Updated on Jun 30, 2022 | Community Outreach, Diet and Nutrition, Health Tips, Holistic Health, Women's Health
Do you know what’s in your refrigerator? Not everyone does. The outdated sauces, expired dairy products, rotting fruits and veggies, and the bacteria: It’s all there at one time or another for most people. Now that the clocks have “sprung” ahead, this is a great time to spring-clean your refrigerator and learn about healthful food storage habits — which will help you keep on track for healthful living.
Keeping Your Fridge Spick-and-Span
Few people actually take the time to really clean their refrigerator, meaning with soap, bleach and hot water. Because germs are introduced to this appliance daily, it is important to routinely clean it just like you would the rest of your home. Clean up spills as soon as they occur, and take the time to wipe down drawers and door trays.
The Right Temperature
Many people don’t understand the dangers of improper food storage. You can reduce the potential for food-borne illness by keeping your refrigerator running at 40 degrees Fahrenheit or lower, and your freezer at zero degrees or lower. It is easy for temperatures to fluctuate when doors are continually opened, so it’s a good idea to check the temperature now and then to make sure the thermostat is set properly.
Where’s the Beef?
The location of your food in the fridge is key to food safety.
• Keep your meats and dairy on the lower shelves. You don’t want raw meat juices to drip onto your produce or cooked foods.
• Keep fruit and veggies either in produce drawers or on higher shelves, along with cooked foods. Local farm-grown veggies are great, but the dirt they bring in is not, so make sure to brush off dirt before refrigerating.
Product “Due” Dates
Consider the “sell by” and “use by” dates on product labels. Condiments and sauces, especially, can sit in the fridge for months before being completely consumed. Check the dates, and throw the product out if it has changed flavor, odor or appearance.
• A “sell-by” date tells the store how long to display the product for sale, meaning the product should be purchased before that date.
• A “use-by” date is recommended by the manufacturer to use the product before that date for best quality.
What to Stock
When it comes to produce, fresh is not always best if you can’t consume it fast enough. Consider keeping only the fresh fruits and vegetables you will eat within a week. Frozen vegetables are good to have on hand to add to casseroles, pizza and stir-fries. Buy low-fat dairy products such as milk, cheese and yogurt, as well as lean meats. If you do not expect to eat the meat within 2 to 4 days, consider freezing it for later use. Avoid buying large portions of easily spoiled ingredients like sour cream, cheese and fish.
Planning Ahead
Avoid food waste and food-borne illness (and save money, too!) by making a grocery list before you go to the store. Without excess and uneaten foods in the refrigerator, cleaning up and cleaning out is easier.
Here’s to healthful food storage — and healthful living!
Mar 18, 2013 | Cancer, Community Outreach, News
Guest Post by Aye Moe Thu Ma, MD, breast cancer specialist at Mount Sinai Roosevelt and Mount Sinai St. Luke’s. Earlier this year, Dr. Ma led a 15-member team of doctors and other health care professionals on a week-long medical mission to Myanmar, the Southeast Asian country formerly known as Burma. Under repressive military rule from 1962 to 2011, the country is beginning to emerge from decades of isolation as it moves toward democratic reforms. (more…)
Updated on Jun 30, 2022 | Community Outreach, LGBT Health, Sexual Health, Women's Health
February 2013 is the 150th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation and will see commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the civil rights March on Washington. March 2013 is Women’s History Month, and this year celebrates the contributions of women in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. The last week in March 2013 also marks the 11th annual National Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Health Awareness Week.
Each of these occasions brings visibility to the contributions made by Americans of African descent, women or, in the case of National LGBT Health Awareness Week, LGBT health care providers, advocates and allies in advancing equality, equity and fuller inclusion of these populations in American society.
LGBT People of Color Face Significant Health Disparities
Great strides have been made for each of these communities. Yet significant challenges remain in addressing and eliminating significant health disparities faced by all of these populations, especially for those at the intersections of race, gender and sexual orientation/gender identity. For example, lack of affordable health care and insurance and lack of culturally competent service providers have led to significant health disparities faced by many people of color.
An LGBT person of color faces the combined impact of these barriers, increasing the likelihood of negative health outcomes. Statistics on transgender persons, particularly transgender women of color, show drastically higher rates of HIV/AIDS. LGBT individuals show higher rates of acute disease attributed to avoiding and delaying screening and care for fear of perceived or actual discrimination and stigma from the health care providers treating them. These numbers rise significantly for LGBT men and women of color.
Events Highlight Commitment to LGBT Patients
Continuum Health Partners continues to move forward in our commitment to culturally competent and quality care for our LGBT patients and communities. During National LGBT Health Awareness Week 2013, we will be sponsoring a series of events and workshops focused on offering resources for delivering the best care to lesbian, bisexual and transgender women and families.
Activities will include a grand round series and two community/providers networking events:
• Monday, March 18 from 5 to 7 pm at Roosevelt Hospital, 1000 Tenth Ave. Note that there’s been a change in the date and location for the first networking event. St. Luke’s-Roosevelt LGBT & Friends will jointly sponsor a networking event with Beth Israel’s LGBT Committee on April 8th, 5:30-7:30 pm at St. Luke’s Hospital, Amsterdam Avenue and 114th Street.
• Monday, March 25 from 5 to 7 pm at the Phillips Ambulatory Care Center’s Dr. Gerald J. and Dorothy R. Friedman Conference Center, 10 Union Square East.
Each event will celebrate our progress towards LGBT health equity, and bring together our staff and providers with LGBT consumers and community-based organizations serving LGBT persons. We will distribute posters, cards, stickers and pins to employees to help promote LGBT Health Awareness Week in our hospitals and clinics.
Hold these dates on your calendar. More detailed information will available by e-mail—to add your name to the list, please contact Bwarren@chpnet.org. We look forward to seeing you there and to working with you in 2013 toward greater health equity for all.
Updated on Jun 30, 2022 | Community Outreach, Family Medicine, OB/GYN, Women's Health
Twice a month, the Lactation Department of Mount Sinai Beth Israel offers a breastfeeding support group: “The Breastfeeding Café.” Expectant parents often ask us why a support group is necessary for such a “natural” process. (more…)
Nov 18, 2012 | Community Outreach, Diet and Nutrition, Holistic Health
Low vitamin D levels are associated with depressive symptoms. That is the main conclusion by researchers at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center and the Cooper Institute in Dallas in a cross-sectional study of 12,564 participants. Given this finding, is vitamin D the new wonder pill for depression?
Why the focus on vitamin D?
For the past five years, prominent studies disclosed the risks associated with vitamin D deficiency. In 2010, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) found that the evidence supported the importance of vitamin D along with calcium in promoting bone health, but not for other health outcomes. In contrast, the studies of Pearce (2010) and Holick (2007) associated vitamin D deficiency as a risk factor for various medical conditions, including autoimmune diseases, vascular disease, infectious diseases, osteoporosis, obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and certain cancers.
What does the latest study on vitamin D for depression suggest?
Using the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D), higher vitamin D levels were associated with a significantly decreased risk for depression. The Dallas study reported that participants with higher vitamin D levels were 0.92 times less likely to have depression compared to participants with lower vitamin D levels. Note that the study found stronger association particularly for those who had previous history of depression.
What can we learn from the study?
Based on findings from different studies, it is important for patients to be screened on vitamin D levels to determine the risks and threats to bone health, and mental health as well. It is clear that vitamin D is a critical supplement for bone health, and its role in preventing depression has been emerging in recent studies.
How much vitamin D supplement do I need?
On these aspects, it is helpful to start with the IOM recommendations for bone health. At all age levels, except for those over 70 years old, the recommended dietary allowance (RDA) is 600 International Units (IU) daily. For persons older than 70, the RDA is 800 IUs. (The IUs are boldly printed on the labels of over-the-counter vitamin D.) For the upper limits, the IOM concluded that intakes more than 4,000 IUs of vitamin D per day increase the risk for harm. Please note that the Dallas study does not indicate the recommended intake levels for vitamin D with reference to depression.
How should I consult with my health care provider?
In the next visit to your health care provider, it would not hurt to ask for vitamin D levels in your blood draws. It is also certainly helpful to tell your provider what other supplements you take regularly. This is important because, by doing so, you can help prevent adverse drug reactions and unfavorable interactions among the medications and supplements you take.
Above all, it is not only ourselves that we need to consider for the vitamin D screening and subsequent supplementation; we need to suggest screening to our loved ones as well. In light of the Dallas study, it is highly recommended for those with history of depression to have vitamin D level screenings. That suggestion could spell the difference in taking away depression during the holidays and beyond.
Oct 8, 2012 | Community Outreach
Overwhelmed by the holiday buzz? Do you feel weighed down by mood changes during the colder season at the same time every year? Consider whether you’re experiencing Seasonal Affective Disorder or SAD and let not the season affect you.
What is SAD?
The fourth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders categorizes Seasonal Affective Disorder not as a unique mood disorder, but rather as a specifier of major depression. SAD is, therefore, an affective illness linked to depression where depressive episodes occur in a specific seasonal pattern. According to Dr. Anca Amighi, MD, Attending Psychiatrist at the St Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital Center, the depressive episodes usually start in the fall and resolve in the spring season when there is an increase amount of light. Apparently, SAD is caused by the decrease in the amount of light during cool-weather seasons.
How do you recognize SAD?
Dr. Amighi, who is also the Chief of the Clark 8 Adult In-Patient Psychiatric and Behavioral Unit at St Luke’s, recommends that you try to recognize depressive symptoms and their patterns of occurrence. When the depressive symptoms occur during a similar season for two years in a row there is a great likelihood that SAD is affecting you. Other symptoms include low energy and low interest in daily activities, as well as decreased libido. Another symptom is increased carbohydrate cravings, which can lead to weight gain.
How do you cope with SAD?
Dr. Amighi suggests staying in an environment that is sunny and bright. Sitting closer to light and exposing oneself to light longer can also help. In addition, regular exercise can alleviate SAD symptoms. However, Dr. Amighi cautions that, “It is not advisable to change the light in the house immediately. Light therapy involves close supervision by a licensed medical professional in order to derive the best therapeutic effects.” Part of the SAD treatment may also involve some medications. An adjunct psychotherapy treatment may be recommended.
How do you seek help?
The next best step is seeking professional help. Given some stigma associated with SAD, it is always a challenge for anyone to reach out at first. Dr. Amighi suggests, “Find someone you are comfortable with. A good starting point is asking a primary physician you trust for a referral.” It can be very helpful to bring along a journal detailing the specific occurrence of symptoms and their presentation. That journal can go a long way in assisting the health care provider in the initial consultation.
Fernand De Los Reyes, RN, MA, QDCP, is a Staff Nurse in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health at St. Luke’s and Roosevelt Hospitals.
