weekly news

News notes

• Energy Boost: It is counterintuitive, I know, yet fatigue can often be contributed to lack of activity. You may sit at your desk all day and feel exhausted but you haven't exerted yourself physically nor have you done anything to improve your cardiovascular fitness. Exercise, time after time, has been shown to increase energy, focus and concentration. Exercise is far more invigorating than any caffeine drink and safer too. Energy drinks do not improve your health and new ones that include alcohol are the focus of a wide ranging Attorneys General request for safety and marketing investigation. [I am not against caffeine in general, just in excess and in alcohol]
• Pain: In recent weeks reports surfaced regarding the staggering increase in the use of pain medications, including narcotics and mostly Oxycodone/Oxycotin. Two reasons for the increase could be, people request these drugs because they heard about them on TV or doctors suggest them because they heard about them at a Pharm dinner. We have an increase in chronic pain cases in large part due to an aging population of people whose lifestyle choices may have increased their risk for degenerative disk and joint disease. These factors include inactivity and overweight. The past is done. Lose weight and become active now, in your present, for your future. Try ice or heat and movement to address your current pain as a first response. Mediation should be second line and in lowest effective dose for the shortest amount of time. [all according to your doctor's rec's of course]
• Look Younger, Feel Younger, Live Longer: Stop smoking and tanning today, results in six months. Boost these results by also adopting a Mediterranean life style. Eat lean meats and fish, monounsaturated fats (oils), fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. Walk a lot. Be mindful of calories in and out.
• Disability: Oh my, best quote of the year comes from former governor and current presidential candidate Mike Huckabee. This man has lost 110 pounds and consistently advocates for health promotion at work, home, and community. Mr. Huckabee works with others to especially address the fattest section of the USA, the South. I often note that wellness programs can decrease disability, here is his quote regarding who will be available to fight global acts of violence. "Who is going to fight it in the future if we are a generation so sick we don't have the capacity to show up for work." Amen
• Obesity Surgery: People often ask my opinion on bariatric or gastric bypass surgery of which there are a few types. I think……… well, I think that the Gastric is Drastic. Ok. And yet, I cannot deny that some long term research studies do show that persons who receive the very invasive and expensive procedure do have a better outcome percentage wise than similar individuals that do not. First though, the risk of death with the procedure is higher than most would like and it’s a vague number, anywhere from 1 in 100 to 1 in 500 cases. Also, there are surgery complications and in many cases, depending on the type of bypass surgery, a life long need to take supplements and to eat like you have an egg sized stomach, because you do. I would so much prefer that people take steps now to prevent themselves from ever having a BMI of 30+, but I'd also rather people be well. So if this is your choice you go for it and you be well. [research note. The better outcomes were attributed to less death and heart attack related to weight loss. In other words, the control group didn't lose the same about of weight (they may or may not have been on a weight loss program)]
• Risperdal: This drug, an antipsychotic medication, just received FDA approval to treat schizophrenia and bipolar disorder in children has the following side effects; weight gain, new onset diabetes 2, increased bad cholesterol and thus decreased life span. The decision is one of quality over quantity. To note however. A physician interviewed by the Wall St. Journal advised that docs be mindful of the weight gain and counsel their clients. I can tell you, it isn't happening in adults and it isn't going to happen in kids unless someone forces that kind of accountability. Very few people have the comfort level needed to say, "hey… we have to get your weight down." NOT telling your patient that they are at risk for an obesity related illness is far from best practice.
  
  
  Wishing You Wellness