Sunday, October 18, 2009

Influenza, Eric's Fitness Tips, Please Forgive Me!, Annointed



Greetings and blessings to all in this beautiful Fall! Happy Birthday to Brendan (now 15) and Annika (now 9), and all of you dear special people on your birthdays! We celebrated Brendan and Annika's birthdays, and then early last week found out Annika had influenza A (most likely H1N1, but we do not send off a definitive culture because it takes too long). She missed last week from school and will return tomorrow. We thank God that she has not been very sick, with her highest fever being 99.7, and the rest of us have avoided the illness. I will give you a flu update below. At Northside Family Care, we have been extremely busy handling the flu outbreak and many other illnesses, along with having two staff and one doctor out with influenza. I am praying for all...
"Have compassion on me, Lord, for I am weak. Heal me, Lord, for my bones are in agony." Psalm 6:2
and thank Him that He promises, "I have heard your prayer and seen your tears; I will heal you!" 2Kings20:5

H1N1 Influenza
The government and CDC continue their work to distribute the H1N1 influenza vaccine. Ours and most offices will not be getting the H1N1 vaccine, and we continue to wait the announcement of vaccination sites. Many schools anticipate being sites for vaccination. As it is also in the seasonal flu vaccine, the H1N1 vaccine is available in the live attenuated nasal mist vaccine and the killed virus injectable vaccine. If the H1N1 vaccine had been discovered just 2 weeks earlier, it would have been included in the seasonal vaccine. Children under the age of 9 getting the H1N1 vaccine should get 2 vaccinations, each one month apart.
The CDC recommends the most important to immunize are pregnant women, household contacts and caregivers of children younger than 6 months of age, healthcare and emergency personnel who have direct contact with patients, children age six month to 24 years, then adults who have medical conditions that put them at high risk. People over 60 have developed the H1N1 flu much less frequently, probably from exposure to past flu strains (one benefit of being older!). I will be getting the H1N1 injectable vaccine for myself and all my children when/if it is available. I have already had all my children and family immunized with the seasonal flu vaccine.

Symptoms of infection with H1N1 flu virus are similar to those of seasonal flu, including fever, cough, sore throat, body aches, headache, chills, and fatigue, but with some H1N1 infections it also includes vomiting and diarrhea. The virus can be spread by coughing, sneezing or touching surfaces contaminated with the virus and touching your nose or mouth. You are considered contagious beginning 1 day before the symptoms appear, and at least 24 hours after your fever has resolved.

Most people with flu recover within 1 – 2 weeks without treatment. However, serious life-threatening complications can occur, such as pneumonia. If any of the following symptoms develop, call us immediately – shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, purple or blue discoloration of the lips, pain or pressure in the chest or abdomen, signs of dehydration (dizziness when standing, persistent vomiting, not passing urine, or in infants lack of tears or few wet diapers), confusion or less responsiveness than usual, unusual irritability, seizures or convulsions, severe vomiting or unable to keep fluids down.

Prevention and Control of Influenza

H1N1 and other flu is transmitted through coughing, sneezing, or by touching something with flu viruses on it and then touching your mouth or nose. The symptoms include fever, body aches, cough, fatigue, headache, chills, and sore throat. Tamiflu and Relenza can help speed healing from the flu if taken within 48 hours of flu symptom onset, so please call us right away if you think yourself or a family member may have the flu. Per government direction we cannot write prescriptions for Tamiflu or Relenza to be kept on hand just in case of infection, because we could run out of the medicine for people infected with influenza.

The following are tips and actions to prevent the spread of germs that cause flu and other respiratory illnesses.

1. Healthy Living (all of these help build your immune system)

-get plenty of sleep (at least 7 or more hours a night)

-eat a healthy diet (at least 5-10 servings of healthy veggies and fruits/day)

-exercise regularly (at least 1/2 hour a day 5 days/week of aerobic exercise)

-drink plenty of water (at least 64 ounces a day)

-take your Vitamin D!!! - A large study is to come out the end of the year showing significant help to avoid viral infections in people who take high doses of vitamin D taken for several weeks around viral outbreaks. Vitamin D is a steroid hormone that has profound efects on our immune system, and has been shown already that Vitamin D deficiencies predispose children to respiratory infections. Please read my earlier March blog for more about the vital importance of Vitamin D. During this several week time of the swine flu pandemic, I recommend taking for most teenagers and adults 2000 - 5000iu/day (unless you have had kidney stones or feel you have a special condition/multiple problems that you want to consult us for your own dose). We carry a well absorbed and very inexpensive Vitamin D 5000iu capsule, and if we are not close to you or are currently out of stock (we have been going through a lot), please go to your local good health food store. Once the flu pandemic is over, then return to 1000-2000iu/day, unless we advise you differently. At your yearly physical and well child exams, please ask us to check your Vitamin D level to assess your individual ongoing need.

-take your other vitamins, especially a good multivitamin (in my For Your Health information sheet accessed on our website tabs see an article written by chiropractor and nutritionist Dr. Zimmer about how to pick out good vitamins and supplements), Vitamin C, and omega fish/flaxseed oil

2. Prevention Steps-avoid close contact with sick people-wash your hands with soap and water often (or alcohol based hand cleaners), especially after a cough or sneeze-avoid touching your eyes, nose, or mouth (germs spread this way)-cover your nose and mouth when you sneeze with a tissue-if you get sick with influenza, stay home from work or school and limit contact with others

3. You can find out more information on the CDC website - http://www.cdc.gov/.

Eric's Fitness Tips - More on Nutrition!

More on Nutrition
By Eric Walden
Last blog we talked about how to cut some calories out of your everyday diet. This week I am going to talk a little more in depth about what you should be eating.
At the least, I recommend a 2000 calorie a day diet. The reason why I recommend this is because if you work out for an hour burning around 400-600 calories, your body really only gets 1400-1600 calories for the day. If you only consume 1200 calories a day, then you work out for an hour burning 4-600 calories your body only gets 4-600 calories to function on. This is not enough calories for your body to function. I bet you’re thinking by doing that you’ll just loose the weight faster, right? Not so. If you do this, your body goes into starvation mode. It stores all that it can as fat for energy later.

To help break down the 2000 calories here is what I recommend. Fifty percent should come from carbohydrates, 25% from proteins and 25% from fat. This is a balanced diet for the average person. With that said it can be adjusted for different individuals that have different needs/goals. This break down gives individuals enough nutrients to meet the daily needs.

To break it down even further we can break it down to grams. Grams are how the nutritional value is written on the packages of food. With a 2000 calorie diet it is easy to break down. One carbohydrate calorie equals 4 grams, 1 protein calorie equals 7 grams and 1 fat calorie equals 7 grams. From this information we figure out how many grams of each group you should consume. We already broke it down to 50%, 25% and 25%. Now just do a little math to get how many grams. To get the carbohydrates take (2000*.5)/4= 250 grams. 250 grams of carbohydrates is the amount you should consume in one day. To get proteins and fats use the same equation (2000*.25)/7=71 grams. 71 grams of protein and fat should be consumed each day. When you look on a food label it will tell you how many grams of each of these are in the food you are eating. Be careful because on labels they will tell you the nutritional value for one serving, but there will be more than one serving in the container.

For a weight loss diet I will typically adjust the carbohydrates and proteins. I will lower the carbohydrates by 10-15% and raise the protein value the same. This tells the body to build up the muscle and store less fat. I don’t adjust the fats much lower, because the fat does a lot for joint lubrication. I have done less and I have felt a big difference in my joints because of it.

I hope this has helped you understand nutrition a little better and helps you decide how you should eat. Nutrition can be a very tricky subject and there is a lot of information out there. I like to keep nutrition as simple as possible. With this set up it is easy to add your favorite foods (ie. Dairy Queen BlizzardJ my favorite). The nice thing is you can plan for such indulgences. One of the easiest ways is work hard 6 days a week at your nutrition then allow yourself a “cheat” meal or day. This helps with nerve racking of keeping to a stricter diet. Or you can start out slow and work your self up to the 6 days if you find it hard to start out with 6 days right away. The best advice I can give you is to PLAN AHEAD! By planning ahead you can avoid the pitfalls of stopping at a fast food restaurant when you have healthy food at home. Also by keeping healthy snacks in your purse or desk drawer at work will keep you on track instead of hitting the vending machine.
If you have questions about this article please get in contact with me at eric_walden@waldospersonaltraining.com or by phone at 765-404-7343. I would love to help you meet your goals when it comes to fitness and nutrition.

Family and Faith

For all ages! "Please forgive me for...."

Instead of simply saying yourself or instructing your children to say they are "Sorry", instead instruct yourself and your children to say with any offense, even if it is losing your calmness with your children, "Please forgive me for..." then humbly wait for a response. This has been revolutionary and so much so relational in our Bleeke/Miller household and beyond. I was so happy just the other day for my daughter Annika on her own to ask a friend for forgiveness for not thinking before blurting out something hurtful ("that outfit is ugly"). Please ask God to help you work on this in your household!

"Annointed, Transformed, Redeemed - A Study of David", from the Deeper Still event with Priscilla Shirer, Beth Moore, and Kay Arthur

I, Dr. Miller, am doing this study in my Friday AM woman's bible study this Fall. As with any time deep into God's word, it is great! I have just finished Priscilla Shirer's 1st third.

Annointed
"It is not that we are qualified to do anything on our own. Our qualification comes from God."2Cor.3:5
Priscilla reminds us that we need to be aware each day and each moment of our Lord's annointing upon our life - we have direct access to our most high God (through His word and prayer), and are guaranteed victory and supernatural results when we are obedient to God (and sincerely repentant when we are not). Prayer is the most potent weapon we have for access to God and to turn away Satan. Are we making time with God our priority? Because the better you know God, the better you hear Him. Remember that God is not our personal consultant (where we make the final decision and so He will not be as active or powerful), but the Lord of our lives and the All Powerful God!

Priscilla says.."Discovering that divine guidance is a benefit of the annointing has changed my life in unbelievable ways. Now I approach my time with the Lord and His written word (logos), fully anticipating that He has a specific word (rhema) for me. And since I believe He has direction to give me, I am more willing to patiently wait for His response before moving forward."

My hugs and prayers for all of you such dear and special treasures of God and your families - for health, safety, the fruit of His Spirit, and to be protected from everything except God's glory!
Dr. Lisa