Good health guide november

December 2017

Robotic Technology Helps People Walk Again

GRAPEFRUIT JUICE AND SOME DRUGS DON’T MIX

Sex in the Second Half IS IT A COLD OR THE FLU? goodhealthguidetx.com

Editorial Insight

Good Health Guide

Dear Readers,

801 E. Fir, McAllen, Texas 78501 Ph. (956)631-5628 Fax. (956)631-0832 diana@elperiodicousa.com www.goodhealthguidetx.com

Publisher

Jackie Letelier

Editor

Diana G. Partida

Art Director

Ruben Capuchino

Sales Information & Distribution (956) 631-8461

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Fall is undoubtedly my favorite time of the year, the seasonal atmosphere starts kicking in as soon as the weather starts to cool down, the mood starts to get cozy, and particularly when those spices smells begin. Although like everything in life, it’s not all happiness, because Fall can also herald the arrival of new viral strains, including cold and flu, which at times can be confusing, since it is very difficult to tell them apart. If you can relate to this matter, then you should read our first issue of “Good Health Guide”.

You will be able to learn more about the differences that tell these two common viruses apart. This month’s issue also talks about weight problems which are usually triggered during the holidays time due to all of the delicious posadas that we might attend, therefore it’s the perfect timing to start to watch your diet with our article,

“Weight Loss Superfoods: Fact or Fiction” and try to keep moving and “Say bye-bye to the winter joint pain”.

There is a numerous amount of reasons why you will want to keep reading “Good Health Guide”. Our magazine not only tailors to young adults and healthy people, but all offers a second chance to improve health and wellness for those that are not active or healthy in life. We will have personal stories like Donnie Barajas, whom, after a terrible car accident was left paraplegic, and he has been able to overcome obstacles thanks to new improved technology available in the Rio Grande Valley.

We invite you to keep reading and keep yourself in good health.

DIANA G. PARTIDA Editor

Robotic Technology Helps People Walk Again Doctors Hospital At Renaissance is the first facility in southern Texas, to offer patients a second chance by incorporating the Ekso GT. Edinburg. - Donald “Donnie” Barajas, suffer a car accident back in March while driving from Corpus Christi. The accident left him paraplegic, due to an incomplete spinal cord injury.

He could not move his legs, but he had the capacity to walk again, making him a perfect candidate for robotically assisted rehabilitation services for patients through the use of Ekso Bionics’ patented technology.

Ekso Bionics is a leading robotic exoskeleton company and Ekso GT™ is the first exoskeleton cleared by the FDA for use with stroke, and spinal cord injury levels to C7.

As a leader in physical medicine and rehabilitation, Doctors Hospital At Renaissance Health System incorporates Ekso GT into its practice to continue offering patients leading-edge technological options to optimize their health and wellness.

“Integrating Ekso GT robotic exoskeleton as part of our overall practice offers a huge benefit to many of our patients as it allows for early intervention and task-specif-

ic, repetitive exercises,” said Saroja Viswamitra, Medical Director at the Rehabilitation Hospital. “Ekso GT can help to mobilize patients earlier, more frequently and with a greater number of high-intensity steps”.

“This enables us to provide for the patients in restoring their independence as much as possible”. “Better than the conventional therapy, we used to provide.”

Originally designed for military personnel, the machine can accommodate patients from 5 feet 2 inches to 6 feet 4 inches and up to 220 pounds.

Once a patient is in the EksoGT, their gait pattern is monitored and corrected.

The exoskeleton will not allow the patient to take a step unless they have properly

shifted their weight. A chirping sound alerts the patient when they are ready to advance.

This discourages compensatory measures that lead to limps and pathological gaits (abnormal pacing of the limbs). As a patient improves, their physical therapist can program different trajectories for them to gain more motor control and even add resistance for them to push through the gait cycle.

“It’s not a device that the patient puts on and the robot does everything; it challenges

him across the continuum of his rehabilitation,” explained Dr. Michael E. Auer, director of rehabilitation therapy services at Doctors Hospital at Renaissance.

Many other patients, besides Barajas, have benefited from the EksoGT. Auer says that since the hospital purchased two EksoGTs in April and finished training in May, over 40 patients have used the machines to complete their physical therapy, taken 62,000 cumulative steps.

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GRAPEFRUIT JUICE AND SOME DRUGS DON’T MIX Grapefruit juice and the actual grapefruit can be part of a healthy diet. Grapefruit has vitamin C and potassium— nutrients your body needs to work properly.

But it isn’t good for you when it affects the way your medicines work, especially if you have high blood pressure or arrhythmia (irregular or abnormal heart beat).

This food and drug interaction can be a concern, says Shiew Mei Huang, PhD, of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

The FDA has required that some prescription and overthe-counter (OTC) drugs taken by mouth include warnings against drinking grapefruit juice or eating grapefruit while taking the drug, Huang says.

Here are examples of some types of drugs that grapefruit juice can cause problems with (interact): •Some statin drugs to lower cholesterol, such as Zocor (simvastatin) and Lipitor (atorvastatin).

•Some drugs that treat high blood pressure, such as Procardia and Adalat CC (both nifedipine).

•Some organ-transplant rejection drugs, such as Sandimmune and Neoral (both cyclosporine).

•Some anti-anxiety drugs, such as buspirone.

•Some corticosteroids that treat Crohn’s disease or

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ulcerative colitis, such as Entocort EC and Uceris (both budesonide).

•Some drugs that treat abnormal heart rhythms, such as Pacerone and Nexterone (both amiodarone).

•Some antihistamines, such as Allegra (fexofenadine).

Grapefruit juice does not affect all the drugs in the categories above. The severity of the interaction can be different depending on the person, the drug, and the amount of grapefruit juice you drink. Talk to your doctor, pharmacist or other health care provider and read any information provided with your prescription or OTC drug to find out: •If your specific drug may be affected.

•How much, if any, grapefruit juice you can have.

•What other fruits or juices may also affect your drug in a similar way to grapefruit juice.

How Grapefruit Juice Can Interfere With Medications With most drugs that interact with grapefruit juice, “the juice lets more of the drug enter the blood,” Huang says. “When there is too much drug in the blood, you may have more side effects.”

For example, if you drink a lot of grapefruit juice while taking certain statin drugs to lower cholesterol, too much of the

drug may stay in your body, increasing your risk for liver and muscle damage that can lead to kidney failure.

Many drugs are broken down (metabolized) with the help of a vital enzyme called CYP3A4 in the small intestine. Grapefruit juice can block the action of CYP3A4, so instead of being metabolized, more of the drug enters the blood and stays in the body longer. The result: too much drug in your body.

The amount of the CYP3A4 enzyme in the intestine varies from person to person, says Huang. Some people have a lot of enzymes and others just a little. So grapefruit juice may affect people differently even when they take the same drug.

Although scientists have known for several decades that grapefruit juice can cause too much of certain drugs in the body, Huang says more recent studies have found that the juice has the opposite effect on a few other drugs.

“Grapefruit juice can cause less fexofenadine to enter the blood,” decreasing how well

the drug works, Huang says.

Fexofenadine (brand name Allegra) is available as both prescription and OTC to relieve symptoms of seasonal allergies. Fexofenadine may also not work as well if taken with orange or apple juice, so the drug label states “do not take with fruit juices.”

Why this opposite effect?

Instead of changing metabolism, grapefruit juice can affect proteins in the body known as drug transporters, which help move a drug into our cells for absorption. As a result, less of the drug enters the blood and the drug may not work as well, Huang says.

How Grapefruit Juice Affects Some Drugs When drugs are swallowed, they may be broken down (metabolized) by enzymes and/ or absorbed using transporters in cells found in the small intestine. Grapefruit juice can cause problems with these enzymes and transporters, causing too much or too little drug in the body.

Your Body On Nuts

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ASIAN LETTUCE WRAPS Ingredients 16 Boston Bibb or butter lettuce leaves 1 pound lean ground beef 1 tablespoon cooking oil 1 large onion, chopped 1/4 cup hoisin sauce 2 cloves fresh garlic, minced 1 tablespoon soy sauce 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar 2 teaspoons minced pickled ginger 1 dash Asian chile pepper sauce, or to taste (optional) 1 (8 ounce) can water chestnuts, drained and finely chopped 1 bunch green onions, chopped 2 teaspoons Asian (dark) sesame oil Add all ingredients to list

Directions 388 cals 20 m Prep 15 m Cook 35 m Ready In Rinse whole lettuce leaves and pat dry, being careful not tear them. Set aside.

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat.

Cook and stir beef and cooking oil in the hot skillet until browned and crumbly, 5 to 7 minutes. Drain and discard grease; transfer beef to a bowl. Cook and stir onion in the same skillet used for beef until slightly tender, 5 to 10 minutes. Stir hoisin sauce, garlic, soy sauce, vinegar, ginger, and chile pepper sauce into onions. Add water chestnuts, green onions, sesame oil, and cooked beef; cook and stir until the onions just begin to wilt, about 2 minutes.

Arrange lettuce leaves around the outer edge of a large serving platter and pile meat mixture in the center.

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WEIGHT LOSS SUPERFOODS: FACT OR FICTION? Grapefruit

There’s no magic bullet for weight loss. For example, you may have heard that grapefruit “burns” fat, right? Wrong. No food can do that.

But if you eat grapefruit as a snack instead of chips or a candy bar, that can help you lose weight. Among other things, it’s a good source of vitamins A and C.

Nuts

You’re more likely to stick to a diet that includes nuts, so you’re more likely to lose weight as well. Grab a handful -- don’t let the fat content put you off. The fats in nuts are healthy and help satisfy hunger, making you less likely to overeat.

Avocados

Avocado-rich guacamole is a staple at your favorite Mexican restaurant. But this creamy, filling fruit is great on its own or in slices on a sandwich. Yes, it has fat, but it’s the good kind. A little avocado in your diet can help keep hunger away while helping to lower your cholesterol.

Eggs

They’re full of nutrients and great for making you feel full. If you want to lose weight, and you already burn more than you eat, eggs can help you eat less and reach your goal.

Berries

If you want something sweet, berries are a good choice. Low in calories and filled with juice and fiber, these small, flavorful fruits may keep your hands from the cookie jar. They also may help drop your cholesterol, and they’re loaded with antioxidants to help fight off sickness.

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More Coffee

Longer Life

Excellent new for those latte lovers! A new study

by Harvard researches suggest that drinking two to four cups of coffee a day may decreased the likelihood of dying prematurely. They studied more than 520,000 cases, and discover that 18% of coffee drinkers had lower risk of death compared with people who did not drink coffee.

The team discovered the caffeinated and de caffeinated coffee lower the risk of death from cardiovascular disease, neurological disease, type 2 diabetes and even suicide. So keep drinking your coffee and be happy.

Stay Strong As You Age New findings published in the journal Age and Aging show that approximately one out of three adults age 50 and older suffer from sarcopenia, a progressive loss of muscle mass and strength.

On average, adults lose eight percent of their muscle per decade starting at age 40. That rate accelerates to 15 percent per decade starting around age 70. This affects one’s ability to walk, get up out of a chair, and grip or lift objects. But this can be fixed! Resistance exercises like weight lifting and an increased daily intake of protein with essential amino acids can improve muscle mass, strength, and function, say the researchers.

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IS IT A COLD OR THE FLU?

Colds and the flu have so much in common that it can sometimes be hard to tell them apart. Both are caused by viruses that infect your airways.

They have some of the same symptoms that can leave you feeling miserable.

There are enough differences, though, that may help you figure out which one you have.

That can change how you treat your symptoms.

Cold: stuffy nose, sneezing, cough, sore throat and nausea; mild body aches symptoms come in slowly.

Flu: cough, body aches, fever, chills & seats, and symptoms come in fast; mild symptoms may include stuffy nose, sneezing, sore throat and nausea.

Other clues You can get a cold anytime -spring, summer, or fall, but most likely in winter.

Flu season typically runs from November through March, although you can get it in October or as late as May. You can catch the flu at other times of the year. But symptoms outside of flu season are more likely to be from a cold or an allergy.

Flu tends to be much worse than a cold. And the flu, especially in children and older people, is more likely to lead to serious health problems such as pneumonia and a hospital stay. Rarely, symptoms may not be enough for your doctor to know if it’s a cold or the flu.

They may do a test to find out what you have.

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DIP, CHEW, SNUFF, SNUS: “SMOKELESS” DOES NOT MEAN “SAFE” Whatever you call it, smokeless tobacco is addictive and contains chemicals that make it more dangerous than you may think.

While you probably know tobacco is harmful to your health, did you also know it’s not just the results of inhaling cigarette smoke that cause disease? Many people think the “smokeless” in “smokeless tobacco” means it is harmless. Although you don’t inhale smokeless tobacco, there are still more than 4,000 chemicals in these products, and as many as 30 of these have been linked to cancer.

When you chew smokeless tobacco, the addictive chemical nicotine is absorbed through the tissue in

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your mouth, and other chemicals such as lead, formaldehyde, and carcinogens, like cadmium and arsenic, are also released.

Each year in the U.S., more than 2,300 people are diagnosed with oral, esophageal, and pancreatic cancers caused by smokeless tobacco use. Of this number, 1,600— about 70 percent—are oral cancer.

In addition to cancer, smokeless tobacco use is responsible for gingivitis and periodontitis, tooth loss as a result of gum disease, cavities, and stained teeth.

Using these products may also increase the risk of heart disease and stroke.

The Rising Threat of

Untreatable Gonorrhea

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ntibiotic resistance has made gonorrhea infections much harder to treat, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned in a press release, citing new research with data from 77 countries. “The bacteria that cause gonorrhoea are particularly smart. Every time we use a new class of antibiotics to treat the infection, the bacteria evolve to resist them,” said Dr. Teodora Wi, Medical Officer, Human Reproduction, at WHO. Right now, there is only one remaining group of antibiotics that can effectively treat gonorrhea, and resistance to these has been reported in many countries. As the WHO release makes clear, there is an

urgent need for new drugs to be developed.

In the United States, gonorrhea is the second most commonly reported sexually transmitted infection, with about 820,000 new infections each year.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), an estimated 246,000 of these are resistant to at least one antibiotic. CDC calls drugresistant gonorrhea an “urgent threat” and is continuing to monitor antibiotic resistant infections and look for solutions.

But prevention is also key— using condoms consistently and correctly can help prevent infection with gonorrhea and other STIs.

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Dads-To-Be May Experience Hormone Changes

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NN ARBOR--Impending fatherhood can lower two hormones--testosterone and estradiol--for men, even before their babies are born, a new University of Michigan study found.

Other studies indicate that men’s hormones change once they become fathers, and there is some evidence that this is a function of a decline after the child’s birth. The new U-M study is the first to show that the decline may begin even earlier, during the transition to fatherhood, said Robin Edelstein, the study’s lead author.

“We don’t yet know exactly why men’s hormones are changing,” said Edelstein, U-M associate professor of psychology. “These changes could be a function of psychological changes that men experience as they prepare to become fathers, changes in their romantic relationships, or even physical changes that men experience along with their pregnant partners.

“Nevertheless, fathers’ hormonal changes could have important implications for paternal behavior once their babies are born.”

Expectant mothers experience significant hormone changes throughout the transition to parenthood, but less has been known

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about the prenatal hormone changes among soon-to-be fathers.

Edelstein and colleagues examined salivary testosterone, cortisol, estradiol and progesterone in 29 firsttime expectant couples between the ages of 18 and 45. The saliva samples were obtained up to four times during the prenatal period at about 12, 20, 28 and 36 weeks of pregnancy.

Women showed large prenatal increases in all four hormones, while men saw declines in testosterone (which is associated with aggression and parental care) and estradiol (which is associated with caregiving and bonding). No changes were found in men’s cortisol (a stress hormone) or progesterone (which is associated with social closeness and maternal behavior).

So it’s not just about the presence of an infant that lowers testosterone, Edelstein said.

One limitation of the new study--as it relates to lower testosterone--is that researchers do not have a comparison group of men who are not expecting a child.

“Thus, we can’t completely rule out the possibility that the changes are simply due to age or the passage of time,” Edelstein said.

SAY BYE-BYE

TO THE WINTER JOINT PAIN The chilly winds not only brings out memories, but when the temperature changes. Your muscles, ligaments and tendons can tighten up. The result is the dreaded stiff feeling.

It’s so predictable that you’ve become a weather forecaster.

Researchers have differing opinions on how much the weather affect your sciatica. So instead of hanging up your sneakers, commit to

movement! While it could be more challenging, joint stiffness often improves after you’ve warm up. Don’t be overwhelmed by trying to do more than you can, but make some kind of exercise daily.

Also don’t forget your warmups, cause that will help decrease the pain. A hot bath containing 2 cups of Epsom salts and a few drops of lavender oil can help too.

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in the Sex Second Half Sex isn’t just for the young. Research is showing that older Americans are sexually active.

The sexuality that’s such a big part of our teens and young adulthood has more staying power than younger people usually recognize and can continue to spice things up well into old age. Results from a University of Chicago survey published in 2007 suggested that over half of Americans continue to engage in sexual activities well into their 70s. Now another batch of findings from a survey conducted by researchers at Indiana University suggests that 20% to 30% of long-lived Americans are sexually active into their 80s.

Both of these surveys are crosssectional — snapshots of behavior in a given period — so making pronouncements about trends

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would be getting ahead of the evidence. Still, there’s reason to believe that sexuality is assuming a larger role in American old age.

Millions of men are now taking erectile dysfunction drugs like sildenafil (Viagra) or tadalafil (Cialis). Growing numbers of Americans are enjoying relatively good health in their 60s, 70s, and 80s, and, not surprisingly, the University of Chicago study found a close association between good health and sexual activity among older people.

Consider also who is getting old these days — the baby boomers, a generation that came of age in the 1960s and ‘70s when sexual mores were changing, and a demographic group that hangs on

to its youthful ways.

But the “frisky seniors” story line can be overdone. Sexual activity does subside with age. Biological factors tug in that direction, as do social arrangements: older people, especially women, often end up single when a spouse or partner dies. The Indiana University researchers found that sexual activity with a partner is common among those in their 20s, 30s, and 40s, dips significantly for both men and women in their 50s and 60s, and then drops further once people enter their 70s.

A statistical picture of the sexuality of older Americans begins to emerge from an article and the University of Chicago survey results. Here are some of the main

points: Older women are less sexually active than older men Both studies show that older women — even the “young old,” in their 60s — are less sexually active than men of the same age.

The gender gap widens as people get older.

The University of Chicago researchers noted that the women in their study were less likely than the men to be in a marital or intimate relationship, and even more so with age, presumably because men tend to die at a younger age than women.

Differences in the amount of sexual activity that occurs outside of a relationship contribute to the overall gender disparity. In the

University of Chicago study, about one in 20 women who were not in a relationship reported being sexually active in the previous year, compared with about one in five men who were not in a relationship.

Partnered sex gets high marks In the Indiana study, over threequarters (78%) of the men ages 50 and over rated their most recent sexual experience with a partner as either extremely or “quite a bit” pleasurable. About two-thirds (68.2%) of the women in that age group rated their most recent experience with a partner that highly.

Masturbation is common Most men (63%) and almost half of women (47%) in the 50 and over age group reported masturbating in the past year, according to the Indiana survey. As with other sexual activities, the percentage declined with age, although a significant number of those 80 and older indicated that they masturbated.

Good health matters The University of Chicago researchers found a strong association between good health and sexual activity, particularly among men. Diabetes seems to have a greater negative effect than either arthritis or high blood pressure on both genders, but especially on women. In the Indiana survey, a woman’s evaluation of her last sexual experience did not vary with her self-reported health status.

Sexual problems are common Half of those who participated in the University of Chicago study reported having at least one bothersome sexual problem.

Among men, the problems included difficulty achieving and maintaining an erection (37%), lack of interest in sex (28%), anxiety about performance (27%), and inability to climax (20%). Among women, the common problems were lack of interest in sex (43%), difficulty with

lubrication (39%), inability to climax (34%), lack of pleasure from sex (23%), and pain during sex (17%).

In the Indiana survey, 30% of the women ages 50 and over said they experienced some level of pain during their most recent sexual experience with a partner.

The University of Chicago researchers also asked people whether they were bothered by their sexual problems. Men tended to be bothered by them more than women, although when it came to lack of interest in sex, the percentages were about the same: of those who had this problem, 65% of the men said they were bothered by it, compared with 61% of the women.

Sexual activity outside of a relationship is common A sizable minority of the men (43%) and women (36%) in the Indiana study reported that their most recent partnered sexual activity was with someone other than a spouse or long-time partner.

This “nonrelationship” partner category included casual or new acquaintances, friends, and “transactional” partners — people who engaged in sex in exchange for something, often but not always money. Women whose last sexual partner was with a nonrelationship partner reported higher arousal, less lubrication difficulty, and a higher rate of orgasm than women whose last partnered sexual activity was with a spouse or a long-time partner.

Many men take something to improve sexual function In the Indiana survey, 17% of men ages 50 and older took an erectile dysfunction drug in connection with their most recent sexual experience with a partner. In the University of Chicago study, 14% of the men and 1% of the women reported taking medications or supplements to improve sexual function during the past year.

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