How to Stay Healthy on Vacation

 

Traveling can be really stressful on your body and on your relationship with the people you are traveling with. Restless nights in unfamiliar hotels, the “I can eat it, I’m on Vacation” diet your about to adopt and the “We have to see everything” timetable can really take a toll on you. Not to mention being locked up in a car or plane for hours on end with billions of everyone else’s germs.

Surprisingly, hotels can be more detrimental to one’s immune system than the health risks associated with flying. Vacationers tend to go to bed late, wake up early and get less than seven hours of sleep a night. This triples the risk of getting a common cold. Lumpy hotel beds and extra firm pillows will also disrupt sleep.

Families and individuals on vacation also tend to consume foods that they normally would not if cooking at home – pizza, ice cream, candy, junk food – and that means a vacation diet that’s high in sugar and low in vitamins and minerals. Sugar has been shown to weaken the white blood cells that attack pernicious bacteria. Don’t cancel that planned trip to the beach or Europe so fast, here are a few recommendations for how to beat a cold and ward off any sickness when traveling.

You should start taking 2,000 milligrams of Vitamin C each day to strengthen the immune system as well as snacking on foods that are high in probiotics (the “good” bacteria). Probiotics are found in yogurt, Kombucha tea, miso soup, Kefir, fermented cabbage (like sauerkraut and Kimchi) and tempeh. They are also available as an over the counter supplement in capsule form. For little ones who may have difficulty swallowing supplements, foods that are rich in Vitamin C include oranges, red pepper, kale, strawberries, broccoli, kiwi and guava. Don’t forget to get plenty of sleep as well.

It’s still important to continue your Vitamin C routine usage when on vacation. Zinc lozenges are easy to pack and help support the immune system and works best when taken at the first sign of illness. You might even consider bring a mask to wear next to the guy with a fever on the plane. Hand sanitizer is also a must, use it frequently and defiantly before eating or drinking anything. You would be surprised how dirty door handles and money are!

If you’re reading this in bed because you’re home sick, leave your air-conditioned house or apartment right now for at least 30 minutes. Direct sunlight helps the liver produce Vitamin D3, which improves bone health and enables the body to build up its stock of antimicrobial peptides, which fight off a wide range of infections. The sun is one of the best ways to prevent a cold and so important for getting over one.

What is Autism?

Autism is a disorder that is prevalent but still widely misunderstood. To the uninformed, this condition may be seen simply as a problem with behavior and socialization, but it’s actually much more complicated and serious than this.

It’s estimated that about 1 in 68 children are diagnosed with some form of autism today, which is an increase of more than 100% since the condition became well-known in medical literature during the 1940s. Because of this, it’s critically important that people have a solid understanding of how this disorder works and how it can be treated. The following overview will help to acquaint you with the basics of autism—including official terminology for the condition, what causes it, and what symptoms to look for in children.

Since the creation of the diagnosis, researchers have significantly changed the ways that they think and speak about autism. Before the publication of the 5th edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) was published in 2013, psychologists had a number of distinct diagnoses for different disorders that affected social and communicative abilities. However, with the advent of the DSM-5, these disorders are now grouped together under the category of autism spectrum disorder (sometimes shortened to just autism spectrum or ASD). This reclassification acknowledges the fact that autism does not affect every individual in the same way. Instead, this approach conceptualizes different levels or types of autism that are different but still intimately related.

Autism Causes

Autism research is still not able to provide a definitive answer as to what actually causes autism, but the general consensus is that there is no singular reason for its existence. However, scientists have been able to propose several different potential factors that may be responsible. These include everything from genetics to environmental factors during prenatal development. Here is a look at some of the more common and widely supported causes that have been put forward.

•Genetics: There is some evidence to indicate that children with certain genetic disorders may be more prone to developing autism. Two of these potentially related disorders include Rett Syndrome and Fragile X Syndrome—both of which cause the brain to develop abnormally and create physical and intellectual disabilities.

•Environmental Factors: It’s also been hypothesized that autism may be caused by environmental factors that occur either before or after birth. Being exposed to certain viral diseases, especially rubella, in the womb can adversely affect a child’s brain development and puts them at a higher risk for autism and other developmental or psychiatric disorders. It’s also been proposed that fetal exposure to grain alcohol may increase the risk for autism. However, the link between the two has not been established as strongly the link between virus exposure and autism. Similarly, lead poisoning and vitamin D deficiencies have been proposed as possible factors influencing the development of autism after birth, but more research is needed to confirm these hypotheses.

It’s important to note that vaccines (especially the MMR vaccine) have been put forth by some as a possible cause of autism. However, research surrounding this issue has been unable to establish a link between the two and has come under scrutiny for being unduly manipulated. To date, there has been only one published study arguing that vaccination causes autism. This study was authored by Andrew Wakefield and published in The Lancet, a medical research journal. However, the journal later retracted the publication after it was discovered that Wakefield had received funds from an organization looking  for harmful evidence to use against manufacturers of vaccines.

Autism Signs and Symptoms

The symptoms of autism can range from mild to severe, depending on a person’s individual case, but most center around difficulties with social interaction and communication.

From a social standpoint, people with autism often have difficulty developing the ability to sustain healthy, normal relationships. This includes things like an inability to maintain eye contact or read facial expressions and other body language. Additionally, people with autism often have difficulty relating to the interests of their peers, and they may also have difficulty feeling empathy for people experiencing negative emotions like sadness or pain.

Communication is also an issue for people with autism. In fact, it’s estimated that as many as 40% of people with the disorder never speak at all. If a person does speak, he or she often has a preoccupation with certain words or phrases that they may repeat over and over again—a phenomenon known as echolalia. Additionally, autism makes initiating and continuing conversations very difficult, and people are often unable to recognize when others use devices like humor or irony in their communications.

Because many of the symptoms associated with autism revolve around talking and other forms of communication, it can often be difficult to recognize the signs in young children—who normally have communication difficulties. For this reason, autism is normally diagnosed after the age of 3, even though in some cases it may be present from birth. Additionally, if symptoms are mild enough, parents may not even realize that their child has autism for many years, if ever.

Autism Treatments

There is no cure for autism, but there are still treatments available that can help people manage their symptoms. Deciding on specific treatments will depend on a person’s unique case and the severity of his or her symptoms.

Behavioral training is one of the most common tools used to help people with autism develop communication and interpersonal skills. This approach can take many forms, but it generally focuses around using positive reinforcement and observation to help children thrive in social environments. For example, students with only mild forms of autism may be placed in a traditional classroom setting and encouraged to observe their peers as examples to model their own behavior on. If a child’s problems are significant enough, he or she may also work with a specialist one-on-one, sometimes for up to 40 hours a week.

Medication is not used to treat autism directly, but it may be used in order to address other problems associated with the disorder—such as depression, hyperactivity, or obsessive-compulsive disorder. However, this approach is typically viewed as less preferable than addressing a person’s issues with behavioral therapy.

It's Almost Summer Time, That Means Sunscreen!!

OK, the Australian’s beat us at another thing besides “football”, that’s soccer to us Americans. They are incredibly good at the prevention and identification of skin cancer. Did you know that one American dies from melanoma every hour? This is a  tragic rate since this cancer is curable when caught early. By now, you should know that you should use sunscreen every day both to help reduce your risk of skin cancer and to prevent pesky wrinkles, dark spots, and other signs of premature aging (This alone is reason enough to use sunscreen, I might be feeling older, but I don’t have to look it!). The good news is that there are many things you can do to protect against skin cancer. Here are some of the best ways to stay safe.

Don’t wait until you're outside to apply sunscreen
How many people have you seen get to the beach, spread out their blankets, strip down to their swimsuits, and then start slathering away?  You actually want to apply your sunscreen 30 minutes prior to exposure. That way, it has time to get absorbed and start working! Skin cancer can strike anywhere, especially since rays can still penetrate the fabric of a one-piece, particularly if it's an older suit that's wearing thin. So it's best to apply sunscreen when you're buck naked. Otherwise, if you already have a swimsuit or clothing on, you're likely to apply it sparingly so you don't get it on your clothes, which makes you likely to miss a spot or not apply liberally enough. Strip down in front of a full-length mirror,  this helps ensure you entirely cover tricky spots like the mid-back and backs of the legs. Have your partner or a friend do your back, from the tops of shoulders on down. The most commonly missed areas are toes and feet, including the bottoms of your feet; underarms; back of the neck under the hairline; ears, especially the tops and back of your ears; eyelids; and inner upper arms. Put that stuff everywhere!

Don’t forget to protect your lips
Just like the rest of your skin, lips are vulnerable to UV rays, so it's extremely important to use sunscreen on your lips. But don't use the same stuff you use on the rest of your body—it tastes weird and won't last that long on your lips anyway. So try a lip balm with SPF, which is thicker so it stays on longer. Then reapply even more frequently than you do body sunscreen, since talking, eating, and drinking removes the sunscreen on your lips faster.

Reapply, You can sweat or rinse it all off!
The small print on your sunscreen label matters, so make sure you're choosing the right sunscreen for your activity, especially if that activity involves sweat, a pool, or the ocean. Make sure you get a water-resistant formulation for swimming or activities where you'll perspire, because non-water-resistant formulas can slide right off. Plus, they tend to migrate into eyes and sting, whereas water-resistant ones won't. Manufacturers can’t make claims that sunscreens are water-proof or sweat-proof, but they can claim their product is “water-resistant” for up to 80 minutes in still (not moving) water. That’s the highest claim allowed in the United States. However,  Remember those Australian’s we talked about earlier? Their standards are for 240 minutes in whirlpool water. That’s four hours of continual coverage in 105 degree moving water. We rarely endorse a product, but we have been using Blue Lizard Australian® Sunscreen for years and it is awesome. It is hard to find in the stores but you can find it online or on our website. Yes it is more expensive, but it is definitely worth it. We have some free samples in the office if you would like to try it.

Don’t only use it when it's nice out
Danger! It may seem counter intuitive to slather on sunscreen on a gray or drizzly day, but you can get UV exposure without ever seeing the sun in the sky. Eighty percent of UV rays still come through on cloudy days, according to the American Academy of Dermatology, so don't let the weather affect your sunscreen use. Seeking solace under a beach umbrella or an awning near the pool doesn't mean you're getting adequate protection from the sun. Why? Sand and water both reflect damaging rays, and 34% of UV radiation gets through when you're under a beach umbrella, so you still have to apply sunscreen if you're sitting under cover. Even if you don't get a sunburn, you're still getting UV exposure. Also, unless you choose to spend your time in a windowless bunker, you're not protected from UV rays when you're inside. Driving can be a major source of incidental exposure. The windows and windshield block UVB rays so you don't see a sunburn, but UVA seeps right in, and that's the spectrum that causes most skin aging and skin cancer. Your best bet is to apply sunscreen every morning, then feel free to sit by a window or take a drive! At the very least, try a moisturizer with SPF so you're not adding a step to your daily routine.

Use a broad-spectrum formula with a 30 SPF
It used to be that many sunscreens only blocked UVB rays, the high-energy kind responsible for sunburns. But shielding against UVA rays is just as important because they penetrate the skin more deeply, are constant throughout the year, and cause premature aging. To be fully covered, look for sunscreens labeled "broad spectrum," which means they for both types of rays.
Yes, tanning oil with SPF 8 technically is sunscreen, but it's just not enough protection. The Skin Cancer Foundation recommends using broad-spectrum sunscreen with at least SPF 15. That’s great if you want to put it on every 20 minutes. But should you go higher? Some say the often, pricier, high-SPF sunscreens are a waste of money, since they don't provide much more protection—SPF 30 blocks 97% of rays, while SPF 50 blocks just 1% more. The super-high SPFs can provide a false sense of security, like you're protected for longer, but you need to reapply just as often as you would an SPF 30.

Don’t forget to protect your eyes
Sunglasses aren't just a fashion statement—they're critical to keeping your eyes safe from UV rays. Make sure your sunglasses offer UV protection, because some inexpensive styles don't have the protective coating. Without it, the dark lenses actually allow your pupils to dilate, allowing even more UV rays in, which can play a big role in cataract development. Finally, a health reason to buy a pair of nice shades!

Time to Apply for the Buddy McKay Scholarship!

Students brought home a letter from school this month notifying the parents that it is time to apply for the Buddy McKay Scholarships for the next school year. If you child has an IEP or a 504 education plan you have until July to apply for first semester payments for the 2015-2016 school year. If you suspect that your child needs special accommodations to reach their learning potential it is still not too late to have them tested. Get your child the help they need. Here is the link to apply:

https://www.floridaschoolchoice.org/Intent/McKayIntent/StudentIntent.aspx

Remember Your New Years Resolution

The start of a new year is the perfect time to turn a new page, which is probably why so many people create New Year's Resolutions. A new year often feels like a fresh start, a great opportunity to eliminate bad habits and establish new routines that will help you grow psychologically, emotionally, socially, physically or intellectually. Of course, resolutions are much easier to make than to keep and by the end of January many of us have abandoned our resolve and settled back into our old patterns. Here are a few tips to help you review your resolution and keep it.

Choose a Specific, Realistic Goal 
Every year, millions of adults resolve to "lose weight" or "get in shape" during the next year. Instead of selecting such an ambiguous goal, focus on something more concrete that you can realistically set your sights on. For example, you might commit to losing 10 pounds or running a mini-marathon. Choosing a concrete, achievable goal also gives you the opportunity to plan exactly how you are going to accomplish your goal over the course of the year.

Pick Just One Resolution 
While you might have a long list of potential New Year's Resolutions, you should pick just one and focus your energies on it rather than spreading yourself too thin among a number of different objectives.

Plan to Succeed
Planning is an essential part of achieving any goal. Experts suggest that you should spend some time planning out how you will tackle a major behavior change. You can start by writing down your goal, making a list of things you might do to achieve that goal, and noting any obstacles that might stand in your way.

Start With Small Steps 
Taking on too much is a common reason why so many New Year's Resolutions fail. Dramatically slashing calories, over-doing it at the gym, or radically altering your normal behavior are sure-fire ways to derail your plans. Instead, focus on taking tiny steps that will ultimately help you reach your goal.

If you've resolved to run a marathon, start out by going for a jog two or three times a week. If you are trying to eat healthier, start by replacing some of your favorite junk foods with more nutritious foods. While it may seem like a slow start, these small changes make it easier to stick to your new habits and increase the likelihood of long-term success.

Avoid Repeating Past Failures 
Another strategy for keeping your New Year's Resolution is to not make the exact same resolution year after year. If people think they can do it they probably can, but if they've already tried and failed, their self-belief will already be low.

If you do choose to reach for the same goals you've tried for in the past, spend some time evaluating your previous results. Which strategies were the most effective? Which were the least effective? What has prevented you from keeping your resolution in past years? By changing your approach, you will be more likely to see real results this year.

Remember That Change Is a Process 
Those unhealthy habits that you are trying to change probably took years to develop, so how can you expect to change them in just a matter of days, weeks, or months? It may take longer than you would like to achieve your goals, but remember that this is not a race to the finish. Once you have made the commitment to changing a behavior, it is something that you will continue to work on for the rest of your life.

Don't Let Small Stumbles Bring You Down 
Encountering a setback is one of the most common reasons why people give up on their New Year's Resolutions. If you suddenly relapse into a bad habit, don't view it as a failure. The path toward your goal is not a straight one and there are always going to be challenges. Instead, view relapses as learning opportunities.

If you are keeping a resolution journal, write down important information about when the relapse occurred and what might have triggered it. By understanding the challenges you face, you will be better prepared to deal with them in the future.

Get Support from Your Friends and Family 
Yes, you've probably heard this advice a million times, but that is because the buddy system actually works. Having a solid support system can help you stay motivated. Explain what your goals are to your close friends or family and ask them to help you achieve your objectives. Better yet, enlist the help of others by joining a group that shares your goal.

Renew Your Motivation 
During the first days of a New Year's Resolution, you will probably feel confident and highly motivated to reach your goal. Because you haven't really faced any discomfort or temptation associated with changing your behavior, making this change might seem all too easy.

After dealing with the reality of dragging yourself to the gym at 6 A.M. or gritting your teeth through headaches brought on by nicotine withdrawal, your motivation to keep your New Year's Resolution will probably start to dwindle. When you face such moments, remind yourself of exactly why you are doing this. What do you have to gain by achieving your goal? Find sources of inspiration that will keep you going when times get tough.

Keep Working on Your Goals 
By February, many people have lost that initial spark of motivation that they felt immediately after making their New Year's Resolution. Keep that inspiration alive by continuing to work on your goals, even after facing setbacks. If your current approach is not working, reevaluate your strategies and develop a new plan.

Consider keeping a resolution journal, where you can write about your successes and struggles. Write down the reasons why you are working toward your goal so that you can refer to them during times when you feel uninspired and unmotivated. By sticking with it and working on your goal all year long, you can be one of the few able to say that you really did keep your New Year's Resolution.

Happy Holidays!

Wishing you and your family a healthy and happy holiday season!

Dr. Cruz, Dr. Jakob and the entire staff of Total Family Healthcare.

Healthy Menu Item May Not Be All That Healthy

Just because a restaurant bills itself as healthy doesn’t mean that everything on the menu is that great for you. Here are a few things to look out for when eating out:

It’s labeled gluten-free. Unless you have celiac disease or you’re sensitive to gluten, gluten-free foods are no safer for your diet or your body than the regular stuff. Look out for calorie bombs like gluten-free mac and cheese, and flourless cakes.

A component of the dish is maple- or honey-glazed. These natural sugars may sound appealing and less refined than white sugar, but they still contain unnecessary calories that give sugar-sweetened candy and soda a bad rep. Instead, look for caramelized foods. They’re cooked slowly, which creates a chemical reaction that breaks down natural sugars to develop a deep, nutty flavor.

“Creamy” is used to describe something on the plate. While this could describe a frothy sauce or dressing that is blended for an extra-smooth mouth feel, it probably refers to an item made with milk or cream, which means it could contains a lot of saturated fat. Just ask what’s in the item and request sauce on the side so you can monitor your portions.

It’s vegan! Vegetarian proteins like tofu, tempeh, and seitan may be naturally low in calories, and high in protein and fiber, but they’re also low in flavor. To compensate, chefs add sodium and sauces that contribute fat. Beware of menu items modeled after classic pub foods (like wings and nachos), which tend to be highly processed. And remember that your vegan “bacon” “cheese” “burger” could easily contain just as many calories as the real version.

It’s dairy-free. It’s true that dairy-free items tend to contain less saturated fat than cheesy, creamy dishes. But if a chef swaps out regular cheese for vegan cheese, your dairy-free dish might contain just as many calories as a dish that contains cow’s  milk. Also, dairy-free foods tend to be full of fillers and foreign-sounding additives like carrageenan, maltodextrin, and mono and diglycerides. If you’re lactose intolerant and crave some gooey goodness, dig in, but watch your portions.
The same warnings go for dairy-free desserts and coffee drinks made with flavored dairy alternatives like vanilla soy milk, which tend to contain added sugars that bump up the total amount of calories. Opt for unsweetened, unflavored alternatives, and remember that foods made with low-cal options like almond milk have less protein than regular cow’s milk, so they won’t really satisfy your appetite.

It’s made with whole grains. You know that whole grains like brown rice are better for you than refined carbs like white rice, which cause a blood sugar spike that can stoke your appetite shortly after you eat. But rice is rice — it’s not free of calories or carbs. Look out for meals that feature starchy carbs like pasta as the main event — even if it’s whole wheat pasta, you’ll end up with a dish that’s extra high in carbs. And if you do go with the pasta; opt for the seafood special, which will contain lean protein and healthy fats to balance out your meal.

It’s fat-free. Unfortunately, low-fat often means low-flavor. To compensate, chefs add sugar, which is no better (and probably worse) than the healthy fats found in options like balsamic vinaigrette.

It’s organic. Organic foods aren’t always healthier than non-organic foods, according to the Food and Drug Administration. The term itself refers to how a food is grown or produced: without chemical fertilizers, insecticides, herbicides, and antibiotics (in the case of livestock). In other words, organic foods might be cleaner when they enter the kitchen, but there’s no saying whether they’ll be healthier (i.e., richer in nutrients and lower in fat) than regular foods by the time they make it to your plate.

It’s 100-percent natural. "Natural" meat, poultry, and eggs are minimally processed and contain no artificial ingredients, according to the USDA. But natural doesn’t mean low-calorie or low-fat. So you know that 100-percent of your natural bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich has no artificial ingredients, but It’s probably still dripping in unhealthy fats.

It’s raw. Because raw foods are minimally processed, they may seem like your best bet. But because cooking can kill dangerous bacteria found in food, a dish made with raw meat, eggs, or unpasteurized milk products can actually make you sick. While raw food advocates claim that cooking kills enzymes in food and reduces the food’s nutrients, science suggests that cooking some foods (like tomatoes) can actually help your body absorb more of that food’s nutrients. One last thing to remember, raw vegan meals tend to contain fewer calories and less protein than cooked dishes, so they might leave you hungry and craving some serious dessert.