Quick, Easy Tips for Everyday Healthy Eating

Have you tried to follow any meal plan and found it to be unsuccessful?  There’s nothing more frustrating, right?  Well, I’m here to help!   

Regardless of your goal – whether it’s to shed some pounds, lower your cholesterol, manage diabetes, or prevent cancer – here are some quick, easy tips to help you get started and on the right track! 

 

1) Try to eat at least every 4-6 hours.   Eating small and frequent meals will help you to burn more calories than someone who eats only one or two big meals.   However, you have to remember to keep your portions small.  I recommend using a small dessert plate to help you to control portions - it will help to prevent you from eating too much at dinner time. 

2) Balance your plate with carbohydrate, protein and fat.   Divide your plate in half and fill up one side with lots of non-starchy vegetables (carrots, leafy green veggies, etc.).   Then, divide the second half of the plate in half once again.  In one quarter of the plate, add a lean protein such as chicken breast, turkey, fish or tofu.  The last quarter of the plate should be filled with a starch like brown rice.  If you do not like brown rice, try rice with beans for a slightly different spin!  If you do not like whole wheat bread, try white whole wheat bread. 

3) Don't forget to eat protein in the morning.  This will help you to cut back on carbohydrates and balance your diet.  Eggs, any nut butter, turkey bacon, cottage cheese and yogurt are all excellent sources of protein.   

4) Try to drink water rather than any sweetened beverages.  

5) Try to eat at least 2 cups of fruit and 2 ½ cups of vegetables every day.  Fresh, seasonal fruits, veggies, and smoothies make great snacks!  

6) Eat or drink in a designated area.   If you eat when you are driving or watching TV, you will not know when you are full.  Listen to your body and eating cues instead of eating mindlessly!    

Need more guidelines on healthy eating?  Come visit me at Nova Medical Group Ashburn!    

-Posted by Haesun Hwang, MS, RD, CDE 

The Tick Factor

“Honey, can you come here?” my husband asked in a slightly panicked voice as he was giving our 3 year old a bath…   I rushed upstairs to find him trying to remove a wriggling deer tick from her back.

“Yuuuck!” said the Mommy part of my brain until then the doctor part kicked in: “Eeek, Lyme!!!”

Even though I knew the tick had not been on her long enough to transmit Lyme (we had only gone hiking a couple of hours before), the specter of Lyme disease still loomed in front of me.  Now I knew how my patients feel when they come into the office with tick bites!

So, what should you do when you find a tick on you?  How can you best prevent Lyme disease?

First of all, the CDC recommends avoiding wooded and bushy areas, staying on the center of hiking trails and using bug repellant with 20% or more DEET.  (Alas, we both strayed off the trail and neglected to put on our bug spray!)

Secondly, check yourself for ticks as soon as you get home and bathe or shower as soon as possible. (Phew, at least we got points for that one!)

Also, check your hiking gear and pets for ticks, as they can ride home on clothing and animals. Tumbling clothes in a dryer on high heat for an hour will kill the little critters.

If you do find an attached tick, use fine tipped tweezers to grasp the tick as close to the skins surface as possible.  Pull upward with steady pressure and don’t twist or jerk the tick.  If the mouth parts do remain in the skin and you cannot get them out easily, just leave them alone and let the skin heal.  A tick cannot transmit Lyme once its body has been separated from the mouth.  After removal, thoroughly clean the area with soap.

If the tick has been on you less than 36 hours, then you can stop here.  The risk of Lyme transmission is very low in this circumstance; a tick needs to be feeding for at least 36-48 hours.

If you are unsure of how long the tick has been on you or if it is engorged and you cannot reliably identify what kind of tick it is, then save the tick and come in to our urgent care clinic.

We can send the tick for identification and Lyme testing.  Only deer ticks carry the Lyme bacteria, so if you have been bitten by a dog tick, you are in the clear.

Since Lyme disease can take up to a week to manifest, we can also give you a prophylactic dose of antibiotics to reduce your risk.  The tick needs to be on you for more than 36 hours and you must get in for an appointment within 72 hours; the efficacy of prophylaxis beyond 72 hours is unknown.

You should monitor yourself for 30 days after a tick bite and any rash or flu-like illness should receive prompt medical attention to evaluate for tick-borne illnesses.  The good news is that early treatment of Lyme significantly reduces the chances of complications.

Lastly, blood tests after a tick bite are of no value as it takes the body several weeks to mount an immune response to the bacteria and for titers to become positive.  So, if you have been bitten by a tick, you do not need blood work.

Luckily, we successfully got the tick off of my daughter, who in typical fashion was as fascinated as I was revolted!  We are definitely going to take better care next time we go hiking!

Sources: CDC Lyme Disease and The ISDA 2009 guidelines for The Clinical Assessment, Treatment, and Prevention of Lyme Disease.

-Posted by Hannah Phillips, MD

The Goodness of Green

Some people call me a tree hugger.  I’m okay with this because it’s true - I do hug trees, I use them for medicine, and I am healthy and alive in part because of trees!   

Trees literally provide us life through the oxygen they give us.   I have always appreciated the beauty that green life and the natural realm convey.   Having an appreciation for nature directly influenced me into becoming a Naturopathic Doctor and practitioner of Chinese medicine.  We can learn so much by observing the natural environment! 

While the benefits of green life are real, tangible, and well-researched, I feel people often doubt the power nature can have.  Some doubt that a plant can heal them, even just by being in its presence; they doubt that an herbal medicine may impart just as much - or more - benefit as their medication(s), often without side-effects.  
 

The idea that the effects of nature are somehow not as powerful or as important as man-made things is an idea that stems from the Industrial Revolution.  Global society is now beginning to see the ugly side effects that this Industrial thinking has caused.  Because of this, there is a societal shift back towards respecting nature. 

As I write this blog, I’m looking at a beautiful spider plant sitting on a pedestal in my home that was given to me by one of my dear patients.  Just being in the presence of this spider plant not only gives me joy, but it also has some profound physiological effects on my body, including lowering my blood pressure.  

There is some pretty amazing research that demonstrates that green space is an important factor in various health parameters.  Fredrick Law Olmstead, landscape architect of America’s most picturesque parks, appreciated this fact stating: “The occasional contemplation of natural scenes of an impressive character...is favorable to the health and vigor of men...the reinvigoration which results from such scenes is readily comprehended.”
 

A 2001 controlled study of 10,000 people in the Netherlands demonstrated that those with more green space in their living proximity had higher levels of perceived overall health; they judged themselves to be healthier and reported fewer health-related complaints.  This study demonstrated that the amount of green space is related to health indicators more strongly than the degree of urbanity.  

In fact, a 10% increase in green space was shown to be the equivalent of a 5 year reduction in the average number of health-related symptoms for a person’s age.  For example, a 50 year old with 10% more proximal green space has a comparable number of health-related symptoms compared to that of a 45 year old lacking the green space. 

In regards to nature in the workplace, a 1996 study by Lohr and colleagues at Washington State University demonstrated that interior plants may improve worker productivity and reduce stress in a windowless environment.  Subjects in the study worked on a stressful computer task.  Pre- and post-trial measure of attention, blood pressure and task performance were measured. The only variable was the presence or absence of plants.  It turns out that blood pressure, attention, and reaction time were all improved by the presence of plants.  

One in 4 people have measurable levels of anger/stress at work, which leads to increases in blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, fatigue and immune compromise.  This ultimately results in decreased work performance, poor concentration, increased absenteeism, and decreased presenteeism.  So, if a few indoor plants can help decrease these levels of stress, isn’t this a worthwhile investment for employers?  

Further research shows significant reductions in Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity symptoms in children with increased exposure and access to green space, and reductions in pain symptoms.  The increased exposure is also directly linked to the increased likelihood to exercise. 

One of my favorite benefits of plants is their capacity to detoxify our air.  Another study assessing the effect of plants in the office as it relates to health and symptoms of discomfort among office personnel indicated that plants do have powerful detoxifying and immune supporting effects.

This study demonstrated that symptoms were 23% less when plants were in the office. Respiratory symptoms and fatigue were decreased by 37% and 30%, respectively.  Dry/hoarse throat & dry/itching facial skin decreased by 23% each.  Plant species used in the study included: Aglaonema commutatum (Chinese Evergreen Plant), Dracaena deremensis (Cornstalk Dracaena), Epipremnum aureum (Golden pothos), and Philodendron scandens (Philodendron).

Many indoor plants filter air by absorbing chemicals such as formaldehyde, benzene, xylene, trichloro-ethylene, carbon monoxide, and nitrogen dioxide.  The NASA Clean Air Study of 1986 researched ways to clean air in space stations and confirmed these detoxifying effects of common house plants.   It is surprising and scary how many of these toxins come from things we consider common place, such as rugs, perfumes, and cosmetics (common household/office toxins will be another topic I blog about).  Plants also filter airborne pathogens (Bacteria, Fungi).

So what about the psychological and physiological benefits of plants?  There are many proposed theories as to why plants exude such benefits.  One suggests that nature has a restorative effect on the mind.  Our society expects high performance and in that has designed work environments that are sterile and mundane.  These environments don’t allow for the resting of the mind or for any type of distraction from the work at hand… You’d think that this would increase productivity, right?   Well, research shows us that this type of environment does not stimulate our minds – constant attention to work is actually fatiguing to our minds!   A little nature in the work place gives us the small distraction and rest that our minds need to be even more productive and healthy. 

The bottom line is that nature is good for us – it promotes optimal health.  Both indoor and outdoor natural environments can reduce stress (both psychosocial and chemical) and can facilitate recovery from stress.  

Here at Nova Medical Group, I’ve started an indoor air quality campaign, distributing the babies of the beautiful spider plant that sits in my living room.  We are also considering other options like hanging photographs of nature in our treatment rooms and throughout the office to provide the opportunity for nature to treat the practitioner, patients and our support staff. 

So, get outside and bring a plant to work so you can enjoy the many benefits nature will give you, just by being in her presence!

Posted by Sarah Giardenelli, ND, MSOM, LAc.

Tis the Season

July is one of my favorite months of the year. It’s time for vacation, the beach, sunshine, and loads of fresh produce!  July and August are the peak months of the growing season in most parts of the country.  I love going to the farmers’ market this time of year and loading up on seasonal goodies like blueberries, tomatoes, peppers, melons, peaches, and more.  Here are my top reasons to buy produce locally in season:

1.)    It tastes better. When food is not in season locally, it’s either grown in a greenhouse or shipped in from other parts of the world. Both affect taste. Think you don’t like fruits and vegetables? Try eating them locally and in season. A local tomato in August tastes nothing like the mealy greenhouse-grown tomatoes you’ll find at the grocery store in January.

2.)    It’s more nutritious. It’s a known fact that food loses nutrients the more time that passes between farm and table.

3.)    It’s cheaper. Abundance usually translates into lower cost. Try buying strawberries in January vs. June and you’ll see what I mean.

4.)    It ensures variety, which ensures you get all the nutrients you need. While both dark leafy greens and strawberries are high in Vitamin C, they have a whole different array of micronutrients, antioxidants, and phytochemicals. I fill up on dark leafy greens in the fall and typically only eat strawberries in the summer.

So get out to your local farmers’ market this month and eat the season’s bounty! Visit www.localharvest.org to find a farmers’ market near you.

Posted by Nicole Holovach, RD