'health' posts

In celebration of Halloween, let me share with you some of the freaky foods finding their way into my kitchen!

Foods that go ‘boo’ – Kombucha (kom-BOO-cha)

“Whoa” shrieks the clerk as the checkout belt delivers a frightening surprise before him. “That’s absolutely disgusting. Is that a brain?” Since I couldn’t stop laughing to explain to this nauseated clerk what exactly was living in the glass jar in his hands, let me at least take a stab at convincing you that it’s really not that freaky, and in fact might be pretty good for you.

• What it is: Kombucha is ....

A voice is an amazing thing.

With our voice, we convey information, express emotion and provide entertainment. We each have our own unique vocal ‘fingerprint’ that allows our friends to recognize us when we call them on the phone. We rely on our voice to win a debate, negotiate a contract, reassure a frightened child, and to celebrate a victory. Our tone conveys honesty, anger, happiness and fear. A song can inspire a spectrum of emotions, and recall past memories.

So how does our voice work? And what do you do when it doesn’t work?

Voice is produced when air is pushed up from the lungs to the level of the vocal cords. The vocal cords vibrate, producing sound. The vocal cords tense, lengthen and stretch to produce different frequencies. The sound is then shaped by the upper airway to add resonance and articulation resulting in speech or song.

The vocal cords themselves are thin bands of tissue over muscle. They sit within a framework that has a complex nerve supply and multiple paired muscles that allow very nuanced changes in vibration of the vocal cords, well demonstrated in professional singers.

Subtle differences in vibration or movement can ...

The days are getting shorter, the jackets are coming out and a rainbow of leaves covers the ground. It is fall and even though it might be a bit rainier, it is still gorgeous here in the Pacific Northwest. Of course, as the temperature drops, for many of us, so does our motivation to exercise. But don’t let the shorter daylight hours and cooler weather keep you from giving your body what it needs.

In the United States and in many countries around the world, we rely heavily on our cars to get around, especially when they promise the comfort of heat on cold days and shelter when it rains. This often means we have to deal with more traffic, too. So why not take time this season to rediscover the power of your own two (booted) feet, and avoid the traffic?

Neighborhoods in cities around the country have a “walk score” that rates how easy it is to walk to places like grocery stores, banks and schools. The higher the walk score, the easier and safer it is to get places on foot. The easier and safer it is to get places, the more people walk! The more people walk, the healthier they are.

In fact, people who live in areas with higher walk scores ...

Did you know that the bacteria that live in our intestines account for over two pounds of our body weight? And that there are 10 times the number of bacterial cells in our body than human cells? Some bacteria play a beneficial role in a normal gastrointestinal (GI) tract and are known as probiotics.

Probiotics have a variety of functions in the GI tract including aiding the intestinal immune system and the intestinal nervous system, breaking our food into nutrients, blocking the bad bacteria, and promoting a healthy intestinal lining. With so many important tasks, it is no surprise that probiotics can be used to treat some common GI conditions. Though studies of probiotics are small with considerable variability, there is evidence supporting probiotic use for prevention of diarrhea caused by antibiotic use and treatment of infectious diarrhea, ulcerative colitis, clostridium difficile, and irritable bowel syndrome.

What you should know:

The U.S. FDA considers probiotics as dietary supplements, so their production is not tightly regulated and quality can vary widely. In addition, insurance companies do not cover probiotics, and the cost adds up quickly.

Should I ....

SEATTLE, Oct. 23, 2012 – The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is investigating a multistate outbreak of fungal meningitis and joint infections. It appears the outbreak is due to the contamination of an injectable steroid medication called methylprednisolone acetate produced by the New England Compounding Center (NECC). Swedish has never carried the methylprednisolone acetate product produced by NECC.

Last weekend I had the pleasure of attending “Step Out: Walk to Stop Diabetes” at Magnuson Park in Seattle and meeting hundreds of people touched by diabetes. Whether they had family members or loved ones with diabetes or had diabetes themself, each person had a clear passion for finding a cure for this condition. That passion was contagious and I was happy to catch it!

Joining doctors and Certified Diabetes Educators from Swedish’s Diabetes Education Center at a booth, I heard about patients’ challenges, from staying at a healthy weight to getting the right nutrition to checking their blood sugar. Facing a chronic disease like diabetes (which affects nearly every aspect of a person’s life) is truly heroic! As a health educator, I understand the risk factors for diabetes and how to treat it, but until you meet someone that deals with the finger pricks, test strips and insulin shots every day, it is difficult to grasp what living with diabetes is truly like.

What it also made me realize is that there is always more to learn about diabetes care and treatment. And many of these lessons can help those without diabetes! Learning how to stay healthy and practicing these skills does not have to be boring either. In fact, the Diabetes Education Center has a series of cooking classes where you can learn how to cook tasty healthy food (and eat it, too!) The interactive classes are usually held every few months with the next one coming up at Swedish/Cherry Hill on Tuesday, November 13th from 6-7:30 p.m. Frankly, I’m a poor cook but classes like these help remind me that being healthy can actually be fun. They are even hosting these classes at Swedish/Issaquah starting in 2013, too! Who’s coming with me?

Even as someone who works at a hospital, I find myself grabbing for that second treat more often than I should and a regular reminder of healthy habits is always welcome. Being at the Step Out walk was one of these reminders and it made me realize how strong those with chronic disease are. For those out there that deal with conditions like this every day, you are amazing.

Thanks for stepping out this weekend and reminding me why it is awesome to work with patients and families like you!

The Swedish team at Step Out: Walk to Fight Diabetes 2012

When you don’t feel good or you get hurt, it often feels like an emergency. You want the pain and discomfort gone…now! But the emergency room may not be the right place for you. So where do you go?

Think of urgent care as the middle ground between the ER and your primary care doctor's office. In other words, urgent care clinics like the one that just opened at Swedish/Redmond are the perfect spot for those “feels like an emergency but isn’t” moments.

Consider urgent care for:

1. Illness: If you have ...