Food poisoning, also known as food borne illness is all too common, and food poisioning rates become alarmingly high during the summer. 

In some cases, food borne bacteria can have devastating effects on children, elderly, and pregnant women since those populations are considered “at-risk” and account for at least 90% of listeriosis bacteria cases; 21% of people with this bacteria died. If you feel you have a severe case of food poisoning such as symptoms lasting more than 24 hours, please call your doctor or have someone take you to the emergency room quickly to avoid dehydration. Drink water and watered down Gatorade (the sugar content can be too much aggravation), and try to eat bland foods such as crackers or potatoes.

Symptoms of Food Poisoning Can Include:

• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Diarrhea
• Abdominal Pain
• Blood in Stool
• Fever and Chills
• Other Flu-Like Symptoms

Food borne illness is caused by eating contaminated food. Infectious organisms, including various bacteria, viruses and parasites, or their toxins are the most common causes of food borne illness. Food can be contaminated at any point from its origination to your consumption.

Preventing Food Borne Illness:

While you may not be able to completely prevent food poisoning, it is imperative to follow safe food handling practices while storing and preparing food.

In order to fight food borne illness always remember these tips:

• Wash hands and surfaces frequently.
• Don’t cross contaminate.
• Cook to proper temperatures.
• Cool leftovers promptly.

See the USDA for more specific information on safe food handling and different types of food borne illnesses.

Buyer Beware:

In recent years, as the US consumer demand for meat products, fresh fruits, and vegetables has expanded, it has required food distributors to import products from other countries. It has also caused farmers to rush products to market that may not be ready for human consumption. This has resulted in an alarming rise in the frequency of food contamination and resulting food poisoning and sickness to our population. To add to this problem, there does not appear to be an adequate amount of food inspectors charged with the obligation of keeping our food supply safe.

Recent examples of this problem include:

• Contaminated bag spinach imported from Mexico.
• Contaminated peanut butter processed in Georgia plants with contaminated equipment.
• Ground beef contaminated with E. coli from packing plants.
• Alfalfa sprouts contaminated with dirty water on the farm.

The attorneys at Ossi & Najem have experience in dealing with food borne illness cases. If a family member or loved one has fallen ill as a result of eating contaminated food products, please feel free to contact the firm to discuss your options.

• Spider Veins are smaller and usually do not bulge and knot at the skin. They can be bluish or reddish in color, look as though they spider the skin, and are the predecessor to varicose veins.
• Varicose Veins bulge and can be painful. The cause of the pain is the damage within the larger vein that supplies the smaller veins. As the blood pulsates through to the smaller veins, the damage makes the veins swell and hurt.

What causes Varicose Veins?

Varicose veins are quite simply caused by a damage to the veins themselves. They usually occur in the legs or lower extremities because it takes power for the blood to pulsate upward and back to the heart. Changes in the body cause changes in the veins themselves. Age, hormone changes, pregnancy, or obesity can change the way the body pushes blood back up to the heart and has a great impact on varicose veins.

Do I need to worry about my Spider Veins or Varicose Veins?

Dr. Lonnie L Whiddon, of Dallas Vein Specialists, says that people are not concerned enough about their spider and varicose veins. “Doctors often tell their pregnant patients not to worry about their varicose veins,” he says, “Instead, realize that varicose veins are a result of damage in the supply vein in the leg. Disregarding this and letting the vein continue to pulse into the smaller veins only creates more of a problem.” For this reason, Dr. Whiddon and others like him prefer early intervention.

Are Varicose Veins Dangerous?

They can be. With a higher risk of varicose veins comes a higher risk of leg blood clots, as the blood has a hard time circumventing the blood flow area. Leg blood clots can cause heart attacks or strokes.

If I want Varicose Vein treatments, what are my options?

Dr. Whiddon and many others now are using CoolTouch Laser Systems to target the supply vein that causes varicose veins. Using ultrasound, they can find the source of the problem, and then inject the source of the problem vessel. By attacking the problem rather than the subsequent vessels, return of problems are less likely. Doctors and patients using the CoolTouch System say that the treatment is not as painful as a typical varicose vein treatment and causes little to no down time with the patient. The ultrasound is used to find the source of the problem, and a simple injection of the supply vein quickly shuts down the problem. The body then can absorb the smaller, damaged veins.

Many clinics offer various laser treatments, and many offer vein stripping. With new procedures available, vein stripping, a very painful procedure, can usually be avoided.

Sclerotherapy is a common treatment, where the blood vessel is injected with a substance that stops blood flow through it. The result is a block of that vessel. The body creates a flow through a different vessel and does not damage the limb by going around the original vessel. The body eventually consumes and discards the unused vessel.

In general, taking care of a varicose vein problem is advised, where waiting for the problem to worsen will only delay pain and possibly cause health problems.

If you are concerned about spider veins or varicose veins, please talk to your doctor, to determine the best course of action for your health and safety.

And still being meticulous about how many calories are in your healthy foods?

Well, it’s finally time to end that madness. You can Quit Calorie Counting.

A recent Harvard study shows that it is not the number of calories, but the kind of calories that will make the difference between lifelong weight management and a weight loss battle.

Old Way: Count every calorie, based on a mystical mathematical formula derived from the latest book or blog.

• “I heard that I can eat my weight x 10 in calories…”
• “I can have whatever I want, as long as my daily total is 1200…”
• “The fewer the calories, the more weight I’ll lose, right?”

Do you see the problem with these statements?

New Way for Healthier Eating:

• I eat when I am hungry, and stop when I am comfortable (not completely FULL).
• I eat a balanced plan of carbohydrates, protein, and fats at every meal and snack.
• I nourish my body with good foods.

Do you see the difference?

Here is how to practice the new way of eating for a lifetime of weight management, not just a temporary fix.

• Eat breakfast. Your body will start burning more calories at the beginning of the day when it is fed. Women who eat breakfast weigh less!
• Planning: Know your plan. Plan your meals and snacks in advance, with special attention to balance for each meal and snack. Each meal and snack should include a fruit or vegetable, a source of natural protein, and a natural fat. At least twice a day, it should also include a whole grain.
• Scheduling: Know when your body naturally gets hungry, and schedule your meals and snacks for those times. Don’t go too long without eating. When you get too hungry, you are more likely to make poor choices or overeat.
• Set out portions: Don’t eat out of the container. Eat on a plate or from a bowl. You will end up eating less.
• Shopping: Shop for the freshest ingredients made from nature, such as whole fruits and vegetables, whole grains, organic poultry and meats, raw nuts, and good oils.
• Avoid processed foods: If things have gone through a series of processes before coming to you, then they are full of preservatives, salt, and sugar. Eat things in their most natural form whenever possible.
• Eating out: Avoid this whenever possible, but when you do eat out, choose foods in their natural condition as much as possible.
• 80/20 rule. No one eats perfectly. But 80% of the time, make your choices impeccable. That means that 20% of the time, you can make allowances for little treats or extras. For instance, if you eat 5 times a day, then one of those times, you can add an ounce of dark chocolate or a glass of wine.
• Never starve yourself or “save up.” No matter what you are doing today, continue to follow your schedule and plan. If you are eating out later or going to a party, try to live by the 80/20 rule. But don’t “save up” by not eating or trying to reserve calories for later. When that happens, you are more likely to overeat.

No, you are no longer a slave to calorie counting. Now, you can just make intelligent, healthful choices each day.

Start today – Avoid the foods that do not nourish your body, and enjoy the foods that do!

Have you already stopped counting calories and found this new way of eating healthy is helpful to you?  We’d like to hear from you; please share your story.

“I just need to grab the dry cleaning, it’ll take a quick minute.”

“My little one is fast asleep, no reason to wake her when I’ll only be gone a second.”

It’s tempting to want to keep your little ones strapped safely in the car while you run in for a quick errand. However, that quick errand could prove deadly to your child. And as an over tired and often multitasking parent, it’s easier than you might  think to forget there is a sleeping baby in the backseat. Talk to everyone that may drive or be with your child around a vehicle, including family members and caregivers, about the acronym, ACT.

Since 1998, more than 550 children across the United States have died from heatstroke while unattended in cars. You can help Safe Kids World Wide spread the word to your community to stop these preventable tragedies.

Parents and caregivers can cut down the number of deaths and near misses by remembering to ACT.

• A: Avoid heatstroke-related injury and death by never leaving your child alone in a car, not even for a minute. And make sure to keep your car locked when you’re not in it so kids don’t get in on their own.
• C: Create reminders by putting something in the back of your car next to your child such as a briefcase, a purse or a cell phone that is needed at your final destination. This is especially important if you’re not following your normal routine.
• T: Take action. If you see a child alone in a car, call 911. Emergency personnel want you to call. They are trained to respond to these situations. One call could save a life.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q:    What is heatstroke?

A: Heatstroke, also known as hyperthermia, is a condition that occurs when the body isn’t able to cool itself quickly enough and the body temperature rises to dangerous levels.

 Q:    What are symptoms of heat stroke?

A:    Symptoms may include dizziness; disorientation; agitation; confusion; sluggishness; seizure; hot, dry skin that is flushed but not sweaty; loss of consciousness; rapid heartbeat or hallucinations.

Q:  Why are children at such great risk of getting heat stroke if left in cars?

A: Children are at great risk for heatstroke because a child’s body heats up three to five times faster than an adult’s. When the body’s temperature reaches 104 degrees, the internal organs start to shut down. When it reaches 107 degrees, the child can die.

Q:   Why are we hearing so much about awareness of children suffering heat stroke now?

A: Safe Kids is working with partners around the country to raise awareness about this preventable tragedy. When the Sun is out, and even on cloudy days, the inside of a car can become much hotter than the temperature outside. In just 10 minutes a car can heat up 19 degrees. On an 80 degree day, the inside of a closed car can quickly exceed 100 degrees. Cracking a window does not help keep the inside of a car cool.

Q:  In what ways are children dying of heat stroke, when left in vehicles?

A:  Children die as a result of being left unattended in a vehicle in one of three ways:

• 52% – child was “forgotten” by caregiver
• 29% – child was playing in an unattended vehicle and became trapped
• 18% – child was intentionally left alone

Safe Kids Coalition is working to ensure that no child is left alone in a car, not even for a minute, by participating in an education and awareness program that provides posters and tip sheets at childcare centers, doctor’s offices and hospitals and police and fire stations.

Additional prevention information can be found at www.safekids.org/heatstroke, and statistics on child heatstroke deaths can be found at www.ggweather.com/heat.

Don’t suffer with hair loss ladies, you are not alone.

Female hair loss comprises 40% of the hair loss statistics in America, according to The American Hair Loss Association. Many women are too embarrassed to ask for help or to acknowledge the problem, and many doctors do not consider this to be a serious symptom. They may ignore their patients’ complaints.

If you suffer from hair loss, consider possible causes first:

• Genetics. Look at your mother and grandmother. If they had thinning hair, you may have Androgenetic Alopecia, or hereditary hair thinning.
• Pregnancy. A change in hormones can cause sudden thickening or thinning of hair.
• Thyroid Disorders. Your thyroid may have changed since it was last checked. Now is a good time to see if it has changed. Here is a clue to all women out there: get your thyroid tested while you are NOT having symptoms so that you have a comparison number in case something goes wrong. The range in which most doctors consider to be “normal” is very wide, so it is good to know what your “normal” is. If there is a change, ask your doctor for help to get your thyroid back to YOUR normal.
• Autoimmune disease. There is a specific autoimmune disease called Alopecia Areata, which causes the body to attack its hair follicles. Another possibility is Graves’ disease, which is an overproduction of thyroid. In the situation of Graves, you would see the thyroid number rise. In the case of Alopecia Areata, the only symptom is patchy hair loss.
• Anemia. If you have problems with iron in the blood, hair can fall out or be brittle.
• Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS).
• Various skin disorders.
• Medications for epilepsy or cancer.

Look into your various causes first, and then you can perhaps find a solution that suits your situation.

In many cases, a solution to your hair loss problem may result from a change in your medication or lifestyle.

Also, look into the following natural ways to stimulate hair growth. These are not a guarantee; just a some suggestions:

• Eat more protein. Many women do not eat enough protein in general, because they do not feel it is as necessary as their fruits and vegetables. Protein sources include animal sources, beans, soy products, and quinoa. So, make sure to have a little protein each time you eat.
• Vitamin C. Some studies show that vitamin C is necessary for strong hair growth. Start with dietary changes, such as peppers and citrus fruits. A dietary supplement may be added.
• B vitamins. Many pregnant women get stronger and longer hair from taking their B vitamins, which are necessary to reduce chances of spina bifida and other disorders in the infant. Dark green, leafy vegetables are a big help in the way of adding B vitamins.
• Iron. Many women are iron deficient, especially around menstruation. You may find that taking an multivitamin with iron helps, or you can add apricots and raisins to your daily diet.
• Cut down on alcoholic beverages. Alcohol inhibits hair growth, so limiting or teetotaling may make a difference in hair growth.
• Quit smoking. Smoking damages the skin and scalp. There’s another reason to quit!
• Color it. Coloring makes the hair appear and feel fuller. This is because color sits on top of the shaft, thickening each strand. Don’t go nuts and constantly color, though, because that can break hair down.
• Don’t over-shampoo. Shampooing daily can dry out the scalp and make hair more likely to fall out. Just shampoo and condition when it is dirty.
• Find a style that suits your hair. Ask your stylist how to make the most of the hair you have. This could be some layering, or a styling change.
• Choose synthetic hair. See a professional about adding extensions, hair pieces, or a wig to cover your losses. Some women enjoy having multiple wigs from which to choose. Some get extensions skillfully woven into the hair, so that it looks natural and easy. Talk to your stylist or a wig professional about options.

If you have cancer and lose hair during cancer treatments, there is still hope for your hair.

Cancer treatments will most likely make you lose some or all of your hair, but it will come back and you may like it even better than before! It may come in thicker or with a different texture than before you had cancer. While you wait for it to come back in, have fun with wigs! Try a different color or style than your natural hair!

Talk with your doctor, for help in deciding the hair loss treatment that will be best for you. Don’t let thinning hair get you down!

I wasn’t an active kid. Sports weren’t my thing. As I got older, I had the same misconceptions many other young women have: exercise will make me bigger, I don’t need fitness, etc.

Then, a friend in college brought me to step class. She forced me, really. And I was hooked. That was 1993, my freshman year at Florida State University in Tallahassee, Florida. A year later, I was a certified group exercise instructor and teaching that step class at FSU.

Like anyone that gets into fitness, I had found something that I really enjoyed doing, and then I discovered the health benefits of that activity. Fitness changed every aspect of my life. I felt better. I slept better. I was strong. I was healthy. And I wanted to help everyone around me discover all of these benefits.

Believe it or not, I did not get my degree in fitness. I had considered it, but was already on the track  for music education. That is what my degree is in, and I do enjoy teaching music to kids. At every school where I have worked, I have also taught fitness classes around the community.

Finally, in 2004, I certified in personal fitness training and in health coaching through American Council on Exercise. Since then, I have developed formats to help people with their health and fitness. I do wellness seminars, fitness challenges, yoga classes, personal workout sessions, and question and answer sessions. I also started working with businesses with a fitness training model called Corporate Fit Challenge, which is Trina Gray‘s model.

By far, the best avenue I have found has been through Beachbody. This corporation has developed and continues to develop the best, most scientifically researched, fitness and nutrition products. They have the well-advertised fitness products such as P90X and Insanity, but they also have the only pure super food shake on the market, Shakeology. They have many other systems that help people with their fitness and nutrition, that I do not have any hesitation recommending to my clients, because I know they are quality products and instruction.

The amazing thing about being a Beachbody coach and affiliate is that everyone has this opportunity. Not everyone has the interest in being a certified trainer, but any person that wants to help others with health and fitness can start their business with Beachbody in a way that works for them, and with the support of an upline coach and a whole team of experts.

A person who does feel compelled to certify in personal training and/or health coaching should take a look at fitness training certification programs by ACE, NASM, and ACSM. Getting a nationally accredited personal trainer certification adds credentials to your resume and can open a lot of doors.

Do you have questions about starting your fitness business? Please email me. I’m glad to help you get started in Beachbody, or in finding the right certification path for you.

Modern research and personal stories point to: possibly.

Please note: this is not a cure-for-all, but a step in the right direction that may reduce or reverse symptoms of Diabetes Type II.

In one research study, those diagnosed with Diabetes Type II were prescribed a controlled diet of 1200-1800 calories per day, and prescribed a specific exercise program of 175 minutes per week. Within a year, 10% of those studied were off of their Diabetes medicine completely, controlling their disease through diet and exercise.

Here are the keys to that success:

• The Diabetes was caught early.
• The participants were very dedicated to their lifestyle lessons.

Diet and exercise are not a guarantee, but for 20% of people who start a lifestyle change after diagnosis keep their symptoms manageable. This may mean a reduction in medications for many, and a halt to the furthering of the disease or problems stemming from it, such as kidney failure or blindness.

How To Begin

If you are diagnosed with diabetes or pre-diabetes, chances are that your doctor will give you some steps to take in your diet and exercise. A simple diet plan to follow would be the DASH diet, which is prescribed for people with heart disease, but is also helpful in diabetes and pre-diabetes. This is because the DASH diet is full of natural ingredients, and cuts out excessive sugars and saturated fats. Another way to get help with your diet is to see a registered dietician. An RD is different from a nutritionist because they are specifically trained to help people with ailments and diseases.

The first way to work on an exercise plan is to start. Your doctor will ask you to start moving more, a few minutes at a time. Simple cardiovascular exercise, such as walking, biking, or swimming, is a good way to start. Just 10 minutes a day can make a difference, and as your body adjusts, you can begin to increase the time.

The Mayo Clinic recommends testing blood sugar before, during, and after exercise, as this greatly impacts how much you can do on any given day. The sweet spot for exercise, the Mayo Clinic says, is 100-250 mg/dL. Lower requires a snack, while higher could be a complication with ketones.

When unsure of how to proceed with exercise, contact a fitness professional that is specifically trained to help people with diabetes. You can find a list of qualified fitness professionals at IdeaFit.

For more research on Diabetes Type 2, find information at the American Diabetes Association.

Why do doctors always tell us this? Because they are finding fewer and fewer antibiotics to treat their patients. It is because we are becoming more and more resistant to the old antibiotic stand-bys.

How can the growing problem with antibiotic resistance be real?

• An antibiotic’s job is to rid the body of a choice bacteria that is infecting the body.

As it does this, by the way, it is taking out healthy bacteria as well, and reducing the body’s ability to naturally fight infection.

• If you do not have a bacterial infection, then the antibiotic is getting rid of ONLY healthy bacteria, not the virus or whatever is causing the real illness.

The body is then building up immunity to the foreign substance, the medicine. You try that medicine again and say “Hey, it worked last time! Why can’t I get rid of it this time?” Your body doesn’t accept it anymore.

Now, if the infection does exist, you really should finish your prescription. This is because, again, the body is going to fight off the new substance by building resistance to it. Now, the antibiotic has not had time to do its job AND it is being fought by the body. That’s a double-whammy. That infection could come back, worse than before, and stronger than before.

Bacteria mutate over time. In other words, those smart little suckers are on the lookout for whatever is trying to kill them. As a result, they change their cellular structure to be stronger against the prescribed antibiotic. If you haven’t finished that antibiotic, then that smart bacteria now mutates to fight it off. Now you could have a big problem on your hands.

There are many things to consider now if you get sick. Do you need an antibiotic? Or are you just pushing for one, thinking it can cure all? The antibiotic will NOT cure viruses. It will NOT make you feel better if you have the flu. If you get an antibiotic, are you getting the right one? Call your doctor back within a few days if you are not feeling better, don’t just stop taking the medicine. It’s possible that you are resistant or that something else is going on.

For more information on antibiotic resistance, visit the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

We would also like to thank all of the professionals and non-professionals that make this possible for others, including: doctors, surgeons, therapists, nurses, family, and friends. We would also like to congratulate and thank the American Cancer Society, who has helped in research and medical funding for cancer for 100 years!

We have a special survivor story for you today, one of Michelle L. Whitlock, a cancer survivor who suffered from cervical cancer in her 20′s.

Cervical cancer is the world’s most prevalent cancer in women, and kills about a third of all who suffer from it. The most important test for cervical cancer is the HPV test in a PAP Smear. This is because 99% of women who have cervical cancer have HPV. Taking the HPV vaccine or allowing your daughter to get the HPV vaccine is a personal choice that should be taken seriously.

Michelle’s story starts when she is very young. To be exact, she was only 17 when she had her first abnormal PAP Smear. The doctor decided she should have a Cryo-procedure at that time, which freezes the affected cells off. She had HPV. Her problems continued from there. She had another abnormal PAP at age 20, and had a colposcopy for exploration.

In the years following, Michelle had frequent yeast infections, some of which seemed unbearable. She also had a breast mammary gland infection. Going in for more tests, she found our her particular strain of HPV was “high risk.”

Michelle was diagnosed with cervical cancer, after months and years of strange complications and a lot of testing, at age 26. Though it is very unusual to be diagnosed in the 20′s, women who have complications should stay on top of their own health. Cervical cancer spreads quickly through the reproductive system, which is why it kills a third of the women it attacks. In Michelle’s case, it took extensive exploration to find the cancer cells, because they did not show up on her PAP. She had cancer in the glandular cells inside the cervix, not on the surface.

After doing her own research, Michelle opted for the RVT solution, which is a deep cut into the wall of the vagina and cervix, in hopes to take all of the cancer without removing the uterus and ovaries. Unfortunately, this did not take all of the cancer. She did have to go in and have her uterus, fallopian tubes, and one ovary removed.

Even though she had not been thinking of children yet in her life, Michelle chose to freeze her eggs before her surgeries, in case she decided to be a mother at some point in the future. Michelle also underwent radiation and chemotherapy treatments, and suffered from kidney failure. Her tale is one of a lot of pain, physically and emotionally. But after all was said and done, Michelle did recover. She is cancer free, and a surrogate carried her child.

Though Michelle’s cancer survivor story is unusual, the lessons shared are clear.

• Take control of your health.
• Be proactive.
• Get many opinions.
• Do your own research.
• In the face of extreme difficulty and pain, know that there is a clearing on the other side.

Read Michelle’s book and blog for more insight into her experience with cervical cancer.

Would you like to share your cancer story with others?  Please contact us.

This is a personal question that is up to you and your doctor.

There may be a point in your pregnancy where your doctor begins to limit your exercise, especially if she is afraid the baby will arrive too early. Heed your doctor’s advice. Stay on the safe side.

For most pregnant women, however, third trimester exercise is perfectly fine. The type of exercise you will do might change, depending on how you are feeling. For example, moderate to high impact exercise now holds a new set of risks, such as bladder pain or even an accidental urination! Many women have thought their water broke when actually, they lost bladder control at an inopportune moment.

Another thing to consider when exercising is that the lungs have been pushed upward. You may have trouble catching your breath or even get dizzy or lightheaded. It is best, then, to consider exercises that enhance deeper breathing, not quick and short breaths. If there is any danger of getting faint or losing consciousness, lie on your left side immediately and refocus on your breath. If anyone is around, ask for them to call your spouse or even your doctor if you are worried that something is wrong.

If possible, there are many reasons to continue exercising through the third trimester.

• To encourage blood flow through the mother and into the baby
• To encourage deep breathing and oxygen flow to the mother and baby
• To reduce swelling
• To maintain strength
• To maintain immunity to disease
• To reduce stress
• To keep pregnancy weight from getting too high

For these 7 reasons, try to move some during these last couple of months. Of course, start monitoring your progress and pare down on time, distance, and resistance weights during the third trimester. You do not need to outdo yourself. You do not need to set higher goals at this point. You just need to move some to get the benefits. Shorter exercise sessions are very effective at this stage of the game.

Consider the following types of exercises in the third trimester:

• Walking. A short walk is a great form of exercise, even around the block or to the corner and back. It’s not a speed race at this point.
• Swimming. Many women can maintain their swim routines through this stage, especially the breast stroke, as it encourages constant, deeper breathing.
• Aqua aerobics. Being in the water takes out the jolt of impact exercises. Feeling buoyant in the water helps you maintain energy longer, and the water keeps you cool.
• Prenatal Yoga. Not just any yoga class will do. Take a yoga class specifically designed for pregnant women. These classes will focus on techniques that will help in labor, as well.

The perfect DVD system for at home training is the SML Fit Pregnancy DVD.

If you are pregnant: anytime you are exercising, please bring a friend, be in earshot of other people, or at the very least, have your cell phone within arm’s reach.