Month: September 2019

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Vaccines

I’m an internist…not a pediatrician…but am very much pro vaccine. Because I’m pro-science. And I’m pro-people-not-dying-of-preventable-stuff. It’s kinda why I became a doctor, ya know?

Myths I would like to debunk: I do not get paid for vaccinating people. I do not get paid directly by any pharmaceutical company, period. PERIOD. When you hear that doctors get “paid” for vaccinations, what really happens is they may get value-based bonuses on whether or not they are able to vaccinate a certain percentage of their population. Because vaccinations save lives. And it’s a public health issue.

NEWS FLASH!! This does not come from the pharmaceutical company. It either comes from our EMPLOYER who ALREADY PAYS US, and who are actually paying FOR the vaccine or from your INSURANCE COMPANY, who AGAIN, is ALREADY PAYING US, and actually pays FOR the vaccine.

Second NEWS FLASH, very few offices make money on vaccines. Many offices actually LOSE money on providing the service of vaccinating their patients, but they still do so, because they find it so IMPORTANT.

My kids are being vaccinated on schedule. ON. SCHEDULE. Many of the things out against vaccines were debunked a while ago, but for some reason, continue to spread and cause fear in well-meaning parents. What we SHOULD be afraid of is the diseases that these vaccines protect against…most of which caused death and permanent harm to children when they were widespread.

So, how do they work? Why are we putting the illness, or something like the illness in you in order to prevent the illness? So glad you asked! This infographic explains it quite well, and you’ll find a link to the full blog post.

http://hcrc.missouri.edu/2015/08/05/im-kind-of-a-little-big-deal-public-health-ninjas/

So basically, it’s like training for a marathon. The first time you do it, you don’t have the muscles and your body isn’t fast enough. But once your body’s been introduced to it, it’s faster, and ready to go.

So what about boosters? These are vaccines where your body doesn’t mount a complete response the first time. It needs more practice.

Well why do some people still catch, say, the flu, even though they get the flu shot? You guys ask great questions!  Sometimes, the virus that causes the illness is faster than our bodies ability to fight it off, and we still get sick. This doesn’t mean the vaccines was useless. We still typically don’t get as sick as we would have if we were completely naïve to the virus.

And what do we mean when we say it’s a public health issue? Well, there’s the whole issue of herd immunity. There will always be people who can not be vaccinated for one reason or another, or simply won’t respond to the vaccine. Herd immunity, or the fact that most people are immune and won’t catch the illness, so won’t spread the illness, protects these people. See the image below.             

The below article is long, but if you are seriously wondering about why physicians would recommend we inoculate our bodies with a form of the illness to prevent the illness, below is why, and why the schedule may seem intense. If you are as concerned about your health and your child’s health as I know you are, it’s totally worth the read.

Cashing In On Fear: The Danger of Dr. Sears

Protect yourselves, your children, and our population, and get vaccinated!

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Ketogenic Diet

The ketogenic diet is essentially a very low carbohydrate diet. You cut your carbohydrates so low, that your body begins to burn fat for energy. NO, your body doesn’t NEED carbs. Our bodies are AMAZING and they have been designed such that they can adapt to the absence of carbohydrates by making the sugar our brain needs from fat or ketone bodies by a process called gluconeogenesis from lipolysis or ketolysis (please see figure below if you really want to get super scientific).

Ward, Colin. Metabolic pathways [internet]. 2016 Jan 19; Diapedia 5105765817 rev. no. 25. Available from: https://doi.org/10.14496/dia.5105765817.25

All that being said, as I tell my patients, I AM NOT a fan of the way it is marketed, as the diet where you can have all the bacon and butter you want. There are far too many studies that show us that these animal based saturated fats are unhealthy for us. Sure, if you have cut out all processed, refined carobohydrates and sugars, then you will tolerate more of these fats than the average individual. However, I tend to advise my patients who decide on this diet to choose healthier sources of fat as a go to.

The include: avocado and its oil, grapeseed oil, nuts and nut butters, salmon, olive oil.

Sure, it makes it less “fun,” but the goal is health, right?!

Keto has many benefits including immediate improvement in glucose control, because you are decreasing the very thing that increases sugars—carbs. However, if you are someone who is taking medications for your blood sugars, you should discuss how these medications should be adjusted before starting this type of diet. If you have a history of pancreatitis, liver disease, issues with fat metabolism, malabsorption—you should really consider another type of diet. Most people on this diet will need a multivitamin.

With most diets, you will see an increase in the cholesterol transiently when you begin, but with this one, you REALLY see the numbers increase, but they typically go down after a few months of dedicated lifestyle change. Also, people tend to find that in the first few weeks, they get what’s known as the “keto flu.” The biggest problem with this diet? People actually sticking to it long enough for me to see the benefit. People are typically doing the unhealthy version of this, and they are cheating too often for me to see the benefits actually come through. It generally takes 6-12 months of dedication, but if you stick to it, I see the results, physically, and metabolically. Also, while the short term safety has been shown for most, sticking to this diet hasn’t been shown to be safe past 24 months, so it’s generally recommended that after 12 months, you begin to transition to a more long term plan.

I don’t have any links for you guys, because I have yet to find recipes that I have deemed appropriate for long term use—again too much butter and bacon. But as I find them, I’ll try to link them for your use.

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Plant-Based Diets

If we’re looking at diets that cut one particular type of food, plant-based diets may just have the most data to support its benefit to health. I do find that people, for some reason, are the most resistant to this thought, but it could have something to do with the fact that I’m located in the great and interesting state of TEXAS!

Truth is, Americans eat WAY more than their share of protein, and we really don’t need animal protein to meet this requirement if we eat a wide variety of plants to fill this need. You do have to do your research and make sure that you get all your essential amino acids daily, and generally will need to supplement with vitamin B12 since we do get the bulk of this from animal products.

Plant based diets tout benefits such as reducing risk of cardiovascular disease and cholesterol, reducing insulin resistance, and reducing body weight, in addition to other health benefits including reduction in some gastrointestinal cancers. I will likely go further into some of the benefits in later blogs, but we’ll stop here as an introduction.

Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine is an organization that is passionate about plant based diets. Please find some of their excellent links below to get you started if you are interested in this lifestyle!

A 21 Day Quickstart Program

More guidance on Nutrition

A Vegan Starter Kit

Recipes

Vegan for Atheletes

Vegan in Pregnancy

Nutrition for Kids

(Update 1/5/2020: Houston Vegan Chef with Great Food)

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Getting to Know Me

So this was posted on Twitter, and because I’m not popular on Twitter and have no following, it wasn’t something that mattered when I replied, but I thought it’d be a fun thing to blog as a “Get To Know Me”…so here are a few of my responses:

“And then…I gave up coffee” Been drinking it since I was 10 or so. When I was in high school, my mom got me a coffee maker with an espresso maker as one of my gifts for Christmas.

“The movie was better than the book” Like—who in their right mind believes this? Also, books are BAE! I mean tied equally with coffee and great food. And after my human BAEs of course…yeah…lol.

“I’d love to go to that party full of people I never talk to!” Introvert 4 Life!

“Small talk is the best thing EVER!” See above

“I LOVE being pregnant!!” Yeah, not for me. Ever. Again. Assuming the Good Lord says the same (I’m definitely doing my part, I tell ya! Faith without works, chile…)

“Supersize it!” You should never. Unless you’re a 19 year old, 220lb male who runs track 5 days a week.

“I LOVE planning parties!” Shoot me.

“I would totally do residency again” See above

“I love pickles!” I’ve tried. I just..can’t. You guys make them look really good, though.

“Chocolate is GROSS!” Who are these people?

“Wine is GROSS!” Jesus didn’t say this…you can’t say this 😊

“I just love CHAOS!” Type A personality here—I crave order and I have a plan A, B, C. It drives me crazy that other people don’t have answers for my 5 million hypothetical questions. I’m working on this. Also, this blog is probably the most unplanned thing I’ve ever done…in life. So cheers to a bit of therapy!

“So, I’m going to have on flats at brunch” I never wear flats, y’all. I have to be hiking, or training a dog, exercising, or something where heels are really, really unsafe in order not to wear them. I wore them every day of my pregnancy. I wear them everywhere. If I’m not in heels, you should know there’s something wrong. Ask. I’m not okay.

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Shout out to the Toddler

Toddlers are pretty amazing creatures. They’re just great big balls of pure, random emotion. Nothing feels better than the sheer excitement they have when they see you for the first time when they get home at the end of the day: “Mommy!!” with arms outstretched, and smile wide, eyes bright. Similar force of emotion drives their not-so-positive behavior, and he’s not so reasonable when he’s extremely disappointment that the milk is in the green cup instead of the blue one as he requested. Luckily, they’re also really, really cute at this age!

My toddler, also happens to be a sarcastic old man trapped inside a toddler’s body. When he bumped his head the other day, he allowed his dad to briefly comfort him, then quietly walked over to the kitchen where the “real” comforter of the family was cooking. He looked up at me expectantly. I picked him up, and gave him a hug as he laid his head against my chest. “Your head still hurts?” “Yeah,” said in the congratulatory tone of a parent proud of a child for guessing the correct answer mixed with a bit of pitifulness—delivered with a touch of side eye he’s been giving since he was 3 months old. So I patted his back—really laid it on thick. I really thought this was hilarious—how he had just quietly walked away from my husband like—yeah, I’m gonna go get this mama-cuddle, but I’m not gonna hurt your feelings. So funny. He wasn’t dramatic about it at all.

Circle of kisses in bed with the littles

This little one keeps me laughing. I can’t wait to see who he is as he gets older. My older one, he’s a great big heart. I tell everyone—I don’t know what he’s going to do, but he’s meant to touch people’s lives. This younger one…I laugh, because I see him and think “World Domination.” At 17 months, what’s supposed to be the height of separation anxiety, he walked into a bustling Halloween party full of screaming 5-7 year old kids and adults with his chest stuck out, reading the room, with a smirk on his face and didn’t look for me until it was time to eat.  He had everyone eating out of his hands. This kid is so much fun, and so much challenge. I pray every day he loves school, because you don’t MAKE him do anything.

Where am I going with this. I don’t know. Just an ode to my younger son, I guess. An ode to where we are. I realized that because the toddler days are so crazy, and my experiences with my older one are so much more—organized, I’d written more about him, and it seemed unbalanced. Unfair. So this was a shout out to the littler little.

The other day, he walked up to me, out of the blue, and in toddler speak said, “I lub you” while I was doing something random in the living room. I was so touched, because before that, he had only ever said thank you when I told him I loved him. And I wanted to remember it. And now I will.

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Santa Claus is Dead

“Mommy, is Santa Claus real? Really, mommy, tell me the truth.”

I had always promised myself that when my child REALLY asked, he would get just that, the truth. Because that is one of my core values, honesty. Almost to a fault, really. So when he asked while we were doing cuddle time with his 2 year old brother, I quieted him, because we’re supposed to be quiet during cuddle time, and when we went downstairs to read Harry Potter, I texted his dad to be sure it was okay that I told him the truth. It was. “Did someone tell you there wasn’t a Santa Claus?”

“Yes”
“Do you think there is a Santa Claus?”
“I do, but I want to make sure I’m right.”
“Well, logically, do you think there’s a Santa Claus. Does it make sense?”
“Well, no. I mean, magic is make-believe. And how does one man get all those presents to everyone?”
“If he doesn’t get the presents, who does?’
“Your parents.”
“So do you believe in Santa Claus”
“I do, but I want to know if I’m right”


A few more rounds of this. I asked him if he really wanted to know the truth and he insisted he did. I told him it might make him a little sad. Then I told him that there isn’t a Santa. Guys, he took it much better than I did, and I was 2 years older when I found out! “So you’ve been buying all my presents?” Mind you, I didn’t exactly get the thank you I hoped for, but I did get a few requests, one of which was for some frogs—which I promptly turned down. The boy can’t take care of plants, and I already have a puppy to try to support. I AM NOT KEEPING FROGS ALIVE TOO!
We then talked about his responsibility not to ruin the fun for everyone else. I asked him why the little boy who told him had told him. He was being mean. Of. Course. And he would NOT do that to some other kid. He WOULD NOT. He would let them enjoy the fun until they figured it out for themselves.
And then we read a chapter in our first Harry Potter book. They grow up too fast, guys!

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Lessons from Ruth


Once a week, I will have an installment that speaks to my spirituality, because, as I’ve said, to me, spiritual wellness, is essential to complete wellness. Because I am Christian, my spirituality is heavily based in my relationship with the Trinity. If reading about God, Jesus, or the Spirit will offend your sensibilities, these posts aren’t for you—be advised.

I’m still dealing with these migraines. Still trying to see where they’re going to take me and I’m still looking for guidance, and sometimes needing a little encouragement to keep pushing. It has been so amazing to see God work to use these migraines to grow me as a person, and amazing to see Him give me just what I need to keep me pushing. He didn’t disappoint this Sunday.
It’s funny how even when you know better, you think YOU are making a decision, when actually, it’s been His plan all along. Or, He’s rather capable of using our decisions for His benefit. Either way…
Our dog has been having quite a time with his ear cropping, and we were having guests over later in the afternoon. In an attempt to be able to have some down time before our guests (to prevent a major headache) and so that someone could watch the dog (to keep him from removing his bandages, yet again!) I attended 8 am service at a congregation other than the one I usually attend. And it was obvious, this was just as God intended, as soon as I heard the message.

“God will take you through something—He needs to humble you because He’s getting ready to expand you in a great way.”


The minister was talking about Ruth, about how she lost her husband and her sons, she was widowed, with no family, and she was basically at what we would call “rock bottom.” He explained that sometimes, God will take you through something—He needs to humble you because He’s getting ready to expand you in a great way. He then used a secular example: Steve Harvey.
Steve Harvey was praying for an increase in his notoriety, then he announced the wrong winner on the Miss Universe stage in 2015. He instantly became known world wide, and it was so bad, he had to hire security due to death threats. Shortly after, he had a show where he hosted Miss Columbia, and it was his show with highest ratings. He has been much more globally recognized since that moment.
Back to Ruth—Ruth lost everything. But Naomi, her daughter-in-law stuck beside her. And through that love, God increased Ruth’s blessing she became the ancestor of one of the greatest men to ever walk the face of the Earth according to us Christians!
I left so encouraged. I’m not sure who else needs to hear this, but I sure did. Sometimes you’ve prayed for an increase. Sometimes you didn’t even pray for it, but God is ready for you to have it. However, before you can have something so great, you need to know how human you are, how small you are, so that you keep your humility. You need to remember just how quickly it can vanish so that you appreciate it when it comes. You need to remember how great He is, so that you don’t second guess who got you where you are, and who’s going to continue to carry you through. Be blessed!

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Sharing is Caring

Saturday, my son was the first person I told about the site, because I wanted to get his permission to use the rainbow image on the motherhood page. And I created a monster. “Mommy, you have to tell them about our amazing night!” he instructed as I snapped photos of him and his toddler brother having an amazing time. When I decided to have them 5 years apart, so many people had so much to say.

“They won’t be close.” “You sure did wait a long time.”

I had my reasons. One was that a sane mommy is the most important thing in a child’s life, and I hate–loathe–pregnancy. In me. Pregnancy and my body are not friends. But then my son started asking for a brother. Praying for a brother. And my husband and I had discussed two children, and he hadn’t exactly freed me from that promise. So here he is–and I love him.

And I’m amazed that they have such a brotherly bond. The younger is 2 and the older is 7 and they fight and play just like my brother and I did, and we were only 18 months apart. So this evening started with my toddler having a meltdown because he couldn’t have all my decorative pillows to build his personal fort, pillows my 7 year old had already started playing with (I, by the way, don’t approve of any of this fort building with my decorative pillows–but I’m a boy mom, so some battles, you lose). It ended with a shared fort and songs and laughter and hugs. “See how much fun it is when you share?” I hear my older son say to the toddler.

If only the world could hear him now.

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My First Blog…

Why did I start this page? I think it’s been a long time coming, but recently, a series of events have really highlighted that I’ve been selling myself, my talents, my God (yes I believe in God, and He is the reason I am all I am) short.

A friend of mine started a campaign, #extraordinaryiswhoiam. And it was sitting there, watching her live video (that honestly I didn’t know I was signing up to watch when she asked me to post this picture on Tuesday after Labor Day), that I realized I’m not allowed to sit back and continue to just think about things I’d like to see happen. Think about the writing I used to do, and hope to write again. Think about my passion for preventative care, healthy eating, exercise, wellness, and not start to put a plan in motion to share that widely. So I decided shortly after that this is how I’d start. And see where it leads me.

Image may contain: 1 person, smiling, text

Find the link to the live that was my final inspiration below, and join the movement! Because you, sis, are also extraordinary!

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