Author: Roseman Medical Group

As winter approaches, the days are getting shorter, colder, and busier all at the same time. It’s no surprise that we often want to hunker down at night or for the entire weekend. Rest is vital for the body and brain alike, but don’t let that balance shift too far into the winter doldrums.

Just half an hour of physical activity per day is good for the whole self. Some great side effects include:  

• Better sleep
• Lowered blood pressure
• Stronger joints, muscles, and bones
• A lower risk of injury
• Weight maintenance
• Emotional regulation

These benefits come with any level of physical activity. Here are some options to get moving – and maybe make some new friends:

• Join a fitness class. The investment and social connections will help keep you accountable and make going into a habit. 
• Go for a swim. Indoor pools make swimming a year-round option. Swimming is a great low-impact activity for anyone with arthritis or joint pain.
• Find a group sports league. Your community might have indoor soccer, basketball, or volleyball leagues in need of players. This is an especially fun way to meet people!
• Browse some online workout videos. No matter where you live, YouTube brings fitness and activity experts right to your living room. Try out some dance, Pilates, or aerobics workouts at your own pace.

Your doctor can provide expert guidance about which physical activities are best for your specific health needs and concerns. If you’re in need of a new healthcare provider, make an appointment with one of Roseman Medical Group’s empathic, patient-centered primary care providers.

November is Lung Cancer Awareness Month. Understanding this type of cancer is incredibly important to keep families and communities healthy because often, it’s preventable. Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths in the United States. Unlike other cancers, lung cancer mortality is often tied to one single behavior: smoking cigarettes.

Almost nine out of ten lung cancer deaths are caused by smoking. The chemicals in tobacco products enter the bloodstream and travels through the body, hurting cellular DNA. This damage leads to the atypical cell growth that can turn into cancer. Because smoking can also weaken the immune system, the body may not be able to strongly fight the disease.  

Early detection, done by low-dose CT scan, is vital. The earlier lung cancer is detected, the more likely it is to be curable. Localized lung cancer, when the cancer hasn’t spread beyond the lung, has a five-year survival rate of 56%, compared to an 18.6% average. However, according to the American Lung Association, only 16% of lung cancer cases are diagnosed at this early stage. Anyone between 50 and 80 years old who’s a current smoker with a 20+ pack-year history, or has quit smoking at that frequency within the last 15 years, meets the recommendation for yearly lung cancer screenings.

Find out more about lung cancer screenings from the American Lung Association

One of the best cures is prevention. Quitting smoking at any age improves the chances of not getting lung cancer, slowing the disease’s progression, and living longer past a diagnosis.

Find out more health benefits of quitting from the American Cancer Society

Nicotine addiction is powerful. According to the Mayo Clinic:

Authored by Jessie Parker, PharmD Candidate Class of 2024

October is a month of spooky fun with parties, trick or treating, and eating candy with your friends and family! It is important to have conversations about safety, as well as talk about being able to distinguish candy and medications, since the two can look (and occasionally taste) similar. Whether you choose trick, or treat, it’s important to review your Halloween safety.

Trick-or-Treat Safety

Tips for safety: 

• Eat dinner before going out and encourage children to wait until they are home to try any of their candy. 
• Be sure children know to look for obvious changes to the packaging of their treats, which could include discoloration, tears in the wrappers, or small holes in packaging.
• If it looks suspicious: throw it out! 
• Be aware of allergies. Check ingredients if you have to.
• Talk to your kids about being able to decline treats, especially if they are homemade from strangers.

Candy versus Medication 

The differences between medications and candies can be hard to recognize. Some examples are shown below:

It’s no secret that we have an incredible amount of access to information. Every hour of every day, we’re bombarded with news, opinions, and advertising about anything and everything. Sensitive, scary, or controversial topics can take over the cultural conversation. According to Weber Shandwick, 83% of healthcare information seekers who are exposed to health information on social media are concerned about incorrect information. Weeding through these stories, especially if they’re inaccurate, can feel daunting – but fortunately, you aren’t alone.

One big area of our attention is sickness. Celebrities talk about their diseases in heavily promoted exclusive interviews. Old friends realize they’ve become lactose intolerant sometime between high school and last week. Your Instagram Discover page shows you an infographic that makes you diagnose yourself with ADHD. The flow of information goes on and on, but what’s actually going on?

We’re taking a look at some of the medical conditions dominating the media, whether the news, entertainment, or your own personal newsfeed.

Lupus

Lupus is a long-term autoimmune disease. The body’s immune system attacks its own healthy organs and tissues, causing inflammation and pain. It can be passed down through families. There are various forms with different degrees of severity. The most common form is systemic lupus, in which multiple organs or systems become inflamed. Although lupus can be managed with treatment, there is currently no cure.

About 1.5 million Americans and 5 million people globally have some form of lupus. Women make up 90% of lupus diagnoses, many of them between ages 15 and 44. Additionally, people who are Pacific Islander, Hispanic or Latino, African American, Asian America, or Native American are at higher risk for lupus.

Some lupus diagnoses you may have heard about: 

• Selena Gomez
• Nick Cannon
• Toni Braxton
• Paula Abdul
• Seal

Find out more about lupus

Crohn’s disease

Crohn’s disease is an inflammatory bowel disease that affects the digestive tract, made up of the large and small intestine. The inflamed digestive tract causes abdominal pain, chronic diarrhea, fatigue, fever, appetite loss, and a feeling of fullness.

There’s no known cause for Crohn’s disease. However, it may be brought on by an autoimmune disease, genetics, or smoking. Like lupus, it can only be treated and managed into remission, not cured. More than 500,000 people in the United States have Crohn’s disease. 

Some Crohn’s disease diagnoses you may have heard about: 

• Shannen Doherty
• Pete Davidson
• Audra McDonald
• Anastacia
• Mike McCready

Find out more about Crohn’s disease

Celiac disease

Celiac disease is an immune system response to eating gluten, a protein in wheat, rye, and barley. Gluten is a major component of breads, baked goods, and pasta. Celiac disease damages the small intestine and causes diarrhea, fatigue, weight loss, gas and bloating, nausea and vomiting, abdominal pain, and constipation. It can be treated with a gluten-free diet that alleviates symptoms and helps the small intestine heal.

People may choose to eat little to no gluten for a variety of health reasons, including boosting their energy and losing weight. The effectiveness of this choice varies, but at the end of the day, there are certainly benefits to eating more fruits, vegetables, and lean proteins. Anyone removing gluten from their daily diet should be sure they’re still getting enough nutrients like fiber, iron, zinc, and calcium, along with vitamins B9, B12, and D.

Over two million people in the United States have been diagnosed with celiac disease. One in 133 Americans could have it, even though they may still be undiagnosed. The condition is more common in white individuals who have other autoimmune diseases, Type 1 diabetes, irritable bowel syndrome, or Down syndrome.

Anxiety and depression

Worldwide, anxiety and depression increased by 25% in the first year of COVID. Almost seven million Americans have Generalized Anxiety Disorder, and almost half of people diagnosed with major depression also deal with severe anxiety (Anxiety & Depression Association of America). According to the National Institutes of Health, about 21 million adults have had at least one depressive episode in the last year.

These big numbers may seem negative. However, each diagnosis is an opportunity for someone to get the help they need. Historically, mental health has been neglected in the United States, especially among men. In fact, men are four times more likely to die by suicide than women (American Journal of Men’s Health). When someone is diagnosed with a mental health condition, they can start treatment like therapy, medication, residential programs, or a combination of methods. The process is often not simple or short, but it’s possible with the right support.

Find out more about anxiety and depression

We often hear that the golden trifecta for good health is proper nutrition, movement and exercise, and adequate rest. Sleep promotes healing as our body works to repair muscles, organs, and other cells. Our immune systems are strengthened and our body regulates our hormones and creates cortisol, leptin, and growth hormone. But how much is enough, and what can we do to ensure the rest we get is sound, restorative sleep? 

The National Sleep Foundation advises that healthy adults get 7-9 hours of sleep per night and that younger people, babies, children, and teens get even more to nurture their growth and development. There is no one-size-fits-all approach, as many people function on less sleep, and some need more.

The quality of our sleep can be greatly enhanced by creating a peaceful wind-down routine before bed, including:

• reducing light and noise in the room, and blocking both from coming from the outside with room darkening shades or machines that create ambient sound
• tapering off on any caffeinated or alcoholic beverages
• getting fresh air and gentle exercise later in the day (careful, as rigorous exercise before bed can cause excitement)
• turning off all digital devices and access to news and TV at least one hour before retiring
• doing something relaxing like reading or meditation 

While these things may seem difficult to do, they do create cues that allow us to relax so that we can more easily fall asleep, and stay asleep. Those that have interrupted sleep often wake feeling tired and groggy.

Sleep apnea is a common disorder during which breathing repeatedly stops and starts due to restricted upper airways or misfunction in the central nervous system.  Untreated, it can cause daytime sleepiness, and more long-term issues like heart troubles, high blood pressure, and dementia (due to reduced oxygen flow overnight). Sleep apnea occurs in up to 20% of people, and is more common in those who are obese.

Others rely on medication to stay asleep at night.  Melatonin is a natural hormone produced in our bodies that plays a role in our sleep. Melatonin production declines with age. Melatonin supplements can be used short-term, but should only be used after consulting with your doctor. Other stronger sedatives can be prescribed for those with chronic insomnia.

Unfortunately, stress and anxiety in the daytime hours often interrupt our sleep at night. Trying to work through issues and identifying our stressors, and the things that bring us relief, fortify our overall health and wellness. For many, social support like time spent with friends, family and pets can reduce overall levels of stress, and help us achieve more restful sleep.

The COVID-19 pandemic strained all of our systems, including healthcare, personal relationships, and mental wellness. Although vaccinations, preventative measures, and treatment options have put us on the path to resuming normalcy, COVID’s aftershocks are still rumbling.

Syphilis, a sexually transmitted bacterial disease spread through direct contact with genital sores, is at its highest reported rate of infection since 1991. In 2021, there was a 26% increase in new infections. Nevada ranks first in case rates. Reported cases of congenital syphilis, which occurs when a pregnant woman passes the infection to her baby via pregnancy, in Clark County rose from 9 in 2016 to 24 in 2018. It’s important to be aware of what syphilis is, why it appears to be returning, and how to be safe.

Syphilis appears as sores in, on, or around the penis, vagina, anus, rectum, lips, or mouth. The sores are typically round, firm, and painless. While these sores disappear within six weeks, the infection remains in the body until it’s treated.

Getting tested and treated at the first sign of infection is vital. Syphilis can be cured with prescription antibiotics. If left untreated, it can cause eventual permanent damage to the nervous system and brain, heart and blood vessels, eyes, and ears. 

Syphilis is also linked to the spread of HIV. It increases the infectivity among HIV-positive individuals and susceptibility among HIV-negative individuals. This means there’s an estimated two to five times the increased risk of HIV transmission and acquisition in syphilis patients.

The pandemic and its aftermath gave STDs like syphilis an ideal environment to spread. During the pandemic, many Americans turned to alcohol or drugs to cope with stress, fear, and even boredom. A reported 13% of Americans started or increased their substance use to manage their feelings. Between March 2020 and March 2022, 204,240 Americans died from drug overdoses, a stark and steep change that was almost double past rates. Binge drinking, or consuming more than four to five alcoholic drinks in one occasion, went up 21%. These increases in substance use contributed to risky sexual behavior, especially as the pandemic wore on through social and political unrest.

Problems were compounded by the pandemic’s economic effects. By the end of 2020, 10.8 million Americans found themselves unemployed, a staggering number that exceeded the Great Recession’s 2009 peak. Because 54.4% of Americans’ health insurance coverage is tied directly to their employment, the loss of a job often leads to the loss of affordable healthcare – not just for the individual, but for their families as well. This instability paired with limited access to non-essential healthcare services led people to delay all types of care, including STD testing.  

Like many healthcare services, STD testing was negatively impacted during COVID. In-person clinic visits were severely limited. Testing kits and laboratory supplies were affected by shortages, and many clinical employees were reassigned to COVID control work. Testing for STDs became secondary to handling a new worldwide health crisis. The decline in testing naturally led to a decline in reported case rates. However, in 2022, rates of syphilis are spiking even beyond pre-COVID levels.

Although rates are highest among Black, Hispanic Americans, and Native Americans, along with men who have sex with men, anyone sexually active is at risk for contracting syphilis. At this time, there are no vaccines for syphilis, as the molecular mechanisms are poorly understood, so testing and prevention are the best ways to stay safe. Anyone who’s sexually active with multiple partners should get tested regularly for STDs and make sure to wear a condom correctly.