Improve Your Nutrition with these Simple Steps 

Concierge Medicine, Environment, Health Basics, Healthy Living, Lifestyle, Nutrition, Preventative Health

Nutrition plays a crucial role in providing the necessary nutrients for our bodies to function properly. These essential nutrients include carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins, and minerals. Carbohydrates provide energy, proteins are vital for tissue growth and repair, fats contribute to insulation and organ protection, while vitamins and minerals are required for various bodily functions, such as building strong bones, maintaining a healthy immune system, and supporting heart and brain health.

A balanced and healthy diet, consisting of a variety of foods from different food groups, ensures that our bodies receive all the necessary nutrients. Proper nutrition not only helps to maintain healthy body weight but also reduces the risk of chronic diseases like diabetes, heart disease, and cancer. On the other hand, a poor diet lacking essential nutrients can lead to malnutrition and various health problems. Therefore, good nutrition is essential for overall health and well-being.

There are several ways to improve your nutrition, including:

  • Encouraging a balanced diet: Consume a variety of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins, and healthy fats. A balanced diet provides the necessary nutrients for the body to function properly.
  • Ensuring adequate hydration: Stay hydrated by drinking plenty of water and other fluids. This helps prevent dehydration, which can lead to health problems.
  • Providing smaller, more frequent meals: Instead of large meals, consider offering smaller, more frequent meals throughout the day, especially for adults. This ensures they receive the necessary nutrients without feeling overwhelmed.
  • Offering nutrient-dense snacks: Opt for nutrient-dense snacks such as fresh fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds. These snacks boost energy levels and provide essential nutrients.

In conclusion, in addition to prioritizing good nutrition, it is beneficial to seek guidance and support from primary care concierge doctors in Jupiter. These healthcare professionals specialize in personalized care and can offer valuable insights and recommendations tailored to individual needs. Collaborating with primary care doctors can further enhance one’s journey toward optimal nutrition and overall health. By combining their expertise with the principles of a balanced diet, hydration, and nutrient-dense snacks, individuals can receive comprehensive care that addresses their unique requirements and fosters long-term well-being. Together, the commitment to sound nutrition and the assistance of primary care concierge doctors empower patients to lead fulfilling and healthy lives.

Why is Elderly Nutrition So Important?

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If our primary care concierge doctors in Jupiter could choose the most important thing for elderly care, it would be nutrition. Elderly nutrition is crucial because as we age, our bodies undergo changes that make it more challenging to obtain the nutrients we need to stay healthy.  

Older Age Means More Changes

As we age, our metabolism slows down, our digestive system becomes less efficient, and our senses of taste and smell may diminish, which leads to a reduced appetite and a decreased interest in eating.

Additionally, older adults are more likely to have chronic health conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure, and osteoporosis, which can all be affected by diet. Proper nutrition can help manage these conditions, prevent complications, and improve overall quality of life.

Get the Good Stuff

Good nutrition is essential for maintaining muscle mass and bone density, which can help prevent falls and fractures. A balanced diet that includes adequate protein, calcium, and vitamin D is crucial for older adults to maintain strong bones and muscles.

Elderly nutrition is essential for several reasons:

  1. Health: Proper nutrition is essential for maintaining good health, especially as we age. A balanced diet that includes a variety of foods from all food groups helps to provide the necessary nutrients for good health, such as vitamins, minerals, and fiber.
  2. Chronic Diseases: Good nutrition can help prevent or manage chronic diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, and osteoporosis, which are more common in older adults.
  3. Immune System: Adequate nutrition is crucial for maintaining a healthy immune system, which can help protect against infectious diseases and illnesses.
  4. Mental health: Good nutrition impacts mental health, such as reducing the risk of depression and cognitive decline.
  5. Quality of Life: Proper nutrition can improve the quality of life for older adults by increasing energy levels, maintaining a healthy weight, and improving overall physical and mental well-being.

Overall, elderly nutrition is essential for maintaining good health, preventing chronic diseases, and improving the quality of life in older adults. 

Water Flavor Social Media Trend: Healthy?

Health Basics, Healthy Living, Lifestyle, Nutrition

Now that summer is officially here, our primary care concierge doctors in Jupiter want to bring to your attention the new “water trend” trending all over social media. 

In recent years, a new trend has emerged on social media: adding flavorings to water in order to make it more appealing and encourage people to drink more of it. This trend has been popularized by influencers and fitness enthusiasts who promote the idea that adding flavors to water can help individuals to stay hydrated and improve their overall health. However, the question remains: is this trend healthy?

It is Not That Easy

The answer is not straightforward. On the one hand, adding natural flavorings to water can make it more palatable, which may encourage individuals to drink more water throughout the day. Drinking enough water is crucial for maintaining optimal health, as it helps to regulate body temperature, prevent dehydration, and support proper digestion and elimination.

On the other hand, many commercial flavorings that are marketed for adding to water contain added sugars and artificial sweeteners. These ingredients can contribute to the overconsumption of calories, which can lead to weight gain and other health problems such as diabetes and heart disease. Additionally, artificial sweeteners have been linked to a range of health concerns, including disruption of gut microbiota, increased risk of metabolic disorders, and even cancer.

Moreover, some natural flavorings, such as fruit juices and honey, can also contain high amounts of sugar. While these may be healthier than artificial sweeteners, they should still be consumed in moderation as part of a balanced diet.

Healthy Flavorful Alternatives

Ultimately, the key to making water more appealing and encouraging adequate hydration is to find a flavoring that is healthy and fits your individual dietary needs. Some healthy options for flavoring water include adding slices of fresh fruit, such as lemon, lime, or cucumber, or infusing water with herbs like mint or basil. These natural flavorings can provide a burst of flavor without adding unnecessary calories or artificial sweeteners.

In conclusion, while adding flavorings to water can be a useful tool for staying hydrated, it is important to choose healthy options that do not contain added sugars or artificial sweeteners. By making this choice, you can reap the benefits of proper hydration without compromising your overall health and well-being.

Free-Range, Cage-Free, Organic: What Do Meat and Egg Labels Mean?

Concierge Medicine, Healthy Living, Lifestyle, Nutrition

Our primary care concierge doctors in Jupiter know that these days our patients are interested in not just their own health, but also the health of the planet and the welfare of animals. So you try to shop in ways that consciously take all these factors into consideration.

But how do you know what the many bewildering grocery store labels mean? Let us help sort out some of the confusion.

Win-win Practices

According to Treehugger.com, so-called humane farming practices are no more sustainable than those of factory-farmed meats, because the animals raised for food require just as much food and water as those in concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs). 

On the other hand, as the Cleveland Clinic points out, many of these CAFOs use more chemicals and fertilizers that pollute both the land and water sources, so they’re not as earth-friendly as traditional farming practices.

We’ve often extolled the health advantages of plant-based diets, however, so for now we’ll just say that the fewer meats and meat products you consume, the better for the planet (and your health).

The good thing about taking animal welfare into your buying decisions, however, is that you benefit, as well.

“The alternative to factory-farm meat—grass-fed meat—is not just better for the environment and better for the animals, but better for you, too,” says the Cleveland Clinic’s Functional Medicine Director Mark Hyman.

Grass-fed meat is so nutritionally superior to factor-farmed meat, he adds, that is practically a different food.

Animals raised without antibiotics are another health plus for humans because their rampant use can lead to the development of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, making it harder to treat our own infections.

Sorting Out Labels

Unfortunately, knowing their customers are interested in more humanely raised foods, many manufacturers select labels that may tend to mislead buyers.

For example, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) does not regulate the term “pasture-raised.” “Humane” is also not an official term, so it can mean anything.

Consumer Reports (CR) says that the claim “no growth hormones” doesn’t mean the animal was not given antibiotics, or that hogs were not given a non-hormonal growth enhancer called ractopamine. On the other hand, beef labels that say “no hormones” are useful, because cattle can be raised with hormones; however, the USDA does not allow hormones to be used in poultry or pork.

In addition, labels that say “no growth-promoting antibiotics” can also be misleading, because they can still be given to “ensure animal health” or to prevent or control disease, CR says.

Likewise, “natural” simply means that meat has been minimally processed and doesn’t contain any artificial ingredients such as chemical preservatives, spices or sauces, or artificial coloring. As Insider reports, a “natural” egg is simply a real egg that came from a real hen.

Similarly, “farm fresh” means nothing: All meat and eggs come from farms, whether in bucolic outdoor settings or cramped cages on CAFOs. And “Omega-3” doesn’t tell you whether the eggs contain enough of this essential fatty acid.

What They Mean

The labels manufacturers use can be baffling, so here’s a quick guide to the most common meat and egg labels.

Meats

  • Grass-fed: This term gets a little tricky. The USDA’s definition means the meat must come from animals that have never been given grain and have access to pasture during the grazing season. According to CR, however, the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) does not inspect these farms, and they can still be raised with antibiotics or hormones.
  • In addition, grass-fed cattle still may not have continuous access to pasture and may spend at least a part of their lives confined to a feedlot.
  • Organic: This is a more reliable term because the USDA organic seal indicates that the animal was given only organic feed, and was not given antibiotics or growth hormones. Even sick animals that were treated with antibiotics can no longer legally be labeled “organic.”
  • Pasture-raised: Again, this term can be misleading, because many meat producers will use it if their cows were only periodically allowed brief access to the outdoors.

Eggs

  • Cage-free: This means hens are not kept in cages, but that doesn’t mean they’re allowed outdoor access. In fact, they can still be raised in crowded (read: “overcrowded”) conditions indoors.
  • Free-range: This means the animals have at least some access to the outdoors, and aren’t caged, but they still may be raised primarily in crowded conditions.
  • Organic: These eggs come from hens that haven’t been fed grains grown with GMOs or synthetic pesticides. In addition, they aren’t raised in cages and must be given outdoor access. Again, though, “outdoor access” can still mean being confined in cramped conditions on tiny concrete porches.
  • Pasture-raised: Although there’s no standard definition for this term if the egg label contains either the Certified Humane or American Humane Certified pasture-raised labels, it means the hens must have access to a pasture with room for natural behaviors, such as pecking for bugs and seeds.

How to be Sure

As Vox reports, “For the grocery shopper buying animal products, the independent rating programs created by advocacy programs are the most important labels to look out for, since they actually have auditing systems built in to hold producers accountable.”

These certification labels include “GAP-Certified,” “Certified Humane,” and “Animal Welfare Approved.”

Finally, remember that what’s best for animal welfare is usually best for our health, as well.

Is Exercise Better Than Drugs for Mental Health?

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If our primary care concierge doctors in Jupiter could prescribe a single treatment for a host of different health concerns, it would be exercise.

For example, one study published in the journal BMJ compared exercise alone versus drug therapy alone and found that for heart disease, diabetes control or prevention, stroke rehabilitation, and treatment of heart failure, regular physical exercise was just as effective as prescription medications in treating many of these conditions.

And according to the Mayo Clinic, some of the disorders that benefit from regular exercise include:

  • Heart disease – In addition to strengthening the heart muscle and lowering blood pressure, exercise can help you be more active without experiencing chest pain or other symptoms.
  • Diabetes – Regular exercise can not only help insulin more effectively lower your blood sugar level, but also help control weight and boost energy.
  • Asthma – Exercise has been shown to control the frequency and severity of asthma attacks.
  • Back pain – Regular low-impact aerobic exercise can help increase the strength of your back muscles and improve endurance and muscle function.
  • Arthritis – Exercise is the primary approach to reduce pain, help maintain muscle strength in affected joints and reduce joint stiffness.

What About the Brain?

It makes sense, then, that the benefits of exercise would also impact the brain.

And that’s just what a new study, published in February in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, revealed. Researchers from the University of South Australia correlated data from 1,039 studies involving more than 128,000 volunteers.

They found that physical activity was 1.5 times more effective for managing depression than either counseling or the leading medications typically prescribed for the disease.

The review showed that exercise interventions that were 12 weeks or shorter were the most effective at reducing mental health symptoms, showing how quickly physical activity can make a difference, Science Daily reported.

“Our review shows that physical activity interventions can significantly reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety in all clinical populations,” lead researcher Dr. Ben Singh said in a statement.

“We also found that all types of physical activity and exercise were beneficial, including aerobic exercises such as walking, resistance, training, Pilates, and yoga,” he said. 

“Importantly, the research shows that it doesn’t take much for exercise to make a positive change to your mental health.”

Even a Little Bit Helps

This last finding is important because one of the hallmarks of depression is a lack of energy. So asking them to engage in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) recommendation of 150 minutes of moderate physical activity every week is akin to asking them to climb a mountain with a broken leg.

Another study, published this month in the journal JAMA Psychiatry, offers similar reassurance that any regular movement can make a difference.

For this study, the researchers looked at 15 studies involving more than 190,000 subjects.

They found that people who engaged in brisk walking for a total of 2.5 hours a week had a lower risk of depression than those who didn’t exercise at all. 

“Most benefits are realized when moving from no activity to at least some,” the study authors wrote. 

“Our findings, therefore, have important new implications for health practitioners making lifestyle recommendations, especially to inactive individuals who may perceive the currently recommended target [of 2.5 hours a week] as unrealistic,” they added.

How Does it Work?

There are several reasons exercise has such a positive effect on depression and anxiety, according to Dr. Antonia Baum, an assistant clinical professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at George Washington University, who was not involved in these studies.

It can improve blood circulation to the brain and have a positive impact on inflammation and the body’s immune response, she told U.S. News, noting the connection between heart health and depression. There may also be intangible benefits such as getting stronger or feeling empowered or gaining a sense of well-being.

Yet another recent meta-review of 41 studies involving 2,265 people with depression found that almost any type of exercise substantially reduces symptoms of depression, The Washington Post reported.

“We found large, significant results,” said study leader Andreas Heissel, an exercise scientist at the University of Potsdam in Germany.

Although more exercise produced greater results, “Something is better than nothing,” Heissel noted.

Small Moves

Jennifer Heisz, a neuroscientist and an associate professor in the Department of Kinesiology at McMaster University in Ontario, Canada, who was not involved in these studies, was even more encouraging.

“Any movement, every movement, every step counts,” she told U.S. News.

“It doesn’t have to be as much as you need for physical health,” she added. “You can get by with half of that, and this is very consistent with the literature.”

Heisz suggested that people try to move a little every day, even if it’s just a five- or 10-minute walk, or a two-minute movement break every half hour for those who sit all day.

“That’s how simple we need to get, especially for people who are not moving at all, and to acknowledge that there is this additional barrier of motivation for people who are suffering from depression,” she said.

One final word: It’s important not to try to treat depression yourself. We can help guide you through different approaches or even recommend other professionals that can help.

If you have thoughts of harming yourself, dial or text the new national suicide hotline number 988 for immediate help.

Best Ways to Treat Lower Back Pain

, Health Basics, Healthy Living, Lifestyle, Preventative Health

Whatever the cause of your low back pain—lifting your child, the wrong tennis move, or (often) no reason you can recall—what you want is relief: now!

Our concierge primary care doctors in Jupiter understand because we’ve been there. In fact, it’s estimated that at some point in our lives, 80 percent of us will seek medical attention for that searing pain that flares every time we move.

So we were pleased to learn of a new study that looked at the best medications for treating lower back pain. And there are other ways to treat the pain without drugs, which we’ll explore below.

The Latest Research

The study, published last month in the Journal of Orthopaedic Research, found that the best medications for acute lower back pain was a combination of a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory NSAID) drug and a prescription muscle relaxant. Acute lower back pain is defined as pain that lasts no longer than 12 weeks; chronic back pain lasts longer.

Researchers reviewed 18 randomized clinical trials that looked at various analgesics, including aspirin, acetaminophen, and NSAIDs (ibuprofen, naproxen, and celecoxib). The NSAID/muscle relaxer combination relieved pain and disability the fastest, often within one week.

The main drawback, of course, is that muscle relaxants—which actually tend to relax the whole body rather than just muscles—cause sleepiness, meaning they can’t be taken while driving or trying to function normally throughout the day.

And—as with all drugs, whether over-the-counter (OTC) or prescription—each drug comes with the possibility of side effects, including indigestion, dizziness, liver damage, and internal bleeding, among other risks.

Harvard Health Publishing notes that other drug treatments are also available for those whose pain isn’t helped by analgesics, or becomes more severe.

This includes opioids as a last resort, which are generally safe when taken for a short period and monitored by a doctor.

Certain antidepressants can also be prescribed off-label to treat pain, even if the person is not depressed.

Non-drug Approaches

Because of the risks associated with drug therapy, many people look to alternative methods to help relieve their pain.

Matthew Solan, the executive editor of Harvard Men’s Health Watch, mentions several options.

Cold and heat therapies can work by starting with ice packs immediately following the onset of pain to reduce swelling, followed by a heating pad or a hot-water bottle to relax muscles and increase blood flow.

Limited bed rest, although recently fallen out of favor as the preferred treatment for back pain, can still be helpful if the pain is so severe that it hurts to sit or stand. Try to limit it to a few hours at a time, however, and for no more than one or two days. 

Physical activity can not only help build strong muscles that are less prone to injury but can also help the healing process.

Complementary therapies, often thought of as “woo-woo nonsense,” have been shown to offer relief in many cases. They include:

  • acupuncture, in which needles inserted in precise points on the body are said to release blocked energy suspected of causing pain
  • spinal manipulation, in which chiropractors apply pressure to the body to correct spinal alignment
  • therapeutic massage to relax aching muscles
  • movement therapies such as yoga and tai chi

Another Non-traditional Approach

Nearly 40 years ago, the late back pain physician John Sarno proposed an entirely different approach to treating chronic lower back pain, and eventually pain of all sorts. He claimed that much of the pain was caused by the brain trying to repress unwanted or frightening emotions and that once this was acknowledged, the pain would resolve on its own.

This is a vast oversimplification of his theory, of course, and over the years has been vehemently rejected by pain sufferers who thought he was saying their pain was “all in the head,” which was not his message. Anyone who is familiar with the concept of mind-body medicine will understand the connection between the brain and what happens in the body.

Although the medical community has been slow to warm up to Sarno’s approach, two recent studies tend to lend credence to his theory.

One, published in the journal JAMA Psychiatry in 2021, was a randomized, controlled trial of 151 patients using an approach based on Sarno’s work: “pain reprocessing therapy,” or PRT, which taught patients to reinterpret their pain as a neutral signal from the brain. Researchers found that 98 percent of participants had at least some relief from their pain; 66 percent were nearly or fully pain-free, compared with 10 percent of the control group.

Another study, published the same year, found similar results to Sarno’s approach.

If you’re interested in pursuing this form of treatment, Sarno’s books are readily available online. Although he offered in-person counseling when he was alive, he also claimed that simply reading his books, which explained the theories behind his treatment, worked for many. 

A Final Word

Finally, if you have persistent or severe lower back pain, it’s important that you let us know because it could be a symptom of something serious.

Dr. Akhil Chhtre, who specializes in back pain at the Johns Hopkins Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, cautions that “in some cases, pain is your body’s way of telling you that something isn’t right.”

He says it could be sciatica, kidney pain, or even cancer (especially prostate cancer). So it’s important to have persistent lower back pain checked. 

Live Longer with Blue Zone Foods

Environment, Health Basics, Healthy Living, Lifestyle, Nutrition, Preventative Health, Uncategorized

Of all the diet trends available today, one our primary care concierge doctors in Jupiter can highly recommend is the Blue Zone way of eating: fresh, healthy, unprocessed food, from as close to its source as possible, in meals shared with family and friends.

The term “Blue Zone” was coined nearly 20 years ago by journalist and researcher Dan Buettner in a 2005 National Geographic cover story titled, “Secrets of Living Longer.”

His team of anthropologists, demographers, and scientists had traveled the world to find the world’s longest-living people, and to discover the secrets to their longevity.

Buettner’s team found five seemingly disparate places where the people live exceptionally long, healthy lives: on average, around 100. (The term “blue zone” came from the blue circles the researchers drew on a map during their quest.)

The five places are:

Okinawa, Japan
the Nicoyan Peninsula in Costa Rica
the Seventh Day Adventists in Loma Linda, California
Sardinia, Italy
Ikaria, Greece

More than Diet

Of course, healthy eating is key to a healthy body, but the Blue Zone residents had more than good food on their side. Genetics, as always, plays a big role in how long anyone will live no matter where they are.

Other factors the team found the Blue Zones had in common were:

Natural movement: no marathons or gym visits, just long walks, hiking, gardening, etc.
Hara Hachi Bu: an Okinawan term for eating until they’re about 80 percent full
Plant slant: a preference for plant foods over meat
Grapes of Life: one to two servings of red wine daily (except for the Seventh Day Adventists, who eschew alcohol)
Plan de Vida: or “why I wake up in the morning,” i.e., a sense of purpose
Downshift: controlling stress, a sense of serenity
Belong: participation in a spiritual community
Loved ones first: making family a priority
Close tribe: social connectedness

Blue Zone Meals

The Blue Zone diet, which Buettner details in his latest book, “The Blue Zones American Kitchen: 100 Recipes to Live to 100,” is a cornerstone of the Blue Zone program, and closely resembles the Mediterranean diet, but with even less emphasis on fish and meat.

“The five pillars of every longevity diet, including the Blue Zones, are whole grains, vegetables in season, tubers, nuts, and beans. In fact, I argue the cornerstone of a longevity diet is beans,” he told CNN.

Legumes, in fact, are key, he told The Washington Post. They are rich in fiber, which is key to improving cholesterol and blood sugar levels.

“Figure out how to get a cup of beans into your diet every day,” he told the paper. “Just one cup gives you half of all the daily fiber you need.”

What Not to Eat

And even though the Mediterranean diet includes a certain amount of meat and fish, Blue Zone diets contain little, if any.

“People in Blue Zones don’t eat nearly as much fish as the Mediterranean diet prescribes, only three times a week and only three ounces,” he told CNN. “Meat is eaten only five times a month. There’s no cow’s milk in any Blue Zone.”

Instead, people eat goat and sheep’s milk cheeses such as feta and pecorino, he said.

In addition, “no more than three eggs are consumed per week,” he told NBC’s Today show.

“The Blue Zone eating pattern is 98 percent plant-based foods—whole food-based and high carbohydrate,” Buettner told CNN.

“But only complex carbs, not the simple carbs like salty snacks and candy bars and soda pop. You say carbohydrates and people are horrified, but the healthiest foods in our food system are complex carbohydrates,” he added.

Time and Place Count, too

In keeping with the other factors that affect longevity, sharing meals—especially with family—is another component. While our busy schedules might not often permit this, Buettner says it’s worth doing as often as possible.

“Families that eat together tend to each much more nutritiously, they eat slower, and there’s good research that children have fewer issues with disordered eating if they’re eating socially,” he told The Post.

And it turns out the recent trend toward intermittent fasting appears to have some validity. Buettner reports that people in Blue Zones tend to eat earlier in the day.

Okinawans, for instance, traditionally eat a big breakfast and a moderate lunch.

“They don’t even have dinner,” he told the paper.

And the Seventh Day Adventists in Loma Linda would eat a big breakfast at 10 a.m. and a moderate lunch at 4 p.m. “And then they’re done for the day,” he said.

Small Moves

Of course, there’s more to the Blue Zone lifestyle than just food, as we mentioned earlier. Three of the five Blue Zones are isolated, which forces tight social connections and a lot of walking.

“Walking is one of the best forms of exercise and you can do it without thinking about it,” Buettner told Today, suggesting that people think about adopting a dog as a strategy to encourage regular walks.

“We’re all looking for magic dietary pills or serums or supplements, but you see none of that in the Blue Zones,” he said. “It’s mostly small things driven by the right environment,” he said.

That includes social connections.

“We’re genetically hardwired to crave social interaction, and when you don’t have it, there’s a level of subconscious stress that grates away at you,” he added.

Is a Neti Pot Right for You?

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Because our concierge primary care doctors in Jupiter have been receiving more questions about the effectiveness of Neti pots for various sinus conditions, we thought we’d take some time to explore their usefulness—and to reiterate a special warning about their use.

What is a neti pot?

Neti pots are one type of nasal irrigation device that use a saline or saltwater solution to treat congested sinuses, colds, allergies, and congestion from flu and COVID-19.

These devices include the teapot-looking container that originated with Ayurvedic medicine in India, along with bulb syringes, squeeze bottles, and more expensive motorized pulsed water devices.

In general, these devices all introduce salt water (saline) into the nostrils to flush out mucus, allergens, and bacteria. The saline helps thin the mucus, making it easier to expel.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) says that such saline rinsing “can remove dust, pollen, and other debris, as well as help to loosen thick mucus. It can also help relieve nasal symptoms of sinus infections, allergies, colds, and flu.

“Plain water can irritate your nose,” the agency says. “The saline allows the water to pass through delicate nasal membranes with little or no burning or irritation.”

How do they work?

 “There are various ways to deliver saline to the nose,” says Eric A. Mann, M.D., and Ph.D., a doctor at the FDA.

“Nasal spray bottles deliver a fine mist and might be useful for moisturizing dry nasal passages. But irrigation devices are better at flushing the nose and clearing out mucus, allergens, and bacteria,” he says.

Information that comes with each device can give more specific instructions, but in general, the FDA says they all work basically the same way:

  • Leaning over a sink, tilt your head sideways with your forehead and chin roughly level to avoid liquid flowing into your mouth.
  • Breathing through your open mouth, insert the spout of the saline-filled container into your upper nostril so that the liquid drains through the lower nostril.
  • Clear your nostrils. Then repeat the procedure, tilting your head sideways to the other side.

While some people experience immediate relief from their symptoms, for others it may take a few days to begin breathing more freely.

And experts caution that—like oral decongestants—nasal irrigation devices are simply a treatment for a symptom, not a cure for the underlying cause.

Some Cautions

Although the FDA says that neti pots and other similar nasal irrigation devices are generally safe, they may not be right for everyone. If your immune system isn’t working properly, the agency advises checking with your healthcare provider before using any nasal irrigation system.

A few users report ear discomfort, nasal irritation, a burning or stinging sensation, and even nosebleeds. But in general, the FDA considers them safe to use, even for children aged two and up.

The most significant warning, however, concerns the type of water used in them. 

“Tap water isn’t safe for use as a nasal rinse because it’s not adequately filtered or treated,” the FDA cautions.

“Some tap water contains low levels of organisms—such as bacteria and protozoa, including amoebas—that may be safe to swallow because stomach acid kills them. But in your nose, these organisms can stay alive in nasal passages and cause potentially serious infections.”

They can even be deadly, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports. Since 1993, there have been at least 70 cases of “brain-eating” amoeba infections in the U.S., which are “almost uniformly fatal,” the agency reports.

Safe Use

The safety of neti pots and other such nasal irrigation devices—including the motorized versions—depends on the type of water used and how meticulously the containers are cleaned after each use.

The FDA lists the following types of water as safe to use for neti pots and similar devices:

  • Distilled or sterile water, which you can buy in stores. The label will state “distilled” or “sterile.”
  • Boiled and cooled tap water—boiled for three to five minutes, then cooled until it is lukewarm. Previously boiled water can be stored in a clean, closed container for use within 24 hours.
  • Water passes through a filter designed to trap potentially infectious organisms. The CDC has information on these filters here. 

To safely use and care for your device:

  • Wash and dry your hands.
  • Check that the device is clean and completely dry.
  • Prepare the saline rinse, either with the prepared mixture supplied with the device, or one you make yourself.
  • Follow the manufacturer’s directions for use.
  • Wash the device, and dry the inside with a paper towel or let it air dry between uses.

Does it Work?

Most people who use neti pots to relieve nasal congestion and allergies swear by them, especially if they want to avoid using over-the-counter decongestants. 

“Just about any condition that causes irritants and mucus to build up inside the nose will benefit from saltwater rinsing with a net pot or similar device,” Richard Orlandi, a nasal and sinus specialist and professor of surgery at the University of Utah Health in Salt Lake City, told Consumer Reports (CR).

“These include allergies, nonallergic nose irritation, colds, and sinus inflammation and infections,” he said.

The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that rinsing your nose with saline does not prevent COVID-19, by the way.

If saline rinsing doesn’t relieve your symptoms, or if you have a fever, nosebleeds, or headaches while using the devices, let us know.

Nature Can Heal in More Ways Than One

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Humans evolved in the natural world. We may have retreated to caves or huts to protect ourselves from the elements, but we spent much of our time outdoors, hunting, gathering, cooking, telling stories, and so on. Our lives these days, though, are largely spent cut off from nature.

This way of life has sparked a wealth of studies showing that our loss of contact with nature—dubbed “nature deficit disorder”—has a real impact on our physical and mental health.

So our primary care concierge doctors in Jupiter weren’t too surprised to learn of a new study published this month in the journal Occupational & Environmental Medicine, which found that enjoying nature up to four times a week reduced the odds of needing mental health medications by 33 percent.

It also reduced the odds of using blood pressure pills by 36 percent and asthma medications by 26 percent.

The Study

Researchers interviewed about 6,000 people who live in large cities in Finland, asking about their access to and use of green and blue spaces, including parks, zoos, rivers, lakes, or the sea. 

They also asked subjects whether they could see views of nature from their homes, how often they spent time outdoors as well as how much they exercised while outdoors.

The study also accounted for other possible factors such as traffic-related outdoor air pollution and noise, which have been proven to have an adverse effect on health.

Respondents were then asked about their use of medications for depression, anxiety, high blood pressure, asthma, or insomnia, and correlated these with time spent in nature.

As noted above, the results were markedly better for those who were regularly exposed to green or blue spaces. Notably, those who lived in areas with a lot of green spaces or who simply looked at nature from their windows showed no improvement in any of these categories.

“Frequent green space visits, but not the amounts of residential green or blue spaces, or green and blue views from home, were associated with less frequent use of psychotropic, antihypertensive, and asthma medication in urban environments,” the study authors wrote.

Confirming Prior Research

Numerous earlier studies have found significant benefits from spending time in nature.

One meta-review of 143 other studies published in the journal Environmental Research, for example, found that people with access to green space generally had a slower heart rate, lower blood pressure, and fewer blood levels of the stress hormone cortisol. Researchers also found significantly fewer cases of diabetes and lower rates of mortality from heart disease in the group regularly exposed to nature.

An American Institutes for Research (AIR) study in 2005 found that sixth-grade students who attended three outdoor education programs showed marked improvement in conflict resolution skills.

Another study in China in 2013 involved 60,000 children between the ages of two and 17. It showed that regular exposure to nature, or “greenness” around their schools, reduced the incidence of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). A more recent study at the University of Illinois produced similar results.

And a 2016 study of nearly 100,000 women conducted over eight years found that having access to the greenest space not only improved the subjects’ mental health but also reduced their death rate by 12 percent.

Nature Deprivation Hurts

Author Richard Louv coined the phrase Nature Deficit Disorder (NDD) in his 2005 book “Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature Deficit Disorder.” In it, he argued that elements of our urbanized lifestyle, including few natural spaces, a car-focused culture, more screen time, changes in the perception of risk (e.g., fear of “stranger danger”), less leisure time, and increased time pressure from work or school, combine to decrease or even eliminate contact with nature for both adults and children, according to the National Institutes for Health (NIH).

“The average young American now spends practically every minute—except for the time in school—using a smartphone, computer, television, or electronic device,” Tamar Lewin reported in a Kaiser Family Foundation study on the subject.

According to the Children and Nature Network (C-NN), which was co-founded by Louv, an expanding body of scientific evidence suggests that nature-deficit disorder contributes to:

  • diminished use of the senses
  • attention difficulties
  • conditions of obesity, and
  • higher rates of emotional and physical illnesses

Make the Connection

Unfortunately, to get back to nature, you may need to make a specific effort, because in our harried lives trapped indoors, focused on our screens, we have very little time for real relaxation.

Therefore, it’s often necessary to add nature breaks to our schedules the same way we schedule everything else.

One way is to undertake the Japanese practice known as “forest bathing,” or shinrin-yoku. As Kaiser Permanente’s’ online Thrive explains, “Heading out to a heavily wooded area isn’t required. You could take a trip to a nearby park, your favorite local trail, the beach, or any natural setting. Just be sure to turn off or silence your phone or other devices.”

Psychology Today explains, “Forest bathing is an antidote to pinging distractions, impending deadlines, and never-ending obligations . . . . The idea is to immerse yourself in a natural environment and soak up the many health benefits of being in the green woods.”

However, you manage it, for the sake of your overall health we recommend you take the time to reconnect with the natural world as often as possible.

Could You Have Hidden Thyroid Problems?

Disease, Lifestyle, Medications

Has your sex drive decreased recently? Have you been constipated lately? Do you have brain fog or unusual fatigue? Are you unusually sensitive to heat or cold?

You could have a thyroid problem and not even know it. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 750 million people in the world have some form of thyroid disease, and as many as 60 percent of those are undiagnosed.

Because January is Thyroid Awareness Month, our concierge primary care doctors in Jupiter want to take this opportunity to share some facts you may not know about this critical gland in your body.

About Thyroid Disease

Many people go through their lives feeling “blah” or “not right” or putting up with symptoms they think is just a part of life, when in fact a malfunctioning thyroid is the real issue.

This gland, shaped like a butterfly, is located at the front of the neck, just below the Adam’s apple. It produces a hormone (thyroid stimulating hormone, or TSH) that influences nearly all the metabolic processes in the body. So when something goes wrong, this little gland can produce big problems.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) reports that women are more likely than men to have thyroid disease. One in eight women will develop thyroid problems during their lifetime. Anyone over age 60, especially women, is at higher risk of developing thyroid disease, along with anyone who has diabetes.

In women, thyroid disease can cause several issues specific to their sex, including problems with the menstrual period, problems with getting pregnant, and problems during pregnancy.

In general, the two main types of thyroid disorders result from either underproduction or overproduction of TSH, and the symptoms of each are generally opposites of each other, although thyroid dysfunction can have hundreds of possible symptoms.

These two main disorders, hyperthyroidism, and hypothyroidism can result from many different causes, and can also be inherited.

Symptoms of Each Type

Hyperthyroidism results from the overproduction of thyroid hormones, thereby speeding up every process in the body. The heart beats faster, food is digested more rapidly, the kidneys process urine more quickly, etc.

Some of the symptoms of hyperthyroidism can include:

-increased perspiration
-insomnia
-increased appetite
-weight loss
-nervousness/anxiety
-irritability
-hand tremors
-muscle weakness, especially in the upper arms or thighs
-hair loss/fine brittle hair
-heart palpitations/irregular heartbeat/racing heart
-sensitivity to heat
-carpal tunnel syndrome
-more frequent bowel movements
-light or less frequent menstrual cycles

Hypothyroidism is the more common type of thyroid disease, in which the thyroid doesn’t release enough thyroid hormone. As you might expect, with this type of thyroid problem every process in the body slows down.

Some of the symptoms of hypothyroidism can include:

-fatigue
-sensitivity to cold, especially cold hands and feet
-constipation and gas
-pain, stiffness, or swelling in joints
-brain fog/memory problems
-weight gain
-irregular or heavy menstrual periods
-hoarseness
-dry skin
-poor appetite
-lowered libido
-puffy/swollen face
-fluid retention/bloating
-thinning hair or hair loss
-muscle weakness
-depression

There can also be other symptoms, and they vary from person to person. Often they are dismissed as stressed, feeling “run down,” or simply aging. So you can see why so many people have undiagnosed thyroid dysfunction.

Simple Treatments

Another type of thyroid issue that frequently has no symptoms is thyroid cancer. According to the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), thyroid cancer is the most common form of cancer in women between the ages of 20 and 34, and the only symptoms may be difficulty swallowing, or sometimes throat pain accompanied by a persistent cough.

Approximately one percent of Americans are diagnosed with thyroid cancer in their lifetimes, representing about two percent of all cancer cases in the U.S. The good news is that this cancer is highly treatable, even in advanced stages.

And treatment for an over- or underactive thyroid is simple, safe, and effective. This includes anti-thyroid drugs, radioactive iodine, and beta-blockers to help control symptoms.

If you are experiencing any of these symptoms, it’s important that you let us know so you can get treatment. Untreated thyroid disease can damage many organs of the body, including the heart and kidneys.

Keeping it Healthy

Here are some steps you can take to keep your thyroid healthy.

  1. Be sure the salt you use is iodized. Many of the specialty salts do not contain iodine. The thyroid requires iodine to function properly, but the recent popularity of such specialty salts as sea salt and Himalayan salt has reduced the amount of iodine in some diets. Too little iodine can result in hypothyroidism.
  2. Avoid uncooked cruciferous vegetables, including broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, Brussels sprouts kale, watercress, and kohlrabi. These particular vegetables contain substances called goitrogens that interfere with the efficient synthesis of thyroid hormones. Cooking inactivates these substances, making them safer to eat.
  3. Opt for more seafood in your diet, especially crab, shrimp, lobster, clams, and mussels. All of these are rich sources of iodine.
  4. Avoid processed foods. Although high in sodium, processed and packaged foods do not contain iodized salt.

These guidelines can help maintain the health of your thyroid. But do not try to self-treat a suspected thyroid problem, especially with iodine supplements, which can make symptoms worse.

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