Diabetes Cookbook
Novemeber 18th, 2019
Our very own Mark Allison has just published a new book related to diabetes.
Dr. M
In Let's Be Smart About Diabetes, Chef Mark William Allison shares the family recipes and nutrition knowledge that have kept his type 1 diabetic son active and healthy throughout his life. For anyone with type 1 or type 2 diabetes, Let's Be Smart About Diabetes will show you how to: *Regulate your blood sugar by taking the guesswork out of eating and preparing the foods you enjoy*Prepare over 150 delicious, nourishing, easy-to-make recipes *Shop for food and eat out *Gain control over diabetes permanently, giving you energy and a new lease on life. Let's Be Smart About Diabetes brings together recipes tested by people with diabetes, knowledge about the disease and nutrition information that make the book a comprehensive tool to help you and your family control diabetes and live a healthy, active life.
Back to sleep - what is the story in 2019?
November 25, 2019
Sudden infant death syndrome, SIDS, is a sad and serious disease that we still know very little about. One risk factor that has been nailed down scientifically is sleeping prone as an infant. Dr. John Kattwinkel at the University of Virginia developed the Back To Sleep program that significantly reduced SIDS issues nationally.
In the Journal Pediatrics this month, Dr. Hirai and colleagues looked at socioeconomic demographics and guideline adherence in the US.
Choices
Novemeber 25th, 2019
Perth Amboy Raritan Bay, NJ
People that know me will tell you that this is my favorite word. The word "choice" pervades everything around us. Did you go left or right? Did you sleep in or get up and seize the day? Did you act in a kind way or not? There is always a choice even when you think that there is not. On that note and with great pleasure, I will share a link to Jeff Bezos' 2010 commencement speech at Princeton University.
Influenza 2019
December 2, 2019
Influenza season is starting in the United States. "During 2010-2016, the incidence of symptomatic influenza among vaccinated and unvaccinated US residents, including both medically attended and nonattended infections, was approximately 8% and varied from 3% to 11% among seasons." (Tokars et. al. 2018) Last year's flu season was not particularly rough in North Carolina, however, influenza claims 10's of thousands of lives a year in this country, especially among the elderly. According to the CDC there were 143 pediatric deaths last year primarily among young children and children with chronic health conditions of which the majority were not vaccinated. (CDC stats)
Every year, I blog about this virus primarily to keep it fresh on your mind in order to prepare and secondarily because it causes so much morbidity and mortality. There is never a good time to ignore this virus and its potential to cause havoc. Influenza comes back to annoy us every year and it is hard to completely avoid by quarantining yourself.
BB Guns
December 2nd, 2019
BB guns and non lethal projectile firearms
Ove a 26 year period Dr. Jones and colleagues looked at the injuries related to non powder and non lethal firearms in over 360,000 patient emergency visits.
"From 1990 to 2016, the number and rate of nonpowder firearm injuries decreased by 47.8% and 54.5%, respectively.
Autoimmune Triggers?
November 18th, 2019
This is a reprint from a year ago as this data is getting more frustrating and scary. Too many people are yet unaware of this problem.
BPA or bisphenol A is a chemical that was first brought to commercial levels in the 1950's. It is a base material used in the production of plastics and resins. It became a major concern for safety after it was found to act like estrogenic hormones in mammals.
To say yes is to say no to something or someone else and visa versa.
November 18, 2019
This phrase has been said by many different people over the millennia and most people struggle with it's truth. However, if you really spend some quality time looking and understanding the meaning of the sentence, you will realize that the meaning is critical for us to not only understand but to live. We often say yes to too many things that disrupt our real mission and joy in order to not offend or please another. This is not a way to conduct a meaningful life.
This morning, I listened to a podcast with Ric Elias, CEO of Red Ventures and survivor of US Airways flight 1549 that crash landed in the Hudson River in 2009.
Is Parkinson's Disease autoimmune?
November 11th, 2019
In the July 2019 edition of Nature, Diana Matheoud writes a riveting letter about Parkinson's disease. The article discusses the research in mice that are prone to the mouse version of Parkinson's like disease.
Parkinson's disease is a neuro-degenerative disorder affecting older Americans roughly 60,000 times a year. By 2020, 1,000,000 Americans will have this devastating disease. The disease is based on a diminishing volume of the neurotransmitter dopamine in a critical motor region of the brain called the substantia nigra. Over time, patients with Parkinson's disease lose motor function beginning with extremity tremors and ending with severe rigidity. (Parkinson's Foundation website)
Screens and Young Children
November 11, 2019
What does the data show us about screen usage in young children? In the Journal JAMA Pediatrics this month, Dr. Hutton and colleagues looked at screen usage in 47 prekindergarten children over a 14 month period. This cross sectional analysis was used to look at the effects of screen usage on brain white matter tracts that are involved in speech and reading.
The authors state: "This study found an association between increased screen-based media use, compared with the AAP guidelines, and lower microstructural integrity of brain white matter tracts supporting language and emergent literacy skills in prekindergarten children." (Hutton et. al. 2019)
Let's Be Smart About Diabetes
November 4th, 2019
Our very own Mark Allison has just published a new book related to diabetes.
Dr. M
In Let's Be Smart About Diabetes, Chef Mark William Allison shares the family recipes and nutrition knowledge that have kept his type 1 diabetic son active and healthy throughout his life. For anyone with type 1 or type 2 diabetes, Let's Be Smart About Diabetes will show you how to: *Regulate your blood sugar by taking the guesswork out of eating and preparing the foods you enjoy*Prepare over 150 delicious, nourishing, easy-to-make recipes *Shop for food and eat out *Gain control over diabetes permanently, giving you energy and a new lease on life. Let's Be Smart About Diabetes brings together recipes tested by people with diabetes, knowledge about the disease and nutrition information that make the book a comprehensive tool to help you and your family control diabetes and live a healthy, active life.
The Drive
November 4th, 2019
Peter Attia has a vary important podcast for you to listen to: #71episode,
Katherine Eban, investigative journalist and author of Bottle of Lies, illuminates the prevalence of fraud in generic drug manufacturing which brings into question the idea that generics are identical to brand-name drug as we are lead to believe. Katherine walks us through how this widespread corruption came to be, including the shocking story of one particularly egregious (and unfortunately not uncommon) example of an Indian drug company, Ranbaxy, whose business model was completely dependent on falsifying data in their drug applications to the FDA.
Science of Teen Rebellion
September 23, 2019
In the excellent book, Nurture Shock by Po Bronson and Ashley Merryman, there is a great chapter on teen rebellion. Why do teens rebel and lie? Primarily to explore the world and avoid telling us that they broke our rules.
In the chapter, researcher Nancy Darling looked at the issues surrounding lying and deception. What she found was that most teens lie to hide actions that they have engaged in that are counter to the parents rules or desires. They don't want to disappoint and ruin the relationship with mom and dad so they prevaricate and lie. She also found that very permissive parents often have less well adjusted children as the teens perceive the lack of rules as parents not caring. Her research found that "pushing a teen into rebellion by having too many rules was a sort of statistical myth".
Quick Hits 2
November 4, 2019
1) Developmental delay is on the rise! The prevalence and trends of childhood developmental disabilities in the US from 2009 to 2017 were analyzed by Dr. Zablotsky and colleagues in the journal Pediatrics last month. Autism Spectrum Disorder rose from 1.1% to 2.5%. Attention Deficit Disorder increased from 8.5 to 9.5%. General intellectual disability changed from 0.9 to 1.2%. The authors and a secondary commentary by Dr. Durkin believe that the increase is related to better screening criteria and improved survival of at risk populations.
Self Esteem - The Adult Chair
September 16, 2019
We can never have enough self-esteem. So many of us didn't have healthy self-esteem role models growing up so, we are embarking on this journey now. Here's the good news, it's never too late!
With the help of The Adult Chair model, we can live our lives to the fullest and create happiness we never thought possible.
Healthy self-esteem from The Adult Chair is not only possible, but it also happens quickly with these 4 easy-to-apply steps. Enjoy your journey of building up your new sense of self and empowerment in your Adult Chair.
Michelle
Link to Self Esteem Podcast
Stuttering
September 23, 2019
Stuttering is a very common pediatric complaint. The movie, the King's Speech, about King George the 6th of England, highlights the difficulties faced by those with speech impediments. Stuttering is a speech fluency problem where the spoken language is repeated as sounds, syllables or words.
5 in 100 children will stutter at some time in their life. The fluency dysfunction usually lasts for months and self resolves. Of these stuttering children, a small subset do not self resolve and persist into adulthood just like King George. This group will need further interventions to reduce the problem and help the adult achieve normal fluency.
The rule of thumb in pediatrics is to refer a child for speech therapy evaluation if the stuttering has lasted for greater than 6 months and/or the child has significant anxiety related to the issue. We also recommend referral earlier if a child has a strong family history of a first degree relative with severe or moderate adult stuttering.
Microplastics - a new topic to explore!
September 30, 2019
Emerging evidence is bringing to light a new concern. I am finding that I am becoming haunted by the never ending stream of negative news in regards to our environment. I have yet to meet a human that does not want clean air, water and food, yet, we are slowly having none of these.
The reality is that micro and nano size plastic particles are entering our bodies through our food and water supply chain. In a September 2019 study, a group from McGill University in Canada stated:
Science of Raising Children Part 2
September 30th, 2019
We all want to have happy, well adjusted, intelligent, respectful and motivated children/teens. It appears that this reality is far from true for some parents today because of the myriad societal pressures negatively weighing on our children's psyche. When thinking about the pieces of the puzzle that help us raise a child, I think that we have a great role to play. It has been well established that nature and nurture are important, however, I think that nurture is our modifiable priority .
Here are ten ideas to raising a competent and happy child:
Antibiotic Resistance - Part 1:
October 7, 2019
Antibiotic Resistance is a continually evolving problem in medicine and society. Historically, significant antibiotic resistance was confined to the hospitals and intensive care units. Over the past decade, these bacterial resistance issues have entered the everyday world with the likes of MRSA, methicillin resistant Staphlococcus aureus.
In the primary care, urgent and emergent care clinics, we are seeing children every day with MRSA abscess/skin infections. Fortunately, we still have 2 good oral antibiotics to fight this trouble maker. Hypothetically,
Cancer Avoidance and Treatment
October 7th, 2019
After finishing the talk on Autoimmunity and the environment last Thursday, I read about a lovely new theory on cancer. It is believed that we are exposed to cancer inducing environments not too infrequently meaning that we all develop cancer cells more often than we think. In a fascinating new article in the August edition of the Journal Scientific American, Drs. DeGregori and Gatenby take us on a new theory journey of cancer and it's treatment.
They liken the cancer biology to be akin to Darwin's natural selection theory with survival of the fittest reigning supreme. Thinking outside of the box has often been the route to new ideas, treatments and cures in medicine.
Derek Sivers
October 28th, 2019
Derek Sivers
I have three mentors.
When I'm stuck on a problem and need their help, I take the time to write a good description of my dilemma, before reaching out to them.
I summarize the context, the problem, my options, and thoughts on each. I make it as succinct as possible so as not to waste their time.
Before sending it, I try to predict what they'll say. Then I go back and update what I wrote to address these obvious points in advance.