Amerigroup Says Give Yourself the Gift of Health

The holiday season is upon us; it typically includes a lot of overindulgence in food, multiple activities, and stress. So why not give yourself the best gift to give this year: the gift of health?

During this incredibly hectic season, it can be easy to put aside your wellness.

However, Amerigroup says now is an excellent time to focus on your mental and physical health and develop a plan that will allow you to build healthy habits in this upcoming new year. Amerigroup, a NJ FamilyCare managed care health plan, empowers its members to choose and sustain healthy lifestyles through unlimited health education programs and resources.

If keeping up with exams and vaccines schedules seems overwhelming, families can always ask their doctors for guidance. Families who are members of Amerigroup in New Jersey can also get help with scheduling appointments or even with finding care. It is as simple as calling Member Services at 1800 6004111 (TTY 711) or visiting https://www. myamerigroup.com/nj.

Amerigroup Says Give Yourself the Gift of Health This Holiday Season Amerigroup offers the following tips Amerigroup members also have an additional incentive to complete from experts to stay children’s health exams and healthy through the vaccinations. Amerigroup’s Healthy Rewards program pays members holidays and for the for taking control of their health, New Year: which means that members can earn rewards that can be redeemed for various retail gift cards. To • First, get enough sleep - Lack learn more about these rewards, of sleep leads to fatigue and Amerigroup members should depression. visit https://www.myamerigroup. • Try to get in some healthy eating com/nj and log in or register to during the holiday season. manage rewards. Anyone with • Take some “me” time to wind questions or needs help to enroll down from activities. in Amerigroup’s Healthy Rewards • Make sure you and your family program can call 888-990-8681 get your shots for seasonal flu (TTY 711). To learn more about and vaccinations. Amerigroup benefits and to see if • Get regular exercise - even 10 you qualify, please call 1877 453- minutes a day of walking will 4080 or visit www.chooseamerigroup. help reduce stress, according to com/nj most experts. • Start now to make a schedule for your 2023 wellness exams This includes seeing your primary doctor and your children’s doctor’s appointments. • Assess what vaccinations and shots to schedule in 2023

KAHLIL CARMICHAEL THE FITNESS DOCTOR

Kahlil Carmichael MAPCC, MDIV, CPT is the pastor of Live Well Church, in Somerset, New Jersey. He is a fitness specialist at The Fitness Doctor, a fitness and wellness consulting company; and the author of 50 Tips for a Better You. He is a contributor to Guideposts magazine. His first publication, Living Longer Living Better, is available now. Go to www.livewellchurch.org for more information.

Big Grace, Big Gratitude

In this season, gratitude is a prominent thought. Gratitude gives us the ability to give thanks and recognize the blessings in our lives, big and small. I recently spoke to some training clients about something called “10 Mindful Fingers.” The goal is to bring to mind 10 things you appreciate in your life today by counting them on your fingers, an exercise in gratitude. Can you do it? This translates into many areas in our lives!

You may wonder how gratitude can impact fitness. We can show our gratitude by taking care of the bodies we have! Start by making an appointment with your doctor if you haven’t had a physical recently. You must annually evaluate your health and be on the lookout for chronic conditions like diabetes, high blood pressure, etc. Your body is your temple and your health is your wealth. Be grateful; maintain your temple and spend quality time to care for yourself. It takes time and effort to have the proper diet and physical conditioning.

When shopping for weekly groceries, focus on fresh or frozen produce, lean meats, and fish. Try to limit beef to once per week as poultry and fish are easier for your body to digest. A high concentration of beef in the diet can lead to inflammation of the joints and gout. Eating whole, unprocessed foods is the cornerstone to clean eating! Along with that, decrease and eliminate sugar. Sugary drinks add unnecessary calories to the diet and multiple inches to the waistline. If you want to see big changes in your appearance, cut the sugar! A healthy diet will do wonders to help your body begin to heal itself of chronic disease.

It is theorized that to lose weight, it’s 80% about eating properly and 20% about doing the right exercise. Get your doctor’s approval to begin. I suggest hiring a trainer to help you formulate a plan that works for your body type and can help you to get the results you desire. In the meantime, you can start at home with squats, leg lifts, side lifts, torso twists, and stretching. I’ve recorded a balanced workout you can do from home. https://youtu.be/E625Kq64XmQ With your doctor’s approval, start slowly and build in intensity! Remember, all exercises can be modified to be lowimpact. Please make sure to wear the right apparel and shoes for the task–walking, running, or cross-training–so your joints will have the proper support. Your body will thank you!

And where does grace come in? By giving yourself the grace to start again, as many times as necessary. You owe it to yourself. Happy Thanksgiving!

Live well and prosper.

Fitness training is available through the Live Well Church FITCARE program, offered at the Fitness Doctor Studio in Somerset, New Jersey. Please call Karen Beasley at 732-912-4435 to schedule a free assessment.

Disclaimer: The information contained in this column is of a general nature. You should consult your physician or health care professional before beginning any exercise program or changing your dietary regimen.

AFFLICTION WAS GOOD FOR ME!

By Glenda Cadogan

Rev. Dr. J. Michael Sanders

For two years, Fountain Baptist Church Senior Pastor Rev. Dr. J. Michael Sanders lived in resistance to his doctor’s recommendation: a heart transplant. He approached the dim prognosis about his deteriorating health by preparing to die. “In 2014, I had heart bypass surgery; I had a pacemaker and at some point also had a stent inserted,” he explained. His heart condition had afflicted his family for generations. “The doctors had run out of options for care and recommended that I go on a waiting list for a donor heart. But, I just couldn’t wrap my head around the idea. So, in my mind, I accepted the fact that my days were numbered and I made peace with that.”

With this mindset, Sanders put his succession plan for the church he has led for 35 years firmly in place. He wanted everything in alignment when he could no longer serve well or even worse, his demise. He did the same in his personal affairs. “But one day, for no particular reason that I can recall, my mind drifted to the story of Hezekiah when the prophet Isaiah gave him the message to ‘prepare to die,’” he said. The scripture says that the king turned his head to the wall and prayed. The prophet came back and told him that God heard his prayer and had given him 15 more years to live. “Though I cannot recall praying for anything specific, what I felt in the moment was total surrender

For two years, Rev. Dr. J. Michael Sanders, Senior Pastor at Fountain Baptist Church in New Jersey, lived in resistance to his doctor’s recommendation: a heart transplant. He approached the dim prognosis about his deteriorating health by preparing to die.

“Though I cannot recall praying for anything specific, what I felt in the moment was total surrender and I accepted God was leading me, just as he had done throughout my years in ministry. With this peace that came over me, I changed my focus on preparing for death to accepting extended life.”

and I accepted God was leading me, just as he had done throughout my years in ministry. With this peace that came over me, I changed my focus on preparing for death to accepting extended life.” Rev. Sanders put a small support group of ministers together and submitted to being on a waiting list for a donor heart.

The call that a match was available came early on the morning of the first Sunday in June, 2021 amid his preparations for church. Rev. Sanders recalled how the phone rang and on the other end was his doctor at a New York City hospital. “We have a match! We need you to come in,” the doctor said. “I asked if I could come in after Sunday services. He said ‘No! We need you now.’”

Not only did the doctors successfully complete the heart transplant, but that same day they gave him a kidney transplant as well. According to Sanders, earlier during his treatment, doctors noticed potential issues with his kidney. Now, they took the proactive measure of performing the two transplants at once with organs from the same donor. Both surgeries were successful and Sanders says he has experienced no complications since then. “I am so grateful to God, medical science, and my fellowship for this journey, which has definitely been a blessing in my life,” he said in reflection.

Sanders returned to the pulpit of the historic church after seven months of recuperation, on the first Sunday of Advent. His power packed sermon entitled, “Affliction Was Good for Me,” was based on the words of the Psalmist David, who cried out to God: “It is a good thing that I had been afflicted, that I may learn your statutes.” (Psalm 119:71)

“What I went through gave me greater vision and a better understanding of God,” said Rev. Sanders. “I have exceptional clarity about what God can do with and through me, even with my affliction. He added, During my stay in the hospital, I had the opportunity to witness to people from all walks of life, without having to push myself on them. It was then I realized that even in my sickness, somehow and in some ways I can and was being used by God. And that, too, is a blessing.”

Now back with his 1,000 plus congregants in the Summit, New Jersey church, Rev. J. Michael Sanders is not only reigniting the church’s mission ministries both local and foreign, but recreating a path to leadership and fellowship in powerful ways.

In his post-surgery life, he says one of the biggest changes he has seen in himself is a very low tolerance for negativity. “I realize I am more put off by preachers who preach healing by denouncing medical science,” he said. “Too many people are being told that doctors are the enemy of God. Yes, I know and accept that God raised me up through my affliction, but it’s also true that he did so by working through medical science.”

With this in mind, his advice to anyone facing medical issues is simple but powerful: “Go to the doctor! Don’t allow anyone to tell you that all you need is to pray and go to the altar. That has its importance, but you must also do all you can. It’s only when there is nothing more you can do that a miracle is possible.”

The moral of the story is clear. Despite the many wars during his reign, King Hezekiah lived out the rest of his lifetime in “peace and security.” Rev. Sanders is also the president of the General Baptist Convention of New Jersey, Inc.

5 ways to enjoy holiday eating with GERD

You don’t have to miss out on delicious holiday food–you just need to know how to tweak.

1. Beware of refl ux triggers.

Chocolate, peppermint, alcohol and co ee are a few examples of foods and drinks that increase acid secretion. They also relax the lower esophageal sphincter (LES), a ring of muscle at the bottom of the esophagus that normally stays closed except when food is entering the stomach. “This is a problem If you live with GERD (gastroesophageal because when this sphincter is relaxed, food and acid can refl ux disease), you know how fl ow back into the esophagus,” says Dr. Mohanty. “So, try to unpleasant it can be; eating the wrong minimize your intake of these refl ux triggers.” And instead foods at the wrong times or in the wrong of full-caf co ee, consider chamomile or ginger tea, both quantities can cause you hours of misery of which are known to quell acid refl ux. If you’re having an and guarantee a sleepless night. Uptiunt vellabo reicit et, quis everr alcoholic drink, don’t smoke at the same time. “Smoking and or ehenit denimpor autatis et explicte pero delis enihill enihil idebis non pres quis dolor . drinking alcohol together produce signifi cantly more acid and Not familiar with GERD? Think of it as leave the sphincter wide open,” cautions Dr. Mohanty. acid refl ux on steroids. Refl ux occurs when food and stomach acid back up 2. Eat mindfully. into the esophagus, causing a burning Animated conversation around the holiday table can defl ect pain in the chest (heartburn). This acidic your attention from how fast and how much you’re eating, backwash can also cause a bitter taste and overeating or eating too quickly can cause refl ux. or the sensation of “throwing up in your Dr. Mohanty recommends eating smaller portions, particularly mouth.” While most people experience of rich holiday foods like gravy, buttery mashed potatoes, acid refl ux or heartburn once in a while, and cakes and pies. And be sure to pace yourself with sips those with GERD experience more of water between bites. intense symptoms more often (at least twice a week). Talk about dampening 3. Take an antacid at least 30 minutes before a meal. your holiday spirit. Proton pump inhibitors like Nexium, Prilosec, and Prevacid reduce the production of stomach acid, so even if eating does Fortunately, says trigger refl ux, it’s likely to be less painful if you’re proactive Smruti Mohanty, with medications. Director of Gastroenterology at 4. Wear loose clothing. Newark Beth Israel “Tight clothing, such as tight jeans or belts, can exert pressure Medical Center, “it’s on the stomach,” says Dr. Mohanty. “This causes stomach acid absolutely possible to move up into the esophagus, resulting in acid refl ux.” for people with GERD to enjoy 5. Don’t eat before bedtime. holiday eating.” Though there are some “Lying down on a full stomach can trigger refl ux,” says foods you really should try to avoid— Dr. Mohanty, “so try to plan your meal at least two to three such as especially rich, deep fried or fat- hours before bedtime.” (And save that late-night turkey laden foods—in many cases, moderation sandwich for the next day’s lunch.) is key. Here, Dr. Mohanty o ers 5 ways to help make sure your holiday meals are a source of comfort and joy.

World Cup Health Fair & Watch Party

Saturday, December 10, 2022 1:00 p.m.

Live from The RWJUH Courtyard One Robert Wood Johnson Place New Brunswick, NJ 08903-2601

Free Blood Pressure Screening Free Diabetes Screening Fitness & Wellness Education AND MUCH MORE! Registration link: https://form.jotform.com/222924580547158

For more information and to register, please contact: Lakesha.corbitt@rwjbh.org or 732-239-4487 Park in our garage and bring your ticket for validation.

A MATTER OF FAITH

While there are some days that seem to be impossible, I keep praying, and I have

faith and hope that God will deliver. Shawn Banks, waiting for a life-saving lung transplant

Shawn Banks of Newark understands what it means to put the needs of others before herself. A loving wife, mother of four, and grandmother of three, Shawn served as a Case Manager at the RWJBarnabas Health Institute for Prevention and Recovery supporting those in crisis until she began to experience her own serious health issues in 2020.

Doctors diagnosed Shawn with Pulmonary Fibrosis – a lung condition that has grown progressively worse as she now requires the support of an oxygen tank around the clock. Shawn desperately needs a double-lung transplant. Until then, Shawn is doing her best to stay strong by exercising and taking her prescribed medications.

“I am grateful to have an amazing medical team and my family and friends supporting me every step of the way,” said Shawn.

Despite her many struggles, Shawn credits her strong faith in helping her keep a positive outlook. “While there are some days that seem to be impossible”, said Shawn, “I keep praying, and I have faith and hope that God will deliver.”

November is National Donor Sabbath, a time to educate faith-based communities about the critical need for organ and tissue donation.

Please give hope to Shawn and the nearly 4,000 people in NJ waiting for a life-saving transplant by registering today as an organ and tissue donor at NJSharingNetwork.org, making your decision known to your family and friends, and educating people you know about organ and tissue donation and transplantation.

RECOVERY IS WITHIN REACH.

Nobody expects to become addicted to opioids. But it can happen to anyone. Young or old. Athletes and grandparents. Moms-to-be. Luckily addiction recovery is within everyone’s reach. Talk to us about finding the treatment that is right for you or your loved one. Because smiling again is just a phone call away.

A MESSAGE FROM

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration

MAKE ONE CALL 844-REACHNJ