by Kristi Jain | Sep 1, 2021 | Uncategorized
Thanks for reading today’s blog. It was born from some gym experiences I thought I’d share. As you probably know, most gyms are covered in wall to wall mirrors. Mine is no exception. It got me wondering why we have such a need to look at ourselves. Is it a bad thing? Maybe it is a good thing, and we should look at ourselves a bit more carefully and more often. What exactly is your reflection telling you?
IT TAKES ALL KINDS
I’ve belonged to the same gym for about 29 years now. I’ve been witness to the unabashedly narcissistic, the shy and intimidated and those of us in between. Most of us are just “regular people” who are simply there to get a bit of exercise because maintaining our health is important to us. I’m guilty of glancing in the mirror occasionally during my workout. They are everywhere so it is hard to avoid.
REFLECTION
My reflection shows a middle-aged woman with a ponytail, no makeup and sweats doing the best she can with what she has. I can’t compete with folks half my age, nor do I want to. Although my gym experience is less than glamorous, the only reflection this ole’ gal is interested in is my own.
CHOICES
The mirrors serve as a reminder that what we see reflects our choices. What do you see when you look in the mirror? We sometimes tease about the puffed up bodybuilders who spend their life pumping iron and eating a diet that would starve a bird. Their choices and dedication are reflected in their physique. There are those who’s feet have never crossed the threshold of a gym, donned a pair of athletic shoes or have the slightest interest in healthy eating. How do your choices affect your health?
MIRROR MIRROR ON THE WALL
Is the mirror reflecting a somewhat healthy lifestyle or is it the opposite? Can you walk for at least 30 minutes without feeling like you might die? Can you lift something heavier than a 16 oz beer? If so, good for you! If your image is reflecting an overweight, out of breath, low energy individual complaining of chronic aches and pains, perhaps it is trying to tell you something. Remember, mirrors don’t lie!
THE JOURNEY OF A THOUSAND MILES…
Let’s say your reflection is showing you an unhealthy mind, body and spirit. Now what? Get started. You are in competition with no one. Do your personal best with a healthier you as a goal. Do you need to reduce the portions, snuff out the cigarettes, cut back on the booze, and get off the couch? Start with baby steps. Every little thing you do counts. Rome wasn’t built in a day. Remember, the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.
HDD
If HDD can help improve what your reflection has to say about you through diagnostic ultrasound, we’d be happy to help. Give us a call at 505-350-3397.
by Kristi Jain | Aug 25, 2021 | Uncategorized
Today’s blog is a repeat from 2017 and is about control. The inspiration came from my daily Pinterest journey. The following words of wisdom were pinned a while ago and resurrected just today. I always try give credit where credit is due however, I don’t know who deserves it for the following inspiration. None the less, I wanted to borrow and share.
SISTER MERRY SUNSHINE
Let’s be honest. We, I included, don’t feel like “Sister Merry Sunshine” every day. Some days “Debbie Downer” is a bit more accurate. We can’t always feel positive, inspired, motivated nor can we always control our thoughts. That being said, there are so many things we can control with a modicum of effort. Try these on for size.
THINGS YOU CAN CONTROL:
Your beliefs
Your attitude
Your thoughts
Your perspective
How honest you are
Who your friends are
What books you read
How often you exercise
The type of food you eat
How many risks you take
How kind you are to others
How you interpret situations
How kind you are to yourself
How often you say “I love you”
How often you say “Thank you”
How often you express your feelings
Whether or not you ask for help
How often you practice gratitude
How many times you smile today
The amount of effort you put forth
How you spend/invest your money
How much time you spend worrying
How often you think about your past
Whether or not you judge other people
Whether or not you try again after a setback
How much you appreciate the little things you have
PICTURE THE OCEAN
I can buy into the above-mentioned ideas with a huge amount of success however, not always. For example, don’t think about a big blue ocean with crashing waves right now. What did you just think about? Now, tell me again how you can control your thoughts? The power of suggestion can be mighty powerful. Be selective about what you think, say, read, listen to or what or who you are influenced by.
SPEAKING OF SELECTIVE
Speaking of selective, if your healthcare provider determines that an ultrasound is indicated, be selective. Maintain control and be your own healthcare advocate. Speak up. It is your body. It is your choice. Suggest High Desert Doppler, the leader in mobile diagnostic ultrasound. Call us at 505-350-3397.
by Kristi Jain | Aug 18, 2021 | Uncategorized
Hello! Thank you for joining me for this week’s blog. My apologies for no blogs for the last couple of weeks. Suffice it to say, it has been a difficult time and blog writing was a low priority. The difficulties have given me a modicum of inspiration for this week’s blog in hope it will shake you awake.
LACK OF SUNSHINE
Today’s blog lacks wit or a sunny disposition. Today I come to you with a cold hard reality. This week I lost a deeply loved family member to cancer. While shock and grief can’t begin to describe my emotions, they come with reality and a wake up call.
SHOCK
My loved one’s diagnosis was shocking to say the least. She was diagnosed after almost a year of feeling plain yucky. She was actually misdiagnosed and had a scheduled surgery to correct what her doc thought was the problem. He needed “one more test” to confirm what he was pretty sure was the problem before surgery. The test was taken and surprise! What he thought was the problem was not the problem at all. It was cancer. Stage 4 to be exact.
EVIL CANCER
Imagine our shock and disbelief when we were told her issue was silent acid reflux and low and behold, it came back as stage 4 colon cancer that metastasized to her liver. This was really our first experience in dealing with evil cancer. We were told it is not curable, but it was treatable. We weren’t exactly sure what that meant. Now we know.
WHAT IF
I’m no expert but I do know that early detection can save lives. My loved one wasn’t so lucky. Hindsight is 20/20. “What if’s” come fast and furious. What if they would have done appropriate testing? What if they would have dug deeper? What if she would have gotten a second or third opinion? What if she would have listened to her body? What if?
YOU KNOW
You know your body better than anyone else. If it doesn’t feel right, get tested or screened. Early diagnosis focuses on detecting symptomatic patients as early as possible. When there is significant suspicion for a serious condition, early detection and treatment can be lifesaving however unfortunately not for every single health issue.
THE EARLIER THE BETTER
Health.harvard.edu says, there are many conditions for which the earlier the diagnosis, the better. That’s because we have effective treatments that work best during early stages of illness. Breast and colon cancer, for example, can be cured if caught early enough. That’s why screening tests including mammography and colonoscopy are so important. They have the potential to detect an early tumor before it has progressed to an untreatable ultimately fatal stage. If you feel unwell, worried or stressed about a possible condition, get a diagnosis or rule one out. Getting reassurance and clarity can be profoundly helpful.
HDD
In a nutshell, we can’t ultimately control our fate, but we can to the degree that we are able. Get tested and screened. If we can help, call us at 505-350-3397.
RIP precious K.A.R
by Kristi Jain | Jul 28, 2021 | Uncategorized
Hello again. Thanks for joining me for this week’s blog. Suddenly we are looking at the summer of 2021 in the rearview mirror. At least we are out of lockdown which is in sharp contrast to last year at this time. Time is fleeting. My advice is, don’t be sad or blue because blue is actually good for you!
WHAAAT?
What do I mean blue is good for you? Stay with me. This blog idea may seem a bit random, but I had to tie the idea of “blue” into subject matter for this week’s blog which is blueberries. I was perusing an article about blueberries and their health benefits, so I thought I’d share.
BLUEBERRIES
I read that a cup of blueberries a day can protect against several of the most degenerative diseases known to man. Which ones? Glad you asked. New research has shown that these innocuous little gems can have an amazingly positive impact on your health.
BLOOD PRESSURE
The Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics discovered that eating blueberries can improve blood pressure. Sarah A. Johnson one of the scientists in this study said, “Our findings suggest that regular consumption of blueberries could potentially delay the progression of prehypertension to hypertension, therefore reducing cardiovascular disease risk.”
REMEMBER THIS
Althealthworks.com suggests that 12 weeks of wild blueberry juice consumption has improved memory and reduced symptoms of depression, showed a 2011 study by Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. They go on to say that improved memory function is likely a result of anthocyanins, a polyphenolic compound in blueberries, which is connected to decreased neurodegeneration.
JUST A CUP
A cup of blueberries a day may help prevent brain cell degeneration. The different vitamins, compounds, anthocyanins and flavanols in blueberries can help protect against neurological disorders such as Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease.
MORE STUDIES
I read that hundreds of studies have been done on the effect of blueberries on bone health, brain function, cognitive health, mood, memory, diabetes, cancer prevention, liver and urinary tract health, blood vessel health and age-related macular degeneration as well as numerous other conditions.
DIRTY DOZEN
If humanly possible, it is best to get organic blueberries because along with strawberries, spinach, peaches, apples, grapes, cherries and assorted other greens, they get honorable mention on the “Dirty Dozen” list of foods with the most pesticide residues.
TAKEAWAY
My takeaway from this research is that maybe blueberries will promote better health because of all I have read, and it certainly doesn’t sound like they will hurt you! Whether it is in the form or blueberry powder, extract or good old-fashioned fresh, it seems like these little gems have health benefits!
HDD
Keeping your internal workings in healthy condition is important to all of us. If there is a question and you and your provider need to see what your internal components look like, call High Desert Doppler at 505-350-3397 for a quick, painless, noninvasive ultrasound exam.
by Kristi Jain | Jul 21, 2021 | Uncategorized
Today’s blog is born of a recent medical experience I thought I’d share. Due to circumstances beyond their control, my appointment with my healthcare provider was running over an hour late. That in itself stressed me out along with an exuberant, overly chatty medical assistant delivering a lengthy soliloquy about her entire life as I waited. I felt my blood pressure rising!
STRESS
When my practitioner finally entered the room an hour late, she was exceedingly kind and apologetic. Being in the medical field, I understand sometimes emergent situations arise and take priority causing delays. I was by no means angry, yet I was naturally stressed about the delay. Who wouldn’t be? I didn’t necessarily have anywhere else to be, I was just irritated and tired of waiting.
ON THE RISE
When Chatty Cathy (my medical assistant) took my blood pressure, it was remarkably high. Gee, I wonder why. I was certain it was an error as I have never had high blood pressure in the past. It was decided to take it in the other arm. It was slightly lower but not much. It was then I decided I needed a better understanding of this invisible thing called blood pressure.
WHATS WHAT?
When you get your blood pressure numbers, there are two of them. The top number is your systolic blood pressure. The bottom one is called your diastolic blood pressure.
SYSTOLIC (TOP NUMBER)
WebMD explains when your heart beats, it squeezes and pushes blood through your arteries to the rest of your body. This force creates pressure on blood vessels, and that’s your systolic blood pressure. Here is how to understand your systolic blood pressure number:
- Normal: Below 120
- Elevated: 120-129
- Stage 1 high blood pressure (also called hypertension) 130-139
- Stage 2 hypertension: 140 or more
- Hypertensive crisis: 180 or more. Call 911
DIASTOLIC (BOTTOM NUMBER)
The bottom reading is the pressure in the arteries when the heart rests between beats. This is the time when the heart fills with blood and gets oxygen. This is what your diastolic blood pressure means:
- Normal: Lower that 80
- Stage 1 hypertension: 80-89
- Stage 2 hypertension: 90 or more
- Hypertensive crisis” 120 or more. Call 911
If your blood pressure is within normal range, continue with your healthy diet and active lifestyle. If it is above normal range, you and your provider may consider medication, treatments, and lifestyle changes. This might entail cutting back on sodium, getting more exercise, losing weight, eating a healthier diet and limiting alcohol.
AFOREMENTIONED
If the aforementioned modifications sound like no fun, it is less fun to endure the damage to your arteries, heart, brain, kidneys and eyes if you were to suffer the effects of a stroke or heart attack.
HDD
Although ultrasound can’t help you with blood pressure issues, it can help with assisting your provider by seeing what lies beneath the surface of your skin, for instance your heart. If diagnostic ultrasound is indicated, call us at 505-350-3397.
Recent Comments