Archive for the ‘Take Control Naturally’ Category
Tai Chi at Sunrise
My wife and I visited the tropics during January. We did Tai Chi every morning while watching the sun rise. A Blue Zone experience. Worth getting up early!
Tai Chi is mostly about balance and co-ordination. (Difficult to appreciate if you watched our group of rookies.) Improving balance, co-ordination, and core muscle strength helps to prevent falls as well as strengthen muscles and bones. We found it interesting and invigorating and plan to continue now that we are back in Iowa snow country.
Tai Chi is ideal for older individuals, like myself. Yoga is easier for those younger and more flexible. Ballroom dancing is a favorite of those who can do it. Recreational sports work too, as long as you are careful and avoid collisions. All have the advantage that they can be group activites.
Exercise is a necessity for optimal bone health. Balance training and fall prevention are very helpful for fracture prrevention. Along with enough Calcium, Vitamin D3, Protein, and Multiple Vitamins & Minerals, this may be all you need to prevent osteoporosis and fractures.
Take Control Naturally.
Jay Ginther, MD
Choose Your Parents Carefully
My father was born 4 January and my mother 5 January. I pause to remember them at this time each year.
Your “choice of parents” is the key to many medical conditions. You inherit many tendencies for better or worse. I can trace my medical problems to parents and grandparents. I can also trace some of my best traits to those same parents and grandparents.
Inherited tendencies are a big deal. However, you have to play the hand you are dealt. How you play that hand can mitigate or exacerbate many problems.
Get a check-up to identify issues while they can still be modified. Specifically mention medical problems your parents, and other relatives have had. Be proactive. In the case of bone health, get a Complete Bone Health Evaluation.
Take Control of your future by evaluation and preventive action.
Jay Ginther, MD
Protein!!!!!
Two weeks after Turkey Coma at Thanksgiving dinner, we think we get plenty of protein. We do occasionally. Most of us do not get enough protein on a daily basis. The latest recommendation is one gram of protein daily for every kilogram of body weight. That works out to a lot more than I thought. See our Protein Chart.
Vegans have a real challenge eating enough protein in nuts, beans, garbanzos, lentils, and soy. Most traditional Vegetarians add yogurt, cheese, and milk, which are all good sources of protein. Some add shellfish and crustaceans.
Protein is the main component of much of our body, including Muscle and Bone. Over 90% of Muscle. Over 80% of Bone. Therefore, enough Protein is necessary for Fracture Prevention.
“But, I Don’t Want To Get Fat”
“But, I don’t want to get fat” was the constant refrain of a patient who consistantly lost weight, lost muscle mass, and fractured again. Despite urging bordering on harassment, from her friends, she avoided meats and other proteins, most vegetables, fiber, and starches. She often found room for desserts.
Her muscles were so weak that she had trouble rising from a chair. Her walk had become a slow shuffle. Her skin became tissue-paper thin. Her Body Mass Index (BMI) had fallen far into the danger zone of below 19. It is possible to be Too Thin. Persons with a BMI below 19 are at increased Fracture Risk, and increased Risk of Death From All Causes.