What’s wrong with me? Health & Wellness

Live Long, Live Well Jodi R. Cornelio, AS, BA, MBA Nutritionist, Personal Trainer and Motivational Speaker jcornelio@turnerpublishing.net

The other day I spent 30 minutes looking for a financial document I promised I would deliver to our office administrator. After exhausting all logical hiding places, I decided to recreate it, so I spent an additional 40 minutes racking my brain while drafting up a new document. Within the hour, signed, sealed and delivered, I presented the document to my office administrator and continued onto the next mission.

Being on screech since 5 a.m., I had an overwhelming thirst. As I swung open the refrigerator to investigate the beverage situation, there it was, “my financial document,” hiding behind the orange juice.

Have you ever had a morning like this? Please tell me I am not alone. I thought, what’s wrong with my brain? Why didn’t I see that document when I reached for eggs earlier that day? Oh God, Is it menopause or maybe I should start drinking decaf? What’s wrong with me?

Naturally, and no surprise to anyone who knows me, I started researching foods that help with brain power. Then I started researching exercise and nutrition for eye health and vision. I do eat lots of leafy greens and vegetables that enhance eye health. I also eat nuts and salmon, containing omega 3 fatty acids to help with brain function and memory — all great material for futures articles but no answers to my lost document craziness — so I sat back and pondered.

Reality check and the lights came on. The truth is there is nothing wrong with me or you, for that matter. We are normal people trying to get it all done in a world of craziness, while juggling multiple roles with family, work and play. Now what to do about it? How about if we all lean on each other and say, “It’s OK to take a break; it’s OK to go for a walk and clear your head; it’s OK to take time for self.”

Did you know you can be 22 percent more productive and have a 21 percent clearer mind with only 30 minutes of exercise a day? That is good self-time well spent.

A recent study by The University of Bristol in England analyzed 200 employees at three different locations working in different industries. The employees evaluated themselves on a day with exercise and a day without.

The results were astonishing. On workout days, participants’ scores were 21 percent higher for concentration on work, 22 percent higher for finishing their work on time, 25 percent higher for working without unscheduled breaks, and an incredible 41 percent higher for feeling motivated to work.

There are many other studies proving similar results. By giving yourself more attention through exercise, you can actually give more to those you love.

So, you ask, what is the best exercise? I say anything you love doing. Luckily for us, the number one answer science has come up with is “walking.” Almost everyone can walk, and it doesn’t take special equipment — just a good pair of sneakers.

Live Long, Live Well

By Diane Atwood

About 12 years ago, Donald Jones ran into a friend who used to be a hand surgeon. When they shook hands, the friend felt a cord in Donald’s palm and told him that he had Dupuytren’s contracture.

Dupuytren’s means you can’t straighten some of your fingers, usually the ring and/ or the little finger and sometimes the thumb. Donald knew what it was. His father had a contracture in one of his fingers.

“He didn’t do anything about it until his finger curled over and grew right into his palm,” said Donald. “He had to have major surgery. They had to cut the cords in his hand to open up his fingers.“

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Underneath all skin, including on the palm, is a sheet of connective tissue, the fascia. With Dupuytren’s, the fascia becomes diseased. The first sign is usually a small nodule or a bump in the palm, says Dr. Youssra Marjoua, a Portland orthopaedic surgeon and hand specialist.

“It may feel like a callous,” he said. “There’s no pain, but it continues to evolve into a cord. The cord doesn’t immediately contract, but eventually will attach to the skin above. As that happens, it starts to actually bring the skin down and leads to a flexed finger.”

The highest prevalence is in senior Caucasian men, mostly of northern European descent. They usually have a family history of the condition.

Donald’s progressed slowly in both ring fingers.

“I would shake hands and it would feel funny,” he said. “Your finger has curled over and you can’t even force it back. “

In April, he had a procedure

to release the cords and his bent fingers, first in one hand and a month later, the other. He could have opted for surgery to remove the diseased fascia, but instead, had an enzyme, Xiaflex, injected into the cord. The enzyme softens

and weakens the cord so that in a day or two it’s possible to break it up by stretching and bending the finger. In one finger, Donald inadvertently did it on his own.

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