Wellness Wednesday : Your Wellness Challenges

This Wednesday I am reaching out to understand your health challenges and what could potentially help you meet them. I work with patients nearly every day and give them information about what can improve their health. Sometimes they are able to work successfully with it and sometimes not. I am fascinated with what separates the two groups. 

I have always tried to make the process of becoming healthy accessible to everyone. I am striving to learn the pertinent behavioral science behind health habits that will enable me to help you actually make those positive health changes. 

I myself am motivated by a variety of things: healthy cookbooks, exercise videos, stories of success, and even inspirational cards that sit on my desk. 

I invite you to take my survey and let me know about your challenges and what you think could help. I am most interested in your response. Click on yoga girl below to access the survey. I promise to publish results next week on Wellness Wednesday. 

Best,

Dr. Gina 

Food Friday: The Healthy Junk Food

What is the secret superfood that shows up at every tailgater, and is served alongside beer and junk food ? Salsa of course. 

Salsa simply means sauce in Spanish. It is usually a tomato based sauce which can be flavored with other vegetables, fruits, and spices. Classically, it contains chilis of some kind and garlic, but the variety from there is infinite. 

Most Americans buy their salsa rather than make it. I would venture to guess it is eaten most often in this country with tortilla chips. I am going to suggest you take a walk on the culinary wild side and make your own salsa. Then take it a step further and serve it with something other than chips. 

Consider mixing and matching the following ingredients. 

Base: 

• red tomatoes, raw or cooked, pureed or diced 
• green tomatillos, cooked 
• avocados, creamed or diced ( always include something acidic with these, i.e. lime juice, which prevents browning).

Heat: 

• garlic
• onions 
• chilis- powdered or fresh, with sweet, fiery and smokey variations.
• black pepper

Flavor: 

• fruits like mango, peaches, pineapple, strawberries 
• greens like cilantro, green onion or fresh mint
• olives 
• chocolate ! for mole

Texture: 

• fresh corn 
• chopped sweet peppers, red, green, yellow, orange
• Beans, i.e. red or black
• cucumbers 
• Jicama

Dressing: 

• olive oil
• vinegar or citrus i.e. lemon, lime, or even orange. 

I think you can see from these ingredients that salsa is rich with healthy ingredients. Now try it on meat, fish, chicken, eggs, or really any main or side dish. Salud ! 

Wellness Wednesday: The Benefit of Trying New Things

Nutrition, fitness and good relationships can keep us healthy. But... trying new things ? Yes, being adventurous has physical as well as psychological benefits to our health. (1) 

Adventure is a relative thing. For one person it might mean trying a new cookbook (me) while another may need to paraglide to 5000 feet above sea level (my son). But in all cases it means doing something different than your usual, and, for best results, it means getting out of your comfort zone. Comfort zones vary considerably in size.  

Does adventure have to be dangerous ? Of course not. But it should expose you to a new environment and require you to do things you have not done before. So why does it have to be all that? 

Before I explain, lets take a look at the American vacation. It is an endangered species. We are one of the few developing countries without a national policy of paid leave. Those companies who do provide paid leave do not always encourage its use, even though research shows it greatly improves employee productivity and satisfaction. When the companies do provide leave AND encourage its use, employees are reluctant to take it. Why ? Forty percent are afraid of coming back to " a mountain of work" , a third feel no one can do their work but them, a third feel they cannot afford it, and about a fifth feel guilty.  Forty-three percent of adults do not remember the last time they tried to have an adventure. Reasons for avoiding adventure range from lack of money to embarrassment. (2) Fear of one thing or another plays a role in skipping vacations. Ironically, it should be the opposite, since skipping vacations is associated with a measurable and significantly increased risk of heart disease in men and women, according to the Framingham study. (3)

And yet, we bemoan our lack of time off and we make bucket lists all of the things we don't and won't do. We execute what Tim Ferris calls the " deferred life plan". (4) Moreover, we note how every year seems to pass more quickly. 

Enter adventure. If we do get around to it, here is what happens. First, our narrow view of the world opens back up. We experience different ways of living, and see ourselves and others in a new light. Novelty and some degree of challenge have to be a part of it. This way, our confidence and competence is enhanced. A 2015 Study on newly graduated nurses found that a nontraditional outdoors adventure leadership program increased feeings of competence and confidence. When they returned to work, their transformation was felt to have impacted their entire work culture. (5) 

Adventure may even be an antidote for the accelerated passage of time. Dave Engelmann, a neuroscientist, notes that the more familiar the world becomes, the less we remember, and thus the faster times seems to pass. (3). I deduce that novelty and adventure may help us savor the time we have. 

Check out these fun resources: 

30 New Things to Try by Lifehack.com

The Beginner's Guide to Trying New Things

Staying on Top of Your Game

References: 

1. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/laurie-gerber/are-we-having-fun-yet_b_7948588.html
2. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/08/19/americans-vacation-days_n_5682576.html
3. http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2011/04/25/the-possibilian
4. http://www.bothsidesofthetable.com/2010/01/10/what-can-you-learn-from-the-4-hour-workweek/
5. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25608096

Food Friday: Cooking for One

I have written a lot about the value of meals with others. But what about the single person, student or empty nester who is often cooking for one ? 

In doing some research for this post, I found some unexpected hilarity. One of the best posts came from one of my favorite websites called Greatist.com. They addressed headlong the temptation to have a pity party. They called out tendency to wallow in loneliness and junk food. They described " sad bowls of cereal ". I was laughing and feeling bad at the same time. 

But seriously, loneliness is bad. And if a person finds themselves feeling lonely, they should name it and change it if they wish. I am no expert in this regard since I am most often surrounded by people. But I am a physician and I would encourage any one who suspects they have the corollary of loneliness, i.e. depression,  to reach out to their physician for assistance. 

But let's say you are not depressed. You're just cooking for one. You have several options. 

1. Find someone to eat with. There is a large selection of apps and websites out there to help you find a random stranger to dine with. Seriously ! Check out the HuffPost article below which features several of them. Consider also eatwith.com, mealsharing.com, lunchmeetapp.com, and cookening.com.

2. Go out to a restaurant and at least be around people. This could work if the food was healthy and good choices were made. However one of my sources listed below indicated that, as a general rule, restaurant food is consumed in greater quantities, and contains more saturated fat and sodium compared to home cooked food. 

3. Cook a nice full meal with nice regular sized recipes and have a bunch of leftovers. This is the theme in the Bon Appetite pages cited below. They take the position that you should eat only the best. Tiny little streamlined recipes do not do it for them. 

4. Cook a balanced little meal for one with little mini recipes for one. Most of the links below propose this. 

Notice I did not say have a bowl of cereal or have a TV dinner. I am talking about healthy food here. Here are some tips for literally cooking portions for one. 

Buy food strategically. Here are some examples:

1. Choose individually frozen portions such as cut fish fillets  or chicken tenders.

2. Choose foods that doing not spoil quickly such as broccoli over red lettuce.

3. Choose foods that require very little preparation since let's face it, the time we usually want to spend cooking is directly proportional to the number of people for whom we are cooking. Fresh fruit takes little prep. Sliced tomatoes with fresh mozzarella takes little more. 

4. Accept that you are going to have to add a few different components to your meal to make it nutritionally optimal.   A banana and a glass of milk is not a meal. It is, however, a decent snack. 

5. Buy large quantities of healthy foods an repackage them for easy storage and access. 

This weekend I might, through a series of unfortunate events, be spending some time cooking for one. I'll be all about the can of salmon over the complex giant salad. But you may want to do better. Here are some great recipe collections for one. 

http://greatist.com/health/healthy-single-serving-meals

http://allrecipes.com/recipes/15050/everyday-cooking/cooking-for-one/

http://www.helpguide.org/articles/healthy-eating/cooking-for-one.htm

http://www.bonappetit.com/entertaining-style/trends-news/article/cooking-for-one

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/09/18/dining-app_n_3942874.html

Wellness Wednesday: Workouts for your Mind and Soul

Have you ever heard of TED talks ? If I had to think of the SINGLE BEST USE of media, TED talks would be it. Now aren’t you curious ? 

TED talks are short (usually less than 18 minutes) powerful talks by people with important and timely insights. Originally they were by just the very best and the brightest, people such as Bill Gates, Steve Jobs and Steven Hawking. To this day, they are still given by those who have a deep special interest and expertise in a subject. 

The TED talks were originally conceived in California. They have close ties with the California University system, Stanford, and all major universities the world round. They are international in scope. To be invited to speak is a rare privilege. To attend in person is enormously expensive, but all talks are provided free to everyone over the internet.  TED talk conferences have branched into all major cities, and TEDx has been developed to give smaller communities the chance to participate. 

Oftentimes Ted speakers are researchers, or high level thought leaders, heads of state, or industry innovators. Commonly they are scientists or extreme athletes. Occasionally they are artists of note. They are always fascinating, and always worth watching.

And while you can listen to TED talks on iTunes radio, podcasts, and elsewhere, they are best watched. There is nothing like seeing these sorts of people give these usually intense distillations of human wisdom and brilliance. If you want to see a great example, check out the Talk by Jill Bolte Taylor. In video format, it brings it so much more down to earth. The speakers seem more accessible, as though you might run into them in the grocery store. 

I can tell you why a TED talk is so potent. This is because I was asked to to do one at the first TEDx conference in our area. I had done public speaking before, so I thought it would be straightforward. Wow did I have a lot to learn. A TED talk is not like an academic lecture. For our conference in northwestern Montana, I had several coaches, starting weeks in advance. One came all the way from Southern California to coach us. The coaches had to tear my style apart and put it back together again. I was lecturing, whereas they needed me to actually connect on a personal level over my material. I had to explain myself in clear ordinary nonmedical language.  I had to connect, which was my biggest challenge, and I had to end with a call to action. Plus I had to get it all done in 18 minutes or less.  

There are so many stories you and your family NEED to watch at TED.org and TEDx.org. I have been showing them to my kids, family and friends for years, and they are an endless source of inspiration. The TED.org website is great in that you can chose a talk by speaker, topic, or even rating. You can get an app on any platform or you can use a computer and a browser to go to TED.org. I cannot recommend then any more highly. 

Medical Monday : Ob/Gyn News Weekly

News about Ob/Gyn topics has GOT to be important to all women. I like to read this stuff since it makes a difference in people's lives. So with a more recognizable title, I will continue to report on it. 

A paper in The Journal of the American Society of Nephrology has properly substantiated what Obs have always observed: that women who suffer from hypertensive disorders of pregnancy like preeclampsia are prone to high blood pressure later in life. Newsflash: so are their siblings, including brothers. 

Apparently prevalence studies of the breast cancer genes BRCA1 and BRCA2 in breast cancer patients were done predominantly in white populations. Taking a preliminary look at 400 black breast cancer patients, a Florida study shows 12 % of them carry one of these genes. In a similar population of white breast cancer patients, the rate is only 5 %. This has implications for screening and prevention. 

New help for older women with osteoporosis (bone thinning) may come from Human Growth Hormone. It's helpful effects seem to be particularly long lasting. 

The CDC reports we have achieved a 90% vaccination rate on polio, measles, mumps, rubella, hepatitis B and varicella (chicken pox virus). I realize this is better than it was, but, this doesn't sound too great where herd immunity is concerned. 

The CDC ( Center for Disease Control) reports that since 2012, school lunches are measurably healthier, with metrics being more fruits, vegetables, whole grains and salads. Thanks to all those lunch ladies and gentlemen as well as FLOTUS Michelle Obama. 

And in other good news, the great State of Texas has passed a strong "right to breastfeed" law. Public employers must give breastfeeding mothers time and space to pump during workdays. The law also prevents discrimination or firing related to breastfeeding at work. 

Stay tuned for more news from the world of OB/Gyn next week on Medical Mondays. 

Structure Sunday: The Structure of Friendship

Tonight I had dinner with a friend I have known since early high school, about 40 years ago. I love the the idea that we have been friends that long. I actually don’t like the idea of ever losing any of my friends, regardless of time or distance. And there has been a great deal of time and distance between me and most of my friends. Nonetheless, I think old friendships hold the world together. 

This friend took the initiative to keep in touch. We went to the same small high school and left there in 1977 and 1979 respectively.  Our high school was an intense, supportive and inspiring place, and as a group, we departed there meaning to do good in the world. He and I went off to separate colleges a continent away, and went about marrying, having kids, going to school, school, and more school. I became a physician and he became a researcher for the World Health Organization, among other things. 

After Facebook reunited many people, he decided it would be nice to visit. And so he did, especially since I live in eminently visit worthy place. Of course, truth is stranger than fiction, so during his visit, he naturally he fell right in love with my wonderful neighbor and returned later to stay many months with her. Eventually they parted ways as friends and he still visits to this day. 

So tonight I had my good neighbor and my old friend over for dinner since he is visiting. It was such a treat since I also invited my niece and nephew over as well so they could meet my old friend. For you see, my friend did go out and do good in the world, and I wanted to share it with these kids. 

He recently finished his residency in Anesthesia, as he decided later in life to become a doctor. At the end of his residency, the Ebola outbreak began, so he departed for Sierra Leone, one of the hardest hit areas, to help. He spent six weeks there, and at tonight’s table, he told us about all we wanted to know and more, from the percentages that lived, to the special suits he wore, to his American co-worker who contracted the disease and lived. I was so pleased that he could share all this, especially with the kids present. It not only tied us together, it tied us together with all the Ebola fighters, and even put us degrees closer to the Ebola patients themselves, and helped us understand their humanity in a near first hand way. Best of all, he told us about the preliminary announcement from about three weeks ago, that an effective Ebola vaccine is on the horizon. 

So as the night wore on, and the topic of Ebola played itself out, we realized that my nephew plans to travel to just the area of Italy where my old friends and my neighbor have visited: Venice. So I was the happy recipient of colorful descriptions of Venice. My nephew was given numerous recommendations about places to visit, things to do, and travel strategies to use. I got to listen to exuberant descriptions and enthralled questions about this place, which at this point, to me, is nearly mythical, yet now more real. 

So because of this long friendship, tonight, at my own table, I traveled from darkest Africa to brightest Venice. We were able to appreciate each far flung place as the real place that it is, and understand that hope blooms in both. We renewed bonds, and shared all this with the younger generation. 

Are your friendships in good shape ? They are so important to our collective well being, that I suggest having a look. 

Food Friday: Cold Desserts

It’s hot and fruit is in season. Here’s a little history of your favorite summer desserts and some tips on how to modify them to make them healthier. 

• Frappes- ice, milk of some sort, flavorings, blended as a drink, originated in Greece  in the 1950s, named with the French word for shake or strike. 
• Smoothies-a thick beverage made of  ice, milk of some sort, yogurt, fruit, blended as a drink. Some include vegetables, nut butters or protein powder. Recipes originated in Brasil, and were popularized with the invention of the blender. These became popular in the US in the 1960s. 
• Ice cream - In the US defined as having 10 % butterfat or more, frozen, with lots of air whipped in. Frozen dairy desserts date back many centuries to many countries. The English first published recipes for ice cream in the 1700s. 
• Gelato- Italian ice cream; must be at least 3.5 % butterfat; comes from Sicily since Sicily is near both mountains with ice and orchards with fruit. 
• Sherbet- frozen blend of milk and fruit flavors about 1-2 % butterfat, An lower fat American version of ice cream.
• Frozen yogurt - yogurt with flavoring like fruit, frozen and whipped. Originated in the Us in the 1980s during the fitness revolution. 
• Granita- water, large ice crystals, sugar and flavorings like fruit juice or coffee; also hails from Sicily. 
• Sorbet - dense frozen confection of water, sugar, flavoring, frozen and blended smooth; folklore dates it back to the Roman emperor Nero. 
• Popsicle- originally was frozen flavored ice on a stick. Patented in Oakland California in the 1920s. Modern versions may contain other ingredients like fruit. 

Cuisinart ICE-21 Frozen Yogurt-Ice Cream & Sorbet Maker, White

$53.51

Cuisinart

Buy on Amazon

You can find recipes for these in many places. My favorite sources are :

epicurious.com

Food.com

Foodnetwork.com

 Pinterest

Here are some general principles which will help you create desserts that people will enjoy. 

Ben & Jerry's Homemade Ice Cream & Dessert Book

$7.01

By Ben Cohen, Jerry Greenfield, Nancy Stevens

Buy on Amazon

• Get a good electric ice cream machine. 
• Get a good blender, preferably a Vitamix. 
• Get some popsicle forms and make your own healthy versions. Make icy or dairy versions; consider adding fruit slices. 
• You may use a simple metal pan placed in the freezer, combined with periodic stirring. Granitas work especially well this way. 
• Use sweet ripe fruit if you are omitting or reducing sugar. Consider adding half a banana or a few sweet grapes to certain desserts to sweeten. Those who like stevia may try that, though be sparing. The point is to taste the natural flavors. 
• Choose coconut milk if you are dairy intolerant. 
• Choose dark chocolate flavoring. 
• Choose decaf coffee for flavoring. 

It is a fun summer family activity to make healthy cold desserts. However, you have to have a good attitude if you are going to take conventional recipes and modify them to make them more healthy. You can’t expect them to taste exactly like store brands, and that’s just fine. 

Wellness Wednesday: Dealing with Disappointment

The other day, I inadvertently backed up into my husband's truck, for the second time in one month.  Both times it was parked in an atypical location, but both times I should've seen it. Both times I was going about 1 mile an hour. I have incurred enough damage to pay for two round-trip airfares to Europe. This was a disappointment.

My initial reaction was that I was sad and dismayed. However I was on my way to a delivery, so I knew I had to be sharp. I knew it was nobody's fault really and that there was nothing to be done about it at that moment. The necessity to get out of my funk in short order was actually a really positive exercise. It caused me to think about the best way to deal with disappointment.

All the sources that I consulted on the subject indicated the same basic set of recommendations. Here is my personal redux on the matter. 

• Pause and breathe before reacting. Take a couple of minutes if need be.
• Acknowledge your own feelings of disappointment or anger, but do not act out.
• Accept the present state of affairs.
• Deliberately avoid blame and invoke an attitude of neutrality.
• Take responsibility for what you can.
• Remind yourself that all problems have solutions or at least strategies.
• Deal constructively with what you have to and postpone the rest until the initial shock wears off.
• After the initial shock wears off, reach out to others who you know will be helpful and supportive.
• After any big disappointment, stay in your basic routine. Observe a good sleep schedule and stick to your three meals and three snacks every day as well as your workout.
• Go out of your way to remind yourself about all the good things in your life. 

Keeping this routine will help keep your stress levels down and help you recover from disappointments. 

 

Medical Monday: ACOG weekly news

Headlines proclaim “ Aggressive Treatment for DCIS May Not Save Lives”.This sounds rather dismal. Reading further, what they should have said is “ Aggressive Treatment for DCIS May Not Be Necessary to Save Lives”, which is good news. DCIS is very early microscopic breast cancer, and as such its concerns everyone. Such an alarming headline got my attention. But once I found out the news was actually good, I was a little dismayed.  There must be a chapter in the Journalism textbook where it says bad news gets more attention than good. I don’t know. Read carefully out there ! 

Just to refresh your memory, ACOG stands for the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. They send its Fellows, myself included, news updates throughout week. These are articles of pertinence to women’s health. Each Monday, I pick a small sample and present them to you for your consideration. More such articles can be found at www.acog.org. 

There is such a thing as “ distracted snacking”. The Journal of Health Psychology reported the results of a small study which indicate that distracted snacking results in greater intake even afterwards. I speculate that it has to do with the fact that distracted snacking results in greater intake that say “ mindful snacking “ ( my term)  causing insulin levels to spike more than they would have, and more hunger to be stimulated later. So be mindful about your snacking and remember to always include some protein. 

The venerable diaphragm has gotten an upgrade. A Seattle based nonprofit has developed a new more contoured model. It’s name is Caya. Go to Caya.eu to learn more. It is not yet available. 

Finally, ACOG has released new guidelines regarding the treatment of morning sickness. First line therapy should be in the form of the class A combination of doxylamine and vitamin B6, commercially available over the counter without a prescription in the US as Diclegis. ( Class A is the safest pregnancy category for a drug. ) This is not to say that we are not still going to need Zofran for certain patients. It will still be considered after Diclegis is deemed insufficient. 

When you read medical related articles in the mainstream press, read very carefully. It is tricky to report accurately if you do not have medical background. For more on that please see our section “ Your internet learning toolbox”. 

Stay tuned for more medical news next week on Medical Monday. 

Structure Sunday: The Structure of Childhood Memories

Childhood memories are an important part of who we are. It is up to parents to engineer varied and happy memories into their children's lives. This weekend we went down memory lane by virtue of hosting a wedding reception for the son of some of our closet friends. You would not think a wedding would focus a great deal on childhood memories. And yet, this weekend, it was a veritable memory fest. Of course there was the requisite slideshow of the childhood pictures of both bride and groom. But more than that, at the reception, clusters of conversations ensued, conversations between people who had done much together as children but little recently as adults. 

My extended family is large and we ourselves have three grown children. But, and this is one major point of this post, we have so many friends who are like family. These are families we have known for 20 to 30 years, and whose children have grown up with ours. Back in the day, we gravitated toward them because they were good and interesting people. More than that, they were creative and adventurous, and despite the fact that we were college students of modest means, we had adventures: us, our kids, our friends and their kids. These people have stayed our good friends all this long while. It feels like a tribe, or the proverbial village, the village it takes to raise a child. 

These adventures we had took time, planning and some wherewithal, but it all paid off in ways which we did not then entirely anticipate. Today we have grown kids who sit around the table and marvel at all they got to do as children. We look at old pictures and tell tales of glory. They know their experiences have shaped them. These children have grown to be inventive and resilient from their experiences. These are two of the greatest gifts a child can have. And now they are taking their kids out too.

It is fewer and fewer kids who have these experiences of rafting, camping, hiking or traveling for the sake of seeing a new place. I am writing to encourage you to find good people for your village. Find them and set off on adventures. You will have to take time off work, plan, get some gear, and maybe even learn a few new things. But that's all part of it. Go make some great memories for yourself and your children. You will get more out of it than you realize. 

Food Friday: Treats

This is a health oriented blog. And yet, I hope for all my readers to experience a wide range of culinary delights. Food is for celebration and rich sweet treats are served at celebrations. How can you participate without feeling like you’ve eaten poorly ? Here are ten tips to turn nutrition buffs into connoisseurs too. 

1. Eat properly on all regular days. 
2. Get your workout done before attending your party. 
3. Fill up on healthy foods before the dessert treats arrive. Savor them as much as the treats to come. 
4. Fill up on healthy beverages like water, soda water and herb tea before dessert arrives. 
5. Skip dessert if its not really well done. 
6. Skip alcohol if you chose a rich dessert. 
7. Be discriminating. Chose only the best for yourself, e.g. choose chocolate mousse over a cheap candy bar. 
8. Take a small portion. 
9. Savor your portion; Eat slowly and mindfully. 
10. Enjoy ! 

Wellness Wednesday: Physical Methods

Not uncommonly I have patients with pain issues, mood issues or both. Now, I suppose I write as many prescriptions for these conditions as the average doctor, but such a thing is hard to know. And yet, I am an advocate of what I like to call "physical methods" to control these problems.  

Since I practice evidence based medicine, I am committed to sticking to methods that have evidence supporting them. Believe it or not, the following methods are all evidence based. 

Let’s tackle pain first.

It’s pretty simple. If you have pain when stationery, you need to move. If you have pain when moving, you need to reduce movement or get help to find a better way to move. Physical therapy can provide this. 

Use heat and cold. Heat is to increase circulation which helps tight muscles or cramps. Cold is best for anything inflammatory or injury related in the first 24 hours. 

Massage is helpful in many cases of muscle pain. 

Abdominal binders, support hose, and wrist braces can be helpful in certain circumstances like pregnancy related pain. 

For the open-minded, I advise yoga for all sorts of pain: migraines, rheumatologic conditions like lupus, and for back pain pending approval of the back doctor.

Meditation takes a little more commitment, but it too, is evidence based and has been shown to favorably impact pain. 

Of course actual exercise is well known to improve resilience and to make people more resistant to pain. 

I consider music a physical method. Post operative patients have lower pain medication requirements when exposed to music they consider pleasant. The applications go way beyond that. 

Physical Methods for Mood 

All of the above also improve and stabilize mood. But did you know that the smell of natural citrus elevates the mood ? That’s why we have atomizers for natural essential citrus oils in our office. 

Simple adequate sleep is a proven method to improve the mood and increase the pain threshold. 

And if you haven’t heard this term before, you need to: Hangry. It is the combination of angry and hungry, which pretty much makes the connection between mood and blood sugar. Yes, something as simple as three meals and three snacks rich in protein can improve the mood immensely. 

All of these interventions and their effects are quite measurable and act via the nervous system and the circulatory system. Take the time to incorporate them into your life. They work. They’re cheap, and they’re fun. Because we all need to feel better sometime. 

To learn more see our pages: 

Meditation 

Yoga

Music and Health

Medical Monday: ACOG weekly news

What's an Ob/Gyn site without a little OB/Gyn news ? I like reading the Ob/Gyn News and I like translating science information into clear non medical language. So I'm going to give Medical Monday's another go. 

A large Finnish study has show that those who have depression and who are treated for it in pregnancy have lower rates of preterm labor than those who have it and are not treated for it. 

Most everyone has heard of BRCA1 and BRCA2, the genes conferring increased of breast cancer. Unfortunately there are many more gene mutations which are associated with the development of breast cancer. Fortunately, testing for 20 more of these genes may soon become available for select patients with strong family histories of breast cancer. 

Fully one quarter of American women 65 and older have osteoporosis. Thank our marginal diet, heredity, Big Soda, Big Tobacco, alcohol and our sedentary lifestyle. 

One third of ovary cancer patients are living in excess of 10 years. This is a substantial improvement over the last several decades. 

Finally, stats are in through 2013 and infant mortality in the US has dropped to a record low. Wow, finally ! I'm going to try to end on a good note, so with that, stay tuned until next week. 

Structure Sunday: The Structure of Education- Preschool

Education has been of foremost importance to our family. Most of my life has included  receiving education or supervising the education of my children. After all of this I have some definite ideas about education and I would like to share them with you.

I've been thinking about education because it is, of course, back to school time. As you know from my last post on school related matters, I'm a parent who believes that parents should be involved in their children's education. 

To me a child's education involves not only their scholastic pursuits. It also involves their sports, extracurricular activities and even the home schedule and enrichment activities the parents plan with family. This particular blog post will focus on a child's education before the school years even start. 

In the years before school there is a lot you can do for your child to enrich them. First and foremost, have a loving and orderly household. For example, try to have a peaceful sit down family dinner every night. 

Make sure your child is included in as many of the family activities as possible according to their stage of development. Once you reconcile yourself with the fact that doing things with the child takes more time and preparation, you will simply be more relaxed and so will the child. 

Here is a controversial and challenging recommendation: get rid of your TV. Those who know me well know that I am a big fan of certain forms of media such as music, internet and film. However, I believe in mindful consumption. TV decides your content for you, whereas if you have a screen connected to some sort of input device and parental controls you decide. I think it is critically important for children that mainstream commercial television not become their default activity or God forbid, their default reality. Where video content for children is concerned, I am a big fan of high-quality nature and science oriented programming. It doesn't matter if kids understand every scientific word; they learn very quickly to put it all together. 

When you have no TV, it behooves you to put many wonderful things in its place. Children before the age of school have a limitless sense of wonder and can be enthusiastic about anything good. Make plans to expose them safely and comfortably to all aspects of the natural environment, such as mountains, lakes, rivers and ponds. This may mean something as simple as going to the neighborhood park.

Get them involved in sports and other athletic pursuits. Before you do however, make sure you know what the sporting lifestyle entails. Getting young children involved in soccer, ballet, martial arts, equestrian pursuits, or skiing are all very different undertakings. In an ideal world, we would simply cater to the tastes and talents of our children. For the time being, we have to simply say, "where there's a will there's a way." I am a particular fan of ballet and a martial arts since they are available in most towns and are relatively reasonable in cost as sports go; Plus they give children great physical poise for the rest of their lives.

The great indoors also holds many fascinations. Teach children to play board games with other.  Give them access to all kinds of art and science materials. Absolutely every child should have a box of paints and a bug jar.

Consult with your local music teachers to find out what age their music education should begin. Consider taking lessons alongside them. 

Key among my recommendation is this: read to your child until he or she can read. Then, keep reading to them until they are absolutely fluent. Try using your fingers or their finger to track the words. All along the way provide them with a wealth of reading material. Take them with you when you go to the library or to the bookstore and consult with the staff about the best in children's literature.

Young children should be exposed to live theater, live music, museums and outdoor festivals such as county fairs, horse shows, farmers markets, and Renaissance fairs. 

All of these activities for children will stand them in good stead socially, intellectually and physically for the future. Each of these activities, if done in an appropriate and supportive way, will enhance your child's skills and confidence. These traits will transfer over into all the other areas of his or her life. 

Food Friday: On the Glories of Summer Fruit

Summer fruit is not just something to eat. It is a family project. It is a creative endeavor, and it is Holiday preparation. Finally it's a great bargain. 

Most people think of boxes of ripe summer fruit as the mere predecessors of pies and cobbler. I love fresh pie and cobbler as much as anyone else, but there is only so much you can eat and stay healthy. 

Consider the price of frozen fruit at the grocery store, even Costco. Frozen fruit is a premium item, and if you have ever tended a tree or picked a bushel of fruit you will know why. But, to go to a produce vendor for a box of ripe fruit in season, you will pay a fair price for an excellent product. But you must buy it by the box or bushel, which might be daunting to some. 

Take courage ! To freeze you need only freezer worthy ziplock bags, some time, and some lemon juice. Freeze by the quart or by the gallon. 

To dry, you need patience, an oven, a very hot day, or a dehydrator. With a little more cleverness and maybe a recipe, you can make fruit leathers, which are a most welcome gift. Now is the time to get some made to give at the holidays. 

Jam has less sugar than jelly and is a suitable treat or gift when home made. Delve into the exotic fruit spiked salsas, and you will have serious trouble keeping it around. 

To be fair, you will need some equipment. First you will need large bowls and pots. You will also  need many hands to help wash and slice. The thrifty among you will want the largest good freezer you can afford. Canning pots and tools are relatively inexpensive, and jars are a common item at garage sales. Just be sure they are in good condition and not chipped. Finally for the connoisseurs, you will want a proper dehydrator. And by all means indulge yourself in one of the many beautiful books about preserving. You may as well get the gold standard, the Ball Blue Book Guide to Canning and Preserving. 

If you do this sort of kitchen magic with the kids, they will be fascinated. Photo document your fun and you will be blog- worthy and an instagram hit ! You will also have a really good spoon to lick. 

Canning for a New Generation: Bold, Fresh Flavors for the Modern Pantry

$16.63

By Liana Krissoff

Buy on Amazon

Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving

$15.30

By Judi Kingry, Lauren Devine

Buy on Amazon

Ball Blue Book Guide to Home Cannin, Freezing & Dehydration (Volume 1)

Alltrista

Buy on Amazon