Getting Healthy During The COVID-19 Pandemic

Many of us, actually all of us, are now at home minimizing our contact with others.  Per local experts, this weekend and through the next week, Houston will likely see the most cases of COVID-19 yet.  This means the hospitals will continue to fill up and our available ICU beds will continue to decrease.  Officials have issued the "Stay-at-home" and I know many of you whom I have spoken with on the phone are doing your best to follow these guidelines.

For many of my patients, social distancing is extremely important because so many of you are considered "high risk" for serious complications if infected with COVID-19.  Therefore, we are doing our best to treat whatever issues you have from home when possible, saving you a trip to an ER or hospital where you could become infected.

But many of you are also going a bit "stir-crazy" at home.  There is something about the human mind that does not like being confined.  And so, as time languishes on, this stay-at-home becomes less and less pleasant for some.

The question I have is:  how are you spending that time at home?   More importantly, could you use the time to begin some new healthy habits that usually you are "too busy" to try...? 

Yes, Im talking about improving your diet and increasing your exercise!

As an example, here at Casa Aliota we are researching new and healthy recipes and trying to put them in place of old staples in our diet.  Since we do not have a food shortage in Houston, there is still access to fresh vegitables and fruits.  Our goal is to have at least one full salad, filled with vegitables a day.  Our new "healthy salad" looks like this:

Spring mix (or any lettuce you prefer)

1 cubed yellow squash

1 chopped avocado

1 cubed medium cucumber

1 carton of small cherry tomatos

1 diced yellow pepper

1 chopped green onion

To make it more of a meal, we then add grilled or steamed chicken, or even 99% fat free turkey that has been browned on the stove (seen here in the picture.)

The most important thing is to set some personal goals during this time, take your medicines regularly, and try to get some basic exercise so that do you not decondition.

Intensive Blood Pressure Control Could Extend Your Life

Cardiovascular Business (2/27) reported “an analysis of the 2015 SPRINT trial has found that, if participants continued taking their antihypertensive medications for the remainder of their lives, intensive blood pressure control could add between six months and three years to their lifespan.” Moreover, “the effect was most pronounced in patients who started intensive BP control at a younger age.” Specifically, “the study’s investigators concluded that, over time, reducing BP lower than normal targets could reduce overall death rates by 27% for adults at an increased risk for heart trouble,” according to findings published in JAMA Cardiology.

HealthDay (2/28, Preidt) reported the “landmark trial published in 2015 showed that intensive blood pressure control could reduce overall death rates by 27% for adults with high heart disease risk, but patients might not fully understand how that affects them, the study authors noted,” so they “decided to reframe the findings to be more meaningful for patients.” Their “analysis did not account for potential risks associated with intensive blood pressure control, such as kidney injury and low blood pressure, the study authors noted.”

- ACC CV news digest

Weight Reduction Can Reduce Atrial Fibrillation

As provided by the American College of Cardiology:  Weight management is associated with a reduction in atrial fibrillation (AF) symptom burden. 

In the LEGACY (Long-Term Effect of Goal-Directed Weight Management in an Atrial Fibrillation Cohort) trial, 335 patients with BMI >29 kg/m2 were offered weight management assistance and followed for 5 years. 

Weight loss of ≥10% of body weight resulted in a sixfold greater probability of arrhythmia-free survival at 5 years. 

A More Active Lifestyle Lowers the Risk of Death

This NOT new news - the more active you are, the healthier you are.  Most recently I posted an article about decreased rates of dementia in people who exercise.  Another study published recently in the British Medical Journal looked at activity and how it correlates to the risks of death.  The researchers found in people who are more active, the risk of death from cardiovascular events is reduced 29%!  Even the chance of dying due to cancer drops 11%!

How much exercise do you need? 

The ultimate goal of exercise is either 2 and 1/2 hours of moderate exercise, or 1 and 1/2 hours of vigorous exercise (these are the minimums).  Said another way, this is about 20 minutes of daily walking.  Of course - you can always do MORE!

>>Read the summary here on MedicalNewsToday.com

>> Read the original article here.

6 Ways to Reduce the Chance of Dementia

We are learning more and more about how to prevent dementia as we age.  More than issues with our joints, or cardiovascular system, most people fear the deterioration of their mind as they age.  Here are the 6 things recommended by Caroline Muggia to slow dementia (Read the original article here):

1. Get regular exercise
2. Stop smoking
3. Avoid heavy alcohol consumption
4. Keep your weight under control
5. Eat a healthy diet
6. Control your risk factors (blood sugar / glucose / blood pressure)

In addition to those things mentioned above, other experts have recommended constantly learning new tasks, reading books that make you laugh, and meditation ... as proven ways to slow down dementia.