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There were audible gasps from the audience as Dr. Mark Pettus painted a picture of a country whose health and well-being was in poor shape, and getting worse.
On Monday, May 20^th dozens of community members took part in an evening program that was both informative and engaging, as we explored how we are anything but “prisoners” of our DNA.  The lecture was part of the JFS Miriam Adler Family Life Education series, and took place at Congregation Beth Emeth.
By taking charge of our “environmental inputs” Dr. Pettus stressed that we can play an active role in determining whether helpful genes are “turned on”, or non-helpful ones are “turned off”.  Some of these environmental inputs include:

• The foods you eat
• The amount of movement you engage in
• How you interpret and respond to stress in your life
• Quality of sleep
• Environmental toxin exposure
• Love and social connection
• Meaning in one’s love, work, and play
• Medications

Dr. Pettus argues that understanding how our “Book of Life”—the genetic information we receive from our parents—interacts with our lifestyle we can make choices that greatly improve our chances for a healthier future. These choices matter, whether we are 6 or 60!
A lively period of questions and answer followed the presentation, indicating an eagerness to become more proactive health-wise.
Although the science of epigenetics is in its infancy, the principles clearly reflect common sense wisdom. Consider this Thomas Edison quote shared by Dr. Pettus:
“The doctor of the future will give no medicine, but will interest her or his patients in the care of the human frame, in a proper diet, and in
the cause and prevention of disease.”
For those  looking to learn more, Dr. Pettus shared his website: www.thesavvypatient.com. The site hold a host of articles related to epigenetics, nutrition, sleep, meditation/mindfulness and other aspects of health.  In his discussion of environmental toxins, Dr. Pettus suggested we check out the Environmental Working Group site (www.ewg.org) as a helpful resource.
Here at JFS and the NNORC we continue to look for ways to improve the well-being of our community members. We welcome your suggestions for future programs and activities that would support these efforts. Please feel free to contact us at 514-2023 to share your ideas.
 

If you’re thinking this is going to be an article about ecology or even about getting ready for next month’s St. Patrick’s Day, guess again.
What I’m talking about are the greens that you dine on. The leafy, crunchy delicious morsels that are absolutely essential to a healthy diet, and that we don’t get quite enough of in the SAD (Standard American Diet).
Back in ancient times when early man wandered the earth, they grazed as they went. One article mentioned that man may have consumed as much as six pounds of leaves in a day.  With all that walking we were hungry, and our eyes were no doubt attracted to the beautiful color of the foliage. I can hear them now, walking through the prehistoric landscape: “Ugh….. Ummmm…. tasty…ummm.”
Well, modern man still needs those greens for optimal health. The USDA recommends three cups per week. Calorie for calorie, greens pack the most concentrated form of nutritional punch of any food. They contain abundant minerals such as iron, calcium, potassium and magnesium. As far as vitamins go, they are rich in K,C, E, and B—all of which are necessary for everything from blood clotting, to building strong bones, reducing inflammation and preventing diabetes.
Then there are the phytonutrients . Neither vitamin, nor minerals, these chemicals found in plant foods carry names like beta-carotene, lutein, and zeaxanthin, and their presence in our diet can help ward off disease, and mitigate the damage aging may do to our eyes, skin and other cells.
Trying to manage weight gain?  Get more greens in your diet! Low in carbs, high in fiber, they are slow to digest and have a high satiety value in addition to their nutritional benefits.
Best of all—they are delicious! There are lots of choices out there: kale, collards, spinach, arugula, Swiss chard, mustard greens, escarole and rapini, just to name a few. When choosing remember the darker the green color, the higher the vitamin content.
Tossing fresh greens with a little unsaturated oil such as olive or canola, or serving greens with fish or nuts will help the body absorb vitamin A and K—both of which are fat-soluble.
One word of caution about greens:  make sure to wash them thoroughly before eating as greens such as spinach can frequently be a cause of food-born illness.  I wash mine again, even if the bag says they’ve been “triple-washed,” just to be on the safe side. Not a bad idea to choose organic for greens as well.
So, put those greens on your grocery list with a big exclamation point!
Looking for a tasty recipe that’s easy to fix and easy to enjoy?  Here’s one for a lovely soup which a friend shared with me a while back. Even if you choose to go completely vegetarian switching out the chicken stock for vegetable broth, the lentils give this soup plenty of protein.
Lentil, Spinach and Lemon Soup
(serves 4 with leftovers)
Ingredients
Olive oil
2 shallots, chopped
1 rosemary stalk
1 cup red lentils, rinsed and picked over
3 medium potatoes, quartered and sliced into bite-sized pieces
1 quart chicken (or vegetable) broth
1 tsp. fennel seeds, crushed
3 handfuls fresh spinach, stems removed and chopped
juice of 1 lemon (plus some zest if you really like it lemony)
salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
In a medium-sized pot, heat a bit of olive oil, and cook the shallots for a few minutes.  Add the garlic and rosemary.  Cook for another few minutes, until fragrant and soft.  Add the lentils, and cook, stirring, for another few minutes.  Add the potatoes, broth, and fennel seeds.  Simmer, covered for 20 minutes until potatoes are soft and soup is creamy.  Stir in the spinach and lemon, and serve hot.
Bet our prehistoric ancestors would have walked an extra mile or two for a bowl of this!
 

With new healthcare rules and changes we need to understand what is involved in discharge planning.   Discharge planning helps to make sure that you leave the hospital safely and smoothly and get the right care after that. This sounds simple, but it can be frustrating.
You might wonder why you are leaving. You might have questions about what will happen when you get home and what your family can do to help. You may worry about who’s going to pay for your care.
You, the person who is caring for you, and the planner work together to address your concerns in a discharge plan. Whether you go home, to a relative’s home, to a rehabilitation facility, or to another health care setting, your plan outlines the care you need.  Let’s review the “risk” involved and the qualifiers:
Low Risk Discharge

• Independent in activities of daily living
• Caregivers in the home and available to assist
• Live alone with community support
• Independent with management of chronic disease
• Adherent to treatment plan
• Consistently followed by practitioner

Moderate Risk Discharge

• Lives alone with limited community support
• Requires assistance with medications
• Issues of health literacy
• History of mental illness
• Polypharmacy (taking more than 7 medications)

If you are deemed to have two or more of these qualifiers you may be referred to home care or skilled nursing for observation and assessment, teaching and training, performance of skilled treatment or procedure, physical, speech or occupational therapy, medical social work, or telehealth care management.
High Risk Discharge

• Lives alone with no community support
• Lives with family that is not actively involved in care
• Clinically complex—e.g., multiple co-morbidities, repeat hospitalizations or Emergency Room visits, needs considerable assistance to manage or is unable to manage medical needs
• History of falls
• Acute/chronic wound or pressure ulcer
• Incontinent
• Cognitive impairment
• History of mental illness
• COPD/ Diabetes/ HIV/AIDS
• End stage condition
• Requires assistance in transferring, ambulating, medication management or management of oxygen and/or nebulizer

This patient is high risk for rehospitalization and should be referred to home care services ASAP.
Get involved with your discharge planning. You (or your caregiver) can give the discharge planner important information about your daily activities. Tell your discharge planner what you and your caregiver can and can’t do, and make your wishes known. As always, call the JFS NNORC if you need help with accessing services. We can be reached at 514-2023.
 

Aaaah sleep. Nothing is quite as wonderful as drifting off to sleep undisturbed after a full day.
A “Good Night’s Sleep” is right up there on most folks’ wish list right along with world peace, more closet space and winning the lottery. Despite the fact that we supposedly spend one third of our lives in dreamland, lots of us bemoan the fact that we’re not getting nearly enough. Even if you do manage to log in the needed hours according to the clock, quality not simply quantity is also an issue.
Far from being idle during snooze time, your body and mind are doing some very important work. The body needs sleep—enough sound sleep—to function at peak. Besides the obvious fatigue and crankiness that follows a short, fitful night here’s some of the other negative consequences of having poor sleep:

• Increased risk of depression
• Greater tendency to weight gain
• Higher incidence of prostate cancer in men, breast cancer in women
• Poor memory, impaired creativity
• Increased production of inflammatory hormones which affect blood vessel walls, and may contribute to developing heart disease
• Increased risk of Type 2 Diabetes

No thanks. Don’t want any of those!
There’s been lots of articles on how to improve sleep. There’s the obvious suggestions about getting enough exercise during the day, allowing yourself transition time in the evening, avoiding stimulants such as caffeine later in the day, even foods which can help ease us off to “Lily White’s Party” (my Mom’s favorite term for bedtime).
But there’s another culprit that seems to be a growing problem. Light at night (LAN)—even in very small doses disrupts that critical internal clock—our circadian rhythm—that naturally regulates the wake/sleep cycle by suppressing the chemical regulator melatonin.
In nature, as daytime light fades, the production of melatonin begins to increase. We yawn, stretch and find that our eyelids are getting heavy, very heavy. Notice I said “in nature.”  Technology has gifted us with new ways of simulating daytime light—high in the “blue” spectrum. We have TV, Computer screens, iPads, even glowing alarm clocks.  Sitting for hours in front of these gadgets tricks the body into delaying melatonin release. It only takes a moment or two of light exposure for melatonin production to drop.
Some other helpful suggestions for promoting sound sleep include:

• Dim lights and turn off lighted screens about an hour before turning in. Turn down the brightness on your computer screen, and position the device as far away from your eyes as you can.  E-Readers are not backlit, and don’t seem to be a problem.
• Remove as much ambient light from the bedroom as you can with darkening shades or curtains. Even turn that glowing alarm clock around to the wall. Consider using an eye-mask for sleep.
• Avoid nightlights or overhead lights once you turn in. One article suggests keeping a flashlight (not LED) at bedside for trips to the WC or to let a pet out.
• Get enough natural light during the day either outdoors or with full-spectrum bulbs.
• Try to get to bed by 10:00 pm, so your body can work with, rather than against, melatonin.
• Get the TV out of the boudoir! Bed is for rest and romance…end of story.

So—Good-night. Sleep tight!

This lunch and lecture will look into the fastest growing religion in the world. Is Islam an Abrahamic faith tradition? What are the origins of Islam? How do Muslims feel about other religions? Why are there so many Mosques? Are men and women equal in the Islamic faith? What is Jihad? Come learn about a religion that is often a topic of conversation in the coffee shop and the news.
Fr. Jim Kane is Director of Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs at the Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany. He is a leader in interfaith dialogue locally and nationally.
Presenter: Father Jim Kane
Date: Wednesday, April 17, 2013
Time: 12:00-2:00 pm
Place: B’nai Shalom Synagogue on 420 Whitehall Road, Albany
Fee: $3 for NNORC Members and $5 for non-members
RSVP: 518-514-2023