Health and Wellness 83

d-mars.com

April 2019 | 1

FREE

® ®

HEALTH & WELLNESS JOURNAL

BIOTECH | BUSINESS | CAREER | EDUCATION | HEALTHY LIFESTYLES | MEDICAL | MENTAL HEALTH | POLICY | RESEARCH | SPORTS MEDICINE

April 2019

|

Inspire, Inform & Educate

|

83rd Edition

N A C I R E M A FR IC A N A L A T I V S I H T L A E H T R HE A 04

INSIDE

05 How Holistic Medicine Can Help You

03 Major Prostate Cancer Research Targeting African Americans Set to Begin Experience Our World of Advertising, Marketing, Media and Communication

06 Sneaky ways to get your kids eating healthier

2 | April 2019 HEALTH

Major Prostate Cancer Research Targeting African Americans Set to Begin

TH E S O U N D O F A S M O K E A L A R M I N A H O M E F I R E

By Stacy M. Brown NNPA Newswire Contributor

F

or African American men, prostate cancer is real. Health statistics paint disturbing trends, including that 60 percent of Black males are more likely to develop prostate cancer than any other race.

Just as unsettling, African American men are twice as likely to die of prostate cancer than any other ethnic group. The seriousness of this disparity isn’t lost on a national network of prostate cancer researchers and experts who have joined forces to study prostate cancer in African American men. The team has received a $26 million grant as part of former Vice President Joe Biden’s Cancer Moonshot Initiative to conduct the largest study ever to look at the underlying factors and reasons that put African American men at higher risk for developing and dying from prostate cancer.

The initiative is called the RESPOND study – Research on Prostate Cancer in Men of African Ancestry: Defining the Roles of Genetics, Tumor Markers, and Social Stress. Over the next four years, 10,000 African American men with prostate cancer will be recruited from Cancer Registries in seven states – California, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Maryland, New Jersey, Texas and throughout the Detroit Metropolitan area in Michigan.

Cancer registries are located in each of the 50 United States. “Lots of people don’t know about cancer registries so when we contact people that we’ve identified through the registry sometimes they are angry,” said Denise Modjeski, the study coordinator for RESPOND at the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California Department of Preventive Medicine. “We tell them it is very complicated process that grants access to the contact data, and it’s all for the greater good,” Modjeski said. “But, of course we honor people’s wishes and if they tell us they don’t want to participate in any study ever, we never contact them again,” she said. However, the RESPOND study counts as a little different. “Most cancer registries like this only send out ‘letters of invitation’ to people from the study’s local cancer registry,” Modjeski said.

“RESPOND will also include volunteers, which means they can hear about us and either contact us through the website or through our toll free number,” she said.

Volunteers can reach out from all over the country with the only requirement being they identify as African American or Black and have been diagnosed with prostate cancer in the United States from January 1, 2010 or later.

Participants will answer a 12-page survey, and if they’re willing, do additional parts of the study which include providing a saliva sample and, or signing a HIPAA form to allow researchers to get a piece of tissue that has been removed and stored at their medical facility. The study isn’t a clinical trial, as researchers aren’t testing any new drug, device, procedure, or protocol. There are no doctor visits required and participants can complete the survey on paper or online. “To bring credibility to this important initiative, we are [also] looking for partners willing to lead the way in advocating for this study and cause,” Modjeski said.

“With one in five African American men developing prostate cancer in their lifetime, we hope this is an issue that resonates with the African American community and advocacy groups. With your help we can make a difference with research that will have life changing consequences for future generations of African American men,” she said.

RESPOND officials say they’re not being restrictive with volunteers who reach out, however individuals the team is identifying through the cancer registries will have an upper age limit of 79 at the age of diagnosis. For the participants identified through the registries, researchers are concentrating on diagnosis years of 2015 through 2018. Recruitment is scheduled to begin in April. “We recruit the people identified through the registries in batches since we can’t handle everyone at one time. We’ll send out about 100 to 200 letters of invitation including the printed survey every couple of months,” Modjeski said.

“We hope that many of the people who receive these letters and surveys from us over the next few years will have already heard about the study.” For more information about the study or to sign up, visit www.respondstudy.org or call 1-888-425-0521.

Source: NNPA

TH E S O U N D W ITH O UT O N E

TH E D E A D L I E ST S O U N D I S TH E S O U N D YO U D O N’T H E A R. Help install over 100,000 free smoke alarms nationwide April 27–May 12.

Just one day of your life can change someone else’s forever.

Volunteer at SoundTheAlarm.org

197601-54 3/19

Good Credit, No Credit, Bad Credit - Low cost Financing Available

General Dentistry

Teeth Whitening

Cosmetic Dentistry

implants

Complete and Partial Dentures

Endodontics

Crowns and Bridges

Orthodontics

Porcelain Veneers

2009 PINNACLE AWARD WINNER VETERAN OWNED 713.654.7756 2101 Crawford • Suite 103 • Houston, TX 77002

cosmeticdentaltexas.com

Experience Our World of Advertising, Marketing, Media and Communication

April 2019  |  3

Experience Our World of Advertising, Marketing, Media and Communication

4 | April 2019 HEALTH

N A C I R E M A N A C I R F A L A T I V S I H T L A E H T R HE A

By Dr. Anisa Shomo NNPA Newswire Contributor

L

ast month, February 2019, was not only Black History Month, it was also Heart Health Awareness Month per the American Heart Association. Heart disease is the number one killer of men and women in the United States.

Generally, heart disease is considered a man’s disease, but more Black and White women die of heart disease than all cancers combined. About 610,000 men and women die of heart disease each year and it accounts for 1 in 4 deaths in both genders. Coronary Heart Disease is the most common type and accounts for over half of these deaths. Coronary heart disease increases the risk for heart attacks and over 700,000 Americans have heart attacks each year.

Like other serious health issues, African Americans have disproportionately high rates of heart disease. Every month for 49 million African Americans should be heart health awareness month.

The three largest risk factors that lead to fatal heart disease are high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and smoking. Diabetes, Obesity, poor diet, physical inactivity, and excess drinking are other risk factors. There are other lifestyle concerns that can also lead to high blood pressure and obesity such as poor sleep and high stress levels.

Heart disease signs and symptoms are chest pain and discomfort, nausea, lightheadedness, shortness of breath, sweating, upper body pain or discomfort (jaw, arms, neck, upper back, upper stomach). If you or a loved one are experiencing these symptoms you should call 9-1-1 immediately.

Now that I have your attention at least for a moment, there are specific ways to improve your heart health.

Know your heart-related numbers. Get your primary care doctor at least once per year to check your blood pressure, heart rate, BMI (body mass index). and cholesterol.

High blood pressure or hypertension is called the

“Silent Killer” because many people have no symptoms of their blood pressure being high. Your doctor will also screen you for depression and other conditions depending on your age and risk factors.

Check your weight at home often (daily, weekly, monthly) to make sure that you are not gaining weight.

Many people gain 5 pounds per year without awareness and that adds up over the years. The goal is a blood pressure under 130/80 and a heart rate between 60 and 80.

Smoking cigarettes is not good for your health and in particular smoking is not good for a healthy heart.

If you smoke, you should consider the health benefits of “stop smoking.”

Consistent exercise is also important to keep your heart healthy. Be Active: at least 30 minutes five days per week. Think about how you can move naturally in your home. Can you walk more in your home? Can you routinely bike or lift weights or stretch? Make a plan to walk more by setting goals for how much you want to walk, how often, and how you will track your progress (pedometer, stopwatch, timer, calendar, etc).

Eat a ”Heart Healthy Diet.” Of course there will always be a range of strategies and objectives to help maintain having a healthy heart. Diet is another user-friendly item. In other words, you can control your personal daily diet. Avoiding becoming over weight and obesity are both related to diet. Studies have concluded that a “Mediterranean Diet” has consistently been shown to be the preferred diet for heart health. It is not actually a diet but the way that people in Mediterranean cultures eat for their whole lives. It consists of small amounts of meat, fish, and dairy but is mostly plant based.

Weight is directly related to diet and physical exercise.

Maintaining a healthy weight is a factor in sustaining a healthy heart. This is a somewhat controversial because as recent studies have shown that weight is not as important to heart health as diet and exercise. That is to say that whether your weight is low or high, you should still be working to have a healthy diet and stay active.

If you do desire to weight loss, talk with your doctor about long-term plan.

We all should strive to have quality sleep. Most adults need 7-9 hours of sleep each night. If you have trouble falling asleep: try setting a regular bedtime; avoiding long naps during the day; getting rid of the TV in your bedroom; leaving your cell phone on the other side of your bedroom; reading a physical book or journaling while trying to fall asleep; and, get out of the bed until you are more sleepy.

Lastly, we emphasize the critical importance of managing stress to prevent heart attacks and heart disease.

Stress may cause heart attacks and death even in people with normal cholesterol and coronary arteries. It is very important to reduce stress in your life. Work to not overcommit yourself to family, friends, work and tasks.

Self-care is key and learning how to say “no” is part of self-care.

Work on your mindset and how you view your world and stressful situations. Learn how to let go of things that are out of your control. Utilize mindfulness, journaling, talk therapy, meditation, yoga, exercise to help clarify what is important to you and filter out the things that may be causing your goals and vision to be clouded.

All of the above advice and recommendations will help you to focus on keeping your heart healthy and strong.

Again for African Americans the health of our hearts will determine the health of our families and communities.

Our heart heath is vital.

Experience Our World of Advertising, Marketing, Media and Communication

Dr. Anisa Shomo is the Director of Family Medicine Scholars at the University of Cincinnati in Cincinnati, Ohio and is a health columnist for the NNPA. She can be reached at drshomoknows@gmail.com

Source: NNPA

April 2019 | 5 HEALTH

HOW HOLISTIC MEDICINE CAN HELP YOU

By Dr. Gracie G Chukwu News Contributor

I

f we feel ill, most of us go to our regular doctor. But many times conventional medicine doesn’t look for enough details needed to successfully diagnose and treat our ailments, particularly chronic illnesses. Instead, conventional medicine--for the most part--treats the symptoms, not the underlying causes of what’s ailing us.

And if you have multiple ailments and you go to multiple specialists, the result may be that one doctor may prescribe a pharmaceutical not knowing that another doctor has prescribed another a pharmaceutical, which if combined, may result in uncomfortable, if not life-threatening side-effects. This piecemeal assessment may result in very little improvement to your health, because your various doctors are looking at one puzzle piece at a time rather than looking at the whole organism with its thousands of complex interactions. Too, these doctors are relying on a drug manufacturing and marketing system that benefits drug companies and doctors financially, not the ailing public or you.

That’s why holistic medicine has become an alternative for so many patients.

Holistic medicine practitioners seek to identity and eliminate the underlying cause of an illness, rather than eliminate or suppress symptoms. In doing so, they look at the whole person, their history, their families’ histories, their work and home environments.

Then again, holistic treatment and nutritional support are available for a wide range of diseases and conditions. ADHD; autism; depression; addictions; obesity; cholesterol; high blood pressure; cancer; chronic fatigue; chronic pain; HIV/AIDS; hormone disorders like diabetes and those related to the thyroid or andropause; digestive issues such as GERDS and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS); osteoporosis; fibromyalgia; dementia and memory loss; auto-immune diseases/disorders like allergies, asthma, lupus, and rheumatoid arthritis; woman’s issues such as polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), amenoria, infertility, endometriosis, PMS, menopause; skin issues; insomnia; even sexual dysfunction may be managed successfully with alternative, holistic methodologies.

Depending on your history and symptoms, holistic medicine practitioners may use medical lab testing, hormone saliva testing for estrogen, progesterone, DHEA, testosterone, cortisol, and adrenal function.

Food allergies (food sensitivities and/or food intolerances) can be tested for, and if needed, tests for parasites, bacteria and yeast may be administered. Hair analysis tests can pinpoint levels of needed minerals and how well the body is absorbing them. It also tests for the presence of toxic metals such as cadmium, lead, mercury, and aluminum which all can cause extensive harm to your body.

Only after getting results of such tests can your alternative medical practitioner suggest specific foods to add (or remove), herbal supplements, homeopathic formulas, diet, exercise, and other lifestyle changes in order to return you to health.

Dr. Gracie Chukwu, ND, MSN, CTN, of Houston Holistic Health Clinic, a Doctor of Naturopathy and a Certified Nutrition Counselor, can be consulted at 6776 Southwest Freeway, Suite 535. For more information, please see WWW. Houstonholistichealthclinic.Com or Please call 713-781-9991 for an appointment.

Experience Our World of Advertising, Marketing, Media and Communication

6  |  April 2019 HEALTH

Sneaky ways to get your kids eating healthier

By d-mars.com News Provider

E

very parent knows it can be a challenge to get kids to eat healthy foods. Serving piles of vegetables, whole grains and lean proteins might be our goal, but it might not guarantee that children will actually eat them.

Registered dietitian Dawn Jackson Blatner offers tips for upping the nutrients in family meals without your kids suspecting a thing.

Pack the meatloaf with vegetables.

If meatloaf is a family favorite, you're in luck. It's easy to add finely grated vegetables like carrots into your meatloaf mix without anyone being the wiser. Carrots are loaded with nutrients such as fiber, potassium and beta-carotene. Or try adding minced celery, green peppers or spinach to meatloaf (or meatballs!) for a nutrition boost. You can also combine cooked lentils with your ground beef for a leaner meatloaf without sacrificing flavor.

Italian favorites with added veggies.

When cooking Italian dishes like lasagna, adding chopped broccoli or spinach to one of your layers is an easy way to increase its nutritional value. Boost nutrition of jarred pasta sauce for any Italian dish by pureeing in your favorite cooked veggies like broccoli, carrots, squash or peppers without anyone noticing. This poweredup sauce is great for making homemade superfood pizza, too.

Asian stir fry at home.

Instead of relying on Asian takeout meals, make stir fry at home. It's quick and easy, and you can buy pre-cut chicken or beef to speed up your prep time. Get fresh or frozen veggies like sugar snap peas, grated carrots, broccoli florets and peppers and stir fry with soy sauce and a bit of ginger and garlic powder. It's a high-veggie, craveable meal loaded with vitamins and fiber. Serve with brown rice instead of white for even more nutrition.

Use the best ingredients. Choosing your ingredients with care makes a huge difference in nutritional value. Blatner says that using Eggland's Best eggs makes any recipe more nutritious, as they contain more than double the vitamin B12 when compared with ordinary eggs. "Vitamin B12 transforms food to energy that kids need to play and grow," says Blatner. They also contain more vitamin D, which helps a child's body absorb calcium, a mineral that bones need to stay strong and grow properly, according to the National Institutes

of Health. Compared to ordinary eggs, they have 25 percent less saturated fat, plus contain more than double the omega-3s and 10 times more vitamin E. To celebrate National Nutrition Month this March, Eggland's Best and Life Time 60day are challenging families across America to Plus It Up when it comes to their overall nutrition and wellness routine. For the chance to win prizes such as free product coupons, gift cards, fitness trackers, cooking equipment and more, enter the Eggland's Best "Plus It Up" Instant Win Sweepstakes at EBPlusItUpSweepstakes.com. One grand prize winner will receive $5,000 to plus up their family's fitness routine!

Baked Chicken Nuggets Prep Time: 10 minutes : Cook Time: 15 minutes Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (roughly 1 pound total), cut into 1-inch pieces 1 cup breadcrumbs (Panko works too!)* 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese Salt and pepper 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning 1 tablespoon garlic powder 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper 1 tablespoon vegetable oil 1/2 cup all-purpose flour* 3 Eggland's Best eggs (large) Cooking spray

Preparation Preheat oven to 450 F. In a shallow bowl, whisk together breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese, salt, pepper and seasonings.

In two separate bowls, add the flour in one and whisk the eggs in the other.

Set a wire rack on a rimmed baking sheet and lightly coat rack with cooking spray.

In batches, coat the chicken in the flour, shaking off excess, then in the egg wash, then in the bread crumb mixture, pressing to adhere.

Place on rack.

Bake until chicken is fully cooked, about 12-15 minutes, flipping halfway through. *Dawn's Healthy Swap: Use whole grain instead of regular bread crumbs and allpurpose flour!

Source: BPT

calling all foodies 4 TRENDS

SHAPING HOME COOKING IN 2019 By d-mars.com News Provider

T

oday's chefs and home cooks alike are seeking more meaningful food experiences, with smart, intuitive technology that's high-performing and saves time. This year, leading brands are changing the way culinary enthusiasts source and prepare their food, emphasizing a heightened level of respect for all ingredients throughout the process. The result?

Delicious food and healthier lifestyles. Here are four trends driving the evolution of home cooking in 2019:

1. Farm fresh, locally sourced food.

More than ever, home cooks strive to use fresh, locally grown or raised organic products, both in the interests of sustainability and to achieve the best tasting, most nutritious dishes. While some at-home chefs grow their own produce, others turn to sources like farmer's markets and community-supported agriculture for the freshest ingredients in an effort to consume less processed food. Luxury kitchen appliance brands are starting to recognize this and educate consumers on how to stay "true to food." For instance, Signature Kitchen Suite is producing short films that highlight food experts around the country who can help guide others to get the best out of everything we cook.

Food journalist, author, educator and True to Food film host Mark Bittman says, "Cooking with consciousness is a lifestyle philosophy I live by. It gets people thinking about the food they're consuming, where it's sourced and how it's prepared. That's why I believe so strongly in the True to Food mission."

Creativity, efficiency and sustainability are keys to today's kitchen, according to Bittman, who recently led a panel discussion of culinary and wine experts to amplify the True to Food conversation at the new Signature Kitchen Suite "Experience and Design Center" in the heart of culinarycentric Napa Valley, California.

2. Waste reduction.

Along with a growing interest in food sourcing comes the need to properly store and preserve it, not only to maintain freshness, but also to reduce waste. Important tips like decluttering your refrigerator and freezer, and making sure food is stored in the correct place are good first steps, but what about the quality of your appliances? Many new built-in appliances like

Experience Our World of Advertising, Marketing, Media and Communication

integrated column refrigerators and freezers are purposefully designed, from their spacious capacity to their ability to preserve fresh food through optimum temperature control, thanks to innovative features like a linear compressor and engineered all-metal interior.

3. Smart technology and modalities.

Many of today's home cooks represent a new generation of forward-thinking individuals called "Technicureans," or those who have a passion for food and appreciation for innovation. Imagine preheating your oven remotely or having the opportunity to use a go-to cooking method used in the world's best restaurants. Take, for instance, the versatile new 48-inch Dual-Fuel Pro Range, which is the first on the market with built-in "sous vide," directly on the cooktop, along with induction and gas, delivering the ultimate in precision cooking.

"Sous-vide is a revolutionary professional cooking technique that is now making its way to the home kitchen," said AJ Schaller, executive chef at Cuisine Solutions and the Culinary Research and Education Academy.

"Sous-vide allows food to cook at a precise temperature to enhance flavors and maintain moisture, consistency and nutrients that are typically lost through conventional cooking methods," she explains. "It requires more planning for the home chef, because you increase the time you cook when using lower temperatures, but it makes life easier since it's such a simple process that when done well can increase conservation."

4. Food and wine pairings.

Interest in wine culture is always evolving, and many at-home chefs have an affinity for curating their collections. Investing in proper storage is also key, especially for wines that are best served chilled. New integrated wine column refrigerators are bringing unique "wine cave" technology to wine connoisseurs. This technology from Signature Kitchen Suite significantly reduces vibration - a primary impediment to wine preservation that can cause chemical imbalances affecting the quality, flavors, aromas and texture. It also minimizes temperature fluctuations, limits light exposure and locks in humidity so aspiring sommeliers will have their sparkling wines, whites and rosĂŠs at the ready.

Source: BPT

April 2019  |  7

Experience Our World of Advertising, Marketing, Media and Communication

8 | April 2019

Health care you can count on.

1-800-600-4441 (TTY 711)

n

www.myamerigroup.com/tx

Experience Our World of Advertising, Marketing, Media and Communication