Health News El Paso
Back Clinic Health News El Paso Functional Medicine Team. Chiropractor Dr. Alex Jimenez brings the latest articles, blog posts, technology, and advancements in health for the El Paso, TX. community. Dr. Jimenez follows health science, which is the protection and improvement of the health of families and communities through the promotion of healthy lifestyles. Combined with this comes research for disease and injury prevention and detection and control of infectious diseases. In addition, we take a global functional fitness treatment approach to regain complete functional health.
Dr. Jimenez presents health news El Paso articles from his own experience and various sources on a healthy lifestyle or general health issues. I have spent over 30+ years researching and testing methods with thousands of patients and understand what truly works. Health professionals try to prevent problems from happening or recurring through implementing educational programs, recommending policies, and administering services. A big part of public health involves the promotion of health care equity, quality, and accessibility.
by Dr Alex Jimenez | Fitness, Health News El Paso, UTEP (Local) RSS
For 2016, Americans have three top resolutions in mind – increase savings, increase exercise and lose weight.
According to Nielson, 37% of Americans chose to “stay fit and healthy” as their resolution. To help them get started, El Paso area Sam’s Clubs will be hosting free health screenings, which are open to the public, from 11-4 p.m. this Saturday, Jan. 9.
In fact, two of the free tests being offered, blood pressure and blood glucose, are two key markers that indicate your overall health. Participants will be able to get an idea of where they stand with their health, and what they need to do it improve it for a healthier 2016.
These health screenings are free, confidential and available to the public at all Sam’s Club locations with a pharmacy (617 locations). Additional details on each one will be made available at SamsClub.com.
The first screening will take place on Saturday, Jan. 9 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., while supplies last, with a key health indicator review, valued at $150,[ii] which includes the following tests:
- Blood pressure
- Total cholesterol
- HDL (good cholesterol)
- Glucose
- Body mass index (BMI)
- Vision (not available at all locations)
- Hearing (not available at all locations)
“For the last five years, we have been proud to offer these free screenings as an easy and affordable way for the communities we serve to stay on top of their health,” said Jill Turner-Mitchael, senior vice president, Sam’s Club Consumables & Health and Wellness. “Health and wellness remains a top priority for Sam’s Club and we are constantly striving to find ways to make healthcare more accessible.”
Additional information about Sam’s Club health and wellness offerings can be found at SamsClub.com and in the Sam’s Club exclusive bi-monthly wellness magazine, Healthy Living Made Simple.
by Dr Alex Jimenez | Cancer Health, Fitness, Health News El Paso, UTEP (Local) RSS
In honor of Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month this March, the Against Colorectal Cancer in Our Neighborhoods (ACCION) program is teaming up with community partners to raise awareness about colorectal cancer and to encourage El Pasoans to get tested for the disease.
ACCION is a cancer prevention program at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso (TTUHSC El Paso) that offers no-cost screenings to qualifying El Paso residents.
Even though colon cancer is easily prevented with a simple screening test, this cancer is the second leading cancer killer in the U.S. Doctors encourage adults age 50 and older to be regularly tested for colon cancer, but many El Pasoans do not follow these guidelines.
In fact, El Paso has one of the lowest colon cancer screening rates in Texas. According to theTexas Department of State Health Services, only 54 percent of qualifying residents get tested for the cancer, compared to 66 percent of the rest of the U.S.
On March 15, TTUHSC El Paso will join efforts with El Pasoan’s Fighting Hunger and New Mexico State University to conduct colorectal cancer education at Guillen Middle School. The event will include a food pantry distribution and NMSU’s giant, inflatable colon for families to tour.
On March 23, TTUHSC El Paso’s ACCION team will visit the San Jacinto Adult Learning Center to educate some 150 adult students about colorectal cancer. Those who are eligible for colon cancer testing will be offered a free screening through the program.
A former ACCION participant will be on-hand to discuss the program and to encourage students to get screened, thereby lowering their risk of colon cancer. NMSU will assist with cancer education and have their giant colon on display.
What: Colon Cancer Awareness Month Events
When: 3 to 5 p.m. Tuesday, March 15 and 8 to 11 a.m. Wednesday, March 23
Where: Guillen Middle School, located at 900 S. Cotton Street, and the San Jacinto Adult Learning Center, located at 1216 Olive Avenue
by Dr Alex Jimenez | Fitness, Health News El Paso, UTEP (Local) RSS
Adults in New Mexico who have been diagnosed with diabetes can learn how to prepare healthy and delicious meals by participating in the Kitchen Creations cooking school, sponsored by the New Mexico Department of Health and offered by the New Mexico State University Cooperative Extension Service.
The next Kitchen Creations session in English will be offered from 5:30-8:30 p.m. April 6, 13, 20 and 27 at Mayfield High School (1955 N. Valley Drive – Las Cruces) The next Kitchen Creations session in Spanish will be offered from 5:30-8:30 p.m. April 7, 14, 21 and 28 at Santa Teresa High School (100 Airport Road in Santa Teresa, N.M.)
The cooking schools are free thanks to funding from the New Mexico Department of Health Diabetes Prevention and Control Program.
“There was so much interest in our last Kitchen Creations session that we were able to schedule two more for April, one in English and one in Spanish,” said Karim Martinez, Doña Ana County Extension Home Economist.
Each Kitchen Creations session consists of four classes taught by a registered dietitian and an Extension Home Economist. Participants will learn food safety, how to plan meals, measure appropriate serving sizes, read food labels, balance carbohydrates and other useful cooking tips. Participants will also prepare and sample a variety of recipes during each class.
Research has shown diabetes complications may be decreased when blood glucose levels are maintained within a range that mimics “normal” levels. In order to achieve these levels, people diagnosed with diabetes are often prescribed lifestyle changes such as diet modification.
According to New Mexico’s Indicator-Based Information System, nearly 11 percent of adults in New Mexico were living with diabetes between 2011 and 2013. The national average during the same time period was about 10 percent.
“Many people with diabetes are not sure what to do to improve their health, especially when it comes to food,” said Cassandra Vanderpool, registered dietitian and extension diabetes coordinator for NMSU’s Department of Extension Family and Consumer Sciences. “Kitchen Creations goes beyond simply providing nutrition information to engaging participants in hands-on cooking and other activities so they can immediately apply what they are learning.”
Vanderpool said that last year, more than 400 people attended Kitchen Creations cooking schools. At the last class, Vanderpool said, every participant reported they understood strategies to plan and prepare healthy meals, and that they were satisfied with the classes.
“Several months after attending the Kitchen Creations cooking school in Valencia County, a participant called the home economist to share her good news,” Vanderpool said. “She had just returned from the doctor, and her A1C had dropped. She attributed the improvement to the changes that she and her husband, who also attended the classes, had made in their cooking and eating habits as a result of what they learned from Kitchen Creations.”
To enroll in the Kitchen Creations cooking school, contact the Doña Ana Cooperative Extension Service at 575-525-6649.
Author: Adriana M. Chavez – NMSU
by Dr Alex Jimenez | Fitness, Health News El Paso, UTEP (Local) RSS
Staff Report May 19, 2016 808 Views
Senator José Rodríguez, in partnership with Ventanas de Socorro, will offer free memory screenings on Friday and Saturday (May 20 and 21) as part of the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America’s National Memory Screening Program (AFA).
AFA’s National Memory Screening Program provides free, confidential memory screenings to individuals who are concerned about memory problems or who want to check their memory now for future comparisons.
Qualified healthcare professionals will administer the face-to-face memory screening, which lasts approximately 10 minutes and consists of a series of questions and tasks designed to gauge memory, language skills and other intellectual functions.
- What: Free Memory Screenings
- When: 3- 6 p.m., Friday (May 20) –and– 2-6 p.m., Saturday (May 21)
- Where: Ventanas de Socorro, 10064 Alameda Ave, Socorro, TX 79927.
Check Also
In honor of Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month this March, the Against Colorectal Cancer in Our …
by Dr Alex Jimenez | Fitness, Health News El Paso, UTEP (Local) RSS
After opening his first Tropical Smoothie Café location in East El Paso, local businessman and law enforcement officer Kaleb Warnock is set to open his second location.
The second location for Warnock’s Tropical Smoothie Café is set to host a special VIP event Thursday afternoon at the Fountains at Farah, ahead of his grand opening on Saturday. His original location, at 1513 North Zaragoza continues to be popular with thousands of El Pasoans every week.
Warnock’s career often calls upon a shift from a law enforcement officer to an emergency first-responder, assisting local, state and federal agencies. The demands of the job require physical fitness and good health; meaning that eating and living healthy are essential requirements to Kaleb’s lifestyle.
Kaleb’s appetite for that healthy lifestyle has given him the opportunity to provide healthier options his fellow El Pasoans via Tropical Smoothie Café.
“I’ve always been a health enthusiast with an appetite. Yearning for a delicious smoothie (especially after a workout) has helped me maintain a healthy diet and lifestyle for my job and my family.”
Warnock adds that his cafés offers “bold, flavorful food and smoothies with a “healthy” appeal, all made to order from the freshest ingredients.”
The café features real-fruit smoothies, toasted wraps, sandwiches, flatbreads, and salads are the healthier food options needed for active lifestyles.
by Dr Alex Jimenez | Fitness, Health News El Paso, UTEP (Local) RSS
SANTA FE, N.M. — The most popular New Year’s resolutions for 2016 involved staying fit and losing weight, and chances are good that many people are setting the same goal again in 2017. The psychology of motivation may hold the answer to how people can keep their resolutions in the new year.
According to Elliot Berkman, an associate professor of psychology at the University of Oregon, it’s important to start with a goal that is less abstract and more actionable than just “staying healthy” – and to start on it as soon as possible.
“What you want to do is to get those immediate reinforcements as early as you can,” Berkman said. “So, it’s kind of classic advice and it’s good advice to start small, and to make sure to reinforce each little step.”
According to a Nielsen study, 43 percent of people said they planned to lose weight at the beginning of this year by eating healthier. But more than 75 percent who had that goal had not followed a healthy diet or weight-loss program the year before, so they hadn’t developed the healthy habits necessary for success.
Berkman said this can be the biggest obstacle. Our habitual behavior – which may not involve regular visits to the gym – is the easiest for us to fall back on. Following through on a New Year’s resolution means rewiring the brain for a new habit – literally. Berkman said people are better off doing something they like and connecting the habit to something bigger.
“Maybe it’s connecting it to your family or your work, or earning money,” he said. “Whatever is the thing that you really care about, find the way that that new goal is connected to that, and that’s going to also serve as a reinforcement for it.”
Technology also can be useful for keeping people motivated. Berkman said at the University of Oregon’s Social and Affective Neuroscience Lab where he works, he and other researchers use text messaging to remind people of their goals. He said abstract goals can be hard to keep in mind day to day, especially when concrete temptations exist all around.
“It helps combat fire with fire, a little bit, to get those texts in your daily life,” Berkman said. “And so, you don’t need to go out of your way to remember why you care about losing weight or exercising more. We’re going to remind you, and we’ll do it in your own words.”
Author – Suzanne Potter, Public News Service (NM)
by Dr Alex Jimenez | Health, Health News El Paso, Human Physiology
Black and Hispanic Americans are less likely than whites to get high blood pressure under control, a new study suggests.
Researchers reviewed data from nearly 8,800 adults who took part in the 2003-2012 U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.
Latest High Blood Pressure News
The study team found that 74 percent of white patients were getting treatment for high blood pressure. For blacks, the treatment rates were slightly lower at 71 percent. For Hispanics, the high blood pressure treatment rate was only 61 percent.
Researchers also looked at high blood pressure control rates, defined as readings below 130/80 millimeters of mercury (mm Hg) for those with diabetes or chronic kidney disease, and below 140/90 mm Hg for everyone else. Control rates were 43 percent for whites, 37 percent for blacks and 31 percent for Hispanics, the study reported.
Black and Hispanics younger than 60 without health insurance were more than 40 percent less likely than whites without insurance to have their high blood pressure under control.
One bit of good news from the new research: The percentage of all adults with high blood pressure taking medications for their condition rose from 66 to 77 percent during the study period.
The study was published Jan. 17 in the journal Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes.
“High blood pressure is very common, and it is strongly linked to cardiovascular diseases like stroke, heart attack and heart failure,” said senior author Dr. Edgar Argulian. He’s an assistant professor of medicine and a cardiologist at Mount Sinai St. Luke’s Hospital in New York City.
“High blood pressure is also very treatable, so from a public health perspective, it’s important to know if prevention and treatment strategies are working and what differences exist across racial and ethnic groups,” Argulian said in a journal news release.
Study lead author Dr. Sen Gu said expanded health care coverage could help minimize the differences in high blood pressure treatment. But, “There are multiple factors that contribute to racial disparity,” she added.
“We need better patient education, better physician-patient communication and support for patients making lifestyle changes like exercising more and eating healthy,” Gu said. She is an assistant professor at St. John’s University College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences in New York City.
“The good news is that more people are receiving treatment and getting their high blood pressure under control. At the same time, it is important to note that disparities between whites and racial and ethnic minorities persist,” Gu said.
SOURCE: Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes, news release, Jan. 17, 2017
