A great soup for the weekend

Polish Sausage and Cabbage Soup Crock Pot "Kapusta"

2 cups potatoes, cubed and peeled
4 cups cabbage, shredded it fine
1 carrot, shredded it fine
1 large onion, chopped
2 teaspoons caraway seeds, crushed (optional)
1-1/4 lb Polish sausage, cooked, halved lengthwise and cut into 1/2 inch slices
4 cups fat free chicken broth or you can just use water
black pepper and salt to taste
Directions:Place potatoes, cabbage, carrot, onion, caraway seeds, sausage, pepper and salt in crock pot. Pour broth over all.Cover, cook on low for 10 - 12 hours or high for 5 - 6 hours.
www.food.com

Food is not the only source of weight gain

US obesity rates have risen most in older adults 

Published January 28, 2015 

Obesity rates have increased in most age groups in the United States in recent years, but the biggest rise has been in older adults, according to a new poll. Over the past five years, the obesity rate among people ages 65 and older has increased by 4 percentage points - from 23.4 percent in 2008 to 27.4 percent in 2014, according to the poll, from Gallup and Healthways. 

During that same time period, obesity rates among people ages 45 to 64 increased by 3.5 percentage points (from 29.5 percent to 33 percent), and obesity rates among people ages 30 to 44 increased by 2.3 percentage points (from 27.0 percent to 29.3 percent). Young adults ages 18 to 29 had the smallest increase, at just 0.3 percentage points (from 17.4 percent to 17.7 percent). Overall, 27.7 percent of American adults were obese in 2014, compared to 25.5 percent in 2008, the poll found. 

The results are based on interviews with more than 167,000 U.S. adults in 2014. The participants were asked to state their height and weight, which the researchers used to calculate the participants' body mass index (BMI) , a measure of body fatness. People are considered obese if their BMI is 30 or higher. The increase in obesity rates across nearly all demographic groups underscores the need for health officials, employers and individuals to take actions to decrease these rates, the researchers said. However, efforts to reduce obesity may need to focus on more than just diet and exercise - the poll also found that being obese was linked with lower overall well-being . 

People who were obese scored, on average, between 50.9 and 57.5 out of 100 on a survey of well-being, compared with 64.5 points for normal-weight people. The well-being score was based on people's answers to questions about their feelings toward their community, work and social lives, and their physical health. "To date, most efforts to curb obesity focus on driving weight loss through diet and exercise, without addressing other aspects of well-being that may contribute to obesity," Janna Lacatell, director of lifestyle solutions at Healthways. "To make a truly measurable impact on reducing obesity rates, interventions should also address other factors known to influence weight management, such as financial and social well-being.

The best article from last week!

Boy, 13, builds Braille printer with Legos, starts company 

Published January 21, 2015 Associated Press 

In Silicon Valley, it's never too early to become an entrepreneur. Just ask 13-year-old Shubham Banerjee. The California eighth-grader has launched a company to develop low-cost machines to print Braille, the tactile writing system for the visually impaired. Tech giant Intel Corp. recently invested in his startup, Braigo Labs. 

Shubham built a Braille printer with a Lego robotics kit as a school science fair project last year after he asked his parents a simple question: How do blind people read? "Google it," they told him. Shubham then did some online research and was shocked to learn that Braille printers, also called embossers, cost at least $2,000 - too expensive for most blind readers, especially in developing countries. "I just thought that price should not be there. I know that there is a simpler way to do this," said Shubham, who demonstrated how his printer works at the kitchen table where he spent many late nights building it with a Lego Mindstorms EV3 kit. 

Shubham wants to develop a desktop Braille printer that costs around $350 and weighs just a few pounds, compared with current models that can weigh more than 20 pounds. The machine could be used to print Braille reading materials on paper, using raised dots instead of ink, from a personal computer or electronic device. "My end goal would probably be having most of the blind people ... using my Braille printer," said Shubham, who lives in the Silicon Valley suburb of Santa Clara, just minutes away from Intel headquarters. After the "Braigo" - a name that combines Braille and Lego - won numerous awards and enthusiastic support from the blind community, Banerjee started Braigo Labs last summer with an initial $35,000 investment from his dad. "We as parents started to get involved more, thinking that he's on to something and this innovation process has to continue," said his father, Niloy Banerjee, an engineer who works for Intel. Shubham used the money to build a more sophisticated version of his Lego-based printer using an off-the-shelf desktop printer and a newly released Intel computer chip.

 The new model, Braigo 2.0, can translate electronic text into Braille before printing. Intel executives were so impressed with Shubham's printer that in November they invested an undisclosed sum in his startup. Intel officials believe he's the youngest entrepreneur to receive venture capital, money invested in exchange for a financial stake in the company. "He's solving a real problem, and he wants to go off and disrupt an existing industry. And that's really what it's all about," said Edward Ross, director of Inventor Platforms at Intel.

 Braigo Labs is using the money to hire professional engineers and advisers to help design and build Braille printers based on Shubham's ideas. The company aims to have a prototype ready for blind organizations to test this summer and have a Braigo printer on the market later this year, Niloy Banerjee said. "This Braille printer is a great way for people around the world who really don't have many resources at all to learn Braille and to use it practically," said Henry Wedler, who is blind and working on a doctorate in chemistry at the University of California, Davis. Wedler has become an adviser to Braigo Labs. 

An affordable printer would allow the visually impaired readers to print out letters, household labels, shopping lists and short reading materials on paper in Braille, said Lisamaria Martinez, community services director at the San Francisco Lighthouse for the Blind, a nonprofit center that serves the visually impaired and prints Braille materials for public agencies. "I love the fact that a young person is thinking about a community that is often not thought about," said Martinez, who is visually impaired.

 Shubham is too young to be CEO of his own company, so his mother has taken the job, though she admits she wasn't too supportive when he started the project. "I'm really proud of Shubham. What he has thought, I think most adults should have thought about it," Malini Banerjee said. "And coming out of my 13-year-old, I do feel very proud.

Pineapple Cream Cheese Cobbler

Pineapple Cream Cheese Cobbler

Ingredients:
1 stick (1/2 cup) butter
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 cup milk
1 cup of all Purpose flour
1 cup sugar
2 Teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cans (20 oz cans) Pineapple chunks (drained)
8 oz cream cheese, cut into small pieces.

Directions:
Preheat oven 350 degrees.
melt butter and pour into 9 x 13 inch glass baking dish.
in a small bowl mix together the egg,milk,flour,sugar,baking powder, and salt. Pour directly over the butter in the baking dish, but do not stir.
Add the Pineapple chunks,arranging in a single layer as much as possible. Drop cream cheese pieces over pineapple chunks. Place in preheated oven and bake for 45 minutes or until top is golden brown and edges are bubbling. ( crust rises up and around the fruit, but fruit will still pop a little out of top)
~Enjoy!!~

Great veggie info

Easy guide to veggie portions 

By Tanya Zuckerbrot 

Published January 21, 2015 

An adult eating 2,000 calories a day should aim to eat about 2½ 'cup's of vegetables daily. How much is a serving of vegetables?

 Here's a quick guide to portions per serving: 

Salad greens 

A 1-'cup' serving of mesclun greens contains just 10 calories, and the same size serving of shredded romaine lettuce contains 8 calories. Mesclun greens are a better source of vitamin C (providing 5 percent of your daily value) while romaine lettuce is a better source of vitamin A (providing 81 percent of your daily value). 

Carrots 

A single serving of carrots is 1 'cup' or 12 baby carrots (about 50 calories), providing 408 percent of the daily value for vitamin A. Carrots also contain minerals such as calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, copper and manganese that support healthy bones, teeth and muscle and promote energy metabolism, fluid balance and red blood cell formation. 

Green beans 

A 1-'cup' serving of cooked green beans has 44 calories and provides 17 percent of the daily value of vitamin A, 20 percent of the daily value of vitamin C, and 10 percent respectively of the daily value of folate and potassium. These nutrients are especially beneficial in protecting against cancers of the lung, gastrointestinal tract, breast, oral cavity, pancreas, uterine cervix, and ovary. 

Bell peppers 

One serving of bell peppers is 1 'cup' chopped, raw or ½ 'cup' cooked (about 30 calories). A 'cup' of chopped peppers in any color provides more than 100 percent of the daily value of the antioxidant vitamin C, which supports healthy tissue and immunity. Peppers also provide folate, which is especially important for pregnant women because it helps prevent certain types of birth defects, and vitamin K, which is essential to the clotting function of blood. 

Potatoes 

A serving of white or sweet potatoes is ½ medium potato or ½ 'cup' of mashed and has about 80 calories and 15 grams of carbs. Both sweet and white potatoes provide vitamin C, niacin, folate, thiamin and vitamin B-6. The B vitamins niacin, thiamin, folate and B-6 help the body metabolize energy and keep your skin, blood cells, brain and nervous system healthy. Sweet potatoes provide about 500 percent of the daily value of vitamin A whereas white potatoes have none. Sweet and white potatoes are comparable in the minerals iron, magnesium, potassium, phosphorus, copper and manganese, which are more highly concentrated in the potato's skin than its flesh. The skin is also a great source of fiber. 

Tomatoes 

A 1 'cup' serving of chopped, sliced, raw, canned or cooked tomato has about 32 calories or 20 cherry tomatoes, which have about 61 calories. One 'cup' of grape tomatoes provides up to 33 percent of the daily requirement vitamin C and a medium tomato provides at least one-third of the daily value of vitamin A. Tomatoes and tomato products offer good sources of potassium with a half-'cup' serving of tomato sauce providing about 10 percent of an adult's daily requirement. Tomatoes are rich in vitamin K and manganese and a medium tomato offers up to 10 percent of an adult's daily requirements for these nutrients. 

Broccoli

 A serving of broccoli (½ 'cup' cooked, 1 'cup' raw or 10 florets) has 30 calories, 3 grams protein and 5.2 grams carbohydrates. Both the stems and florets are about the same nutritionally, providing about 150 percent of your daily value for vitamin C and about 10 percent of your daily dietary fiber needs. Broccoli florets contain significantly more vitamin A than the stalks do, however (florets provide 60 percent of the vitamin A you need each day versus broccoli stems that deliver only 8 percent of the daily value). 

For delicious high fiber meal plans, recipes and tips on healthy eating, drinking and losing weight, check out my latest book, The Miracle Carb Diet: Make Calories and Fat Disappear - with Fiber!

Super easy meatloaf...use a muffin tin

Stuffing meatloaf 

1 package Stove Top Stuffing mix, dry
1 c. warm water
1 1/2 lbs. lean ground beef
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1 package onion soup mix

Preheat oven 350°. Coat inside of bundt pan with cooking spray.
Place warm water, onion soup mix and dry stuffing mix in a bowl. Mix well. Let sit for 5 minutes to allow bread time to absorb water.
Add eggs and ground beef. Mix well. Best to get it blended by using your hands and incorporating it all together.
Place evenly into bundt pan. You can also put into muffin tins to make individual loafs.
Bake 1 hour or until no longer pink inside.
Remove and allow to rest 5 minutes before cutting into.

Saturday event update

Good evening all,
What a great turn out today! We had a great time, overcame and survived all snafus but I have to admit--I came home and collapsed! Ms. Helen did her usual outstanding job. Everyone left full, happy and carrying a goodie bag. Thanks to Ms. Betty, Izzy, Mr. Earl and Carl Foreman for the great help.

Barbara and I couldn't have done it without you.
Until tomorrow,
Dr. Janet

Event update

Good morning all,
I have Ms. Helen's shopping list in hand and I am off to the store! I can't wait to taste these dishes....
It appears the bad weather has missed Central Arkansas so stay dry, warm and save your appetite
Until tomorrow,
Dr. Janet

Last chance to sign up for Saturday

Good morning everyone,
This is the last reminder to call Krystal and get on the list for Saturday. Ms. Helen is waiting on the head count to prepare food. Come join the fun!
Until tomorrow,
Dr. Janet

Cast iron skillet potatoes--look and sound delicious!

Brush bottom and sides of a baking dish or cast iron skillet with olive oil.
Using a mandoline or a sharp knife, slice potatoes crosswise into desired thickness. Arrange potato slices vertically and loosely in prepared dish or skillet.
Sprinkle garlic and Italian seasoning on top of potatoes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Dot potatoes with butter. Cover skillet or dish with foil and bake in a 375 F oven for about 1 hour or until potatoes are tender. Remove foil, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and bake for another 15 to 20 minutes or until crisp.

More coffee news

Is your coffee addiction harming your health? 

By Dr. Jennifer Landa 

Published January 19, 2015 FoxNews.com 

Caffeine is the most widely used stimulant in America, and, chances are, you're one of the millions of Americans who chooses to get his or her fix through coffee. Research suggests that may not be such a bad thing: Coffee has been shown to reduce depressive symptoms, as well as the chance of developing type 2 diabetes and liver disease. But one issue with your daily 'cup' of Joe that has gained less attention- but is equally important to your health- is that it does a number on the adrenal glands. 

Ever wonder what gives you that jolt moments after your first sip? It's a surge of cortisol and adrenaline. Coffee taps your adrenals to release these stress hormones, so by drinking a 'cup' of java (or a can of soda, as any type of caffeine does this) you are triggering the same physical response your body would have to an imminent danger. As coffee lovers know, this rush makes you more focused and can become addictive. While consuming coffee can be great before a job interview or high-stakes presentation, daily use can put you into a chronically high-cortisol state. In fact, a study out of the University of Oklahoma revealed that drinking coffee while under even mild stress causes cortisol levels to rise higher and stay high- long past the stressful event. 

Another common problem among those who love their daily java is how they're drinking it. Some people use it as a meal replacement in the morning, and others use it as a means to get cream and sugar into their bodies. You'd be amazed by how many of my patients I get to stop putting half and half and sugar in their coffee and then lose 10 pounds within a few weeks. In general, I tell my patients to limit their overall caffeine intake to 100 mg a day (the amount in about one 'cup' of coffee, or three 'cup's of green tea). I have had exhausted patient after patient quit coffee and tell me they feel so much better afterward. That's not, by any means, to say that everyone should stop drinking coffee. But knowing how much caffeine you're drinking and how it's affecting your body is crucial to knowing whether your daily consumption is healthy. 

Here are 4 ways to be smarter about your coffee habit: Do the caffeine test Have your morning 'cup' and set a timer for 60 minutes. When the timer dings, do a check: How do you feel? Jittery? Alert? Anxious? If that 'cup' gave you a nice energy boost that is still in effect or you're coming down from that boost gently-meaning you're not suffering that infamous crash- by all means, continue enjoying your morning java. Feeling steady, and not flagging, energy shortly after having coffee indicates that your adrenals are probably not overstressed. If, on the other hand, you still feel tired, you felt wired for a brief amount of time before turning sluggish again, or you're reaching for a second, third or fourth 'cup'- those are bad signs. It's likely that your adrenals are tapped out and coffee is throwing off your cortisol levels, so you need more to get the same effect. Try green tea instead If your caffeine test revealed that your adrenals are stressed, green tea is a better option than coffee. It has caffeine but two-thirds less than coffee, so you'll get a boost without the crash. And research shows it may lower blood pressure and reduce your risk of heart disease and cancer. Never, ever have coffee in place of breakfast I see so many people confuse "coffee" with "breakfast. Nuh-uh. They are not the same thing. You need protein first thing in the morning to balance your blood sugar, which dropped as you were asleep, and that is something that coffee does not provide. So if you need coffee in the morning, that's OK, but eat something with that first 'cup'. 

Avoid artificial sweeteners- and cut back on sugar Skip artificial sweeteners altogether. Because you're getting a sweet taste without the calories, your body gets confused- and responds by craving more sweet foods and drinks. A Harvard University study showed that people who use these sweeteners had a 47 percent increase in body mass index (BMI) compared to those who didn't. If you need a little sugar in your coffee, use the real stuff, but gradually wean yourself down to none. On the rare occasion that I have coffee, I usually have it black, and if I want sweetener, I'll have one pack of Sugar in the Raw instead. Don't be fooled by skinny lattes either- they usually contain tons of artificially sweetened syrup. I am by no means telling you to quit coffee altogether. What I am telling you is to be smart about how you drink it. Pay attention to how that first 'cup' makes you feel, drink it with food, and reduce or cut out the sweeteners. Do that, and your coffee habit will be less likely to harm your health. 

Dr. Jennifer Landa is Chief Medical Officer of BodyLogicMD , the nation's largest franchise of physicians specializing in bioidentical hormone therapy. Dr. Jen spent 10 years as a traditional OB-GYN, and then became board-certified in regenerative medicine, with an emphasis on bio-identical hormones, preventative medicine and nutrition. 

Asthma in elders

What's different about asthma in older adults 

By Lacie Glover 

Asthma isn't always thought of as a condition that affects our aging population. It's true that the condition is most prevalent among children in America compared to any other age group, but the disparity isn't as large as one might think. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), about 9.3 percent of children have asthma compared to about 8 percent of adults. But that doesn't mean asthma doesn't pose serious health problems for that 8 percent- as well as other people who may be unaccounted for. Most asthmatics are diagnosed as children or young adults, but asthma can strike at any time- even in your 70s or 80s. In fact, asthma may be more common in seniors than younger adults or children. That's because it's particularly difficult to diagnose in older people, and, as such, many seniors and baby boomers with asthma may not know they have it.

Some factors, like longtime cigarette smoking or obesity, tend to complicate many bodily functions and can affect health in various negative ways. Aging falls squarely into this category. Just like tobacco use and obesity, growing older makes diagnosing and treating asthma more difficult. "If you're elderly, you have a lot of other things that are going on," said Dr. Alan Mensch, pulmonologist and senior vice president of medical affairs at Plainview and Syosset Hospitals in New York. "It could be heart disease, COPD or bronchitis, but elderly people tend to have other diseases that asthma could be mistaken for. 

A missed diagnosis isn't the only way asthma differs for older adults. Seniors experience specific challenges that people in other age groups don't. "Even if your lung function is considered excellent for an 80-year-old, it's still not as good as excellent lung function in a 50-year-old," Mensch explains. An asthma diagnosis means one thing for the affected lungs: The airways become inflamed and breathing becomes difficult. It usually happens in bursts, called exacerbations or attacks, which are brought on by triggers. Triggers are different for each asthmatic, but include common allergens like pollen or dust, smoke or even the act of exercising. In most cases an attack is treated with asthma inhalers or goes away on its own, and normal breathing is restored. Sometimes, however, an asthma attack requires a trip to the emergency room, and in some cases asthma attacks are fatal. 

In older adults, breathing is less likely to return to normal and respiratory failure is more common, according to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America. Asthma sufferers are often prescribed a steroid inhaler or pills for long-term control as well as a "rescue" inhaler with a drug such as albuterol to treat attacks when they occur. Sometimes during attacks, asthma sufferers use EpiPens, or self-injectable shots filled with the hormone epinephrine, which is commonly known as adrenaline. It's not that older asthmatics need different treatments; it's just that they may need more of each type of treatment. 

They may also take longer to recover from attacks. "We're talking about 70- or 80-year-old lungs that may not be as strong as younger lungs," Mensch said. "They have less lung power, and other illnesses that may also interfere with healing. All asthmatics should take preventive medicines as directed and keep inhalers handy, but this is especially true for older adults. Since healing is tougher for older people, a good defense is to always be prepared for an attack. "The trick is learning very early on what your triggers are, and how to avoid them," Mensch said. 

Monday, January 19

Saturday, January 24 will be our first event of 2015. Plan to be at the Center at 10. Ms. Helen will be preparing something delicious!

We need drivers to help get everyone there.  Please call Krystal at 664-7100 between 9-3 to register.

Have a great day!
Dr. Janet

Italian Cream Cake

Italian No Bake Cake

Ingredients:
1 Box of Vanilla Wafers
1 Can of Crushed Pineapples with Juice
1/4 cup Lemon Juice
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 package of coconut
1 (8oz) Container Cool Whip
1 small jar of cherries
1 cup of pecans (optional)

Directions:
Layer the bottom of dish with Vanilla Wafers. Mix in a bowl the lemon juice and condensed milk, then add the pineapples and mix all together. Pour this over the vanilla wafers in the dish. Add another layer of the Vanilla Wafers on top of the pineapple mix. Then top with cool whip, and coconut and cherries. Refrigerate overnight. Serve and Enjoy!
Note: You can replace coconut with pecans if you'd like.

Naps-a favorite topic of mine

Napping: Helpful or harmful to your sleep?

 By Dr. Manny Alvarez 

Published January 13, 2015 FoxNews.com 

 As kids, we did everything we could to avoid taking a nap. But as adults, some days we would do anything just to get one. We recently received this question from a viewer: Dear Dr. Manny, Do afternoon naps help or disturb sleep later on in the night? Thanks, Jamie 

Your body's clock creates a feeling of sleepiness between 3 a.m. and 5 a.m. - and also a little in the afternoon. The longer you stay awake, the more likely you are to go into deeper stages of sleep when you finally do lay down at night. Scientists think this is caused by a buildup of a neurotransmitter in the brain called adenosine, which increases with each waking hour. Taking a nap causes the brain to get rid of adenosine rapidly, so you may have a harder time falling asleep later on in the night. However, there are some benefits to taking short naps during the day. Studies show that people who took midday naps performed up to 20 percent better in memory exercises than those who didn't. Researchers believe sleep may help clear out the hippocampus - the part of the brain responsible for short-term memory - to make room for new information. But napping for too long can leave you feeling groggy, so try to keep your cat naps to about 20 minutes or less.

 Do you have a health question for Dr. Manny? Send it to DrManny@foxnews.com. Dr. Manny Alvarez serves as Fox News Channel's Senior Managing Editor for Health News. Prior to this position, Alvarez was a FNC medical contributor. Click here more information on Dr. Manny's work with Hackensack University Medical Center.Follow Dr. Manny on Facebook.

Another reason you need an endocrinologist

Older diabetics may be pushing blood sugar too low 

Published January 13, 2015 

Older diabetics may sometimes do too good a job at keeping their blood sugar down, according to a new study. Regardless of age, people with diabetes are taught to keep their blood sugar below certain target levels. But many diabetics over 65 who have other health concerns may be at risk for pushing it too low, according to a new study. 

Particularly for older adults with multiple serious illnesses and functional limitations, the risks of low blood sugar, or hypoglycemia, may outweigh the benefits of tight blood sugar control, the authors write. "Older people are more susceptible to hypoglycemia," said lead author Dr. Kasia J. Lipska of the Yale School of Medicine in New Haven, Connecticut. "As people age, their kidney function deteriorates and drugs (like insulin) may not be eliminated from the body as efficiently," which can lead to low blood sugar, she told Reuters Health by email. Often, people with low blood sugar don't realize they have it. Symptoms can include double or blurry vision, rapid heartbeat, headache, hunger, shaking or trembling, sweating, tiredness or weakness or feeling faint, trouble sleeping, unclear thinking, and other problems. Severe low blood sugar can cause seizures and brain damage. 

Intense diabetes treatment, which the study showed many older people are doing, increases the risk for hypoglycemia two to three fold, Lipska said. Her team used data on 1,288 diabetics age 65 or older, from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys from 2001 through 2010. Based on their ability to complete activities of daily life, about half of the participants were generally healthy, 28 percent had "complex or intermediate" health and 21 percent had "poor" health. 

To see how tightly these patients were controlling their blood sugar, the researchers measured a substance in the blood called hemoglobin A1c. A1c reflects a person's average blood sugar levels over the past three months. A person without diabetes would have an A1C reading under 5.7 percent. People with pre-diabetes may have a reading between 5.7 and 6.4 percent. Levels above that qualify for a diabetes diagnosis. Most people with diabetes aim to keep the number under 7 percent, according to the National Institutes of Health. Almost two-thirds of the older adults in the study maintained tight blood sugar control, keeping their A1C levels at 7 percent or lower, according to results in JAMA Internal Medicine. "Tight blood sugar control, or aiming for a hemoglobin A1c below 7 percent, increases the risk for hypoglycemia, or low blood sugar reactions," Lipska said. She and her coauthors did not assess how many people are actually harmed by diabetes overtreatment. "We tried in our study to estimate how many people are treated in a way that is unlikely to benefit them and more likely to harm them, but we do not have data on follow-up to see what exactly happened to them," she said. 

A 2011 study in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society found that more than three million older people with diabetes would be eligible for reduction in medication if glucose targets were raised. "It is not clear to me if doctors do enough to assess the burden of medications with their patients or know about hypoglycemic events," said Dr. Elbert Huang of The University of Chicago, coauthor of the 2011 study. "There is likely to be inadequate communication," he told Reuters Health by email. 

Hypoglycemia is a well-known consequence of tight blood sugar control, but its importance has been minimized largely due to pharmaceutical interests in keeping patients on antidiabetic drugs, according to Dr. David Aron of the Louis Stokes VA Medical Center in Cleveland, Ohio. "I think this is actually a case of willful ignorance," Aron told Reuters Health by phone. Hypoglycemia is a major cause of emergency room visits, he said. The symptoms can be subtle, and older people may have trouble recognizing them, Aron said. 

Though the healthcare system has been slow to act on the hypoglycemia problem, there are a number of education initiatives aimed at clinicians and patients currently underway or planned for the near future, he said. Diabetes treatment should be tailored to each individual patient, taking into account their age, other health conditions and preferences - the exact A1C target will vary, Lipska said. Patients should ask their doctors what the right target is for them, she said. "Think about what your health goals are and discuss these with your doctor," Lipska said. "You have to be as informed as possible about these decisions, and comfortable that the decisions are right for you.

Aetna error

Folks,
If you have Aetna insurance as your medicare supplement of in lieu of Medicare, you may have a problem with your pharmacy. Please call your pharmacy and ask if your particular insurance has been affected. Apparently, Aetna had a mistake in material distributed.

Please call your pharmacy,  if you have been affected, you may choose a new plan with no problems. If you have questions you may call me or Krystwl for the Medicare phone number.

Have a great day!
Dr. Janet

Monday, January 12, 2015

happy Monday!
I was delighted to wake up the past two days and find that Central Arkansas missed the ice! Hard to believe it is almost mid January and we have not had bad weather. What a relief! I will take the mild winter anytime. I do admit, I love a snow day.....just seems like a mini vacation. However, I want it to melt by noon....

Please be aware of weather forecasts and try to stay stocked up on necessities. The winter storms can slip in and catch us off guard.  Also, everyone is trying to save on heating bills. I know many of you are using rugs around doors and in more places than normal.  Just remember these can be trip hazards. We don't need any broken bones, so please be very careful around your house.

Have a great day!
Until tomorrow,
Dr. Janet

I will still take comfort foods.....

Why stress eating doesn't work 

Published January 09, 2015 

In case you needed more scientifically-proven research that bad food doesn't actually make you feel good, a brand-new study published in the American Psychological Association's Journal of Experimental Psychology: Animal Learning and Cognition just disproved the whole idea behind stress-eating. A few months ago, a study came out debunking the concept of "comfort food. Because you're smart-and because you've ended a bad day with a bunch of Ben & Jerry's before-it probably came as no surprise that so-called comfort food provides little comfort. 

The latest study gathered a group of self-described chocolate lovers and induced stress by putting their hands in ice-cold water (probably a little different than the stress you deal with on a daily basis, but believe it or not, a body's reaction is pretty much the same regardless of the cause of stress). Then they encouraged the participants to press hand grips for a chance to smell chocolate, measuring how much effort they put into it along the way. Sounds a little silly, but the findings were anything but. 

There's no question that stress makes us crave rewards and motivates us to obtain them-how many times have you told yourself you can have that chocolate-chip cookie after you finish your to-do list? -but this research suggests that we rarely get as much pleasure from the reward as we'd hoped. (And the study was conducted at the University of Geneva in Switzerland, so you know they were using top-notch chocolate.) 

When we feel stressed out, cortisol kicks into high gear, making us crave things we probably shouldn't. Tempting, as it may be, giving into those cravings won't make the stress disappear. Instead, grab your yoga mat for some deep-breathing and downward-dogs, or lace up your running shoes and hit the pavement. Exercise, or most of it anyway, is proven to help stress; by the time you're done sweating it out, your cravings will be too.

Saturday, January 10, 2015

Good morning everyone,
It is a beautiful, sunny winter day. Hard to believe we may have ice tomorrow. Please take advantage of the nice weather and stock up on groceries.

I am off to the ACB meeting at Fletcher Library and a road trip to the Apple Store.
Have a great day and we will touch base tomorrow,
Dr. Janet

Bottom line: eat right and exercise

Extra antioxidants may make little difference in lifespan 

Published January 08, 2015 Reuters 

People who get a lot of antioxidants in their diets, or who take them in supplement form, don't live any longer than those who just eat well overall, according to a long term study of retirees in California. Antioxidants, including vitamins A, C and E, are plentiful in vegetables and fruits and may help protect against cell or DNA damage - as a result, they've been touted for cancer prevention, heart disease prevention and warding off dementia. 

 "There is good scientific evidence that eating a diet with lots of vegetables and fruits is healthful and lowers risks of certain diseases," said lead author Annlia Paganini-Hill of the Clinic for Aging Research and Education at the University of California, Irvine. "However, it is unclear whether this is because of the antioxidants, something else in these foods, other foods in people's diet, or other lifestyle choices," Paganini-Hill told Reuters Health by email. Most double-blind randomized clinical trials - the gold standard of medical evidence - have found that antioxidant supplements do not prevent disease, she said. 

The researchers used mailed surveys from the 1980's in which almost 14,000 older residents of the Leisure World Laguna Hills retirement community detailed their intake of 56 foods or food groups rich in vitamins A and C as well as their vitamin supplement intake. Two-thirds of the original group took vitamin supplements, most often vitamin C. The authors note, though, that the participants' diets alone were generally more than adequate to meet minimum dietary requirements for vitamin intake. With periodic check-ins and repeated surveys, the researchers followed the group for the next 32 years, during which time 13,104 residents died. When Paganini-Hill's team accounted for smoking, alcohol intake, caffeine consumption, exercise, body mass index, and histories of hypertension, angina, heart attack, stroke, diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis and cancer, there was no association between the amount of vitamins A or C in the diet or vitamin E supplements and the risk of death. 

Vitamin users may have different lifestyles or underlying disease states that are related to their risk of death, the authors write. "In the general population, health-promoting habits often cluster; e.g. those who take vitamin supplements often exercise, do not smoke, and are not obese," Paganini-Hill said. "Thus, these factors may explain the observed association between longevity and vitamin supplements. On the other hand, the authors note, people with unhealthy habits might be more likely to take supplements. For instance, they found that men who were current smokers were about twice as likely to take in high or medium amounts of vitamin C compared to men who had never smoked. A similar pattern held for men's vitamin A intake and women's intake of both A and C. Some large studies have found a connection between vitamin intake and risk of death, but most have not, the study team points out. "We know quite a lot about how antioxidants act and what they, theoretically, can prevent," said Sabine Rohrmann of the Institute of Social and Preventive Medicine at the University of Zurich. "One of the critical issues is that we don't know very much about how antioxidants act at different concentrations and how they act in humans who have, or who do not have, sufficient vitamin/antioxidant intake," Rohrmann told Reuters Health by email. 

Participants in the new study were largely white, educated and well-nourished. "We know that the most important factors that influence mortality are smoking and excess body weight," Rohrmann said. Many studies support the notion that vitamin supplements are usually not necessary because our nutrient intake via a healthy diet is usually sufficient, she said. Antioxidants can have risks as well. According to the National Institutes of Health, high doses of beta-carotene may increase the risk of lung cancer in smokers, high doses of vitamin E may increase risks of prostate cancer and one type of stroke, and antioxidant supplements may also interact with some medicines. Since they can interact with medicines, you should discuss your supplement intake with your doctor, Paganini-Hill said. "Antioxidant supplements should not be used to replace a nutritionally adequate diet," she added. 

Very cold weather

Good morning everyone,
It is very cold out this morning and looks like it will hang around for a few days with possible ice on Sunday and Monday. If you haven't been to the store, wrap up and go during the warmest part of the day. Please have enough food for seven days and include items which do not need to be cooked. You may grab some apples or oranges, crackers or snack of your choice. Just remember, it is January in Arkansas. We are going to have bad weather even if it only lasts a few hours. The aging electrical grid just can't handle ice and power outages are almost certain.  Don't get stuck in a cold house with nothing to eat! Know where your blankets are in case the power fails at night. For diabetics, be sure you know where all supplies are located and keep enough for a few days.  Check all medicines for refill dates!

Take care, stay warm!
Until tomorrow,
Dr. Janet

A cutie from Roy

Folks,
Our dear friend Roy sent me this in an email.  It is just too cute pass up.

 

The Explanation Brains of older people are slow because they know so much.  People do not decline mentally with age, it just takes them longer to recall facts because they have more information in their brains, scientists believe.  Much like a computer struggles as the hard drive gets full, so, too, do humans take longer to access information when their brains are full.  Researchers say this slowing down process is not the same as cognitive decline.  The human brain works slower in old age, said Dr. Michael Ramscar, but only because we have stored more information over time The brains of older people do not get weak. On the contrary, they simply know more. Also, older people often go to another room to get something and when they get there, they stand there wondering what they came for.  It is NOT a memory problem, it is nature's way of making older people do more exercise.              SO THERE!!    I have more friends I should send this to, but right now I can't remember their  names...    So, please forward this to your friends; they may be my friends, too.

Eat more popcorn!

Eating whole grains may help you live longer, study finds 

By Laura Geggel Published January 05, 2015 

Eating whole grains such as popcorn, oats and quinoa is linked to increased longevity, and may decrease risk for deaths from cardiovascular disease over a 25-year period, but not cancer deaths, a new study finds. The new research is one of many large studies that tie a diet high in whole grains to increased longevity, including deaths due to cardiovascular disease.

 "I think it's quite conclusive that if you eat whole grains, you almost always benefit," said the new study's senior researcher, Dr. Qi Sun, an assistant professor of nutrition at the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston. In the study, the researchers looked at two large studies, including about 74,000 women who were taking part in the Nurses' Health Study, and nearly 44,000 men participating in the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study. The participants recorded their whole-grain intake on food surveys given every two to four years. After 24 to 26 years, 26,920 people in the studies had died. The new study has three main findings, Sun said. 

First, the researchers found that people who ate at least 28 grams of whole grains a day had a 5 percent lower risk of dying over the study period, and a 9 percent lower risk of dying from cardiovascular-disease-related death, than people who ate little or no whole grains during the course of the study. The researchers also found that eating the part of the whole grain called the bran had the largest effect on reducing mortality and deaths from cardiovascular disease. The bran is the tough skin that covers the kernel of a whole grain, and holds antioxidants, B vitamins and fiber. Processing whole grains into refined grains typically removes much of the grains' bran, according to the Harvard School of Public Health.

People in the study who replaced one serving a day of refined grains with whole grains reduced their risk of dying over the study period by 8 percent, and people who replaced one daily serving of red meat with whole grains reduced their risk of dying over the study period by 20 percent, the researchers also found. The researchers accounted for other factors that could have affected the study participants' risk of dying over the study period, such as age, smoking, body mass index, exercise and general diet. This was especially important because the men and women who ate more whole grains also tended to get more exercise, eat other healthy foods, smoke less and drink less alcohol than people who ate fewer whole grains. "If you are really looking into whole-grain consumption with other diseases, stroke, heart disease and colorectal cancer, whole grains are consistently associated with [a] lower risk of those diseases," Sun said. 

However, a higher intake of whole grains did not appear to reduce the risk of dying from cancer, the researchers found. It's possible that the two studies didn't have enough cases of specific kinds of cancer to show whether eating whole grains is helpful for cancer-related longevity, Sun said. Experts said the results of these studies add to previous evidence of the healthful effects of whole grains. 

"It's showed, as quite a few other studies have shown in several other settings, that the consumption of whole-grain foods is associated with reduced total mortality and mortality from cardiovascular disease, but not particularly strongly with mortality from cancer," said David Jacobs, a professor of epidemiology at the University of Minnesota School who was not involved in the study. However, it's difficult to parse apart the health effects of the bran from the effects of the other parts of a whole grain, such as the germ, Jacobs said. "It's a very difficult thing in nutritional epidemiology to separate things like that out and to make particular statements about foods or parts of foods," he added. But Jacobs and Sun agreed that whole grains are part of a healthy diet.

It's likely that whole grains are nutritious because they have a lower glycemic index, meaning they lead to a smaller rise and fall in blood-sugar levels after a meal than refined grains do. Whole grains are also rich in healthy compounds, minerals and vitamins, Sun said. Along with eating a healthy diet and exercising regularly, "Half of the grains that a person eats every day should come from whole grains," Sun said. The study was published online today (Jan. 5) in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine

Watch out for bed weather

Winter weather alerts may signal greater fall risk for elderly 

Published January 02, 2015 

 In Canadian winters, older people fall 20 percent more often after a freezing rain alert, according to a new study. That suggests a need for stronger cautions against going outside in icy conditions and more help from local governments, families or neighbors, according to the authors. 

Those alerts "actually mean something," said David L. Buckeridge, senior author of the study. "If you're an older adult, it's probably better to take it easy for a day or two. For certain people, bad weather "drastically increases their risk," said Buckeridge, an associate professor in the department of Epidemiology, Biostatics and Occupational Health  at McGill University in Montreal. 

Previous research shows that about half of all falls among older people happen when they're outside. So the study team decided to look at how many of those outdoor falls took place during Canada's famously frigid and slippery winter weather. The researchers analyzed emergency room data on patients in Montreal from 1998 to 2006, comparing days with freezing rain alerts to days with snowstorm alerts. Altogether they had injury reports for about 136,000 Montreal residents 65 and older. When there was a freezing rain advisory in winter, there was an overall 20 percent increase in falls among the elderly, they found. The risks were especially high for people age 75 and older, and for men. Men were 31 percent more likely to fall on freezing rain alert days, compared to other days, Buckeridge and his colleagues write in the journal Age and Ageing. 

Buckeridge said men might be more likely to go outside in bad weather, or less careful or more prone to losing their balance when they do venture out. He noted that he, too, slipped and fell on an icy sidewalk after moving from California to Quebec. Overall, however, there was no difference in fall rates between winter and other seasons. And the total rate of falls was higher among the women than men. But when the researchers looked at hazardous snowstorm alerts, they saw a slight drop in fall-related injuries for both sexes. Hip fractures happened at a similar rate whether there was freezing rain or snow but were 12 percent more likely in winter versus the rest of the year. "Injuries are an important cause of morbidity and mortality, yet they are often amenable to prevention through simple and effective measures to modify human behavior and the environment," Buckeridge told Reuters Health. 

He noted that 30 percent of older adults have at least one fall each year, and nearly 25 percent of these result in serious injuries, such as fractures, joint dislocations, lacerations and severe head injuries. Dr. Michael McCloud, a geriatrician at the University of California, Davis, said the association between falls and icy weather seemed obvious. But the study does show that severe weather alerts might provide a "window of opportunity" to reduce falls. "Not only are fall-related injuries the leading cause of injury death in older adults, but they often are the sentinel event in the so-called cascade to dependency," said McCloud, who was not involved in the new study. "Beyond the personal devastation, falls-related injuries have a significant societal cost," he told Reuters Health by email. McCloud said about one in three people age 65 and older will fall each year and about a quarter of those will have at least a moderately severe injury. But, he said, there was no high quality data on the number of falls caused by bad weather. Buckeridge said he hoped the current data linking weather and risk of falling would spur discussion of how to reduce falls. He said public health officials could help older people avoid falls by making them aware of freezing rain alerts, suggesting precautions and urging relatives and neighbors to help. He said municipalities could also spread salt on roads and sidewalks where high numbers of older people live. "It's really all about being able to personalize that message and make it more actionable," Buckeridge said. 

McCloud advises patients to use "secure footwear," such as deep-tread shoe and boot soles or removable traction cleats or hip protectors and that they take smaller steps. He also said older people should avoid multifocal eyeglasses when walking outside in slippery weather, and avoid alcohol or sedating medications beforehand. Balance and leg strengthening exercise in the winter can also help, McCloud said. Studies suggest that vitamin D supplementation year-round might also help reduce fall-related injuries, he noted.

Happy Monday on Sunday evening

Hello everyone!
I am trying to get out ahead of the curve ball this week. After two weeks of sleeping late and drinking coffee till nine....it is back to school. The Center reopens today so if you need anything, please call Krystal.

The week is shaping up to be very busy so get your request in early. Barbara and Cindy will be traveling later in the week. Let's pray for good travel weather. Remember a couple of years ago we were shoveling our way out!

Have a great day!
Until tomorrow,
Dr. Janet

Flu

How long is someone with the flu contagious? 

By Dr. Manny Alvarez 

Published January 02, 2015 FoxNews.com 

 With flu season making it's earliest start in years, and certain strains of the virus hitting unlucky Americans hard this year, it's important to be extra vigilant in your efforts to avoid catching it. I recently got this question emailed to me by a concerned viewer: 

Q: When is someone who has the flu contagious? Some people who are infected with the influenza virus can actually transmit the illness before they begin to feel any symptoms. Most of the time, you will become contagious about 24 to 72 hours after contracting the influenza virus and remain that way for up to five days after the onset of symptoms. But children or people with compromised immune systems can be contagious to those around them for up to two weeks. Flu is most commonly spread by coming into contact with respiratory moisture droplets from an infected person through sneezing or coughing. Touching a surface tainted with respiratory droplets - and then putting your hands up to your nose or mouth - can also infect you. 

Flu symptoms include: Fever Chills Runny nose Headache Muscle aches Warm, flushed skin and watery eyes. Weakness or fatigue Sore throat.The symptoms of the common cold can be similar to those of the flu, so it's important to get a firm diagnosis from your doctor. According to the CDC, more than 20,000 Americans die from the flu each year, so make sure you get your flu shot - especially if you are pregnant or living with a compromised immune system. 

Dr. Manny Alvarez serves as Fox News Channel's Senior Managing Editor for Health News. Prior to this position, Alvarez was a FNC medical contributor. Click here more information on Dr. Manny's work with Hackensack University Medical Center.

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