Dear Patients,
I hope you enjoy this week's newsletter. If you have any questions, comments or suggestions for future topics, please don't hesitate to contact me.
To your good health,
Dr. Beech
docbeech@mdofficemail.com
Ayurveda: Sesame Almond Smoothie for Beautiful Hair
Ingredients:
4 oz. toasted sesame seeds
10 pieces soaked, blanched raw almonds
2 oz. raisins
¼ tsp. of basic spice mix
enough boiled milk or water to make into a smoothie
Instructions: Blend all the ingredients.
Basic Spice Mix
1 part turmeric
1 part cumin
6 parts coriander
6 parts fennel
toast whole spices on low heat, remove from heat and add turmeric. Grind to powder and keep in glass jar.
Mental Attitude: Good News if You are Obsessive-Compulsive
Research that involved questioning nearly 800 university students from sixteen countries shows that 94% of people experience unwanted, intrusive thoughts, images, and/or impulses. These findings confirm that these thoughts are extremely common, which can reassure obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) patients that they are not that different from everyone else in this regard. Co-author Dr. Adam Radomsky explains, "This study shows that it's not the unwanted, intrusive thoughts that are the problem - it's what you make of those thoughts. And that's at the heart of our cognitive and behavioral interventions for helping people overcome OCD."
Journal of Obsessive-Compulsive and Related Disorder, April 2014
Health Alert: Drug-Resistant Germs Found on Cutting Boards!
Swiss scientists analyzed cutting boards from hospital cafeterias and private home kitchens after they were used to cut poultry but before the boards were washed. They found that 6.5% of hospital cutting boards and 3.5% of household cutting boards were contaminated with drug-resistant E. coli bacteria. This could pose a major health risk if the cutting boards are reused before being properly disinfected or if any food exposed to the cutting boards is not cooked at high enough temperatures to kill any bacterial contamination.
Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology, April 2014
Diet: Risk of Food Poisoning Higher in Restaurants
Over the course of a decade in the United States (US), more people contracted food poisoning as a result of eating at a restaurant than eating at home. During this time, more than 1,600 restaurant-related food poisoning outbreaks sickened over 28,000 people while nine hundred food poisoning outbreaks were linked to homes, which affected over 13,000 individuals. Fortunately, the study found that food borne illness has decreased by 42% from 2002 to 2011.
Center for Science in the Public Interest, April 2014
Exercise: Does Specializing in One Sport Ensure Future Success?
Recent research shows that aerobic exercise improves activity in certain areas of the brain as well as the connectivity of those structures. Researchers found that the more fit a person is, the stronger the connectivity in the brain and the better they are at multitasking, planning, prioritizing, and strategizing.
American Association for the Advancement of Science, March 2013
Chiropractic: Increasing Reports of Pain Among College Students
A comparison of survey data from Finnish university students taken in 2000 and 2012 shows an increasing trend of musculoskeletal complaints among that population. Researchers report that 29% of students reported dealing with neck and shoulder-related pain on a weekly basis in 2012 compared with 25% in 2000. Low back pain complaints increased from 10% to 14%, limb and joint pain increased from 7% to 8%, and temporomandibular joint pain increased from 4% to 5%.
European Journal of Pain, March 2014
Wellness/Prevention: Better “Bedside Manner” Affects Patients' Health
A review of 13 clinical trials has found that doctors who have been given training to improve their people skills have patients who respond more favorably in efforts to lose weight, lower their blood pressure, or manage their pain. Dr. Alan Christensen, a professor of psychology at the University of Iowa, adds, “It's important to be able to demonstrate that clinicians can learn to change how they interact with patients, and that it affects health outcomes."
PLOS ONE, April 2014
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