For Better Health
THE
NEWTOWN
BEE,
FRIDAY, MAY 9, 2025
Yoga: Flexing The Mind And Body
By Sam CroSS
Yoga is a practice many in the Western World are familiar with. Hailing from Ancient India, yoga is a combination of mindfulness and exercise that can have huge benefits for the mind and body.
In Newtown, a community of people who practice yoga have gathered at the Newtown Yoga Center, recently moved to 6 Glen Road from 78 South Main Street after the flooding on August 18. Both locations are open and operating.
Aline Marie, the owner of Newtown Yoga Center, sat down with The Bee to dive deep into the mental and physical benefits of yoga.
Marie has been teaching yoga for 21 years. At the Newtown Yoga Center, Marie uses “trauma informed” yoga, meaning she announces when she will be leaving her own mat for any reason.
Marie noted that at the beginning of her class, she always asks how the people in the room are feeling, “Every class, I start out, we custom tailor them. So, I say, ‘What’s going on?’” She added that every pose in her studio is “anatomically based.”
“Here, we modify everything,” Marie said. “You have to work with the bodies in the room. And then to educate them on, ‘Hey, that’s your quadratus lumborum,’” or the deepest back muscle in the body.
Marie added that teaching people about their own bodies and how they move helps them advocate for themselves medically. Her students are able to better communicate their pain to their team of doctors because they are aware of where they hold pain.
Karen Pierce, another yoga instructor in town at InnerSpaces by Karen LLC, teaches yoga the same way. Pierce has been practicing yoga for about 45 years and has been teaching for about 30.
Pierce said, “You have to offer [modification] in classes because…you have all these different people, different body shapes, different bone structures. I mean, there’s poses that you’re limited [in] just because of your range of motion because of the way your bones sit in the joints.”
Pierce focused on the breath in
yoga, saying, “[A lot of students] have a goal. They want to retain something instead of just being in the moment and the practice. And that’s part of the mental part…be present with your breath. You can cheat your body, but you can’t cheat your breath. So, if you stay breath connected, and that’s truly what vinyasa means is ‘breath connected movement.’ So, by staying connected to your breath, you can’t cheat your breath. If you’re struggling in your breath, you’re struggling in your body.”
Marie added to this conversation, saying, “When you’re in the yoga asana, when you’re in the seat of the pose, you are your strongest, most present, most clearest self. Strong doesn’t always have to mean physically, it could be mentally, or emotionally, or spiritually strong.”
Marie said that the “physical benefits are vast.” Yoga does build muscle, helps retain balance, and builds flexibility, but the benefits go deep into the brain.
“Yoga asana yoga poses…increase the brain’s ability to map the body and to control the nervous system. So, with a yoga asana practice, a movement practice, we are rewiring the brain through the body,” Marie explained. “We’re crossing over the
midline. We’re trying to get the hemispheres of the brain, the corpus callosum, to talk a little faster to each other.”
Marie then described the brain’s ability to do hard things, such as stressful yoga poses or answering passive aggressive emails. That area of the brain is called the anterior mid-cingulate cortex.
“The more you do difficult things, by choice or not by choice, the stronger that part of your brain gets. When you don’t do difficult things, it shrinks. Our whole life, it grows and shrinks depending on what’s going on,” Marie explained. She added that yoga helps to strengthen the mid-cingulate cortex by challenging the body to do the pose, and by challenging the mind to focus on the pose and breath.
“You’re training your brain, you’re training your nervous system to focus and pour energy into where you want to pour it into,” Marie said.
Marie noted that being able to look at things upside down helps strengthen the vestibular system, which she calls the “inner GPS of where you are in space and time.”
Pierce said that yoga also helps build bone density, increase muscle strength, and maintain balance and
flexibility which declines as people age.
Marie recalled a few students who are in their 70s and 80s who have adopted daily practices. She said those students have strengthened their big toes and have been able to catch themselves more when they feel like they are falling, preventing injury and maintaining independence.
Pierce said that yoga increases the VO2 max, or the volume of oxygen in the lungs, “Most yogis have a very high…VO2 max…[yogis’] is equivalent to long-distance runners, if not better, because we use our whole lung capacity.”
Shared Connection
Pierce took a moment to share with The Bee this idea of the “shared breath,” the “divine, healing breath.” She explained, “People aren’t born on an exhale, babies cry on the inhale. You die on an exhale. That’s a total surrender.”
“Every breath is a divine, healing wind,” she said. “That’s a shared breath. Because when I exhale, you’re inhaling my breath, and when I inhale, I’m breathing in everybody else’s breath. It’s the one thing that connects us all.”
Marie said, “[Yoga] is not a religion. It’s a system of practices that are adaptable and inclusive, and designed to make you better at living your own life. You can believe whatever you want, and yoga will make you better at that because you will have better stress management skills, more access to empathy and consideration of others, which is the highest form of love.”
“The heart of yoga, true yoga, is love, and the return to love. We’re just practicing being human, which is really hard,” Marie added.
Beyond the mats, beyond the poses, and beyond the mindfulness, yoga represents a vast, lively, and kind community that anyone can be a part of if they choose.
A few of Marie’s students reached out to The Bee to offer their experiences with the Newtown Yoga Center. Morgan Wychowanski said, “The
A group of students take the Half Moon pose, a balancing pose. From left: Heidi Verdi, Connie Widmann, Chelsea Porter, Joe DiGuiseppi, Alexa Skalandunas.
Aline Marie, owner of the Newtown Yoga Center, takes the Peaceful or Dancing Warrior pose.
A class at the Newtown Yoga Center taught by Kay Maynard. —photos courtesy Aline Marie
mones from menopause, such as a drop in estrogen, that can thin someone's hair. Many woman can also experience postpartum hair loss, a condition where their hair is temporarily thinner and more prone to shedding after pregnancy.
Sometimes hair thinning can be caused by issues with the thyroid, whether it's hypothyroidism or hyperthyroidism. Some women also have polycystic ovary syndrome, also known as PCOS, a hormonal disorder that can cause irregular periods, weight gain, infertility, excessive hair growth, or even hair loss.
"You really have to think about everything, even medicines and some nutritional deficiencies," Jaquez said.
Luckily, there are tests she said they use to figure out the cause of hair loss, or at least get a grip on what is happening. For example, a panel of blood work would tell Jaquez and her coworkers if someone is lacking in iron, zinc, vitamin D, or other proteins. After that, they can tailor treatments to the specific cause of hair loss.
Hair Restoration
Most people who come to BioRestore for hair restoration don't know all the factors regarding hair loss, according to Jaquez. She said it's easy for clients to look at their parents, grandparents, or even siblings and think to themselves "this is what it is," "I'm getting old," or "I'm just taking after my grandpa."
Oftentimes, they're surprised genetics aren't the only contributing factor to hair loss or at how many different paths they can take to regrow their hair.
"It certainly sparks an excitement in them to know that it's not the end-all-beall ... or that the only thing they can do is to grin and bare it," Jaquez said. "There's nice treatment options out there if we can find an underlying cause of it."
She referred to hair restoration as a journey. As much as people wish they could snap their fingers for a quick fix, Jaquez said it's oftentimes not the case because hair has its own shedding and growth cycle. Jaquez said this means it can take some time for hair to "do its thing" and go through a full cycle, which usually takes about three months.
"It's almost like a threemonth process for hair to cycle through a growth phrase ... before it's ready to even potentially start regrowth," Jaquez explained. Each cause of hair loss has its own solution. If someone has a nutritional deficiency, Jaquez said their treatment plan will be geared towards supplementing those nutrients and optimizing those levels so their bodies operate "with a full tank" and
can regrow hair.
If the root cause is something more medical or hormonal, then Jaquez said the goal is to replace or support some of the loss of the hormone shifts that are going on. They do check-ins over the course of several weeks to several months to make sure the client is heading in the right direction.
"There's no one size fits all for everybody," Jaquez said.
There are also things people can do to prevent hair loss before it becomes a major cause of concern, or even slow down the process if the cause is genetic.
Jaquez said that people treating their scalp like their skin, as well as having a proactive mindset, can go a long way. A little exfoliation, she said, can clear up
dead skin or any kind of buildup and give hair follicles a happy environment to live.
Another simple method is a scalp massage. People can either massage with their fingers or a scalp massager. Jaquez said this brings blood flow to the area and stimulate the follicles. Other things like certain levels of hair coloration, she said, can damage the follicle overtime. She also noted that high levels of heat on unprotected hair can be very damaging. If people are doing something with heat, Jaquez suggested that people apply a heat protective treatment or spray before they use a flat iron or curling iron.
Reporter Jenna Visca can be reached at jenna@thebee. com.
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Yoga: Flexing The Mind And Body
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community Aline has built surrounding the studio is something to be spoken about, too. There are people of all walks of life walking through those studio doors and we all have things that we are carrying with us but once I get on my mat, or just simply talk to a friendly face that all of that outside stuff I am dealing with just stops and I feel at home.”
Wychowanski also shared that Marie’s classes and studios offered a “warmth and passion” that was not present at other yoga studios.
Madeline Rhodes shared that Marie created “an oasis” for her, especially during her pregnancy.
Liz Teixeira shared that Marie’s classes has helped her find relief from chronic pain and mental wellness in her chaotic life, citing Marie’s extensive knowledge as “pearls of wisdom.”
Many more students reached out, including two students of Marie’s who have been working with her for about 15 years. Tom and Barbara Lutz are a couple who live in Newtown who attend the Newtown Yoga Center, as Tom said, “exclusively.”
Tom said that the community Marie has built is made up
of people from “all walks of life,” including contractors, teachers, hairdressers, “I mean, you name it and everybody just has a common thread there.”
Barbara chimed in and said that yoga addresses “both physical and mental needs,” and that it is a “time out” for individuals.
Tom added to his wife’s comments, saying, “It’s a nice way to balance things out.”
Tom stressed that as a man, he thinks yoga is a great avenue to build flexibility and balance, something that men tend to ignore when they are lifting weights in the gym.
Traditional strength training neglects aspects of balance and flexibility that yoga tends to focus on.
Tom said that he helped Marie find her studio space in Newtown when she first started out, “We have been very, very involved with the yoga studio…We kind helped
Aline in the early stages of opening the studio back in 2017…along with a group of other people helped her in many aspects of getting the practice started…It takes a village, and she’s created one.”
Reporter Sam Cross can be reached at sam@thebee.com.
Microplastics And Your Water Supply: What Your Family Needs To Know
(StatePoint) Statistics show if that if you’re not filtering your water the right way, your family is likely consuming microplastics.
An overwhelming 94% of U.S. tap water is contaminated with fragments of plastic pollution called microplastics, and bottled water does not fare much better —microplastics are found in 93% of 11 popular water bottle brands around the world.
Microplastics found in drinking water are not just an environmental hazard — mounting evidence indicates that they are also a potential human health hazard.
So what can you do to help make your drinking water safer? Investing in the right water filter is a great start. Be sure to choose one that meets internationally-recognized testing standards and is backed by independent testing. For example, all of LifeStraw’s water filters feature a membrane technology capable of filtering out microplastics and a host of other contaminants, such as bacteria and parasites.
To ensure your family has higher-quality water wherever you go, tackle the problem with this twopronged approach:
At home: Supply your household with safer water using the LifeStraw Home High-Capacity Dispenser.
In addition to microplastics, this sleek, 35-cup dispenser also removes bacteria and parasites, and reduces lead, mercury and chemicals, including PFAS, as well as chlorine, herbicides, pesticides, dirt, sand and cloudiness, while retaining essential minerals.
On the go: Access healthier water when you are at
school, work or out and about using the LifeStraw Go Series Water Filter Tumbler. This insulated, travel-sized stainless steel water filter improves taste and protects against contaminants, including microplastics. To learn more about safe drinking water, as well as efforts being made to improve drinking water around the world, visit lifestraw.com/blogs. When it comes to your family’s health and well-being, don’t take chances. Simple steps can vastly improve your water supply and reduce your consumption of harmful pollutants.
“Health and cheerfulness naturally beget each other.” ~Joseph Addison
Glen Road in Sandy Hook Center. For those interested in learning
—photo courtesy Aline Marie
(c) Yana Tatevosian / iStock via Getty Images Plus
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Five Facts Pet Parents Need To Know About Protecting Pets From Heartworms
(StatePoint) Heartworms are one of the most common and serious health threats faced by pets. According to the American Heartworm Society, more than a million U.S. pets are infected with heartworms, and incidence numbers are rising—even though heartworms are easily prevented. To equip pet parents to provide the protection their four-legged family members need this summer and year-round, the American Heartworm Society is sharing five vital facts about this deadly threat.
1. A single infected mosquito can spread heartworms to multiple pets. Heartworms aren’t spread from one pet to another. Instead, they are transmitted when a mosquito feeds on an infected animal, such as a dog, coyote, fox or wolf, then later feeds on other susceptible animals and pets. Within months, heartworms grow from tiny larvae into foot-long adult worms that live in pets’ hearts, lungs and blood vessels.
worms over pets that don’t harbor them. Finally, mosquitoes are opportunistic pests that require only small amounts of standing water— including puddles or halffull watering cans—to breed.
2. Heartworms are found throughout the United States. Warm, humid locales such as the Gulf States and Southeastern U.S. are widely known as hotbeds of heartworm infection, thanks to the presence of mosquitoes that thrive in these conditions. However, heartworms have become increasingly common in regions such as the Southwest, Pacific Northwest, Upper Midwest and New England. One factor supporting broader transmission is the practice of transporting homeless dogs for adoption from areas of the country where heartworms are extremely common to locales that formerly had few cases. Studies also suggest that mosquitoes prefer feeding on pets with heart-
3. Heartworms aren’t just going to the dogs. While dogs are highly susceptible to heartworm infection, cats and ferrets get heartworms, too. One thing all three species have in common is that they can become very ill, and even die, if infected with heartworms. That’s why the American Heartworm Society recommends heartworm screening and year-round prevention for all pets.
4. There’s no “season” for heartworms. While the risk of heartworm spread is greatest for pets from spring through fall, experts advise that pets be maintained on heartworm prevention yearround. Estimating when the first and last mosquito of the so-called season will appear is a dangerous guessing game, given the volatility of weather conditions in even the coldest parts of the country. Furthermore, build-
ings, parking lots and other structures in city and suburban communities can create sheltered “heat islands” with significantly warmer conditions than surrounding open areas. Mosquitoes also survive and thrive by relocating indoors or taking refuge in garages and crawl spaces when temperatures drop. 5. Prevention beats treatment every time. While heartworms in dogs can be treated, treatment can be expensive and requires multiple veterinary visits and months of activity restriction. Cats and ferrets, meanwhile, have no medications to cure their heartworms, because the treatment used in dogs is not safe for them. Fortunately, heartworms can be prevented with veterinary-prescribed medications that are safe, effective and affordable. For more information on heartworm prevention and management, visit heartwormsociety.org.
Heartworms pose huge health risks for pets. Fortunately, protecting them from infection is simple.
CH Booth Library Offers Weekly Health Programs
The CH Booth Library has been offering two weekly health programs as a part of the "Timeless Newtown" event.
The first, "30 Minute Flex & Balance with Sean Fitzpatrick," will next be conducted at 10:30 am Wednesday, May 14, via Zoom.
The program is a gentle 30-minute exercise session where everyone can practice their flexibility and balance, a “Timeless Newtown” event, registration required; 203426-4533, chboothlibrary.org.
The second, "Community Yoga for All Levels: A 'Timeless Newtown' event," will next be conducted at 10:45 am Saturday, May 14, at the CH Booth Library. Enjoy an hour of relaxing and gentle yoga led by instructor Alyssa Mancini (Herbs, Love & Yoga), who will make the class perfect for beginners and seasoned yogis alike with focus on mindful movement, breathwork and relaxation; dress comfortably and BYO yoga mat or towel, a “Timeless Newtown” event, registration required (also being offered May 24 and May 31; register for each class being taken); 203-426-4533, chboothlibrary.org.
Dr. Eugene Cayer DC
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Could Your Fatigue And Breathing Symptoms Be EGPA?
(StatePoint) An estimated 5,000 people in the United States are living with Eosinophilic Granulomatosis with Polyangiitis (EGPA), a rare form of vasculitis that causes inflammation or swelling in the small and medium blood vessels. While it can cause damage to organs throughout the body, it most often affects the lungs.
The American Lung Association’s new EGPA Educational Campaign, provided with support from AstraZeneca and GlaxoSmithKline, strives to educate people living with EGPA, and their families and caregivers about this serious, but treatable disease. Here’s what they want you to know: Symptoms are varied: EGPA can manifest differently based on what organs are affected. However, nearly everyone living with EGPA will experience these signs and symptoms: Feeling frequently ill and tired; loss of appetite, resulting in weight loss; fever; asthma and/or sinus polyps; a higher-than-normal level of eosinophils, a type of white blood cell.
Patients may also experience shortness of breath, coughing, chest pain, rashes, muscle and joint pain, nasal discharge, facial pain, abdominal pain or bloody stools, numbness or loss of strength, tingling in hands and feet, and kidney disease.
Persistence, patience are key to diagnosis: Timely diagnosis and treatment are critical to optimally managing and minimizing symptoms. But getting the right diagnosis may take years, and involve a clinical exam, blood tests to check your white blood count, a urinalysis, a chest X-ray or CT scan, and a biopsy. Those who have been through the process say it can be frustrating, and that persistence is needed to get proper care.
Dr. Anne Tournay, an EGPA patient, said, “My first EGPA symptoms included severe adult-onset asthma, congestion due to nasal and sinus polyps,
arm pain due to neuropathy, and urticaria – a condition that causes hives. Despite being a physician myself and asking repeatedly if I had EGPA, I didn’t receive the right diagnosis and treatment for 2.5 years. Eventually I paid out of pocket to see an EGPA expert and enrolled in an EGPA clinical trial. After various medication adjustments, I am now 10 years out from diagnosis, and have had no active symptoms for five years."
Treatment can help: There is no cure, but treatment can reduce symptoms, decrease the risk of organ damage, and improve your quality of life.
Because EGPA can affect multiple organs, you may need to work with more than one healthcare provider. They’ll review your disease severity, the organs involved, current medications, and other health conditions. Medications may be prescribed, such as anti-inflammatories, which help reduce swelling in the body, immunosuppressants, which can lower your immune system’s activity, and biologics, which target inflammation caused by eosinophils.
Lifestyle changes support management: Good health practices, like keeping vaccinations up to date, eating a well-balanced diet, staying active and getting adequate sleep can help you feel your best. It is also important to quit smoking, to avoid secondhand smoke and to protect yourself from fumes, dust and chemicals. Other strategies include tracking any new, worsening or changing EGPA side effects or symptoms, managing your asthma and seeing your healthcare provider regularly.
Support is available: EGPA is rare, but you’re not alone. Get your questions answered and find support:
Contact the Lung Helpline at 1-800-LUNGUSA, where you can talk to trained lung health professionals and receive a free health journal.
Living with Lung Disease Support Community and Living with Asthma Support Community, which provide anonymous 24/7 peer-to-peer support on Inspire.com.
The Patient & Caregiver Network, which provides free, direct access to education and support. To learn more about EGPA, visit Lung.org/EGPA. By better understanding Eosinophilic Granulomatosis with Polyangiitis, you can take control of your symptoms, get needed support, and better manage the disease.
Protecting The Health Of Black Women During Pregnancy And Beyond
(StatePoint) Held annually in April, Black Maternal Health Week is a campaign that supports awareness, activism and community-building to amplify the voices, perspectives and lived experiences of Black mothers.
Regardless of socioeconomic status, Black women in the
United States are three times more likely to die from pregnancy than their white counterparts. Pregnant Black women are also 23% more likely to have a heart attack, 57% more likely to have a stroke, 42% more likely to develop a blood clot in the lungs, and 71% more likely to
develop muscle weakness.
With increasing evidence suggesting that the prenatal period impacts the lifelong physical and mental health of children, these statistics show how important it is to eliminate these inequities for the wellbeing of not only moms, but the next generation as well.
“Black mothers deserve far more than the current maternity and health care systems that have failed us and our families for generations. But there are sustainable solutions and actionable steps we can take—centered on physicians, midwives, doulas, and other care providers working together as holistic, collaborative care teams—to ensure Black Mamas receive comprehensive, culturally grounded care that honors our needs and supports thriving pregnancies and full, healthy lives,” said Angela D. Aina, executive director, BMMA, Inc.
According to advocates with the National Collaborative for Infants & Toddlers, the following policies could help protect Black women during pregnancy and beyond:
• Transforming the delivery of black maternal care by making investments in social drivers of health that influence maternal health outcomes.
• Widening access to maternal health care services by extending Medicaid 12-month postpartum coverage nation-
wide, and by growing and diversifying the doula workforce.
• Addressing structural barriers and systemic stigma that prevent Black mothers from receiving treatment and support services for prenatal and postpartum complications.
• Eliminating economic inequities by strengthening equal-pay legislation and raising the minimum wage to at least $17 an hour.
• Passing legislation that guarantees access to paid leave to meet the needs of pregnant people, caregivers and families.
• Collecting and using intersectional data to better understand the causes of the maternal health crisis and inform solutions to address it.
• Growing and diversifying the perinatal workforce to
ensure Black mothers’ care teams include providers who share their background, and to ensure their care teams include a range of clinical care providers, from obstetricians and midwives to nonclinical support personnel, such as care navigators and community health workers.
To get involved, visit ncit. org/take-action/ to learn how you can help ensure mothers and their babies have a strong start.
“A future where all individuals, families and communities thrive is possible. Everyday Americans can chip in by contacting their elected officials and lawmakers and telling them to support policies that protect the health of Black mothers,” said Christy Ross, co-chair of the National Collaborative for Infants & Toddlers.
Dr. Anne Tournay, a patient with managed EGPA.
Fifty Or Older? The Pneumococcal
Pneumonia Vaccine Is Recommended For You
(StatePoint) Pneumococcal pneumonia is a potentially serious bacterial lung disease that can disrupt your life for weeks and even land you in the hospital. Medical experts want you to know that there are steps you can take to reduce your risk of serious illness.
An important step is getting pneumococcal vaccination if it’s recommended for you. This vaccine helps protect against pneumococcal disease, including, pneumococcal pneumonia, bloodstream infection (bacteremia), and infection of the lining of the brain and spinal cord (meningitis). In October 2024, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated its adult immunization schedules, and now recommends pneumococcal vaccination for all adults 50 or older, even if you are healthy, and maintains its recommendation of vaccination for adults 19-49 with certain underlying medical conditions like asthma, COPD, chronic heart disease and diabetes.
“The immune system naturally weakens with age, so even if you’re healthy and active, being older puts you at greater risk of severe illness from pneumococcal pneumonia. The CDC’s updated guidelines are intended to keep more people healthy and safe,” says Albert A. Rizzo, MD, chief medical officer for the American Lung Association.
The American Lung Associ-
ation maintains an ongoing educational program about pneumococcal pneumonia with Pfizer. As part of the program, they are sharing these fast facts:
• Anyone can get pneumococcal pneumonia and unfortunately, it is a disease you can have more than one time. Certain populations are at higher risk for severe illness, hospitalization and death. You can use American Lung Association resources to help you determine your risk.
• The symptoms of pneumococcal pneumonia include fever, chills, cough, chest pain, difficulty breathing or rapid breathing, and these symptoms can appear suddenly and without warning.
• Having the flu increases the likelihood of developing pneumonia, including pneumococcal pneumonia. You can reduce this risk by getting a flu shot every year to help prevent seasonal influenza. In addition, those at risk for pneumococcal disease can get vaccinated against pneumococcal pneumonia. Ask your healthcare provider about pneumococcal vaccination today.
For more information about pneumococcal pneumonia risk factors, symptoms and prevention, visit Lung.org/ pneumococcal.
Thanks to the CDC’s recommendations, more Americans can take the step of vaccinating against pneumococcal pneumonia and reducing their risk of severe illness.
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Summer Health And Safety Tips Doctors Want You To Know
(StatePoint) School is out, the days are long and the temperature is rising. For a safer, healthier summer, follow these American Medical Association recommendations:
1. Wear sunscreen. Look for a broad-spectrum sunscreen of at least SPF 30. Also, no sunscreen is waterproof. If you’re splashing in a pool or sweating in the summer sun, you’ll need to reapply every couple of hours or immediately after swimming.
2. Get up to date. With measles cases increasing, make sure your family members are up-to-date on their vaccines before travel and camp season. Double check everyone’s vaccine status. If you have questions, speak with your physician.
3. Be water safe. Make sure everyone in your family achieves water competency skills. Teach children to ask permission before going near water, have inexperienced swimmers or boaters of all
ages wear U.S. Coast Guard-approved life jackets, and always swim in lifeguarded areas at the beach.
4. Watch your diet. Reduce
intake of processed foods, paying particular attention to added sodium and sugar. Add fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, nuts and seeds
to your diet. This doesn’t mean you have to give up summer barbecuing. Simply replace red meat and processed meats with lean meats, like poultry, and plant-based proteins. Also, reduce your consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages and drink more water instead.
5. Be physically active. Take advantage of warmer weather to get outdoors and get active. For optimal physical and mental health, adults should get at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity activity or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity activity each week. While exercise is important, avoid working out outside in the early afternoon (noon to 3 p.m.) when it’s hottest. Drink water before, during and after physical activity, and wear light-colored, lightweight, moisture-wicking clothing.
Watch for signs of heat exhaustion, including cool, moist, pale skin, and heavy sweating, headache, nausea and dizziness. Be advised
that extreme heat can be especially dangerous for certain people, including those taking certain medications, those with chronic diseases, older adults and children. Additional precautions may be necessary to keep these groups safe in hot weather. CDC’s Heat Risk Dashboard informs on how best to protect yourself when temperatures can impact your health.
6. Use caution. If you’ll be consuming alcohol, do so in moderation as defined by the U.S. Dietary Guidelines for Americans—up to one drink per day for women and two drinks per day for men, and only by adults of legal drinking age.
7. Know your blood pressure numbers. Extreme temperatures can impact blood pressure, so it’s especially important right now to visit ManageYourBP.org to better understand your numbers and take necessary steps to get high blood pressure, also known as hypertension, under control. Doing so will reduce your risk of heart attack and stroke.
8. Check first. Before heading outdoors, check your community’s outdoor air quality using the Air Quality Index. Smoke from wildfires and degraded air quality that gets worse with warmer temperatures can irritate your eyes, nose, throat and lungs. Children, pregnant people and those with certain chronic conditions must be especially careful.
“Behind every summertime joy—warmth, barbecues, watersports—is a not-so-secret health or safety hazard like sunburn, heat exhaustion, drowning, unhealthy foods and drinks” said Bruce A. Scott, M.D, president of the American Medical Association. “Simple steps can ensure your family safely enjoys the summer season.”
Test Of Peanut Allergy Treatment In Young Kids Proves
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — A real-world study of peanut oral immunotherapy in children younger than 3 has shown the approach is both safe and effective at desensitizing children to the increasingly common food allergy.
The UVA Health Children’s researchers enrolled 30 peanut-allergic children in the study of what is called epOIT – Early Peanut Oral Immunotherapy. The researchers cautiously and gradually increased the dose of peanut protein the children were given. Sixteen children showed no adverse effects at all, while 12 suffered only mild hives or rash that were easily treated with antihistamines. Three children did not complete the trial,
Successful
including one due to an anaphylactic reaction occurring at home. (There was no placebo group in the study.) All of the 27 children who completed the study were ultimately able to consume a “maintenance dose” of 500 mg of peanut protein per day. One child even accidentally consumed about 3,000 mg of peanuts (about 40 Reese’s Pieces) and had no reaction. Eight other children were able to complete a formal peanut food challenge in the allergy clinic and are now freely eating peanut. Based on their results, the researchers are calling for larger, multicenter clinical trials to advance what could be a game-changing new treatment for peanut allergies in very young children.
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What Parents Need To Know About Protecting Their Children From Measles
(StatePoint) Ongoing measles outbreaks across the country have many families, pediatricians and public health experts concerned. Most of the people who have gotten sick, including a child who died in Texas, were not vaccinated against measles.
The best way to protect your family is by choosing to have your child immunized against measles. The MMR vaccine—which protects against measles, mumps and rubella—is the only way to prevent measles. Vitamin A, cod liver oil and other alternatives have been discussed as ways to lessen the severity of measles. However, none of these alternatives will prevent measles. Too much vitamin A can also cause severe illness. Always talk with your pediatrician first.
“The reason many parents in the United States have not had to worry about measles in decades is because of widespread immunization with this safe and effective vaccine,” said AAP president and pediatrician, Susan Kressly. “However, when immunization rates drop in a community, the disease can spread, putting everyone— especially young children— at risk.”
Before the measles vaccine was available in the United States, an average of 450 people died from measles every year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Most of them were previously healthy children. Children who contract measles are at higher risk for developing more serious conditions such as pneumonia or a brain infection called encephalitis.
These complications can become deadly. Additionally, a rare but universally
fatal form of brain swelling called subacute sclerosing panencephalitis can occur in healthy children years after they have recovered from measles infection. Measles is highly contagious. The virus can live for up to two hours in the air where infected people have coughed or sneezed. Nine out of 10 people exposed to the virus who don’t have immunity from the vaccine will also become infected, according to the CDC. To prevent the virus from spreading and potentially causing an outbreak, creating community immunity by reaching a high level of vaccination rate is crucial to protect those who cannot be vaccinated.
The vast majority of parents get their children vaccinated. But because measles is so infectious, if a community’s rate of vaccination dips below 95% of the population, the disease can easily spread, impacting individuals and groups of people. Check with your pediatrician today if you’re unsure about your child’s
protection. Learn more at HealthyChildren.org.
“No parent should have to experience the loss of a child to a preventable disease. Vaccines save lives,” said Dr. Kressly. “Pediatricians are here to talk with families about their children's health, including how they can access vaccines. We must support immunization programs so that children in every community get the opportunity to grow up healthy and strong.”
encourage patients of all ages throughout the Brookfield, Newtown, Danbury and Southbury, CT areas to contact Newtown Smile Dentistry and make an appointment. You’ll be glad you did. Here, you’ll receive high-quality, caring dentistry focused on long-term oral health. If you have any questions about what we do, please do not hesitate to contact us.
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In just seven years, Dr Joel Malin has performed 1,250 Mako SmartRobotics procedures across total knee, partial knee and total hip applications. The system transforms the way joint replacements are performed, by helping surgeons know more and cut less.
Mako SmartRobotics is designed to elevate surgeon control and confidence and optimize implant placement. By combining Mako’s 3D CT-based planning and AccuStop haptic technology into one platform it has shown better outcomes for total knee, partial knee and total hip.
Malin, a Newtown resident, said he is “thrilled” to have reached the patient milestone “and help my patients get back to activities they love.”
With Mako SmartRobotics, he said, “I can utilize a CT scan, which provides me the ability to create a personalized surgical plan based on each patient’s unique anatomy before entering the operating room.
Total knee replacements in the United States are expected to increase 85% between 2020 and 2030, yet studies have shown approximately 20% of patients are dissatisfied after conventional surgery. Mako Total Knee combines Stryker’s advanced robotic technology with its clinically successful Triathlon Total Knee System, which enables surgeons to have a more predictable surgical experience with increased precision and accuracy.
Mako SmartRobotics for
Partial Knee replacement is a treatment option designed to relieve the pain caused by joint degeneration due to osteoarthritis that has not yet progressed to all three compartments of the knee. By selectively targeting only the part of the knee damaged by osteoarthritis, surgeons can resurface the diseased portion of the knee while helping to protect the
Dr. Vlad Koyfman Board Certi ed Doctor of Optometry
healthy bone surrounding the knee joint. Studies have also shown that robotic-arm assisted partial knee replacement has demonstrated increased accuracy in implant position compared to manual partial knee replacement procedures.
Additionally, by 2030, total hip replacements in the US are projected to increase by
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71%. Mako SmartRobotics for Total Hip is a treatment option for adults who suffer from degenerative joint disease of the hip.
During surgery, the surgeon guides the robotic arm during bone preparation to prepare the hip socket and position the implant according to the predetermined surgical plan. In a controlled matched-paired study to
measure acetabular bone resection, results suggested greater bone preservation for Mako Total Hip compared to manual surgery.
“As we continue to offer to this highly advanced SmartRobotics technology in our orthopedic service line, we look forward to providing this community with outstanding healthcare and treatment options,” said Dr Malin.
Joel Malin MD is affiliated with Orthopaedic Specialty Group. He specializes in in joint replacement surgery, specifically minimally invasive, direct anterior approach, and robotic arm-assisted joint replacement procedures. With more than 30 years experience, Dr Malin is a fellowship trained Orthopedic Surgeon with a special focus on hip and knee Arthroplasty.
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He is also part of the team at St Vincent’s Medical Center, which includes the CT Orthopaedic Institute, where he serves as the co-director of Robotic Surgery. He is also on staff at Bridgeport Hospital, including the Milford Campus.
Malin is additionally an active member of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, The American Association of Hip and Knee Surgeons, Eastern Orthopaedic Association, and Connecticut Orthopaedic Society. Orthopaedic Specialty Group can be reached at 203337-2600. Additional information is also available at osgpc.com.