Walk more, eat well, and you’ll live longer. It’s a simple premise, but it’s the foundation of the American Heart Association’s Start! Movement. Research has shown that you can gain about two hours of life for every hour of regular vigorous exercise you do. You couldn’t find a better two-for-one deal if you tried! It’s a good thing too because the American workforce is becoming more and more sedentary.

As a result, our waistbands are growing and so are our healthcare costs and the number of preventable illnesses. Start! is here to stop the trend by promoting walking as a simply first step toward a healthier lifestyle.

As the signature fund-raising event for the American Heart Association since 1994, the Start! Heart Walk, the cornerstone event associated with the Start! movement, promotes physical activity and heart-healthy living in a fun, family environment. Each year, more than 1 million walkers participate in more than 350 events across the country, raising funds to save lives.

Registration is now open for the more than 11,000 Greater Orlando residents expected to take steps to improve their heart health on October 2^nd, when they participate in the American Heart Association’s Start! Heart Walk, to be held at Loch Haven Park at 8 a.m.

The celebratory event, co-chaired by Sherrie Sitarik, Orlando Health Executive Vice President and Brian Paradis, Florida Hospital Chief Operating Officer, raises funds to fight heart disease and stroke, the No. 1 and No. 3 killers of our community and all Americans. Teams of employees from local companies, along with friends and family members of all ages, will participate in the non-competitive 5K (3.1 miles), following a program emceed by Dave Collins & Leslye Gale of Magic 107.7. A one-mile route is also available for survivors.

More than 100 companies have already formed Start! Heart Walk teams including many in East Orlando such as Airmark, Florida Emergency Physicians, Florida Hospital East, Hewitt Associates, Lake Nona, Massey Services/Massey Communications, Target, University of Central Florida, Valencia Community College, Wachovia and Walgreens, with additional participation expected.

With executive level support, company leaders take an active role to engage employees through the recruitment of team captains who then register walkers using a variety of fun and educational activities to encourage participation and raise funds. Hewitt Associates has aligned both nationally and locally with the American Heart Association through associates’ fundraising contributions that go towards supporting research.

“Through its community service and the Choose Health wellness program, Hewitt is focused on promoting a culture of health and wellness. Taking part in Start! Heart Walk is one more way we can encourage associates to get and stay healthy,” said Marita Newkerk, team manager, Hewitt Associates.

“To motivate associates to reach their fundraising goals, we’re offering the opportunity to win a Wii Fit! We’re enjoying healthy competition between departments as we strive to reach our $15,000 company goal. With the hard work and dedication of our associates, we know we can help make an impact on cardiovascular disease research,” added Cheryl Fitch, Location leader, Hewitt Associates.

Walkers can plan to visit three communities set-up throughout the park that morning with festivities kicking off at 7:00 a.m. The communities, Create Hope, Inspire Change and Celebrate Success, provide family fun and education. Everything from health screenings, kid’s activities, healthy snacks, survivor celebrations, massages, company photos and more will be available. The event provides an opportunity for every participant and team to put the mission of the American Heart Association and the Start! program into action.

To learn more, join a team or to form your own team, visit GreaterOrlandoHeartWalk.org. There is no registration fee, however participants who raise at least $100 will receive a Start! Heart Walk t-shirt, with other incentive opportunities.

Article by Nancy Devault

A group of scientists are trying to prove that an 800-year lifespan is possible.  While that may seem a little unlikely, we absolutely can increase the length, and more importantly, the quality of our lives.

Former U.S. Surgeon General C. Everett Koop, M.D., discovered after a thorough study of scientific literature that diet is a factor in eight of the top 10 causes of death in the United States. One revolutionary study of centenarians (those who are older than 100-years-old)  showed that these people all had a diet high in fruits and vegetables.

Everyone knows fruits and veggies are good for you, but in recent years scientists have begun to clearly understand why we need them. The key to our good health may actually be antioxidants. The natural source for antioxidants is in fruits and vegetables. As a general rule of thumb,  the darker the food, the better.

But why do we need antioxidants and what do they do? Antioxidants get rid of the free radicals in our bodies and repair the damage they cause.

Free radicals are a type of molecule in our bodies that cause oxidation; and they are created in our normal, everyday living. The very air we breathe causes oxidation in our bodies. When something oxidizes, it begins to deteriorate. A good example of this is when you slice an apple, it begins to turn brown very quickly. It’s also why our cars rust. You could say we are rusting from the inside out because of this oxidation.  Stress increases free radicals, as do environmental factors such as pollution, radiation, cigarette smoke and herbicides.

How important are antioxidants? Dr Richard Cutler, a researcher at the anti-aging department of the National Institute of Health says that, “The amount of antioxidants we maintain in our bodies is directly proportional to how long and how healthy we will live…”

The good news is that your secret weapon to fight disease and old age is as close as your grocery store’s fresh produce isle. Longevity experts say we should be eating ten servings of fruits and vegetables per day. The bad news, however, is nearly 90 percent of Americans are not even getting the minimum of five servings per day.

The solution may be a good supplement. By making some simple, smarter choices each day, you can have smoother looking skin, higher mental acuity, greatly reduced inflammation, lessen the plaque in your arteries and have more energy. The list goes on and on. Just Google any health issue you currently have along with the word “antioxidant” and see for yourself.

The USDA rates fruits and vegetables  with a system called the ORAC score. The higher the score, the higher the antioxidant value. In general, it’s good to remember that fruits and vegetables in their most natural state are going to be the best. Darker foods like blueberries, prunes and pomegranates will have higher values than grapes or corn for instance. Kale, spinach and strawberries rank fairly high. There is a lot of buzz about the Brazilian acai berry right now for its level of antioxidants as well.

Then there is  everyone’s favorite food, chocolate. Yes, the cocoa bean grows on a tree and is considered a fruit.

Again, the closer chocolate is to its purest form, the better. The Spanish conqueror  Hernando Cortes declared in the 1500’s that a bitter cocoa drink was, “The divine drink which builds up resistance and fights fatigue. A cup of this precious drink permits man to walk for a whole day without food.”

So forget the fads and stick with the basics. In conjunction with a diet low in greasy foods, plenty of sleep, water and exercise, a variety of fresh fruits (including chocolate) and vegetables rich in antioxidants are a very important part of your overall longevity.

Scientists may or may not crack the code for living several hundred years, but whatever your age, with a few smart, healthy choices, each day you’ll look and feel much younger for years to come.

About the Author:

Mike Greenfield is an entrepreneur with a passion to help others live their best life personally, professionally and spiritually. Mike, his wife Julie, and their family live in Stoneybrook. Visit him on the web to learn more at www.iCraveHealthyChocolate.com.

Article by Mike Greenfield

As a dietitian, I am regularly asked for quick and easy tips on eating and how to live a healthier lifestyle. One of my favorites is the “5-2-1-Almost None” guideline. This refers to “5″ fruits and vegetables a day, “2″ hours or less of screen time, “1″ hour or more of moderate to vigorous activity, and limiting sugary beverages to “Almost None.”

5: Aim for 5 fruits and vegetables a day.

If you could change only one thing about your eating habits, this is a great one. People often tend to plan their meals and snacks around the meat or the starch.  However, by making fruits and vegetables the focus, it will be easier to meet this daily goal. One way is to prepare your dinner plate by dividing it into quarters. Use 2 quarters, or half, for non-starchy vegetables, including, but not limited to broccoli, carrots, lettuce, tomato and green beans. Use one quarter of the plate for the starch, including bread, pasta, rice, most beans, peas, corn and potatoes.  The remaining quarter of the plate is for protein, including lean beef, poultry, pork, fish or tofu. Remember to go easy on your portion size. Resist the urge to load up your plate, and if you go back for second helpings, do your very best to stick with non-starchy vegetables.

Another way to encourage a healthy environment at home is to be selective about which foods and beverages come into the house. Avoid bringing home packaged high-calorie snack foods (potato chips, cakes or cookies) or high-fat convenience foods (canned ravioli or frozen dinners/snacks). If those items are at home, they are a temptation for anyone in the house, and they often take the place of fruits and vegetables. It’s ok to go out and treat yourself to a small cup of ice cream or French fries every once in a while, but it should not be a regular occurrence nor should it be regularly available at home.

Parents always tell me, “my kid won’t eat anything but chicken nuggets and mac-n-cheese!” Well, consider who is buying those items. The parents’ role is to provide healthy foods. The child’s role is to at least taste what is offered to them.  If your child does not like it, don’t battle with them over it. Give them a narrow selection of food choices and stick to your guns. Instead of asking, “What do you want for a snack?” ask “Do you want an apple or a handful of grapes?” It’s ok if they choose to eat nothing, because it means they are not really hungry. Be consistent - if they are truly hungry, they will go for the fruit or vegetables!

2: Limit screen time to no more than 2 hours a day.

Screen time includes time spent using a TV, computer, playing videogames and even texting. Children are increasingly less active these days, so set daily limits on screen time. Technology that incorporates screen time and physical activity, such as active Wii games, can be counted toward light to moderate physical activity.

1: Aim for 1 hour a day of moderate to vigorous physical activity.

This is the type of activity that gets you out of breath and makes it a little difficult to carry on a conversation. It needs to be something that children enjoy and doesn’t necessarily have to be an organized sport. Kids follow the example of their parents, so look for family activities to do together.

Almost None: Drink almost no sugary beverages.

Sugary beverages include any beverage with high levels of sugar in it. This includes regular soda, sweet tea, lemonade, fruit flavored drinks, sports drinks and even juices. “Almost None” means you should drink no more than about six ounces a day, which is the amount found in half of a can of soda. Juice labeled as 100 percent fruit juice is tricky. They can offer some vitamins and minerals found in fruits, but they are highly concentrated in sugar and should be kept to a minimum as well. Water is the healthiest choice, period.

“5-2-1-Almost None” is a simple yet powerful set of goals to aim for. Most people don’t realize they don’t have to follow a strict diet to experience a major improvement in their health over time. Follow these simple guidelines consistently, and you will help you your family live a healthier lifestyle!

Article by Mandy H. Layman, MS, RD, LD/N, CDE with Nemours

Statistics reveal that about 300 million people worldwide are infected with the hepatitis C virus. At Digestive and Liver Center of Florida, Dr. Srinivas Seela, MD, a Yale University School of Medicine fellowship trained gastroenterology and hepatology specialist, and his staff have devoted a portion of their practice to diagnose and treat patients with the chronic liver disease, even going as far to create a hepatitis C support group for patients.

Below are some of the more common questions Dr. Seela hears from new patients at the practice’s Lake Underhill and downtown offices.

1. What are the symptoms of hepatitis C?
Most people with hepatitis C don’t have any symptoms, actually. Some people, however, can have mild symptoms soon after being infected. These symptoms include jaundice (a yellowing of the eyes/skin), fatigue, muscle aches and dark urine, among others. Usually these symptoms go away without any treatment.

2. Should I get tested?
Hepatitis C is a blood borne virus, which means that it is spread primarily by blood-to-blood contact with an infected person.

Some common causes for contracting hepatitis C include: use of a needle to inject drugs; receiving a blood transfusion before 1992; long-term kidney dialysis; being born from a mother who had hepatitis C; having a sexual partner with hepatitis C or being a Vietnam-era Veteran.

There are numerous other risk factors that may lead to a positive hepatitis C diagnosis, so if you feel concerned at all, it’s important to get tested as soon as possible.

There are several misconceptions about how the disease can spread. You cannot get hepatitis C from being coughed or sneezed on, donating blood, breast-feeding, kissing someone with the virus or sharing utensils, contrary to what some may say.

3. Is there a cure for hepatitis C?
Doctors prefer not to use the word “cure,” but if treatment is successful, the virus will no longer be found in the bloodstream, and it is believed that the risk of future liver problems is reduced.

4. What are my treatment options?
If you have been diagnosed with hepatitis C, treatments against the virus are aimed at doing 3 things: removing the virus from your body, slowing down or stopping damage to your liver and making you feel better.

Right now, the treatment for hepatitis C, approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, consists of a two-drug regimen (called “combination” therapy) designed to increases the amount of interferon in your body while increasing the body’s ability to fight certain viruses.

Depending on specific factors, patients have anywhere from a 20 to 80 percent chance of having hepatitis C removed from their bodies.

5. How long does treatment last?
In general, standard combination therapy lasts between 24 and 48 weeks, with 6 months of follow-up after treatment has ended. Sometimes, if the treatment is not working, or if you have too many side effects, your doctor may stop your treatment early.

You can help keep your liver healthy by eating well, drinking lots of water, and avoiding substances that can harm your liver - such as alcohol and illegal drugs.

6. What are the long-term effects?
More than half of people with hepatitis C will never have any health problems from it. The disease generally progresses slowly, over the course of 10 to 40 years.

Looking for more information?

If you want to know more about hepatitis C or any of the services offered at Digestive and Liver Center of Florida, contact their office today to find out how they can help you live a happier, healthier life.

7975 Lake Underhill Rd., Ste. 360 - Orlando, FL 32822

3000 N. Orange Ave., Suite D - Orlando, FL 32804

407.384.7388 - www.DLCFL.com

Hippocrates, the father of medicine, first recognized stroke and called it “apoplexy”, which means, “struck down by violence”, in Greek. Unfortunately, humans have been, and continue to be, “struck down” by the same disease for thousands of years.

Despite the hard work of scientists and physicians around the world, mankind, has yet to find a cure for stroke. “We are closer to implementing a strategy for a cure and in some cases, reversing the symptoms of a stroke, to help one maintain his or her quality of life however,” says Director of Stroke at Florida Hospital East Orlando, Doctor Abraham P. Thomas, M.D.

With that said, what exactly is a stroke? “That’s a question that I have heard echoed in my practice far too many times by both the patients and the families,” says Thomas. “A simple way to think of a stroke is to think of it as a ‘brain attack.’” In other words, a stroke is similar in concept to a heart attack where the brain undergoes a sudden injury.

“The injurious process fundamentally comes down to two processes: lack of oxygenation of the brain cells, and swelling or compression of the brain, leading to further injury,” says Thomas. These processes lead to the myriad of symptoms experienced by a stroke patient following their incident.

It should be noted, however, the symptoms of a stroke can range in diversity when compared to a heart attack. Stroke symptoms may include:  difficulty in understanding or producing speech; slurring of speech; sudden loss of vision or a part of the visual field; sudden weakness of the face, arm or leg; a terrible headache; sudden numbness or tingling of the arm or leg; sudden imbalance and more.

Several risk factors have been identified when dealing with stroke cases and include an age of 55-years-old or older; race; family history of stroke; hypertension; diabetes; high cholesterol; cardiac arrhythmia and a previous stroke. Interestingly, men are also more likely to experience a stroke when compared to women.

“Looking at the risk factors, it’s easy to see why strokes contribute to the healthcare crisis in America today,” says Thomas. “Stroke is the leading cause of disability in the U.S. as well as the number three cause of mortality with 795,000 new cases reported each year.”

The strategy to help attack, or treat, the devastation caused by stroke involves national guidelines for the treatment and prevention of primary and secondary strokes. As a part of that solution, Primary Stroke Centers are being created around the nation to help address and implement these strategies. A Primary Stroke Center is a hospital that has been certified and licensed as meeting all the quality standard of care requirements needed to provide the highest level of care for stroke patients.

“Florida Hospital East Orlando was honored this year with the designation of a Primary Stroke Center and will play an immense role in the care of the East Orlando community,” says Thomas. “And, beyond the designation, Florida Hospital East Orlando has also implemented a ‘Televideo Stroke Program’ to help achieve faster attention to stroke care via cutting-edge technology.”

According to him, the goal at Florida Hosptial East Orlando is not be “just another Primary Stroke Center”, but to be a “Premier Stroke Center” that will help save millions of lives.

In fact, at a Primary Stroke Center, stroke victims have access to medication known as a “clot buster” that may help reverse the symptoms of a stroke if they are able to be evaluated at the Emergency Room within three to four and a half hours after the onset of stroke.

“May is Stroke Awareness Month and the excitement at Florida Hospital East Orlando continues to build as we have programs setup to reach out to the community for stroke education through community lectures, radio talk shows, magazine articles and more,” says Thomas.  “Prevention is the key to stroke care and we are on the forefront of the solution to addressing this healthcare crisis, one stroke at a time.”

Florida Hospital East Orlando

www.FloridaHospitalEast.com

7727 Lake Underhill Rd.

Orlando, FL 32822

407.303.8110

Article by Corey Gehrold