In this episode we feature:
An interview with Emergency Room Physician, Dr. Michael Daniel.
Daily affirmations you can use to improve your mental health.
Move for five minutes to improve blood sugar and blood pressure.
Eat strawberries to improve cognitive function and reduce inflammation.
Plus, Dr. Michael Daniel emphasizes the importance of calling 911 for heart attack and stroke symptoms.
And more ways to improve your health, today!
For more information, and to sign up for our private coaching, visit tesh.com
Our Hosts:
John Tesh: Instagram: @johntesh_ifyl facebook.com/JohnTesh
Gib Gerard: Instagram: @GibGerard facebook.com/GibGerard X: @GibGerard
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Unknown (00:08):
Gib, hello and welcome to the podcast. I'm Gib Gerard
here with another of our specialhealth editions of the podcast.
This is intelligence for yourhealth with Connie Celica coming
at you today, we've got allkinds of actionable
intelligence, things that youcan use to improve your health
right now. And of course, aninterview with emergency room
physician Dr Michael, Daniel. Sowithout further ado, here is
(00:30):
intelligence for your healthwith Connie selika, repeat
after me. I feel happy, calm andfulfilled. Why did I ask you to
repeat that, because dailyaffirmations have been linked to
improved mental health,according to a study from UC
Berkeley. In the study,participants were asked to say
daily affirmations for 20seconds for a month, and the
(00:54):
researchers found that the DailyAffirmation practice was
associated with greater selfcompassion, emotional well being
and reduced stress. And the moreoften people did the practice,
the greater the benefits. What'sthe least amount of movement you
need every day so sitting onyour butt doesn't eventually
kill you? Well, ColumbiaUniversity researchers did an
(01:17):
experiment where people workedat a desk on a computer for
eight hours straight, onlygetting up for bathroom breaks
the next day. Same people, samedesk, same computer, but instead
of sitting for eight hours, theygot up and moved every half
hour, taking a five minutestroll, nothing strenuous, just
(01:40):
a little five minute strollaround the office. The results
on the days when people movedfor five minutes every half
hour, their blood sugar was cutin half after eating meals,
their blood pressure went downfive points. They had less
fatigue, and their moods wereway better. The experts found
(02:00):
that moving gently for fiveminutes every half hour was
better than doing one bigworkout in the morning or
working all day at a standingdesk, and it was the same result
you'd get from exercising dailyfor six months. So why does that
small amount of movement havesuch a big impact? Because
walking even casually, increasesblood flow, especially to the
(02:24):
legs, which helps metabolizesugar and fat and can help with
breathing. And the researcherssay this small change is a way
for anyone to make a differencein their health one walking
break at a time. Coming up,we'll talk to emergency room
physician, Dr Michael, Daniel,he'll break down the difference
between headaches you can treaton your own at home and
(02:46):
headaches that should send youstraight to the ER, without
hesitation. But first, we knowblueberries are a brain food,
but so are strawberries. Infact, they're just as good. A
study was conducted by theUniversity of Cincinnati on
people between the ages of 50and 65 who had mild cognitive
(03:07):
impairment. They were givenpowder from whole strawberries
in a daily supplement equivalentto a cup of fresh strawberries,
and after 12 weeks, the peoplewho consumed strawberry powder
had significant improvements oncognitive tests and were less
depressed, and people who eatstrawberries regularly have a
(03:27):
lower rate of cognitive decline.
It's down to an antioxidant instrawberries that's also in
blueberries, called anthocyanin.
Strawberries also containcompounds that reduce
inflammation, which is alsolinked to dementia. So load up
on strawberries to protect yourbrain health, you can sniff your
(03:47):
way to better health. IndianaUniversity found that inhaling
fragrance compounds can sendsignals directly to the brain.
So here's what to sniff toimprove your mood, sleep and
more. First, for stress sniffbasil, it contains linalool,
which shuts down more than 100stress genes when the scent is
(04:08):
inhaled. In fact, according tothe journal frontiers in
behavioral neuroscience, beingin a room infused with linalool
is as effective as taking aprescription benzodiazepine like
Xanax or Valium, then to befocused and alert. Triucalyptus,
it has an invigorating scentthat increases blood flow to the
brain. It activates the areasresponsible for focus and
(04:31):
alertness. One more for bettersleep. Sniff jasmine tea. The
Journal of Applied Physiologysays the aroma of jasmine tea is
so effective at promoting sleepthat just five minutes of being
exposed to the scent hassedative effects, lowering your
heart rate, and that's a resultas good as prescription sleeping
(04:51):
pills. So let's review. Sniffbasil for stress, sniff
eucalyptus for better focus andinhale the scent of Gib. As
mentee for better sleep. Okay,listen to this. Why are we so
fixated on organization? Well,there's a lot of Psychology at
play, according to licensedclinical psychologist Dr Bethany
(05:13):
Cook, humans have evolved tofind comfort in what's
predictable. If something ispredictable, it's safe, and
organizing your space means youknow where things are, and that
makes us feel safe andprotected. Beyond that, an
organized space calms the mind,because when our thoughts feel
scrambled and chaotic,organizing your physical
(05:36):
surroundings gives a sense ofcontrol, and that helps us think
more clearly and rationally.
Today, our guest is Dr Michael,Daniel. He's a board certified
emergency room physician atProvidence St Joseph Medical
Center in Burbank, California,and while there are many reasons
people go to the ER, I asked DrDaniel which symptoms we should
(05:56):
always take seriously and call911 right away, the most
important things you need tocall 9114 immediately are heart
attack and stroke symptoms. Andso with heart attack, we worry
about sudden onset, severe chestpain, shortness of breath. If
your family member looks likethey are sweating, their skin is
(06:18):
cool and clammy, they'renauseous, they have chest pain
that sounds like a heart attack.
And I would call 911immediately, because the
paramedics can give you aspirinand other medications
immediately to sort of take thepressure off the heart and get
you to the ER in time to go tothe cath lab where we can
definitively fix the heartattack. And then with regard to
stroke, I mean, again, it'sanother time dependent
(06:38):
emergency. So that's, you know,facial droop, slurred speech,
weakness on one side of the bodyand severe dizziness or unsteady
gait. I mean, that needs to goto the ER again immediately,
because the medications that wecan give to fix the stroke are
time dependent. Have to be givenwithin three to four hours. And
so, you know, unfortunately, Ihave a lot of patients that come
(07:00):
in that have symptoms at night,and they try to sleep it off and
hope that it's going to getbetter by the morning, and by
the time they come in themorning, we've already blown
through the windows of when wecould intervene with medication
or surgery, for example. And youknow, the heart attack and the
stroke has already doneirreversible damage. So those
(07:20):
things in particular, I wouldsay, you need to call 911
immediately.
Today, we're talking toemergency room physician, Dr
Michael, Daniel. He was justsaying that the most important
time to call 911 is if you orsomeone you know is having
symptoms of a heart attack orstroke. But according to data
from the American College ofEmergency Physicians Foundation,
(07:43):
the top reason people actuallyvisit the ER is because they're
having a bad headache. So Iasked Dr Daniel to break down
the difference between headacheswe should always take seriously
and those we can treat on ourown, at home
in the emergency room, we'realways considering or thinking
about the worst possible causeof the headache. Our job
(08:03):
necessarily isn't to diagnosethe cause of headache, but to
rule out the bad things. And sowhen a patient tells me it was a
sudden onset of a massiveheadache, they usually describe
it as a thunder clap, wherethey're lying on the bed, they
can't get up, they can't evenopen their eyes. That's very
concerning. For a ruptured brainaneurysm. If the headache is
(08:28):
associated with stroke, likesymptoms, so weakness on one
side of the body, slurredspeech, severe dizziness, like
falling to a particular side,that's another concerning thing,
and then finally, if it'sassociated with a fever, neck
stiffness, I worry aboutmeningitis. So I would say those
(08:49):
three things are the mostconcerning symptoms for us. And
somebody has those symptoms witha headache, they should come to
the ER immediately. And I think,you know, if it's a you know, if
it's a mild headache, and youcould try taking some Tylenol.
You could try taking someibuprofen. But I think people
are pretty good judges of whenit's, you know, the worst
headache of their life, or justa common headache from stress or
(09:12):
dehydration or viralillness, for example. Here's
the latest medical trend to goviral on social media, and
dentists are warning us not todo it. Do not try to scale your
own teeth. Scaling teeth is theremoval of excessive plaque
buildup, and some people needit, because all that plaque can
(09:32):
lead to gum infections,cavities, gum recession, bone
loss and even tooth loss. Whenyour dentist or hygienist does
it? They scrape off the plaqueusing a metal scraping tool and
an ultrasonic tool with avibrating metal top with a water
spray. But these tools shouldonly be used by people who have
gone to school and know how touse them. If used improperly, it
(09:55):
can lead to tooth and gumdamage, infection and cracks in
your. Enamel. So even though itmay seem easy to do on Tiktok,
leave it to your dentist.
Today's medical term scarletfever in the 1800s it was the
leading cause of death amongchildren, but it's been back in
the news after recent outbreaks,with the Cleveland Clinic saying
(10:15):
cases are on the rise. ScarletFever is caused by the same
bacteria that cause strepthroat. It's also spread by
people coughing and sneezing,just like the common cold or
flu, but with scarlet fever, thebacteria produce a certain toxin
that causes the strep to triggera sunburn, like rash with tiny
red bumps. Infected people mayalso notice their tongue turns
(10:39):
strawberry red and bumpy. Thegood news is, Scarlet Fever is
easily treated with antibiotics,rest and fluids, and it usually
clears up within a few dayswithout any serious
complications. And that'stoday's medical term, Scarlet
Fever coming up. We'll hear morefrom board certified emergency
room physician, Dr Michael Dano,he'll talk about the importance
(11:02):
of getting regular sun exposureand the only time it's
appropriate to be in the sunwithout sunscreen. But first, if
you don't have time to sitquietly and read a book, go
ahead and enjoy an audio book.
It has its own advantages.
According to a study in theProceedings of the National
Academy of Sciences, hearing astory read aloud triggers a
(11:24):
phenomenon known as narrativetransport. That's when you're so
absorbed in a story that youcreate images in your mind, and
you're mentally carried away.
That's because the spoken wordfully grabs our attention, that
makes our Real world worriesfade to the background, and the
result is a 60% reduction incortisol, the stress hormone and
(11:49):
pain after 30 minutes oflistening to an audio book. Not
only that, there was a nine foldincrease in the feel good
hormone oxytocin, and that studywas done on people in the ICU,
so you know it works. Bottomline, listen to an audio book
for less stress, less pain and afeel good boost. Would you like
(12:11):
to triple your odds of avoidingdepression in the next year? It
could be as simple as taking avacation. That's according to a
new survey by the travelinsurance firm Alliance global
assistance, it found that forthe average adult, our odds of
having symptoms of depression inany given year is about one in
10. But for those who skiptaking a vacation, the odds of
(12:35):
experiencing mild to moderatesymptoms of depression jumps to
30% three times higher. So whyare vacations so good for our
mental health? First, vacationscan expose us to new
experiences, and plenty ofstudies show that novelty
excites our brain in a way thatincreases our mood. Vacations
(12:56):
can also involve spending moretime in nature, and we know that
being around green or blueenvironments is incredibly
calming for our brain, and astudy by Harvard Business Review
found that after a vacation,people feel renewed in a way
that makes them 7% more likelyto get a promotion at work.
Bottom Line to reduce your riskof depression, start planning
(13:20):
your next vacation. Okay, listento this. One in four people
suffer from arthritis and jointpain. So what can you do about
it? Adopt a vegan diet. TheAmerican Journal of Lifestyle
Medicine found that patients ona vegan diet reported
significantly less pain and thenumber of times their joints
(13:41):
swelled to painful levels wascut in half. That's because
plant based diets lower thelevels of C reactive proteins,
which are commonly produced byanimal products. They're like
jet fuel when it comes totriggering inflammation, pain
and swelling. So for a drug freeway to treat arthritis pain,
your new prescription is a vegandiet back with more health
(14:04):
intelligence from emergency roomphysician, Dr Michael, Daniel,
and each year, a whopping 6000children are admitted to the ER
after swallowing buttonbatteries. For those who don't
know, those are the small, roundbatteries increasingly used in
toys, watches, remote controls,greeting cards that play music
and even shoes that light up.
And while the batteries may lookharmless, I asked Dr Daniel why
(14:27):
swallowing one could bedangerous for kids and adults.
What happens when you ingest abutton battery is that the
saliva in your esophagus causesan electrical current across
that battery, and it basicallycauses an alkaline reaction, a
corrosive alkaline reaction,which can burn a hole in your
(14:50):
child's esophagus, and worstcase scenario, so that is very
dangerous. You might not knowwhat happens your child. Might
just not want to eat. They mighthave some like horse or audible
reasoning when they try tobreathe they might not want to
eat. And so that's a reason togo immediately to the ER, I will
say that in kids that are over ayear old, there is some evidence
(15:14):
that if you give a coupleteaspoons of honey every 10
minutes, the honey actually cancoat the battery and prevent
further reaction of the salivaon the battery and causing that
corrosion. So if they're over ayear and you suspect they
swallow the button battery, thengive a little bit of honey every
10 minutes until you get to theER and that's very helpful,
(15:34):
special for people that live faraway from their nearest
emergency room, backwith more health intelligence
from emergency room physician,Dr Michael, Daniel, and in
survey after survey these days,people are saying they're more
focused than ever on improvingtheir health and wellness. So I
asked Dr Daniel what herecommends for getting healthier
as the warmer weatherapproaches.
(15:57):
You know, I'm glad coddie thatyou bring this up, but one of
the things I always recommend topatients, and you know, my
writing online with USA Todayand on Instagram is the
importance of morning sunlight.
When you get up in the morning,getting outside, getting that
early morning sun, that's thebest time to get vitamin D
safely, and that's because thethe more dangerous UVA UVB rays
(16:21):
don't really hit around untilaround like midday, so 11 or 12,
so you can get if you can getout there in the morning before
that. And I was I also tellpeople, you know, and when you
do that early morning sunlight,don't worry so much about
slathering on a lot of sunblock,because that can actually
prevent you from getting thesunlight you need to convert
(16:42):
certain substances in your skinto the vitamin D that we need to
regulate our mood, our justgeneral circadian rhythm. It
really contributes to ourwellness and our overall
happiness. And so, you know, Idefinitely recommend that
one in 10 adults don't get therecommended amount of sleep a
(17:04):
night. If that describes you,here's how to sleep better.
Become a more optimistic silverlining type person, because
research from the University ofIllinois found optimistic people
sleep longer and better thanpessimists. That's because
optimists tend to interpretstressful events in more
positive ways, like focusing ona lesson they can learn from a
(17:28):
bad experience, that's how theycope, which makes optimists less
likely to lie awake at nightworrying. Need help becoming
more optimistic. Considermeditation before bed. Research
shows it can help boost yourmood, reduce anxiety and calm
your mind, and that's theperfect recipe for a good
(17:48):
night's sleep, more intelligencefor your health. From emergency
room physician, Dr Michael Dano,and in recent years, he's
becoming a big proponent ofusing gym steam rooms or saunas
as much as possible, otherwiseknown as sauna bathing, because
Dr Daniels says sauna bathingoffers some serious health
benefits.
(18:08):
What the really interestingthing for me was when I was
doing this research, is thatsome of the studies noted how
when you're in the sauna, whathappens to your body is exactly
the same as if you were doing amoderate to high intensive
cardiovascular activity, likecycling, swimming, running or
even like brisk walking. Theexact same things happen. Your
(18:32):
heart rate goes up, your bloodpressure is reduced. It reduces
the amount of what we calloxidative stress or inflammation
in your system, and it has apositive impact on the autonomic
nervous system. And so that isthat really crucial balance that
we have between heart rate andblood pressure and how we
(18:54):
respond to stress. So in asense, like using the sauna,
hopefully using the steam proof,because that's what I like to
do. It's almost like a it's likea good stressor on your body,
and the benefits that you getfrom, you know, sitting there in
the sauna 20 to 30 minutes a dayare similar to what you would
expect from cardiovascularactivity.
(19:16):
All the text, news alerts, likesand comments we get are chipping
away at our ability to focus.
It's being called popcorn brain,when your attention bounces from
one task or topic to another,like popcorn kernels popping in
the microwave. So how bad is it?
According to UC Irvine, theaverage amount of time something
(19:38):
on our screens can hold ourattention before we jump to
something else is just 47seconds. By comparison, our
attention span was 2.5 minutesback in 2004 before everyone had
a cell phone. But it's not justthe constant dings that activate
popcorn brain, because most ofus check our phones every 15
(19:59):
minutes or. So whether we have anotification or not, so what's
the answer? One trick is to bemore intentional about solitude.
A lot of us scroll on ourscreens anytime we're alone with
our thoughts, but endlesslyscrolling can actually leave us
feeling lonely and disconnected.
However, a deliberate solitaryactivity like going for a walk
(20:21):
or making a delicious meal canrecharge us. So instead of
trying to fight solitude withscreen time, be more intentional
about it. Instead. Here's anemail I received at Connie at
intelligence for yourhealth.com, it comes from Diana
buckles, who writes, I had akidney stone and it was so
(20:42):
painful. How can I avoid gettinganother one? Diana, you are so
right. Having a kidney stone isconsidered one of the most
painful experiences you canhave, even worse than
childbirth, and they can causeinfections and even sepsis,
which could require amputationsor lead to death, and if you've
had one, there's a 50% chanceyou will get another one. But
(21:06):
changing your diet can help. DrAmy krambeck is a urologist at
Northwestern Memorial, and shesays first drink more water
fluids help flush the kidneys.
Also get more citrus fruit inyour diet, squeezing lemon or
lime in your water, eating anorange or even drinking
something like Crystal Lightlemonade can help the citric
(21:29):
acid helps to preventcrystallization in the kidneys.
One last way to prevent kidneystones, get more calcium. Now
that may seem counter intuitive,since Kidney stones are
comprised of calcium, but instudies, when patients cut back
on calcium, they got morestones. That's because calcium
in your diet binds to oxalates,which are another component of
(21:52):
kidney stones, and then they'reexcreted through the digestive
system instead of through thekidneys. And if you're lactose
intolerant, no problem, you canget calcium from almonds, tinned
fish, lentils and leafy greens.
Thank you for your email. Diana.
I hope this helps. Okay, listento this. If you're feeling
indecisive, stand still whenyou're having a hard time
(22:16):
choosing between two shirts towear, two flavors of ice cream,
or which laptop to buy, stopmoving and you'll come to a
conclusion faster. The journalPsychological Science says
that's because subtle bodymovements, like swaying from
side to side, encourage ourbrain to keep wavering back and
forth between options. Standingstill tells our brain to decide.
(22:40):
We hear a lot about how socialmedia is harmful to the self
esteem of women and girls, butmen have their own issues, and
one of them is called Bigorexia. It's an obsession with
bulking up and body image amongmen. Bigorexics think they're
too scrawny and become obsessedwith building muscle. And
according to the Adler School ofProfessional Psychology, the
(23:03):
condition used to mainly strikeguys in their late teens and
20s, but today it's affectingmen of all ages, including guys
in their Boomer years. Theconsequences can include
depression, anxiety, socialisolation over exercising and
steroid abuse. Dr Joseph tronzois a psychology professor at
(23:24):
Bryant University. He saysbigorexia has been around for
decades, but social media makesit worse, because now men are
constantly fed messages andimages about what they're
supposed to look like, and mencan very quickly develop a
distortion of what a healthy,normal body is for intelligence
(23:45):
for your health from emergencyroom physician, Dr, Michael,
Daniel, if you like to know moreabout him, he invites you to
follow him on Instagram. Hishandle there is dr, dot Dan yo,
spelled D, A, I, g, n, a, U, L,T, and he says A common question
he gets asked is whether itmakes any difference if we show
(24:07):
up at the ER as a walk in,driven by a friend, or in the
back of an ambulance. Here'swhat Dr Daniel had to say So
with regards to whenyou check into the ER, whether
you walk in or come byambulance. I mean, I know that
it's kind of pervasive in anycommunity that people think that
if they come by ambulance,they're going to be put into a
(24:28):
room faster and see a doctorfaster. But that is the reason
why we have a nurse triage everypatient upon arrival, is because
we use the system to gage howcritical you are and the
severity of what you're comingto the ER for. And so, you know,
there's no skipping a line, Iguess is the point here. And you
know, patients are seeing basedon how sick they are and their
(24:51):
initial vital signs that we doand what they're coming in for.
I mean, things like heartattacks and strokes are very
time dependent, as. Trauma, andso those patients, whether you
know, even if they come hoursafter you they're going to be
seen immediately, just becauseour interventions are very time
dependent, that'sit for our show today, our
special intelligence for yourhealth with Connie Selig,
edition of the podcast, I'm GibGerard. Don't forget to rate
(25:13):
comment and subscribe on Applepodcast. Spotify, wherever you
get your podcast. It helps usout a lot. And also you can
reach out to us on social media.
All of our links are listed downin the show notes. We try to
respond to every DM, everymention of the show, because
ultimately, we do the show foryou guys. So thank you so much
for listening. You.
Gib, hello and welcome to the podcast. I'm Gib Gerard
here with another of our specialhealth editions of the podcast.
This is intelligence for yourhealth with Connie Celica coming
at you today, we've got allkinds of actionable
intelligence, things that youcan use to improve your health
right now. And of course, aninterview with emergency room
physician Dr Michael, Daniel. Sowithout further ado, here is
(00:30):
intelligence for your healthwith Connie selika, repeat
after me. I feel happy, calm andfulfilled. Why did I ask you to
repeat that, because dailyaffirmations have been linked to
improved mental health,according to a study from UC
Berkeley. In the study,participants were asked to say
daily affirmations for 20seconds for a month, and the
(00:54):
researchers found that the DailyAffirmation practice was
associated with greater selfcompassion, emotional well being
and reduced stress. And the moreoften people did the practice,
the greater the benefits. What'sthe least amount of movement you
need every day so sitting onyour butt doesn't eventually
kill you? Well, ColumbiaUniversity researchers did an
(01:17):
experiment where people workedat a desk on a computer for
eight hours straight, onlygetting up for bathroom breaks
the next day. Same people, samedesk, same computer, but instead
of sitting for eight hours, theygot up and moved every half
hour, taking a five minutestroll, nothing strenuous, just
(01:40):
a little five minute strollaround the office. The results
on the days when people movedfor five minutes every half
hour, their blood sugar was cutin half after eating meals,
their blood pressure went downfive points. They had less
fatigue, and their moods wereway better. The experts found
(02:00):
that moving gently for fiveminutes every half hour was
better than doing one bigworkout in the morning or
working all day at a standingdesk, and it was the same result
you'd get from exercising dailyfor six months. So why does that
small amount of movement havesuch a big impact? Because
walking even casually, increasesblood flow, especially to the
(02:24):
legs, which helps metabolizesugar and fat and can help with
breathing. And the researcherssay this small change is a way
for anyone to make a differencein their health one walking
break at a time. Coming up,we'll talk to emergency room
physician, Dr Michael, Daniel,he'll break down the difference
between headaches you can treaton your own at home and
(02:46):
headaches that should send youstraight to the ER, without
hesitation. But first, we knowblueberries are a brain food,
but so are strawberries. Infact, they're just as good. A
study was conducted by theUniversity of Cincinnati on
people between the ages of 50and 65 who had mild cognitive
(03:07):
impairment. They were givenpowder from whole strawberries
in a daily supplement equivalentto a cup of fresh strawberries,
and after 12 weeks, the peoplewho consumed strawberry powder
had significant improvements oncognitive tests and were less
depressed, and people who eatstrawberries regularly have a
(03:27):
lower rate of cognitive decline.
It's down to an antioxidant instrawberries that's also in
blueberries, called anthocyanin.
Strawberries also containcompounds that reduce
inflammation, which is alsolinked to dementia. So load up
on strawberries to protect yourbrain health, you can sniff your
(03:47):
way to better health. IndianaUniversity found that inhaling
fragrance compounds can sendsignals directly to the brain.
So here's what to sniff toimprove your mood, sleep and
more. First, for stress sniffbasil, it contains linalool,
which shuts down more than 100stress genes when the scent is
(04:08):
inhaled. In fact, according tothe journal frontiers in
behavioral neuroscience, beingin a room infused with linalool
is as effective as taking aprescription benzodiazepine like
Xanax or Valium, then to befocused and alert. Triucalyptus,
it has an invigorating scentthat increases blood flow to the
brain. It activates the areasresponsible for focus and
(04:31):
alertness. One more for bettersleep. Sniff jasmine tea. The
Journal of Applied Physiologysays the aroma of jasmine tea is
so effective at promoting sleepthat just five minutes of being
exposed to the scent hassedative effects, lowering your
heart rate, and that's a resultas good as prescription sleeping
(04:51):
pills. So let's review. Sniffbasil for stress, sniff
eucalyptus for better focus andinhale the scent of Gib. As
mentee for better sleep. Okay,listen to this. Why are we so
fixated on organization? Well,there's a lot of Psychology at
play, according to licensedclinical psychologist Dr Bethany
(05:13):
Cook, humans have evolved tofind comfort in what's
predictable. If something ispredictable, it's safe, and
organizing your space means youknow where things are, and that
makes us feel safe andprotected. Beyond that, an
organized space calms the mind,because when our thoughts feel
scrambled and chaotic,organizing your physical
(05:36):
surroundings gives a sense ofcontrol, and that helps us think
more clearly and rationally.
Today, our guest is Dr Michael,Daniel. He's a board certified
emergency room physician atProvidence St Joseph Medical
Center in Burbank, California,and while there are many reasons
people go to the ER, I asked DrDaniel which symptoms we should
(05:56):
always take seriously and call911 right away, the most
important things you need tocall 9114 immediately are heart
attack and stroke symptoms. Andso with heart attack, we worry
about sudden onset, severe chestpain, shortness of breath. If
your family member looks likethey are sweating, their skin is
(06:18):
cool and clammy, they'renauseous, they have chest pain
that sounds like a heart attack.
And I would call 911immediately, because the
paramedics can give you aspirinand other medications
immediately to sort of take thepressure off the heart and get
you to the ER in time to go tothe cath lab where we can
definitively fix the heartattack. And then with regard to
stroke, I mean, again, it'sanother time dependent
(06:38):
emergency. So that's, you know,facial droop, slurred speech,
weakness on one side of the bodyand severe dizziness or unsteady
gait. I mean, that needs to goto the ER again immediately,
because the medications that wecan give to fix the stroke are
time dependent. Have to be givenwithin three to four hours. And
so, you know, unfortunately, Ihave a lot of patients that come
(07:00):
in that have symptoms at night,and they try to sleep it off and
hope that it's going to getbetter by the morning, and by
the time they come in themorning, we've already blown
through the windows of when wecould intervene with medication
or surgery, for example. And youknow, the heart attack and the
stroke has already doneirreversible damage. So those
(07:20):
things in particular, I wouldsay, you need to call 911
immediately.
Today, we're talking toemergency room physician, Dr
Michael, Daniel. He was justsaying that the most important
time to call 911 is if you orsomeone you know is having
symptoms of a heart attack orstroke. But according to data
from the American College ofEmergency Physicians Foundation,
(07:43):
the top reason people actuallyvisit the ER is because they're
having a bad headache. So Iasked Dr Daniel to break down
the difference between headacheswe should always take seriously
and those we can treat on ourown, at home
in the emergency room, we'realways considering or thinking
about the worst possible causeof the headache. Our job
(08:03):
necessarily isn't to diagnosethe cause of headache, but to
rule out the bad things. And sowhen a patient tells me it was a
sudden onset of a massiveheadache, they usually describe
it as a thunder clap, wherethey're lying on the bed, they
can't get up, they can't evenopen their eyes. That's very
concerning. For a ruptured brainaneurysm. If the headache is
(08:28):
associated with stroke, likesymptoms, so weakness on one
side of the body, slurredspeech, severe dizziness, like
falling to a particular side,that's another concerning thing,
and then finally, if it'sassociated with a fever, neck
stiffness, I worry aboutmeningitis. So I would say those
(08:49):
three things are the mostconcerning symptoms for us. And
somebody has those symptoms witha headache, they should come to
the ER immediately. And I think,you know, if it's a you know, if
it's a mild headache, and youcould try taking some Tylenol.
You could try taking someibuprofen. But I think people
are pretty good judges of whenit's, you know, the worst
headache of their life, or justa common headache from stress or
(09:12):
dehydration or viralillness, for example. Here's
the latest medical trend to goviral on social media, and
dentists are warning us not todo it. Do not try to scale your
own teeth. Scaling teeth is theremoval of excessive plaque
buildup, and some people needit, because all that plaque can
(09:32):
lead to gum infections,cavities, gum recession, bone
loss and even tooth loss. Whenyour dentist or hygienist does
it? They scrape off the plaqueusing a metal scraping tool and
an ultrasonic tool with avibrating metal top with a water
spray. But these tools shouldonly be used by people who have
gone to school and know how touse them. If used improperly, it
(09:55):
can lead to tooth and gumdamage, infection and cracks in
your. Enamel. So even though itmay seem easy to do on Tiktok,
leave it to your dentist.
Today's medical term scarletfever in the 1800s it was the
leading cause of death amongchildren, but it's been back in
the news after recent outbreaks,with the Cleveland Clinic saying
(10:15):
cases are on the rise. ScarletFever is caused by the same
bacteria that cause strepthroat. It's also spread by
people coughing and sneezing,just like the common cold or
flu, but with scarlet fever, thebacteria produce a certain toxin
that causes the strep to triggera sunburn, like rash with tiny
red bumps. Infected people mayalso notice their tongue turns
(10:39):
strawberry red and bumpy. Thegood news is, Scarlet Fever is
easily treated with antibiotics,rest and fluids, and it usually
clears up within a few dayswithout any serious
complications. And that'stoday's medical term, Scarlet
Fever coming up. We'll hear morefrom board certified emergency
room physician, Dr Michael Dano,he'll talk about the importance
(11:02):
of getting regular sun exposureand the only time it's
appropriate to be in the sunwithout sunscreen. But first, if
you don't have time to sitquietly and read a book, go
ahead and enjoy an audio book.
It has its own advantages.
According to a study in theProceedings of the National
Academy of Sciences, hearing astory read aloud triggers a
(11:24):
phenomenon known as narrativetransport. That's when you're so
absorbed in a story that youcreate images in your mind, and
you're mentally carried away.
That's because the spoken wordfully grabs our attention, that
makes our Real world worriesfade to the background, and the
result is a 60% reduction incortisol, the stress hormone and
(11:49):
pain after 30 minutes oflistening to an audio book. Not
only that, there was a nine foldincrease in the feel good
hormone oxytocin, and that studywas done on people in the ICU,
so you know it works. Bottomline, listen to an audio book
for less stress, less pain and afeel good boost. Would you like
(12:11):
to triple your odds of avoidingdepression in the next year? It
could be as simple as taking avacation. That's according to a
new survey by the travelinsurance firm Alliance global
assistance, it found that forthe average adult, our odds of
having symptoms of depression inany given year is about one in
10. But for those who skiptaking a vacation, the odds of
(12:35):
experiencing mild to moderatesymptoms of depression jumps to
30% three times higher. So whyare vacations so good for our
mental health? First, vacationscan expose us to new
experiences, and plenty ofstudies show that novelty
excites our brain in a way thatincreases our mood. Vacations
(12:56):
can also involve spending moretime in nature, and we know that
being around green or blueenvironments is incredibly
calming for our brain, and astudy by Harvard Business Review
found that after a vacation,people feel renewed in a way
that makes them 7% more likelyto get a promotion at work.
Bottom Line to reduce your riskof depression, start planning
(13:20):
your next vacation. Okay, listento this. One in four people
suffer from arthritis and jointpain. So what can you do about
it? Adopt a vegan diet. TheAmerican Journal of Lifestyle
Medicine found that patients ona vegan diet reported
significantly less pain and thenumber of times their joints
(13:41):
swelled to painful levels wascut in half. That's because
plant based diets lower thelevels of C reactive proteins,
which are commonly produced byanimal products. They're like
jet fuel when it comes totriggering inflammation, pain
and swelling. So for a drug freeway to treat arthritis pain,
your new prescription is a vegandiet back with more health
(14:04):
intelligence from emergency roomphysician, Dr Michael, Daniel,
and each year, a whopping 6000children are admitted to the ER
after swallowing buttonbatteries. For those who don't
know, those are the small, roundbatteries increasingly used in
toys, watches, remote controls,greeting cards that play music
and even shoes that light up.
And while the batteries may lookharmless, I asked Dr Daniel why
(14:27):
swallowing one could bedangerous for kids and adults.
What happens when you ingest abutton battery is that the
saliva in your esophagus causesan electrical current across
that battery, and it basicallycauses an alkaline reaction, a
corrosive alkaline reaction,which can burn a hole in your
(14:50):
child's esophagus, and worstcase scenario, so that is very
dangerous. You might not knowwhat happens your child. Might
just not want to eat. They mighthave some like horse or audible
reasoning when they try tobreathe they might not want to
eat. And so that's a reason togo immediately to the ER, I will
say that in kids that are over ayear old, there is some evidence
(15:14):
that if you give a coupleteaspoons of honey every 10
minutes, the honey actually cancoat the battery and prevent
further reaction of the salivaon the battery and causing that
corrosion. So if they're over ayear and you suspect they
swallow the button battery, thengive a little bit of honey every
10 minutes until you get to theER and that's very helpful,
(15:34):
special for people that live faraway from their nearest
emergency room, backwith more health intelligence
from emergency room physician,Dr Michael, Daniel, and in
survey after survey these days,people are saying they're more
focused than ever on improvingtheir health and wellness. So I
asked Dr Daniel what herecommends for getting healthier
as the warmer weatherapproaches.
(15:57):
You know, I'm glad coddie thatyou bring this up, but one of
the things I always recommend topatients, and you know, my
writing online with USA Todayand on Instagram is the
importance of morning sunlight.
When you get up in the morning,getting outside, getting that
early morning sun, that's thebest time to get vitamin D
safely, and that's because thethe more dangerous UVA UVB rays
(16:21):
don't really hit around untilaround like midday, so 11 or 12,
so you can get if you can getout there in the morning before
that. And I was I also tellpeople, you know, and when you
do that early morning sunlight,don't worry so much about
slathering on a lot of sunblock,because that can actually
prevent you from getting thesunlight you need to convert
(16:42):
certain substances in your skinto the vitamin D that we need to
regulate our mood, our justgeneral circadian rhythm. It
really contributes to ourwellness and our overall
happiness. And so, you know, Idefinitely recommend that
one in 10 adults don't get therecommended amount of sleep a
(17:04):
night. If that describes you,here's how to sleep better.
Become a more optimistic silverlining type person, because
research from the University ofIllinois found optimistic people
sleep longer and better thanpessimists. That's because
optimists tend to interpretstressful events in more
positive ways, like focusing ona lesson they can learn from a
(17:28):
bad experience, that's how theycope, which makes optimists less
likely to lie awake at nightworrying. Need help becoming
more optimistic. Considermeditation before bed. Research
shows it can help boost yourmood, reduce anxiety and calm
your mind, and that's theperfect recipe for a good
(17:48):
night's sleep, more intelligencefor your health. From emergency
room physician, Dr Michael Dano,and in recent years, he's
becoming a big proponent ofusing gym steam rooms or saunas
as much as possible, otherwiseknown as sauna bathing, because
Dr Daniels says sauna bathingoffers some serious health
benefits.
(18:08):
What the really interestingthing for me was when I was
doing this research, is thatsome of the studies noted how
when you're in the sauna, whathappens to your body is exactly
the same as if you were doing amoderate to high intensive
cardiovascular activity, likecycling, swimming, running or
even like brisk walking. Theexact same things happen. Your
(18:32):
heart rate goes up, your bloodpressure is reduced. It reduces
the amount of what we calloxidative stress or inflammation
in your system, and it has apositive impact on the autonomic
nervous system. And so that isthat really crucial balance that
we have between heart rate andblood pressure and how we
(18:54):
respond to stress. So in asense, like using the sauna,
hopefully using the steam proof,because that's what I like to
do. It's almost like a it's likea good stressor on your body,
and the benefits that you getfrom, you know, sitting there in
the sauna 20 to 30 minutes a dayare similar to what you would
expect from cardiovascularactivity.
(19:16):
All the text, news alerts, likesand comments we get are chipping
away at our ability to focus.
It's being called popcorn brain,when your attention bounces from
one task or topic to another,like popcorn kernels popping in
the microwave. So how bad is it?
According to UC Irvine, theaverage amount of time something
(19:38):
on our screens can hold ourattention before we jump to
something else is just 47seconds. By comparison, our
attention span was 2.5 minutesback in 2004 before everyone had
a cell phone. But it's not justthe constant dings that activate
popcorn brain, because most ofus check our phones every 15
(19:59):
minutes or. So whether we have anotification or not, so what's
the answer? One trick is to bemore intentional about solitude.
A lot of us scroll on ourscreens anytime we're alone with
our thoughts, but endlesslyscrolling can actually leave us
feeling lonely and disconnected.
However, a deliberate solitaryactivity like going for a walk
(20:21):
or making a delicious meal canrecharge us. So instead of
trying to fight solitude withscreen time, be more intentional
about it. Instead. Here's anemail I received at Connie at
intelligence for yourhealth.com, it comes from Diana
buckles, who writes, I had akidney stone and it was so
(20:42):
painful. How can I avoid gettinganother one? Diana, you are so
right. Having a kidney stone isconsidered one of the most
painful experiences you canhave, even worse than
childbirth, and they can causeinfections and even sepsis,
which could require amputationsor lead to death, and if you've
had one, there's a 50% chanceyou will get another one. But
(21:06):
changing your diet can help. DrAmy krambeck is a urologist at
Northwestern Memorial, and shesays first drink more water
fluids help flush the kidneys.
Also get more citrus fruit inyour diet, squeezing lemon or
lime in your water, eating anorange or even drinking
something like Crystal Lightlemonade can help the citric
(21:29):
acid helps to preventcrystallization in the kidneys.
One last way to prevent kidneystones, get more calcium. Now
that may seem counter intuitive,since Kidney stones are
comprised of calcium, but instudies, when patients cut back
on calcium, they got morestones. That's because calcium
in your diet binds to oxalates,which are another component of
(21:52):
kidney stones, and then they'reexcreted through the digestive
system instead of through thekidneys. And if you're lactose
intolerant, no problem, you canget calcium from almonds, tinned
fish, lentils and leafy greens.
Thank you for your email. Diana.
I hope this helps. Okay, listento this. If you're feeling
indecisive, stand still whenyou're having a hard time
(22:16):
choosing between two shirts towear, two flavors of ice cream,
or which laptop to buy, stopmoving and you'll come to a
conclusion faster. The journalPsychological Science says
that's because subtle bodymovements, like swaying from
side to side, encourage ourbrain to keep wavering back and
forth between options. Standingstill tells our brain to decide.
(22:40):
We hear a lot about how socialmedia is harmful to the self
esteem of women and girls, butmen have their own issues, and
one of them is called Bigorexia. It's an obsession with
bulking up and body image amongmen. Bigorexics think they're
too scrawny and become obsessedwith building muscle. And
according to the Adler School ofProfessional Psychology, the
(23:03):
condition used to mainly strikeguys in their late teens and
20s, but today it's affectingmen of all ages, including guys
in their Boomer years. Theconsequences can include
depression, anxiety, socialisolation over exercising and
steroid abuse. Dr Joseph tronzois a psychology professor at
(23:24):
Bryant University. He saysbigorexia has been around for
decades, but social media makesit worse, because now men are
constantly fed messages andimages about what they're
supposed to look like, and mencan very quickly develop a
distortion of what a healthy,normal body is for intelligence
(23:45):
for your health from emergencyroom physician, Dr, Michael,
Daniel, if you like to know moreabout him, he invites you to
follow him on Instagram. Hishandle there is dr, dot Dan yo,
spelled D, A, I, g, n, a, U, L,T, and he says A common question
he gets asked is whether itmakes any difference if we show
(24:07):
up at the ER as a walk in,driven by a friend, or in the
back of an ambulance. Here'swhat Dr Daniel had to say So
with regards to whenyou check into the ER, whether
you walk in or come byambulance. I mean, I know that
it's kind of pervasive in anycommunity that people think that
if they come by ambulance,they're going to be put into a
(24:28):
room faster and see a doctorfaster. But that is the reason
why we have a nurse triage everypatient upon arrival, is because
we use the system to gage howcritical you are and the
severity of what you're comingto the ER for. And so, you know,
there's no skipping a line, Iguess is the point here. And you
know, patients are seeing basedon how sick they are and their
(24:51):
initial vital signs that we doand what they're coming in for.
I mean, things like heartattacks and strokes are very
time dependent, as. Trauma, andso those patients, whether you
know, even if they come hoursafter you they're going to be
seen immediately, just becauseour interventions are very time
dependent, that'sit for our show today, our
special intelligence for yourhealth with Connie Selig,
edition of the podcast, I'm GibGerard. Don't forget to rate
(25:13):
comment and subscribe on Applepodcast. Spotify, wherever you
get your podcast. It helps usout a lot. And also you can
reach out to us on social media.
All of our links are listed downin the show notes. We try to
respond to every DM, everymention of the show, because
ultimately, we do the show foryou guys. So thank you so much
for listening. You.
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