Some of you may remember Dr. Darwish who worked with us for over ten years. Dr. Darwish is currently in Egypt participating in the demonstrations and protests before their Parliament. Even though the Mubarek regime was ended; the military has taken control and very little in terms of rights has changed.

I just saw a FB comment from her that said she was in a crowd that was tear-gased. Please light a candle for Dr. Darwish, the Egyptian people, and people everywhere who continue to fight for human rights and living dignities.

Much of the work I do in our practice centers around getting people to recognize the physical and emotional effects caused by stress. More and more, science is showing us how stress manifests itself in negative ways.

The difference between those who are strongly affected and those who are not is simply a matter of how the stress is managed. Everyone has some degree of stress in their lives. How we react to this stress is our design.

Stress – anxiety about the future and discomfort about the past. The simple answer is to live in the present moment – thus avoiding the distress of the past/future. The key is how to accomplish that.

Studies have shown that daily practitioners of meditation, yoga or tai chi have brain changes evidenced in MRIs.
Meditation and the two ‘moving meditations’ yoga and tai chi cause the practitioner to be in the present moment.
There are many beginner and advanced level groups of these disciplines. Check out ‘meetup.com’ for a group near your work or home.

Be pro-active in your quest to manage stress. Talk to me about it at our next visit.

Regarding my resolution – I have not managed to walk everyday. I am averaging about 4X a week. I have had several good hikes. My last hike was in the Bull Run Marina. It is about a 6.5 mile hike with some good hills.
This ‘winter’ has been delightfully mild and excellent for hikes.

Lower temperatures also means lower humidity.  While we often hear complaints about the high humidity in the DC region, when winter hits we start looking for skin lotions.

The best way to keep you skin moist is from the inside.  Drink extra water in the winter. Also, wet skin absorbs deeper than dry skin.  So when you finish your shower and BEFORE you dry off apply a mild oil onto your skin..one without additives.  Baby oil is good or an unscented lotion.  Then towel dry and reapply a lotion.  I like to use olive oil with an added aromatic oil.  If you can drink it, it must be safe for the skin, eh?

Try getting a humidifier for your bedroom.  Sleeping in too dry air can cause morning headaches and non-restful sleep.  Pay particular attention to your feet in the winter.  Be sure to scrap away dead skin and moisturize.

Use a moisturizer every night on your face, neck and hands just before you go to sleep.  Lack of activity will promote absorption.

If you suffer from winter eczema,  when you shower use soap only on the exogenous zones – arm pits and perineum.  Soap is irritating to skin and very drying.  Use only mild soap.

Am trying to keep up with my walking resolution.  Will report in at the end of the month.

Every year we make a resolution to improve our lives. Sometimes we succeed and sometimes not. This year I read an article suggesting we ask those who love us to give us a resolution. It has to be done in a loving manner and the giver must be ready to receive a suggestion. But, it also should be done with honesty and a positive twist. So, for my readers, I ask that you leave more comments on my blog  and share it more on FB and Twitter. Let me know what health topics you would like to have me address this year. I promise to do the research and give it my best.

My resolution is to get out and walk everyday..even in the rain and snow. I’ll let you know how it progresses. I am reading a book titled “A Walk in the Woods” by Bill Bryson. It is an old book..about his experience walking the Appalacian Trail in 1996. I remember that year the DC area had record snow falls and the beginning of his hike was filled with snow in Georgia. He has inspired me to return to my walks and hikes. Hiking in the woods is filled with alternating moments of peace and terror. You never know what is around the bend until you get there.

Happy New Year to each of you. 2012 is a blank page – fill it with whatever brings you joy.

This year, because of economic restraints, many of my friends, family and patients are cutting back on shopping, card sending, and party going. What they are finding is a much less stressful season. They are making gifts rather than buying; having office parties on site; giving more volunteer time to charities. Isn’t this more reflective of what this winter holiday is all about?
Take some deep breaths this season. The beginning of winter and the shortest day of the year is this month. A time when our environment lies bare. The duality of life is so apparent. Leaves have fallen. The skeletal trees show us just how very fragile and very sturdy life is.

This season take hold of each moment – each precious moment – knowing it will never be repeated and squeeze out all the joy you can. Sing silly songs, dance on your front sidewalk, embrace your life. Live each day with exceptional exuberance.
When you wish for Peace on Earth..remember that peace starts with you. Be peace. Live peace.
This is my holiday wish for each of you.

Our body is the host of 100 trillion microbes.  These microbes weigh a total of just under three pounds.  The microbes perform functions that we need to thrive. The gastrointestinal tract (stomach, small and large intestines) contains most of this bacteria.  The flora is very complex and many species have not yet been identified. In addition to the large number of organisms, each person’s composite is unique and just as specific as a fingerprint.

The bacteria we harbor protects us from invading pathogens.  They also provide us with as much as 10% of our energy needs, and supply a broad range of vitamins and are essential for the absorption of minerals. Our immune system is dependent on the microbes in our bodies.  Our indigenous flora has protective, structural and metabolic functions.

If the balance of the microbes is disturbed, side effects and even disease can occur.  One of the reasons it is imperative to use antibiotics only when absolutely necessary is that antibiotics are non-discriminatory.  They destroy both bad and good bacteria.

There is a growing movement to incorporate ‘probiotics’ in our daily diet to protect this bacterial growth we need. “Probiotics” is formed from the Greek “for life” and can help prevent many diseases.

So eat healthy, stay away from unnecessary antibiotics and maintain a good balance.

Some of us think if we fast the day before we can over-indulge on Thanksgiving day. Better to do 30 minutes of cardio about 12 hours before the big feast. Researchers have found that this exercise can help prevent one of the most damaging effects of over-eating – a spike in triglycerides. Triglycerides are a type of fat in the blood and measured in your cholesterol count. They are a big problem as they are very good at penetrating the arterial wall causing stroke and heart attack especially risky for women.
Researchers in Denmark found that women with high triglycerides (over 400) have a 17% more risk of stroke. High levels of triglycerides are also a sign of pre-diabetes or insulin impairment. Diabetes starts in the muscle. If the sugar isn’t used by muscle, it is stored in the liver in the form of fat. This is triglycerides. Eating a heavy fatty meal can impair the proper function of the blood vessels. Cardio exercise for 30 continuous minutes has been shown to reduce the peak of triglycerides that occur after eating a meal up to 12-16 hours later. Even light exercise like walking will improve the triglyceride levels. Some research found that the benefits of exercise can last as long as 48 hrs. Ideally, one should exercise in a consistent manner. But, if one is more sedentary; it is best to exercise 12-16 hours before a big feast like Thanksgiving.
So tomorrow – Wednesday before the holiday- in between baking and making that cranberry sauce take a cardio break of 30 minutes. Your heart and your brain will thank you.

These unpleasant, painful mouth sores can make it difficult to eat, talk and most importantly – smile. If you get recurrent sores on your lips, get your health care provider to test you for herpes simplex. If you test positive, there is medication you can take which will decrease the amount of time the sore lingers and increase the time between outbreaks. Herpes simplex is in the family of chicken pox, shingles and genital herpes. It is not sexually transmitted like genital herpes.

Canker sores that occur inside the mouth are of a different nature. Many people get these painful sores during times of high stress. If you are one of the unfortunate 25% of the population getting recurrent mouth sores, try regular antimicrobial mouthwashes. Once you have an outbreak, use Benadryl liquid rinses or diluted hydrogen peroxide in warm water.
To prevent the canker sores, keep to a diet high in Vitamin B12 and of course manage your daily stress levels with meditation or yoga or tai chi.

There is much research going on to discover the process of aging. A recent study by German scientists studied men and women and the life span of their cells.
Some of the people were young and sedentary, some middle aged and sedentary and two groups were very active. One of the active groups were professional runners in their 20s – training about 45 miles a week. The other group were serious, middle-aged longtime runners (avg age 51) and average running of 50 miles/wk.
First thing the scientists noted was that the older runners looked much younger than their cohorts. And they found that the telomeres of the older and younger groups were the same size. Telomeres are the ends of DNA strands and as cells divide the telomere is snipped. Eventually, the telomere becomes too short and the cell dies. The length of a telomere is accepted by scientists as a reliable marker of the cell’s age.
When researchers measured the sedentary middle-aged groups telomeres, they found them to be 40% shorter than those of the sedentary young group.
Of course, many of us would not chose to run 50 miles a week. So the question is how much exercise does it take to keep the telomeres long and thus cellular life long? There is no exact answer to this; however, we do know that a sedentary lifestyle speeds up the death of cells. So the speculation is that any form of intense, regular exercise will improve ‘telomere biology’ or add youth to aging cells.

Give yourself a “bodylift” and start doing some intense cardio exercise every day.

Different immunizations are required depending on where you are traveling. Even short trips of less than two weeks may require a booster or vaccination. Check out the cdc.gov website to investigate what you may need.
If you have chronic problems such as diabetes, high blood pressure or asthma, be sure and take a health record summary and sufficient medications. Take a list of your drugs in the generic form in case you need to get an overseas refill.
Medications for diarrhea, malaria and high altitude sickness
are often available to take with you as a precaution. Please ask your health care provider about this. And always pack a small health care kit of bandages, disinfectant, aspirin, diarrhea remedies, insect repellant and water purification tablets.
And check with your insurance company to see if/what it covers in health care outside the USA.
And of course, bring some photos back to share with your health care provider.