By Vicki Holmes MD, NCMP
Snoring seems to be a common problem as people age. It can be rather annoying but can also be dangerous. Snoring may be a sign of significant obstruction of the upper respiratory tract.
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By Vicki Holmes MD, NCMP
Snoring seems to be a common problem as people age. It can be rather annoying but can also be dangerous. Snoring may be a sign of significant obstruction of the upper respiratory tract.
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By Sarah Nixon-Jackle RN, BScN, NCMP
What Is Marijuana?
Recently I had the opportunity to seek and review information about how the foods we eat contribute to our mental well-being. We know how valuable healthy, unprocessed foods are to our physical health. The focus of research and mental health advice is now focussing on the foods we eat and our gut biome (the healthy bacteria in our gut that create health) and inflammation.
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Look for Non-Alcoholic Sparkling Cranberry Tea Recipe
By Donnelly Sellars, RD
In the heat of summer, a slushy cocktail, an ice cold beer or a cold glass of sangria can be the ultimate refreshment. When fall comes around, nothing beats the chill like a glass of wine by the fire, or coffee with a hint of liqueur. Alcohol is one of those things that has divided research; on one side, there are apparent heart health benefits to having 1-2 drinks per day. There are also health risks associated with overconsumption, but some are linked to a moderate amount.
17% of men are affected with OSA, while 9% of women 50-70 years of age have OSA, that rises sharply after menopause. It is one of the most common sleep disorders that affect women during perimenopause.
We screen for OSA during the initial interview with women we see at our clinic. We have referred over a hundred women to the Sleep Program and 49% had a positive diagnosis of OSA.
OSA is recurrent episodes of partial or complete collapse of the upper airway during sleep. Partial collapse leads to lower oxygen in your blood and total or complete collapse leads to apnea or cessation of breathing.
These episodes lead to a drop in oxygen levels, short periods of wakefulness, sleep fragmentation, daytime sleepiness and impairment in quality of life.
There are many adverse effects of this drop in oxygen. It is associated with a surge in blood pressure that can lead to elevation even in the wakeful times.
Usually our blood pressure drops about 10% during the night. If it does not, it becomes an independent risk factor for worse cardiac outcomes and more organ damage from high blood pressure.
Patients with TIA’s, commonly called “mini-stroke” or “mild stroke” have a high prevalence of OSA at60-80%.
A recent study from Japan showed that after angioplasty or MI, those with OSA were more than twice as likely to have heart failure, heart attack or stroke in the next five years. It’s SO IMPORTANT to recognize and treat this!
OSA is associated with
DO YOU HAVE OSA?
A simple screening tool that can be used to detect sleep apnea is the STOP-BANG questionnaire:
A score of 3 or more indicates a high risk of obstructive sleep apnea, and further investigation is appropriate.
WHAT CAN YOU DO IF YOU HAVE OSA?
1.Lose weight
This is a common serious condition, increasing as we age. OSA is under-diagnosed because people assume that snoring is normal. When there is a prolonged phase of not breathing, you should see your doctor as soon as possible for appropriate tests.
Sadly, many of us have started to rely on highly processed convenience foods, thinking they will save us time in our oh-so-busy life. Well, it may save time in the short term, but the long term mental and physical health deficits are going to cost us dearly in time, expense and most importantly, our compromised health. This quote from the Journal of Anthropology gives us a hint:
“The transition away from whole-foods diet based on nutrient rich vegetables, fruits and whole grains – to a steady fare of nutrient-poor, high-calorie and highly processed foods is associated with increases in depression and other mental disorders.”
Mood disorders are common with one in five adults diagnosed with depression, anxiety or bipolar disorder. In 2014, researchers from the University of Newcastle in Australia concluded that a high intake of fruits, vegetables, fish and whole grains protected against depression.
Here is more information and tips about food and mood to get you on the right path:
Some of you are already on the journey of reorganizing your diet to improve your mood and over all wellbeing. If this is new to you, enjoy the journey of learning. It’s all about changing how we eat.
Some additional resources that may help you are:
So let’s break it down. First we need to define what “moderate” and “a drink” means. Moderate drinking is defined as no more than one drink per day for women, and one to two drinks per day for men. The drinking pattern is more important than the amount. Having one drink per day versus saving all of your drinks until Saturday and having seven margaritas, is more significant than a woman occasionally having two or three beer with dinner.
When it comes to the definition of “a drink”, the guidelines are fairly consistent. One drink is 355 mL (one can or bottle) of 5% alcohol beer, 145 mL (2/3 cup) of 12% alcohol wine, or 45 mL (1.5 oz) of 40% alcohol. Serving sizes of liqueurs and higher alcohol content beer and wine amounts will vary.
What are the potential benefits to moderate drinking?
The risks are dependent on how much and how often you drink. Looking beyond the most well-known risks such as potential for addiction, dehydration, lowered inhibitions and hangovers, here are a few others:
The choice to drink in moderation is up to you. The important thing is being informed on the risks and rewards! For more information check out this website: https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/alcohol-full-story/
Non-Alcoholic Sparkling Cranberry Tea
If you need something refreshing on a hot day – try this non-alcoholic iced tea!
Servings: 6
2 cups unsweetened, cold tea
2 cups cranberry juice (can use low calorie juice to decrease the amount of sugar)
2 cups sparkling water or club soda
Lemon/lime slices for garnish
NOTE: To avoid the tea going flat over time, you can pour 2/3 cup of juice/tea blend over ice and top up with the sparkling water or club soda in the glass.
Nutrition Information (per 1 cup):
Calories 40 calories
Protein 0 g
Fat 0 g
Carbohydrates 9 g
Fibre 0 g
The North American Menopause Society website hosts excellent resources for midlife women at www.menopause.org
Dr. Marla Shapiro hosts a series of interviews with experts in their field of menopause practice. You will know Dr. Shapiro from her role as medical consultant for CTV.
Topics currently posted are (and more to come):
Sexual Health and Menopause Online is a separate resource full of information and troubleshooting about changes many women experience with regard to sex. Check it out, it's excellent!
These are just a sampling of resources on this website.
Watch for Dr. Vicki Holmes on CTV News at Noon with Jeff Rogstad. A series of short segments on women’s health topics will be presented on some Mondays during the noon show. Jeff is planning to set up a bulletin board on the CTV site to host archived editions. Each topic will have a handout which will be on our website www.menopausecentre.org.