Structure Sunday: The Body Mind Connection

It is somewhat counterintuitive to think of your midmorning snack as being good for your mood stability or your yoga session as lengthening your attention span, but they are. This blog post will point back to some recently finished website pages that will inform you about how you can leverage the integration of body and mind to produce more health and fulfillment in your life. I am re-highlighting them since together they make a set that speaks to the integration of body and mind. 

Learn more here. 

Food Friday: Another Workout Recipe

This blog post reflects two of my biggest health priorities: exercise and good food. It also reflects one of my favorite hobbies: getting more done in the day. 

Have you ever balanced the checkbook while waiting for laundry to dry ? How about unloading the dishwasher while listening to an online class ? I call this nesting. This just means you put one chore inside another. It is not the same as multitasking, which is so last decade. 

In that spirit, I like to workout and prepare dinner when I get home from work. To accomplish both I need recipes which can go untended for the length of a workout. I call these workout recipes.

I have noticed that many of my patients do not get the recommended amount of cardio. I have advised such patients starting out to take it easy at first, and go for a manageable length of time, like about 20 minutes. What kind of recipe might work ? Meatloaf ? Nope. It takes too long. But what if you hacked the recipe and instead of making one big lump that took an hour to cook, you divided it into muffin tins ? Voila. You may have heard of this on Pinterest, but my husband is sure he made it up. OK. Here is our version. I suspect you can do it with any meatloaf recipe. 

Muffin Tin Meatloaf

Preheat to 350 degrees

Thoroughly Mix: 

1 pound thawed drained ground red meat 

1/2 to 1 minced onion, 1 Tablespoon minced garlic, or once bunch minced green onions

1 Tablespoon mixed Italian spices or Herbes de Provence, a few grinds of pepper, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt 

1 Tablespoon mustard, and some say also of ketchup, some say a dash of Worcestershire sauce 

One whole wheat piece of bread, made into fine crumbs 

One egg 

If you want to sneak some veggies in, add a couple grated carrots. 

Mixture should be moist but able to be formed. Adjust with crumbs or olive oil. 

Scoop into papered muffin tins and bake until crusty and done to 160 degrees internal temp ( Takes between 20-30 minutes )  You may add a sauce on top but this may make it too sweet and also it will be prone to burning before the meat is even done. You can always add a sauce later. 

Do your workout. 

Toss a big fresh salad, pour some water and serve. 

Wellness Wednesday: Meditation

As complementary health practices go, meditation seems to be the one with which Americans feel the least comfortable. The CDC reports that in 2012, nearly 18 % of people used non vitamin non mineral supplements. Eight percent use chiropractic manipulation, 8 % use yoga, but only 4% use meditation. And yet, among the many alternative or complementary approaches, it is one which is amply supported by data.

Is it religion ? Is it philosophy ? Is it just exercise ?  What does it even do ? 

Read HERE to learn more. 

Medical Monday: Hysterectomy

Hysterectomy is a topic that is highly politicized in our media and in our culture. It is the most common operation that women have except for Cesarean section. The reasons or indications for hysterectomy are fairly well defined. And yet there is debate about when to do them and how to do them. The good news is that the quality of our research and the quality of our surgery is improving by the day. Our decision making processes regarding treatments, our ways of discussing options with patients, and our methods of surgery are far better than they used to be. 

Click HERE to learn more. 

Structure Sunday: The Structure of Laparoscopy

In the " olden days" all surgery was done through open incisions, meaning an incision large enough to see and get at whatever you were operating on. During my Ob/Gyn specialty residency training in the years 1990-1994, our profession made a big transition to laparoscopy. Instead of large 14 cm incisions for a hysterectomy for example, we made a 1-2 cm incision tucked discreetly under the belly button and two others out to either side of the same size. We would use instruments on sticks in the side ports to do the surgery. Most recently we have a adopted the use of the multi-armed Da Vinci Robot for laparoscopy which confers numerous advantages to surgeon and patient alike.

One a warm evening in 1992 in a synagogue in Boulder Colorado, I had the pleasure of meeting an elderly Russian man and his family. His wife was a cardiologist and his adult children a variety of scientific professionals. They were recent refugees to the States. Despite their education and experience, they could only find work at McDonalds.

 The old gentleman himself had been Chief of Surgery in a large Russian hospital. Since his children spoke English, I decided to chat with him though a translator about what surgery we were doing at the University Hospital. I described the new laparoscopic technique, from the small incisions, to the use of CO2 gas to elevate the abdominal wall, and the positioning of the patient with her head down, to get the bowel out of the way of the pelvic organs. I described the long straight tools which we inserted in the two side ports, one cautery, and one grasper, and how we could switch out for a scissors which rotated at the end. There we sat at a festive dinner table after services, with good food, and these amazing people, discussing the latest advances in surgery. I had to suppress my eyes from getting misty when I contemplated all they had been through. I thought he would be so proud and pleased. 

He listened thoughtfully but his face was very grave. I feared he had not understood me. He seemed restless. I finally had to ask his daughter what was the matter, and she measured her words in a thick Russian accent. He did not believe me. He said it was impossible. He thought I was mocking him. Despite my best efforts, he gathered up his family and left. 

I wish I could have a chance to show him all that I have presented for you in the latest section of my website: Laparoscopic and Robotic Surgery. Click HERE to see it. 

Food Friday: Nutrition in Pregnancy

Many things related to food change in pregnancy. What you need changes. What you like changes. Some of these changes have reasons. Some are just plain weird. 

You need to know a few things about nutrition in pregnancy to deal with all of this and to make sure both you and baby are getting the best nutrition possible. Learn more HERE. 

Wellness Wednesday: Yoga

Yoga became popular when I was a child in the 1970s. Since then it has taken on more the luster of fad than fitness. Learn what the evidence says here. 

Menopause Monday: Menopause Basics

Thinking about menopause ? I didn't think so. But chances are, you or someone you care about is in menopause or will be facing it someday. Menopause is a natural life transition. At its essence, it means the cessation of reproductive functioning. It need not mean the loss of health, intellect or vibrancy. On the contrary, it can be a time for better self care and creativity. Click HERE to learn more. 

Structure Sunday: The Structure of Surgery

Surgery is a major intervention. It can be a wonderful help and a positive experience, but only if patient and surgeon work together closely. 

Learn more HERE. 

Food Friday: Snacks !

Snacks can be your dietary downfall or your salvation. So often a snack is the easiest thing we can get our hands on, and as such, it is often processed and of poor nutritional quality. (Think granola bars and the like which are full of fat, sugars and refined flours.) But with a little planning, healthy snacks can be a great contribution to your nutrition, fitness and weight optimization plan. 

Learn more here. 

Wellness Wednesday: Sleep and Sleep deprivation

Sleep is our primary detox. It is undervalued in our culture and underestimated as a factor in health. While I am supportive of the hard core work and play ethic of the modern era, I am compelled to highlight this very important area of self care. 

Read some sobering evidence here. 

Medical Monday: Menopause, A Philosophical Introduction

It's cool to be hot in menopause. 

The average lifespan in the United States in the year 1900 was about 51, and in 1800 it was 39. The average age of menopause is about 51. Thus, in all of human history, menopause is a relatively new life stage. Most women simply did not live long enough to reach it, and those that did , did not spend much time in it. 

Currently, the average lifespan for a women in the United States is 81. It is interesting to think about what may explain this. I think we have nutrition and health care to thank. As we were, before the modern age, we were able to reproduce for the majority of our lifespan. Could it be that we are outliving our design ? Or could it be that our nutrition and health have unlocked heretofore unexpressed genetic potential for long life? Either way, a modern woman will spend nearly 40% of her life in menopause, and this percentage will only increase as lifespan increases. Moreover, the number of people in menopause will increase as the population ages. 

In the developed world, we can now eat a scientifically based, nutritionally optimal meal 365 days per year. We can do evidence based physical activities that counteract the physical deteriorations of age, such as fat deposition, bone density loss, and muscle loss.

Menopause is no longer a thing to be dreaded. Menopause is life cycle phase like adolescence and pregnancy, and people deserve support during such times. As an Ob/Gyn, I rely on a constantly improving body of data and recommendations about the care of menopausal women. They involve increased surveillance in the form of mammograms, bloodwork, bone scans, colonoscopy and the like. We evaluate and make recommendations about enhanced nutrition, specialized supplements, tailored fitness training, and yes, medications including hormones, all in the service of optimal health. 

Older women should take note, and see that they are up to date on their health care. Younger women should picture themselves how they would like to be in menopause. 

Stay tuned as we devote a few Medical Mondays to menopause, an increasingly important topic. 

Structure Sunday: Structure your mind

I am not one to say we are just a complex well organized set of chemicals and electrical impulses. I believe we are so much more than that; so much more the sum of our parts. That said, it is really helpful to be familiar with the parts, especially the brain. 

This blog post could easily be titled, " The Care and Feeding of Your Brain". I could say it requires lots of exotic supplements. But that would be wrong. 

You already know the basics. Optimal brain health requires all of these : Good hydration, good nutrition taken through the day, regular exercise and adequate sleep. ( Check out my pages on these topics which are hyperlinked ! ) 

What you may not think about as much is reading. Technically speaking, reading is exercise for your brain. But I would say it is exercise for the mind and food for the soul. Read more HERE. 

Medical Monday: Miscarriage

This is nobody's favorite topic. But it happens with fair regularity. I would like to honor and support all of my patients and all others who have gone through this by posting on this unfortunate life event. 

Miscarriage is private, but is should not be a source of shame. It is sad, but should not destroy hope. It is no one's fault. It is not from sex, hard work, or stress. 

Those around the patient want to help but it is hard to know how. I have posted for them too. For a link that will inform all concerned about this common and difficult life event, click here. Please note that this material is medically graphic but appropriate for mature teen and adult audiences.