Baptist Health Flourish Kentuckiana

Be a healthier you

Fa ll / w i n t e r 2 014

Feel Like a

Learn the secrets of healthy aging

kid again!

ways to keep emotions from ruining your diet

plus: Give your joints a plan b

| how to keep your heart young

health tips

4 tips to keep your ticker healthy

It’s a simple fact that a healthy diet and lifestyle can help head off heart disease.

John Mandrola, MD, cardiologist at Baptist Health Louisville, offers these tips to keep your heart young: 1. Get your eight hours. “Sleep is highly underappreciated. You could fill a book with references to studies that show the benefits of sleep. Most problems are either improved or eliminated with adequate sleep,” Dr. Mandrola said.

3. Find a workout you love. When exercise is enjoyable, you’re more likely to actually do it. So if that treadmill is boring you to tears, try something different, like a group fitness class or an outdoor activity.

2. Turn that frown upside down.

“Smile. It’s good for the heart,” Dr. Mandrola said. “This isn’t a soft recommendation; there is compelling data that one’s approach to stress associates with stroke and other cardiovascular outcomes.”

4. Learn how to eat right. With so much misinformation out there, it’s difficult to know what foods are actually healthy. If you’re confused, talk to your doctor or a nutritionist — don’t rely on food packaging claims.

how healthy is your heart?

Find out by taking our heart risk assessment at FindYourHealth.com/Heart.

Be Gentle With Your Joints

Osteoarthritis is the most common form of arthritis, affecting 1.2 million Kentuckians. “The hallmark of osteoarthritis is the breakdown of cartilage — the part of a joint that cushions the ends of the bones and allows easy movement.

As cartilage begins to deteriorate, the bones rub against one another. This can cause stiffness and pain leading to loss of joint function,” said Reid Brown, MD, orthopedic surgeon at Baptist Health Louisville.

Minimize your risk while protecting your joints with these do's and don’ts: • Do keep your weight down. For every one pound you shed, you’ll lower the load you exert on your knees by four pounds, Dr. Brown said.

• Do exercise. It keeps your joints flexible and improves muscle strength.

“Exercise keeps your thigh and calf muscles strong to take the pressure off your knees,” said Bobby Goodin, MD, orthopedic surgeon at Baptist Health Louisville. Low-impact exercise is best, he added.

• Don’t ignore pain. If you experience pain after an activity, you may have overstressed your joints. “If the pain lasts longer than a week to 10 days, go see a doctor,” Dr. Goodin said.

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health tips

or When an emergency strikes, how do you know if you should head to urgent care or the emergency room? “If it seems to be life threatening, go to the ER. If not, go to urgent care,” said Michael Lawrence, MD, director of Emergency Medicine at Baptist Health La Grange. Test yourself on these scenarios:

You fell off a ladder and think you broke your wrist.

Urgent care can take care of broken bones and sprains. Try to immobilize the area and head on in ASAP.

Your child got hit in the head while playing soccer and now complains of nausea and a headache.

“That’s ER,” said Dr. Lawrence. These are symptoms of a concussion. Other signs include ringing in the ears, dizziness and confusion.

Your husband burned his hand while cooking dinner.

Urgent care can handle burns, Dr. Lawrence said, but if the injury affects your breathing, go to the ER.

Know Where to Go? Remove the card attached to the next page and place in your car for quick access to Baptist Health services near you.

Beat the winter worKout woes Problem: When temperatures drop, it’s easy to stay

cuddled under the covers instead of hitting the gym.

But, before we know it, one missed workout turns into a month of hibernation. So how do you find the gumption to work out when it’s cold outside?

Solution: Exercise at home. Do 15 reps of each of the

following: squats or lunges, push-ups, glute bridges and bench dips. Finish with one-minute planks. Remember, any type of movement is better than none at all.

Why You Should Quit Smoking Today Kentucky has the highest smoking rate in the nation, but let’s not “win” that claim next year.

Whether you’ve smoked for one year or 50 years, your body begins to repair the damage cigarettes have caused almost immediately after you quit smoking. In just ...

20

MINUTES Your blood pressure drops.

12

HOURS Carbon monoxide levels in your blood return to normal.

2

WEEKS Your circulation and lung function begin to improve.

1

YEAR Your risk of heart disease is cut in half.

5

YEARS Your risk of mouth, throat, esophagus and bladder cancers drops by 50 percent.

10

years Your lung cancer risk decreases by half.

Act now. Breathe easier after taking a free assessment of your lung health at FindYourHealth.com/cancer.

Flourish Fall/winter 2014 3

turn back the

clock P

lastic surgeons can help people look younger, but they are the first to tell you what really turns back the clock happens on the inside — and you can change it.

Genetics only account for 20-30 percent of our longevity and health. Lifestyle factors are the most critical drivers of how long and well we live. Diet, exercise, social interaction and outlook can help you stave off disease, look younger and stay mobile well into your older years.

For starters, incorporate three healthy habits into each decade of your life.

in Your

It’s not an injection, potion or supplement.

The real secret to aging well — for men and women — is lifestyle

20s

➊ Wear sunscreen. Exposure to ultraviolet rays — from the sun and tanning bed bulbs — ages the skin prematurely and increases your risk of skin cancer. If you must attain a summer glow, opt for topical self-tanner instead.

➋ Establish an active lifestyle. Put down the video games and get into a regular exercise habit. Cardiovascular exercise lowers your risk of heart disease, diabetes and some cancers.

Aim for 150 minutes of moderate-intensity cardio exercise a week.

➌ Quit (or don’t start) smoking. The chemicals in cigarettes are known carcinogens that can dramatically shorten your lifespan and cause premature aging.

in Your

30s

➊ Dial into a healthier diet. The Mediterranean diet is best for promoting health and lowering heart disease risk. It’s high in plant-based foods, healthy monounsaturated fat and fi sh, and low in processed foods, saturated fat and sweets. (A high sugar intake has been linked to an increased risk of heart attack, obesity and possibly even wrinkles.)

➋ Get a handle on stress. Besides releasing hormones that cause you to gain dangerous belly fat, stress may shorten microscopic structures called telomeres, the tiny caps on the ends of your DNA. Shorter telomeres are a biomarker for faster aging. Calming activities like meditation can protect telomeres and make it easier to handle daily pressure.

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develop your anti-aging action plan Make an appointment with your doctor to discuss which preventive tests, screenings and lifestyle changes are right for you.

Need a doctor?

Call 502.897.8131.

➋ Bolster your bones. A drop in estrogen triggers menopause ➌ Establish a sleep routine. Lack of ZZZs can lead to obesity, depression, poor memory, heart attack, diabetes, stroke and older-looking skin. Try to log seven to eight hours a night, make the bedroom a technology-free zone, and create calming presnooze strategies.

in Your

40s

➊ Include resistance training. Due to hormonal changes, this is the decade when you start to lose muscle mass and strength. That can lead to frailty as you age. Your defense? Add resistance training to your workout two or three times a week.

and speeds up bone loss. Osteoporosis increases the risk of fractures, which can lead to disability. Get regular bone density tests starting at age 50. Add strength training to your regimen if you haven’t already, and get sufficient calcium and vitamin D.

➌ Develop balance and other functional skills. While strength is key, balance, agility, motor control, proprioception (the ability to know where your body is in space without looking at it) and flexibility become more important as we get older. These skills help you climb stairs, navigate uneven terrain, avoid falls and more. Yoga is an excellent way to improve balance and flexibility, and a personal trainer can help you evaluate and strengthen weak areas.

➋ Schedule cancer screenings. Recommendations for mammograms, colonoscopies and prostate cancer screening are in flux, so it’s important to ask your doctor what you need and when, based on your history and other risk factors.

➌ Keep an eye on cholesterol, blood sugar and your waistline.

These are factors that make up metabolic syndrome, which increases your risk of heart disease, stroke and diabetes.

The American Heart Association has found that if you can avoid metabolic syndrome by age 50 (often through diet and exercise), you have a lower chance of developing cardiovascular disease later in life.

in Your

50s

➊ Seek help for depression. Mid-life depression is a major problem, especially in women, and it can increase your risk of disease, disability and death. The cause could be hormonal, situational or diet-related, so see your doctor if you have symptoms.

in Your

60s and BeYond

➊ Challenge your brain. Exercise your noggin’s neurons by learning a new language, doing puzzles, volunteering and socializing. It helps keep your brain sharp and reduces the risk of mild cognitive impairment, a type of pre-dementia.

➋ Rethink exercise. It’s never too late to start moving, but it doesn’t have to involve the gym or jogging around the block.

Swimming, yoga, walking, tai chi, dancing and yard work are all easy on the joints and can be less intimidating.

➌ Keep a lid on blood pressure. Two-thirds of adults age 65 and older have hypertension, which increases your risk of heart attack, stroke, kidney disease and heart failure, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Most doctors check it at every office visit but you can buy a cuff to measure it at home as well. Exercise, along with a healthy, low-sodium diet, can keep it under control.

Flourish Fall/winter 2014 5

The Moody Foodie’s Guide to

Eating Right How to keep your emotions from derailing your diet

If your local pizza delivery guy has become your de facto therapist, it may be time to reevaluate your coping skills. For many of us, food is an easy and comfortable way to avoid dealing with scary emotions like stress, sadness and anger, but it often leaves us feeling worse in the long run. The next time you hear that pint of ice cream calling your name, try these healthier outlets instead.

If you’re:

overwhelmed by a new project at work It’s easy to let the pressures of work get the best of us, and after a long day at the office, cooking a healthy meal just sounds like another taxing chore. Instead of picking up a greasy burger from the drivethru on your way home, set aside time to decompress immediately after the workday ends.

“If you can push through that 5 p.m. slump and go for a walk or do some yoga, you’ll be less likely to eat mindlessly,” said John Oldham, MD, bariatric surgeon at Baptist Health Louisville. And make sure to eat well throughout the day. “If you’re so busy that you forget to eat, you’ll be ravenous by the time you get home, and that never leads to good things.”

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If you’re: drowning in new-parenthood stress

You haven’t slept in days, your hair is in a permanent ponytail and last night’s baby spit up is still on your T-shirt.

When you’re a new parent, finding the time and energy to prepare a healthy meal for yourself is low on the priority list. But a grown-up can’t exist on stolen bites of Cheerios and mac-and-cheese.

“Try weaving healthy cooking into your family time,” Dr. Oldham suggested. “If you and your partner can find a way to make it a priority, it will pay off in the long run, because your kids will learn those good eating habits at a young age.”

And make sure to take the time to care for yourself — happy parents make for happy kids.

need a little help getting on track?

Baptist Health offers home programs and weight-loss surgery options.

Call 502.894.9499 to schedule an appointment.

If you’re:

going through a breakup When a relationship ends, allow yourself to grieve and don’t be too hard on yourself if your healthy-eating habits slip just a bit. But don’t let the nightly ritual of crying into your wine glass become a permanent one.

“One of the best ways to overcome the blues is to get your heart racing,” Dr. Oldham said. Try filling your new alone time with a cardio-inducing activity you love. If pounding the pavement sounds like a bore, explore other options: go to a concert and bust out your dance moves, or scout out a nearby hike and conquer the climb.

“The blast of adrenaline that comes from a good workout is pretty much an instant fix for feeling sad,” Dr. Oldham said.

in season

T

hanks to their gorgeous hue, rich flavor and knack for working well with other foods, sweet potatoes have claimed their place on home dining room tables and five-star restaurant menus — and everywhere in between. The healthy spuds have usurped French fries, hijacked pumpkin pies and befriended marshmallows, and the upcoming holiday season is when they shine brightest.

High in fiber, vitamins A and C, complex carbohydrates and potassium, sweet potatoes are low in calories and will fill you up.

Like their more mundane tuber cousins, sweet potatoes come in a variety of colors, with both the skin and flesh ranging from pale yellow to orange to purple. (The most common variety grown in Kentucky is the chubby, redskinned Beauregard.) Choose sweet potatoes that are firm and free of soft spots and sprouts. Store them in a cool, dark place until use.

Packed full of nutrients, sweet and oh-so versatile, this healthy spud is a holiday star

sweet potato pancakes This naturally sweet breakfast dish will satisfy kids and healthminded adults. Serves five | 300 calories per two-pancake serving ingredients 1 sweet potato 1 c. whole-wheat flour 1 c. all-purpose white flour 4 tsp. baking powder 2 tbsp. brown sugar ½ tsp. cinnamon 2 c. lowfat milk

make it healthier Substitute one of the eggs for two egg whites, and use only whole-wheat flour.

2 eggs 1. Pierce the sweet potato with a fork, then wrap it loosely in foil. Bake at 375 degrees until soft, at least 30 minutes. Peel sweet potato then puree it in a blender.

3. Spoon ½ cup of the mixture onto a hot nonstick skillet and cook to desired color, flipping once. Repeat until mixture is gone. Makes about 10 pancakes.

2. Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl, then slowly stir in milk and eggs until the mixture is smooth.

Fold in sweet-potato puree.

4. Serve plain or top with jam or syrup.

make it for dinner Take out the sugar and add salt and savory spices such as paprika, oregano and curry powder for a flavorful dinner dish.

HUNGRY for MORE?

Visit BaptistHealthForYou.com for more delicious dishes to add to your menu.

Flourish Fall/winter 2014 7

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Helping you Flourish

Welcome to the premiere issue of Flourish. Just as the name says, we want you and your family to flourish — in other words, “to grow or develop in a healthy or vigorous way.” We’ll be there to help you be a healthier you.

Mark Your Calendars Cookies with Santa

Your local medical experts provide healthy lifestyle tips throughout this issue.

Reid Brown, MD, orthopedic surgeon page 2

Bobby Goodin, MD, orthopedic surgeon page 2 Michael Lawrence, MD, emergency physician page 3

John Mandrola, MD, cardiologist page 2

Sunday, Dec. 7, 2–4 p.m.

Baptist Health Eastpoint, 2400 Eastpoint Parkway, Louisville.

Enjoy free cookies, entertainment and a visit with Santa.

Life with Diabetes support group Third Tuesday of each month, 7 p.m. Baptist Health La Grange Conference Room, 1025 New Moody Lane. Free support group to learn tips for healthier living with diabetes. Details and guest speaker lineup: BaptistHealthLaGrange. com/diabetes.

Living Beyond Lymphoma Second Tuesday of each month, 6–7:30 p.m. Cancer Resource Center at the Charles and Mimi Osborn Cancer Center, 4003 Kresge Way, Suite 100, Louisville. Free support group for lymphoma survivors and their caregivers.

Details: BaptistHealthLouisville. com/cancer.

Having a Healthy Pregnancy Monday, Jan. 26, 7–9:30 p.m.

Baptist Health Louisville

4th Annual Pearls & Pumps March 7, 11 a.m.–2 p.m. The Olmsted, 3701 Frankfort Ave., Louisville High-energy fashion event showcases Louisville-area boutiques and their new spring lines. Cost: $65 per person or two for $120. Price includes hors d’oeuvres, cocktails, shopping, the fashion show, a celebratory Survivor Runway Walk and a chance to vote on your favorite ensembles. All proceeds support Women’s Cancer Care at Baptist Health Louisville and Baptist Health La Grange.

Details: SupportBaptistHealth.org.

Education Center, 4000 Kresge Way. Free class for expectant parents.

Registration and details: BaptistHealthLouisville.com/ babysteps.

Diabetes education classes First Friday of each month, 9 a.m.–4 p.m. Baptist Health La Grange, 1025 New Moody Lane.

Free monthly class to help manage your diabetes, learn new ways to eat and exercise and how to

monitor your condition and progress. Physician order required. Schedule: BaptistHealthLaGrange.com/ diabetes. Details: 502.222.3344.

Safe Sitter Course Saturday, March 21, 8 a.m.–5 p.m. Baptist Health La Grange Conference Room B, 1025 New Moody Lane. Safe Sitter teaches kids ages 11 to 13 to handle emergencies when caring for young children. Fee: $45. Price includes a messenger bag,

manual and food.

Scholarships available.

Details: 502.222.8563.

Maternity Express Saturday, April 18, 10 a.m.– 4:30 p.m. Baptist Health Louisville Education Center, 4000 Kresge Way. Free class covers the basics of labor, delivery, recovery, mom and baby care and breastfeeding, plus a hospital tour. Details: For this and other maternity classes, BaptistHealthLouisville.com/ babysteps.

John Oldham, MD, bariatric surgeon page 6

Need a doctor?

Call 502.897.8131.

BaptistHealthLouisville.com

Baptist Health Foundation, Greater Louisville: SupportBaptistHealth.org

BaptistHealthLaGrange.com

Physician referral: 502.897.8131 Annual community report: BaptistHealthKentucky.com

Flourish is published three times a year by Baptist Health’s Marketing office. Designed and produced by McMURRY/TMG, LLC. Flourish makes every effort to ensure that the information it contains is medically accurate and up-to-date. All material is for informational purposes and is intended to complement, not substitute for, the advice of your physician. Before trying any medical treatment or changing your present routine or program, consult with your physician, who can discuss your individual needs, symptoms and treatment. For more information, contact Julie Garrison, Regional Marketing and Public Relations Manager, at Julie.Garrison@BHSI.com or Baptist Health, 4000 Kresge Way, Louisville, KY, 40207.