Vegas Voice 3-18

By: Mary Richard / Health Fitness
Are you one of those people (like me) who
occasionally gets a “sleepless” night, where
the brain just does not want to shut down? I get
them frequently and have tried different methods to get those needed
hours of sleep.
A good night’s sleep can also help decrease the risk of dementia. And
I don’t know about you - but I intend to prolong or even eliminate the
possibility of me getting dementia or Alzheimer’s!
How much sleep is enough? There is no magic number, but the
National Sleep Foundation suggests adults aim for at least seven hours
of uninterrupted sleep per night.
First, make sure you are setting yourself up for bedtime success.
Stick to a regular schedule, trying to get to sleep and waking up at
approximately the same time each day.
I find myself very tired after working a long shift at The Smith Center.
When I arrive home, it sometimes is difficult for me to relax and get
into the “sleep” mode.
If sleep escapes you, don’t toss and turn in bed. Get up, read a book,
or listen to some soothing music until you feel sleepy.
Avoid eating or drinking anything with caffeine or highly acidic
foods at least two to three hours before bedtime. Exercise is terrific, but
if you work out too close to bedtime, you may find it interferes with
falling asleep.
Still wide awake? If you experience chronic insomnia, make sure to
tell your doctor of your concerns so that you may be able to rule out
more serious causes, such as sleep apnea. Sleep apnea is a breathing
disturbance that wakes the sufferer throughout the night and can
cause some serious consequences.
When you sleep poorly, your mood, memory, creativity and problemsolving
capabilities suffer.
Try different methods to relax at least a few hours before bedtime and
with proper sleep, you’ll wake up more refreshed, feel better and have a
greater lookout on life.
POSITIVE ATTITUDE AND HAPPY HEALTH TO ALL!
32 March 2018
Sleep and the Aging Brain
Mary Richard was crowned Ms. Senior Nevada 2006, was first
runner-up for Ms. Senior America 2006 and is a life-time dancer.
Mary can be reached at mary-vegasvoice@cox.net.
How Are Those Golden Years?
By: Kyo Mitchell / A Healthier You
“
I have numerous aches and pains. I’m
fatigued. I spend all my time going to doctors.
I’m taking twelve different pills and yet nothing
really seems to be getting better. I’m just simply falling apart.”
I have heard this too many times from far too many patients. Have
you ever wondered why some people have little in the way of health
problems or pain while others suffer quite a bit as they get older? I
have wondered about this.
One day, a patient of mine asked if I had read Dr. Steven Gundry’s
book “The Plant Paradox.”
I am always willing to learn and love to read but I am always
skeptical of the “latest fad” in nutrition or health care. To say that I
have been impressed by this book would be an understatement.
I always try to challenge myself to find more effective ways to treat
medical problems that are difficult for any discipline to treat. The
three I was predominantly focusing on were obesity, type 2 diabetes
and autoimmune diseases. These three have become epidemic in our
culture and are the cause of much suffering.
Dr. Gundry does an amazing job of explaining how changes in
our diets (from when we were hunter-gatherers to our current
diet) cause changes in our bodies which lead to obesity, type 2
diabetes, autoimmune diseases, fatigue, muscle wasting, dementia,
Parkinson’s disease and arthritis, just to name a few.
Dr. Gundry is not so much telling you what you should eat as
what you should NOT
eat – those things that
damage the body over
time. It should be noted
that this is not a quick
fix. The book provides
a logical means of
changing aspects of
one’s diet to eliminate
causative factors which
give rise to many
medical problems.
If you are tired of
suffering or if you are
tired of taking a lot of
pills, you might think
about picking up this
book and applying it.
The only thing you
have to lose is your pain
and health problems.
Dr. Kyo Mitchell served as faculty at Bastyr University in Seattle
and Wongu University in Las Vegas for over a decade. Dr. Mitchell
practices in Summerlin and can be reached at 702-481-6216 or
rkyomitchell@gmail.com.