena. A special in-game recognition of all Meijer State Games athletes will take place during the first period.
Prior to the Griffins game, the Meijer State Games will present the 2019 Athletes of the Year awards, including to Catherine Vandergriff of Spring Lake (speed skating), Noah Zomberg of Grand Rapids (rugby) and Anastasia Schutte of Holland (archery 3D).
The Meijer State Games of Michigan held the first sporting event of the Winter Games, fatbike, on Feb. 1. Results for all the Winter Games sporting events are now available here.
The Meijer State Games of Michigan, according to supplied material, is an Olympic-style, multi-sport event(s) that welcomes athletes regardless of age or ability level. “The games embody the values of participation, sportsmanship, and healthy living among the residents of Michigan.”
Since 2010, Meijer State Games of Michigan has hosted more than 65,000 athletes. The Meijer State Games of Michigan has also contributed over $25 million in estimated economic impact to cities throughout Michigan, according to supplied material.
A new study of pre-menopausal and menopausal women has helped shed light on how every woman experiences menopause differently, and what treatments are most effective. (Courtesy Spectrum Health Beat)
Every woman experiences menopause in her own unique way with a variety of symptoms.
She may suffer from hot flashes, night sweats, mood swings, weight gain, fatigue and a sense of not feeling right. Some of these symptoms may sound familiar to you—possibly all of them.
I’ve seen several patients recently who each complained of different issues related to menopause.
A woman I’ll call Peg had to stop wearing silk shirts to work because she sweat through each one. Another patient, Sue, became embarrassed in meetings because her face becomes very red when she makes presentations to her peers. Cindy felt depressed that even though everything in her life was great, she had a sadness she just couldn’t shake. And then there’s Gloria, who expressed frustration with weight gain she recently began experiencing.
The four women felt betrayed by their bodies.
Fortunately, I had some encouraging information to share with each of these patients, thanks to a comprehensive women’s health study called the SWAN study.
The Study of Women Across the Nation (SWAN) is an ongoing study that follows women between ages 42 and 52 in order to understand how they will experience the menopause transition. There are seven SWAN sites across the nation: Boston, Chicago, Detroit, Los Angeles, Newark, Pittsburgh and Oakland.
Each woman receives a physical exam that includes measuring her height, weight, waist circumference, blood pressure and lab work levels. The study also records whether or not she smokes, how much alcohol she consumes, her education status and family history. Race/ethnicity is categorized as African American, non-Hispanic Caucasian, Chinese, Japanese or Hispanic.
The results of the SWAN study are interesting and have helped doctors understand why each woman’s menopause experience is unique.
For example, the study showed that women who became at higher risk for heart disease—increased cholesterol, belly fat and blood sugar levels—tended to fall in the following categories: Hispanic or Japanese, less physically active, less likely to be highly educated, and most had higher BMI and cholesterol levels before the study began. Pre-diabetes was found to be a very high risk factor across all ethnic groups.
Another study done in Pittsburgh evaluated Caucasian and African-American participants at risk of depression. Twenty percent to 30 percent of participating women had new onset depression between the ages of 42 and 52.
The women in the study had an average age of 46, and 31 percent were African American. In addition, 34 percent had a family history of depression. The women who had a family history of depression proved to be more likely to be highly educated and have experienced at least one episode of depression.
The SWAN study has also taught doctors so many other important facts about women in menopause:
Hot flashes are different for each woman.
Women of color experience hot flashes for the longest period of time (average of 10 years).
Women of Asian descent have hot flashes for the shortest period of time, but they suffer more with depression and irritability.
Hispanic women suffer from hot flashes an average of 8.9 years.
Caucasian women experience hot flashes an average of 6.5 years.
The earlier women start having hot flashes, the longer they last.
There are so many other fascinating findings that have occurred as a result of this ongoing study, but the bottom line is that women do not have to suffer the symptoms of menopause.
There is help for you and plenty of research to back up the findings. Strong, scientific research is being done to help us know what works best and determine the safest method for treating menopause symptoms.
I recommend being active, drinking plenty of water, maintaining a healthy weight, staying off the sugar, and being grateful in your life daily. These are simple but very powerful tools used to combat the symptoms of menopause.
In addition, there are FDA-approved hormones that may help those who need them. They are a safe option for many women.
If you think you may benefit from this type of treatment, ask your doctor, or come see us at the Spectrum Health Menopause offices. If we discover that hormones are not safe for you, there are many other options to try.
AIM also invites the public to run, walk or hand cycle your way through Grand Valley State University’s campus in Allendale this Saturday, April 4, for its Wheel Run Together 5K Run/Walk fundraiser. (Supplied/AIM)
By WKTV Staff ken@wktv.org
The local non-profit Alternatives in Motion — whose stated mission is to “enhance independence through access to mobility equipment” — recently announced a successful mobility device collection drive put on by one of AIM’s board members.
AIM will also be the benefactor of the Wheel Run Together 5K Run/Walk fundraiser, held at Gran Valley State University’s Allendale campus in April. And it is not too early to sign up.
Throughout December 2019, AIM board member Leigh Chick hosted a Mobility Drive at Ionia Intermediate School District’s Freedom Acres School.
Throughout December 2019, AIM board member Leigh Chick hosted a Mobility Drive at Ionia Intermediate School District’s Freedom Acres School. (Supplied/AIM)
“I was inspired to host a mobility drive to support AIM because they have given so much to the students and families of Ionia County and directly to Freedom Acres School,” Chick said in supplied material. “I knew there were families and community members holding onto old equipment that their child had outgrown and they didn’t know what to do with it. I wanted to give them a place to pay it forward. I also wanted to spread the word about how amazing of an organization AIM is.”
Chick thanked several people for help with the drive, including Jim VanBeek of Triangle Construction, who loaned an enclosed trailer to house and collect the equipment in until it could be delivered to Alternatives in Motion’s warehouse, as well as, at the school, Principal Angela Miller, maintenance supervisor Jeff Duell, and Brenda Brown, the school’s physical therapist.
Wheels, run, walk, whatever — for a good cause
AIM also invites the public to run, walk or hand cycle your way through Grand Valley State University’s campus in Allendale this Saturday, April 4, for its Wheel Run Together 5K Run/Walk fundraiser.
All proceeds go directly to support the organization, which aids in donating and refurbishing wheelchairs to individuals and families in need.
The event will take place at 1110 Kirkhof Center, 1 Campus Drive, on GVSU’s Allendale campus. In addition to the run, there will be raffles, prizes, music, snacks, drinks, and more. The cost is $25 per person with events starting at 10 a.m. and ending at 1 p.m.
It’s not all in your genes. Research underscores the important role that lifestyle decisions play in shaping the trajectory of your brain health. (Courtesy Spectrum Health Beat)
Researchers looking to trace the genetics and risk factors for Alzheimer’s disease put out a call: Volunteers needed to take a short online memory test.
Celebrities such as Ashton Kutcher, Lynda Carter and Valerie Bertinelli spread the word on social media. Soon, thousands of people signed up to match word pairs on the MindCrowd test.
With more than 59,000 tests completed, the researchers at the Translational Genomics Research Institute in Arizona analyzed the results.
On average, adults 18 to 65 who had a family member with Alzheimer’s scored lower than those who did not.
The study suggests those who have a higher risk of developing Alzheimer’s because of family history may show changes in memory performance as early as their 20s, say the researchers.
More than 115,000 people have now taken the test, which is still online.
Researchers aim for a pool of 1 million participants, creating a set of data about how people without Alzheimer’s perform on the test, based on age, gender and various demographic and health factors.
Take results in context
The study, published in the journal eLife, may spark intriguing questions about who is at risk for the memory-impairing disease—but it is far from a diagnostic test, cautions Timothy Thoits, MD, the division chief of neurology with Spectrum Health Medical Group.
Thoits, a specialist in memory disorders, said neuropsychologists administer a number of tests to diagnose Alzheimer’s.
One test resembles the one used in the MindCrowd research. It asks participants to learn word pairs and then tests how well they can recall the missing half of each pair when one word is presented.
For example, a word pair may be “fan and vase.” When prompted with the word “fan,” the participant fills in the missing word, “vase.” (These words are not from the actual test.)
But someone undergoing testing for dementia would undergo many other tests—covering abilities such as attention, visual and spatial perception, judgment, processing, recall and retention.
Neuropsychologists’ testing also measures whether the patients are giving a good effort. This is crucial because depression, anxiety and other factors can affect whether people give it a full effort.
“Memory loss has to be taken in context—what’s going on in your life, what medications you are exposed to, any other medical illnesses,” Dr. Thoits said.
He encouraged anyone concerned with their results on the test—or memory issues in general—to talk first with a primary care doctor.
The researchers, in discussing the results of the study, stressed the value of a healthy lifestyle in helping to reduce the risk of dementia.
Neuropsychologists generally divide recommendations into three age groups, Dr. Thoits said.
Early life
Stay in school.
“People with a high education build up what we call cognitive reserve,” he said. “We think they can get along longer even though they may be having trouble, because of that high intelligence.
“For somebody with a lower cognitive reserve, minor deficits come to the forefront sooner.”
Midlife
Address health risk factors linked to an increased risk of dementia, including high blood pressure, obesity, diabetes, smoking and hearing loss.
Although hearing loss gets little attention as a risk factor, research shows the link to be significant.
A recent study of more than 16,000 people in Taiwan found those diagnosed with hearing loss between 45 and 64 years of age were at higher risk of developing dementia in coming years. The findings suggest that hearing protection, screening and treatment might reduce that risk factor, the researchers say in the study published in JAMA Network Open.
Later life
Physical inactivity, social isolation, hypertension and depression all raise the risks of dementia for older adults.
Dr. Thoits encourages people to socialize and remain physically and mentally active. Suggestions include:
Take a lifelong learning course at a local college.
Do crossword puzzles and other fun games, including those offered free online at Games for the Brain.
Each day, get 30 minutes of aerobic exercise a day—make it a heart rate-boosting, sweat-inducing session.
Lifelong
In general, Dr. Thoits advises paying attention to four areas of life: Stay active physically, mentally and socially and follow a Mediterranean diet, with its emphasis on fruits and vegetables, fish, legumes, poultry and whole grains.
He does not advise taking supplements that claim to prevent dementia.
“One multivitamin a day is all we recommend,” he said.
