Seasonal allergies

Natural allergy remedies

 By Chris Kilham 

Published April 29, 2015 

spring is here. The birds are chirping, days are warmer and longer, and the air is filled with a profusion of potent allergens, as pollen granules waft through the atmosphere. Plants produce pollen as part of their reproductive lifecycle, and so the production of pollen is important to plant life on earth. But unfortunately, pollen granules, which are microscopically tiny, invade our bodies through the nose, mouth and eyes, triggering in many individuals a reaction that we know as a seasonal allergic response, or hay fever. 

What is an allergy anyway? In the case of seasonal allergies, pollen gets into the body, and the body recognizes pollen as foreign and potentially dangerous. The body develops an exaggerated immune response, trying its best to fight off the pollen invaders. Typically an allergic reaction is rapid. The body generates white blood cells known as mast cells and basophils. This results in acute inflammation characterized by coughing, sneezing, runny nose, redness of the eyes, and general malaise. Pollen allergies are not healthy reactions. 

And seasonal allergy sufferers know only too well that while they hack, sneeze, wheeze, cough and run with mucous, others around them are unaffected. According to some health experts, heredity, gender, race and age can all play roles in allergies. In cases of runny nose and sneezing, this is referred to as "allergic rhinitis," or hay fever. Often an allergy is simply an inconvenience that persists while pollen levels are high. But in some cases, such a reaction can trigger an asthma attack, and that can be a dangerous or in some cases even a potentially fatal condition. Often allergy season is an annual period of abject misery. 

For allergies, you can use anti-histamines. These drugs will help to deongest clogged sinuses and open up breathing passages. But this class of drugs can cause drowsiness, blurred vision, dry mouth and urine retention. These negative effects seem like a bad deal when you are trying to get well. 

For seasonal allergies, you can turn to natural remedies that can help without similar detrimental effects. First on the list is the traditional remedy nettle, Urtica dioica. Also known as stinging nettle, this traditional remedy is safe, inexpensive, non-toxic, and often highly effective. Nettle is found profusely throughout North America, Europe, Asia and Africa and has been used for centuries. The easiest way to use nettle is as a tea, though supplements are also available. I suggest the Alvita brand nettle leaf tea, which comes in bags, has a pleasant flavor, and is inexpensive. Two to three 'cup's daily will likely improve your condition if you suffer from hay fever.

 For symptomatic relief of nasal congestion, eucalyptus is a favorite remedy. The eucalyptus tree produces leaves rich in a natural aromatic oil that helps to open clogged sinuses and relieve congestion. It can also help to curb runny nose and thus alleviate some of the suffering caused by hay fever. One convenient way to employ the decongesting power of eucalyptus is with a natural inhaler. The Swiss company Olbas makes an inhaler that contains essential oils of eucalyptus, along with other aromatic, sinus-opening oils such as peppermint, cajeput, wintergreen, juniper berry and clove. You can use an essential oil-based inhaler as often as necessary, without developing a dependence, which is common with over-the-counter nasal sprays. Another eucalyptus-based product is the encapsulated herbal supplement SinuCare by EuroPharma. Taken orally, these little capsules decongest very well, providing relief for hours.

 A third way to go in fighting seasonal allergies is to attack the problem directly via the immune system. A favorite herb for this is the Amazon plant cat's claw.  Known as an immune modulator, cat's claw helps to strengthen immune function in cases where immune defense is lacking. Cat's claw accomplishes this by causing the body to produce more protective immune factors. But cat's claw is also a very powerful anti-inflammatory agent as well, and thus can help to relieve seasonal allergic reactions. I am a fan of the Nature's Way Standardized Cat's Claw extract capsules. Taken as directed at the commencement of allergy season, this may help you to thwart hay fever altogether. 

Some people simply out-grow seasonal allergies, suffering them while young but not later in years. For others, the opposite may occur. Many people have no allergies while young, but develop them later in life. But whatever the case may be, you do not have to suffer for months every year. The remedies suggested here are found at natural food stores, including Whole Foods and Vitamin Shoppe chains. By employing simple remedies, you can either somewhat relieve or completely overcome seasonal allergies. For those who suffer from hay fever, this is wonderful relief indeed.   

    

Pillows

Which pillow improves sleep comfort?

 Published April 28, 2015 

The Wall Street Journal 

People put a lot of effort into choosing a mattress. But picking the right pillow can be just as important says one expert, Ana C. Krieger, medical director of the Center for Sleep Medicine at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center. The distance between the neck and bed can make all the difference.

 Stuffed with stuff 

A pillow should align the hip, back and neck to keep the spine as straight as possible. Amid a wide variety of materials and shapes, including latex, contouring foam and hypoallergenic, Dr. Krieger lumps pillows into just two categories: natural and synthetic. Down and feather pillows can be good because they discourage dust mites and can be molded easily or folded in half when shifting positions during the night. They also tend to stay cool and last long, she says. Synthetic pillows have the advantage that they keep their shape and height, but they only last about half as long as feather pillows. And Dr. Krieger discourages synthetic pillows with a fixed shape. "If you move out of the position, you'll be uncomfortable and wake up, and we know you'll move out of that position," she says, noting that there is not a lot of hard science focusing on pillows. 

Position matters 

Side sleepers should choose a pillow that can clear the distance between the shoulder and the ear, to maintain neck alignment. "People who sleep on their side may like feather or down pillows because they can remold," Dr. Krieger says. "But a slightly firm synthetic might be better to provide consistent support without misaligning the neck," Dr. Krieger says.  

Carrots

Everything you didn't know about carrots 

By Sheela Prakash 

Published April 28, 2015       

Everybody knows about carrots, right? They're sweet. They're crunchy. And bunnies just love them. Nothing to learn, right? Then tell us: When is carrot season? Spring, right? No, wait, winter. And about those carrot tops: They're poisonous. Or are they delicious? Looks like a Q&A is needed after all. Let's start. 

1.  When is carrot season? Carrots are sold year-round, but that doesn't mean they don't have a season like ramps or asparagus. In fact, carrots are so seasonal they have two seasons: They're planted when the ground begins to soften in early spring (for a late-spring harvest), and planted again in late summer (for a fall harvest). Fall carrots are often cellared for longterm winter storage (or even left in the ground, covered with mulch, and pulled through the winter in more temperate climates), which is why they're one of the few vegetables you'll find at a middle-of-winter farmers market. 

2.  You call those purple things carrots?  True fact: Orange carrots may be the norm now, but before Orange Long and Imperator (two common varieties found in most supermarkets) took over, carrots were available in all sorts of shades, from vibrant purple and deep red to pale yellow and even white. Depending on the variety, some are more sweet while others have earthy notes. Mark Psilos, the Associate Director of Green City Market in Chicago, calls out one crowd favorite called Purple Haze: "It has a really dark purple exterior with a deep orange interior. It definitely has an earthier flavor but I find the big difference to be textural-it's generally a bit more robust and crunchy and is particularly great for soups. 

3.  Are baby carrots really babies?  The ones you see collected in plastic bags? Nope. Though cute, the baby carrots found in bags at the supermarket are actually adult carrots that have been cut and trimmed down to snacking size. Real baby carrots are simply carrots that have been harvested early and haven't grown out to normal size. You'll recognize them because, unlike the stubby, rounded baby carrots in stores, these actually look like real carrots (only smaller). 

4.  Do I really need to take out the peeler?  Depends. The super fresh, just-pulled-from-the-ground carrots that are hitting farmers markets now are more delicate than the big carrots you'll find in the winter. To make sure new spring and fall carrots stay sweet and crunchy, cut off the greens and submerge them in water in a sealed container. Keep the container in the refrigerator and change the water every 4-5 days. If stored this way, they'll keep for about a month. Another option from Psilos: "I've had success wrapping them in a paper towel and storing them in the crisper. Winter carrots don't need as much TLC. "They tend to be a little bit bigger and more hearty," says Psilos. "I've even kept them outside of the refrigerator. Just make sure they are kept cool and dry. 

Yogurt

Yogurt may not be so wonderful for you after all

Published April 27, 2015  

Those who eat lots of yogurt because they think it's a health food might have to reassess things: A study out of Spain suggests that yogurt provides virtually no health benefits, reports Medical News Today. Researchers followed more than 4,000 people for an average of three and a half years, and found no correlation between eating the stuff and better overall health. "The regular consumption of yogurt was not linked to health-related quality of life," says lead author Esther Lopez-Garcia of the Autonomous University of Madrid. But there's hope: "For future research, more specific instruments must be used which may increase the probability of finding a potential benefit of this food. 

As UPI notes, the food has long gotten praise as a source of calcium and, more recently, for its beneficial micro-organisms, or probiotics, thought to improve the digestive system. Yahoo , meanwhile, talks to a nutritionist who maintains that "plain, unsweetened yogurt is one of the healthiest foods a person can eat," because it's "packed with calcium and potassium, two nutrients that most of us don't get enough of. Still, the findings published in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics could force the industry to tamp down health claims, notes Nature World Report . "Advertisers may have to change their tune until more detailed research is conducted. 

Sunday wrap up

Good evening everyone,
I hope you had a great weekend! As usual, mine was fast and furious. Yesterday, I attended the state ACB Convention in North Little Rock. They had a great turn out. Unfortunately I couldn't stay long as we have clients needing medicine. Dr. Boehm and I have been busy the past few days.

Barbara and Cindy are keeping the roads hot! I am so thankful to have such good colleagues.

I hope you all have a sunny, safe and healthy week.
Until tomorrow,
Dr. Janet

Diet Pepsi changes

Diet Pepsi dropping aspartame on customer concern 

Published April 24, 2015  

The decision to swap sweeteners comes as Americans keep turning away from popular diet sodas.  

PepsiCo says it's dropping aspartame from Diet Pepsi in response to customer feedback and replacing it with sucralose, another artificial sweetener commonly known as Splenda. The decision to swap sweeteners comes as Americans keep turning away from popular diet sodas. 

Rival Coca-Cola said this week that sales volume for Diet Coke, which also uses aspartame, fell 5 percent in North America in the first three months of the year. Atlanta-based Coca-Cola said in a statement that it has no plans to change the sweetener in Diet Coke, which is the country's top-selling diet cola. The Food and Drug Administration says aspartame, known by the brand names Equal and NutraSweet, is "one of the most exhaustively studied substances in the human food supply, with more than 100 studies supporting its safety. More recently, a government advisory committee for the U.S. Department of Agriculture's dietary guidelines said aspartame appears to be safe in the amounts consumed by Americans. But it added that there is still uncertainty about whether the sweetener increases risk for some blood cancers in men. 

Executives at Coke and Pepsi blame the declines on perceptions that the sweetener isn't safe. John Sicher, publisher of industry tracker Beverage Digest, noted that attitudes about aspartame can be very negative. Using an online tool called Topsy that measures Twitter sentiment on a scale of 0 to 100, he noted "aspartame" got a 22 ranking, below a 38 ranking for "Congress. By comparison, "love" had a ranking of 96 and "Christmas" had a ranking of 88. 

The negative attitudes about aspartame don't seem to extend to sucralose. Sparkling Ice, a zero-calorie drink created in the 1990s, is sweetened with sucralose and has been enjoying strong growth in recent years. "Aspartame is the No. 1 reason consumers are dropping diet soda," said Seth Kaufman, vice president of Pepsi. In tests, Kaufman said people still recognized the reformulated drink to be Diet Pepsi, but that it might have a "slightly different mouthfeel. Diet Pepsi will also still have acesulfame potassium, or ace-K, which PepsiCo said it added to the drink in late 2012 to help prevent its taste from degrading over time. PepsiCo says reformulated Diet Pepsi will start hitting shelves in August, with cans stating that the drink is "Now Aspartame Free. The change only applies to the U.S. market and will affect all varieties of Diet Pepsi, such as Caffeine Free Diet Pepsi and Wild Cherry Diet Pepsi. It will not apply to other PepsiCo drinks, such as Diet Mountain Dew.

 Volumes for Diet Pepsi and Diet Coke began falling in 2005 and 2006, respectively, according Beverage Digest. Volumes have continued falling since then, and accelerated in the last two years. 

Great corn casserole recipe

Oh my Gosh...I think I have finally found a corn casserole that tops all others. Throw away the Jiffy box and try this. This is a must for the holiday's. Love this recipe!!!

Corn Casserole

1 can whole kernel corn, drained
1 can creamed corn
2 eggs beaten
1 stick butter, melted
4 heaping T. all purpose flour
2 T. sugar
1/4 C. diced green pepper (you can use red, I only had green)
1 C. whole milk
1/2 C. shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 tsp each salt and pepper

Combine all ingredients and pour into a greased casserole dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hr. 20 min.
Source: Janet's Appalachian Kitchen

★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★

Are you a diet soda junkie?

Dispelling 3 diet soda myths 

By Lacie Glover 

Published April 22, 2015  

If you love a sweet, fizzy soda but want to lose weight or reduce your sugar consumption, it seems logical to switch to the diet version. Traditional soft drinks are a big contributor to America's widespread obesity problem, according to most experts, and the nation's sugar consumption is through the roof. About 20 percent of Americans consume diet soda on a daily basis, and a little over half of them are consuming more than 16 ounces per day.

 A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report from 2012 also notes that the largest group of diet-drink consumers are higher-income individuals. But diet drinks might not be healthier. Despite having a few benefits over sugary colas, diet soda is full of chemicals and artificial ingredients that some experts say cause plenty of harm.

  Myth: Diet soda helps you lose weight Last year, a widely publicized study out of the University of Colorado seemed to give credence to the notion that diet drinks can help you shed pounds. Published in the journal Obesity, it demonstrated that over 12 weeks, dieters who drank at least 24 ounces of diet soda lost more weight than those who drank at least 24 ounces of water, but no diet soda. That study, however, was funded by the American Beverage Association.    "I think that there was bias in the study," says Dr. Ray Schilling, endocrinologist and author of "A Survivor's Guide to Successful Aging. 

On his blog, Ask Dr. Ray, he broke down the study and criticized its findings. "When you do not carefully control for all parameters- age, sex, history of diabetes, and so on- you find differences. The industry uses this type of cheating all the time to sell more product," he says. Most studies actually suggest that chronic consumption of diet soda is associated with weight gain or other related disorders like diabetes and metabolic syndrome.

 "There's a lot of focus on using non-nutritive sweeteners like aspartame to lose weight," says Sharon Fowler, who has a master's degree in public health and is adjunct assistant professor at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. Fowler was the lead author on another study that linked diet soda to increased belly fat and metabolic syndrome. The study, which was published in March in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, found that as diet soda consumption increased, so did waist circumference in adults over 65, though weight gain was more stable. "There was almost a quadrupling in waist circumference in daily drinkers compared to non-diet soda drinkers," Fowler says. She notes that increased fat around the midsection is linked to serious medical problems down the road, much more so than excess fat in the lower body. Fowler's study was comprehensive but correlational, meaning that it only established a link between diet soda and belly fat, not a verified mechanism. 

When asked to speculate about why diet soda may cause increased waist circumference and metabolic syndrome, she said she believes non-nutritive sweeteners change the way the body regulates sugar. One study Fowler pointed to established that people who consume large amounts of artificial sweeteners can become glucose-intolerant in just a week. 

Myth: Diet soda definitely causes cancer This myth comes from a study about aspartame, the main sweetener in diet soft drinks. In that study, which was done on rats, researchers linked aspartame consumption to brain cancer, leukemia and lymphomas. Italian researchers overfed 1,900 rats aspartame at a rate and concentration no human would likely consume. While there was a link found between aspartame dosage and cancer, it would be next to impossible for a human to consume a similar ratio of aspartame. For that reason, the study has been largely criticized by other researchers, and a large human study found no increased risk of cancer in humans. No studies have confirmed a link between aspartame or diet soda and cancer in humans. That doesn't mean that a link won't be found in the future, but it hasn't been firmly established yet.  

Myth: With no calories or added sugars, diet soda is harmless "People who drink diet soda tend to think they're in a risk-free environment because there are no calories," Fowler says, "but diet soda is very acidic, much more so than regular soda. Too much acid in the diet can lead to acid reflux diseases, esophageal hernias, and tooth decay. She believes all that acid also disrupts the balance of microorganisms in the gut. "Our intestines are their own ecosystem, like a rain forest," she explains. "It's very complex, very delicate, and it all works together. But constantly drinking diet soda is like an acid rainstorm to that rain forest. Containing no nutrients, the acid can destroy many kinds of gut flora. Plus, it tends to replace water in heavy drinkers' diets, leading to low-grade dehydration. 

An occasional diet soda is fine, but like anything sweet, diet drinks should still be consumed in moderation. If you're a daily diet soda drinker, opt for 12-ounce cans instead of 20-ounce bottles. Alternatively, replace a few diet sodas per week with tea or water to reduce your consumption. 

Happy Earth Day

Happy Earth Day 2015: The Earth is doing just fine, thank you 

By Stephen Moore 

Published April 22, 2015   

Wednesday, April 22 is Earth Day. To hear the experts like Usher and Al Gore tell the story, the planet is in a miserable state. We're running out of our natural resources, we're overpopulating the globe and running out of room, the air that we breathe is becoming toxic, the oceans are rising and soon major coastal cities will be underwater, and the Earth is, of course, heating up, except when it is cooling down. 

This is perhaps the single greatest misinformation campaign in world history. Virtually none of these claims are even close to the truth -- except for the fact that our climate is always changing as it has for hundreds of thousands of years. Earth Day should be a day of joy and celebration that life on this bountiful planet is better than anytime in human history. 

Since the first Earth Day back in the 1970s, the environmentalists -- those who worship not God, but what God has created -- have issued one false prediction of Armageddon after another and yet despite the fact that their batting average is zero, the media and our schools keep parroting their declinism as if they were oracles not shysters. 

Here are the factual realities we should be celebrating on Earth Day. 

1. Natural resources are more abundant and affordable today than ever before in history. ? The price of every natural resource -- from copper to cotton to coal -- is cheaper today than 50, 100, or 500 years ago. This has happened even as the world's population has nearly tripled. Technology has far outpaced depletion of the earth's resources. 

2. Energy -- the master resource -- is super-abundant. Remember when people like Stanford biologist Paul R. Ehrlich warned 30 years ago (and Barack Obama just three years ago) that we were running out of oil and gas? Today, thanks to fracking ushering in a new age of oil and gas, the United States has hundreds of years of petroleum at its disposal and at least 500 years of coal. We're not running out of energy, we are running into it. 

3. Our air and water are cleaner. By every standard measure our air and water is much, much, much cleaner today than it was 50 and even 100 years ago. The pollutants in the air have declined by 50 to 60 percent since 1970. The air is so clean now that the EPA worries about carbon dioxide -- which isn't even a pollutant. ? (And, by the way, carbon emissions are falling too, thanks to fracking.). One hundred years ago, about one in four deaths in the U.S. was due to contaminants in drinking water. 

4. There is no Malthusain nightmare of overpopulation. Birth rates have fallen by about one-third to one-half around the world over the last 50 years. ? Developed countries are having too few kids, not too many. Even with a population of 6 billion people, average incomes, especially in poor countries, have surged over the last forty years. The number of people in abject poverty fell by almost one billion from 1980 to 2006.

 5. Global per capita food production is 40 percent higher today than as recently as 1950. In most nations the nutrition problem today is obesity -- too many calories consumed -- not hunger. The number of famines over the last 100 years has fallen in half. The price of food has fallen steadily in the U.S. And most nations steadily for 200 years. 

6. The rate of death and physical destruction from natural disasters or severe weather changes has plummeted over the last 50 to 100 years. Loss of life from hurricanes, floods, hurricanes, heat, droughts, and so on is at or near record lows. This is because we have much better advance warning systems, our infrastructure is much more durable, and we have inventions like air conditioning, to adapt to weather changes. ?We are constantly discovering new ways to harness and even tame nature. Earth Day should be a day of joy and celebration that life on this bountiful planet is better than anytime in human history. The state of the planet has never been in such fine shape by almost every objective measure. The Chicken Littles are as wrong today as they were 50 years ago. This is very good news for those who believe that one of our primary missions as human beings is to make life better over time and to leave our planet better off for future generations. Happy Earth Day. 

Love at first sight

Love at first sight is real, if you believe 

Published April 21, 2015     

The first time he saw the beautiful young woman across the crowded room, their eyes met. One week later he told he loved her. Three months later, they were married. Does this really ever happen outside of the movies? Scientists say we are genetically wired for the possibility of love at first sight, but why it happens to some people and not others is largely a matter of timing and self-assurance. 

If you are lucky enough to fall in love immediately and the feeling is mutual, it still isn't possible to know if it will last. A dinner date that starts on a love-struck note could turn sour before the check arrives, yet another "lightning just struck us" couple will go on to have a life-long relationship. Because love is hard to replicate in a lab, there is little research on when and why-and for whom-love at first sight works out. 

According to an annual "Singles in America" survey of more than 5,000 singles ages 21 to 70-plus, sponsored by the dating site Match.com, 59 percent of men and 49 percent of women in 2014 said they believe in love at first sight, and 41 percent of men and 29 percent of women say they have experienced it. 

The survey and numerous psychological studies have found men fall in love faster than women, says Helen Fisher, a biological anthropologist and New York City-based senior research fellow at the Kinsey Institute for Research in Sex, Gender and Reproduction. "Men are so visual," she says. "They see a woman who appeals to them physically, and it will trigger the romantic love system faster. She adds, "Women are custodians of the egg, so they are more careful romantically. Romantic love is one of three systems-along with the sex drive and feelings of deep attachment-that humans developed for mating. Romantic love's intense desire for connection with the other person typically lasts 18 months to three years, experts say. Its evolutionary purpose is to help people pick one partner and bond in order to raise a child. "

Feeling sluggish?

How to tell when feeling tired is a sign of a health problem 

Published April 20, 2015 

In our go, go, go lives, it's not always easy to spot problematic lack of energy. But if you're sleeping a solid seven to eight hours a night and still feeling sluggish, that should raise a red flag. The best advice is to pay close attention to exactly how it feels so you can describe it to your doctor in detail. If your fatigue is more like weakness, for example, the problem might be your thyroid gland, which regulates energy levels; either an over active or under active thyroid can zap you. 

Blood tests will show if there's an issue, and your doctor can prescribe medicines that help.  More general daytime sleepiness or fogginess, on the other hand, is more likely related to stress or a lingering infection. Your doctor might order a sleep study to rule out sleep apnea, which causes your breathing to pause while you snooze. This can disrupt your z's, even if you don't notice. To treat it, your doctor might prescribe a mouthpiece or breathing machine so you can get good rest.  

If you also have breathlessness, that's a possible sign of a heart condition like cardiomyopathy, a disease that causes overgrowth of the heart muscle. Treatment ranges from diet changes to surgery to remove tissue or implant a pacemaker. 

Finally, if you feel apathy, too, that's a sign of depression or grief. Thankfully, most of the time persistent tiredness can be solved with a little detective work.

Sunday update

Good evening,
It is hard to believe the weekend has flown by. Yesterday was a fun trip up to Searcy for the Lion's State Convention. Those folks do lots of great work with limited members and fund raisers. Try to support them when possible.

Next Saturday will be the ACB convention in North Little Rock.  Contact Sandy if you need information or wish to register

I have a very busy week so please call Krystal if you need assistance.

Until tomorrow,
Dr. Janet

Old brains

Your brain's aging and a new report urges ways to stay sharp Published April 15, 2015   Those lost car keys that were an annoyance in your 30s can spark major anxiety in your 60s. Turns out it's pretty normal: The brain ages just like the rest of your body, says a new report that urges Americans to take steps to keep sharp in their senior years. The prestigious Institute of Medicine examined what scientists know about "cognitive aging," changes in mental functioning as we get older. This isn't a disease like Alzheimer's but a natural process - and it's not always bad. Wisdom can indeed increase with age, and years of experience can prove invaluable, stressed Dr. Dan Blazer, an emeritus professor of psychiatry at Duke University who chaired the IOM committee. "The brain ages in all of us. But there's wide variability in the way the brain ages," Blazer said. Staying cognitively sharp is one of the biggest concerns of seniors, with good reason. Tuesday's report warns that even subtle slowdowns can affect daily life, making seniors more vulnerable to financial scams, driving problems or other difficulties in a technology-driven world. Indeed, while some people will experience little if any cognitive change, many older adults process information more slowly, and have more difficulty multitasking than when they were younger, the report found. What's called working memory - the brain's short-term storage - often declines with age but typically long-term memory remains intact even if it takes longer to recall someone's name. That kind of change may not be obvious until, say, someone is faced with a complex financial decision or forced to make a transaction quickly and has trouble, Blazer said. Older adults are losing nearly $3 billion a year, directly and indirectly, to financial fraud, the report noted. What's the difference between normal aging and cognitive decline? "There's no clear line that we can draw here," Blazer cautioned. Someone experiencing memory difficulty needs to be checked by a doctor, said IOM panelist Dr. Jason Karlawish of the University of Pennsylvania. With Alzheimer's, nerve cells in the brain die. With normal cognitive aging, neurons don't die - they just don't work as well, he explained. The best advice for staying sharp as you get older: Be physically active. The sooner you start the better, but it's never too late, Blazer said. The IOM also recommended: -Control high blood pressure and diabetes, and don't smoke. Those are key risks for heart disease, and what's bad for your heart is bad for your brain. -Some medications commonly taken by seniors - including certain anxiety or sleep drugs, antihistamines, bladder drugs and older antidepressants - can fog the brain, so ask about yours. -Keep socially and intellectually active. -Get enough sleep. -Be careful of products that claim to improve cognitive functioning. There's no evidence that vitamins and dietary supplements like ginkgo biloba help, Blazer said. And the jury's still out on whether computer-based brain-training games do any good, he said. The IOM also urged more research into normal cognitive aging, which has been left somewhat behind the study of diseases like Alzheimer's, and more education of doctors about their patients' risks. For example, hospitalized seniors are at increased risk for delirium - sudden confusion and agitation - that can cause lingering cognitive decline after they go home, but there are ways to prevent it. The IOM also said government agencies and communities should consider cognitive aging as they set policies and programs. It cited a California law to protect older adults who are signing up for reverse mortgages, and a Michigan plan to improve older driver safety through such steps as adjusting traffic lights to counter glare. 

Happy Friday

Good morning everyone,
Sounds like it will be a wet and soggy weekend. You may want to get any errands accomplished early today.

I have a busy calendar for the weekend. I have an event tonight and tomorrow I will be speaking at the Lions State Convention in Searcy.

Barbara and Cindy are in the Village today for the Focus group.

Have a great day and do a good deed!
Until tomorrow,
Dr. Janet

Diabetes event in Hot Springs Village

Last chance to sign up for a fun day in the Village. If you are interested call Krystal by 4 on Friday.  We all know exercise is a very important factor in avoiding and controlling diabetes. Let's get outside, enjoy the sunshine and promote a good cause!
Have a great day!
Until tomorrow,
Dr. Janet

Sleep positions

How to avoid lower back pain during sleep 

Published April 14, 2015 

 If you have ever used the phrase "I must have slept funny" to explain why you woke up with an achy back, you're not alone. In fact, research shows one in three people experience back and neck pain after a single night's sleep. Occasional back pain after sleeping can sometimes stem from your sleeping surface or from the position in which you sleep. 

We got this email from a viewer: Dear Dr. Manny, 

Lately I have been waking up with a stiff and painful lower back, even when I don't have pain the night before. What could be going wrong? Thanks, Ally 

Simple changes may help relieve some of the strain your back may incur while you rest. Many physicians suggest trying a new mattress if your bed is too hard or sags in the middle. Mattresses that are too stiff or too saggy do not properly support the joints, causing pain. "To some extent there's no magic formula because we're all different shapes and sizes, but it's a matter of finding a comfortable mattress.  Most people are more comfortable with a reasonably firm mattress and certainly a solid base. A reasonably firm mattress keeps the spine straight and therefore lessens pressure on all the joints and the structures around the spine. 

How you sleep also impacts how you feel in the morning. It's estimated that 17 percent of people sleep on their backs-- a position widely known to help with back pain. Wilson said there are two sleeping positions you should try to avoid. "Sleeping on your side and curled up in a ball is not the best position because it tends to build up that pressure in the structures and discs in the back, particularly if we sustain that posture for a long time at night. You want to be in a more neutral position," Wilson said. "And some people sleep on their stomach, but again that's not advisable, particularly if people have neck pain or headaches. 

If you sleep on your back or on your side, Wilson suggests using a night roll, a belt-like pillow with the padding on the back. "The idea of a night roll is that by wearing it around your waist, it fills in the gap between your hips and your rib cage, and therefore keeps the natural curves in your back and in your spine," he said. Night rolls can be purchased online and at some local pharmacies. Wilson said you can also try to make one yourself at home by rolling up a full-size bath towel and tucking it into one leg of a pair of pantyhose or tights. "Roll it up so that it's a nice firm ball, put that around your waist and either pin it or just tie it in place, so it'll stay firm if you roll from side to side during the night," he said. If your back pain continues, Wilson advises speaking with your doctor.  

Happy Monday

upcoming events:
Saturday I will be speaking at the Lion's State Convention in Searcy.....oh which frock to wear??
The ACB state Convention will Be held in North Little Rock the following weekend.

Hope to see you at one or the other of these events...
Dr. Janet

Happy Spring

Good morning all,
Hope everyone is enjoying the nice weekend! I function better with sunshine! Let me dispel the rumors that I have quit, retired or worse yet left the top side of the grass. I have just been busy--very busy. As you all know World Services downsized to remain solvent and that means I do lots of things.....

 It is true that my able assistants, Barbara and Cindy do most of the traveling. However, I still the bulk of the group training and plan to continue. We are winding down the current Older Blind Contract and waiting on new funds. Remember, MSU will be calling those who were served July 1, 2014-May 15, 2015.

If you need us, just call.

Until tomorrow,
Dr. Janet

Flavor drives our decisions

How flavor drives nutrition Published April 10, 2015 For nearly a half century, America has been on a witch hunt to find the ingredient that is making us fat. In the 1980s, the culprit was fat itself. Next it was carbs. Today, sugar is the enemy-unless you're caught up in the war on gluten. And none of it has worked. Obesity is now closing in on smoking as our No. 1 preventable cause of death. The U.S. has rarely failed at anything the way it has failed at weight loss. Perhaps that is because we're missing a crucial piece of the food puzzle. Oddly enough, all those diet gurus and bureaucrats hardly ever ask the simplest question: How does it taste? We've fixated on what food does inside the body, but we've almost totally ignored why it gets there in the first place. Even a child knows: We eat because food is delicious. We have been trained to see this as a bad thing. After all, if food weren't so appetizing, we wouldn't eat so much of it. But the human body takes flavor very seriously. Our flavor-sensing equipment oc'cup'ies more DNA than any other bodily system. If deliciousness is our enemy, why are we programmed to seek it out? Every other animal depends on taste and smell to identify nutrients crucial to life. Insects use flavor chemicals to distinguish between food and poison. Diabetic lab rats instinctively avoid carbs. Sheep who are deficient in essential minerals, such as calcium or phosphorus, will crave flavors associated with them. And monkeys infected with gut parasites will eat specific leaves that alleviate their conditions. "Flavor," says Fred Provenza, a behavioral ecologist and professor emeritus at Utah State University, "is the body's way of identifying important nutrients and remembering what foods they come from. 

Can fall risk be reduced by special flooring?

Can special flooring reduce fall injuries for elderly?

Published April 09, 2015  
Special impact-absorbing flooring reduced fall injuries by nearly 60 percent in a new study of women in Swedish nursing homes, though the soft floors may also be linked to more falls, according to the authors. 
"Falls are extremely common in nursing home residents, approximately 70 percent are fallers and they fall on average three to four times per year," said lead author Johanna Gustavsson of Karlstad University in Sweden. "The consequences are often very serious, for example resulting in hip fractures or head injuries. 
In the U.S., one of every three adults over age 65 falls each year, with about one quarter of those sustaining moderate to severe injuries that "make it hard for them to get around or live independently, and increase their risk of early death," according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 
The direct medical costs of falls by seniors are estimated at $34 billion annually, according to CDC. 
The idea of reducing force to reduce the risk of injuries in an accident is by no means new, it has been tested in many fields like traffic and sports, Gustavsson said. 
But impact-absorbing floors have not been widely tested, and the reduction in injury rate in the new study was greater than she and her coauthors expected.  
The researchers collected fall and injury data from a nursing home in Sweden with 60 apartments divided into six wards. Six of the 60 apartments had New Zealand-manufactured Kradal brand 12-millimeter flexible impact absorbing tiles installed. This flooring is not approved for wet areas and was not installed in any bathrooms. 
The half-inch thick tiles have a spongy polyurethane/polyurea interior. According to the manufacturer, they reduce the force of an impact by 65-85 percent, compared to concrete floors. 
Between late 2011 and early 2014, 57 female nursing home residents with an average age of 85 participated in the study, 39 of whom fell at least once. Nursing home staff recorded 254 falls on regular flooring and 77 on impact absorbing flooring. 
Almost 17 percent of falls on the special flooring resulted in an injury, compared to 30 percent of falls on regular flooring, according to results in Injury Prevention. 
Most injuries were relatively minor, with between one and two percent resulting in hip fracture. Major injuries were equally common on both types of flooring, but minor injuries were less common on the soft floors. 
Although fall injuries were less common on the impact absorbing floors, falls seemed to be more common. 
"If indeed flooring was in less than 10 percent of the areas, then 10 percent of the falls would have occurred on the impact absorbing areas, but more than twice that many were on the impact absorbing floors," said Dr. Peter M. Layde of the Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee, who was not a part of the new study. 
"It raises the possibility that softer flooring might actually increase risk of falling," Layde told Reuters Health by phone. 
However, in this and other studies, there is a chance that nursing home staff moved patients who were more likely to fall into the softer flooring areas, Gustavsson said. 
"We have indications that this was also the case in our study with staff moving elderly that were prone to fall to the areas with the special flooring in order to protect them, as they perceived that the flooring 'worked'," she said. "This was out of our control and nothing we could (or wanted) to prevent. 
M. Clare Robertson of the Dunedin School of Medicine at the University of Otago in New Zealand was involved with the initial testing of Kradal, and found no difference in standing, balance, walking or stability compared with standard vinyl or carpeted floors. . 
Over the three-year period of the study, only six women fell on the impact absorbing floors and three fell on both types of floor, which means only nine individuals fell on the new flooring, Layde said. Such a small group limits how much the results can be interpreted, he said. 
Bathrooms are a frequent location of falls, but the special flooring is not applicable there, he noted. 
Still, the idea is "tantalizing" and deserves more investigation, Layde said. 
"The use of this type of flooring is still in an experimental stage but there are some ongoing trials across the world," Gustavsson said. 
There will need to be more tests to find the best mix of injury prevention and usability, she said. 
"Many aspects have to be considered for floorings in care settings: work environment, maintenance and hygiene to mention a few," she said. The staff of this particular nursing home did appreciate the improved acoustic environment with the new floors, she noted. 

Naps

Napping: Helpful or harmful to your sleep?

 By Dr. Manny Alvarez 

Published April 08, 2015   

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. 

Easy Potatoe Skins

Easy Potato Skins

4 Baking Potatoes, washed 
3 tb Butter, melted
Salt
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
7 Slices Bacon, cooked and crumbled or 1/2-1 cup Bacon Bits

Preheat oven to 400 degrees
Cover pan with foil
Spray foil with non stick spray
Cut ends off potatoes 
Cut potatoes approximately in 1/2 inch slices (do not remove skins)
Brush with melted butter on both sides
Sprinkle with salt
Spread potatoes out on the foil lined pan
Bake 30-40 minutes or until brown
After 15 minutes into baking turn potatoes over 
When done, top with cheese, bacon and green onions (optional)
Bake 3-5 minutes until cheese is melted or bubbly

Brain food

5 foods for better brain health 

By Tanya Zuckerbrot 

Published March 31, 2015     

 March is National Brain Health Month, so it's timely to highlight the role some foods play in healthy brain function: 

Berries 

 Berries are rich in antioxidants that protect brain cells and improve blood flow, which may help reverse age-related deficits in motor function and working memory. Studies have linked blackberry consumption with improved coordination and balance while eating blueberries has been shown to boost comprehension and memory. 

Garlic 

In addition to fighting diseases such as stomach, colon and breast cancer, studies have shown that a compound found in garlic may improve learning, long-term memory and mood by boosting serotonin levels in the brain. Low central serotonin may impair cognitive flexibility, which is integral to abstract and critical thinking, and problem-solving. 

Spinach 

Nutrient-rich spinach is packed with vitamins B6, B12 and folate, which enable the release neurotransmitters that drive healthy brain function. A deficiency in B vitamins has been linked to a host of neurological disorders including depression, and folate deficiency has been associated with impaired concentration and memory. 

Fish 

Fish is an excellent source of polyunsaturated omega-3 fatty acids, which support a variety of cognitive processes essential for normal brain function. Studies have shown that people who regularly eat foods rich in omega-3s perform better on tests for visual memory, attention and abstract thinking than those who consume less omega-3 in their diet. 

Turmeric 

New research suggests that curcumin in the spice turmeric may be helpful in the treatment and prevention of Alzheimer's disease. Turmeric is also rich in omega-3 fatty acids, which are known to promote healthy brain function, reduce inflammation, and help regulate blood pressure. One particular omega-3, called docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), is a structural component of brain tissue that has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, which may slow deterioration in the brain.