Healthy AND Tasty? Yes, you can have it both ways!

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The holidays would not be quite the same without all the delicious holiday food we enjoy. It’s a time of the year when we are likely to eat too much sugary food and too little of the healthy foods we need. This holiday season, you can give your family foods that are both delicious and healthy. Here are a few tips.

Fruit kebabs: Skewer delicious fruit – strawberries, grapes, watermelon, pineapple, kiwi – then watch it disappear off the plate. Have you tried grilled fruit skewers? Pre-soak wooden skewers in cold water to prevent them from burning, sprinkle with cinnamon, and grill for a few minutes. Enjoy with ice cream.

Chocolate dipped fruit: It looks amazing and tastes even better. Melt dark chocolate in a bowl, dip fruit of choice, and enjoy. Strawberries and banana are ideal candidates for this treatment.

Roasted Chestnuts: Whether you roast them in the oven or on an open fire, chestnuts are a holiday tradition. And did you know that chestnuts, unlike most other nuts, are low-fat? They contain just one 1 gram of fat. And they are the only nuts that contain vitamin C.

Veggies with a difference: Make your veggie dishes as appealing as all the other delicious holiday dishes on the table, otherwise they will get ignored. You can roast a colorful mixed veggie platter, tossed with olive oil and garnished with sprigs of rosemary, or add fruit, such as avocado and mango to a veggie salad.
Healthy Ingredients: Do you have some favorite healthy ingredients that taste great and will transform any dish. Stock up on those for the holidays and add them to your food liberally. They could be herbs, spices, nuts, fruit, or other tasty food items. Tis the season to be creative so be as imaginative as you can.

Try cooking with coconut oil to add both flavor and health benefits to your holiday dishes. Rice or vegetables fried with coconut oil are particularly tasty. It’s great for baking as well. Coconut oil is good for both body and mind.

Mix a bowl of dried fruits and nuts for quick snacks or to put in salads for some extra taste. Dried fruit is packed full of vitamin C and nuts are full of heart-healthy fats and protein.

Cook up a hearty stew with your favorite herbs and spices to flavor it and keep the family warm. Enjoy the food and the joy of family. Happy Holidays!

BACK TO SCHOOL

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It’s not too late for a flu shot: The best way to prevent the flu is to get vaccinated each year. Not too fond of the needle? Most people between the ages of 2 and 49 who are generally healthy and not pregnant can get the nasal spray version of the flu shot. Anyone 6 months of age and older can get the flu shot.

Hand washing: Over and over and over again; Washing hands often with soap and water, for at least 20 seconds each time, helps prevent the flu from spreading. You can’t get the flu from the air, only from contact. Sing “Happy Birthday” twice and you will know you’ve washed long enough.

If you have the flu: Stay home from work and school when you have the flu, to avoid spreading the virus to other people.

FLU TRIVIA… Did you know…

“Influenza,” the name for the virus that causes flu, comes from an Italian word which means “to influence.” In medieval Europe, people thought flu outbreaks were caused by the movement of the stars.

The flu has been around for a long time. Hippocrates, who was born in 460 BC and died in 370 BC, described the symptoms of the flu; so we know it was around in his day.

Why cover your mouth when you cough or sneeze? When we cough, droplets of saliva travel from our mouths at speeds up to 60 mph. Droplets in a sneeze can exceed the speed of 100 mph.

A handkerchief that has been used for only half a minute can contain 15,000 germs. Are you sure you want to keep that in your pocket?

JANUARY 2015 EVENTS

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Blood drive: Jan 9, noon – 4pm. The United Blood Services Bloodmobile will be at Larry H. Miller Dodge Ram Avondale, 10101 W. Papago Fwy, Avondale, AZ. All donors will receive a voucher to redeem online for a free General Admission Ticket to the Waste Management Phoenix Open. Appointment can be scheduled online www.bloodhero.com (please use Sponsor code: LarryHMiller)

Sunday A’Fair: Jan 11, 18 & 25, noon–4pm at Scottsdale Civic Center Park. Free admission. Concerts by the Valley’s top musicians, arts-and-crafts market, and fun activities for children and families. Food from the grill and drinks available for purchase, docent-led sculpture tours in the park and free admission to Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art. 480-499-8587 or www.Scottsdaleperformingarts.org

The Dirt on Compost: Jan 15, 6pm–8:30pm, 11465 W. Civic Center Library, Avondale, AZ. Free, but registration necessary. Compost is the black gold essential to successful gardening with many herbs and vegetables. Discover how easy it is to produce your own magical soil amendment and save space in our landfills. eavila@avondale.org or call 623-333-4422.

Super Saturday: Jan 31, 9am–4pm, Friendship Park, 12325 W Mcdowell Rd, Avondale, AZ. Family-friendly football themed event. Kids Zone, sports and cheerleader clinics, food and expo area, plus a few surprise guests, including All-American NFL wide receiver Cameron Colvin whose life story is subject of the major motion film “When the Game Stands Tall,” which is still in theaters. Free. Entry fee for the flag football tournament.

Mushroom extract, AHCC, helpful in treating HPV

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by Deborah Mann Lake

HOUSTON – (Oct. 28, 2014) – A Japanese mushroom extract appears to show promise in the treatment of human papillomavirus (HPV), according to a pilot clinical trial at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth) Medical School.

The results were presented at the 11th International Conference of the Society for Integrative Oncology in Houston today by principal investigator Judith A. Smith, Pharm.D., associate professor in the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences at the UTHealth Medical School.

Ten HPV-positive women were treated orally with the extract, AHCC (active hexose correlated compound), once daily for up to five months. Five achieved a negative-HPV test result – two with confirmed eradication after receiving AHCC for three months. One patient had confirmed eradication after taking AHCC for an additional two months off study for a total of five months of AHCC treatment. The remaining two women who achieved a negative-HPV test are continuing on the AHCC for two more months, when eradication status can be assessed.

Currently, there is no effective medicine or supplement to treat HPV, which is associated with more than 99 percent of cervical cancer cases. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, several other cancers are related to HPV, including 95 percent of anal cancer, 60 percent of oropharyngeal, 65 percent of vaginal cancer, 50 percent of vulvar cancer and 35 percent of penile cancer.

AHCC is a readily available nutritional supplement that works to improve the innate immune system. Human and preclinical studies have shown that AHCC increases the number and/or activity of Natural Killer (NK) cells, dendritic cells and cytokines, which can help the body fight off infections and block tumor growth.

“The results are very encouraging,” Smith said. “We were able to determine that at least three months of treatment is necessary but some need to extend treatment for up to five months. Since AHCC is a nutritional supplement with no known side effects and other immune modulating benefits, we will be planning on using six months of treatment in a phase II clinical study that is under review. This confirms our earlier preclinical research.”

Smith is director of UTHealth’s Women’s Health Integrative Medicine Research Team, which focuses on the safe and effective use of nutritional and herbal supplements with pharmacologic modalities as they relate to women’s health and cancer.

The above article is based on materials provided by University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston. Materials may be edited for content and length.

THE BASICS ABOUT CERVICAL CANCER

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Each year, more than 12,000 women are diagnosed with cervical cancer, and more than 4,000 die as a result…

The cervix is the lower part of the womb. It connects the upper part of the womb, where the baby grows, to the vagina. Cervical cancer happens when the cells of the cervix develop changes that eventually turn into cancer.

What causes Cervical Cancer?
Cervical Cancer is mainly caused by a virus called HPV (Human papillomavirus). HPV is a group of viruses that are spread through skin to skin contact, such as through sexual contact. HPV is usually harmless, but some types of HPV cause changes to the cells on the cervix. If these changes are not detected in time, they can lead to Cervical Cancer. Other types of HPV cause genital warts and other types of cancer such as penis, anus, vagina, vulva, and throat cancers.

Who is at risk of HPV infection?
More than half of sexually active men and women are infected with HPV at some time in their lives. Most people infected with HPV will have no symptoms and the body will clear the infection naturally. However, more than 12,000 women in the U.S. are diagnosed with Cervical Cancer each year, and more than 4,000 women die.

What can I do to prevent Cervical Cancer?
The good news is that if the precancerous cell changes are detected early, they can be treated before Cervical Cancer develops. Cervical Cancer is therefore completely preventable. That is why it is so important to have a Pap test regularly, as well as a HPV test when recommended by your healthcare provider. Women who are no longer sexually active should still have Pap tests because Cervical Cancer can take as long as 20 years or longer to develop.

What is the HPV Vaccine and who can get it?
HPV vaccine protects against the two types of HPV that cause 70 percent of all Cervical Cancer. Experts recommend that girls and young women ages 11-26 be vaccinated against HPV to prevent cervical, vulvar, and vaginal cancers. Both males and females ages 9-26 can also have the HPV vaccine to prevent against genital warts and anal cancer.

If I’ve had the vaccine I’m immune from Cervical Cancer right?
The vaccine does not make you immune against ever getting Cervical Cancer. It protects you against 70 percent of the HPV types that could cause Cervical Cancer, so you are much less likely to get it. It is still important to get Pap tests regularly to detect and treat any other infection early.

To find out if you qualify for a free or low-cost mammogram and Pap test and where to get screened, call: (888) 257-8502

Heart News

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Here’s a rundown on some of the recent research findings on heart health…

Never too early
Whatever your age, your cholesterol levels and blood pressure are important for your future heart health.
Research has recently shown that the longer you have lived with high cholesterol the higher your risk of heart disease. The research results were published in the journal Circulation last month. They show that at age 55, if you’ve had high cholesterol for 1 to 10 years, you have double the risk of heart disease compared to people who had low cholesterol levels. If you’ve had high cholesterol for 11 to 20 years, you have quadruple the risk of heart disease compared to people who had low cholesterol levels
The study concluded that for every 10 years a person has borderline-elevated cholesterol between the ages of 35 and 55, their risk of heart disease increases by nearly 40 percent.
Another study on blood pressure suggests that young and middle-aged adults with systolic pressure of 140 mm Hg or more (the first number in the blood pressure reading) may have an increased risk for heart disease, stroke and kidney damage in future. Women with high systolic pressure were found to have a 55 percent higher risk of dying from heart disease than women with normal blood pressure. For men, the difference was 23 percent.
Accurate reading
We know that monitoring our blood pressure regularly is important, particularly for people with a history or risk of high blood pressure. And now there’s a more accurate way – ambulatory blood pressure monitoring. You wear the monitoring device all day as you go about your regular business. The device measures your blood pressure at regular intervals and stores the data. You keep a diary of your activity during the day, and doctors use the data from the monitor and the information in your diary to determine whether your blood pressure is high. Researchers found that the data gathered in this manner was up to 40 percent better at predicting future heart attacks, strokes and heart disease than individual blood pressure checks done in a doctor’s office.
Diet do’s and don’ts
Recent studies also provide information on diet do’s and don’ts for heart health. We have known that fruit is good for heart health, and now the results of a study from China emphasize just how important. The study found that people who ate more fruit decreased their risk of getting cardiovascular disease and lowered their blood pressure. Even just one additional portion per day helped lower the risk of cardiovascular disease. Another study established the value of eating avocados. The study found that people who ate a moderate-fat diet, and also ate an avocado every day, had lower bad cholesterol levels than those on a similar diet without an avocado a day, and those on a lower-fat diet and no avocado a day. A study on alcohol consumption and heart health found that even people who only drink light to moderate amounts of alcohol benefit from reducing their alcohol consumption, while new research published in the American Heart Association journal Stroke, found that drinking more than two alcoholic beverages daily in middle-age may raise your stroke risk more than traditional factors such as high blood pressure and diabetes.
Calm mind, healthy heart
Everyone knows that daily exercise is good for the heart, but did you know that yoga has similar health benefits? Researchers at Harvard University found that people randomly assigned to take yoga classes saw improvements in their weight, blood pressure and cholesterol. The calming effects of Yoga could be one of the reasons for the benefits. Certainly, stress is unhealthy. An interesting study by researchers from the University of Pennsylvania has shown that people who are stressed out, as indicated by their angry communications on Twitter, are at increased risk of heart disease.

MARK YOUR CALENDAR

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JANUARY IS…

CERVICAL CANCER PREVENTION MONTH: If you are overdue for a Pap Test, schedule one this month, and remind a friend to get hers as well.

NATIONAL BIRTH DEFECTS PREVENTION MONTH: One of the best and simplest ways for a pregnant woman to keep her baby safe from infections is by washing her hands often. Tell a friend.

NATIONAL GLAUCOMA AWARENESS MONTH: For most people, glaucoma does not have to lead to blindness. It is controllable with modern treatment. See your eye doctor for a checkup.

HEALTHY WEIGHT WEEK Jan 19-25: Stop thinking about dieting. Start thinking about nutrition. Take care of yourself, and be well!

THYROID AWARENESS MONTH: It’s the ideal time to get a TSH (thyroid-stimulating hormone) test to verify that your thyroid gland is in good condition. Talk to your pharmacist and/or healthcare provider about thyroid and other hormone testing.

NATIONAL BLOOD DONOR MONTH: You can give the gift of life this month.

TEN GREAT REASONS TO BE A BLOOD DONOR

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January is National Blood Donor Month. Will you be giving the gift of life?

1. Donating blood is safe and simple. It takes just 10 minutes to donate a pint of blood.

2. You could help save up to three people’s lives every time you donate blood!

3. Every two seconds, someone in the U.S. needs blood. More than 44,000 blood donations are needed every day, according to the American Red Cross.

4. Your blood could help save a woman with pregnancy complications, such as ectopic pregnancy or blood loss before, during or after childbirth.

5. Your blood could help save someone involved in a car crash. A car accident victim may need as much as 100 pints of blood.

6. Blood can only be stored for a limited time. Regular blood donations ensure that safe blood will be available when and where it is needed.

7. You or someone you love might need blood someday.

8. Blood cannot be made in a lab, so the gift of blood to save lives can only come from donors like me and you.

9. You will get a free mini health screening. Before you donate blood, your resting heartbeat, blood pressure, cholesterol and hemoglobin levels will be checked.

10. No special reason…you’re just the kind of person who does good things for no reason at all. That’s just how you are…

You can find a blood drive near you and book an appointment online to give blood at www.bloodhero.com. See the Events section on Page 4 for an upcoming blood drive in Avondale.

HAPPY HEALTHY HOLIDAY TRADITIONS

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“It’s The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year
With the kids jingle belling
And everyone telling you ‘Be of good cheer’…
It’s the hap -happiest season of all…”

December is a month filled with holidays and celebration. If you love the holidays, then the words of the old 60s song that declares this ‘the most wonderful time of the year’ probably puts a smile on your face. Whether you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Bodhi Day, or simply enjoy the season as a whole, we wish you health and happiness! Do you and your family have a favorite holiday tradition? Here are some of our favorites…

Get some music into your holiday
Christmas caroling is an ancient tradition, dating as far back as A.D. 129. This is one tradition that’s guaranteed to get you and your family into the holiday spirit. And it’s free and easy to do – all you have to do is sing. You can do it at home – a good old family sing along with just your family, or invite friends over to join you. Or you can seek out the music wherever it’s to be found – at the mall, a jazz concert or ballet. Why make music part of your holiday tradition? Studies have found that music relieves stress and elevates the listener’s mood. One study found that music’s effect on anxiety levels is similar to the effect of getting a massage.

Light up the mood
Many holiday traditions involve lighting candles. A candle is lit each night for eight nights during Hanukkah. Similarly, a candle is lit on each of the seven nights of Kwanzaa. On Christmas Eve, candles are lit during midnight mass. In our own homes, lighting candles can be a pleasant family holiday tradition. Candles have a calming effect and offer an opportunity to dim the lights and unwind. Don’t just burn any old candles though. Make sure you get beeswax candles, which purify the air as they burn, and are therefore good for your health.

Create a family tradition
Create a new tradition; one that is your very own and makes you proud to be a member of your amazing family. If the weather allows, a family walk, run or bike ride might be a lot of fun. Pick a day and a route, name the activity after your family and even print t-shirts for all the participants. How about a family photo day with a difference? Pick a fun and beautiful location for your family photo and plan a fun photo day. If everyone is having a good time the smiles will come naturally for a great family picture.

Make someone happy
Giving and receiving gifts is one of the most satisfying holiday traditions, especially for children. It’s also a great time for family community service or to give thoughtful gifts to the less fortunate. Not sure where to start? Check out the Volunteer Opportunity Calendar at www.handsonphoenix.org. Studies show that giving is good for your health. Some of the health benefits associated with giving are lower blood pressure, increased self-esteem, less depression, lower stress levels, longer life, and greater happiness. So in a sense, you will get as good as you give this holiday season.

Food challenge
The holidays are about tasty food, not healthy food, right? Wrong. Who said healthy food has to be boring? Here’s a great food challenge: Find ways to make healthy food into tasty food. For instance, you can find ways to prepare and serve fruits and vegetables that gets everyone wanting to eat them, or add a healthy secret ingredient into a fun food like cookies. See the article on Page 3 for some creative tips on this. If you and your family are eating healthy through the holidays you will feel great and be happier.

Get to know the neighbors
What better time to get to know the neighbors than when everyone is in a relaxed holiday mood. But don’t just show up at their door empty handed! Bring them some festive home-baked cookies or another of your favorite homemade treats. Baking the cookies will make for a fun family tradition, and you might put a smile on a few faces with your surprise gifts. Don’t forget to save some of those cookies for yourselves to enjoy after you’re done with your deliveries.

Getting enough sleep? 5 Good-Sleep Tips

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Whatever our age, a good night’s sleep is important for our mental, emotional, and physical health. Here are a few tips…