Contemporary Health Nutrition Fitness & Injury

Active again, investing in hearty play, great food and healthy behaviors once more. Socially active again because I am taking care of myself, preventively, regularly, finding natural tools to keep me moving. Welcome to contemporary, healthy, good nutrition-filled, fit and enjoyable living.

If you want holistic, alternative perspectives on contemporary medicine, health, nutrition and fitness, we are here.

Patients’ clinical literacy can be a challenge to delivering effective health care.  When physicians, pharmacists, and nurses attending courses on patient safety and healthcare quality are surveyed about their techniques for addressing low health literacy in their patients, many report using the following approaches most often.

• Use of simple language (95%);
• Handing out printed materials (70%); and
• Speaking more slowly (67%).

However, none of these techniques are recommended by health literacy experts. Rather, experts recommend using:

• The teach-back technique (asking patients to summarize what has been discussed);
• Non-language-dependent materials including drawing pictures, showing videos, cartoons and animations;
  
• Involving the family; and
• Telephoning the patient to check understanding.

The teach-back technique is generally used by less than 40% of respondents surveyed.

Using pictures has been demonstrated to significantly improve recall of spoken medical instructions. However, the most common barriers to improving communication with patients of low clinical literacy is the lack of time and information complexity. Provider training in health literacy increases the odds of using both the teach-back technique and appropriate health education materials, including pictures.

In general, it is clear is that the communication gap between patient and provider should improve. As a medical service consumer, the primary benefit of this information to you is the knowledge that many of your peers do not have an adequate understanding of the medical plan that they engage daily. Such problems with “medical literacy” can cause additional medical issues themselves such as might be related to inappropriate use of prescribed medicines. Be a good medical consumer. Work on improving your clinical literacy.

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Men, protect yourself from prostate cancer via:

• Whole grains.
• Cruciferous vegetables (e.g., broccoli, cauliflower).
• Tomatoes.
• Milk.
• Smaller fish (e.g., mackerel, herring, sardines).
• Decrease red meat consumption.
• Pectasol (modified citrus pectin).
• Vitamin E.
• Tumeric.
• Water (high volume intake) to in frequency of flushing.
• Exercise (to increase blood flow)

In April of 2011 the Journal of Neuroscience reported by Wake Forest (University) Baptist Medical Center that compared to control populations, people who meditate an average of approximately 30 minutes per day demonstrate (via functional MRI)  increased activity in the portions of their brains associated with compassion, self-awareness, improved memory and learning.

Remember 30 minute nap-time in Kindergarten? No one slept; all just rested quietly at their desks for 30 minutes in the setting of dimmed lights.  Maybe we left a good habit behind.

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In living systems, reactive oxygen substances (ROS) are referred to as free radicals. ROS play a positive role in energy production, getting rid of cellular debris (phagocytosis), regulation of cell growth, and synthesis of biologically important compounds. However, oxidative stress is the result of an increased ROS production and/or a decrease in their elimination. Excessive circulating ROS is dangerous for cells, tissues and organs it has been inferred that oxidative stress is the cause for number of disorders, including atherosclerosis, neural degenerative disease, inflammation, cancer and aging.

Antioxidants function to reduce concentrations of ROS.  Cumin seed has been found to have quality antioxidant activity. Oval in shape and a little like caraway seed in appearance, their bitter-sweet spicy taste makes them popular in Indian curries and rice dishes, as well as Tex-Mex (e.g., chili), European, Middle eastern and North African cooking. Make cumin a part of your diet and an antioxidant for your health.

Most persons with a snoring problem that is not related to exhaustion or nasal sinus problems have problems with obesity, or oral musculature or both. When the problem is that of rearward motion of the tongue when reclined, it causes blockage of the air passageway and awakening, and this snoring problem is referred to as sleep apnea.

Treatments can include:

1. Wearing a mouth guard at night
2. CPAP machine
3. Strengthening oral muscles with a didgeridoo
4. Strengthening oral muscle via mouth exercises

•   Press tongue to the roof of mouth and hold for 20 seconds
•   Pressing tongue to the roof of mouth – say “a, e, i, o, u”
•   Press tongue to the roof of mouth and slide it forward and backward
•   Press tongue to the roof of mouth and swallow repeatedly.

You can easily engage the oral muscle exercises. Some non-prescription alternative medicine can help you relax and sleep. Otherwise speak with your clinician and find that which works for you.

Remember purple ketchup? Remember the big purple dinosaur who led the children singing “I love you, you love me, we’re a happy family…” on his show? Well, we all love each other, and I think its time for purple ketchup and gloves.

Everybody in the U.S. commercial universe is getting in on the pink ribbons, pink gloves, pink socks, etceteras craze as if they were actually aware of breast cancer. One business has even been selling pink, oversized buckets of fried chicken. Now that reminds me of the commercials for a “triple cheese bacon burgers with an extra-large orders of fries” followed by the commercial for a cholesterol lowering agent. If the chicken establishment even recognized that obesity is causally related to breast cancer, it might not encourage purchasing the pink buckets. Oh well.

The commercial world had its shot at making money on breast cancer, now its prostate cancer’s turn! We want purple ribbons, T-shirts, marathons, gloves, purple burger buns and fries. Moreover, don’t forget the purple ketchup for those fries.

On a more serious note, those PSA tests and fingers in your @!& aren’t nearly as effective at preventing prostate cancer as they are at making money for the traditional western clinicians performing the tests and related “downline” services. So, tell your doctor and his non-tort reformed attorney to get their digits, tests, and surgical tools out of you because “I love you, you love me, and we’re all a big happy family.”

p.s. – we know that others use purple ribbons to symbolize another issue, but prostate cancer is no less important.

I looked outside to espy a blue sky, sunny day of 76 degrees. The air is crisp, scented by the changing of varieties of leaves, sweet, with occasional acrid elements of degrading bark. The soft breeze from the bay too distant to be seen is slightly moist. sweet, with occasional acrid elements of degrading bark.  At least I know such to be true were I to arise from this keyboard and pass through the nearby door.

I work feverishly for the opportunity to allow myself a break, a moment to step outside and enjoy that which is right there and would cost me nothing if I were to so much as get up for a second. “Life’s happening out there. [I just need to] get in it. “I have been at this for many years. The system suggested that if I would I just keep my nose to the grindstone I may be assured a future of leisure. But, I can hear the sounds of nature beckoning as I recollect those formative years, riding bicycles all day without tethers to smartphones. Zig-zagging our skateboards down boulevards without the impact of 1000 watt sound waves from trunks of pimped-out rides knocking us off sidewalks. We played baseball in open fields and football in the street. The ice cream at the end of the day would be labeled organic now, just pure delicious then.

Don’t let any of that get away, or seek a comparable palette reflecting where you reside. It costs little to get out of your cubicle, away from your internet hot spot, and away from the screen that may be showing you only a small glimpse of images of the real world, if any.Talk to a friend, don’t text her. Call a friend, don’t email him. Go see friends, don’t webcam them.

Are you enjoying everyday life? . . . “Its happening out there. Get in it.”

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Why does a big plate of spaghetti at the end of a stressful day sound so good?  Does a donut in the morning get you going? For a lot of people, the answer to both questions is a resounding “yes”.  Follow this link and read about it if you are one of those who sprinkle some of those carbs (carbohydrates) into your consumption throughout the day.

Traditional western medicine is predominantly about diagnosis and treatment. Even programs that claim to be preventive in nature are predominantly based upon performing screening, early and often, to make early diagnoses. In America, we predominantly receive medical care. . . . . 

The California Medical Association (CMA), representing more than 35,000 physicians, is the first national medical organization to take a position that supports cannabis/marijuana legalization. The organization recognizes that it places physicians, their patients and related organizations in a very difficult position when finding it necessary to discuss and recommend a product that is legal in California but not at the federal level. It means that many physicians who belong to organizations that accept federal funding for research are informed by their legal counsel that that should not address the interests of their patients lest they put their research funding at risk.  The lack of federal legalization also inhibits performance of significant clinical research on marijuana itself.

Conservative opponents fail to acknowledge the adverse effects on the health and safety of society of prescription drugs, prescription drug abuse, alcohol, tobacco, and high fat/sugar content foods, environmental contamination, etceteras, when they cite their individual biases. Marijuana as a target is low-hanging fruit, and opponents will simply look out for their own interests.

The real laggards are the pharmaceutical companies and their lobbyists. More legal research could be performed. However, until their control of the cannabis-based product market is guaranteed, we are unlikely to see much of any new, well-priced cannabis-based medications. It is too easy to grow your own.

Meanwhile, organizations such as the CMA supports cannabis legalization for physicians, their patients and legitimate research.

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