In 1999, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommended that children under 2 years old should not have any TV/screen time. None. Despite this, 43% of kids under 2 years old watch TV every day! Not only should 2 year olds not be exposed to adult TV that may be on in the home, but also should avoid exposure to programs that are specifically marketed to parents with children under 2 years old. ”Learning videos” like Baby Einstein and cartoons like Blue’s Clues have NO scientific evidence that they will help your child become developmentally advanced. And, there are more and more concerns that these videos may be actually harming your child’s brain development!
A study done at The Child Health Institute at the University of Washington has found a concerning correlation between the amount of TV that 1-3 year olds watch and their later ability to pay attention. For every 1 hour of TV/day before age three, a child is 10% more likely to show ADHD symptoms at age 7.
I have thought the main influence on the rise of ADHD we are seeing in our country is mostly due to the lack of consistent parenting and discipline. But, perhaps another huge factor is that we are actually rewiring our children’s brains from the very beginning to be “ADD.” We already know the best way to help babies develop connections in their brain is with social interaction. Most babies favorite thing to look at is a human face- they can stare at their mom’s face for a long time learning to mimic expressions, see shapes, colors, even emotions. When we substitute that human interaction for screen time (even “learning” screen time), it’s as if we’re telling that brain, go ahead and short circuit all those connections you are trying to develop, you won’t need them. But then that child gets to first grade and we expect them to have the wiring in place to be able to sit still and listen to a story when we haven’t given them what they needed early on to develop it.
Of course every mom needs a few minutes to take a shower or have some “me time.” But, next time you’re about to pop in an educational video for your child under 2, remember you may actually be doing harm and they would rather learn from you anyway!
For more information, I highly recommend Bright from the Start by Jill Stamm, Ph.D.
Have you ever stressed out about something you think other people want you to do? Watch as this man questions the thought, “I’m not living up to my full potential.” Funny how we let our minds convince us our thoughts are true that may not be true at all. And then, those thoughts become beliefs we act on or at least stress and worry about so much it can begin to affect our health and well-being.
I just did a search on PubMed for “artificial sweeteners” and came up with 162,789 resulted published articles. Wow, it’s no wonder there are so many questions out there about which artificial sweeteners are safe and how much is too much. I haven’t even sorted all that out yet myself- except to say that moderation is the key with sugar and artificial sweeteners alike.
However, I have come across a natural plant fiber used as a sweetener called inulin or oligofructose. The main sources of this are Jerusalem artichoke and chicory. It’s a sugar free sweetener with a glycemic index of approximately zero! This means, it does not cause any surges in your insulin levels after eating making it very different from sugar or complex carbohydrates. Studies have shown it to be helpful in stimulating the immune system, decreasing the bad bacteria in the intestine, alleviating constipation, lowering the risk of osteoporosis (by increasing the absorption of calcium in the gut), reducing the risk of plaques building up in your arteries and lowering the risk of colon cancer. In fact it seems to act very similar to dietary fiber in our bodies and some have even proposed classifying it as dietary fiber instead of it’s current classification as a carbohydrate.
If you’d like to try it out for yourselves, check out these ChocoPerfection bars. They are sweetened with oligofructose. That is definitely the best “sugar-free” chocolate I have ever tried with none of the side effects of sugar alcohols. If you’re looking for a way to satisfy your sweet tooth without the sugar rush followed by the inevitable crash, try these. Absolutely delicious!!
Have you ever wondered if it is really necessary for doctors to go through a minimum of 11 years of training to be able to practice their field of medicine? I’m not going to lie- I have. After reading Malcolm Gladwell’s, Outliers, I realize again the value in the length of our training.
He states, “The idea that excellence at performing a complex task requires a critical minimum level of practice surfaces again and again in studies of expertise. In fact, researchers have settled on what they believe is the magic number for true expertise: ten thousand hours. ‘ The emerging picture from such studies is that ten thousand hours of practice is required to achieve the level of mastery associated with being a world-class expert- in anything’ writes the neurologist Daniel Levitin.”
Becoming an expert in medicine appears to be the same. A doctor training in primary care has already spent 4 years in undergraduate school then 4 years in medical school learning the basic sciences required to practice clinical medicine. Except for the last 2 years of medical school, these 8 years are not spent actually practicing medicine though. That begins in residency. A family medicine or internal medicine physician will spend 3 years in residency working on average 60 hours a week (seldom <40 hours and by law not more than 80 hours). Working about 49 weeks out of the year at 60 hours a week adds up to 8, 820 hours practicing medicine. Add in 1000 hours from the clinical years in medical school and what do you know- about 10,000 hours. No matter how intelligent someone is upon graduating from medical school they still need the 10,000 hours “practicing” medicine to become an expert.
Interestingly, for specialists the numbers work out too- for example a cardiothoracic surgeon spends the same 8 years in school prior to residency then spends 5 years in a general surgery residency then 2-3 years in cardiothoracic surgery residency. The 8 years of school plus 5 years of general surgery are prerequisites in preparation for the more specialized skill. Then spending 70-80 hours a week (more typical in surgery residencies) over 3 years is just over 10,000 hours.
So, if you’re seeing a young physician or an older, more experienced one, at least you can be assured they have all met their 10,000 hours in their field required to be an expert.
Preventive Medicine refers to preventing medical illness and disease instead of treating a disease after it exists. I continue to be amazed at how many patients I see a day who are physically suffering from diseases that can be prevented (referred to as primary prevention) or at least managed better to have fewer complications (referred to as tertiary prevention). For a doctor this is an important and sometimes overlooked area of practicing good medicine. It’s becoming a more and more recognized part of quality medical care as people are searching for ways to provide good care at a more economical cost. There is even a new field of medical training referred to as preventive medicine. As a patient, I invite you to become more proactive in taking part in your own preventive medicine. YOU are the one that lives your life everyday! You know what you eat and what bad habits you have. Being honest with yourself and your doctor about the effect those habits can have on your health is the first step in looking for ways to stay as healthy as you can.
If our country successfully adopted healthy lifestyles and reduced the incidence of obesity, heart disease and diabetes, our cost of medical care would plummet. Education about healthy diets does not seem to be working. I notice that taking a deeper look at what is driving people to turn to unhealthy food or physical inactivity despite their knowledge about what is good for them is more important. Studying the social determinants of health (for example, those that don’t believe they can afford healthier options or have transportation to get it) and the mental determinants of health (for example, poor coping skills causing a anxious person to turn to food for comfort) I believe is the answer. I invite you to take a look at your own life, what is holding you back from making the lifestyle changes you already believe you should make?
Addressing that is true preventive medicine.
What does it mean to you to be healthy? When so many are concerned with “being healthy,” perhaps it would be beneficial to take a look at what that actually is. Is it merely being free from any disease or ailments? Is it freedom from any physical suffering? Does it mean not having to take any vitamins, supplements or medications…ever? Does it mean you never have to go see a doctor? If we are not sure what the goal is, how will we ever get there?
The World Health Organization defines health as “a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.”
“Physical, mental and social well-being.” Physical well-being involves taking care of the body you have to live your life in: nutrition, fitness, medical care. Mental well-being involves a balance of self responsibility and self love, appropriate coping mechanisms to assist you in dealing with stress, freedom from worry, learning you can be happy no matter what circumstance you are in. And finally, social well-being involves having meaningful relationships with healthy communication. When it comes down to it, life is about relationship with yourself and others.
Physical, mental and social well-being are intertwined together. So what do you think, are you healthy? I’ve noticed that if you work on mental well-being first, the rest tends to fall into place.
Next post: how preventive medicine addresses physical, mental and social well-being.
A dear friend reminded me of the importance the mind has on the physical body’s health. When your thinking is contaminated with stressful thoughts, that stress can come out in many different ways and manifest in your body. Your immune system may be weakened and unable to fight off infections. You may not be able to sleep with the thoughts churning in your mind. When you do not have a way to deal with those thoughts, the only alternative is to find a way to escape from them. Maybe it’s with eating to numb the mind, turning to drugs or alcohol, escaping from the pain with prescription medications (narcotics, antidepressants, etc.), sex, smoking, watching TV, too much exercise or not enough exercise. These addictions, where you turn to escape from the pain, may eventually lead to obesity, heart disease, cancer, dependence on drugs and alcohol and the list goes on and on.
If you had to choose, would you rather have a healthy body or a healthy mind? As Byron Katie says, “I hope you chose mind because bodies don’t make it.” Heal your mind and notice if the body follows. Start by just noticing what thoughts you are having in the moments before you turn to your escape, whatever that is for you.
“I’m not good enough.” ”My body shouldn’t be hurting.” ”I am alone.” ”I’m too fat.” ”I have too much to do.”
If we are honest, we all have them…just notice.
I’m working at the health department this month and swine flu is certainly continuing to circulate in Jefferson County. See your doctor if you have fever > 100 with cough and/or sore throat. The only treatment are anti-virals (like Tamiflu) which do not cure swine flu but may lessen the severity of the illness or shorten the course of illness by 1-2 days. Some physicians are now even calling in these medicines for children with fever, cough and/or sore throat to avoid them having to wait in the waiting room at their office. Fortunately, thus far, most cases of swine flu have been fairly mild.
When you are swabbed for influenza at your doctor’s office, most can do a rapid test in their office to tell you if you have influenza but it must be sent to the state lab to determine if it is H1N1. Since 8/1/09, of specimens testing positive for influenza in AL, 99% have been confirmed novel H1N1. As of 8/27/09, Alabama has had 1,587 confirmed cases of novel H1N1 influenza (or swine flu).
There is no vaccine available for H1N1 yet. It is encouraged for all to get the seasonal flu vaccine when available. The H1N1 vaccine (separate from the seasonal flu vaccine) is scheduled to be available by mid-October but this will be given to high-risk patients first.
So what can you do? The most important preventive measure is personal hygiene. Wash your hands frequently with soap and water!! Cover your nose and mouth when you cough or sneeze. (If you don’t have a tissue to cover your mouth, cough into the crook of your elbow.) Stay home from school or work if you are sick. Get the seasonal flu vaccine when available. Remember, vaccines work best when everyone gets them.
Here’s a list of the 10 leading causes of death as determined by the CDC for the year 2006:
1.Heart Disease
2.Cancer
3.Strokes
4.Chronic lung disease (like COPD)
5.Accidents (unintentional injuries)
6.Diabetes mellitus (diabetes)
7.Alzheimer’s disease
8.Influenza and pneumonia
9.Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis (kidney disease)
10.Septicemia (infection in the blood)
Now here’s a list of the top 10 things you can do to maintain your health. If you do the things on this list, you’ll be reducing your risk of all of the diseases on the list above. Do your part to take care of yourself! Don’t wait until you are sick to make changes in your lifestyle. Prevention is key!
1. Do not smoke. If you smoke, quitting is the single best thing you could do to improve your health. (Click here for more info.)
2. Limit your Alcohol intake to 2 drinks a day for men and 1 drink a day for women.
3. Maintain a healthy diet and lose weight if you are overweight.
4. Exercise 30-60 min 5 days a week.
5. Don’t sunbathe or use tanning booths.
6. Practice safe sex.
7. Control your cholesterol and blood pressure with diet, exercise and medication if needed.
8. Keep your shots up to date, including flu and pneumonia (if over age 65).
9. Have yearly health screenings with your primary care doctor even if you don’t feel sick. (You may need to be seen several times a year if you have chronic diseases like diabetes or heart disease).
10. Get help if you are suffering from psychological problems like depression, anxiety, or excess stress instead of turning to addictive habits like smoking, alcohol, drugs, overeating or other self destructive behaviors.
Vitamin B12 is an important vitamin mostly obtained from dairy products and meat. It is a critical ingredient your body needs to make red blood cells and also helps your nervous system work correctly. If you have low B12 levels, you might have anemia, depression, dementia or neuropathy (pain, burning or tingling sensation). Some people with low B12 also have high levels of homocysteine which may increase your risk of heart disease and stroke. Your doctor can run a simple blood test to see if your B12 level is low.
The most common reasons for low B12 are 1) not taking in enough in your diet or 2) a problem with your stomach or intestines that prevents you from being able to absorb the vitamin. This includes Pernicious Anemia (where you do not have the cells needed in your stomach to absorb B12) or long standing heartburn or ulcers or having had surgery on your stomach or intestines.
In the past, everyone who needed B12 supplementation was given shots- initially given several times a week for a couple weeks and then once a month. Now we know that unless you have a problem absorbing B12, it is just as effective to take a daily pill instead of getting a shot. Over the counter Vitamin B12 pills do not have enough B12 to increase your levels- you need to take at least 1000 mcg of B12 everyday. You can get a prescription for this high dose from your doctor if you levels are low.
Even if you’ve been getting Vitamin B12 shots for years, you can switch to the pill and it will be just as effective unless you have a problem absorbing B12 from your digestive tract.
