Archive | December 2015

QUOTE FOR MONDAY:

“Civilization, the orderly world in which we live, is frail. We are skating on thin ice. There is a fear of a collective disaster. Terrorism, genocide, flu, tsunamis.”

Zygmunt Bauman (87 y/o and born 19 November 1925  is a Polish sociologist. Since 1971, he has resided in England after being driven out of Poland by ananti-Semetic.)

LET’S PREPARE FOR THE WINTER BUGS. WHO ARE THEY & WHAT ARE THEIR STATISTICS?

THe FLu1the flu versus cold 2

LET’S PREPARE FOR THE FALL, WINTER and SPRING BUGS. WHO ARE THEY & WHAT ARE THEIR STATISTICS?   Part 1

 

Those bugs that are common in fall, winter and spring are 2 Viruses =The COLD and THE FLU.

HOW THEY ARE DIFFERENT:

Both influenza and the common cold are viral respiratory infections (they affect the nose, throat, and lungs). Viruses are spread from person to person through airborne droplets (aerosols) that are sneezed out or coughed up by an infected person, direct contact is another form of spread with infected nasal secretions, or fomites (contaminated objects). Which of these routes is of primary importance has not been determined, however hand to hand and hand to surface to hand to contact seems of more importance than transmission. The viruses may survive for prolonged periods in the environment (over 18 hours for rhinoviruses in particular=a common virus for colds) and can be picked up by people’s hands and subsequently carried to their eyes or nose where infection occurs. In some cases, the viruses can be spread when a person touches an infected surface (e.g., doorknobs, countertops, telephones) and then touches his or her nose, mouth, or eyes. As such, these illnesses are most easily spread in crowded conditions such as schools.

The traditional folk theory that you can catch a cold in prolonged exposure to cold weather such as rain or winter settings is how the illness got its name. Some of the viruses that cause common colds are seasonal, occurring more frequently during cold or wet weather. The reason for the seasonality has not yet been fully determined. This may occur due to cold induced changes in the respiratory system, decreased immune response, and low humidity increasing viral transmission rates, perhaps due to dry air allowing small viral droplets to disperse farther, and stay in the air longer. It may be due to social factors, such as people spending more time indoors, as opposed to outdoors, exposing him or her “self” to an infected person, and specifically children at school. There is some controversy over the role of body cooling as a risk factor for the common cold; the majority of the evidence does suggest a result in greater susceptibility to infection.

The SIMPLE COMMON COLD:

The common cold (also known as nasopharyngitis, rhinopharyngitis, acute coryza, head cold) or simply a cold is a viral infection of the upper respiratory tract which primarily effects the nose. There are over 200 different known cold viruses, but most colds (30% up to 80%) are caused by rhinovirusesThis means you can pass the cold to others, so stay home and get some much-needed rest for yourself and not passing it on to others for the contagious period at least.

If cold symptoms do not seem to be improving after a week, you may have a bacterial infection, which means you may need antibiotics, which only kill bacterial infections not viral.

Sometimes you may mistake cold symptoms for allergic rhinitis (hay fever) or a sinus infection (bacterial). If cold symptoms begin quickly and are improving after a week, then it is usually a cold, not allergy. If your cold symptoms do not seem to be getting better after a week, check with your doctor to see if you have developed an allergy or inflammation or the sinuses (sinusitis).

Influenza is commonly referred to as “the flu”, this is an infectious disease of birds and mammals caused by RNA viruses of the family Orthomyxoviridae, the influenza viruses. The most common sign or symptom are chills, fever, runny nose, coughing, aches and weakness to headache and sore throat. Although it is often confused with other influenza-like illnesses, especially the COMMON COLD, influenza is a more severe illness or disease caused by a different virus. Influenza nausea and vomiting, particularly in children but these symptoms are more common in the unrelated gastroenteritis, which is sometimes inaccurately referred to as “stomach flu” or “25 hour flu”. The flu can occasionally lead to pneumonia, either direct viral pneumonia or secondary bacterial pneumonia, even for persons who are usually very healthy. In particular it is a warning sign if a child or presumably an adult seems to be getting better and then relapses with a high fever as this relapse may be bacterial pneumonia. Another warning sign is if the person starts to have trouble breathing.

Each year, 10% to 20% of Canadians are stricken with influenza. Although most people recover fully, depending on the severity of the flu season, it can result in an average of 20,000 hospitalizations and approximately 4000 to 8000 deaths annually in Canada. Deaths due to the flu are found mostly among high-risk populations, such as those with other medical conditions (such as diabetes or cancer) or weakened immune systems, seniors, or very young children. There are 3 types of influenza viruses: A, B, and C. Type A influenza causes the most serious problems in humans and can be carried by humans or animals (wild birds are commonly the host carriers). It is more common for humans seem to carry the most with ailments with type A influenza. Type B Influenza is found in humans also. Type B flu may cause less severe reaction than A type flu virus but for the few for the many can still be at times extremely harmed. Influenza B viruses are not classified by subtype and do not cause pandemics at this time. Influenza type C also found in people but milder than type A or B. People don’t become very ill from this Type C Influenza and do not cause pandemics.

The common cold eventually fizzles, but the flu may be deadly. Some 200,000 people in the U.S. are hospitalized and 36,000 die each year from flu complications — and that pales in comparison to the flu pandemic of 1918 that claimed between 20 and 100 million lives.

The best defense against it:   a vaccine once a year.

References for Part 1 and 2 on the two bugs The FLU and The COLD:

1-Wikipedia “the free encyclopedia” 2013 website under the topic Influenza.

2-Kimberly Clark Professional website under the influenza.

3-Web MD under “COLD, FLU, COUGH CENTER” “Flu or cold symptoms?” Reviewed by Laura J. Martin MD November 01, 2011

4-2013 Novartis Consumer Health Inc. Triaminic “Fend off the Flu”

5-Scientific American “Why do we get the flu most often in the winter? Are viruses virulent in cold weather? December 15, 1997

 

 

 

 

QUOTE FOR MONDAY:

 

CivilizHYPERLINK “http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/z/zygmuntbau536832.html”ation, the orderly world in which we live, is frail. We are skating on thin ice. There is a fear of a collective disaster. Terrorism, genocide, flu, tsunamis.

ZygmuntHYPERLINK “http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/z/zygmunt_bauman.html” Bauman (87 y/o and born 19 November 1925) is a Polish sociologist. Since 1971, he has resided in England after being driven out of Poland by an anti-semiticHYPERLINK “http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1968_Polish_political_crisis” campaign.

WHAT ACTUALLY IS CELLULITE & WHY IS IT OUR ENEMY!

                                 cellulite

Cellulite in technical terms is noted at adiposis edematoso meaning your adipose tissue=fat that has swollen up (edematoso); or it is called gynoid lipodystrophy meaning anything pertaining to the women (gynoid) and that the lipid tissue is degenerating (ending line loosing tone).  One other medical term it is noted as is orange peel syndrome=the herniation of subcutaneous fat within fibrous connective tissue that ends up looking like skin dimpling, often on the pelvic region (Specifically the buttock) including the lower limbs (thighs) and abdomen. Cellulite occurs in most postpubescent females and rarely in males. Why is this? Well, for one the tissue make up some say that men’s tissue in these areas are made up in a horizontal make up where in women it’s a honey comb make up allowing more fat to store. That is why you see most men overweight with it in the abdomen and not in the legs or buttock compared to women. Also with women in menopause the hormonal make up compared to men which adds to increasing the chance of putting weight on. The factors that can prone you to cellulite forming on the body are 1-genetic (which may be the biggest factor in developing it especially if it’s in the family tree), 2-hormones (Estrogen the important hormone to initiate and aggravate cellulite.), 3-predisposing factors (Sex, race, biotype, or predisposition to lymphatic or circulatory insufficiency which contribute to cellulite), 4-Let’s not forget lifestyle also (increase in level of catecholamines, which associate with the evolution of cellulite (particularly sedentary lifestyle). Lack of activity (not work out) but walking fast 30 to 60 minutes a day would surely show a difference in your cellulite in time with good healthy dieting.

Problems that cause cellulite to show on your body is poor health habits, poor dieting to the point you get overweight or obese. Eat meals low in starches & carbohydrates, low in sugar, and moderate amounts of fat. With your protein highest in count of every meal (about 14 or so in 6 meals a day is more than enough) and by the end of the day your protein count should add up to the highest number compared to the others. Why because you keep your metabolism at a steady rate with your sugar count not spiking into high levels of glucose in your bloodstream, after a meal. What is so important about this? Realize that starches, carbohydrates (CHOs), sugars=calories and some fats will get broken down into complex or simple sugars (frucose and glucose for example) during the digestion process in the stomach.   Eating only 3 to 4 large or moderate or even small meals high in sugar, CHOs, starches or fat=ending product of high spikes of sugar in your blood stream. In doing this your body naturally reacts, first sending glucose in the bloodstream to the pancreas. The pancreas senses glucose in the blood then releases the hormone insulin (not like in diabetics since their pancreas will release nonworking insulin or too little of working insulin to no insulin at all). The insulin will allow the glucose to transfer into tissues and cells that are utilizing the need for sugar which is our fuel/energy but only for the amount needed at that time. Usually glucose is our primary fuel to tissues and cells to allow them to do their function-like gas to a car to be able to run; but remember our human body can’t release the extra glucose out of our body left in the blood stream that came from our breakdown, in our stomach, from our meal. When the glucose was needed in the body cells and tissues, at that time, it was used but not all was utilized we don’t utilize all that sugar especially if it is a large meal or even a moderate to small meal that had high sugar or carbohydrates or starch in it. These kind of meals produce excess sugar in the blood stream. Now if the body could just release extra sugar from the body as a waste product (through urine or stool or perspiration) no one would be overweight or obese in any country and we could eat anything we want (from eggs benedict every day for breakfast to burger king hamburger with fries on it for lunch to Chinese fast food with Sundaes for dinner and of course let’s not forget milk chocolate for snacks in between). The body doesn’t work that way. The excess sugar your body didn’t need to utilize at that time now goes to the liver where this organ converts glucose to glycogen (from active sugar to inactive sugar). So when needed (glucose), the liver can just release glycogen into the blood stream where it gets converted back to glucose if the body needs active energy at that time (If you’re doing a 16 hr shift with you now into 12hrs of your shift and no food since 6am the body needs fuel at that point the liver will do this releasing of glycogen to the bloodstream, for example); but if you’re eating 3 large or moderate meals a day with snacks in between the liver won’t need to do this releasing of glycogen into the bloodstream, especially if you’re not eating healthy but fast foods or not working out 3 to 5 times a week with working 40 hours a week or equating to be that active in your life. Now remember your liver is only so big to store a certain amount of glucose and when it reaches full the sugar that couldn’t get stored in the liver than stays in the blood stream. The glucose has to go somewhere else out of the bloodstream to prevent hyperglycemia (high blood sugar levels, like in a diabetic). It now gets stored in our fat tissue=fat or weight gain, again especially if you’re eating too high a quantity in your meals, or too high a quantity in starches, or even calories=sugars, or carbohydrates and even fats. All there ending product is in the blood after digestion in the stomach is sugar (simple or complex sugars). What will result in time from this type of dieting: you have high probability of becoming overweight to obese with cellulite developing over the body (particularly the pelvic region, abdomen, thighs and buttock). The degree of cellulite will depend on age factor since it will increase the probability for women in menopause), type of activity in that individual’s life- -moving from active to sedentary lifestyle, unhealthy eating to unhealthy habits over years vs healthy. The answer is not necessarily to perform a heavy workout including weights (especially if overweight or obese since the fat will turn to muscle and unless you do weight lifting till you die, like Jack Lanne, it will turn back to fat and cellulite). The key is living healthier habits, good dieting (6 small meals a day to balance your metabolism=sugar level), knowing the 4 food groups and how to dispense them in your meals properly (CHOs, sugars=calories,starches, and fats) and knowing what is in the liquids you drink (many with high sugar contents, as simple as soda, coke or Pepsi, and fruit juices). I’m not saying start diet soda (since it contains phenylalanine or NutraSweet both that can cause cancer) but water (plain or flavored) or club soda or certain ice teas or lemonades (particularly homemade) depending on the ingredients. You have to just read the ingredients to see that the sugar, CHO, calories, fat, and starch content is low with the protein higher than the rest. If you eat 6 meals a day the protein should be over 12.

The reason why cellulite is our enemy is because for it to even show up on the body you have to become overweight to obese. Obesity is a major enemy for any country to have in high population because of the diseases Obesity alone can cause. It can cause diabetes 2, high blood pressure, stroke, coronary artery disease, joint problems including osteoarthritis, metabolic syndrome, in women contributes to a variety of cancers including breast/colon/gallbladder/uterus, in men contributes to having a higher risk of colon or prostate cancers, sleep apnea and respiratory problems and could go on. Now do you see why developing cellulite is our enemy=Obesity and what it can cause alone.

Cellulite is something we can resolve by decreasing weight and having daily or at least every other day some activity from fast walking to jogging or even Pilates. If your disabled and can’t do much activity you surely can do something through your diet. To get started and if you need guidance on how to lose weight. This includes 6 meals a day with learning about the 4 groups (knowing from each group what’s lean, leaner, and leanest) to learning what activity does for the body then you came to the right blog. If you want to learn more about this than go to my website healthyusa.tsfl.com and peek at what we can offer you through Dr. Wayne Scott Anderson with his book “Dr A’s Habits of Health” and even foods to buy if you want them in the beginning of your diet loss which provides health bars to lunches and dinners to desserts of all kinds to all types of shakes/drinks and so much more foods (low in fat/calories/carbs/starches). Learn how to become healthier for yourself, even spreading the news to family or friends who may become interested and being a great mentor for your children in helping the next generation to be more healthy which would help our health care system to our health economy that includes insurance payments for bills at hospitals/doctor’s offices which would lessen. Our society has become so unhealthy in diet causing so many increases in diseases/illnesses, including children, (Obesity, Diabetes II, coronary artery disease, hypertension, and more) that we have the government getting involved. Take a look at Facebook or YouTube with pictures of people in America shopping at Walmart or Kmart. It may be funny to some people but it is also outright scary with what’s happening to our country. Our country has increased drastically in poor health habits that killed our economy, with let alone our health care system including what insurance costs are like for our society. We could, as a society, turn things around for the better regarding ourselves and others in our country for everyone’s health that would impact every American citizen of all ages in a positive way. I hope I have impacted someone in this country in wanting to learn more about knowing how to become healthier with making a good change for our country as a diversified whole. Society has a responsibility and impact on how things run in each of their respective countries but especially in America, since we live in a democracy. Its common sense if we get better regarding our health overall it will put an impact on our health economy if we don’t our health care system will just get WORSE. Do mom’s and dad’s want this for their children’s future or their grandchildren or even their own lives? Society has to take a stand, don’t leave it up to our government but leave it up to our citizens in America’s homes with our schools (Ex.proper health teaching regarding the cafeteria food), our restaurant industry (get off of living with such processed and fast foods in our states) and lastly our government to an extent. What does any politician really care, in having as a top priority being health since their getting top quality insurance and making high incomes to live life up (President Obama upon retirement will be the first President making 450,000 dollars a year). I know I would be a happy camper too if I was in that situation and I could go on with other politicians salaries but I started with the top. So let’s make a move America and go for the healthier aspect of life.   Take a peek at no fee or charge, no prescription, no foods that you have to buy, no obligation, and no hacking, as well. You make all the choices in what you want and when you want to stop. No rip off or that you have to stay on our time frame, it’s all based on yours. Again, you make all the choices and wouldn’t it be great if we could turn around back the way our health was, not so bad, that our insurance today you pay a price that just keeps rising; and you have to go through so many hoops to see the type of doctor you want when onetime it was just a breeze. Join me, and go to healthyusa.tsfl.com and take just a peek in what we offer;) Hope to hear from anyone who would like a doctor (Dr. Anderson) and free coach (myself) for guidance in making America a healthier country.

 

 

Top foods that are bad for diabetics

bad foods diabetics2bad foods for diabeticsbad foods diabeticsbad foods diabetics4

  1. Soda

When reaching for this drink it is often in a quest for a fast thirst quenching drink, but the sugar in soda will leave you feeling dehydrated and going back for more. Water is the best source to quench your thirst, but you could also drink natural teas. Try to avoid regular soda at all times, it is too high in sugar and will result in blood glucose highs.

  1. Candy and Sugary Sweets

These sugary snacks can quickly spike blood sugars and become very dangerous to you and your body. Your heart and kidneys struggle to filter out the sugar and spend excessive energy trying to get nutrition to delivered to your system. Sugary sweets contribute to weight gain which complicates your diabetes more. Instead of having a candy bar, cake or other high sugar food; try some berries and almonds together. The sugar in the berries is balanced by the protein in the almonds, giving your body more balanced energy.

  1. Fruit Juices

Although fruits are a much better source of sugar, because it is all natural, fruit juices pack too much condensed sugar in a fast liquid form. The nutritional value is much higher than drinking a soda, but a glass of orange juice will send your blood sugar levels dangerously high. Instead of drinking fruit juice, try eating an orange and drinking some water; this will fill you up more and provide a better source of hydration.

  1. Dehydrated Fruits

Fruits are a positive source of nutrients and much better than eating a sugary snack, but when fruits are dried the sugar is concentrated which can quickly affect your glucose levels. Choose fresh fruit over dried fruit, melons are good choice as they are low in natural sugars and very filling.

  1. White Carbohydrates

Without eating an ounce of sugar you can quickly send your blood sugars skyrocketing out of control by eating a meal high in white carbohydrates. These foods include white breads, pastas and rice. You can still eat breads, pastas and rice; look for them in the whole grain versions to add fiber and carbohydrates to your meals. White starches turn quickly into sugar when they are inside your body, but whole grains take longer to process and slow down your body’s response to the carbohydrates.

  1. Fried Foods

When eating fried foods, like French fries, you are combining two other types of foods you should be avoiding. You should be avoiding white carbohydrates and saturated fat foods. Fried foods contribute to weight gain and have minimal nutritional value. The food is soaking in excessive fat and covered in a high carbohydrate breading. Eating this type of food will affect your cholesterol and likely increase your risk of heart disease.

QUOTE FOR THURSDAY:

An “attitude of gratitude,” has been linked to greater stress tolerance, increased positive emotions, better sleep, improved physical health, and healthier relationships.

Dr. Robert Emmons (a leading researcher on the science of gratitude)

QUOTE FOR WEDNESDAY:

The demands of the holiday season will disrupt your typical routine to some degree. Make sure small “lapses” in exercise, adequate sleep, and healthy eating don’t turn into “collapses.” If you have to skip a workout, make doubly sure that you reserve time in your schedule to go to the gym the next day.

J. Russell Ramsay, Ph.D., is co-author of The Adult ADHD Tool Kit, cofounder and codirector of the Adult ADHD Treatment and Research Program and an associate professor of clinical psychology in psychiatry in the University of Pennsylvania’s Perelman School of Medicine.

How the brain operates for many during the holiday season.

how our brain thinks during the holidays  how are brain operates during the holidays2

 

For some, the holidays are quite stressful.  I’ll introduce you to an important concept that has a dramatic affect on your life. In fact, this concept can literally make you smarter (or dumber) and even dictate job success.

You’ll learn why this occurs, and what you can do to reduce the problem. Plus, make connections for your kids in school. The concept is grounded scientifically and let us look at tangibility for the evidence. In fact, people joke about this concept all the time. They just don’t know that it’s actually REAL. The mind-blowing concept that can change your life (and raise student achievement) is…

The Research

The key term is called “cognitive load.”

Cognitive load is the amount of stuff you’re “juggling” mentally at any given time. Humans cycle thoughts and feelings through their head all day long. This concept was first proposed by John Sweller in 1988, while studying problem-solving. He says that the amount of information, the complexity and the interactions that must be processed simultaneously is our “cognitive load.”

New learning can be processed in real time or overwhelm the brain based on 1) your knowledge of related background information in long-term memory, 2) the emotional context and valence, and 3) the strength of your working memory.

How can this concept make you (or your students) feel stupid, or pretty smart? You guessed it. Unless your students are prepped with strategies, long-term and short-term memory skills, they will go into “cognitive overload” and freeze up … not good.

Here’s an example of “cognitive load issues” in the classroom. If you work with students from poverty, scarcity of resources in their lives consumes “mental space.” You know what that’s like; if you’re worried about making rent or a house payment, it constantly uses up part of your brain’s functioning power. Cognitive capacity can be stretched thin because of excessive cognitive load issues, said Harvard economist Dr. Mullainathan, part of the research team on a new study. The non-stop worry that comes with being poor demands constant cognitive juggling and mental energy. As a result, the poor have less brainpower to devote to school (unless you, the teacher, know how to change it).

In two countries (U.S. and India), with very different types of poverty, the researchers looked into the daily cognitive load. In both countries, the results were the same. The poor are more likely to make mistakes and make poor decisions that amplified and perpetuated their problems. The mental strain was typically costing poor people as much as 13 IQ points (Shah, Mullainathan & Shafir, 2012). In short, TOO MUCH on your mind hurts your thinking skills and intelligence.

Here are other examples of loss in brainpower. If you feel very guilty about something you have done, you can subtract 15% of your brainpower. If you’re going to a holiday function and you’re worried about what others will think of you (instead of thinking about how you can be interested in others), you can subtract 20%. If you’re trying to prepare a holiday dinner and at the same time, you’re worried about being caught because you’re having an extramarital affair, you can subtract 50% of your brainpower. If you’re in an abusive relationship at home or being beaten every day, you can subtract 40% of your brainpower. The more things “weigh” on your mind, the less capacity you have for vitality, health and joy.

If you’re thinking of what else you could be doing right now (besides reading this awesome newsletter), you just lost another 10% of brainpower. Fail to get a full night’s sleep and you can temporarily lose the amount of brainpower equal to 10 points of IQ (Wolfson & Carskadon, 2005; Killgore, Kahn-Greene, Lipizzi, Newman, Kamimori & Balkin, 2008).

In short, the more you have on your “mental plate”, or the more “plates you’re juggling in the air”, the worse your cognitive skills will be. Worry too much over the holidays (or anytime!) and you lose brainpower.  So try to enjoy the holidays and put less stress on your shoulders.