by Kristi Jain | Nov 23, 2021 | Uncategorized
Looks like we’ve almost made it. We have a few more weeks ahead of us until we can kiss the unprecedented year 2021 good riddance! For many it has been the most difficult year in memory. For others it has been challenging but not that bad. No matter how tough it has been, be thankful. Remember, someone somewhere is fighting to survive.
THANKSGIVING
A favorite holiday is just days away. Thanksgiving 2020 may take on a whole new look and feel. Some may choose to stick with tradition. Others may choose to treat it as just another calendar day due to lack of family, resources, or concern about spreading the Delta variant to our loved ones. Whatever your situation is, remember the day is less about the menu or the number of guests around the table and more about being grateful.
FOCUS
We tend to focus on gratitude especially on Thanksgiving Day. How about the other 364 days? A daily practice of gratitude can help you focus on the positive things occurring in your life instead of harping on the negative. If you are feeling bummed, a reminder to refocus can actually help you feel happier.
QUOTES TO GET THIS PARTY STARTED
“Acknowledging the good that you already have in your life is the foundation for all abundance.”
-Eckhart Tolle
“This is a wonderful day. I’ve never seen this one before.”
-Maya Angelou
“Reflect upon your present blessings, of which every man has many, not on your past misfortunes, of which all men have some.”
-Charles Dickens
“Gratitude can transform common days into thanksgivings, turn routine jobs into joy, and change ordinary opportunities into blessings.”
-William Arthur Ward
“He is a wise man who does not grieve for the things which he has not but rejoices for those which he has.”
-Epictetus
“Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and see that they were big things.”
-Robert Brault
“Appreciation is a wonderful thing. It makes what is excellent in others belong to us as well.”
-Voltaire
TAKE IT FOR GRANTED
The expression to take for granted means “to accept without question or objection,” and often implies a lack of appreciation or gratitude. We all do it at one point or another. Don’t ever assume you will always have it. Maybe it is time to re-examine your life and think about the things you take for granted.
YOUR HEALTH
We wake up each day assuming we will feel fine or at least better. A healthy mind and body bring freedom that we take for granted until we no longer have it. Take precautions, be aware, pay attention and don’t take your good health for granted. Be smart and wear your mask out of respect for others and be grateful they do the same for you.
HDD
Each of us at HDD extend a wish for a happy and healthy Thanksgiving to you and yours. We are available for all your diagnostic ultrasound needs. Call us at 505-350-3397.
by Kristi Jain | Nov 17, 2021 | Uncategorized
Go ahead, read this first paragraph and see if you want to continue with the rest of the blog. It is related to health. Have I lost you yet? Let’s take it a step further. If your idea of “Super food” is an extra grande burger, fries and soda, perhaps this write up isn’t for you. Then again, maybe it should be. For those of you who have even the slightest interest in health and wellness, see if today’s blog can offer you anything you were unaware of.
CHA CHA CHA CHIA
I realize this is random however, let me invite you to think back about 20 years ago around Christmas time. Do you recall TV commercials for Chia pets and Chia heads? Remember those grooved terra cotta figurines you smeared with moistened Chia seeds, waited and watched them grow? Today’s blog is to inform you or remind you that Chia seeds are not what they used to be. If you have an old Chia pet you got at a white elephant gift exchange, you might want to consider regifting it, unless you want to eat it!
EEEOOOWWW
For those who haven’t had the Chia experience, you might be grossed out at first. These innocuous little beauties are tiny black seeds that come from the mint family. When hydrated, they take on a gelatinous look and feel to them. Don’t let that stop you. Although they have an unusual texture, they don’t taste like much. Then why eat them you might ask? They are an excellent source of fiber, calcium, protein, omega-3, promotes healthy digestion and manages blood sugar levels. They are high in antioxidants, increase energy and can help with weight loss!
WEIGHT LOSS?
It has been reported that Chia seeds can actually aid in the battle of the bulge. Adding 2 tablespoons of Chia seeds to your diet provides your body with almost 10 grams of fiber. Diets high in fiber have been linked to weight loss. According to research, eating 30 grams of fiber daily may help you lose as much weight as if you followed a more complicated diet.
SUPER FOOD
Chia seeds are considered a super food. They are an excellent source of omega-3 fatty acid that help reduce plaque in your arteries and improve your brain and cognitive functions. They can help reduce inflammation and decrease the chance of developing deep vein and arterial thrombosis or arrhythmia (irregular heartbeat.) Choosing a heart-healthy diet can reduce the risk of developing heart disease and stroke. They can also lower the amount of LDL (bad cholesterol) and triglyceride levels in your bloodstream. So, are chia seeds all they are cracked up to be?
WORTH A TRY
Do your own research. Chia seeds may or may not be a game changer but they are certainly worth a try, aren’t they? If I can do anything to improve my health, I’m in! If we at HDD can do anything to help improve yours, give us a call at 505-350-3397.
by Kristi Jain | Nov 3, 2021 | Uncategorized
Folks, we are in the homestretch of 2021. Halloween is in the rear view mirror and the holidays are on the horizon. In a couple of months, we welcome 2022. We thought 2020 was rough. Not in our family. 2021 was excruciating yet we are alive, well and here to talk about it. I hope today’s blog inspires you to take some action.
COVID SHMOVID
Covid and the Delta variant have been the subject of discussion for the last year and a half. Enough already! Those of us who escaped relatively unscathed are grateful. Those who were not as fortunate, we honor and remember you. There have been other misfortunes that many of us have weathered that are not Covid related. I’d like to share as a reminder, we all need to take action.
TIME WAITS FOR NO ONE
Our family has endured the death of 2 precious family members in the last 8 weeks, which incidentally were not Covid related. The end of life can be excruciating and confusing for everyone involved. Please remember to take care of your business before your number is up! Time waits for no one. One of my departed loved ones left me “in charge” of her affairs upon her death. It is an honor to carry out her final wishes and it is an unimaginable responsibility even though she “had her ducks in a row.”
DECRAP
After going through countless files, documents, policies, worldly possession, furniture, clothing, and basic things we humans tend to hoard, let me give you a nickels worth of free advice. De-crap! Even if your will and trust are in order, there are myriad things that need meticulous attention that have nothing to do with legalities. Do your family a favor, if you don’t need it, don’t adore it or use it, get rid of it before someone else has to!
INSPIRED
The series of unfortunate events has gotten John and I into action. If you haven’t made an appt with your attorney to do a will and trust, I hope you are inspired to make the call. If your house looks like K-mart on a bad day, get rid of stuff! We think we have time. We don’t. A friend of a friend simply didn’t awake from her slumber at age 36. She thought she had time. She did not. In addition to unimaginable shock and grief, the inevitable task at hand is more than anyone deserves to deal with. Take care of your affairs…now!
HDD
Today’s blog has nothing to do with ultrasound, yet it does have to do with your health and your affairs. Please take care of both. When you don’t have your health, you have little. Get tested, screened and treated as indicated. Take care of yourself and make life a little easier on your loved ones as well. If we can help in the diagnosis with ultrasound, call us at 505-720-5623. Remember early detection can save lives.
by Kristi Jain | Oct 27, 2021 | Uncategorized
Here we are deep in the thick of another COVID fall with All Hallows Eve just days away. Halloween will always be one of my favorite celebrations. It will be a bit different again this year. Traditional trick or treating and costume parties may be limited but that doesn’t mean you can’t have a spook-tac-ular celebration. Rather than lamenting about what you can’t do, be grateful for the things you can do. Get creative and have some serious, socially distant, safe fun!
BARE BONES
The Halloween celebration might be down to bare bones, but the fun can be ratcheted up a few notches. How about a creative spooky meal? One year John and I prepared spaghetti and eyeballs with witch finger breadsticks. Another year we started our meal with monster brain dip (guacamole inside a skull) and bat chips (tortillas cut with a bat cookie cutter.) We’ve had meatloaf shaped like a brain drizzled with blood (ketchup) and mashed potato ghosts. Gross, yes. Fun, YES!
SPEAKING OF BONES…
Yes, I have a skeleton hanging from a noose off our bedroom balcony. Mr. Bones is a challenge for me to assemble each year. The head, hands, pelvis, and feet are easy. The bones of the arms and legs take a bit more thought. Each year when I assemble him, it reminds me that our skeleton is actually a pretty complex piece of machinery.
DID YOU KNOW?
WWW.bidmc.org helped me with a few fun facts about the bones of a human body that might be of interest to you.
- The adult body has 206 of them.
- There are 26 bones in the foot.
- The hand including the wrist contains 54 bones.
- The femur, or thighbone, is the longest and strongest bone of the skeleton.
- The stapes, in the middle ear, is the smallest and lightest bone.
- Arms are among the most commonly broken bones accounting for almost half of all adults’ broken bones.
- The collarbone is the most commonly broken bone among children.
- The only bone not connected to another is the hyoid, a V-shaped bone located at the base of the tongue.
- Bones are made up of calcium, phosphorus, sodium, and collagen as well as other minerals.
HDD
You may be wondering what HDD and diagnostic ultrasound have to do with bones and skeletons. The fact is that ultrasound cannot penetrate bone. It can only see the outer surface of bony structure and not what lies beneath. It can however produce pictures of muscles, tendons ligaments, nerves, and joints through the body.
When you and your provider determine diagnostic ultrasound is indicated, we will move our bones as fast as possible to take care of you. Call us at 505-350-3397.
Have a safe and fun Halloween!
by Kristi Jain | Oct 13, 2021 | Uncategorized
Today’s blog will cover a bit of necessary medical jargon. Stick with me on this. It could be helpful someday. Most of you that read the blogs are not medical professionals, yet I know a few of you are. The question today is, are medical professionals explaining things thoroughly and are patients understanding?
MEDICAL JARGON
It is important to cover a bit of medical jargon occasionally for those of us who don’t have an extensive knowledge of medical terminology. It is also important for those healthcare professionals to understand many of us don’t understand and extra time needs to be taken to explain.
MY FRIEND
My friend told me that she hasn’t been feeling well. Her doctor ordered blood a test. The test indicated she had high D-dimer. What the heck that is that? I asked her and she also had no clue. It was happening in her own body, yet she had no understanding. Did she not understand the explanation or did the healthcare provider not make it clear? Of course, the first person I ask about this is John Jain. This question is his area of expertise.
JUST IN CASE
I hope you never need to know this information, but just in case, here it goes. Apparently D-dimer is a small protein fragment present in the blood after a blood clot is degraded by fibrinolysis (the breakdown of the fibrin protein in blood clots). D-dimer concentration may be determined by a blood test to help diagnose a thrombosis (blood clot.)
BLOOD CLOTS
Blood clots are fairly common. A thrombus is called a blood clot. It is a healthy response to an injury intended to prevent bleeding but can be thrombosis when clots obstruct blood flow through healthy blood vessels.
PURPLE SOCKS
Back to D-dimer. John explained this to me in layperson terms. Simply because you have high D-dimer doesn’t necessarily mean you have a blood clot. Just because you have a blood clot doesn’t mean you will have high D-dimer. He explained by saying, “Just because you wear socks, doesn’t mean they are purple and just because you own purple socks, doesn’t mean you are wearing them.” Does that simplify it any?
STOP
If you have a medical condition and it gets explained to you in terms that only the chief of surgery can comprehend, STOP! Back that truck up. Ask again and again until you get it. It you are easily overwhelmed or nervous, bring someone with you who can listen, take notes or help remember what you can’t.
ONE SIZE DOES NOT FIT ALL
Informing yourself by asking Siri has its place however, Google and Siri might make you a hypochondriac, scare the heck out of you and throw you into a tailspin of needless worry. It is best to ask a trusted reliable healthcare provider who knows you and your medical history. Remember, one size doesn’t fit all.
HDD
Blood clot = emergency! If you have a concern about blood clots, contact your provider immediately. HDD can help in the diagnosis and treatment of DVT among myriad other conditions. Call us at 505-350-3397.
by Kristi Jain | Oct 5, 2021 | Uncategorized
Today’s blog has little to do with ultrasound. It does however concern your health. The subject du jour might be affecting you at this very minute as you use your phone, computer or tablet to read this blog.
OUCH
As you work, study, type, check e-mail, text, play games or do whatever else you use your devices for, do you find yourself tipping your head from side to side in search of that elusive stretch. Why? Your neck hurts!
“TECH NECK”
Tipping side to side, front to back and head rolls may bring relief from what I just discovered is called “tech neck” and it is starting to affect many people in a serious way. The “work from home” phenomenon where the less than optimal workspace seems to be a contributing factor.
WHAT IS IT?
Tech neck is described as the pain experienced when the cervical spine (neck) is tilted forward for prolonged periods of time. Research has shown individuals spend approximately four hours per day staring at their smartphones. The misalignment of your head relative to your neck can cause pain. The average head weighs about 10 to 12 pounds when bent forward. Tipping forward about 60 degrees creates a load of as much as 60 pounds on your neck!
AN OUNCE OF PREVENTION…
Have you seen people with hump at the base of their neck? It is called kyphosis and is more commonly known as dowager’s hump. It can result from chronic forward leaning. Along with maintaining good posture, the following tips from goodpath.com could help with dowager’s hump as well as tech neck.
- Evidence shows that regular stretching and strengthening exercise helps improve flexibility and strength of your muscles as well as the ligaments and tendons that support them.
- Take breaks. Research shows break periods are very beneficial in preventing and lessening neck and other musculoskeletal pain by allowing time for you to stretch and change positions. These changes help lessen the effects of maintain a forward head posture.
- Ergonomic changes. Organize your workspace ergonomically to lessen the stress on your body. The couch or your bed with your device on your lap may not be the most ideal position for the health of your neck, shoulders and back.
- Maintaining good posture is the best way to prevent problems.
IN THE LONG RUN
Are there long-term effect of untreated tech neck? The answer seems to be yes. Due to the anatomy of your neck and nearby structures, headaches, shoulder pain and upper back pain are possible. Continued wear and tear on the neck leads to changes in the cartilage and vertebrae of the cervical spine. Over time, the spinal nerves may be affected (pinched nerve.)
HDD
High Desert Doppler can’t help with your tech neck. Only you can prevent that. We can however help when musculoskeletal ultrasound is indicated. We can see detailed, real-time ultrasound images of muscles, joints and cartilage. If we can help, call us at 505-350-3397.
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