Currently, there is a multi-state outbreak of measles which began with a child with the disease visiting Disneyland.  Measles is a highly contagious disease for people who have never been vaccinated against the disease.  Most states mandate that children be vaccinated with against Measles, Mumps, and Rubella before enrolling in school.  However, they have allowed for exemptions based on religious beliefs.  Over the years, many parents have used these religious exemptions even though the real reason they don’t want their children to get vaccinated is based on few studies suggesting that vaccines can cause autism.

The measles vaccine (usually found in a combination called MMR) is safe and effective.  If you are not sure you were vaccinated AND are in a profession dealing with children or healthcare, your primary care provider can order a simple blood test, called a titer to check for immunity.  I also recommend a one-time measles booster for any adult planning to travel to Asia, Africa, or South America in the future.

Make sure you protect yourself with good hand hygiene, teaching your children to cover their mouths with the bend of their arms when they cough, and keeping your immune system up.  Make sure you have gotten the flu vaccine.  (It’s not too late!) This is also a good time to locate and review your child’s immunization card.  Make sure your child got ALL the required immunizations.  Adults may also be due for other vaccinations.  Check with your primary care provider about the TDAP (Tetanus, Diphtheria, and Pertussis) vaccine.

Protect yourself and your family!  Vaccines are highly effective and safe!

It’s hard to believe we are almost 1/12th of the way through 2015!  For all of you who have made New Year’s Resolutions to lose weight, eat healthier, get exercise into your daily routines, how well are you doing so far?

Here are some tips to help you get healthier this year.

• Set S.M.A.R.T. Goals.  These are “baby steps” on your way to achieving your goal.  With each step you achieve (no matter how small!), you will gain confidence which can motivate you to go further.  Write down your goals and post them on your desk or refrigerator so you have a constant reminder.
• Don’t have an hour, or even 30 minutes to workout?  Studies have shown that even small bursts of exercise each day can be effective.  I recommend the New York Times 7 minute workout because you can do it anywhere and it doesn’t require any special equipment.
• Partner up with a friend or spouse to exercise together.  Get motivated to exercise!
• Examine your diet.  Are you eating out too much?  Here are some tips to navigate the restaurant menus.  I recommend a low-carb and Mediterranean diet for weight loss and improved cardiovascular health.
• Reduce or cut out alcohol.
• Drink plenty of water.
• Get your Flu shot (It’s NOT too late).  We are in the middle of a very terrible flu season.  Protect yourself and your family!

Holidays are a time to give gifts of food and wine.  In my office, we’ve received many gift baskets laden with chocolates, processed cheeses, and other high fat foods.  While I’m not opposed to gift giving, I do think there should be consideration about the recipient’s health.  What if that person is diabetic or has high cholesterol?

Here are some great gift ideas that will make your loved ones get into healthier habits.

• Gift certificate to a yoga or spinning studio.  Yoga is a great way to destress during the holidays and afterwards.  You can pay for 1 or more sessions.  Some yoga classes can cost as little as $15 dollars per session.  Speaking from experience, Spin classes (cycling to music and a trainer leading the class) are addictive!  Don’t be surprised if your friend gets hooked and seriously in shape.
• Mediterranean diet cookbook.  The Mediterranean diet has numerous health benefits including reducing the risk of heart disease and diabetes.  It’s also extremely tasty.
• Extra virgin olive oil.  A good bottle of EVOO is like a fine wine.  It is usually delicious and can be very expensive.  Olive oil increases good cholesterol (HDL), which lowers the chance of heart disease.
• Gift certificate for a massage/facial at a spa.  Stress during the holiday season can lead to ailments ranging from neck pain, digestive issues, and a reduced immune system.  All types of massage can help relieve tension.
• Fruit arrangements.  These are cut-up fruit on sticks arranged like a flower bouquet that can be delivered.  You can also make them yourself using a whole variety of fruit and bamboo skewers.  These are much healthier than boxes of chocolates and quite pretty themselves.
• Tea and a set of mugs.  You could even splurge on a nice vintage teapot/tea set from an antique store.  Tea has numerous benefits including antioxidants and much needed hydration during the winter.
• Hot cocoa powder.  Many high-end chocolate stores will sell hot cocoa powder.  If made with low fat milk, hot chocolate can be a delicious and calorie-conscious way to get a chocolate fix without the calories.  Milk is also an excellent source of calcium.  The experience of drinking one cup of hot chocolate can be up to 15 minutes for about 150 calories.  Compare that to a chocolate bar that can be double that amount that you eat in 5 minutes.
• Home-baked goods.  When you make cookies or cakes yourself, you can substitute butter for better oils such as canola and reduce the amount of refined sugar.  For example, you could add a ripe banana or applesauce to sweeten your oatmeal cookies naturally.  Brown sugar or honey would be other options.  You will also not be adding preservatives that abound in store-bought foods.  Many of these chemicals can increase your risk of cancer in the digestive tract.
• Gift certificate for sporting goods store.  I always feel more motivated to exercise when I buy a new pair of sneakers or shirt for running.  Encourage your loved ones to get active!
• Set of exotic spices.  Go to any ethnic grocery store and you will find all sorts of curries, sauces, spices, herbs and garnishes.  You can create a colorful gift basket and introduce your loved ones to new cuisines.  Many spices such as turmeric have anti-oxidant properties.  My personal favorite spice blends are:  Garam Masala (India), Five Spice Powder (China), Harissa (Middle East), and Sriracha hot sauce (Vietnam).  People with high blood pressure  on low sodium diets can use these instead of salt to flavor their food.

It’s bitterly cold right now in most parts of the US with some areas covered in many feet of snow.  Here are some tips on how to stay warm and healthy.

• Cover up.  Make sure when you go outdoors, you cover up exposed skin as much as possible.  Make sure your head and neck are covered as these areas lose the most heat.
• Drink warm liquids such as tea.  In traditional Chinese medicine, ginger has properties that can add heat or “yang” energy to the body. Make yourself a cup of ginger tea when you come in from the cold.  Fluids are also necessary to replace the water lost to the dry cold air.
• Avoid alcoholic drinks.  Many cultures believe that alcohol can warm you up.  People often notice that when you drink alcohol, your face turns warm and hot.  However, this is caused by blood vessel expansion called vasodilation.  When this occurs, blood rises to the surface of the skin causing a more rapid loss of heat.  Drinking excessive alcohol can contribute to hypothermia (lowering of body temperature to life threatening range) by making you less aware of the need to stay warm.
• Exercise.  When you exercise, your metabolism increases and your body temperature rises.  Start the day off with some cardio to keep you warm throughout the day.  Do a few jumping jacks before you head out into the cold (not to the point of sweating, but just enough to feel warm)
• Moisturize regularly.  Cold air is dry air.  Your skin can dry out easily.  Use a moisturizer on your skin often, especially after you’ve just gotten out of the shower and your skin is damp.  Don’t forget lip balm to prevent chapped lips.
• Get your flu shot.  When you are exposed to extreme cold, your immune system may become weak making you vulnerable to getting the flu.  Also, when the weather gets cold, we tend to congregate with other people indoors, leading to more potential for viruses such as the flu to spread rapidly.
• Keep an emergency supply of food.  When the weather is bitterly cold or snow makes driving difficult, you’re best off staying indoors and off the roads.
• Dress up before you go outdoors.  About 10 minutes before you head out into the bitter cold, put on your cold weather gear (coat, hat, scarf) and walk around indoors.  While this may look silly, this allows you to accumulate heat within your clothing.  Once you head outdoors and wind starts to blow against your body, heat starts to leave your body immediately.  By warming up the clothing first, you will stay warmer much longer.
• Take a warm bath.  Nothing compares to a steamy bath at the end of a cold day.  Pamper yourself and your body when the mercury drops!

Ebola is constantly in the news these days, and we all should be concerned but there is a more grim side to the story.  While the death rate from Ebola is estimated at over 50%, death from other infectious causes will far surpass the direct casualties of the virus.  Areas of Western Africa including Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Guinea, are the home to diseases more devastating in terms of number of victims and death rate.  These include Malaria, Lassa fever, Dengue Fever, Tuberculosis and a whole host of diarrheal diseases including typhoid fever and hepatitis.  For many decades, money has gone to fight these diseases with great success but we will likely see a reversal of these gains.

With the focus now on Ebola and strained medical resources, there is no doubt we will see a resurgence of deaths from these infections.  Unlike Ebola, these other diseases are much easier to transmit and more difficult to control.  Malaria and Dengue fever are transmitted by a simple mosquito bite. Lassa fever is transmitted by food or water polluted with rodent urine.  Tuberculosis is far easier to acquire than Ebola as breathing the air in the same room as someone coughing can transmit the bacteria!

Diversion of health care focus will negatively impact vaccination efforts against childhood diseases such as polio, measles, and pertussis (whooping cough).  This may also be fueled by the people’s fear to seek healthcare in settings where it could mean exposure to Ebola patients.  If you were a mother with a newborn, why would you bring your child to a hospital with infected Ebola patients for a polio vaccine?  A resurgence of these diseases would mean disaster.  Large migrations of people such as refugees will carry these diseases to other areas. We have seen a precedence for this in war-torn Syria, where there have been polio outbreaks among unvaccinated children.

The emergence of Ebola is like the opening of Pandora’s box.  Many infectious diseases will certainly take advantage of the poor access to healthcare, poor sanitation, and overcrowding resulting from Ebola.  There is no easy answer to quell the epidemic except that a more aggressive approach needs to be taken to improve these and be implemented as soon as possible.