Driving and Secondhand Smoke

Posted on August 17, 2015 by Sage Robinson

We all know about the health risks associated with smoking and secondhand smoke, but do you truly know how dangerous it is to smoke in an enclosed place like a car, even with the windows open?

A study by researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health found “alarming” levels of secondhand smoke were generated in just five minutes in vehicles under various driving, ventilation, and smoking conditions. These levels were higher than found in similar studies conducted in restaurants and bars.

Secondhand smoke and carbon monoxide from just one cigarette exceeded levels described by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as “unhealthy for sensitive groups” such as children and the elderly. Even when the smoker extinguished the cigarette and rolled down the window, the unhealthy levels lingered.

For more information, check out this video from the California Department of Public Health.

All content of this newsletter is intended for general information purposes only and is not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Please consult a medical professional before adopting any of the suggestions on this page. You must never disregard professional medical advice or delay seeking medical treatment based upon any content of this newsletter. PROMPTLY CONSULT YOUR PHYSICIAN OR CALL 911 IF YOU BELIEVE YOU HAVE A MEDICAL EMERGENCY.

Protect Your Skin, Naturally!

Posted on August 12, 2015 by Sage Robinson

Wearing sunscreen isn’t the only way to ensure UV protection. During the dog days of summer when the sun is at its hottest try these three delicious fresh fruits and vegetables that naturally offer UV protection.

. Citrus fruit – Bring some fresh lemonade to the beach! Lemons, oranges and limes all contain limonene, which studies have shown to reduce skin cancer risk by 34 percent.

. Carrots and Red peppers – Snack on some crudité by the pool! Red, yellow and orange vegetables provide carotenoids that help to reduce sunburn intensity.

. Spinach – Take a smoothie to the ball park! Leafy greens, like dark green lettuce, spinach, kale, and Swiss chard are great sources of the antioxidants lutein and zeaxanthin that studies how halt abnormal cell growth prompted by UV light.

Remember that these fruits and vegetables are not a substitute for wearing sunscreen and protective clothing when outside in the sun, but they may give you an extra line of defense in saving your skin down the line.

Is Pilates Right For You?

Posted on August 10, 2015 by Sage Robinson

The Pilates Method, a physical fitness system developed by Joseph Pilates in the early 1930s, is a practice intended to strengthen the physical body, as well as the mind. The goal of Pilates is to help the participant realize the connection between how you move and carry yourself throughout the day and any pain or discomfort that you might experience as a result of sitting, walking or moving in a way that might aggravate these conditions.

Pilates believed that stretching, strengthening and body alignment are all important in maintaining good physical and mental health.

Pilates can be done on a mat or using an “apparatus,” a stretching machine usually found in a Pilates studio. Some of the main principles and aims of Pilates exercise include:

. Concentrating and focusing on what you’re doing all the time and aiming for smooth movements.

. Increased control of muscle movement teaches you to be in control of your body.

. Increased core strengthening, called “centering,” of the abdomen, lower and upper back, hips, buttocks, and inner thighs strengthens the rest of the body.

. Better flow and efficiency of movement helps to build strength and stamina.

. Increasing the intake of oxygen through proper breathing can increase circulation to every part of the body.

Pilates is generally recommended for people who have chronic lower back pain, but might not be a cure all for everyone. Check with your doctor before embarking on this or any new exercise plan.

The Importance of Wound Care as a Diabetic

Posted on August 10, 2015 by Sage Robinson

Cuts and scrapes may not seem like a big deal for most people but for diabetics, healing can often become complicated due to their immune systems becoming compromised. For diabetics, careful monitoring of healing wounds is important to prevent bigger health issues down the line.

If you’re a diabetic, try these helpful tips to prevent a small problem from becoming more complicated:

Should you get a cut, treat it immediately. Cleanse the affected area with soap and water daily. Dry the area well after washing, and apply an antibiotic ointment to keep the site germ-free. Skin injuries generally heal within two weeks, but cuts may take up to three weeks to heal in people with diabetes. Anything beyond that is excessive, and you should have your physician look at it again.
Keep pressure off the wound. Pressure can increase the time it takes to heal.
Be aware of the signs of an infection. Symptoms can include pain, redness, or warmth at the site of the infection. Drainage is another sign of an infection. Don’t ignore any of these signs. Get treatment promptly.

Remember that even a small scrape can become serious if you don’t take proper care of it. Left untreated, wounds can lead to an amputation in the most serious of cases. Taking good care of yourself is an important step toward preventing wounds.

If you have a wound that isn’t healing properly, please contact the Wound Care Center at Flushing Hospital Medical Center for an appointment at 718-670- 4542.

Recipe: A Great Summer Salad Dressing

Posted on August 10, 2015 by Sage Robinson

The summer time is great for grilling and salads but we often forget about the dressing. Why store buy? Here is a great recipe, courtesy of the Food Network, for a salad dressing with ingredients from home to make it even more convenient:

Lemon Balsamic Dressing:

Whisk 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 2 teaspoons dijon mustard, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, and pepper to taste. Gradually whisk in 1/2 cup olive oil until blended and then pour over your favorite greens!.

August is National Immunization Awareness Month

Posted on August 10, 2015 by Sage Robinson

The end of summer is approaching and parents and kids are preparing to go back to school. In addition to new clothes, backpacks and books, all school-age children, from preschoolers to college students, need vaccines.

August is National Immunization Awareness Month and today’s vaccines are among the most successful and cost-effective public health tools for preventing disease and death. In 2014, he United States experienced a record number of measles cases with 668 cases from 27 states reported to CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases (NCIRD). This is the greatest number of cases since measles was eliminated in the U.S. in 2000. Despite these recent outbreaks, many parents are still unclear which vaccines their children should receive or if their children should receive any at all?

Keep a record of what vaccines your child has received and when. Check with your physician to make sure your child’s immunization schedule is current. By vaccinating your child today, you are not only ensuring their protection against a wide variety of illness, but you are also helping to eradicate these diseases for future generations.

Does a larger waist size indicate a shorter life expectancy?

Posted on August 3, 2015 by Sage Robinson

Weight and body mass index (BMI) are used to calculate whether a person is normal, overweight or obese. Recent studies conclude that waist measurements might also indicate health risks.

Data analyzed from 11 studies involving 650,386 adults, most in their early 60s over a nine year span concluded that people with the largest waist sizes were most likely to die at a younger age from cardiovascular disease, respiratory disease, or cancer than those with smaller waists.

Men whose waists measured 43 inches or more were 52 percent more likely to increase their risk of death than men with 35-inch waists; women with 37-inch or larger waists had an 80 percent higher mortality risk than those with waists of 28 inches or less. The chances of dying prematurely increased 9 percent for women and 7 percent for men for every two-inch increase in waist size. Compared with those who had the smallest waists, men with the largest waists had a life expectancy that was three years shorter; for women, five years shorter. The elevated likelihood of dying early applied across the board, affecting even people with normal BMIs.

According to the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, this “obesity paradox” is because BMI does not distinguish between fat and muscle it is a flawed measure of heart risk. Waist size provides a far more accurate way to predict a patient’s chances of dying at an early age from a heart attack or other causes. BMI measurements are still important, but other considerations such as body shape and fat distribution should also be factored in.

Do you know your waist circumference? Here’s how to measure it:

Locate your hip bone on your abdomen.

Wrap a measuring tape around your body at this level. It should be snug but not pressing into your bare skin.

The tape should be parallel to the floor. Relax, exhale and read the measurement.

Being physically active, eating well and watching portions can make a positive impact on your waist and overall health. Discuss your health risks and goals with your medical provider.

August is Psoriasis Awareness Month

Posted on August 3, 2015 by Sage Robinson

In the United States, about 7.5 million people have psoriasis (pronounced sore-EYE-ah-sis), a chronic, inherited disease. It develops when a person’s immune system sends faulty signals that tell skin cells to grow too quickly. The skin cells pile up on the surface of the skin, causing patches of psoriasis to appear.

Psoriasis can begin at any age. Most people get psoriasis between 15 and 30 years of age. By age 40, 75 percent of people who are prone to psoriasis will get develop it. Another common time for psoriasis to begin is between 50 and 60 years of age. Not everyone who carries the genes will get it. Research shows it takes the combination of many different genes and other possible “triggers” to cause an outbreak.

Some triggers include:

A stressful event.

Strep throat.

Taking certain medicines, such as lithium, or medicine to prevent malaria.

Cold, dry weather.

A cut, scratch, or bad sunburn.

Psoriasis can be a misery for many people, but the good news is that there are many treatments available. Oral and topical prescription medications, biologics and phototherapy are very useful in relieving itch and flaking. Diet, exercise, stress reduction and other complementary therapies like acupuncture are also useful in helping control an outbreak. If you have questions about your skin and would like to schedule an appointment with a dermatologist, please contact Flushing Hospital Medical Center’s Ambulatory Care Center at 718-670-5486.

The Facts About Dem Bones

Posted on July 29, 2015 by Sage Robinson

Most of our understanding of the human skeleton is limited to what we see around Halloween, but there are many interesting facts about our bones. Here are a few:

• Adults have 206 bones in their bodies, but the same is not true for infants. The skeleton of a newborn has approximately 300 bones. Over time, the “extra” bones in infants fuse to form larger bones, reducing the overall number of bones to 206 by adulthood.

• Each hand has 27 bones, and each foot has 26, which means that together the body’s two hands and two feet have 106 bones. The hands and feet contain more than half of the bones in your entire body.
• The largest, and by most accounts, the strongest bone is the thigh bone, or femur. It is roughly over 25% of our total height. The smallest bone in the human body is the staples (or stirrup) bone, found in the middle ear. It is only 2.8 millimeters long.

• Most adults have 24 ribs (12 pairs), but about one in every 500 people has an extra rib, called a cervical rib. This extra rib can cause health issues for some if it squashes nearby blood vessels or nerves. Symptoms are marked by pain in the shoulder or neck, loss of limb feeling, blood clots and other problems.

• Every bone is connected to another bone — with one exception. The hyoid is a horseshoe –shaped bone found in the throat, located between the chin and the thyroid cartilage. It’s the only bone in the human body not connected to another bone. The hyoid is important for speech because of it works with the larynx (voice box) and tongue to produce the range of human vocalizations.

• Bones are strong and rigid – In fact, they are stronger than steel, but they are not the hardest substance in the body. That title goes to another part of the skeletal system; tooth enamel. This substance protects the crown of teeth and owes its strength to its high concentration of minerals.

FACT FRIDAY: Why Do We Yawn?

Posted on July 23, 2015 by Sage Robinson

The next time you are with a group of friends, try this little experiment: Take a big yawn and watch and see how many people follow suit. There’s a good chance you’ll set off a chain reaction of deep breaths and wide-open mouths.

Yawning is an involuntary action that causes us to open our mouths wide and breathe in deeply. We know it’s involuntary because we do it even before we’re born. Yawns typically last about six seconds and often occur in clusters. Researchers are starting to unravel the mystery surrounding the yawn. Yawning, they have discovered, is much more complicated than previously thought and although all yawns look the same, they appear to have many different causes and serve a variety of functions.

There are several theories about why we yawn. Here are the four most common:
The physiological theory: Our bodies induce yawning to draw in more oxygen or remove a buildup of carbon dioxide. This theory helps explain why we yawn in groups
The evolution theory: Some think that yawning began with our ancestors, who used yawning to show their teeth and intimidate others.

The boredom theory: Although we do tend to yawn when bored or tired, this theory doesn’t explain why Olympic athletes yawn right before they compete in their event or why dogs tend to yawn just before they attack.

The brain-cooling theory: A more recent theory proposed by researchers is that people yawn more in situations where their brains are likely to be warmer. Cool brains can think more clearly; hence, yawning might have developed to keep us alert.

But why does seeing someone else yawn might make us yawn too?
Interestingly, while all vertebrates (including fish) yawn – only humans, chimps and possibly dogs find yawns contagious. Recent studies show contagious yawning may be linked to one’s capacity for empathy. That is why humans don’t find them contagious until they’re about 4 years old; about the age when we develop a sense of empathy.

What we do know for sure is if you yawn at work or at a gathering, you’ll probably notice a few other people will start yawning, too. Even thinking about yawning can get you yawning. How many times have you yawned while reading this article? We hope not many.