All Good Things Come Full Circle

Dear mysterious blog audience,

Much like my first post ever, this post is going to be somewhat personal.  For the past year, I’ve been blogging from one of the most original, innovative, and inspiring medical departments that I know.  I entered this year as a medical student fairly naïve to academic pediatric integrative medicine and the exposure and knowledge I’ve gained over this past year has been irreplaceable. 

As things tend to go full circle, I’d like to introduce two new aspects to the blog. 

First of all, I’d like to introduce our new blogger, Hanna!  Hanna is the new Doris Duke scholar at ITPCU and this blog will be in great hands.  I’m very excited to read her thoughts and you should be excited as well!

Second of all, I’d like to introduce HEALTHY MONDAYS!!!  For the upcoming posts, we will aim to post at least every Monday with a healthy nutrition, exercise, CAM, or general wellness tip.  Monday is a great day to have a fresh start and try a new change!  By continuing and stacking these changes on top of one another, you have the potential to make a real change in your health.  Go to http://www.mondaycampaigns.org/healthy-monday/ for more inspiration!

Thank you so much for your attention over the past year,

- JK

Stay Safe in the Sun!

We all love vitamin D and a summer glow, but rays from natural sunlight and tanning beds can have some unintended long-term effects.  Harmful side effects from UVA and UVB rays can include: skin and eye cancer, accelerated aging of the skin including thin skin, fine lines, wrinkles, and liver spots, skin rashes from medication interactions with UV rays, aggravation of autoimmune diseases, and cataracts.

Some tips to stay safe in the sun include:

1.    SUNSCREEN!

2.   Cover yourself up – wear clothes, especially long sleeves and pants with SPF protection built in.  Don't forget to wear sunglasses with UVA/UVB protection as well!

3.   Stay in the shade – especially during peak sunlight hours

4.   Use self-tanner or bronzer – but know that they do not offer any protection from the sun!  Don’t let that glowing skin fool you - it's not like a tan.

5.   Eat beta-carotene – Present in carrots, yellow and orange squashes, cantaloupe, and other similarly colored fruits and vegetables, beta-carotene can give you a golden hue.

Looking for vitamin D in other places?  Tuna, salmon, and other fatty fish as well as supplement foods like milk and cereals are a safer way to get your vitamin D.  If you have low vitamin D, contact your doctor or nutritionist for information on how to safely supplement.



This post was inspired by:  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/27/skin-cancer-americans_n_1545757.html?ref=health-news&ir=Health%20News


HAVE FUN THIS SUMMER!

New York City – Only the 22nd in the Country for Health?!

The American College of Sports Medicine recently published a study ranking the “healthiest” cities in the United States.  These rankings were based on a composite score including but not limited to Center of Disease Control (CDC) health reports, area and use of city parks, lifestyle behaviors like smoking or exercise, availability of farmers markets and recreational areas, and public school physical education classes.  From this weighted score, New York City ended up at a disappointing 22 out of the 50 largest metropolitan areas in the USA.  The top 5 cities included Minneapolis, Washington, D.C., Boston, San Francisco, and Hartford.

What does NYC do well?

According to the study, NYC has a……higher percent of city land for parks, higher percent of space used for public transportation, higher than goal of biking or walking to work, and a higher number of primary health providers per capita...to mention a  few.

What could NYC work on? 

NYC’s areas of weakness include a…higher percent of asthma, angina or coronary heart disease, and diabetes, higher death rate from cardiovascular disease, fewer park acres per capita, fewer farmer markets, baseball diamonds, and park playgrounds per capita…for example.

More detailed information on NYC and the other cities can be found at: http://americanfitnessindex.org/docs/reports/2012_afi_report_final.pdf

Get Swabbed!

At last weekend's Hope and Heroes Annual Walk, members from the ITPCU team helped collect over 80 cheek swabs and new registrations in the international bone marrow registry!  

Getting registered is a easy, simple, quick yet incredibly impactful way to save a life.  Registration is quick and easy: just make sure you meet registration criteria and the eligibility requirements (http://marrow.org/Join/Join_Now/Join_Now.aspx?promo_code=DNA&src=CTAJoin), and request for a kit to be sent to you.  And swab away!

Steps to Swabbing:

1.  Rinse your mouth out with a small amount of water

2.  Take one swab and rub the inside of one cheek with circular motions for about 10 seconds.  Try not to touch anything else with the swab.  When done, place the swab cotton-tip side down into the envelope.

3.  Repeat with the second swab on the other side of the cheek.

 4.  Mail the swabs in and you're done!

Note:  While bone marrow donation is designed to be simple and easy, being registered is a serious commitment.  It is incredibly important that you understand the two procedures for bone marrow donation (http://marrow.org/Registry_Members/Donation/Steps_of_Donation.aspx#step2)  and are willing to donate to any patient in need.  It is often heartbreaking for families to learn about a bone marrow match only to have the donor back out later. You can get more information here: http://marrow.org/Join/Your_Commitment.aspx

The "World's Largest Shared Acupuncture Experience!"

Just found this very cool article about the "largest" joint acupuncture session...

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/meryl-davids-landau/shared-acupuncture-_b_1438861.html

I think Columbia can beat this!  Who's interested?

Research Update!

The ITPCU is committed to conducting and disseminating novel research in the Integrative Therapies.  Here are some of our recent and upcoming presentations…

Elena Ladas, MS, RD presented data from an international survey assessing nutrition interventions in pediatric oncology at the Central American Pediatric Hematology Oncology Association (AHOPCA) conference held in Guatemala City, Guatemala on February 23, 2012.

Diane Rooney, MS, LAc, LMT, will be presenting an interim-analysis of our study on the acceptance of acupuncture in children and adolescents undergoing cancer therapy at the 2012 International Research Congress on Integrative Medicine and Health in Portland, Oregon on May 15-18, 2012. Joelle Karlik, our Doris Duke Clinical Research Fellow, will also be presenting on the “Lifestyle Therapy Use in Pediatric Cancer Survivors” at the conference.

Elena Ladas will also present a case series on Yunnan Baiyao use in adolescents in a palliative care setting at the Multinational Association Of Supportive Care In Cancer conference in New York from June 28-30, 2012.

 

Dr. Kara Kelly, current President of the Society for Integrative Oncology (SIO), is working hard to expand the reach of the society to patient advocates, policy makers, and other professionals. SIO’s 9^th International Conference will be held from October 8-10, 2012 at the Albuquerque Marriott in Albuquerque, NM.   

Food Safety!

When you are immunocompromised, you are especially susceptible to any food borne illness therefore keeping your food safe is essential during this time.  By following the FDA’s steps Clean, Separate Cook, Chill, you will reduce the risk the developing a food-borne infection. Detailed information may be found at foodsafety.gov.  General steps can be found below!

FOOD SHOPPING

1. Check expiration dates on food and do not buy or use if the food is out of date.
2. Do not purchase ready-to-eat food from bulk food bins (Breads, nuts, dried fruit, candies)
3. Avoid all food in cans that are swollen, dented, or damaged.
4. Avoid produce that is not bruised or damaged
5. Bag fresh fruits and vegetables separately from meat, poultry and seafood products

FOOD STORAGE

• Store perishable fresh fruits and vegetables (i.e. cucumbers, tomatoes) in a clean refrigerator at a temperature of 40° F or below.   
• Refrigerate all produce that is purchased pre-cut or peeled.
• Beef should be refrigerated it at 40° F and use within two days.  Beef can be frozen at 0° F and use within six months of the purchase date.

FOOD PREPARATION

COOKING

1. Cook foods immediately after thawing
2. All raw foods such as meats, poultry, and entrees should be cooked until they are well-done.  Beef should be cooked to 160° F, depending on the cut.  Chicken should be cooked to an internally temperature of 165° F. Cold foods should be stored <40° F, hot foods kept >140° F.  A home thermometer may help.

STORAGE OF COOKED FOODS 

1. Store leftovers within two hours. By dividing leftovers into several clean, shallow containers, you’ll allow them to chill faster.  Discard leftovers that were kept at room temperature for greater than 2 hours
2. Perishable foods (fruits, vegetables, meat, dairy) should be put into the fridge or freezer within two hours. In the summer months, cut this time down to one hour
3. Do not use leftovers prior to reheating to > 165° F before serving. 

BABY FOOD/INFANT FORMULA

1. Never put baby food in the refrigerator if the baby doesn’t finish it. Do not feed your baby directly from the jar of baby food. Instead, put a small serving of food on a clean dish and refrigerate the remaining food in the jar. If the baby needs more food, use a clean spoon to serve another portion. Throw away any food in the dish that’s not eaten. If you do feed a baby from a jar, always discard any remaining food.
2. Prepare safe water for preparing formula.  Bring tap water to a roiling boil and boil it for one minute. If you use bottled water, follow this same process. Cool the water to body temperature before mixing the formula.
3. Sterilize bottles and nipples before first use. After that, wash them by hand or in a dishwasher.
4. Formula can become contaminated during preparation, and bacteria can multiply quickly if formula is improperly stored. Prepare formula in smaller quantities on an as-needed basis to greatly reduce the possibility of contamination. Always follow the label instructions for mixing formula.

MISCELLANEOUS RECOMMEDATIONS

1. Do not drink directly from cans outside.  Cans should be rinsed and wiped down with water first and then poured into a clean glass for consumption. 
2. Do not drink well water. Bottled or tap water ONLY
3. Remove exterior wrappers before eating.
4. Do not share utensils or eat from the same plate/container with family members or friends.