Editors Note

The snow is coming down, the temps are in the single digets and hibernation starts to set in. What do we do? Meditate. No I’m serious. We can’t control the weather, so let’s all take the opportunity to slow down and work on the inner self. Don’t stress on what you can’t do, enjoy the peace instead. This is the perfect time for our bodies and minds to recover.

I have a seventeen year old running 60 miles a week, and every month he has a week where he reduces the miles, and twice a year he has to stop running to RECOVER. No matter the activity, work, over thinking, we need this down time. So this month let’s reset ourselves and use this time to get ready for spring and all the warmer weather has to offer. You will thank yourselves.

Now that it’s February, the shape of a heart is everywhere. And yes we love our traditions of Valentines Day, I want to remind you that this month is National Heart Health Awareness Month. I know it’s cold but please keep up with your daily workouts or slowly start a routine today. If you mind is to think, your heart is to beat.

So about our Fabulous February issue. It really is a nice positive balance of healthy aging, heart health, self care, finding inner peace, breaking away from any lifestyle slump and really just getting yourself mindful of every aspect that makes you healthier.

So enjoy the issue, love yourself, love others and each day try to make someone’s day a better one by doing selfless acts.

February 2023 EDITION

staff MHL STAFF

Lewis Media Group

Amanda Lewis

Malberry Media

Tom Delgado

Barry Lewis

Est 1992 M L MODERN HEALTH AND LIVING FEBRUARY 2023 FREEPUBLICATION H A GUIDE TO HEALTHY LIVING FOR MEN, WOMEN, CHILDREN AND SENIORS womenshealthfeature Exercise For Getting Better Zzzs 5 Easy Things to Do Every Morning for Better Gut Health How To Discover the Female Warrior Within Yourself Balancing Female Hormones for Health and Well-Being The Benefits of Living Moment by Moment Yoga Well-beingCreating For StagesAll In Women’s Health How the Aging Brain Affects Thinking Senior Lifestyles How Your Heart Changes With Age Employment Good Hydration Linked To Healthy Aging distribution manager travel editor founder

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Mindfulness for Your Health

The Benefits of Living Moment by Moment

Paying attention to what’s going on right this second can be hard. We often spend more time thinking about what’s coming up in the future. Or dwelling on things in the past we can’t change. We can miss out on experiencing the present.

It’s possible to train yourself to focus on the present moment. You become aware of what’s going on inside and around you—your thoughts, feelings, sensations, and environment. You observe these moments without judgment. This is called mindfulness.

“We’re looking at our thoughts and feelings with curiosity, gentleness, and kindness,” explains Dr. Eric Loucks, director of the Mindfulness Center at Brown University.

Mindfulness has its roots in Buddhist meditation. Meditation is a practice that aims to increase awareness of the mind and concentration.

In recent years, mindfulness has become a household term. Mindfulness programs are now commonly found in schools, workplaces, and hospitals.

Mindfulness can involve a sitting meditation that’s practiced in a quiet space. In this practice, you focus on your breathing or sensations in your body. If your mind wanders—like thoughts popping in about things you need to do—you try to return your mind to the present moment.

But mindfulness doesn’t have to be done sitting still or in silence. You can integrate the practice into things you do every day, like walking or eating. You can also be mindful while interacting with others.

Health Benefits of Mindfulness

Studies suggest that focusing on the present can have a positive impact on health and well-being.

Mindfulness-based treatments have been shown to reduce anxiety and depression. There’s also evidence that mindfulness can lower blood pressure and improve sleep. It may even help people cope with pain.

“For many chronic illnesses, mindfulness meditation seems to improve quality of life and reduce mental health symptoms,” says Dr. Zev Schuman-Olivier of Harvard University.

One of the first mindfulness-based therapies was used for depression. Many studies have shown that it can be effective for some people.

Mindfulness appears to help with depression in two ways. First, it helps you develop the ability to stay grounded in the present, explains Dr. Sona Dimidjian of the University of Colorado Boulder. She studies the use of mindfulness-based treatments to prevent relapse of depression, including among pregnant women.

With depression, “your attention can get hijacked into the past or future,” she explains. You spend time focusing on past negative experiences or worrying about things to come.

Second, mindfulness can help you “de-center” from such thoughts. “It’s like being able to sit on the riverbank and watch thoughts floating by like leaves on a stream,” Dimidjian says. “Developing the skill of mindfulness can help stop you from being pulled into any one thought and carried down the stream. People often experience thoughts like, ‘nothing ever works out for me,’ or ‘it’s always going to be this way. Over time, and with practice, you can develop the ability to stand back from these painful thought patterns.”

Researchers are now studying whether mindfulness training can help with a variety of other conditions, including PTSD, eating disorders, and addiction.

Schuman-Olivier is looking at whether mindfulness can help reduce anxiety among people being treated for opioid use. This could help prevent relapse.

Developing Healthy Habits

Being mindful may also help you make healthier choices. Loucks’s team at Brown created an eight-week mindfulness program for people with high blood pressure.

For many of us, this is the first time we have seen such widespread concern over illness and the proposed measures to combat it— and the return to school for kids throughout the country doesn’t exactly help matters. While we can take precautions to avoid contracting disease, once it enters our bodies, it’s our own immune system that is left to fight the battle. When such a battle ensues, we want our internal army to have all the reinforcements it needs.

What Exactly Is the Immune System?

Simply put, the immune system is an intricate network of compounds and cells that defend the body against harmful pathogens. Pathogens are microorganisms that cause disease of which there are five general types:

Viruses

Worms

Now, when any of these foreign organisms enter our bodies, an immune response is usually triggered. However, the timeliness and impact of this initial response depend on a number of factors.

Immunity refers to how well our bodies can resist a particular pathogen. There are three general types of immunity.

Innate Immunity

Innate, or natural immunity is a type of general protection from disease that a person is born with. Even with no previous exposure to a harmful invader, our bodies do a pretty good job of executing a satisfactory attack.

Adaptive Immunity

Adaptive, or active immunity is protection that develops over the course of our lives. When we encounter certain pathogens, our immune cells have ways of remembering them, allowing for a more swift response next time that same pathogen is encountered. Our adaptive immunity develops as we are exposed to disease or when we seek immunization through vaccination.

Passive Immunity

Passive immunity is provided when a person inherits protection from an outside source. Common examples of this include the temporary resistance babies acquire from the consumption of breast milk and the transfer of certain antibodies from one to another through gamma globulin injections.

Antibodies to the Rescue

When pathogens enter the body, specialized immune cells such as the B-cell and T-cell flag the substance as harmful, prompting the production of a very large amount of specialized antibodies which are created uniquely to bind to the matching pathogens.

Antibodies are proteins that essentially act as locksmiths, creating various keys out of protein and sugar which adhere to and neutralize the harmful things that enter our bodies. In addition to the antibody’s role of deactivating the foreign substance, its presence recruits other defense cells, like a road flare pinned to the intruder, resulting in a concentrated attack on the pathogen.

After an infection has been adequately fought, these antibodies remain in our blood for a period of time. Depending on the pathogen they target, some last for a lifetime while others last for a period of months. When antibodies are present, our immune system is armed and ready for another attack.

Signs of Immune System Weakness

It doesn’t take a serious underlying condition to weaken our internal defenses. In fact, studies show that nearly three percent of U.S adults have a weakened immune system. While children tend to have a fairly strong natural resilience, they too can experience weakened immunity if health isn’t a priority. Here are some general signs of immune system weakness:

High stress levels

Constant, nagging sickness or fatigue

Gastrointestinal problems

Strong reactions to common ailments

Frequent infections

Factors that can actively depress our immune system include:

Old Age

Environmental factors such as airborne toxins

Obesity

Poor nutrition

Underlying conditions

Poor sleeping habits

Stress and anxiety

Strengthening Our Defenses

When it comes to the strength of our pathogen-fighting armies, we have a fair amount of influence. Here are some simple ways to boost the immune system, giving it the best chance possible against unwelcome visitors:

Nutrition

In order to create immune cells and antibodies, our bodies need the proper materials. These materials include proteins as well as key nutrients, both of which are rendered from the foods we eat. If we focus on eating healthy foods in reasonable amounts, our bodies will be able to lend us better health.

Exercise

It has been proven that exercise actually helps to increase the production of white blood cells— a fundamental immune system responder. Exercise also helps to reduce stress and works to prevent excess weight gain, two things that negatively impact our bodys’ defenses. Consistent, daily exercise can do wonders for the immune system.

Sleep

Vitamins for AMD: If and What to Take

By Cheryl L. Dejewski

“The number and variety of eye-related health products is daunting and confusing—for both patients and doctors. The dramatic increase came after two major National Eye Institute studies found that certain specific high levels of lutein, zeaxanthin, zinc, vitamins C & E, and copper could significantly reduce the risk of developing advanced Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD) by about 25 percent and the risk of vision loss caused by a certain advanced subtype of AMD by about 19 percent,” says Michael Raciti, MD, a partner at Eye Care Specialists, one of Wisconsin’s leading ophthalmology practices.

AMD is the leading cause of central vision impairment in Americans age 50 and older. AMD affects the ability to see things straight ahead (faces, clocks, signs, text, etc.) and distorts lines, colors, sizes and edges. Prompt diagnosis and treatment are key to protecting quality of life.

Can supplements help fight AMD?

“These nutrients are NOT a cure for AMD and will NOT restore vision already lost from the disease. However, results from the Age-Related Eye Disease Studies (AREDS 1 & 2) showed that they do play a key role in helping people at high risk for developing advanced AMD to protect and preserve their existing vision. Although studies have suggested that a diet rich in green, leafy vegetables may lower the risk of developing AMD, the high levels of nutrients evaluated in the AREDS cannot be achieved through diet and/or regular multivitamins,” explains Daniel Paskowitz, MD, PhD, an ophthalmologist who has conducted continuing education presentations and webinars for audiences of up to 125 referring optometrists.

Which supplement is best?

“For patients who already have AMD, the best vitamin formulation is determined by the stage (moderate v. significant) of their condition and their smoking status (the AREDS1 formula was found to possibly raise lung cancer risk in smokers). Because of the confusing number of eye-related products crowding shelves, to keep it simple and safe for anyone we determine should take a supplement, our practice recommends only using products designated as having the AREDS2 formulation. For example, Bausch & Lomb provided the formulation used in both studies and now sells a “PreserVision AREDS2” soft gel supplement in retail stores and pharmacies,” says Daniel Ferguson, MD, a partner at Eye Care Specialists, which handles the care of thousands of AMD patients.

Can you still take a multivitamin?

Yes. Most AREDS participants safely took both a multivitamin and the supplement. However, to avoid any overdosing of vitamins, minerals or nutrients, patients should review what they are taking with their eye care specialist, primary care doctor, and/or pharmacist.

Should patients without AMD use supplements?

“No. The AREDS and two other recent studies showed that the only people who benefitted from taking the supplements were those with significant AMD. There was no benefit to those with mild AMD. Thus, they are not expected to help someone with no eye disease. A number of supplements are also being marketed for general eye health (especially for people over 50); however, clinical trials have not been performed to determine if these vitamins can prevent the development of AMD or other eye concerns. As such, we highly recommend that patients see an eye care specialist before spending money on these (somewhat expensive) products to determine if AMD is present, how advanced the condition is, and whether or not there are any benefits or risks to using a supplement,” explains Brett Rhode, MD, Head of Ophthalmology at a major Milwaukee medical center and partner at Eye Care Specialists.

Are there precautions to consider?

“Yes. People should be cautious when using any high-dose vitamins and miner- subtle and come and go in the early stages. This means that symptoms may not be noticed or taken seriously by family and friends

Some signs that there may be problems:

*Uncharacteristic behaviors: being sad all the time, rude, anxious, loss of interest

*Illness, medication interactions or depression are some conditions that mimic symptoms of dementia. Only a doctor can diagnosis if it is dementia or another condition. Having a full medical workup can treat a medical condition or determine if it

There is currently no cure for dementia but there are non-drug and drug treatments which can help with slowing the symptoms of dementia.