HEALTH & WELLNESS SEPTEMBER 8 - 14, 2022 | PAGE 11FCNP.COM | FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS HealthFall Wellness&Guide 2022 H�� Q������� � J�� C������ M� W���-L��� B������ New York Times writer Joshua Needelman shares the stories of three individuals who quit their job for their physical and mental health and how it changed their overall life. SEE STORY ON PAGE 12 A����� A��������: W��� �� K���� ��� B���� D��� Why is there such a backlog in children receiving an autism diagnosis? This article takes a look at that answer and local programs trying to alleviate this wait time for the better. SEE STORY ON PAGE 15 U.S. L��� E��������� F���� A���� �� ‘H�������’ S������ The average life expectancy of Americans fell precipitously in 2020 and 2021, the sharpest two-year decline in nearly 100 years. This article examines this decline in life expectancy. SEE STORY ON PAGE 20 Oral Health 13,18 Suicide Awareness 14 Migraine Treatment 16,17 Medical Marijuana 19 Hearing Aids 21 Pickleball 22 INDEX I����� T��� S������ S������
by Joshua Needelman New York Times
FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COMPAGE 12 | SEPTEMBER 8 - 14, 2022 HEALTH & WELLNESS
In September 2021, Evelyn Lai sat at the brown teak desk in her child hood bedroom and looked out the window. She felt just as uncertain as she had two decades ago. “I remember sitting at that same desk when I was applying to colle ges,” Lai, 36, said. Now she was recalibrating her life. Feelings of professional burnout had left her crying on a street in downtown Austin, Texas, three months earlier. It was more than a year into the pande mic, on her day off, which she had been spending with her mother and sister. She was finally overcome by a panicLaiattack.hadbeen working 50 hours per week as a pediatric nurse practitioner at a community health clinic in southeast Austin. Some of her patients at the clinic, which Lai said served a primarily Latino population, didn’t have access to clean water. Some had family members who had been picked up by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Some had lost loved ones to Covid. As Lai walked past people drinking and laughing at a trendy Austin cocktail bar, she reached a breaking point. Her mother placed an arm around her, and she struggled to catch her breath. “It was jarring to see that and then think about the world I’d be going back to at work,” Lai said. So instead she went home. After considering a career as a writer for pharmaceutical companies, she rea lized that she wasn’t ready to give up seeing patients. Four months later, she started a job as a pediatric nurse prac titioner at a hospital in Seattle with compassionate colleagues and a less hectic schedule. She now mostly spends her free time out in nature, walking along a local river and in the mountains.Formany of the more than 50 mil lion who’ve quit their jobs since the start of last year — a wide-scale phe nomenon known as the “great resi gnation” — the shift has represented a moment of great personal exploration. Finally afforded the space to consider what matters most, some are now re considering their work-life balance. Some have made drastic changes, and others, like Lai, discovered a renewed purpose in longtime goals. “It took a while to find this job, or, for this job to find me,” Lai said with a chuckle.Here are some stories of people who’ve rerouted their lives and careers and feel more fulfilled because of it. ‘I’d rather have freedom than a bunch of stuff in my basement’ On a sunny mid-June morning, Jim Walker, 53, took in the view from the roof of a riverboat, sitting beside a man old enough to be his father. As the boat sailed across Narragansett Bay in Rhode Island, Walker recalled re cently, the man pointed to Naval Sta tion Newport, where he and his wife had gotten married 65 years earlier. Walker, an ordained pastor who quit his job in June 2021 to become a tour guide, listened as the man descri bed his wedding day. “Sometimes people don’t need to hear me speak,” Walker said. “They need an ear to share the thing that’s on their heart.” Walker began church work at 24. But when his church in the Pittsburgh area temporarily shut down in 2020, he moved his services online and had some extra time to think. His most en joyable experiences as a pastor, he realized, had come when he led congregants on mission trips and en gaged in volunteer work. He wanted moreAfterfreedom.acting on a longtime desire to become a freelance tour guide, he moved into a room in his brother’s home. Walker has spent much of the past year on the road, hosting tours in Madrid, Paris, Amsterdam, Hawaii and elsewhere. “Now I find myself interacting with all kinds of people from around the world,” Walker said, “and helping people connect to the important things.” WAS IT WORTH IT? Walker feels the transition has given him more opportunities to use the “gifts I’ve been given.” He still uses the skills he has honed in the pul pit, but with a new congregation every week. “I’ve had to make sacrifices to do it,” he said. “But I’d rather have freedom than a bunch of stuff in my basement.” ‘I was transformed’ Daniel Raedel had become a the rapist because he wanted to help LGBTQ youth make sense of the world. He saw his younger self in the college students he met with. But as the pandemic wore on, and his clients’ mental health issues in tensified, Raedel, 31, became an xious and depressed himself. He began waking up with a feeling of dread and started limiting his food intake.“Ifelt like I couldn’t put my own oxygen mask on,” Raedel said, re ferring to the universal commercial airline directive to parents in the event of a loss of cabin pressure. “I couldn’t help others with theirs.” Raedel quit his job at the Univer sity of Colorado Boulder and ope ned a small private practice to help his husband pay the bills. But he also took time to look inward. Rae del tapped into his long-dormant ar tistic side and enrolled in a Master of Fine Arts program. He also re-ima gined his physical appearance: He bleached his hair, grew out his fin gernails and wore dresses. Even tually he came out as nonbinary. (Raedel uses he/they pronouns.) “I’d never had, like, a year, to nurture that artistic self,” Raedel said. “Parts of my identity that were more latent were expressed. I was transformed.”Heeventually did return to to an academic setting, landing a job as a clinical psychologist at Yale Univer sity, where he integrates art into his practice: Raedel encourages stu dents to bring pen and paper to doo dle on during therapy sessions, and to try dripping water on their skin at home as a way to connect with their bodies. WAS IT WORTH IT? Raedel feels more equipped to help students after undergoing his own personal transformation. He’s also enrolled in a philosophy docto ral program at the University of San Diego that is focused on education and social justice, which he believes will bolster his practice even more. These days, Raedel’s oxygen mask fits just fine. Quitting a Job Changed My Work-Life Balance
How
3. Gently move the floss up to the gumline and then down along the side of the tooth to scrape off the plaque.
ACE YOUR TECHNIQUE
•
•
• Restricted jaw mobility
Share this flossing formula with your family. If you need further guidance or a demonstration, it’s best to consult with your dental hygienist.
Bruxism refers to involuntarily grin ding your teeth or clenching your jaw for prolonged periods, especially during sleep. Stress, poor dental occlusion, slee ping on one’s back, respiratory di sorders, tobacco use and certain types of medication are all conside red contributing factors. Bruxism may cause: • Tooth and jaw pain Head, neck or ear aches Early wear of teeth (which leads to increased sensitivity to hot and cold, and a higher chance of de veloping fractures and infections) Loosened teeth or tooth loss Problems chewing
Bruxism: an oral health problem that makes you grit your teeth! Toolbox
Bruxism is a tricky condition to cure; in fact, treating bruxism re quires eliminating the source of the problem via appropriate courses of action like orthodontic treatment or relaxation exercises. Botox injec tions could also help correct the pro blem by relaxing the muscles in the jaw. Lastly, to prevent damage to the jaw and teeth, your dentist may also prescribe a bite guard to wear at night.
•
Newspaper
•
October is National Dental Hygiene Month. Could there be a better time to perfect your flossing technique? Practicing this habit every day can protect you from gum disease and dental decay and even reduce your risk of getting heart disease. Despite a controversial move in 2016 by the federal government to remove flossing from its recommended health practices, dentists and dental hygienists continue to recommend the habit. The benefits to patients are clear, even if there is a lack of well-designed studies to support the long-held wisdom.
1. Take an 18-inch stretch of dental floss and wrap it around both of your middle fingers, leaving only a short distance of floss unfurled between your fingers. 2. With your thumb and forefinger, guide your floss around your tooth in a C-shape.
4. Repeat until every tooth edge has been cleaned. Floss every day for best results. In addition to the above, remember to floss all sides of every tooth, even the ones at the very back of your mouth.
HEALTH & WELLNESS SEPTEMBER 8 - 14, 2022 | PAGE 13FCNP.COM | FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS
Treating bruxism requires an accu rate diagnosis, first and foremost. Has your significant other noticed that you grind your teeth in your sleep? Do you experience chronic toothaches or migraines? If so, consult your dentist without delay. He or she will be able to evaluate the condition of your teeth and, if neces sary, refer you to other health pro fessionals for help (a physician ex perienced in the treatment of sleep disorders, for example).
Floss like a boss
Suicide is one of the leading causes of preventable death in our nation today. Talking about suicide can be difficult. In order to help raise awareness, and open the dialogue, September is recognized as National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month. There are an average of 123 sui cides each day in our country, and suicide ranks as the second leading cause of death for those age 25-34, and the third leading cause for those age 15-24. While there is no single cause for suicide, there are risk factors and warning signs which may increase the likelihood of an attempt. Learning them can save lives. Some studies suggest that 9 out of 10 individuals who die by suicide give very clear warning signals to those around them. Some include: Talking about suicide and/ or having a preoccupation with death•Looking for access to lethal means (guns, pills, knives, etc.) Mood swings or personality changes•Hopelessness•Self-loathing/hatred•Neglectingtotake
Risk factors are characteris tics or conditions that increase the chance that a person may try to take their own life. Some in clude:•Mental health conditions such as depression, substance use problems, bipolar disorder, anxiety disorders, serious health conditions including pain, and traumatic brain injury • Environmental conditions including access to lethal means and drugs, prolonged stress such as bullying, relationship pro blems, or unemployment, and stressful life events such as re jection, divorce, financial crisis, or exposure to another person’s suicide.
•
•
FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COMPAGE 14 | SEPTEMBER 8 - 14, 2022 HEALTH & WELLNESS Bennet Helfgott 703-772-5030 (office) 24 hours 703-350-5149 Bennet.helfgott@mobilitycity.com(cell)Bennet@helfgottcorp.com WEOFMOBILITYCITYNORTHERNVASELLQUALITYPRODUCTS•LiftChairs•3&4-WheelMobilityScooters•PowerChairs•TransportChairs•Wheelschairs•Accessories•Walkers•3&4-WheelRollators•FoldingRamps•HospitalBeds•Bath&BedroomSafetyItems We sell, repair, rent, sanitize, add battery packages. We come to you! bodiesinmotionpt.com Thank you for the votes! We are thrilled to have won Best Physical Therapy in the Best of Falls Church contest once again. Thank you for supporting us over the past 20 years! 1-800-273-TALKNATIONAL(8255)suicidepreventionlifeline.org
Historical factors such as previous suicide attempts, a fa mily history of suicide, or child hood abuse, neglect, or trauma One serious new tool to help prevent suicide is the recent rol lout of 988. After years of advo cacy and preparation, 988 is now available nationwide as the new number to contact for mental health, substance use, and sui cide crisis, as a simple, easy to remember way for people to get help. This new number will allow people to quickly connect with support during a crisis, 24/7, no matter where they live. What is the difference between 988 and 911? 911 had been uti lized for all emergencies, inclu ding mental health emergencies. Mental health crisis calls to 911 may result in potentially dange rous and traumatizing outcomes when police are called. Despite best efforts, 911 dispatchers often have not received specific trai ning on how to handle mental health and suicide related calls. 988 calls will be handled by Na tional Suicide Prevention Lifeline counselors, highly trained to as sist people in emotional distress or suicidal crisis. Please help spread the word! What else can you do to sup port the cause? There are many other ways to get involved this month and beyond. Share infor mation about suicide and suicide prevention on social media to help reduce the stigma. Introduce and keep dialogue going with fa mily and friends about the need for increased awareness and sup port. Volunteer at a local crisis shelter or other organization. Never be reluctant to get involved and always take any reported de sire or intent to harm oneself se riously. Remember suicide is pre ventable!Dominion Hospital is a 116bed free standing psychiatric hospital in Falls Church, with inpatient and outpatient services for Children, Adolescents, and Adults, and specialty programs for Complex Trauma Disorders, Eating Disorders, and Substance Use Disorders, in addition to Non-Suicidal Self-Injury and School Refusal. For more infor mation, or to schedule a free, confidential assessment, call 703-538-2872.
care of one’s appearance • Changes in eating and slee ping habits • Saying goodbyes • Withdrawal from friends, fa milies, and usual activities
•
Suicide Prevention Awareness Month
by Michael Repie, Ph.D. Senior Director of Clinical Services Dominion Hospital
Autism Awareness: What is Known and What is Being Done
Recently, Behavioral Framework, a “leading provider” in applied behavior analysis (ABA) therapy, opened Pathways Diagnostic Center, which helps alleviate the year-long wait times for children to receive an autism diagnosis. CEO of Behavioral Framework Kyle West and his wife Angela came up with the idea of Pathways Diagnostic Center after seeing the wait times families had to go through to receive a dia gnosis through local hospitals. Based in Rockville Maryland, Behavioral Framework and Pathways Diagnostic Center is trying to offer D.C., Maryland and Virginia families “the best autism care that we can offer.” With the opening of the center, West said he and his wife hope there will be an “increased access to care.” The program offers both a clinic-set ting or home-based therapy when a child is diagnosed, as well as further testing at another medical site.As for why there seems to be such a backlog in children recei ving an autism diagnosis, West said there are not enough provi ders who specialize in diagnostic work. This led Pathways Diagnos tic Center to hire Dr. Andrea Ho ward, an autism diagnostic specia list who is able to “devote 100 percent of her time to doing autism diagnostics.” This allows Howard and the 500 employees working for Behavioral Framework to make sure families do not have to wait for an extended amount of time for a Openingdiagnosis.thispast summer, Pathways Diagnostic Center is fo cused primarily in providing children and their families an au tism diagnosis, but West said they have seen younger adults use the center as well. The overall goal of Behavioral Framework and Pathways Diagnostic Center is for people to know that “it’s avai lable,” as well as “a very welco ming intake process.” “The autism diagnosis really is a journey, and that’s where we came up with the name ‘Pathways,’” West said. “It’s not an end, it’s not a beginning, it’s another step on the journey.” Verbal Beginnings, a mental health clinic in Columbia, Mary land, provides a program called “New Beginnings” to help fami lies on a waitlist receive diagnos tic services to children in the D.C., Maryland and Virginia area. On their website, they state their overall goal is to “help families obtain the diagnostic clarity that is necessary to initiate interven tion services for their children.” The program schedules fami lies for an appointment with the organization, where they then partake in a comprehensive eva luation that includes the Autism Diagnostic Observation Sche dule, Second Edition. After the evaluation, families receive a comprehensive evaluation report and “review results, clinical im pressions and recommendations for intervention services” with a licensed psychologist at Verbal Beginnings.
by Kylee Toland Falls Church News-Press KYLE AND ANGELA WEST are the creators of Pathways Diagnostic Center (Photo courtesy: Nadine DiStefano)
SEPTEMBER 8 - 14, 2022 | PAGE 15FCNP.COM | FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS HEALTH & WELLNESS
In recent years, it has been thought that there is an autism epi demic due to rising rates in the United States. However, reports by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) show there is no autism epidemic, but rather an autism diagnosis epidemic. Twenty-two years ago, the CDC reported one in 150 children were diagnosed with autism; that rate now stands at one in 44 child ren being diagnosed. This shows that improvements are being done to properly diagnose a child with autism, but the question still stands: Why is there a wait time for an autism diagnosis? To receive a diagnosis, families can be put on a “waitlist” for an evaluation, which can last up to one year depending on the organi zation and the greater number of children in need of this kind of ser vice. Luckily, there are local orga nizations in the DMV area that specialize in trying to alleviate the wait time for children and their fa milies.
by Melinda Wenner Moyer New York
Times Continued on Page 17
People with migraine are also at increased risk for other disor ders, including heart disease, stroke, epilepsy, anxiety and de pression.
Far too many Americans with migraine suffer in silence.
FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COMPAGE 16 | SEPTEMBER 8 - 14, 2022 HEALTH & WELLNESS
“Fewer than 30 percent of people suffering with migraine seek me dical advice, and only some of those patients will receive an ap propriate migraine treatment,” said Dr. Santiago Mazuera, a neu rologist at the Sandra and Malcolm Berman Brain & Spine Institute in MigraineBaltimore.isaneurological di sorder and it differs from gar den-variety headaches. People are likely to suffer from migraine if they have had at least five hea dache attacks in their lives, each lasting between four and 72 hours, and if the pain fulfills two out of these four criteria: It throbs or pulsates; it is on one side of the head; it is moderate to severe; it worsens with activity. Also, these attacks must cause either nausea or sensitivity to light and sound. If you think you might have migraine, see your primary care practitioner, Mazuera suggested. “There is better understanding of migraine within the primary care community in recent years and more knowledge about the newer treatments,” he said. But if you’re not getting the help you need, you might want to see a headache specialist or neurolo gist, said Dr. Seniha Ozudogru, a neurologist at Penn Medicine.
Women, for instance, often have migraine pain right before their period; it can be treated in a va riety of ways, including with an estrogen patch, Cowan said. Other common migraine triggers include stress, too much or too little sleep, caffeine, alcohol, weather changes, certain foods, dehydration, light and particular smells, according to the Ameri can Migraine Foundation. Often, triggers are partial and additive: You might not get a mi graine attack after drinking one glass of red wine, but a glass of red wine and a bad night’s sleep might do it, Cowan said. A hea dache diary can also help you identify your triggers and figure out if you have chronic migraine, which is defined as having hea daches on 15 or more days per month for more than three mon ths, and when at least eight of those headaches have mi graine-like features. Based on your symptoms and their frequency, your doctor may recommend a preventive migraine treatment to stop the headaches from starting. These types of medicines include an tidepressants like amitriptyline, blood pressure medications such as propranolol and epilepsy drugs including valproate, Cowan said. The problem with these drugs is that often “they have nasty side effects,” Cowan said, so they aren’t always recommended but every time I exercised, I felt lightheaded and faint.
Try lifestyle changes and first-line treatments to start. If you have migraine, consi der keeping a headache diary, or downloading a migraine app, to identify possible triggers.
Migraine Treatment Has Come a Long Way 703-241-2911 (office) • 703-534-3521 www.loveandmiller.com(fax)450 W. Broad Street, Suite 440, Falls Church, VA 22046 Make an appointment with this award winning dental team. Drs. Love & Miller, PC Melanie R. Love, DDS, Mark A. Miller, DDS FAMILY AND COSMETIC DENTISTRY Drs. Love and Miller provide a family practice with special emphasis on healthy and beautiful smiles for adults and children. We have created a warm, caring environment that allows our patients to feel comfortable and safe. We take time to listen to our patients so that we can truly understand their individual needs and goals for their dental Bothhealth.doctors graduated from the Medical College of Virginia and have been practicing together in Falls Church for over 25 years. We are proud to have served the community in ways beyond dental care. allowing us to care for their dental health.
If you don’t suffer from mi graine headaches, you probably know at least one person who does. Nearly 40 million Ameri cans get them — 28 million of them women and girls — making migraine the second most disa bling condition in the world after low back pain. Several studies have found that migraine became more frequent during the pande mic, too. I get migraine headaches, but thankfully they’re more bizarre than excruciating. Every few weeks, ocular migraine clouds my vision with strange zigzag ging lights for a half-hour; and once or twice a year I get attacks that cause temporary memory loss. (One came on while I was grocery shopping, and I couldn’t remember what month or year it was, what I was there to buy or how old my kids were.) Despite its ubiquity, research on migraine has long been un derfunded. The National Insti tutes of Health spent only $40 million on migraine research in 2021; by comparison, it spent $218 million researching epi lepsy, which afflicts one-twelfth as many Americans. Why is this devastating condition so woe fully“It’sunderstudied?awoman’s disease,” ex plained Dr. Robert Cowan, a neurologist and a former director of the Stanford Headache Pro gram. In other words, he said, sexism almost certainly plays a role in medicine’s apathy toward theThecondition.good news is that over the past several years, the medi cal establishment has become more interested in the issue, and a handful of new treatments for migraine have been approved by the Food and Drug Administra tion. Some of them are quite pro mising. Here’s what migraine sufferers should know about to day’s treatment landscape. Recognize the symptoms of migraine and get a diagnosis.
New Patient Special
American Family Dental Care Implant Center
• A thorough New Patient Exam, Digital X-Rays, A Healthy Mouth Cleaning, A Professional Fluoride Treatment, And An Oral Cancer Screening For $129
Times) Continued from Page 16
NEW TREATMENTS may lead to pain free life. (Photo: New York
Your doctor might suggest ta king medication at the onset of migraine to ease your symp toms, in addition to or instead of preventive treatments. For treat ment of migraine after onset, doctors have long prescribed triptans — drugs such as suma triptan that reduce inflammation and constrict blood vessels — and anti-inflammatory pain me dications such as ibuprofen. But these methods don’t always work either, and triptans can cause side effects like nausea and dizziness.
If you can’t get relief, dis cuss new treatments with your doctor Over the past five years, a handful of new drugs and de vices have been approved for prevention and acute treatment of migraine.Manyof these drugs block the activity of a pain-related protein called monoclonal anti bodies that are periodically in jected or administered intrave nously. There are also pills, called gepants and ditans (with brand names like Nurtec ODT, Ubrelvy and Reyvow) that can be taken at the onset of migraine to block the activity of CGRP. Rimegepant (Nurtec ODT) has been approved by the FDA to both prevent and treat migraine, Ozudogru said, which is notable because most drugs do only one or the Theseother.drugs don’t seem to have significant side effects, Cowan said — though they can cause mild nausea — yet they aren’t usually prescribed until after a person has tried several first-line treatments. That’s in large part because the new drugs are expensive, he said. Ozudo gru said some doctors are also cautious about trying the latest treatments because they are so new, and nobody can say how safe they are over the long term. Among other things, CGRP helps the body heal from stro kes, so drugs that inhibit CGRP activity might hinder recovery in someone who has a stroke, sheAnothersaid. medication that has been approved to treat chronic migraine in particular is the cos metic drug Botox. It is injected into areas around the head and neck and is thought to work by blocking chemicals that carry pain signals to the brain. “I like Botox a lot,” Cowan said. But, he added, “not everybody can tolerate being stabbed in the head 31 times, even with a tiny needle.” Usually, too, Botox treatment is repeated every 12 weeks.Several medical devices have also been approved in recent years to manage migraine. “These have good data,” Cowan said, and they are ideal for people who can’t tolerate medi cines or are pregnant. Gamma core, a hand-held device, targets the vagus nerve in the neck. Ne rivio, a smartphone-controlled device worn on the arm, uses electrical signals to disrupt pain pathways. Cefaly stimulates the trigeminal nerve on the fore head, and Relivion stimulates the trigeminal and occipital nerves.Although these newer de vices and treatments are promi sing, many patients struggle to get them covered by health insu rance, Mazuera said. And they can be pricey: The list price for some monoclonal antibodies is more than $650 per monthly in jection, and the Cefaly device costs $379. However, the Coali tion for Headache and Migraine Patients, or CHAMP, has guides available to help patients navi gate treatment costs using phar maceutical company savings cards and financial assistance plans; and the Patient Advocate Foundation has resources avai lable for handling insurance de nials and appeals, among other things. Migraine is debilitating, and it can be quite difficult to treat. But patients shouldn’t lose hope, Ozudogru said. When she sees a new patient with mi graine, she reassures them: “I’m not going to give up,” she says.
ProsthodontistIfyouarelookingforaprofessional and compassionate dental team that will focus on preventive care and will keep you away from any future dentistry, give us a call. 703.533.7285
SEPTEMBER 8 - 14, 2022 | PAGE 17FCNP.COM | FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS HEALTH & WELLNESS
Family & Cosmetic Dentistry
American Family Dental Care Implant Center Family & Cosmetic Dentistry
Dr. Hemati and her experienced team make e orts to provide optimal dental care in a stress-free environment. 105 N Virginia Ave. Suite 103 Falls Church, VA 22046
• A thorough New Patient Exam, Digital X-Rays, A Healthy Mouth Cleaning For only $99
Ayesan Hemati, DDS.
“We’ll keep trying.” And today, there are more treatment options than ever to choose from.
6. Use a water flosser in addition to your toothbrush for optimal clea ning results.
5. Floss under and around each tooth at least once per day. If ne cessary, use a floss threader to reach difficult spaces near the gum or under dental appliances.
Newspaper Toolbox
7. Rinse your mouth properly after every cleaning (or after a meal if you’re unable to brush).
Everybody knows that basic oral hy giene involves brushing one’s teeth at least twice a day, flossing daily and making regular visits to the dentist. But what’s the protocol if you wear It’sbraces?very easy for food to get caught in braces and their various parts (brackets, elastics, etc.). Therefore, without proper oral hygiene prac tices, leftover food particles can de velop into plaque, increasing the risk of diseases and disorders of the teeth and gums. Moreover, teeth may look yellowed or stained once braces are Forremoved.aneffective orthodontic treat ment and a lasting white smile, fol low these seven tips:
Berman & Masoud Orthodontics | Orthodontist Falls Church VA • Herndon VA bermanandmasoudorthodontics.com • 703-241-9191
FALLSWBESTINNERCHURCH of 2022 “SureSmile” Aligner Promotion Valid until the end of September Free whitening included and a VPro5 device to speed treatment time.
4. Make sure to brush the entiresu face of each tooth, including below and above the brackets and along the inside (or chewing surface) of your teeth.
FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COMPAGE 18 | SEPTEMBER 8 - 14, 2022 HEALTH & WELLNESS
CAUSES While malocclusion is often heredi tary, other contributing factors exist, such as: • Missing, crowded or misaligned teeth • Excessive thumb sucking or prolonged pacifier use Mouth breathing • Abnormal swallowing • A cleft palate CONSEQUENCES Malocclusion can have a signifi cant impact on a person’s oral and overall health. Poor dental occlu sion (how the upper and lower teeth touch when the mouth is closed) can make chewing more difficult and lead to premature wear of teeth, in addition to causing muscular tension, jaw pain, digestive pro blems, migraines and troubles en unciating. Bruxism (grinding or clenching of the teeth) can also re sult in Furthermore,malocclusion.notonly do crooked or overlapping teeth cause aesthetic issues, but they’re particularly dif ficult to brush, increasing the risk of cavities and gum disease. Thank fully, various treatments (braces, oral surgery, etc.) are available for people of all ages to help correct dental problems like malocclusion Consult your orthodontist or den tist for more information!
What are the causes and consequences of malocclusion?
3. Clean each bracket thoroughly by making small circular mo tions with your toothbrush. Re member to take your time and be gentle!
Orthodontic care: seven oral hygiene tips
1. Brush your teeth at least twice a day, ideally after every meal or snack. 2. Use a manual or an electric soft-bristled toothbrush (electric models are great for ease of use and convenience).
311 Park Avenue Falls Church Award-winning Invisalign practice with a six decade history in the center of Falls Church facing City Hall Dr. Berman is currently president of the Virginia Dental Association Dr. Masoud most recently the Director of Orthodontics at Harvard University
Malocclusion is a misalignment between the upper and lower rows of teeth as they approach when the mouth closes. Normally, the canines and maxillary (or upper) incisors fall in front of the lower teeth, leaving a small space in between with little overlap. In the case of malocclusion, however, the upper teeth fall too far behind or in front of the lower teeth.
What to Know About Medical Marijuana by Josh Trupo Falls Church News-Press
SEPTEMBER 8 - 14, 2022 | PAGE 19FCNP.COM | FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS HEALTH & WELLNESS
Medical marijuana is taking the country by storm. Back in 1937, with the implementation of the Controlled Substance Act, it was made illegal at the federal level and was given a Schedule 1 classification by the DEA. Schedule 1 drugs, like heroin, are said to have “a high potential for abuse, no currently accepted medical use in treatment in the United States, and a lack of accepted safety for use under medical supervision.” However, doctors have pushed back against this for some time, culminating in California’s landmark 1996 legalization of medical mari juana. Since then, 36 states, including Virginia, have followed suit and made the move to legalize marijuana for medical purposes. So, which is it? Does marijuana have scientifically recognized medi cinal properties? Or is the federal go vernment correct in keeping it at a Schedule 1 classification? According to physicians across the country, marijuana does have nu merous medicinal uses. It can func tion as a stabilizer, lessening the seve rity of, and in some cases even completely removing, the sorts of seizures and tremors in patients with mild to severe epilepsy. It is a much safer and less addictive painkiller than the likes of Oxycontin. It can help clear up glaucoma in the eyes and is now being prescribed for its efficacy in managing depression, an xiety, eating disorders and PTSD. Marijuana has two major chemi cal components that play a part in its medicinal use. There is CBD, canna bidiol, which researchers are finding may be the most important ingredient leading to marijuana’s medicinal pro perties. CBD, unlike the other major component, tetrahydrocannabinol –or THC – is not psychoactive. This means that, for those who are uncom fortable with the mind-altering high associated with marijuana, low THC strains can and have been made to provide the benefits of marijuana with none of the cloudiness. CBD can be found in plant form, where you break it up and smoke it the same way you would regular, high-THC marijuana. It can also be an ingre dient baked into foods, pills, and even creams, removing the need for inhaling potentially harmful smoke into the Manylungs.doctors are still researching the differences in these two chemical components to marijuana. They are looking to discover where inside the molecular makeup the benefits are found. Many professionals who deal with epilepsy, chronic pain, or PTSD do not wish to experience the psy choactive effects of marijuana on a daily basis. However, there is some research showing that a certain de gree of THC may be necessary for the marijuana to be as effective as possible at treating medical issues. With Virginia’s recent recreatio nal legalization of marijuana, doctors are urging caution and temperance. As a way to take the edge off, not un like having a glass or two of whiskey on the weekends, there is nothing to be worried about, they say. Mari juana is not physically addicting, and many have and will continue to use it for fun and recreational use. However, for those who may need it for medicinal purposes, doc tors strongly advise that patients do not self-medicate. While not physi cally addictive, marijuana can be come psychologically addictive, meaning that the brain can become dependent on the rush of dopamine and serotonin – two chemicals in the brain associated with positive emo tion. In self-medicating, one may find oneself in a position of being unable to naturally produce these chemicals at the rate one once did. Instead, for anyone who believes marijuana could be an effective treat ment, it is strongly advised to discuss the option with a doctor, who can monitor how much and how often the drug is used. Now in Virginia, one can be ap proved by a healthcare provider for a Virginia medical card online with Leafwell. Via telemedicine, a patient can meet with a provider and discuss qualifying conditions. The whole process takes 15-30 minutes. If ap proved, Leafwell will email the pa tient the certification which can be used to purchase medical cannabis products in Virginia immediately. Also, as of July 2022, the state application process (which could take up to two months) is no lon ger required, eliminating a barrier and expanding access across Vir ginia.
MEDICAL MARIJUANA is taking the country by storm, although facing backlash (courtesy Photo)
White Americans saw the se cond-largest decline in average life expectancy in 2021, a drop of 1 year, to 76.4 in 2021 from 77.4 in 2020. The decline was steeper than that among Black Americans, at se ven-tenths of a year. That was fol lowed by Hispanic Americans, whose life expectancy dropped only two-tenths of a year in 2021. But both Black and Hispanic Americans were hit hard in 2020, the first year of the pandemic. Ave rage life expectancy for Hispanic Americans fell by 4 years, to 77.9 from 81.9 in 2019. The figure for Black Americans declined almost as much, by more than 3 years to 71.5 years in 2020. White Americans experienced the smallest decline during the first year of the pandemic, a drop of 1.4 years to 77.4 from 78.8. For white and Black Americans, life expectancy is now the lowest it has been since 1995, federal researchers said. Asian Americans held the highest life expectancy among racial and eth nic groups included in the new analy sis: 83.5 years, on average. The figure fell only slightly last year, from 83.6 in 2020.Itwas the largest reduction in life expectancy in the United States over the course of a two-year period since the early 1920s, when life expec tancy fell to 57.2 in 1923. That dropoff may have been related to high unemployment and suicide rates du ring an earlier recession, as well as a steep increase in mortality among nonwhite men and women. Although the U.S. health care system is among the best in the world, Americans suffer from what experts have called “the U.S. health disadvantage,” an amalgam of in fluences that erode well-being, Woolf said.These include a fragmented, pro fit-driven health care system; poor diet and a lack of physical activity; and pervasive risk factors such as smoking, widespread access to guns, poverty and pollution. The problems are compounded for marginalized groups by racism and segregation, he added.The result is a high disease bur den among Americans, and shorter life expectancy compared with that in comparable high-income nations over the last two decades, Woolf said. Over 1 million Americans have died of Covid-19, and more died in 2021 than in 2020 despite the availability of vaccines. To date, only two-thirds of Ameri cans are fully vaccinated, and only one-third have had a booster shot.“The white population did worse in 2021 than communities of color, besides Native Ameri can and Alaska Natives,” Woolf said. “I think that’s very telling: It reflects the greater efforts by Black and Hispanics to get vac cinated, to wear masks and take other measures to protect them selves, and the greater tendency in white populations to push back on those behaviors.” The longevity gap between men and women also grew by a couple of months in 2021. American women can now expect to live 79.1 years, almost 6 years longer than men, whose average life expectancy was 73.2 last year, according to the new data.The longevity gap between the sexes has been increasing for more than a decade, after nar rowing between 2000 and 2010 to about 5 years. Expectancy Falls Again in ‘Historic’ Setback
FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COMPAGE 20 | SEPTEMBER 8 - 14, 2022 HEALTH & WELLNESS U.S. Life
COVID HAS PLAYED A LARGE part in the drop in life Expectancy. . (Photo: New York Times)
by Roni Caryn Rabin New York Times
AMERICAN DEATHS during the pandemic have caused a lot of loss. (Photo: New York Times)
The continued plunge was all the more upsetting because it occurred after a successful vaccination cam paign, she said, adding: “The Native American population did quite well in the vaccination efforts, and that made us feel that 2021 would not be as devastating as 2020.” “That was wrong, and it’s pretty hard to swallow,” she added.
The average life expectancy of Americans fell precipitously in 2020 and 2021, the sharpest two-year de cline in nearly 100 years and a stark reminder of the toll exacted on the nation by the continuing coronavirus pandemic.In2021, the average American could expect to live until age 76, fe deral health researchers reported We dnesday. The figure represents a loss of almost 3 years since 2019, when Americans could expect to live, on average, nearly 79 years. The reduction has been particu larly steep among Native Americans and Alaska Natives, the National Center for Health Statistics reported. Average life expectancy in those groups was shortened by 4 years in 2020Thealone.cumulative decline since the pandemic started, more than six and a half years on average, has brought life expectancy to 65 among Native Americans and Alaska Natives — on par with the figure for all Americans in 1944.In2021, the shortening of life span was more pronounced among white Americans than among Black Americans, who saw greater reduc tions in the first year of the pandemic. While the pandemic has driven most of the decline in life expectancy, a rise in accidental deaths and drug overdoses also contributed, as did deaths from heart disease, chronic liver disease and cirrhosis, the new reportUntilfound.now, experts have been ac customed to measuring life expec tancy changes in increments of mon ths, not “Evenyears.small declines in life ex pectancy of a tenth or two-tenths of a year mean that on a population level, a lot more people are dying prematu rely than they really should be,” said Robert Anderson, chief of mortality statistics at the NCHS. “This signals a huge impact on the population in terms of increased mortality,” he added. Dr. Steven Woolf, director emeri tus of the Center on Society and Health at Virginia Commonwealth University, characterized the diminu tion of life expectancy in the United States as While“historic.”otherhigh-income coun tries were also hard hit in 2020, the first year of the pandemic, most had begun to recover by last year, he said. “None of them experienced a continuing fall in life expectancy like the U.S. did, and a good number of them saw life expectancy start in ching back to normal,” Woolf said. Those countries had more suc cessful vaccination campaigns and populations that were more willing to take behavioral measures to prevent infections, such as wearing masks, he said, adding: “The U.S. is clearly an outlier.”Butthe coronavirus was not so lely to blame. Long-standing health problems — rooted in poverty, dis crimination and poor access to health care — left Native Americans and Alaska Natives particularly vulne rable to the virus, said Dr. Ann Bul lock, former director of diabetes treatment and prevention at the fede ral Indian Health Service agency and a member of the Minnesota Chip pewaOneTribe.inseven Native Americans and Alaska Natives has diabetes, the highest rate among racial or ethnic groups in the United States, and many struggle with obesity or excess weight. Both conditions make people more susceptible to severe Covid-19, and crowded multigenerational hou sing adds to the risk. “There is no doubt Covid was a contributor to the increase in morta lity during the last couple of years, but it didn’t start these problems — it made everything that much worse,” BullockAveragesaid.life expectancy in these populations is now “lower than that of every country in the Americas ex cept Haiti, which is astounding,” said Noreen Goldman, professor of de mography and public affairs at the Princeton School of Public and Inter national Affairs.
HEARING AIDS could soon be more easily accessible. (Courtesy Photo)
The Food and Drug Adminis tration decided to allow hearing aids to be sold over the counter without a prescription to adults, a long-sought wish of consumers frustrated by expensive exams andThedevices.high cost of hearing aids, which are not covered by basic Medicare, has discouraged mil lions of Americans from buying the devices. Health experts say that untreated hearing loss can contribute to cognitive decline and depression in older people. Under the FDA’s new rule, people with mild to moderate hearing loss should be able to buy hearing aids online and in retail stores as soon as October, without being required to see a doctor for an exam to get a pres cription.Theagency cited studies esti mating that about 30 million Americans experience hearing loss, but only about one-fifth of them get help. The changes could upend the market, which is do minated by a relatively small nu mber of manufacturers, and make it a broader field with less costly, and perhaps, more inno vative designs. Costs for hearing aids, which tend to include visits with an audiologist, range from about $1,400 at Costco to roughly $4,700 or more. “This could fundamentally change technology,” said Nicho las Reed, an audiologist at the Department of Epidemiology at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg Sch ool of Public Health. “We don’t know what these companies might come up with. We may li terally see new ways hearing aids work, how they look.”
April Shrum, 45, of Bremer ton, Washington, has been wil ling to get hearing aids for years, but has been unable to get them covered by her insurance. She said she lost some hearing firing guns while training to deploy to Iraq about a decade ago. But her hearing loss never tested to a level that qualified her for cove rage.“I don’t have to have a pres cription for it,” Shrum said, “which means I can buy them myself and it’s fantastic.” Broader appreciation for the importance of keen hearing for adults is off-kilter: A recent sur vey found that people ages 50 to 80 were twice as likely to plan on taking their pet to the veteri narian in the coming year than to get their hearing checked. “It breaks my heart a little bit,” said Sarah Sydlowski, asso ciate chief improvement officer of the Cleveland Clinic’s Head and Neck Institute and lead au thor of the study. “I think our biggest challenge as a profession and as a health care system is to make sure that people unders tand that hearing is incredibly important. It deserves their at tention, it deserves their action.”
That rule was issued in the fall of 2021, followed by a pe riod of public comment. The Hearing Industries Association, an industry group, submitted a 45-page comment letter warning the FDA about companies that had come on the market in 2018, after the initial law passed, sel ling hearing aids that “were inef fective, of poor quality, and in some cases, dangerous.” The or ganization offered detailed ad vice on how to avoid a repeat scenario.“Weapplaud the action to in crease access to care for persons who have difficulty and encou rage them to seek a professio nal,” to help navigate their op tions and the fitting process, said Kate Carr, president of the trade group. Other organizations raised concerns that the FDA would be creating a safety issue by allowing new hearing aid ma kers to develop devices that allow users to hear loud sounds.
“The hearing health care pro fessional is not going to go away,” said Barbara Kelley, exe cutive director of the Hearing Loss Association of America, a consumer group. “The over-thecounter rule opens a new avenue that is huge for adults with mild to moderate hearing loss to take that step sooner than later. And that’s what we’re really excited about.”The change has been percola ting for years. In 2016, a propo sal for the FDA to approve overthe-counter hearing aids for adults with mild to moderate hearing loss was released in a re port by the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Me dicine. The following year, Sens. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, and Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., in troduced a bill enabling the agency to make the change. Congress approved the legisla tion and President Donald Trump signed it into law. Finalizing regulations has moved slowly since then, with some conflict over details, like how the federal rule would inte ract with state laws on hearing aid returns or warranty policies and how much the devices should amplifyBidensound.issued an executive order in July 2021 calling for greater competition in the eco nomy, which urged the FDA to take action “to promote the wide availability of low-cost hearing aids.”
FDA Clears Path for Hearing Aids to be Sold Over the Counter
The logic is simple: The less effective an OTC hearing aid is, the more likely consumers will be forced to abandon these op tions and instead opt for more expensive, prescription devices sold by the manufacturers that dominate this line of business,” the senators’ investigative report said.The FDA reviewed more than 1,000 comments submitted about the rule and made a handful of changes in the final version re leased Tuesday. They include lowering the maximum sound output of the devices and revi sing the insertion depth limit in the ear canal. The rule also re quires that the hearing aids have a user-adjustable volume control and simplified wording on the product label. John Prouty, 65, of Santa Rosa, California, said Tuesday that he would be watching the changes in the hearing aid field carefully. He said he recently un derwent a test and discovered he had experienced some hearing loss.“I don’t think it has had a huge effect on my ability to un derstand and stay in a conversa tion,” Prouty said. “My wife may disagree.”Hesaid he was not ready for hearing aids and felt even less so after finding out the devices would cost up to $8,400 for a pair and ser vices. Prouty welcomed the new policy, saying he hoped it would encourage the kind of consumer electronic advances that had revo lutionized phones and watches. “I’m looking forward to this,” he said. & WELLNESS
by Christina Jewett New York Times
The over-the-counter shift has rankled some of the nation’s au diologists, the professionals who guide people through the process of choosing the best hearing aid, adjusting the settings and achie ving the right fit. The new move eliminates the long-standing re quirement that consumers start the process of getting a hearing aid with them. But some in the profession see opportunity.
The FDA’s final rule takes ef fect in 60 days. Industry repre sentatives say device-makers are largely ready to launch new pro ducts, though some may need time to update labeling and pac kaging or to comply with techni cal details in the rule. Dr. Robert Califf, the FDA commissioner, said the move is meant to “unleash the power of American industry” in a way that could have global influence. “Hearing loss has a profound impact on daily communication, social interaction and the overall health and quality of life for mil lions of Americans,” Califf said during a news briefing. “This is a tremendous worldwide problem where I think American inge nuity can make a huge diffe rence.”The White House hailed the move as a signature accomplish ment for President Joe Biden, who signed the Inflation Reduc tion Act on Tuesday. That legis lation includes other health mea sures, such as caps on drug costs for Medicare beneficiaries, that are likely to be popular among midterm voters. The hearing aid change elimi nates the requirement to see an audiologist for a hearing exami nation and fitting, a process not often covered by insurance. Federal officials estimated a $2,800 savings on the cost of a pair of hearing aids. Brian Deese, White House director of the Na tional Economic Council, said making the change was a “top priority” for the president. “This is going to make a really concrete difference in the lives of millions of Americans,” DeeseWhethersaid. it will make a diffe rence at the voting booth remains to be seen, said Jonathan Ober lander, a professor of health po licy at the University of North Carolina. He termed the FDA’s move a “consolation prize” of sorts, given the Democrats’ un successful efforts to expand basic Medicare to cover vision, dental and hearing. The upside, though, is that some of the hea ring aids should be on store shel ves by the time voting begins. Hearing loss is associated with dementia, isolation and other health problems in older adults. Yet the barriers to getting hearing help have included costs that are not covered by Medi care. There is also stigma — such as appearing “old” — that comes with use.
Warren and Grassley released a joint report accusing the “do minant hearing aid” makers of engaging in an “astroturf lob bying” effort by flooding the FDA with repetitive comments steering the agency toward a new generation of hearing aids that would be “less effective, protec ting manufacturers’ existing market share and locking in their competitive advantage.”
SEPTEMBER 8 - 14, 2022 | PAGE 21FCNP.COM | FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS HEALTH
Now that their son is grown and their water-loving Labrador retriever has passed away, Kristen Miller and her husband, Scott Miller, have decided to fill in their San Diego swimming pool. “No one uses it, there’s a drought and we’re in our 60s,” she said. “We decided YOLO, like the kids say. We’re going to put in a fricking pickleball court.” Kristen Miller is one of more than 4.8 million pickleball players, or “picklers,” in the United States, according to a 2022 report from the Sports & Fitness Industry Associa tion. Pickleball, often described as a combination of tennis, PingPong and badminton, grew nearly 40 percent between 2019 and 2021, making it America’s fastest-growing sport. A college tennis player, Miller picked up pickleball two years ago after a friend needed to round out a foursome. Now she plays twice a week and hopes to play even more once her backyard court is complete. “We know if we have people over and we have paddles, everyone can go out and hit the ball,” she said. “Not eve ryone’s going to put a swimsuit on at The60.”sport has trended older in the past — half of all serious pickleball players (those who play eight or more times a year) in 2021 were 55 and older, accor ding to the USA Pickleball Asso ciation. But the vast majority of casual players are younger than 55, and the fastest-growing seg ment of all pickleball players are younger than 24. How is the sport able to appeal to both retirees and younger de votees? And regardless of your age, can you actually work up a sweat? Here’s what the experts say.
by Juno DeMelo New York Times
PICKLEBALL HAS GAINED POPULARITY and is attracting a new following. (Photo: New York Times)
Many racket sports have a steep learning curve, even at the beginner level. “In tennis, the balls are all over the place,” said Ernie Medina Jr., an assistant pro fessor of public health at Loma Linda University and pickleball coach who was introduced to the game in 2016 by his mother. “In pickleball, you’re hitting a plastic Wiffle-like ball, so it’s less bouncy and doesn’t fly as fast through the air,” Medina said.
“And the paddle is much easier to handle because it’s shorter and lighter than a tennis racket.” You also serve underhand in pickle ball, and underhand serves are easier to hit and return. Besides being easier to learn than tennis, pickleball is also slower paced and there’s less ground to cover; you could al most fit four pickleball courts onto one tennis court, and most picklers play doubles. Some re search suggests that it may be safer than tennis for people with heart issues, too. “Because the paddle’s so small, pickleball is great for hand-eye coordination as well as neuromuscular coordination,” said Heather Milton, a clinical exercise physiologist at the Sports Performance Center at NYU Lan gone Health. “You’re moving in different planes, not just forward like you do when you’re walking or cycling, which is good for your agility. And because there’s rota tion involved, you’re working your core along with your upper and lower extremities.” Players can get sprains and ro tator cuff pain, among other inju ries. To prevent injury, players should do a pregame warm-up, keep a wide, ready position stance during the game, avoid backpeda ling to return a shot sailing ove rhead and wear shoes designed for lateral movement. As for accessibility, pickleball can be played standing or in wheelchairs, indoors or out. There are more than 38,000 in door and outdoor courts in the U.S. To find one, use the Pickle ball+ app, or put your ZIP code into the USA Pickleball Associa tion’s court locator website. You can even use sidewalk chalk or painter’s tape to make your own court in a driveway or cul-de-sac — Medina once set up a court in the hallway of a conference venue. Then roll in a portable net. A USAPA-approved set of two paddles and four balls costs about $60.
Why Is Pickleball So Popular?
Most Anyone Can Play.
It’s Addictive Less than one-quarter of U.S. adults get enough physical acti vity, and that percentage de creases with age. One of the main barriers to exercising is a lack of social interaction, a big source of motivation.Butwhile 50 percent of people quit exercising six months after starting, research shows that picklers keep coming back to the court again and again, primarily because the game is so social. Pickleball can also improve your well-being. According to another study of picklers age 50 and older, those who were more serious about the sport tended to be more satisfied with their lives. The same researchers found an in verse relationship between “se rious leisure” — in this case, playing pickleball competitively — and levels of depression. Like Medina, I too have a (step) mother who preaches the gospel of pickleball. Last spring, my husband took a pickleball les son while we were on vacation in Kauai, Hawaii, but I chose to stay in the pool. Last month, my curio sity finally got the better of me, and I asked a pickler friend-of-afriend whether she could round up a foursome. It was 100 degrees when we met at an outdoor court in Port land, Oregon. The other three women were all regulars, one of them a highly rated doubles player who made it to nationals last year. I’ve always been a de cent athlete (my father was a squash pro, so I grew up around racket sports) but besides the occasional game of cornhole, I’ve never really played any thing that requires hand-eye coordination.Afterabout 10 minutes of warm-up hits and explanation, I had the basics down. I missed a few serves and more than a few shots once we started to play in earnest, but I was able to rally and even volley almost imme diately. Despite my inexpe rience — and the sunscreen-mel ting heat — I was soon in a flow state, punctuated by laughter and light trash talk. “Aha,” I thought, somewhere toward the end of the first match. “Now I get why people are so obsessed withBeingpickleball.”inthe zone was nice, but so was victory: My partner and I won two out of three matches. But mainly I was struck by how much fun the game is. (Participants in the walking study found pickleball 150 percent more enjoyable than taking a stroll.) Most points in pickleball are won on a line just 7 feet from the net, so it’s easy to chat between serves. And it’s hard to take yourself too seriously when the most sa vage shot is called a “dink” that you hit into a zone called “the kitchen.”“I’ve had a hoarse voice since I started playing pickle ball because I’m constantly shouting and laughing,” Medina said. “I can’t even sing in my choirTheanymore.”gameis so much fun, Miller said, you don’t realize you’re getting exercise. “It’s so mething you can do besides going out to eat or going out drinking.”
FALLS CHURCH NEWS-PRESS | FCNP.COMPAGE 22 | SEPTEMBER 8 - 14, 2022 HEALTH & WELLNESS
It’s a Good Workout (No, Really) Yes, pickleball has a low bar rier to entry. But that doesn’t mean it’s a walk in the park. In one of the few studies that has been done on pickleball, re searchers found that compared with walking at a self-selected pace for half an hour, people who played doubles pickleball for half an hour had 14 percent higher heart rates and burned 36 percent more calories. Another study from Western Colorado Univer sity found that picklers averaged a heart rate of 109 beats per mi nute and burned 354 calories per hour, which qualifies it as a mo derate-intensity workout along side hiking, yoga and water ae robics. The players also saw significant improvements in their cholesterol levels, blood pressure and maximal oxygen uptake, a measure of cardiovas cular fitness, after playing for an hour every other day for six weeks.What’s more, you can ramp up the intensity in a number of ways. “If you are more competi tive with pickleball, you absolu tely could have a more intense workout,” Milton said. Practice can also up the burn. “In a game, you have to rally, stop and reset, so there are more gaps,” Medina said. “ When I drill, I get more of a workout. Drilling makes you better, so you can have lon ger, more intense rallies. It’s a double benefit.” And finally, you can play singles instead of doubles. “With a singles match, you’re defini tely going to be covering more of the court, moving more and burning more calories,” said Lance Dalleck, a professor of exercise science at Western Co lorado University and an author of the Colorado study. “Pickle ball is not just a good workout, it’s a great workout.”