How to do your own research

How to do your own research

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Turn off your mind so you can sleep free cheat sheet

Do you have trouble sleeping because your thoughts spin? I created this cheat sheet to help you shut off your mind and turn on restorative sleep. 

When you see medical information, how do you know if it’s true or just hype? You’re often told to do your own research, but how? 

  I’m Dr.Vickie Petz Kasper. If you’re ready to take control of your health, you’re in the right  place. Whether you’re focused on prevention or you’re trying to manage a condition. I’ll give you practical steps to start your own journey toward better health because healthy looks great on you.

Episode 1 66 “How to do your own Research.”

Five years ago, the world shut down. And I remember that day so clearly. I called my mother and I said, where are you? And she was getting a mammogram and I said, go home and stay home for the next several weeks. I worked from home, visited with my friends outside and distanced, and we wore a mask in public. 

I even hosted my family for Thanksgiving outside on the deck. Honestly, it was one of the most memorable thanksgivings ever. I used the china tablecloths, and I even moved the dining room chairs outside. Fortunately, the weather was perfect,  but was all that really necessary.  People started asking questions and coming up with their own answers. 

I’ve wanted to do this episode for a long time. But it’s not about covid. We’ll get to that later, but this is the time in history when people were encouraged to start doing their own medical research. However, to my knowledge, nobody’s giving you instructions on how.

I love people and I love helping people learn to optimize their health through evidence-based lifestyle medicine. And if anything I say offends you, let’s talk about it. You can email me at DrVickie@healthylooksgreatonyou.com, and I’ll schedule a call with you. I will not, however, engage with anyone on social media. That’s just not a good way to have a conversation. We should do it in person.

If you’ve listened to this podcast before, you know we’re going to mini medical school to learn how to do your own research. But I suppose that only equips you to do mini research. Right? On top of that, there are a lot of pre-reqs for medical school classes, like statistics and basic biology.

So let’s start  there with a couple of definitions. In vivo versus in vitro. I bet you didn’t see that coming, but stick with me. This is important.  In vitro refers to in the lab, either in a test tube or a Petri dish, in vivo refers to a living organism.

And you need to understand that humans are unique. What affects a jellyfish may not affect a dog the same way. And what affects a monkey, may not have the same effects on your brother, even if he acts like one sometimes.

So when doing your own research, it’s important to understand where the experiment took place. For example, I recently saw someone touting the benefits of an old drug that we used to use for bladder cancer until better treatments were developed. When I looked at the source, the studies were done on mouse melanoma cells from the lab. In other words, they gave a mouse cancer, took the cancer cells out, mixed ’em in a dish with this drug, and voila, the cancer cells died.  Okay? If I need something to kill mouse cancer cells in a Petri dish, please sign me up. But you get the picture.  

Now, I mentioned that I looked at the source, and if you hear me say one thing today, it’s, look at the source. Always, look at the source. And it’s also important to talk about the pace of science. As studies are done, new information becomes available, and recommendations may change. If you listen to the end of my podcast, I say that at the end of every episode. And listen, I do a ton of research for every one of these episodes. It takes me hours and hours longer than the writing, recording, editing, and publishing. But that still doesn’t mean a new study won’t come out tomorrow and make the information that I’m sharing outdated. So if you’re going to do your own research, you gotta keep up and make sure there’s not a more current, better designed study that suggests something different.  

Let me put it like this. About a year and a half ago, I moved away from the town where I had lived for 28 years, and the whole entire time I lived there, there was this big red brick building right there on Main Street. Now, I hadn’t been back in a while, but the other day I went and when I drove down Main Street, that building was white.

Now if I hadn’t been there recently, I would believe with all my heart that there was a big red brick building on Main Street.  But things change, and if you look at a study that’s five years old, you need to understand that five years is a really long time in the world of science and research. We may have learned a lot of new information since then. Things change. So keep that in mind when you’re doing your own research.

Now I’ve been talking about sources and I’ll keep doing it, but here’s the deal. I see a lot of information shared without any source, medical and otherwise no source. Just a so-called fact, and people share it like it’s the gospel truth. 

Can I be frank?  I see a lot of my friends share misinformation. I. How do I know it’s misinformation? Because I am a big time skeptic and I don’t take anything at face value and neither should you.  But if you’re going to share something, especially medical advice, please be sure it’s credible and not just something that matches your bias.

Bias is another term we need to understand because I promise it affects you, me and the scientist doing the research. So let’s talk about the scientist first. I’m going to call her Dr. Ink, and she believes with all of her heart that writing with blue ink causes your hair to fall out. I mean, she is convinced it’s true.

So she starts asking people who suffer hair loss, “Did you use a blue ink pen before your hair fell out?” Now, here’s what typically happens. People who suffer hair loss and used black ink, they just kind of move on. But those bald people who used blue ink raised their hand. Me, me, me, me, me. See, Dr. Ink was right. Blue ink causes hair loss.  

Now, I know that’s a ridiculous example, but seriously, bias is huge in research. You see, what Dr. Ink should have done is a randomized, double-blinded, placebo controlled trial because that is the gold standard In research. A well-designed study would look at people randomly, not just those you select out because either they have hair loss or they used blue ink. That creates bias.  

And Dr. Ink needs to use invisible ink so that she’s blind to who used blue Ink versus who used black Ink. But Dr. Ink has decided that she’s really onto something in her practice because every single person who has hair lost used blue ink, so she decides to go against the grain and share that information.

We call that anecdotal evidence, or as my professor used to say, “You are unencumbered by data.”  Here’s the deal – even if Dr. Ink sees thousands of patients in the grand scheme of things, she does not have data.

Speaking of data, we need to talk about some statistical terms. I’ll let you do your own research so that you better understand things like confidence intervals. Which is the range of values within which we are confident that a true effect exists. For example, if a study finds a treatment has an effect size of 0.5 with a 95% confidence interval of 0.2 to 0.8, this tells you with 95% confidence, the true effect size is between 0.2 and 0.8.

Got it.  Okay. Bottom line, a more narrow confidence interval suggests more accuracy. But seriously, if you’ve ever read a medical study, they talk this way. So if you’re going to do your own research, you really do need to understand statistics. You  need to understand P values, which tells you if a result is statistically significant. Very generally speaking, a P value should be below 0.05. But even that doesn’t mean that there’s practical significance. So when you look at a P value, ask yourself if it even really matters.

Class isn’t over yet. Let’s talk about the power of a meta analysis, and I’m not talking about meta the Facebook platform that could get me censored.

I’m talking about combining lots of smaller studies from multiple different sources so that the statistical power is increased and bias is decreased. They aren’t perfect and they don’t even prove causality, and that’s our next term. Just because someone used blue ink and their hair fell out, doesn’t mean the blue ink caused their hair to fall out. Remember that.

Okay, now that class is over, we need to go to the lab. And I’m talking about the other meta, and that is Facebook or your social media platform of choice. And listen, I’ll be honest, I am grieved because you can say what you want about doctors, but I have been around a lot of doctors my whole adult life, and with a few exceptions, nearly all of them are trustworthy and care so deeply about their patients. But somewhere along the way, their expertise has been replaced.

And, hold on, just hear me out. There are some real world examples. One of my Facebook friends, and I don’t even remember who shared something medical from someone I will not name because I don’t even know her, but I did investigate a little bit because the claim she was making was clearly erroneous and it was being shared widely.  Here’s what I found. She has 458 Facebook friends and describes herself as a wife and mother with a green thumb. But wait, there’s more. She’s a biohacker. Always learning. And claims, “I can help you be healthy.” Hey, that’s my gig. 

Her previous jobs included food and beverage manager at a major hotel chain as well as a casino worker.  She’s giving widely shared medical advice.

I didn’t even know what a biohacker was, so I did my own research and Googled it. It’s do it yourself, biology.  But she wasn’t sharing biology. She was sharing blatant medical advice, albeit incorrect everything from vaccines to cancer treatment.

So next time you see anything that’s medical advice, check the source,  no source, then don’t share it. 

If you haven’t hung up on me yet, let’s keep going and talk about cough CPR. I mean, you wanna help someone, right? If they’re home alone and they’re having a heart attack, they should cough. This started circulating social media in 1999, and I guess Facebook kept coughing because recently it was resurrected. And listen, it’s not true, and here’s why it matters. If you’re having a heart attack and you’re home alone, you should dial 9 1 1 and take an aspirin.

And if you’re telling people to cough because you think it could help, I want you to think about this. Could it hurt? Is it true?  Do your own research and check your source. Lemme say that louder. Check your source. I did. And here’s another one. 

I saw someone share a post that was later edited to say they weren’t giving medical advice, and they encouraged people to do their own research and come to their own conclusion.  But then they proceeded to talk about how something in particular is a cure for everything from cancer to covid, high cholesterol, diabetes. It’s an anti-microbial agent against bacteria and viruses. It increases your immunity, protects you from heart disease, it’s anti-inflammatory, and it treats autoimmune diseases and get this with no side effects.  Now, let me ask you a question. If there’s really a drug that can do all of that, then why has Big Pharma not snatched it up off the shelves, patented it and made buckets of money from it? 

That’s a serious question. So I checked the source. The person giving/not giving medical advice has studied at a university and owns not one, but two businesses. One is an engraving business and the other is a handyman business.  I mean, you probably wouldn’t listen to me about how to fix the hinges on your doors, but that ought to be a two-way street, and if you need something engraved, you’re probably not going to go see a doctor. 

But what if it’s credible? You know, like a well-known TV doctor. Here’s a post that’s been going around for years  on Wednesday, which Wednesday? Who knows? Because there’s no source. Dr. So-and-so, and I’m not even going to say the name, had a show on the fastest growing cancer in women thyroid cancer, and they said there was something called a thyroid guard that should be used during mammograms. And the post goes on to say, by coincidence, I had my yearly mammogram yesterday, and I felt a little silly, but I asked about the guard and sure enough, the technician had one in a drawer and I asked why it wasn’t routinely used. Answer, I don’t know. You have to ask for it. Well, if I hadn’t seen the show, how would I have known to ask someone was nice enough to forward this to me? I hope you pass it on to your friends and family. Well, apparently a lot of people did that.

Now, first of all, this one started in 2010. Second of all, Dr. So-and-so really only discussed dental x-rays, not mammograms in that particular episode. Why does it matter? I don’t know. Do you think the truth matters? Do you think credibility matters? And to my fellow followers of Jesus, remember what Paul said to the Philippians, whatever is true,  I’m just asking you to push pause before you post.

Do your own research, check the source.  And if there is no source, keep scrolling unless you can verify it’s true.  I think it’s time we had some straight talk about facts in medicine. I may wade into some controversial waters.

There is one thing that’s really being promoted right now as the cure all for everything. And one of my Facebook friends is passionate about this and post all kinds of sources that look very credible. They vary in age from 2015 to 2022. Some of them are in mice, some are in vitro, and there are a few case studies. You know what a case study is, right? It’s a single circumstance that happened and got reported in the literature.

For example, someone got a wart on their finger and they put baking powder on it, and the wart went away. So someone writes a paper about it so that everyone knows that this one time, this one thing happened. Now if I get a wart on my finger, I’m gonna use one of those little bandaid thingies, and if that doesn’t work, I’m going to the dermatologist and having it frozen off with liquid nitrogen.

Even though somebody somewhere put baking soda on their wart and it went away. Now, please don’t think I’m being snarky. I want you to think critically because if you’re going to do your own research, you need to be aware – it’s complicated. Harvard Medical School calls it the Wild, Wild West of online cancer information, and we live in an information age.

It’s so available and with that comes responsibility.  And I’m passionate about this because it’s dangerous. It’s very dangerous. Think about it. 

What if you posted something that was medical advice? Discouraging people to get treatment for a disease that can be deadly.  And they saw a lot of other people posting the same thing, so they thought it must be true and they ignored medical advice and had a bad outcome. 

The erosion of expertise is dangerous. False claims about cancer treatments really rile me up,  and I’ve witnessed it firsthand. Patients who wanted to try drinking carrot juice instead of following the standard recommendations.  And it never worked. But listen, I think carrots are great for you. In fact, I think you should eat a variety of vegetables.

A healthy diet promotes good health.  But if you need some shelves built in your closet, call a handyman. And if you get  cancer, please trust your doctor. I’m totally serious. 

I hope I haven’t offended you, and I hope you’ve learned a lot about how to do your own research, and I also hope you appreciate my sense of humor. I want you to share this with your friends and family. Let’s get the word out. And definitely eat the carrots. 

 And instead of drinking juice, eat them whole because whole carrots are naturally healthy and healthy looks great on you.  

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The information contained in this podcast is for educational purposes only and is not considered to be a substitute for medical advice. You should continue to follow up with your physician or health care provider and take medication as prescribed. Though the information in this podcast is evidence based, new research may develop and recommendations may change

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All information associated with this website is for informational and educational purposes only and is not meant to be a substitute for medical advice. Please visit the Disclaimer; Conditions, Terms of Use to learn more. 

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Intentional steps for habit change and managing stress with Shelley Fourney

Intentional Steps for Stress Management and Habit Change with Shelley Fourney

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edHave you ever seen a therapist or maybe you’ve wanted to see a therapist and you haven’t? Well, in today’s episode, you are going to visit with Shelly Fourney, and she is a licensed therapist who specializes in solution focus brief therapy.   Now, I’m not gonna promise that you’re going to have all the tools you need to navigate whatever stress is going on in your life, but if you’re trying to make a habit change or if you just need a starting place to take those first small steps, you’re going to love this interview.

 I’m Dr.Vickie Petz Kasper. If you’re ready to take control of your health, you’re in the right  place. Whether you’re focused on prevention or you’re trying to manage a condition. I’ll give you practical steps to start your own journey toward better health because healthy looks great on you.  

Shelley is a licensed clinical social worker who practices as an individual therapist. Her favorite thing to dois help people move forward, one little baby step at a time, not big steps.

When people try to manage stress, they tend to plan for the next six months, but Shelley encourages them to think about what needs to happen to get through today. She asks questions to guide people to think about what works for them.

She says, ” I’m not an expert on your life, but you are. My job is to ask you good questions help you facilitate what it is you want.” 

What works for one person, doesn’t necessarily work for another. You are the expert on you, so if someone tells you what you should do about stress, anxiety, sleep and depression, it often doesn’t work. 

You don’t need 20 tips, you need a solution that works for you. That’s what I teach in my sleep course. 

If someone tells you to change a habit, like quit smoking, Shelley asks why it matters to them, not the doctor. Because it has to be important, or they won’t be successful. 

Shelley uses Solution Focus Brief therapy. Her approach is to ask her clients, “What do you want?” then she helps them move forward. 

In particularly stressful situations where there’s been a loss she tries to help them get through minute by minute, or a week at at time. It’s effective and rewarding. 

She recommends starting with what is working in your life. We all have routines that help us stop and head back in the direction we want to do. 

It’s not a quick fix, but it can impact your day using tiny steps. 

For someone deep in grief, it might mean getting through the next hour, by accomplishing basic things, like eating and drinking. Shelley views her role as validating the next tiny step they’ve decided to take. 

She ask really good questions and people come up with solutions and how to change things in their lives. She listens and helps them find things in their life that will work for them. 

When it comes to spinning thoughts, which is a form of feeling anxious, she recommends practicing gratefulness. You can’t be anxious and grateful at the same time.

She encourages people to have compassion and grace for themselves. Instead of ruminating, think of it as an opportunity to learn. 

 The hand to heart technique can be used to interrupt spinning thoughts, by simply placing your hand on your shoulder. The act of touching tells our nervous system we are safe and can automatically calm your mind. 

It feels weird at first, but what will you accomplish by negatively talking to yourself? It works.

Set goals that can be pretty easily achieved. Then celebrate small wins. People often set goals that are too big and hard to achieve. Instead, figure out some first steps. If you want to exercise, decide what time of day and what you are going to wear. Pare it down to increase success rather than setting a lofty goal and failing. It’s not about where you’d like to be, we are working on that. But what is it for today or this week? Baby steps in the right direction leads to more success.

Form a visual picture of where you’d like to be. What does happy look like to you?

Mental health is often like physical health. One thing causes another thing to be worse, spinning in a vicious cycle. Shelley would prescribe exercise, healthy eating and journaling for all of her clients.

Her practice is called Intentional Steps. Visit her website: www.intentionalsteps.us
Go follow Shelley Fourney, Intentional Steps on Facebook and Instagram. She posts really helpful videos. 

Join my email list for more resources and to get each episode in your inbox. 

The information contained in this podcast is for educational purposes only and is not considered to be a substitute for medical advice. You should continue to follow up with your physician or health care provider and take medication as prescribed. Though the information in this podcast is evidence based, new research may develop and recommendations may change.

Related Episodes

How to do your own research

How to do your own researchDo you have trouble sleeping because your thoughts spin? I created this cheat sheet to help you shut off your mind and turn on restorative sleep. Hosted by: Vickie Petz Kasper, M.D. American Board of Lifestyle Medicine Diplomate Learn more...

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Why do my joints hurt?Do you have trouble sleeping because your thoughts spin? I created this cheat sheet to help you shut off your mind and turn on restorative sleep. Hosted by: Vickie Petz Kasper, M.D. American Board of Lifestyle Medicine Diplomate Learn more about...

All information associated with this website is for informational and educational purposes only and is not meant to be a substitute for medical advice. Please visit the Disclaimer; Conditions, Terms of Use to learn more. 

Privacy Policy

Why do my joints hurt?

Why do my joints hurt?

Follow on Social Media

Turn off your mind so you can sleep free cheat sheet

Do you have trouble sleeping because your thoughts spin? I created this cheat sheet to help you shut off your mind and turn on restorative sleep. 

Do you ever feel like the Tin man needing some WD 40 just to get moving? Let’s talk about what causes joint pain and how to prevent and treat it.

 I’m Dr.Vickie Petz Kasper. If you’re ready to take control of your health, you’re in the right  place. Whether you’re focused on prevention or you’re trying to manage a condition. I’ll give you practical steps to start your own journey toward better health because healthy looks great on you. 

Episode 164. Why do my joints hurt?  When I sit for a while the urge to groan when I stand up comes pretty naturally and I’m really trying hard to fight it, but I’ve put  quite a bit of strain on my joints over the years, and I’m not alone. One in five adults have some form of arthritis.

Back in the day, old people called it rheumatism. I haven’t heard that term in a while, but now I am old people. But rheumatism is used synonymously with arthritis. It’s a catchall term and it doesn’t necessarily refer to rheumatoid arthritis. And listen, there are over 100 different types of arthritis, but today we’re only going to focus on osteoarthritis because it’s by far the most common affecting over 32 million people in the United States. 

And the prevalence is increasing, making it the third most common disease that is going upward behind high blood pressure and dementia. Grandpa can tell it’s going to rain because his rheumatism is acting up, and in fact, damp weather can make arthritis pain flare,  but it’s more than just aches and pains. Osteoarthritis is serious. In fact, it’s the leading cause of disability in the United States. It’s also expensive. The price tag is reported to be over $150 billion a year. Some of that is lost wages and some is because of joint replacement, and it is important to see a doctor and have your pain evaluated.  

Let’s go to mini medical school and learn about joints. No, not that kind of joint. Although CBD oil and marijuana have been studied for joint pain and they are effective – every bit as effective as placebo, that  smells like weed. Go figure. But I meant the articulation between bones and other structures that allow us to move. Now that I think about it, the word joint can refer to your banking account, something you smoke, a fastener to hold the roof on your house, or in this case, a place where bones meet.

So let’s look at all the players that gather in this meeting place besides bones. You’ve got ligaments and tendons that hold the joint together, and both of these are strong bands of connective tissue. The ligaments connect bone to bone. And that supports and limits movement while tendons connect muscle to bone and that controls movement.

You’ve also got cartilage that covers the surface where two or more bones meet and that’s designed to reduce friction. You know when two or more are gathered, there’s always friction, so you need something to smooth things out. Another structure that helps reduce friction is a fluid filled sac called the bursa, and this is filled with a thick, clear, sticky fluid called synovial fluid that is secreted by the synovial membrane and that lines the joint and seals it into a capsule.

And there are lots of different types of joints besides the ones I mentioned earlier. Some of them move in just one direction, like your elbow, and those are called hinge joints. Others allow rotation like your neck. That’s called a pivot joint. Shoulders and hips are the ball and socket joints to allow movement in several directions. And the wrist is similar, but without pivots, so it’s called an ellipsoidal joint.

Okay. Now you’ve completed orthopedics 101. Oh, wait. Since we’re discussing osteoarthritis today, you probably need to know that osteo means bone. And you’ve probably heard people say that they had a knee replacement because it was bone on bone. Well, osteoarthritis occurs when the cartilage is gone, and it’s a gradual process that occurs over many years usually.  

You probably know that the biggest risk factor for osteoarthritis is age. But listen, it’s not a normal part of aging due to wear and tear, though clearly it can develop where there’s been a prior injury. It’s hard to think about it when you’re young and doing back handsprings or shooting hoops or making tackles, but often those old injuries do eventually catch up with you.

But, even without an injury, repetitive occupational or avocational activities can leave their mark. But get this, being sedentary does its own damage.

Does that mean that runners are destined to ruin their knees? Actually no. Even though they’re asking a lot from that three to five millimeter layer of cartilage, genetics plays a role too. So choose your parents very wisely. But even if your parents have osteoarthritis, it doesn’t mean that you will, because lifestyle is a huge factor. And since I’m here to talk to you about lifestyle medicine. Let’s talk about the things you can control, and we’re mostly going to focus on two pillars of lifestyle medicine, and that’s physical fitness and diet. 

If you have joint pain, you’ve got to keep moving because if you stop, you might not be able to start again. Being fit helps with pain and stiffness. It improves your joint mobility, and all of that helps with quality of life, and mood. But here’s the deal. Your skeletal system consists of joints, bones, and muscles.

So if people with arthritis don’t maintain that musculoskeletal strength, it leads to a whole cascade of events.  Weaker muscles leads to less balance that can result in a decline in function, which leads to less stability and that can result in falls with injuries like brain trauma and hip fractures.

In fact, 95% of hip fractures are caused by falls, and falls are the leading cause of disability and death in seniors and exercise helps prevent falls. Not only does it keep you stronger, it boosts your confidence because oddly enough, people who are afraid of falling actually fall more than the less cautious people.

Now, I’m not telling you to be reckless, but I am suggesting that you exercise. And get this strengthening muscles even reduces joint pain. And if you have arthritis, one of the best exercises is walking.

Tai Chi is also recommended, and I’ve visited China before and it’s very common to see elderly people. I’m talking about really elderly people gathered in outdoor spaces participating in this ancient martial art. It involves slow, continuous movement that is specifically tailored to improve strength and balance. But if you currently don’t have access to a park in China, then maybe you could find a YouTube video and even better find a friend and a park nearby  and use a YouTube video. 

And if you have access to a swimming pool. Oh, swimming is such an excellent exercise for people with arthritis.  But whatever you do, don’t do nothing. Keep moving. Park in that spot that’s furthest from the door. Don’t ever drive to the mailbox. Find something you enjoy and keep moving.

Inactivity is the very worst thing you can do if your joints hurt. Now, of course, you should consult your doctor or healthcare provider first. And I’m not talking about joint pain from an acute injury. I’m talking about old fashioned aches and pains. Any joint in the body can be affected, but the most common ones are knees, hands and hips.

Check, check, check. Actually, my knees are pretty good, but I definitely have hip pain and intermittently pain in my hands.  But guess what? It is not from cracking my knuckles. That’s a myth. Osteoarthritis is referred to as wear and tear arthritis, and that makes sense. I delivered a lot of babies with these hands and did a lot of surgeries, and probably gymnastics took a toll on my hip as well.

But listen, you don’t have to abuse your joints to get osteoarthritis. You can also get it from neglect. Being sedentary increases your risk for… you name it. So if you sit all day, set your watch and at least get up and move around every hour. So we’ve covered age, previous injury, repetitive motion overuse, and inactivity as risk factors for osteoarthritis.

But you wanna know what else puts a lot of strain on your joints.  Obesity. In fact, weight loss can really help with osteoarthritis, especially of the knees, if only it were that simple. But get this, losing one pound takes four pounds of pressure off your knees. 

There are lots of different treatments from ointments to over-the-counter pain relievers, prescription medications physical therapy and surgery.  But sometimes you can’t fix joint pain and you have to focus on managing it instead of trying to cure it. Whatever you do, take care of your body by being fit, active and maintaining a healthy weight, which by the way depends way more on diet than exercise  and eating a joint friendly diet.  So what kind of diet should you eat for arthritis? You know, there’s the DASH diet for high blood pressure and the MIND diet for cognitive health, the Mediterranean diet for heart health.

But is there a diet for joint health? Not specifically, but all of the above diets have some things in common. They reduce inflammation and they promote whole unprocessed foods and avoiding foods that make inflammation worse.  You know those that are easy to grab and eat.

You do need protein for your joints, but don’t fall into the trap of buying packaged food that touts 30 grams of protein on the front label. My mom kept a little carton of a protein drink that her friends had recommended because it had 30 grams of protein.  I reminded her don’t pay attention to the front of the package. It’s just marketing. Turn it over and read the nutrition label. I really think you should go back and listen to my episode on this. It’s one of my favorites, and I put a link in the show notes.  

But if you eat a well-balanced diet, you don’t need more protein. Now, I might argue that if you get your protein from meat and dairy. You need better protein.  Things like whole grains, soy products, beans, legumes, lentils, nuts and seeds. And did you know that fruits and vegetables contain protein? Plus they have fiber, which is crucial for weight loss and a healthy gut. And they don’t contain bad fat and cholesterol.

If you want to know more about growing your own protein, listen to my interview with Jill Mc Sheehy on her podcast, the Beginner’s Gardener.  And she has a follow-up episode on how to actually grow that stuff in your garden. So if you’re into gardening, this is a don’t miss episode. And yes, there’s a link in the show notes.  

Also, certain spices like garlic and turmeric may help with inflammation and joint pain, but please just add them to your food. I know, I know taking a supplement seems so much easier, but it’s not better. Green tea and coffee also have some anti-inflammatory properties, so drink up. But only in the morning, so it doesn’t interfere with your sleep.

And even though we’re focusing on diet and fitness today, poor sleep, loneliness and stress all contribute to chronic inflammation. And of course, smoking is not good for your joints either.

Look, inflammation is a normal process in your body designed to help your body heal, but chronic inflammation is terrible for your body. Plants contain phytochemicals that lower inflammation like antioxidants, fiber polyphenols, and Omega-3 fatty acids and the Mediterranean diet and the dash diet. Also focus on whole foods that contain these, and it’s great for your heart too. Use unprocessed olive oil when you cook and think variety.

Focus on adding more plants and more colors to your diet. It, but the standard American diet is really the complete opposite. It’s pro-inflammatory things like sugar, which can hide in so many places like protein drinks. In fact, that carton that my mom gave me contained a ton of refined sugar, and that’s what we’re talking about, refined sugar, not whole fruits, fried foods, saturated fats, and dairy and meat – especially processed meats and lunch meats. That includes bacon, but it also includes deli turkey, cheeses, and most oils, which are in mayonnaises and salad dressings. Fast foods, processed snacks, donuts, pizza, french fries. Listen, if you go to the grocery store and buy something and you have to fight that little plastic bag to get it open to put your produce in there, it’s probably good for you. But if you just pull it off the shelf and it’s in a box or a package. Beware and at least turn it over and read the nutrition label and ignore the front. And don’t fall for marketing. 

Processed carbohydrates and refined greens are found in breads, pastries cakes, pasta, cookies, crackers, and energy bars. You know, they’re just cookies in disguise.  Did I just describe your pantry? Hmm? Let me add canned soups, which are extraordinarily high in sodium. And all things that contain MSG and artificial sweeteners like aspartame can also worsen inflammation as well as alcohol.

What about gluten?  I probably need to do a whole episode to discuss that, but gluten is found in processed grains as well as whole grains, and some people do have a sensitivity. I believe most people need whole grains in their diet, and yes, there are some that do not contain gluten, but be smart about your choices. There are lots of packaged foods that shout gluten free on the front, and they’re just gluten-free junk food.

What I suggest instead is pay attention to the connection between your diet and your joints. For me, it’s chips and cheese dip that make my joints hurt worse. Maybe it’s the cheese with all that saturated fat, all that salt or the bad oils that they’re cooked in. But chips and cheese dip are not whole unprocessed foods. They aren’t healthy for me or you, and there’s a price to pay for eating them.

So if you do figure out something that makes your joints hurt worse, eliminate that from your diet and see if it helps.  The bottom line is that plants are good for your joints and they’re good for your health and healthy. Looks great on you. 

  LINKS:

Grow Your Own Protein: The Beginner’s Garden Podcast

READ A NUTRITION LABEL

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The information contained in this podcast is for educational purposes only and is not considered to be a substitute for medical advice. You should continue to follow up with your physician or health care provider and take medication as prescribed. Though the information in this podcast is evidence based, new research may develop and recommendations may change.

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How to do your own researchDo you have trouble sleeping because your thoughts spin? I created this cheat sheet to help you shut off your mind and turn on restorative sleep. Hosted by: Vickie Petz Kasper, M.D. American Board of Lifestyle Medicine Diplomate Learn more...

Why do my joints hurt?

Why do my joints hurt?Do you have trouble sleeping because your thoughts spin? I created this cheat sheet to help you shut off your mind and turn on restorative sleep. Hosted by: Vickie Petz Kasper, M.D. American Board of Lifestyle Medicine Diplomate Learn more about...

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Cholesterol: Good vs. Bad

Cholesterol: Good vs. Bad

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Cholesterol: Good vs. Bad

You’ve gone to the doctor and had your cholesterol checked, but what do all those numbers mean? And is there anything you can do to lower your cholesterol without medications? I’m so glad you asked. 

I’m Dr.Vickie Petz Kasper. If you’re ready to take control of your health, you’re in the right  place. Whether you’re focused on prevention or you’re trying to manage a condition. I’ll give you practical steps to start your own journey toward better health because healthy looks great on you.

 This is episode 163. Cholesterol, the Good versus the Bad.

When I was about 26 years old, I had my cholesterol checked for the first time. Imagine my surprise when the number was 256.  Yikes. Now admittedly, the hospital where I was doing my residency had a fast food restaurant conveniently located right there in the cafeteria and my go-to: hamburgers and french fries.

But also I have a strong family history of significantly elevated cholesterol.  The doctor said I could lower it some and I should diet and exercise and blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. But guess what? I eventually lowered my cholesterol to 156 without medication, and I’m going to tell you how you can do it too.

But first, let’s start at the beginning and go to mini medical school and learn exactly what is cholesterol. Technically we call it a lipid, which is sort of like a fat that circulates in your bloodstream. Structurally, these compounds make up parts of cell membranes and functionally they help regulate the transport across these membranes, so that’s good. Right? Well, yes, we do need cholesterol to help move and store energy, produce hormones, and absorb vitamins. But you know, too much of a good thing. We’ll get to that.

Lipids don’t dissolve in water, so they have to hitch a ride on proteins to travel through the blood, and when they get hitched, they change their name to lipoproteins. Now this is gonna sound familiar if you’ve ever had a lipid panel drawn.  HDL stands for high density lipoproteins and LDL stands for low density lipoproteins.  Where does it come from? Well, your body actually makes it in both the liver and small intestines. Then it’s stored in the liver where it’s converted to bile acids, so you can get rid of it.

Is it bad or good? Well, that depends. HDL cholesterol reduces inflammation, prevents blood clots, and helps transport oxygen. And your body makes all of it that you need all of it. But here’s the deal. Not only does your body make cholesterol, but we also eat it. Most of the cholesterol in the standard American diet comes from meat, eggs, cheese, and dairy products. Oh, well, who can afford eggs anyway?

But seriously, cholesterol is sneaky. Rather than announcing its presence, it just slips through your blood vessels undetected, but it leaves a calling card and we call it plaque. This buildup in the wall of the arteries can lead to hardening of the arteries and therefore cardiovascular disease.

Think about it. If a plaque gets big enough, it can compromise blood flow and cause a heart attack or stroke. And this can also happen with smaller plaques when a piece breaks off. I told you cholesterol is sneaky. Most people who have high cholesterol have no symptoms. We call it hyperlipidemia, and that’s why you need to know your numbers and you need to know what they mean. 

I guess all those burgers weren’t helping me have healthy blood vessels when I was in my twenties.  But that’s not the whole story. We could go to mini medical school and learn the difference between HDL and LDL cholesterol, or we could just call them good cop, bad cop. Because that kind of sums it up. The reason LDL cholesterol is the bad cop is because it causes a fatty buildup inside the arteries and that impairs blood flow and puts you at increased risk of a heart attack or stroke.

You’ve seen those detective shows where they lock someone in an interrogation room and they just yell at ’em. No, it’s not exactly the same, but I bet you’ll remember now that LDL the bad cop cholesterol can make you have a heart attack. Now the good cop HDL cholesterol can actually lower your risk of heart disease and stroke.

You know, it’s the reassuring I’ll be your friend cop. Picture the scene, bad cop is giving the suspect a really hard time and good cop comes in and sends the bad cop away.   Stick with me here. HDL, good cholesterol carries at least a little bit of the LDL or bad cholesterol out of the arteries where it causes damage and into the liver where it can be broken down and eliminated.

So speaking in very general terms, you want your HDL cholesterol to be high and your LDL cholesterol to be low. We’ll get to specific numbers in a sec. I do want to mention triglycerides. They are not the same thing as cholesterol, but they hang out together because you know, birds of a feather… When you have a lipid panel done, they often measure the whole flock, total cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, LDL, cholesterol and triglycerides.

You’ve also probably heard about the ratio and yes, it’s very important, but whose side are these triglycerides on anyway? Well, they’re the most common type of FAT in the body. And like all things in our bodies, they have a purpose and that is to store excess energy from your diet. And yeah, that’s the problem.

Most of us have plenty of excess in our diet.  Hamburgers and french fries, or as Steve Martin said in the old Pink Panther movie, “Am barger.” If you don’t know that scene and that didn’t make you laugh, please google it and watch a clip.

 The bottom line is that high triglycerides combined with high LDL means fatty buildup in the walls of the arteries, and that increases the risk of heart attack and stroke. Okay, I hope you’re convinced that Steve Martin is hysterical and you need to see the clip from the Pink Panther, and you need to get your cholesterol checked. 

You are convinced, right? Don’t believe me. The American Heart Association recommends that if you are over the age of 20, you should have your cholesterol checked and depending on your risk factors, every four to six years after that, until you get older and have an increased risk of. every dang thing.

So now you’ve had your blood drawn and the doctor calls you with your results.  No. Oh yeah. Your results are now on the portal and you want to know what they mean.  I do have to tell you that context matters and you really should discuss the results with your doctor, but if you don’t hear from them, I’ll give you some generalities for people who do not already have cardiovascular issues, and by the way, you should fast for at least 12 hours before you go to the lab and get this. You shouldn’t have the test done if you’re sick or stressed. Stress affects cholesterol too. It wreaks havoc on your body in so many ways. First of all, people who are stressed often smoke more, drink more, sleep less, exercise less socially isolate and eat more junk. So there’s that, but also our old friend Cortisol, the stress hormone also plays a role. Cortisol is our body’s way of preparing us to physically respond to a threat. So it triggers the release of glucose and fatty acids into the bloodstream and muscles. So energy is available for slaying dragons   threatening our safety, and that’s a good thing when there are dragons pulling up in your driveway. Not so much if you live in a constant state of stress. Of course, if you have prolonged stress, you’ll have to go ahead and surrender that vein in your arm and get your lipids checked anyway, because when it comes to your numbers, you need to know.

So let’s get to those numbers. Total cholesterol should be below 200 milligrams per deciliter, and if it’s between 201 and 239, that’s considered borderline high cholesterol, and if it’s above 240, that’s just plain over the limit. Now, LDL cholesterol should be below 130 or even much lower than that if you are at risk of heart attack or stroke, HDL should ideally be above 60 and triglycerides below 150.

Any numbers outside of these parameters should be taken seriously because you have a higher risk of cardiovascular disease, especially if you continue to eat ham ba burgers.  Now, let’s say you do hear from your doctor’s office. You know, the nurse calls and says you either need to take a cholesterol lowering medication like a statin or that you need to eat a low cholesterol diet and exercise. Thank you very much. But shouldn’t we have a more detailed conversation about this result?  You bet. Your cholesterol is just one group of numbers. It’s not the whole picture. Your risk of heart disease is impacted by other factors like smoking, high blood pressure, your family history, your age, and yes, of course your diet.

And we are going to talk about a heart healthy diet in a bit. But first, let’s discuss that conversation you’re having with the nurse who calls from the doctor’s office and said, we’ve sent in a prescription for a statin.  Hold up a minute. This literally happened to me last year. My total cholesterol was 202, a whopping two points above the normal range, and my ratio of good cholesterol to bad cholesterol was excellent.

So I questioned this recommendation,  but what are the recommendations? Remember, I am board certified in lifestyle medicine, which is a subspecialty of conventional medicine. So we’re not opposed to treatment with medication when indicated, but before we go firing off prescriptions, we should at least examine the indications.

If your cholesterol is abnormal, and I would argue that mine is not thanks to some serious changes in my lifestyle and not my inherited tendencies, then you may need a cholesterol medication. Depending on your age and the likelihood of developing heart disease, but if you’re not at risk for heart disease, then you might not need a medication, even if your cholesterol is high. At least not for now, because here’s the deal, the number of your years only increases and age is a risk factor for heart disease, which by the way, is the number one killer of Americans. So let’s say you are at risk and your cholesterol is high and your doctor wants you to take a medication quick pharmacology review.

These medications can help the body make less cholesterol, which is one source. They can block the absorption of cholesterol from food, which is another source, and on top of that, they can actually help your body get rid of cholesterol faster. Sounds great. Right, and it can be, you should probably take medication if you have known heart disease, especially if you’ve actually had a heart attack or stroke.

And because diabetes is such a big risk factor for cardiovascular disease, you may need to take a medication if you have type two diabetes, even if your cholesterol isn’t high. And that’s to prevent heart disease. Of course, you need to discuss all of this with your personal healthcare provider, and I recommend following their advice after you’ve had a conversation about options and risk. The most commonly prescribed class of medications are statins, but there are others.

But can you lower your cholesterol without medications? I’m living proof  exercise helps raise your good cholesterol and lower your bad cholesterol, but you gotta do it regularly. Ideally, 30 minutes, five days a week, or if you wanna step it up a notch, 20 minutes of vigorous exercise three times a week.

And remember, vigorous means you cannot have a conversation if you’re talking, you are not exercising vigorously. You gotta be huffing and puffing to reach this level. So if you decide to stick with moderate, you can talk, but you can’t sing. But here’s the beauty of exercising – every little step in the right direction has immediate benefits, so you can start small and see results.

Resistance training is great to build muscle strength and burn energy. You know, bands, weights, pushups, things like that. Or maybe you could start walking briskly. Or go to the gym and join a class for built-in accountability and social connections.  

Let me give you a startling fact.  People who have a heart attack are four times more likely to die within three years if they don’t have social connections. The older you get, the stronger the association. And if you’re wondering how in the world that could be, it turns out the key is caring about others. When you value people in your life and you know they value you, you are more likely to make healthier choices like not smoking and positive relationships help manage stress and lower inflammation, and that damages blood vessels and also contributes to heart disease. 

Sleep matters too. As part of an overall healthy lifestyle, you should aim for seven to nine hours per night and less than six hours a night is associated with higher cholesterol levels.  In the past, medical literature reported a positive association between drinking a glass of red wine and heart health. Turns out that’s probably not true and moderate to heavy drinking  unquestionably raises your risk for heart disease. You know, if your liver’s working overtime to get rid of alcohol, it’s much less effective in dealing with cholesterol.

Now, your Dr. may not have mentioned any of this except diet and exercise. So let’s park there for a minute. A healthy weight is often associated with better numbers, but that isn’t always true. Genetics also plays a big role, but whether you’re at an ideal weight or overweight, changing your diet can have a huge impact on your cholesterol.

In fact, depending on how much change you’re willing to make, I would say that you can lower your cholesterol to a healthy level. And if you’re interested in making healthy habit changes, you might want to go to my website Healthy Looks Great on you.com and sign up for Kickstart to Better Health. And for sure, you’re going to want to stay tuned for an upcoming interview I have on Habit Change. Subscribe to this podcast. There’s a link in the show notes or go to the website Healthy looks great on you.com.

Either way, you should listen to your doctor. And make sure they listen to you as well. You may need medication to lower your cholesterol, and you may need to make lifestyle changes, especially if your numbers are going up in the wrong direction, even a little.

But if you’re motivated to do it without medications, let me harp on your diet. Hear me when I say this. When it comes to cholesterol or weight loss, diet matters more than exercise. Of course you should do both, but if you don’t change your diet, exercise may not have the impact you’re looking for. If you want to reduce the intake of cholesterol, stay away from trans fats, sometimes referred to as partially hydrogenated oils. They’ve basically been outlawed and banned anyway, but sometimes these transitions take some time to implement. Just make sure packaged pastries and things like margarine, which you shouldn’t be eating anyway, don’t have them. Avoid foods that are high in any kind of saturated fat.  

Here’s my top five list of foods that are high in cholesterol. Maybe we can find some hints about why my cholesterol was high eating in that fast food restaurant every day.

Number one is red meat, beef, pork,  and especially processed meats like bacon, sausage, and hot dogs. Ah, remember what those hamburgers did to my cholesterol numbers.

Number two is fried foods, and yes, I ordered french fries with my burgers. And fried foods are particularly bad when certain oils are used.

Number three is sugar sweetened beverages and good grief. I drank a Coke with my burger and fries. No wonder my numbers were bad.

Number four is sweets, pastries, pies, cakes, cookies, and ice cream. Yep. I probably ate that too.

Number five is dairy, especially whole milk, cream, butter, and unfortunately cheese, which I also put on my burger. Good grief. I was daring my cholesterol to be high with all the foods from the naughty list.

So what am I doing now? Well, I’m glad you asked. Here’s a fun fact.  You really don’t find cholesterol in plants. So eat plants, eat a lot of plants, eat different plants, eat plants that have different colors. Usually the darker, brighter the color, the more nutrients it has.

Cholesterol’s only found in processed foods, meat and dairy. But you wanna know what’s only found in plants. Fiber and a high fiber diet is so important in lowering your cholesterol. It creates a healthy gut microbiome. Think of it like a sponge too, that soaks up cholesterol out of your bloodstream and helps remove it.

Things like unprocessed oatmeal, whole wheat bread, whole grain brown rice, and popcorn. Also, beans, broccoli, sweet potatoes, apples, pears, oranges, grapes, all kinds of berries and nuts are on the good list. You didn’t just ask me about eggs, did you? Goodness, that’s a whole other conversation. And so is the other player in this conversation, triglycerides. But I will tell you that if you have high LDL cholesterol, you should at least limit your consumption of eggs.

And the bottom line is that HDL cholesterol is your friend. It can help protect you from cardiovascular disease. And LDL Cholesterol levels should be low for heart health. That’s easy to remember. H stands for high. L stands for low, and in some cases your doctor will want it really, really low. Below 70. So is cholesterol good or bad? The answer is yes. Cholesterol helps with cell membrane transport, absorption of vitamins, brain function, hormone production. But don’t get the wrong idea. LDL cholesterol causes fatty buildup in the arteries, and that can be a huge threat to your health. So lower your bad cholesterol with medications if you need it, but definitely lower it with lifestyle changes because lower LDL is better for your health and healthy. Looks great on you.   

The information contained in this podcast is for educational purposes only and is not considered to be a substitute for medical advice. You should continue to follow up with your physician or health care provider and take medication as prescribed. Though the information in this podcast is evidence based, new research may develop and recommendations may change 

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All information associated with this website is for informational and educational purposes only and is not meant to be a substitute for medical advice. Please visit the Disclaimer; Conditions, Terms of Use to learn more. 

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Struggling with insomnia?

Struggling with Insomnia?

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Get your personalized sleep solution in UNLOCK THE SEÇRET TO SLEEP. This 6 week digital course is based on effective research-proven strategies to help you get the rest you need and optimize your physical, mental and emotional health. Because healthy looks great on YOU!

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How to do your own research

How to do your own researchDo you have trouble sleeping because your thoughts spin? I created this cheat sheet to help you shut off your mind and turn on restorative sleep. Hosted by: Vickie Petz Kasper, M.D. American Board of Lifestyle Medicine Diplomate Learn more...

Why do my joints hurt?

Why do my joints hurt?Do you have trouble sleeping because your thoughts spin? I created this cheat sheet to help you shut off your mind and turn on restorative sleep. Hosted by: Vickie Petz Kasper, M.D. American Board of Lifestyle Medicine Diplomate Learn more about...

All information associated with this website is for informational and educational purposes only and is not meant to be a substitute for medical advice. Please visit the Disclaimer; Conditions, Terms of Use to learn more. 

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