Pak Doktor a.k.a. Mr Doctor!

Have you ever had the experience of focusing all your attention on what you are doing, whether it be gardening, working a puzzle, engaging in your favorite hobby, eating your favorite dessert?

Have you ever just enjoyed the activity for its own sake, without any judgment or criticism, without having to achieve any particular goal?

Have you ever been fully absorbed in the experience of the moment, letting go of any thoughts about the past or the future, about what happened earlier in your day or what you have to do later? 

If so, then you have practiced mindfulness.

Being mindful means focusing your attention fully on what you are experiencing in the present moment with an aware, balanced acceptance. You are aware of physical sensations in your body: tasting, touching, hearing, smelling and seeing. You are aware of how you feel emotionally.  You are aware of what you are thinking in the present moment. 

You meet your experience without judgment or expectation of how it should be and, instead, embrace it just as it is.  You bring that same non-judgmental awareness to yourself. Your body, emotions and thoughts are in the present moment, no matter what is going on or how we are reacting.  

How can mindfulness improve your health?  Research has proven that there is a link between stress and health.  Those with high stress levels are more likely to develop diseases, such as hypertension, heart disease, some forms of cancer, irritable bowel syndrome, back pain, anxiety, depression and diabetes. 

Research also shows that meditation practices like mindfulness produce a relaxation response in the mind and body that counteract the effects of stress. When we approach life with this non-judgmental awareness of present-moment experience, we reduce our stress levels.

A Harvard study on the effects of meditation on blood pressure showed that meditating for 20 minutes twice a day lowered blood pressure in a test group. Other studies have shown that meditation can be used to reduce physical and emotional symptoms related to stress.

Try this:

• Sit comfortably in a quiet place.
• Close your eyes and take three or four long, deep, even breaths.
• Invite your body to release any tension it is holding.
• As you breathe deeply, focus all your attention on your breathing, and feel the sensations of the inhale and the exhale.
• When you are ready, let your breath return to its usual pattern, and just let the breath breathe itself.
• As you breathe in, silently note “IN” and, as you breathe out, silently note “OUT.”
• Accept each breath just as it is. Let your mind become very interested in your breathing, noticing all its qualities: long/short, deep/shallow, even/uneven, constricted/easy. Watch how it changes from moment to moment. The important thing is to open to your experience with acceptance, with a receptive, friendly attention.
• Take an attitude of passive disregard for distracting thoughts. If you start thinking about other things, say to yourself, “There’s a thought.” Then release your attention from the thought, and focus once more on your breath.

Bridget Rolens is the mind-body skills instructor for St. John’s Hospital – Center for Living in Springfield, Ill. For more information go to http://www.prairieheart.com/cfl or call 314-544-LIVE (5483).

– Be Healthy Springfield (Ill.)

Smartphone apps are great when you want to tweet by breathing, figure out where the ladies and/or gentlemen are at, or replace your credit card, but when you want to monitor your health or find the answer to a medical question, apps may not alway be entirely…correct. The FDA just proposed some guidelines that would have the governmental organization overseeing certain medical/health apps to ensure they’re actually helpful.

At the moment, the FDA does bestow its approval on some apps, including a radiology tool called Mobiel MIM, but that approval at the moment is both pretty scarce and totally optional–it’s a nice bonus if your app is FDA-approved, but the only organization an app developer really needs approval from is Apple. The FDA strikes a tone of total support for the surge in medical apps, but states concern that there is no real approval process that vets medical apps prior to release. If you’ve got a weird rash or a pain somewhere in your abdomen (could it be the spleen? What is a spleen, anyway?), or want to use your phone’s sensors to monitor your organs (like a spleen, which I am 99% sure is in the abdomen), you might consult an app, and the FDA wants to make sure you’re getting the right information.

The FDA proposed a guideline that would have the organization overseeing certain kinds of apps. Specifically, they’d want to examine any app that is “used as an accessory to an FDA-regulated device,” which seems reasonable–of course the FDA would want to make sure that any device they approve would be used with accessories of which they also approve. The other kind of app the FDA wants to regulate is any software that turns a smartphone into a “regulated medical device,” like an electrocardiography machine. Again, pretty understandable–the FDA monitors EKG machines, so if you’re using an iPhone as an EKG machine, that should also be monitored.

There’s no mention of the FDA examining WebMD-type diagnosis apps–the proposal seems much more geared to apps that turn smartphones into legitimate medical tools, rather than just references. FDA approval might slow down the release of some of these apps, but the agency thinks added oversight will be worth the delay.

[FDA via Gizmodo]

Temperatures in a large part of the country are spiking into the 100s this week as we struggle with one of the worst heat waves in years. 

NBC reported that 13 deaths in the Midwest have been attributed to the heat, and it may get worse. The National Weather Service has issued a heat warning for 18 states, reaching from the upper Midwest all the way South to Texas. And, the humidity has risen as well, causing the heat index to leap up to more than 110 degrees in some areas.

Here is what some of our community members had to say about how the hot temps are affecting them:

“It has been nice and hot here in ‘Minnesnowta’,” says missashley1010 from Pregnancy 2nd Trimester Board.  “I’m used to really cold winters and pretty warm summer but oh boy has it been warm, so I’ve been spending my time floating in many of our 10,000 lakes.  My mommy was nice enough to stop by my apartment carrying a new air conditioner for me!! Oh did I feel loved. People in this state complain about the heat lately but pregnant and all I’m lovin’ it.  I hate cold weather!”

But, her boardmate lbcash isn’t as in love with the hot weather. “I have been short of breath a lot lately, and this heat wave in South Central Kentucky is really making it worse,” she says. “I just saw the local weather, and we are under an Excessive Heat Watch for another solid week. The heat index may even rise to 120; add the humidity and it is unbearable.”

Janemarie55 from our Osteoporosis board had a scary time in the heat this week. “Me my hubby live in Oklahoma and are in our early 60?s. Our AC went out today (Monday), and it was horrible. Inside thermostat said 95 degrees. We took turns in sitting in the car with AC going (garage door was open).  Finally the man came fixed it as the capacitor was bad. We drank plenty of water and had cold compresses from our freezer to keep us cool. Everything is getting back to normal now.”

The heat is keeping rheumatoid arthritis sufferer mysitcalrose awake at night. She wants to know if anyone else can share some ideas to keep cool and get some shut eye.

“I stay indoors more…only go somewhere if I have to,” says 1wareaglefan from the Fibromyalgia board. “I live in Alabama…I think it’s been the hottest summer I can remember. I probably say that every year, though! But it’s awful on my fibro.”

 MaineMommy, from the Parenting 4 5-Year-Olds board, was shocked to look at the expected heat index on a map. “HEY MY AREA ISN’T supposed to have those type of COLORS!!!!” She’s planning on taking her kids to the local swimming hole and handing out plenty of ice pops.

Is the heat affecting you and yours this week? Are the high temperatures making your health condition worse or harder to deal with?  Tell us about it!

GEORGETOWN — A heat wave expected to hit later this week all but guarantees diminished air quality and smog alerts for the Lower Shore and lower Delaware.

Wind carries pollutants discharged from tailpipes in Baltimore, Wilmington and elsewhere to the Delmarva Peninsula. The emissions transform into ground-level ozone when combined with heat and sunlight.

There were 11 Code Orange and five Code Red days in Maryland as of last Friday, said Jay Apperson, a spokesman with the Maryland Department of the Environment. The Baltimore-Washington metro area was under a Code Orange alert Monday afternoon, while the Eastern Shore air quality was OK.

The color-coded index rates air quality. More bad air is likely on the way, with the forecast approaching 100 degrees by this Friday. For Code Orange days, members of sensitive groups should limit time outside. On a Code Red, everyone should limit their time outside. The worst air is reserved for Code Purple days, when everyone can experience serious health issues.

“An important issue for air quality in Maryland is transport. There are times when up to 70 percent of Maryland’s air pollution is coming from other states,” Apperson said.

In Maryland and Delaware, ozone and particle pollution cause respiratory system problems for residents, said David Fees, managing engineer of the Emission Inventory Development program with the division of air quality for the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control.

Particle pollution comes from many forms — everything from diesel particles emitted by trucks to sulfates from coal-fired power plants. The tiniest particles cause the most damage. The respiratory system can’t filter them out so they get trapped in lungs or enter the bloodstream, where they can damage the heart.

“Particles are the most dangerous and deadly. We want to be attuned to all of them,” Kimberly Williams, a spokeswoman with the American Lung Association, said, adding that particles are the most deadly for people to inhale.

Williams said air-quality monitors placed in Worcester and Sussex counties observed readings that gave a D and F grade, respectively, for ozone, according the lung association’s 2011 “State of the Air” report. Sussex County received a B for particles, while there was insufficient data for Worcester.

Nationally, just under half of all Americans live in counties that received an F rating for ozone pollution, Williams said. That number is one in five Americans for particle pollution.

On air quality action days, people are encouraged to take actions that lower air pollution. They include driving less, not mowing the lawn during the afternoon, minimizing electricity use and putting off painting because of the contents of paint fumes.

“It’s not just big companies spewing out stuff. When we have tens of thousands of people doing the same thing, it adds up,” Fees said.

glatshaw@dmg.gannett.com

410-845-4643

A new report released Monday claims the science is clear: Eating too much meat is bad for your health.

The so-called Meat Eater’s Guide, compiled by the Environmental Working Group, is generating buzz for its “cradle-to-grave” look at the environmental impact of 20 popular types of meat, dairy and vegetable proteins. But it also emphasizes the potential health impact of eating too much meat, recommending that people cut back to decrease their risk of heart disease and certain cancers.

“The goal is to really make this information accessible to consumers,” said Kari Hamerschlag, an agriculture analyst with the research and advocacy group. “On the health side, we really pulled together all of the information and tried to make it as clear as possible that there’s not just one reason to limit meat consumption; there are a whole host of reasons.”

The report, which weaves together statistics from various earlier studies, allows that meat can be an important source of protein and vitamins when eaten in moderation. But in the U.S., moderation may be a problem. The report cites data from the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization suggesting that Americans consume almost 60 percent more meat than their European counterparts, and four times more than in many developing countries. And much of that meat is either red or processed.

The health effects of this, the EWG report claims, are myriad: A 2009 report from the National Cancer Institute found that people who ate the most red meat — which can have high levels of cholesterol-rising saturated fat — were 27 percent more likely to die of heart disease. That same report also found serious meat eaters were 20 percent more likely to die of cancer than those who consumed the least amount of meat.

The American Meat Institute, a trade association representing companies that process most of the red meat and turkey in the United States, issued a statement saying that “the total body of evidence clearly demonstrates that meat is a healthy part of a balanced diet,” adding that the report oversimplifies many of the health issues.

Indeed, Marjorie McCullough, Sc.D., strategic director of nutritional epidemiology with the American Cancer Institute, cautioned that the link between high meat consumption and a broad range of cancers — including prostate and pancreatic — is possible, but not entirely clear. However, she said there is a consistent association between red and processed meats and a risk of colon cancer. Scientists have hypothesized that the nitrates in processed meats are a possible culprit, as are the chemicals formed when red meat is cooked at high temperatures.

“What people always ask next, is ‘what is the magic number?’ in terms of servings of meat to aim for,” McCullough said. “Unfortunately, there is no real magic number. I generally say that if you currently eat red meat, you should cut back by half.” (The American Cancer Society recommends that people limit their intake of red and processed meats, but also does not provide an exact figure.)

The EWG report calls for people to limit their intake of meat by enjoying “Meatless Mondays,” and when they do eat it, opting for meat that comes from grass-fed, certified organic and pasture-raised animals. The American Institute for Cancer Research and the American Dietetic Association recommend limiting red meat consumption to 18 ounces per week — a little more than a pound.

Others say the simplest move health-wise is simply increasing consumption of fruits and vegetables in line with the My Plate recommendations, leaving less room for other foods, like meat.

“If you focus on filling up on fruits and veggies, so they’re at least half your plate, you’re not going to have a lot of room left to even eat all that meat,” said Joan Salge Blake, R.D., a spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association. “The biggest thing is just getting down the amount we eat.”

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