According to the CDC, we are in the middle of this year’s flu season with many states reporting record numbers of flu cases.  The good news is that the flu vaccine is well matched to the flu strains that are spreading around.  Essentially, this means if you get the flu shot you will have better protection with this year’s formulation.  The bad news is that this is predicted to be a pretty bad flu season because the predominant flu strain is an H3 subtype, which often leads to more hospitalizations and death than other strains.

Protect yourself and your family!  Get your flu shot today.  Fortunately, the flu vaccine is in plentiful supply and is available at medical offices and pharmacies.  For 2 weeks after getting the flu shot, be sure to stay away from anyone who has the flu.  The flu vaccine is effective starting 2 weeks after you get the shot.  The pain of the shot is well worth the risk of having to stay in bed for a week or more!  Need more reasons, here are a list of 7 reasons!

This is the time of year that most of us select from a dizzying array of health insurance options and receive information from our employer’s HR department about all of them.  Here are some tips:

• Don’t wait till the last minute, make sure you look through each plan carefully.  Insurance plans vary greatly and choosing the wrong one may impact you in a big way financially.
• If you have children/dependents or are taking expensive medications you generally should avoid CDHP’s (consumer drive health plans).  These plans have very high deductibles, which means you will be be paying out for everything until you hit that deductible.  Though CDHP’s usually have a FSA (which is an account that you can spend for health expenses), the typical visit to an ER or specialist will eat that up pretty quickly.
• Think about how you use the healthcare system now, and your anticipated needs in the future.  Do you go to the doctor for a sneeze, coughs, and colds?  Do you plan to have elective surgery done in the coming year?  If so, you need to pick a plan that will cover these.
• Do you want to stay with your current primary care doctor?  You always want to make sure your medical providers accept your insurance.  If you insurance company suddenly drops your doctor, you may be left with a large bill since your provider is now “out of network”.  Also, if you plan to change doctors, you need to call that doctor’s office to see if they take the insurance to which you are switching.

For more detailed information, the New York Times article,titled “How to Pick a Health Plan” is a beautifully written article on choosing plans.

Your health is your wealth!  Guard it well!

As the weather starts getting colder, it means the start to a new flu season. The flu vaccine is currently in plentiful supply, make sure you stop by your primary care provider’s office, urgent care, or even local pharmacy to get this important vaccine.  The WHO (World Health Organization) has already predicted a bad flu season for 2016-2017, meaning more people will get sick and could possible end up hospitalized this year.  Need more convincing?  Think about what would happen if you got the flu and brought it home to your young children or to your elderly relatives during the holidays?  These are the most vulnerable people and many of them will have more severe complications from getting the flu such as pneumonia.  Protect those you love the most.  Get your flu shot!

Now think about an upcoming event that is important in your life over the next 4-5 months.  Perhaps a much needed vacation, the holidays, a birthday, or wedding.  Next, think about how devastating it would be if you had fever, body aches, sore throat, and lethargic feeling (as you would get with the typical flu) and couldn’t make it to that special event.  I can tell you from experience, having the flu on a beautiful sandy beach in the tropics is one of the worst feelings in the world.  Protect yourself so this does not happen to you, get your flu shot today!

I am a big fan of regular exercise.  It leads to better cardiovascular health, helps you lose weight, reduces stress, and many many other benefits.  As with most things, however, you can overdo it or exercise improperly which can actually lead to health problems.

Here are some pointers to getting the most out of your workouts without getting injured.

1. Pick a safe sport or form of exercise.  I generally advise against full contact sports such as football or rugby.  We are finding that repetitive concussions from head trauma (which is inevitable in those sports) can lead to early dementia and conditions such as depression.  In fact, there have been many pro-football players who have committed suicide as a result of brain injuries.  There are MANY sports to choose from that are safer and can be just as fun.  All it takes is one severe injury and your life can be changed forever.
2. Learn how to exercise by getting a trainer in that sport.  Think back when you learned to drive a car or ride a bicycle.  You most certainly needed someone to teach you these skills.  Every sport has it’s own techniques and equipment that you need to be familiar with to prevent injury.  You must learn these before you get started or you can be seriously injured.  Running even requires that you find the right shoe that fits with your style of running and your foot structure.
3. Pain is your body’s way of telling you something is wrong.  At the gym, I hear some personal trainers telling their clients to  “work through the pain.”  This is often the worst advice.  You should not be in severe pain while exercising.  If this occurs, stop immediately.  If the pain gets worse, you may need to see a medical professional.
4. Wear the appropriate protective gear.  Most injuries occur when people don’t wear goggles, helmets or pads.  I can’t tell you how many cyclists I see who fell off their bikes and got concussions all because they were not wearing helmets.  Think of your head and brain as having the consistency of a watermelon.  If you fall from a height of 6 foot on a bicycle while speeding down a road, that is going to cause a significant amount of force on your head.
5. Cross train.  Running everyday on pavement can be difficult for your knees.  In general, we should try to mix it up when it comes to exercise because you want to use different muscle groups and wear them out evenly.  In my practice, I see dedicated runners with many injuries, but I almost never see tri-athletes (who run, swim and cycle).  I have adapted this to my own routine by following a schedule of running one day, cycling another, and elliptical on the third day, and rowing on the fourth day.  I feel this gives a full body workout with adequate rest for each set of muscle groups and joints in between exercises.
6. Don’t be a weekend warrior.  I recommend regular exercise and avoiding “bursts” of intense exercise.  When you begin exercising, gradually increase the intensity and let your body adapt and grow stronger.

In a recent New York Times article titled “Stress May Counteract Effects of a Healthful Diet”, the author cites a recent study showing that eating a healthy, low fat meal may not be enough.  Stress can create inflammation mimicking a high fat diet.  More and more, we are learning that inflammation in the body leads to early atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries which could lead to a heart attack), diabetes, and high blood pressure.  I make it a routine to screen for stress on my annual physical exams.  I ask my patients, “How well do you feel like you are dealing with stress?”  If their answer is “not very well”, I give them tips on how to relieve stress.  Here is a list:

• Meditate.  It’s no surprise that the word “meditation” differs from “medication” by changing one letter.  Meditation can help with stress.  Don’t think you have enough time?  Even 5 minutes a day can be helpful.  Here’s a list of ways to meditate.
• Exercise can be a great stress reliever.  I prefer aerobic exercise, but punching a punching bag now and then can be quite cathartic too!
• Take a walk in the park.  Many studies have shown that seeing greenery such as trees and plants can lessen anxiety.  Add some plants to your home or office to bring a sense of calm where you need it most.
• Sleep on it.  Getting a good night’s sleep restores our bodies and allows our mind to sort through problems experienced throughout the day.
• Talk to someone.  When you talk about problems with friends, co-workers, family or a therapist, you will feel better and can possibly get useful advice or help with difficult situations.
• Take a vacation.  Statistically, most of us are way overdue for taking vacations.  Oddly enough, a good portion of the working population does not use up all their allotted vacation time each year!  Even a simple weekend getaway to a bed and breakfast nearby can be enough to recharge your batteries.
• Get a massage.  For millennia, the human touch has been an effective way of de-stressing.  It’s not surprising that stress often leads to neck and back pain.  Perhaps combine a massage session with a 30 minute meditation afterwards.