by kelsey | Oct 10, 2017 | Etc.
Reposting just to remind you that we have our flu shot clinic TODAY from 3-7:30pm at Northridge!
There are many reasons to get the flu vaccine. Whether it’s to protect yourself, or help prevent loved ones who may be elderly, pregnant or prone to infection from getting sick, getting your shot is an important tool to defend against the flu.
It’s more than just protecting yourself — when you get your flu shot, you are also protecting people around you. The CDC says this includes “those who are more vulnerable to serious flu illness, like babies and young children, older people, and people with certain chronic health conditions.”
The CDC says how well the flu vaccine works each year can vary, but the greatest benefits of getting vaccinated are:
- Flu vaccination can keep you from getting sick with the flu.
- Flu vaccination can reduce the risk of flu-associated hospitalization, including children and older adults.
- Flu vaccinations are an important preventative tool for people with chronic health conditions.
- Vaccination helps protect women during and after pregnancy. Getting vaccinated can also protect a baby after birth from flu.
- Flu vaccination also may make your illness milder if you do get sick.
In addition, the CDC also recommends other good health habits, such as covering your cough and frequently washing your hands with soap, can help prevent the spread of the flu and other respiratory illnesses.
To help make your flu fight easier, Brown Clinic is holding walk-in flu shot clinics at its Northridge location on Tuesday, October 10 from 3 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., and Saturday, October 21 from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. Brown Clinic also offers flu shots by appointment throughout flu season.
Flu season is just around the corner, so it’s time to get your shot and defend yourself and those around you against the flu.
by Dan | Oct 8, 2017 | Exercise, Goals, Motivation, Wellness/Health
Well, we did it! Our Watertown group of runners, the majority of which are part of the Watertown Area Run Club, finished our runs in the Twin Cities last week, finishing either the 10 mile run, or the marathon. All of this done for raising awareness, and money, for Friedreich’s Ataxia! I have written on this several times in the past, but this last Sunday was the day that brought it all together. The last 4 months we have all been working hard at training, and raising money for this cause. We succeeded! Everybody was able to run, and in particular, me. I had a leg injury 2 weeks prior to this day, but was able to still run, and I ran it with Sarah. I helped pace her through mile 21, then the leg was bothering quite a bit, and she helped me finish. We are the ultimate team…the ultimate running partner…my one and only! Thank you very much Sarah! This was her first marathon, and we were helping each other get to the finish line. The finish line though was the success for the marathon, but the ultimate success was the journey we had along the way. The journey we had with all of our “running family”…all in this for the benefit of someone else. We all now have memories for a lifetime!
The idea for all of this started back in February when Tom Batta asked to see if we would be interested. His daughter Ryanne has this genetic, neuromuscular disease, and is one of 4 in the Watertown Community to have this. This is a pretty significant number of people affected by this for this small community, as it is present in about 1 in 50,000 people. We are a community of 20,000! We should not have any! We all jumped on board with this, and even though we may have been raising money for this cause, I think it is pretty safe to say out of all of us running, we are the ones who benefited by doing this! I have never felt more connected to a group of people ever! It was a great learning experience for me…for us! ALL of us were going to do this, and willingly accepted this challenge! This picture was a large portion of us a few weeks prior to the marathon!
We all wore our shirts many times these past few weeks. Here we all our posing for the front of the shirt…
…and the back of the shirt!
Together we will find a cure! Together we will run for them! Together we will do this, and not think about our own personal times/goals/aspirations. Those all help, but the motivation for this run was why we were doing this, and how we were going to help someone else. It truly goes beyond words!
This is the group running the night prior to the event after going out for spaghetti and pasta, with some of the people we were running for, including Danny Rieffenberger, a second cousin of mine. We were ready to go, and they were ready to cheer us on!
Sarah and I were helping each other out, and trying to keep smiling. I admit, it got tough after mile 21…my leg hurt, it started pouring out, and did not quit until an hour after we were done. We kept pushing each other, and kept hoping everybody else was doing ok as well. We were a team, and wanted everybody coming in without any problems. We raised money as a team, we were in this together as a team, but we were running as “family”…a family that worries about each other, cares about each other, and works hard for each! Together…Together we will find a cure!
Sarah and I were coming across the finish together…this will be a great memory for me forever! We came across together, and pushed each other during the training time, and the day of the marathon!
I love this picture! It captures everything of the moment! I personally was struggling those last miles and had to keep walk/run because my leg was giving out! Sarah stood by me, pushed me, encouraged me! The elements of the weather was making is challenging as well. I had to keep telling myself that my pain and struggles would be temporary…we were in this for people who cannot run…who cannot do what the rest of us take for granted every day. This then motivated me to throw another surge in and keep going…for them! The look on my face shows a lot of relief at being done, and I was! I did not know if I was going to even be able to run this event, or finish, so the fact that I did, that is all that matters. I wanted to run this race more than any other one I have been in before. Why? Because I was truly running for someone else…we were all running for someone else, and it felt good! It changed all of our lives, and I only hope that with the money we helped raise, that we can help make a difference in the fight for Friedreich’s Ataxia! For this, we will keep running! Keep moving everybody!
Dr. Dan
Consecutive Exercise Day #: 3662
by kelsey | Oct 5, 2017 | Cooking Tips, Diet, Food, Weight Management, Wellness/Health
If you’re a parent with school age children, you have probably witnessed this scenario many times: your child comes home from school and they are starving! They rummage through the cupboards and try to find something “good” to snack on until supper is ready. Snacks in between meals help provide the body with energy and aid in metabolism and blood sugar control, but the key is making a healthy snack as junk foods will only provide empty calories, leaving you hungry and looking for more later on. Check out the list below for healthy snack ideas!
Healthy Snacks for Kids
Inside-Out Sandwich: Spread mustard on a slice of deli turkey. Wrap around a sesame breadstick.
Rocky Road: Break a graham cracker into bite-size pieces. Add to low-fat chocolate pudding along with a few miniature marshmallows.
Mini Pizza: Toast a whole-wheat English muffin, drizzle with pizza sauce and sprinkle with low-fat mozzarella cheese.
Spread mustard on a flour tortilla. Top with a slice of turkey or ham, low-fat cheese and lettuce. Then roll it up.
Sandwich Cut-Outs: Make a sandwich on whole grain bread. Cut out your favorite shape using a big cookie cutter. Eat the fun shape and the edges, too!
Banana Split: Top a banana with low-fat vanilla and strawberry frozen yogurt. Sprinkle with your favorite whole-grain cereal.
Apple Pie Oatmeal: Make one packet of microwave oatmeal with low-fat milk. Mix in 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce. Sprinkle with apple pie spice or cinnamon.
Mix together peanut butter and cornflakes in a bowl. Shape into balls and roll in crushed graham crackers.
Microwave a cup of tomato or vegetable soup and enjoy with whole-grain crackers.
Fill a waffle cone with cut-up fruit and top with low-fat vanilla yogurt.
Sprinkle grated Parmesan cheese on hot popcorn.
Peel a banana and dip it in yogurt. Roll in crushed cereal and freeze.
Spread celery sticks with peanut butter or low-fat cream cheese. Top with raisins.
Stuff a whole-grain pita pocket with ricotta cheese and Granny Smith apple slices. Add a dash of cinnamon.
Mix together ready-to-eat cereal, dried fruit and nuts in a sandwich bag for an on-the-go snack.
Smear a scoop of frozen yogurt on two graham crackers and add sliced banana to make a yummy sandwich.
Microwave a small baked potato. Top with reduced-fat cheddar cheese and salsa.
Make snack kabobs. Put cubes of low-fat cheese and grapes on pretzel sticks.
Toast a whole-grain waffle and top with low-fat yogurt and peaches.
Mix together low-fat cream cheese, mixed dried fruit bits and shelled sunflower seeds. Spread on a toasted English muffin.
Blend low-fat milk, frozen strawberries and a banana for thirty seconds for a delicious smoothie.
Make a mini-sandwich with tuna or egg salad on a whole-grain dinner roll.
Sprinkle grated Monterey Jack cheese over a corn tortilla; fold in half and microwave for twenty seconds. Top with salsa.
Spread peanut butter on apple slices.
Reference: Academy of Nutrition & Dietetics
-Kelsey
by kelsey | Oct 4, 2017 | Etc.
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Many of us know of someone who has been affected by breast cancer as it is the most common cancer in women and more than 230,000 women are diagnosed with breast cancer every year in the United States as stated by the American Cancer Society.
It is important to recognize some symptoms of breast cancer. The most common symptom is the presence of a painless lump in the breast area. Less common symptoms include swelling, tenderness, skin irritation, redness, or nipple abnormalities which may include ulceration or discharge.
Factors that increase the risk of developing breast cancer include the onset of menstruation before age 12, menopause after the age of 55, not breastfeeding for at least one year, not having children, or having children after 30 years of age, and having a high body mass index.
Increased body weight in postmenopausal women who are not taking hormones increases the risk for developing breast cancer. The more fat cells you have, the higher your levels of estrogen in the postmenopausal period, when your ovaries are no longer producing estrogen. Moreover, overweight women have higher insulin levels, and insulin may promote breast tumors.
Nutrition Tips for Cancer Prevention:
Fruits, vegetables, and whole grains are great sources of antioxidants and phytochemicals. Antioxidants and phytochemicals play a role in cancer prevention. Carotenoids is a type of antioxidant that is found in red and yellow produce. Some examples of foods that contain carotenoids are carrots, pumpkin, winter squash, tomatoes, citrus fruits, and red sweet peppers. All dark green vegetables contain nutrients that protect against cancer. Good sources of dark green vegetables include spinach, asparagus, bell peppers, broccoli, brussels sprouts and kale. An additional benefit to eating a well balanced diet that includes a variety of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains is that it promotes a healthy weight. Maintaining a healthy weight will help you to decrease your risk of developing cancer. A helpful tip to remember is that the more colorful the fruit or vegetable, the more nutrients it contains; so pack your plate with colorful choices!
Be sure to mark your calendars for Running’s Ladies Night Event October 18th from 5-8pm! It is an awesome event supporting and promoting the fight against breast cancer!! Our radiologist Dr.Gwen Schaunaman will be at our clinic booth along with myself to visit and answer any questions about our 3D mammography and diagnostic testing we do here at the clinic. Be sure to stop by and say hello to us!
-Kelsey
by kelsey | Sep 28, 2017 | Etc., Exercise, Heart Health, Motivation, Weight Management, Wellness/Health
As you know now, Tuesday was a big day for Dr.Dan! We enjoyed surprising and celebrating his accomplishment of 10 years of consecutive exercise with him! In case you missed the other news stories and clips, I wanted to include them here so you can check them out if you missed them!
Be sure to visit our Facebook page below to see the videos–one of our staff congratulating him and another one of us surprising him when he got to work!
https://www.facebook.com/BrownClinicStrive2Survive/
The Public Opinion did a great story on him….be sure to check it out below!
https://www.thepublicopinion.com/news/local_news/dr-dan-reiffenberger-hits-milestone/article_fae47a50-a38c-11e7-886d-e7cc6818c69d.html
And if you haven’t done so already, read from Dr.Dan himself about this great achievement and how he’s stay motivated to keep going below!
A Running Doc’s LIfe: 10 Years Completed…and Counting!
Thanks to his nurse Chris for making the awesome cake (above) and thanks to his Running group for coming to celebrate with us (pictured below)!
As Dr.Dan says, we all just need to “get out of bed, get out the door, and get moving”…you can do it too!!
-Kelsey
