The Millstone Times December 2018

HEALTH 

 WELLNESS

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Did you know that falls are the most common cause of fatal and non-fatal injuries in the elderly? And colder weather brings sluggish joints and less blood flow to the body and the brain. This leads to slower reaction times and more unsteadiness. 1 out of 4 people aged over 65 falls every year. Over 3 million injuries are treated annually in the ER. Over 55 billion dollars are spent on treating the elderly due to falls, of which Medicare and Medicaid shoulder 75% of the cost. Not only is the fall a disastrous event, the after effects of depression, physical decline, feeling of helplessness, and isolation all are very common. This also leads to increased stress for the family or immediate caretaker.

Your podiatrist, Dr. Sanjay Gandhi , is an active participant in the National Fall Prevention Program. This includes a podiatric and gait examination to check for risk factors of falling. If you qualify, you are entitled to balance braces that keep your legs from “wobbling” or “teetering”. You also may be able to get free shoes that provide the proper support and grip to maintain ground reactivity. Preventing falls is essential to keeping those minor bumps and bruises away, but also to preventing major head injuries that can cause bleeding and sometimes permanent damage. If you are over 65, and feeling even the slightest bit unsteady, get screened properly today! You have nothing to lose and everything to gain. A Step Up Podiatry

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Weight Gain and Anti-Depressants By Susan Heckler There is a side effect to anti-depressants that might be unexpected. Many, not all people, who take them find themselves gaining weight within weeks of starting. Hopefully you are reading this and just starting on the medication, so you can be cognizant before the pounds pack on. THIS IS NOT A REASON TO REFUSE THE NEEDED MEDICATION! According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), latest data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NCHS Data Brief No. 283, August 2017): • During 2011–2014, 12.7% of persons aged 12 and over, 8.6% of males, and 16.5% of females took antidepressant medication in the past month. • For both males and females, non-Hispanic white persons were more likely to take antidepressant medication compared with those of other race and Hispanic-origin groups. • One-fourth of persons who took antidepressant medication had done so for 10 years or more. • Antidepressant use increased from 1999 to 2014. Antidepressants are one of the three most commonly used therapeutic drug classes in the United States. While most antidepressants are taken to treat depression, antidepressants can also be taken to treat other conditions, like anxiety disorders, pain and to stop smoking. Serotonin, the chemical in the brain that regulates mood, also regulates appetite. Antidepressants work only on the mood function of serotonin and may in some way interfere with the appetite function. Unfortunately, this side effect encompasses nearly all anti-depressant medications, although everyone responds differently. There are other contributing factors, so the medication may not be totally to blame. Overeating or inactivity because of depression can cause weight gain. Your improved mood may give you an appetite. Steps you can take to try and avoid the gain: • Track your weight and report any change to your doctor. • Are you truly hungry or just have an appetite? The difference is hunger is when you must eat NOW and don’t care what it is. Appetite is when you want to eat but without the urgency. The medication will increase your appetite but won’t really make you hungry. • Sometimes the medication will cause your stomach to produce too much acid, feeling like being hungry. Try over the counter Rolaids or Tums to reduce stomach acidity to see if that hungry feeling goes away. • Make more serotonin. • Serotonin is made after you eat any carbohydrate except the sugar in fruit. Your brain will receive tryptophan, an amino acid that is used by the brain to make serotonin. Eat about 30 grams of a sweet or starchy food on an empty stomach or at least two hours after you have eaten protein. • Choose carbohydrates that contain very little fat because the fat slows digestion and adds calories. • If your meds make you want to snack all night, avoid eating protein at dinner. If you dine on a starchy carbohydrate like pasta or a large baked potato with vegetables for dinner, your brain will make enough serotonin to keep you satisfied and full until bedtime. • Avoid high protein, low carbohydrate diets because it prevents serotonin from being made. • Exercise! With an increase of serotonin, you will increase your energy. • A word to the wise, just as it is easy to gain weight on these medications, it is also harder to lose. Do what you can to avoid the weight gain.

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