Month: July 2022

Exciting news!  Four orthopedic surgeons will be joining Dr. Bents next month!
Paragon Orthopedic Center

A device is out there that can do emergency chest compressions by itself, with consistent precision, and able to work without tiring.  It saves the caregiver from back pain and doesn’t even require a firm surface.  It is called the LUCAS compression system.  With this high-tech machine, CPR providers no longer have to switch due to fatigue and no more losing track of correct rhythm.  The results are improved perfusion of essential organs, better neurological outcomes, and saved lives.  The high-quality, consistent CPR it provides during transport or testing allows caregivers to focus on other emergency issues at the same time and buys precious time to make decisions.  A few of these expensive machines have come into use in our area, so if you see one in Southern Oregon, you will know how much of an asset it is and how reliably it provides CPR.   Paragon Orthopedic Center is always looking to keep Southern Oregon educated on the latest and the greatest in healthcare information.  Check out this article to see what this amazing machine looks like and how it has proven to be a life-saving tool.
LUCAS – Chest Compression System (lucas-cpr.com)

In 2010, the obesity rate in Oregon was 26.3%.  In 2021, eleven years later, it increased to 29.3%.  That is almost one in every three adults.  If you are someone who is having trouble keeping your weight at a healthy level, you might be interested in knowing you can use fruits and vegetables to help you feel full, provide the fiber for a healthier digestive system, and create a feeling of well-being you might not even know existed.  Weight loss by boosting your diet with fruits and vegetables could mean you stop being dependent on some of your medications, saving you money, reducing medication side effects, and allowing your body’s systems to work in unison as they are designed to do.
Losing weight means you have to consume less calories than what your body uses.  You can do this by replacing low calorie fruits and vegetables in your diet.  The higher water content and fiber found in them will leave you feeling full, and they are naturally low in fat.  Below is an article from the CDC that has recommendations to increase fruit and vegetable consumption in your meals, as well as snack ideas.  The key is SUBSTITUTION, not starvation.  You are substituting the lower calorie fruits and vegetables for higher calorie options.  As an example, replace one cup of the pasta in your dinner with chopped broccoli, onions, and peppers.  You are reducing the calories by using vegetables instead of pasta.
A few more tips are:
1-Keep fruits and vegetables handy, like apple slices and pepper spears, so they are easy to grab when snacking and cooking.  Wash them and cut them as soon as you get home from the grocery store.
2-Read nutrition labels.  Many fruit products are only made with apple juice, which has little nutritional value.  Make sure whole fruits are used, or better yet, eat fresh fruit that has more nutrition and fiber.  Berries are grab and go!
3-BE PERSISTENT.  Fruits and vegetables are not an instant fix to weight issues, but you will feel better with improved nutrition.  Your gut will thank you.
It takes a little thought and effort, but you will be amazed how much better you feel.  Dr. Bents and Dr. Van Horne have heard patients say their joints don’t ache as much when weight is shed, and your improved nutritional state will motivate you to continue incorporating fresh fruits and vegetables for years to come.  Make the change today Southern Oregon!
How to Use Fruits and Vegetables to Help Manage Your Weight | Healthy Weight, Nutrition, and Physical Activity | CDC

Since vitamin D is essential for absorption of the calcium your bones require and sunshine is the most ideal source of it, you need to know about the relationship between sun exposure and vitamin D.  Our typical hot summer days in Southern Oregon have finally arrived, and so has plentiful sunshine, so how much do you need?
Some factors that affect how much vitamin D you get from the sun:
-how close you live to the equator
-time of day
-amount of skin exposed
-skin color
With all these variables, how much is enough?  Here is a rule of thumb: the amount of vitamin D you need daily without increasing the risk of skin cancer is about half the time it takes your skin to burn.  This could be 15-20 minutes for a lighter-skinned person, or a couple of hours for a darker-skinned person.  It is important to note that sunscreen does limit the body’s ability to make vitamin D, and you cannot get any vitamin D from light through a window because windows block the UVB rays required for tissues to create vitamin D.  Short periods of sun exposure would be the ideal way to get the vitamin D your body needs without risking skin cancer.   Paragon Orthopedic Center would like to remind you to pay attention to the factors that might put you at higher risk for skin cancer as you consider sun exposure.  Vitamin D is best obtained by sunlight, but there are supplements and food sources that help your body absorb calcium too if sun exposure is too risky.
How to get the most vitamin D from the sun: Tips and other sources (medicalnewstoday.com)

 

Gummy vitamins were originally created for children, but have made their way into the adult vitamin section in recent years.  They are basically gummy candies with vitamins added.  Sometimes they are made with sugar, which means that you are adding empty calories to your diet and can lead to tooth decay, and sometimes they are made with sugar substitutes, which run the risk of digestive problems in some people.  The sweetness can be appealing to children who might take more than the stated dose and can lead to toxicity.  When vitamins are put into a gummy, they are less stable than vitamins that are in pill form.  This means the potency goes down over time, so to counter this, the makers overload the vitamin’s content.  The FDA does not oversee vitamins, so you do not know if the amounts of the vitamin stated on the label are accurate.  When a gummy is fresh, it likely has more vitamin content than what is stated, and an old gummy would have less because of lost potency.  There have been a few studies to compare absorption within the body of pills versus gummy vitamins.  In two university-controlled studies measuring vitamin C in one and vitamin D in another, they found the bioavailability of the gummy vitamin to be the same as the pill vitamin.  As we explored in a previous blog, vitamins in any form have not been proven to show benefits in healthy individuals.  Foods provide much more of the vitamins and minerals we need, so you would gain more benefits by focusing on your diet rather than paying for pills that do very little to help your health.  Paragon Orthopedic Center encourages you to talk to your doctor about your diet and any need for supplements.  Feed your body the good nutrition it craves for good health!

Are Gummy Vitamins Effective | Gummy Vitamins vs Pills (universityhealthnews.com)

If you or someone you know is contemplating suicide, the dialing code 988 just launched as a lifeline to connect you with someone who cares at the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (old name)/Suicide and Crisis Lifeline (new name).  The previous Lifeline 800 number still works, but these three numbers are easier to remember and immediately put you in touch with a trained counselor who will listen, provide support, and can connect a person with resources.   Paragon Orthopedic Center hopes you will remember 988 for yourself or someone you love.  More information with links about what happens when you call, the history of 988, and if you are interested in being a volunteer for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline is here:

The Lifeline and 988 : Lifeline (988lifeline.org)

Please enjoy this July edition of the Paragon Press.  This month, we’re diving into the effect marijuana has on your bones.  As a reminder, you can sign up at our office to receive this newsletter every month in your email.  Read more here:

Paragon Press, July 2022

Our last blog was about how to take your calcium and hopefully it helped you or someone you know because taking too much calcium at a time is wasting your money when only 500mg of it can be used by your body at a time.  Today we are providing more information about proper vitamin consumption.  This article is full of helpful tidbits of information.  Did you know that if you’re taking iron, you should take it with orange juice or some form of vitamin C?  Vitamin C helps our bodies absorb iron.  It’s a quick read from consumerlab.com.

How To Take Vitamins Properly | ConsumerLab.com

That is a fair question because the way you take some of your vitamins and minerals affects absorption.  Today we will cover calcium.  First, you should know that minerals compete for absorption, so if you take calcium and zinc, don’t take them at the same time.  For magnesium, it can help your body absorb calcium, but too much calcium will prevent magnesium absorption.  Now consider how much calcium you take at a time.  It is best not to take more than 500 mg of calcium at a time because 500mg is the maximum amount the body absorbs efficiently.  If you take a 1,000mg pill, your body doesn’t absorb much more than what is in a 500mg pill.   Now take a look at what kind of calcium is in your pills.  There are two main forms.  Calcium carbonate is best absorbed when taken with food.  Calcium citrate can be taken with or without food because this form is absorbed more easily.  Calcium citrate pills are typically more expensive, so you can save money by purchasing calcium carbonate and taking them with your meals.  Sometimes calcium supplements can cause side effects like bloating or constipation.  If you experience discomfort, try another form, take it with food if you don’t already, and try smaller doses of calcium throughout the day.
Calcium – Consumer (nih.gov)

To have good health, you have to feed your machine food that makes it work well.  A Whopper with cheese might taste good, but hopefully that is an occasional treat because its nutritional value is diminished by the fat(17g), cholesterol(55g), and salt content (21% of your daily value).  Consider choices that you can enjoy eating and incorporate into your daily meals.  Need some ideas?  That’s why the Paragon Orthopedic Center blog is here!  We’ve listed fifteen foods to boost your bone health and you will be amazed how much better you’ll feel eating a healthy diet with these suggestions.  You’re bound to find a few things that you can put in your kitchen.
1-Milk, 2-yogurt, 3-cheese, 4-tofu, 5-spinach, 6-white beans, 7-fortified orange juice, 8-fortified cereals, 9-sesame seeds, 10-salmon, 11-eggs, 12-mushrooms, 13-sardines, 14-collard greens, and 15-tuna.
A key to eating better is to have the healthy choices on hand and ready to eat, so make wise choices at the grocery store.  You can’t eat the chips and soda if you don’t have them in your house, so don’t buy them.  The internet is full of ideas to use these ingredients in ways that make them more appealing than eating solo.  Not many people would pop open a can of white beans and dig in without putting a little prep-work into them.  Fifteen-Minute Garlic Parmesan White Beans are a click away!  Feel better, feel inspired, and read more:

Top 14 Best Foods for Bones Growth and Strength (healthyguide.com)