We’ve all heard news reports of otherwise healthy teenaged athletes collapsing on playing fields. Too often the culprit is Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) – the leading cause of death in teenaged athletes. Nick of Time’s mission is to educate schools, athletic directors, families and communities about SCA, and set up screenings to achieve early detection of potentially fatal cardiac abnormalities.

I hope you’ll read more on their website and give generously to this most worthy and underserved cause.

Staying hydrated is critical – but that doesn’t mean drinking lots of bottled water! Water on its own lacks the electrolytes our bodies need to avoid heat-associated illness. And processed drinks like Gatorade are loaded with sugar and artifical coloring, which we can all do without. Do drink lots of water, but eat potassium-rich foods like bananas and potatoes, and add lots of sea salt to your diet.  You can also simply supplement your drinking water with electrolytes (E-Lyte is one our patients like).

At the same time, be aware of your caffeine intake – skip the iced coffee and tea and reach for an iced herbal tea instead. Get familiar with the signs of heat exhaustion if you do need to be outside for any length of time, and make sure to take lots of shady breaks.

Beth Galan, NP-C

Last week  we talked about some simple dietary changes to help improve mood. Related to that is the importance of maintaining steady blood sugar levels throughout the day – too many highs and lows can cause mood swings and sluggishness. Too often, we confine ourselves to three meals a day with no snacks in between. Instead, eat small meals every 3 hours, and stay away from processed food! Both your mood and energy level will benefit.

Thyroid function is another big factor in mood and energy, and yet it is often ignored at annual physicals. Make sure your physician is checking your thyroid function routinely, and check out Dr. Rothfeld’s book Thyroid Balance for a nuanced, thorough examination of the thyroid and it’s critical importance to all aspects of our health and wellbeing.

Feeling sluggish or irritable? You can feel significantly better through some simple adjustments to your diet and lifestyle. This series of posts will highlight 7 easy ways to improve your energy level, mood, and overall outlook.

First, take a look at your menu plan – transfats (found in margarine, cake mix, ramen noodles, processed foods) and saturated fats (found in butter, cheese, and hamburgers) are both associated with bad mood. They may be what you crave in the moment, but you will feel so much better in the long run when you kick them to the curb!

Instead, load your diet with more fresh whole foods, including greens, vegetables and fruits, as well as healthful gluten-free grains such as quinoa, millet, and amaranth. Check out the Gluten-Free Goddess blog not only for gluten-free recipes but for lots of tasty healthy food ideas.

The next culprit is caffeine – a classic case where less is more. In these days of hot weather where you’re apt to rely on lots of iced coffee drinks to get through the day, allow yourself two coffee servings, max. More than 200 mg daily can increase dependence and irritability. Reach instead for an iced (or hot) green tea – a refreshing and tasty source of antioxidants and Epigalloccatechin Gallate (EGCG), a substance that helps speed up metabolism and detoxify the body.

For the patient running out of options, our do-or-die culture seems to offer an endless supply of yet another experimental treatment, or one more drug trial. Yet its flip-side is the reality of precious hours spent in treatments that may never work, away from family members; or the endurance of horrific side-effects piled on top of an already devastating illness. Where is the tipping point, and do we physicians have an obligation to help our patients weigh these agonizing choices?

I look for cues in my patients to tell me when they are ready to shift the focus away from continuing the fight, and towards the creation of a safe space where they can prepare for the end of their life. That decision is exclusively and entirely theirs, of course, and I consider myself deeply privileged to be a part of it. I’ve treated people who’ve chosen to spend their final days half-way around the world, literally dragging themselves to one more treatment. And I’ve watched a Native American family chant around their grandfather’s hospital bed, drowning out the sound of heart monitors and breathing machines.

I’ve practiced medicine for over 35 years now, and will never cease to be humbled by the courage and dignity of my patients facing the unfathomable decision of when to say enough is enough.

First, make sure to consult the MWRA website regularly, as they offer detailed instructions on boiling and treating water, safe food preparation, etc.

And because many of our patients have weakened digestive tracts and immune systems to begin with, I want to make some suggestions to strengthen the bowel lining, if it should be exposed to abnormal bacteria and parasites. These are basically the same recommendations that I make when people travel to areas with questionable water supplies.

One is a strong probiotic. We use either TruFlora (needs refrigeration) or UltraFlora DF (does not need refrigeration). One capsule twice daily during times of exposure should suffice.

Second, we use the herbal antiparasitic supplement Para-Gard. Two capsules AM and PM after meals is the proper dose.

Third, we use a pre-biotic, L-Glutamine, to strengthen the bowel wall. I recommend L-Glutamine FOS powder, 1/2 teaspoon twice a day, in water that has been at a rolling boil for two minutes, of course.

Preventing and Healing Sunburns

For people with cardiac disease, even simple activities — such as going to the mailbox or walking the dog — can be challenging.

If you are one of these people, take heart. There is a non-invasive treatment called EECP therapy that clinical experience has shown to be safe and to have benefit for the treatment of angina and heart failure. Approximately 80% of patients who complete the 35-hour course of EECP therapy experience significant symptom relief that may last up to three years.

Watch a video and learn more about EECP: http://tinyurl.com/dfcnpj

To learn more, call our Arlington offices 781-641-1901

Hyperbaric treatment for children with autism has reportedly led to improvements in the condition, though previous studies were uncontrolled. Now, a new study published in the open access journal, BMC Pediatrics, is the first controlled trial to report clinical improvements.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-03/bc-htf031109.php