More pediatric patients with asthma have been using telemedicine since the COVID-19 pandemic and have been achieving similar outcomes, according to results of a study published in Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology: Global. Investigators also found this was particularly true for those with medical complexities and comorbidities, but at their institution, they found Black individuals were less likely to use telemedicine.
Ageism in Health Care is More Common Than You Might Think
“A recent study found that older people spend an average of 21 days a year on medical appointments. Kathleen Hayes can believe it.
Hayes lives in Chicago and has spent a lot of time lately taking her parents, who are both in their 80s, to doctor’s appointments. Her dad has Parkinson’s, and her mom has had a difficult recovery from a bad bout of Covid-19. As she’s sat in, Hayes has noticed some health care workers talk to her parents at top volume, to the point, she says, “that my father said to one, ‘I’m not deaf, you don’t have to yell.”
Americans’ Lung Health: The Poor Suffer Most
The health of your lungs may have a lot to do with the size of your bank account, a new, large study indicates.
The finding follows a six-decade look at lung disease risk among more than 215,000 American children and adults.
In general, poorer Americans continue to have worse lung health than their wealthier peers. In some cases, the gap between rich and poor is widening.
Hope For People with Neurological Conditions
The Valley of the Sun is lucky to have a Project Walk facility right here! People travel from around the world to participate in this amazing program. Project Walk is an unique activity-based system designed to treat a variety of neurological conditions. The goal is to improve function, not just fitness.
Lowering Cholesterol Testimony
Earlier this year my cholesterol was 284 and my doctor suggested I start on cholesterol meds. I just do not like taking manufactured medications. I researched options that are more “natural.”
Here is what I learned:
- Delete fried foods from your diet as much as possible. (My husband, who LIVES on fried food, has 140 cholesterol. Life is not fair.) Partially hydrogenated oils (solid fats) increase your LDL (bad) cholesterol and lower the HDL (good) cholesterol.
- Use monounsaturated fats to lower LDL and raise HDL (olives, olive oil, canola oil, tree nuts like pecans, almonds, walnuts, cashews, avocados). While the nuts are higher in calories, they lower LDL.
- Exercise at least 30 minutes 3-5 times a week. I walk, yoga, dance, step exercise, bike, garden. The longer the duration of activity the greater the effect on raising HDL and lowering LDL.
- Eat fish (wild salmon, Bluefin tuna) 2-4 times a week.
- Substitute olive oil for butter which has the potential to lower LDL by 15%.
- Add spices: garlic, curcumin/turmeric, black pepper, coriander, cinnamon. Adding 1/2-1 clove of garlic daily can lower cholesterol by 9%.
- It takes 3-6 months to see results from these “natural” methods, longer in women.
- Psyllium can lower LDL by 6-10%. Put it in your smoothies or sprinkle on salads.
- Fish oil must have EPA and DHA (1000 mg recommended) to be effective. Higher EPA/DHA lowers triglycerides and raises HDL.
I bought good fish oil, started exercising at least 5 days a week. I added veggies and nuts to my diet. It is learning a new way to eat but not a bad way. At the four month check, I had lowered my cholesterol by 58 points. (I had a pact with a nurse friend that if I did not lower it by 10%, I would go on the meds. I smashed that which still makes me do the happy dance!)
Mecca T.