Tag: chronic pain

Body and Beauty, Health, Healthy Food

The Beachside Resident September 2018 Issue

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I contributed to The Beachside Resident for their September 2018 issue. Check it out!

A Smoothie a Day

Improving health and quality of life can be achieved with a morning routine. We are creatures of habit and tend to take up to a month to break and form habits. Starting your morning out with a fresh smoothie can boost your energy and make you feel better. We often have plenty of options lying around the kitchen to make a beneficial smoothie blend from scratch. Skip the preservatives, dyes, artificial flavors and sweeteners and whip up your own healthy batch.

I used a banana, handful of fresh spinach, a few slices of frozen peaches, ginger tea and a splash of pineapple juice for the base. I sprinkled in a generous amount of cinnamon, ashwagandha root and local honey. One slice of watermelon and a few ice cubes later, you have a blended brew of beneficial freshness. 
Ashwagandha is an Ayurvedic herb root that has anti-cancer properties, reduces cortisol levels, helps reduce stress and anxiety, improves muscle mass and strength while also reducing inflammation. Local honey fights infection and helps with local allergies.
Watermelon has multiple beneficial plant compounds and is high in vitamin C and A. It is also lowers inflammation. Watermelon keeps you hydrated and can improve heart health. This melon is great post workout because it increases muscle recovery. It has also been know as a natural Viagra. Ginger, yet another anti-inflammatory, can treat indigestion, menstrual pain, muscle aches and nausea.
The beauty of a homemade smoothie is that you can substitute juice for tea, kombucha or even water if you are low on options. I always keep frozen fruit in my freezer. If I can’t eat my fruit in time before it goes bad, I freeze it for a smoothie later. I keep spinach on hand to help with my iron levels. If I don’t have fresh ginger or ginger tea then I go to my spice cabinet. Turmeric is also an anti inflammatory that could work well in a smoothie, though I prefer it it in my meals. Healing Sprinkles is my new spice blend that tastes amazing in smoothies and is loaded with many healing herbs and spices.
You can balance your body and correct deficiencies, imbalances, energy levels, mood and health ailments with what you eat and drink. As you can see, there are many benefits that plants have to offer and it will literally save you a headache not having to process unnatural ingredients.
Healthy Food

The Art of Plant Based Diets

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*From my article in The Beachside Resident November 2018
Mother nature gives us the good stuff. Not only are fruits and vegetables beautiful but they fuel our bodies. I chose super vibrant art inspired food to highlight the juicy details. Check out the amazing benefits from each of these ingredients:
Dragon Fruit: High in nutrients, fiber, minerals and vitamins, low on calories and a great source of antioxidants and magnesium. Ideal for gut health and boosting your immune system. Put it in a smoothie or with your yogurt.
Star Fruit: High in vitamin C and a great source of potassium with anti-inflammatory properties. Also high in fiber. These also look awesome as a garnish on a martini glass. 
Carrots: Rich in vitamin A. Great for your metabolism, promotes healthy skin and reduces vision problems. Reduces cancer risks and lowers cholesterol. Top carrots on your salad or sneak them into your muffins or meals.
Beets: wonderful source of fiber, C and folate. Beets have a plethora of benefits, like boosting your endurance, digestion, brain health and sexual health. Just don’t be scared when you drink a glass of beet juice then next morning when you poop. It’s just beets. Juice them or top off your salad with some beets. They also make a great base for a veggie burger and pairs well with goat cheese. 
Spinach: Folic acid is a synthetic form of folate and it isn’t good for you. In fact, 40% of the population can’t even process it due to the very common MTHFR mutation, which causes many issues, including ADHD, autoimmune disorders, depression, brain fog, anxiety and more. Folate can be found naturally in your leafy greens. I put some in all of my meals and even in my smoothies. Also a great source of tons of other minerals and vitamins your body needs that you can’t get in a bag of Doritos.
Health

Healing Sprinkles

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Food is medicine! We are destined to age, but why not do it well? This blend of herbs and spices have been around for a long time. The selected blend has many anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory and anti-diabetic properties that also reduce risks for heart disease and brain diseases. Antioxidants, fiber, minerals and vitamins also encompassed in this healing mix.

Sprinkle it on your cereal, oatmeal, toast, or mix it into your smoothie blend. Add it to your desserts, muffins, brownies and baked goods. Top in on sweet potatoes or fresh fruit. This is an easy way to maximize your health and get natural plant-based benefits.

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Carob

  • Rich in calcium
  • High in fiber and protein
  • Diarrhea relief
  • Antioxidants
  • Caffeine free
  • Tastes like chocolate
  • Excellent source of vitamins and minerals

Maca

  • Increases stamina
  • Balances deficiencies
  • Supports fertility
  • Balance hormones for both men and women
  • Immune support and circulation
  • 19 essential amino acids
  • Rich in vitamins and minerals
  • Alleviates Chronic Fatigue
  • Reduces signs of aging
  • Enhances memory

Cinnamon

  • Loaded with antioxidants
  • Anti-inflammatory properties
  • Reduces risk of heart disease
  • Great for diabetics
  • Reduces high cholesterol, lowers lipids
  • Helps metabolism
  • Protects neurons and brain health
  • Anti-microbial and anti-cancer

Turmeric

  • Antioxidants and anti-inflammatory
  • Used in medicine for thousands of years
  • Improves brain function and reduces risk of brain degenerative diseases
  • Lowers risk of heart disease
  • Can help prevent cancer
  • Helps with arthritis and pain
  • Helps with depression
  • Anti-aging

Ashwagandha Root

  • Ancient medicinal herb
  • Anti-cancer properties
  • Reduces cortisol level
  • Reduce stress, depression and anxiety
  • Improve muscle mass and strength
  • May reduce inflammation and lower cholesterol

Lemon Balm

  • Eases stress and anxiety
  • Great for heartburn and indigestion, cold sores, insomnia and high cholesterol
  • Excellent use for brain health
  • Calming

Nutmeg

  • Relieves pain
  • Soothes indigestion
  • Improve skin quality
  • Reduce insomnia
  • Support immune health
  • Improve cognitive function
  • Improves circulation

Ginger

  • Anti-inflammatory
  • Anti-nausea
  • Antioxidants
  • Reduces muscle pain and soreness
  • Helps with joint health
  • Reduce heart disease
  • Helps with indigestion
  • Reduce menstrual pain
  • Lower cholesterol
  • Anti-cancer properties
  • Improves brain function

*Please consult with your doctor before adding spices into your diet if you are on certain medications

Health, Healthy Food, Sweet Tooth

Sugar – The Silent Killer and a Low Glycemic List of Foods Best For You

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Our blood sugar or glucose levels should be in the 74-100 range. Glucose enters the bloodstream then to your cells. Our pancreas produces a hormone called insulin, which regulates the metabolism of carbohydrates, fats and protein. Chronic high glucose levels will create issues with your insulin levels.

Having high levels of blood sugar on a constant basis can damage your blood vessels, leading to atherosclerosis (the hardening of your blood vessels). In time, this can create the perfect environment for heart disease due to the damage of long term elevated glucose. Sugar can increase the risk of stroke or heart attacks due to ischemia, or lack of blood flow to an organ, just as bad as cholesterol and high blood pressure. Besides heart disease and stroke, the narrowing or hardening of blood vessels can also compromise other organs and cause issues such as kidney disease, erectile disfunction, vision issues, poor circulation, nerve damage, slow wound healing and a weakened immune system.

You can run around the gym and count calories all day, but what you put into your body DOES matter. Justifying your workout so that you can eat processed foods with high sugar content or artificial ingredients will not work long term. You may feel fine now and slim down but as you age, these issues will catch up to you.

Foods to avoid:

  • White potatoes
  • White rice
  • White bread
  • Sugar
  • Sports and energy drinks
  • Soda
  • Yogurt with sugar*
  • BBQ sauce*
  • Ketchup*
  • Marinara sauce*
  • Granola*
  • Flavored coffees
  • Sweet tea
  • Protein bars and cereal bars*
  • Canned fruit
  • Bottled or premade smoothies
  • Breakfast cereals*
  • Cocktail mixers

*Check the labels! These can still be good as long as they do not have a high sugar content.

Best option, low glycemic:

  • Green vegetables
  • Sugar-free yogurt
  • Raw carrots
  • Berries
  • Kidney beans
  • Chickpea
  • Lentils
  • Nuts
  • Sweet potato
  • Peas
  • Quinoa
  • Watermelon
  • Artichokes
  • Grapefruit
  • Peaches
  • Oranges
  • Grapes
  • Plums
  • Apples
  • Squash
  • Broccoli
  • Tomatoes
  • Corn tortillas

Maple syrup and local honey are great natural sweeteners and substitutes for sugar. Artificial sweeteners and even many natural sweeteners like Stevia are still very processed to the point of losing all natural value. Remember to read the labels and sugar content. We sometimes see products that are marketed as healthy as assume they are okay, but are often loaded with sugar.

Every day is a new day. Every hour is a new chance to start over. Many of us mess up and fall off the track, then stay there. Pick yourself back up, and start over. You are worth it. Your future self with thank you.

We are creatures of habit and you will change your habits and lifestyle if you stick to it. Prevent disease and future health issues by eating clean and keeping your body in balance.

Health

The Responsibility That Comes with Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare

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We live in a progressive world where modern technology and artificial intelligence are profoundly innovative and advanced. Because or these technological advancements, there have been substantial high-tech solutions in diagnosing, monitoring and treating an array of medical conditions. Though our high tech innovations have made an impact in the healthcare industry in many ways, there are also consequences that may come with these sophisticated advances. It is important to find the right balance between machine and human skills in the medical field. Artificial intelligence may make advances in medical technology; however, there will always be a downside and we should never solely depend on AI, as it comes with great responsibility.

Having a robotic surgical system requires an abundance of special training and offers a minimally invasive approach to surgery. The da Vinci Surgery has been used on over three million patients throughout the world, providing the option for minimally invasive procedures in which a surgeon can offer a robot-assisted surgery by controlling a device that operates on their patient (da Vinci). The da Vinci reduces the recovery time, minimizes the patient’s hospital stay and reduces blood loss. The nine-week training requirement for surgeons to use the da Vinci has been dropped and one cardiac surgeon states that he did not feel fully comfortable until he performed 200-300 surgeries (The Bleeding Edge). Can you imagine being one of the first few cases? Because the medical device industry is so profitable and easy to get approved through the FDA, many devices have been approved under the 501(k) and were able to surpass clinical trials and the patients are left to discover the side effects and complications (The Bleeding Edge). Sure, innovation and the vast improvements of medical technology have been known to greatly improve the medical world, but lives should not be at stake in the process of this growing billion-dollar industry.  

Too much dependency on artificial intelligence could have negative consequences in the medical field. Disasters can be natural and range from fires, earthquakes, storms or floods, or a disaster can also be man-made, such as a terrorist attack. During a natural disaster, modern technology or computers relying on Internet and electricity may not be available. A doctor or healthcare provider may depend on devices to care for their patients and not be prepared in an instance in which those devices are not readily available. In the example of a war zone or large-scale trauma, there may not be high tech devices in range or enough to help everyone (Pourhosseini et al.). Ensuring that modern technology is not our sole focus is important in understanding the basic foundation of medicine, so that patients can be treated in any scenario. There are various aspects of healthcare services that require management, including the mental health of victims, which can not be assessed by a device. Psychological support needs to be provided by a team of specialists to evaluate victims of disaster (Pourhosseini et al.). 

Healthcare technology, just like human error, can also contribute to medical mistakes (Siwicki). Though medical technology is designed to reduce errors in healthcare, there are still occasional unforeseen types or errors that can occur (Agrawal). Relying on computers to calculate the correct dose is a way to prevent medication errors (Agrawal). What happens when a medical staff depends on artificial intelligence rather than exercising their education? Proper training is crucial in working with artificial intelligence to reduce the likeliness of errors (Fasig). Documenting and reporting errors will help reduce mishaps long-term. Creating a system to avoid mishaps and minimizing possible risks by thoroughly investigating and researching new medical devices can help prevent errors  (Siwicki). The third leading cause of death in the United States are a result of preventable adverse events in the medical field, which often happen when new technology is introduced without proper training (Fasig).Medical errors should be more transparent and available for patients and doctors to be aware of, for the sake of education and safety. New innovations are unproven until time exposes thefaults a device may or may not have. Typically, surgeons and patients are not well versed or educated on the process of approval for medical devices through the FDA (The Bleeding Edge). 

Doctors willing to provide computer-assisted surgeries should be required to a more in-depth training process to use these advanced medical devices (The Bleeding Edge).  Healthcare providers should understand and know the importance of leaning on the basic foundation of healthcare rather than solely focusing on technological advancements. Proper training in computer systems is crucial in avoiding medical mishaps (Siwicki). Stricter guidelines and regulations of device approval through the FDA could help minimize risks. Cutting corners in healthcare, with the use of artificial intelligence, should be done with caution due to the risks involved.  Computers do not come with doctor-patient intimacy or weed out rare patient circumstances that do not adhere to standard textbook  criteria. Simply put, safety should be the number one priority in healthcare, rather than profit.

 by Misti Blu Day McDermott

Works Cited

Agrawal, Abha. “Medication Errors: Prevention Using Information Technology Systems.” British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology, 2009. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2723209/ 

The Bleeding Edge. Directed and produced by Kirby Dick, 2018. Netflix. http://bleedingedgedoc.com 

“da Vinci Surgery: Minimally Invasive Surgery.” Intuitive Surgical, Inc., 2018. http://www.davincisurgery.com

Fasig, Jimmy. “New Medical Technology Can Lead to Errors that Create Liability if Users Are Not Properly Trained.” Fasig & Brooks, 06 May 2015. https://www.fasigbrooks.com/blog/2015/may/new-medical-technology-can-lead-to-errors-that-c/

Pourhosseini, Samira, et al. “Key Aspects of Providing Healthcare Services in Disaster Response Stage.”  Iran J Public Health, 2015. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4449997/

Siwicki, Bill. “State Finds Hundreds of Medical Errors Linked to Medical Technology.” Health IT News, 2017. https://www.healthcareitnews.com/news/state-finds-hundreds-medication-errors-linked-healthcare-technology 

Health, mental health, Unveiling Invisible Illnesses

The Invisible Battle of Chronic Illness

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Ehlers Danlos Syndrome is an umbrella of many ailments that fall beneath it. This genetic disorder manifests in many ways; various joints and organs are affected and there is a large range of severity on each spectrum. None of us EDSers are the same. We call ourselves zebras because most doctors think of horses when they hear hooves, but rarely it can be a zebra. We are the zebras in the medical world. There is no cure for EDS but each symptom can be managed separately. It is tricky because we sometimes have several specialists to manage each symptom, or comorbidity, which can resemble having a full time job. Juggling this health conditions not only takes a toll on our energy but it also takes up most of our time. 
On a regular basis, I see several specialists: cardiologist, electrophysiologist, pulmonologist, cardiothoracic surgeon, rheumatologist, neurologist, otolaryngologist (ENT), endocrinologist, gynecologist, gastroenterologist, and of course my general physician. I also sometimes see a chiropractor for traction and the use of some machines to help build strength in my lower back. I don’t have access, but need to see a geneticist, nephrologist, ophthalmologist and orthopedic specialist. That is about 12-16 specialists every 3-6 months. If I see fourteen doctors four times per year, just as a guess, that is fifty six doctors appointments in a year! I also end up in the ER, on average, about six times per year and usually have one or two hospital admissions… on a good year. This year, I had a few surgeries already and last year I had a pacemaker put in. Last year I probably had close to fifty emergency room visits so we won’t count that year. 
An average day for me is waking up around 2am-4am with lower back pain, thirst and several bathroom breaks. I never truly sleep through the night. I have a dysfunctional nervous system (dysautonomia) and suffer from Neurocardiogenic Syncope, Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome, sleep apnea and issues with my body temperature, blood pressure, heart rate and more. My pain level has NEVER been under a five on the 1-10 scale. Not even for a moment. I usually have to be out of bed by 7-8am because my body is so sore when lying down for a long time. Even if I am sick, I have to get out of bed or the pain is so severe that I can not breathe. This means that I can not sleep for over six hours without a break, or the pain is unbearable. 
I take most of my medications and supplements in the morning. I usually start my day off with a headache, nausea, low blood pressure and a general feeling of being hungover but without the fun tequila shots. As I make it to midday, my entire body aches. Every cell in my body hurts. I feel so fatigued and exhausted, even if I didn’t do much. My head hurts and if I am around strong perfumes, chemicals or exposed to any chemicals in my food, I will have a runny nose, body aches and migraine with aura (visual disturbances). My lips and left hand go numb, simultaneously, about five times a day. No one knows why. My symptoms often mimic a stroke so I fear that one day if I have a stroke, I wouldn’t know the difference. I have chemical sensitivities that are hard to avoid. Wearing a mask and watching what I eat helps. Usually by 5-6pm, I am ready to collapse. Sometimes I make it through, with a smile on my face, because I try to live my life to the fullest. Despite how I feel, I push it to the limit to be the best mother, wife, friend, student and so on. I refuse to give up no matter how hard it gets.
By evening, I have made it through the day and usually my body temperature is low and I am freezing but somehow feel like I am burning up and running a fever. My temperature usually will read 96-97 degrees. It is incredibly uncomfortable to feel hot and cold at the same time. My chest feels heavy at night and if I lie on my back I start to feel fluid in my lungs. On a tough day, I will breathe so shallow while I fall asleep that I jump up gasping for air, with low oxygen and a racing heart. Other nights, I can’t sleep because memories flash back from the past when I was in the back of an ambulance or in the ER with chaotic arrhythmias. I close my eyes and hope to get to the next morning. It all starts over again in the morning. 
Depression can be a struggle for those who suffer with daily pain or frequent traumatic hospital visits. I recently came up with the term “Post Traumatic Health Disorder.” Depression can also be a factor because we feel like we have lost the person we once were and are prisoners to a body that doesn’t feel like it belongs to us. Our friends drop like flies the more we cancel on them, relationships are strained and many physicians don’t take us seriously because oftentimes these symptoms don’t show anything in blood work and we are passed off as a mental case. Many doctors are not familiar with rare, genetic disorders so they typically label us with anxiety or a catch-all diagnosis and send us on our way. We feel alone and like no one understands. It is scary, disheartening and frustrating. Seeing a therapist is important, as well as finding a support group.
Having an invisible illness is a battle and we all think of ourselves as warriors. We are warriors. We battle and fight every damn day. Tears are shed on the battlefield often and we watch our tribe through ups and downs on our online support groups. We have lost some and watched others give up. We keep fighting and supporting each other and raising awareness while we struggle to make it out of bed.
Always be kind to others, as you have no idea what they are battling under all that makeup and forced smile. And to those who are my fellow warriors, I believe you.
Body and Beauty, Health

Toxic Free and Chemical Free Perfume Oils

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Yesterday, I was at the post office shipping an order and the woman in front of me had a powerfully pungent toxic perfume that gave me an instant headache and nausea that lasted for hours. If you don’t care about what your body absorbs then maybe you could be mindful of your friends and family members who hug you and see you at gatherings and are too timid to speak up that your toxic fragrance is making them ill. In the U.S., manufacturers can legally hide hundreds of synthetic chemicals in the one word: fragrance. We live in a toxic world so why not minimize our exposure where we can. Live a healthy life and give the gift of quality air to your loved ones.

Wildling Apothecary