Swimming!

Now that summer is upon us I feel it's appropriate to discuss water safety and what drowning looks like.

Rarely does it look like what we see in the movies; flailing, splashing, screaming. It's often silent and unnoticed.

Last week we were sitting in a hot tub with our son where he was sitting on the top step with the water barely covering his out-stretched legs. He weighs less than 25 lbs so any movement in the water really sways him and causes him to lose his balance. I was standing right next to him talking to my husband when all of the sudden Martin says, "WHOA! Get him!" In that spilt second, Bub lost his balance and was submerged. I scooped him up immediately but not before he swallowed/inhaled some water. I'm relating this story to show how quickly it can occur and that even though you're right there, you still need to be vigilant.

Water is the one thing I'm most terrified of as a parent. I learned to swim quite late by most standards, but have loved the water ever since. I've been on the swim team, been a lifeguard, taught swim lessons, been scuba diving and snorkeling, but still, I have a very healthy respect for the water.

I have taught private and group lessons, in public pools and in private pools. What's best for your child? Whatever helps them learn to swim! Even with my son, we practice "jumping in" and turning around to swim back to the wall. Can he do this on his own? No. But, we practice it now and keep reinforcing the correct pattern and behaviors. Ideally, you want your child to swim, but they also need to know that if they fall in or are accidentally pushed in, they can turn around and swim to the wall, or flip over to their backs and float. These are the two most important lessons.

The American Red Cross offers classes around the nation. I'm sure your city offers lessons in addition to private swim schools.

And, while the kids are getting their lesson, how about you take a CPR class? See what I did there? Have a great summer!

The Plant Paradox

We've all heard the best diet consists of high vegetable, moderate, in-season fruit, moderate protein and fat, right? Well, what if you're following this diet and are still experiencing fatigue, bloating, weight stability or gain, gas, and no movement in your cholesterol, blood pressure, and even sugar levels? This is what Dr. Steven Gundry has set out to investigate.

The Plant Paradox examines the relationship between eating a healthy diet (fruits and vegetables) while still being overweight, hypertensive, and on the path to heart disease. Dr. Steven Gundry has delved into why this diet is ineffective and not helping patients lose weight and reduce risks of chronic diseases (heart disease, diabetes).

Ultimately he reveals the culprit; lectin. Lectins are plants way of protecting themselves against predators; other plants, animals, humans. Inside our bodies, lectins battle with our guts and create a chemical warfare which in turn causes us to hold on to weight and causes a host of other problems.

I haven't read the book, yet. It's on top of my list. It sounds similar to Wheat Belly, in that the food we eat has a direct effect on how we feel.

This is probably the issue I wish patients understood the most. What you eat directly affects how you feel. I repeat: what you eat DIRECTLY affects how you feel. If you eat crap, you will feel like crap. Plain and simple. I usually reserve this for patients who are eating a lot of fast food, highly processed food, etc. There are some people who do eat fruits, vegetables, protein, and fat and do have some adverse effects; gas, bloating, etc. These are simple to explain; each body responds differently. What may be good for one person may not be good for another. Unfortunately, I cannot look at you and determine that you will negatively react to broccoli. This is a trial and error sort of testing.

Another book helpful with testing, reactions, and the inflammatory process is The Plan by Lyn-Genet Recitas. This book is more specific with food testing and the most common foods that most people react to. She is very specific and The Plan is very regimented at the beginning, but it does help identify reactionary foods and how to avoid them.

Have you read any of these? What did you think?

The Power of Distraction

This is a topic I've been mulling over for sometime. It sounds great on one hand, but deceptive on the other. Is it therapeutic or a mean placebo? Can the answer be both?

In the time I have been practicing, I have seen the effect of distraction and placebo. While I cannot prescribe a placebo pill, I can encourage behaviors that can distract the patient. Perhaps it is not as overt as the placebo effect, but the results are similar.

You may have seen this pain assessment scale we use in clinics to assess pain.

 

 

I like it because when a patient is popping gum and laughing with me and telling me their pain is 10/10, I have a visual tool to help them reassess their pain a little more accurately. When you get to a 6, I often tell patients this is a pain you can no longer ignore. A pain you can no longer distract yourself from. 10/10 is labor without pain medication, pain so intense you cannot talk, pain that requires immediate medical attention. Saying you have 10/10 when you don't, will not expedite your visit.

Distraction has been proven to reduce patient anxiety during conscious operations. No, they're not doing open heart surgery with you watching Braveheart. These were minimally invasive venous procedures conducted in a private office. The results were clear: patients who were talking to the nurse or watching  movie reported decreased anxiety than patients who were listening to music or had no distractions.

Now, how do we transfer that into our everyday, non-surgical setting? Well, anxiety and panic are two issues I see daily. If a patient were to go for a walk, pet the dog, take their kid to the playground, or throw a few hoops, I venture to guess they would feel a little better. Why? Because like we discussed a few weeks ago, changing your scenery or routine helps to release the physical energy being used to stress.

I work alongside some wonderful Behavior Health colleagues and when I feel the stress creeping in, they often remind me of these very things. Take a walk. Take some deep breaths. Color in a coloring book. Listen to music. Do a relaxation yoga video. Practice guided imagery. Anything you can do to take your mind off of what you're going through is going to help.

Think back to losing a tooth or getting a shot, was distraction involved? "How's your dog? Does he like to go for wal......POP! There goes your tooth!" Distraction. Powerful.

Stayin' Alive

You know the Bee Gees song Stayin' Alive, right? If so, you're already half way to knowing how to perform CPR! Why? Because the beat of the song is the perfect rate for performing compressions during CPR.

Why is CPR performed? Usually because of a heart related issue. It could be a heart attack, or the electrical impulses are not firing correctly, or the heart just stops due to injury or trauma. The purpose of CPR is to compress the heart and pump the blood through the body. Research has shown that pumping the heart is more important and valuable than rescue breathing. There is enough oxygen in the body to keep it moving to the organs while CPR is being performed.

Let me regale you with some statistics to help encourage you to complete a CPR course:

♥ Less than 1/3 of people who collapse outside of the hospital due to sudden cardiac arrest receive CPR from a bystander.

♥ If someone begins effective CPR immediately, the victims chances of survival can double or triples!

♥ People as young as 9 years old can learn, retain, and perform CPR!

♥ The Good Samaritan law will legally protect you while you are performing reasonable, life saving measures.

♥ CPR can be given with rescue breathing (mouth-to-mouth) or without. Compressions alone save lives, too.

 

The life you save may be that of your friends or family. Better to know how to perform CPR and never need to use it than to need it and not know. One note of caution: CPR is physically exhausting; even with a partner and switching off every 3 minutes or so, it is exhausting. You are encouraged to continue CPR until EMS arrives on scene or until you are about to collapse from exhaustion.

Please consider taking a CPR class. Find a buddy and do it together! The classes are usually inexpensive and just a few hours long. It's a small investment for a potential huge pay off.