4th Quarter 2019

5 Vaping Facts You Need to Know

Michael Joseph Blaha, M.D., M.P.H.

If you have thought about trying to kick a smoking habit, you’re not alone. Nearly seven out of 10 smokers say they want to stop. Quitting smoking is one of the best things you can do for your health — smoking harms nearly every organ in your body, including your heart. Nearly one-third of deaths from heart disease are the result of smoking and secondhand smoke.

You might be tempted to turn to electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) as a way to ease the transition from traditional cigarettes to not smoking at all. But is smoking e-cigarettes (also called vaping) better for you than using tobacco products? Can e-cigarettes help you to stop smoking once and for all? Michael Blaha, M.D., M.P.H., director of clinical research at the Johns Hopkins Ciccarone Center for the Prevention of Heart Disease, shares the

truth about vaping.

1: Vaping Is Less Harmful Than Traditional Smoking. E-

cigarettes heat nicotine (extracted from tobacco), flavorings and other chemicals to create a water vapor that you inhale. Regular tobacco ciga-rettes contain 7,000 chemicals, many of which are toxic. While we don’t know exactly what chemicals are in e-cigarettes, Blaha says “there’s almost no doubt that they expose you to fewer toxic chemicals than traditional cigarettes.”

2: Vaping Is Still Bad for Your Health. Nicotine is the primary

agent in both regular cigarettes and e-cigarettes, and it is highly addictive. It causes you to crave a smoke and suffer withdrawal symptoms if you ignore the craving. Nicotine is also a toxic substance. It raises your blood pressure and spikes your adrenaline, which increases your heart rate and the likelihood of having a heart attack.

Is vaping bad for you? There are many unknowns about vaping, including what chemicals make up the vapor and how they affect physical health over the long term. “People need to understand that e-cigarettes are po-tentially dangerous to your health,” says Blaha. “You’re exposing yourself to all kinds of chemicals that we don’t yet understand and that are proba-bly not safe.”

3: Electronic Cigarettes Are Just as Addictive as Tradi-tional Ones. Both e-cigarettes and regular cigarettes contain nicotine,

which research suggests may be as addictive as heroin and cocaine. What’s worse, says Blaha, many e-cigarette users get even more nicotine than they would from a tobacco product — you can buy extra-strength cartridg-es, which have a higher concentration of nicotine, or you can increase the e-cigarette’s voltage to get a greater hit of the substance.

Vaping burns are rare, but they can be serious, according to the FDA, espe-cially if the device catches on fire while in the owner’s pocket. Here’s what you should know if you get burned by a vape pen or e-cigarette.

4: Electronic Cigarettes Aren’t the Best Smoking Cessa-tion Tool. Although they’ve been marketed as an aid to help you quit

smoking, e-cigarettes have not received Food and Drug Administration approval as smoking cessation devices. A recent study found that most

people who intended to use e-cigarettes to kick the nicotine habit ended up continuing to smoke both traditional and e-cigarettes.

5: A New Generation Is Getting Hooked on Nicotine. Among youth, e-cigarettes are more popular than any traditional tobacco product. In 2015, the U.S. surgeon general reported that e-cigarette use among high school students had increased by 900 percent, and 40 percent of young e-cigarette users had never smoked regular tobacco.

According to Blaha, there are three reasons e-cigarettes may be particular-ly enticing to young people. First, many teens believe that vaping is less harmful than smoking. Second, e-cigarettes have a lower per-use cost than traditional cigarettes. Finally, vape cartridges are often formulated with flavorings such as apple pie and watermelon that appeal to younger users.

Both youths and adults find the lack of smoke appealing. With no smell, e-cigarettes reduce the stigma of smoking.

“What I find most concerning about the rise of vaping is that people who would’ve never smoked otherwise, especially youth, are taking up the hab-it,” says Blaha. “It’s one thing if you convert from cigarette smoking to vaping. It’s quite another thing to start up nicotine use with vaping. And, it often leads to using traditional tobacco products down the road.”

Does Vaping Lead to Smoking? Vaping and e-cigarettes are some-times promoted as ways to help cigarette smokers quit. But what about the reverse? Can vaping lead to regular cigarette smoking later on?

Want to Quit Smoking? There’s

a strong link between smoking and cardiovascular disease, and between smoking and cancer. But the sooner you quit, the quicker your body can re-bound and repair itself. Talk to your doctor about what smoking cessation program or tools would be best for you.

HELP PREVENT THOSE COMMON ILLNESSES FROM SCHOOL

Now that your kids are in school, they will be exposed to different infections from bacteria and viruses such as colds, flu, pink eye, strep throat or stomach flu. To help stave off these illnesses, one helpful tips is PREVENTION:

Teach kids to wash their hands properly and often, especially before eating and after using the bathroom. They should also be reminded to always wash their hands after sneezing or coughing. Kids should also use alcohol sanitizer in school, especially during cold and flu season. And remind kids to not share drinking cups or eating utensils at school. Remind them to not to touch their eyes, nose, or mouth. You can also help keep your child's immune system healthy by making sure they get enough sleep, eat a healthy diet, and get lots of exercise.

When to Call the Doctor For any illness, call your pediatrician if you see any of the following symptoms: Difficulty breathing High fever (103 degrees or higher) No fever but acting ill ("If a child has a low-grade fever but appears to be ill, that's more concerning than if he has a high fever but is acting like himself," says Dr. Bernstein.) Dehydration (Signs include little to no urine production, sluggishness, and dry mouth) Lack of appetite and refusing food that lasts for more than a couple of days.

https://www.verywellfamily.com/common-illnesses-kids-pick-up-in-school-4082248

CHILDHOOD CANCER

AWARENESS MONTH Domestic Violence

Awareness Month

American Diabetes

Month

HEALTHY AGING MONTH National Breast Cancer

Awareness Month

National Family Care-

givers Month

NATIONAL YOGA

AWARENESS MONTH

Mental Illness Awareness

Week (10/6-10/12)

National Alzheimer’s

Disease Awareness

Month

NATIONAL SUICIDE

PREVENTION WEEK (9/8-

9/14)

World Food Day (10/16) Great American Smoke

Out November 21

National Women’s

Health and Fitness

Day (Sept. 25)

National Bullying Prevention

Month

World’s AIDS day (12/1)

HEALTH AWARNESS HIGHLIGHTS

CONCUSSIONS

A concussion is a mild injury to the brain. There are over 3 million cases of concussions per year., In Colorado in 2016-17 there were 330 cases. Sixty eight were athletes with an additional 45 suspected cases that were not seen by a medical provid-er. Most cases occur to people between the ages of 3 to 40 but can occur at any age. There is no specific cure for a concussion. You do not have to lose consciousness to have a concussion. Sometimes a concus-sion is referred to as a traumatic brain injury (TBI). A concussion should always be taken seriously even if it is called mild. A concussion is usually caused by a blow to some kind to the head.

A medical provider should be involved in your care if you have a concus-sion because in rare cases severe problems can develop. If you have a headache after concussion it is okay to take Tylenol for the headache but if the pain is more severe and requires more than Tylenol then medical care should be sought out. The main treatment consists of “brain rest”, staying away from screen time and strenuous physical activities.

Serious symptoms that you should seek immediate help from your pro-vider include: Headaches that get worse, last a long time or is severe; confusion, extreme sleepiness or trouble waking up; vomiting 3 or more times; weakness, numbness or trouble walking or talking; a seizure or convulsion; sudden change in thinking or behavior.

Symptoms of a concussion can list 6 weeks or sometimes longer. People with 4 or less symptoms recover faster. A person is more vulnerable in the first 10 days after a concussion; symptoms should gradually get better over time. If symptoms get worse, you need to contact your

medical provider. It is important to do several things to help your symptoms subside. Go to bed at the same time and get up at the same time every day. Try to relax before bedtime. Make your bed-room comfortable. Stay hydrated with water and limit caffeine. Avoid energy drinks. Eat healthy foods. Avoid sugar.

Information compiled by Glenda Cain, FNP

Heirloom Tomato Salad with Charred Corn & Pepper Salsa Prep: 30 min “The roasted pepper and corn salsa that tops this gorgeous tomato salad has a kick from the tart sherry vinegar and moderately spicy and fruity Aleppo pepper. Red-wine vinegar and ground ancho chile are good alternatives. Grill some chicken, fish or other protein along with the corn for an easy summer dinner.” Ingredients 4 ears corn, husked 1 cup chopped jarred roasted red peppers, liquid in

the jar reserved 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar plus 2 teaspoons, divid-

ed 1¼ teaspoons Aleppo pepper, divided ½ teaspoon chopped fresh summer savory or orega-

no 2¼ pounds heirloom tomatoes ¾ teaspoon flaky sea salt ½ cup crumbled queso fresco D ir e c t i o ns Preheat grill to medium-high. Grill corn, turning occasionally, until lightly charred and tender, 8 to 12

minutes total. Cut the kernels from the cobs. Combine in a medium bowl with roasted red

peppers, 2 teaspoons of the liquid from the jar, oil, 2 tablespoons vinegar, 1 teaspoon Aleppo pepper and savory (or oregano).

Slice tomatoes. Toss with salt and the remaining 2 teaspoons vinegar in a large bowl. Arrange the tomatoes on a platter and top with the corn salsa, queso fresco and the remaining ¼ teaspoon Aleppo pepper.

Foresight Family Physicians Newsletter 4th Quarter 2019

10 Surprisingly Healthy Snacks for Kids (Will Satisfy

and fuel your busy child)

Popcorn (whole grain)

Frozen Orange Ice Pops( orange juice, nonfat Greek Yogurt)

Oatmeal Chocolate snack cakes

Peanut butter (with apples, bananas, celery, whole grain crackers)

Cheese (with apple slices or carrot sticks)

Pizza (with healthy toppings such as olives, pineapple, ham)

Chocolate dipped fruit and nuts

Grilled Cheese

Crisp Rice Treats

Chips and dip (pita or tortilla chips with humus, black bean or salsa dip)

https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/packages/recipes-for-kids/healthy-meals-for-kids/10-surprisingly-healthy-snacks-for-kids

Soft Drinks….Regular soda and diet soda are both

dangerous to our health

We know that drinking regularly sweetened sodas and artificially sweetened sodas increase our risk of obesity, heart disease and diabetes. In a new study just released, researchers studied over 450,000 men and women, throughout 10 European countries who drank regularly sweetened soda and soda sweetened with artificial sweeten-ers. Both sodas are detrimental to our health. According to an article in JAMA, International Medicine, consuming both types of soda led to a higher risk in death from all causes. The studied showed that consum-ing artificially sweetened sodas increased the mortality rates from circu-latory diseases while drinking regular sodas were associated with in-creased mortality rates from digestive diseases.

As with everything that we choose to eat and drink, it may be unrealistic to stop drinking soda completely. However, drinking a soda one time a week will help to decrease our risks of all diseases. We all know that drinking 60-70 ounces of water daily is the best option for our health, is the most economical and trying to wean ourselves off of daily soda would be the best option. Save the soda for a special occasion. If you have any questions regarding soda or would to learn ways of managing your soda intake, please contact the office at 970-242-2660.

I Don't Want To Be A Doctor For The Following Reasons

If I were a pathologist I'd be in a dead end job.

If I were a biologist I'd be in jeans all the time.

Anesthesiology would put me to sleep.

Cell specialists are too cultured for my taste.

I can't stand podiatry.

I can't see myself as an ophthal-

mologist.