Page 21 - Florida Sentinel 4-22-16 Edition

Health
April Is STD Awareness Month
Boost Your Mood With Eggs
Stay sharp with eggs! They’re rich in choline, a nutrient study – proven to bol-
ster brain cell function
and up your reserves of mood-boosting hormones.
Keep Your Heart Young
Eating 3 serv-
ices of strawber-
ries weekly will
lower your risk of
heart trouble by
33%. They are full
of flavonoids - which dilate ar- teries and reduce inflammation.
Tip: Organic strawberries are a better choice.
Bonus: Eating your ABCs (apricots, blueberries and cher- ries) will also help to cut your heart-disease risk by more than 25%.
The Health Benefit Of Mushrooms
The FASEB Journal recently published studies on mush- rooms that detailed a wide vari- ety of health benefits, including:
Weight management: One study, 3 found that substituting red meat with white button mushrooms can help enhance weight loss. Obese participants with a mean age of just over 48 years ate approximately one cup of mushrooms per day in place of meat. The control group ate a standard diet without mush- rooms.
At the end of the 12-month trial, the intervention group had lost an average of 3.6 percent of their starting weight, or about seven pounds. They also showed improvements in body composi- tion, such as reduced waist cir- cumference, and ability to maintain their weight loss, com- pared to the control group.
Overall Improved nutrition: One dietary analysis found that mushroom consumption was associated with better diet qual- ity and improved nutrition.
Increased Vitamin D: Con- suming dried white button mushroom extract was found to be as effective as taking supple- mental vitamin D2 or D3 for in- creasing vitamin D levels (25-hydroxyvitamin D).
Stronger Immune System: In one study, adding one or two servings of dried shiitake mush- rooms was found to have a ben- eficial, modulating effect on immune system function. An- other study done on mice found that white button mushrooms enhanced the adaptive immu- nity response to salmonella.
Shocking Ways To Use Cinnamon
There is
much we can
do together to
help prevent
sexually trans-
mitted diseases
(STDs).Histor-
ically, up to
40% of babies
born to women
with untreated syphilis may be stillborn or die from the infec- tion. Those who live may be born with bone deformities, severe anemia, an enlarged liver or spleen, jaundice, nerve defects such as blindness and deafness, or meningitis which can cause de- velopmental delays and seizures. Additionally, these babies may experience a failure to thrive.
For these reasons I call on health departments, hospitals, community health clinics, feder- ally qualified health centers, in- dependent clinicians, as well as women of child-bearing age to learn more about and take action to prevent syphilis. These devas- tating outcomes can, and must be prevented.
The Solutions
This resurgence shows that we are missing opportunities to screen and treat pregnant women
for STDs in both public and pri- vate health care systems. To stop this resurgence, we need to em- brace the theme of STD Aware- ness Month and take three easy steps:
• Talk openly to your partner(s) and your healthcare provider about sexual health and STDs.
• Test. It’s the only way to know for sure if you have an STD. • If you test positive for an STD, work with your doctor to
get the correct treatment. Primary prevention, partner services, and prenatal screening and treatment are essential to CS prevention. Because late or inad- equate of pregnant women is a leading cause of CS, it is crucial to prevent syphilis in women of re-
productive age.
There is much that we as indi-
viduals can do to protect our health by talking to our health care providers. Both public health and private clinicians can do more by taking sexual histo- ries, screening pregnant women, and partnering with local health departments. A case of congenital syphilis is a sentinel public health event, so preventing it is a public and individual health necessity.
Anti-Acne Face Mask
By combining 3 table- spoons of cinnamon and
a tablespoon of honey you
can cleanse your pores.
The cinnamon will stop
the acne-causing bacteria,
and the honey will work to re- duce redness and restore mois- ture. After you’ve applied the mixture, wash off with luke- warm water and pat dry.
Cold/Flu Remedy
Cinnamon is a warming herb for conditions involving the body to become cold. In these cases, cinnamon is combined with ginger.
Yeast Infection Treatment
Cinnamon’s anti-fungal prop- erties are also helpful in combat- ing the effects of a yeast infection. High blood sugar lev- els can lead to candida over- growth, and cinnamon is helpful in lowering blood sugar levels.
Food Preserver
Because of its anti-bacterial properties, cinnamon is added to food to help prevent spoiling.
Scalp Cleanser
Cinnamon can help give your scalp a fresh, clean feeling. Mix 2 tablespoons of cinnamon, half a cup of warm olive oil and one egg. Let it sit on your hair for 10- 15 minutes and rinse out with shampoo.
Breath Freshener
Leave your mouth with a sweet smell by using cinnamon. Mixing 5 cinnamon sticks with a cup of water and bring to a boil for a tasty tea.
Irritable Bowel Syndrome Relief
When ingested, cinnamon dramatically reduces the un- comfortable feelings associ- ated with IBS, especially the bloating. This is done by
killing bacteria and healing in- fections in the GI tract and en- abling the gastric juices to work normally.
Room Freshener
You can place a few cinna- monsticksinajarandsititina room. In a few minutes, the en- tire room will smell like sweet cinnamon.
Stomach Soother
Mixing cinnamon and honey is known to treat stomach aches. Cinnamon and honey are packed with anti-fungal and anti-bacterial properties.
Blood Sugar Control
Cinnamon has a 3-5% effect on blood sugar levels, similar to an older generation of diabetes drugs.
Lowering Cholesterol
Researchers observed that one-quarter of a teaspoon of cin- namon taken daily, can dropped triglyceride, cholesterol, and LDL (bad) cholesterol levels in patients.
Moth Repellant
Break 3-4 cinnamon sticks and combine them with 1/2 cup of whole cloves and 1/2 cup whole black peppercorns. Fill sachets with 1 Tbsp. of the mix- ture and toss the sachets in your underwear drawer or hang them in your closets to ward off pesky moths.
STDs: A New Reality For Seniors
STD transmission among the elderly is, unfortunately, a com- mon and growing problem. For example, between 2007 and 2011, chlamydia infections among Americans 65 and over increased by 31 percent, and syphilis by 52 percent.
Most caregivers are surprised because they never imaged sexu- ally transmitted diseases to be one of the many issues they could encounter when caring for an eld- erly loved one. After hearing the bad news the caregiver’s first question is usually, “How did this happen?”?
The reality is your college-aged daughter on spring break and your grandmother in the nursing home should each be equally worried about catching chlamy- dia from the guy (or the grandfa- ther) next door.
A more detailed examination of “why” runs the gamut from the simple to the complex:
• Men using erectile dys- function drugs engaging in sex with post-menopausal women (without fear of pregnancy) can increase unprotected risky sex
• Significantly fewer older men are available, so women in an ef- fort to please (and keep) a part- ner have risky unprotected sex
• Older people are now using online dating and thus are rela- tively unfamiliar with their part- ners and their sexual histories
• Many of today’s “Baby Boomers” came to maturity dur- ing the sexual revolution of the 1960s/1970s and are now revert- ing back to their previous risky sexual behavior
• A lot of seniors were already married when sex education gained prominence and therefore missed the “safe sex” talks and never learned “safe sex etiquette”
• As people age their immune systems tend to weaken making them more susceptible to con- tracting ANY disease – including STDs
• Seniors, because of embar- rassment, are less likely to dis- cuss sexual issues with their doctors – which can further lead to the spread of STDs
• Many doctors don’t think to test seniors for STDs as a stan- dard examination protocol
Stopping The Spread Of
STDS In The Elderly
Individually or in combina- tion, the reasons above can lead to the spread of STDs amongst seniors. In the short term, what’s more important than why STDs are spreading is what needs to be done to slow or stop the progres- sion. Here are a few quick thoughts:
• Seniors should be getting the same basic “safe sex” education as young people (learning about STDs and how to recognize the signs, how they can complicate other existing chronic medical conditions, and most importantly the proper use of condoms)
• Doctors should inquire about sexual activity with seniors as they do with teenagers and younger adults
• Information on detection and treatment options need to be well publicized to aging populations (e.g., Medicare provides free STD screenings and low cost treat- ments)
• Distribute free condoms in places where seniors live and congregate
Whatever the reason or the chosen solution, the critical first step is having a conversation with your loved one and educating them on the dangers of having unprotected sex.
FRIDAY, APRIL 22, 2016 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY PAGE 9-B