By: Daniel Pearce, D.O., FCOI, AAHIVMS
ADHD IN OLDER ADULTS ASSOCIATED WITH MORE CRASHES
1179 Adults >65 years of age were studied in several states and found to have more traffic tickets and having a crash on a per mile basis. They also had more hard braking events. About 2.6% of older adults have ADHD and these findings suggest inattention and impulsivity are the causes of these adverse events.
INTERRUPTED SLEEP IS HARMFUL
Just because you sleep about 7 hours a night doesn’t mean you are getting the rest you need, especially if your sleep is interrupted. Common interruptions are caused by anxiety, depression, esophageal reflux, noise, pain, prostate-associated urination at night. These decrease the quality of sleep and prevent the smooth transitions between the different depths of sleep. The emphasis of this article is esophageal reflux.
Be alert as to the symptoms of esophageal reflux disease (GERD):
burning in the chest when you lay down,
trouble swallowing
hoarseness
sore throat
coughing
wheezing
chest pains
the dentist says your tooth enamel is being worn down too fast (from the stomach acid)
EXERCISE PREVENTS CANCER
A new study showed that intense exercise, e.g. riding a bike with some intensity, for 45 minutes 3 times a week prevented cancer and that the immune system was strengthened—the part of the immune system that has cells going around and cleaning up pre-cancerous cells.
LIFE HACK
A great, recent study showed if you walk at a normal pace for 5 minutes every half hour, you will have more happiness, productivity, energy, and mental alertness when at work. This activity kept weight down nicely also.
PREVENTING KIDNEY DISEASE
A new study showed that those who gained weight and then exercised, reduced their risk of kidney disease even if they did not lose weight. The exercise recommended is resistance exercise (floor exercises, weights). Aerobic exercise (speed walking, swimming, cycling) are also good types of exercise. A combination of aerobic and resistance seems best.
I am biased towards exercise articles but there are so many!!
ARE YOU ON THYROID MEDS?
Many times obesity can cause the hormone levels to be slightly off and there may not be a good reason to treat.
ALMOND MILK AND PREGNANCY IODINE ISSUE
If you have a cousin who is pregnant and doesn’t use milk products, then there may not be enough iodine for the child to develop properly. This may be true even though she is using iodized salt. Non-dairy milk products are getting more popular. Alert your cousin to discuss this with her medical provider.
On the other hand, using non-human animal milk for many years has been associated with heart disease. Also, the pesticides concentrate in an animal’s fat (milk, liver, meat fat) and that may give a high dose of toxins. So my advice is to seek her provider’s counsel and a temporary use of dairy milk may be needed.
dpearce@western.edu
Daniel Pearce, D.O.,
FACOI, AAHIVMS
Associate Professor of Medicine, Loma Linda University School of Medicine HIV, Hepatitis B,C, Transgender, Suboxone Specialist, Neighborhood Health (Riverside, Hemet), Loma Linda SACH (San Bernardino) Member, Coachella Valley Clinical Research Initiative
REFERENCES: Medscape®