The Sentinel: Health

Commentary |
Could tackle football become a thing of the past? Flag football gaining popularity

by Josh Woods
Professor of Sociology, West Virginia University

One hundred years into the future, what if millions of people gathered every February, not to watch the Super Bowl, but to instead watch the annual world flag football championship?

Once a casual activity played at family reunions, the competitive sport of flag football is “soaring,” “exploding” and “skyrocketing in popularity nationwide,” according to mainstream news outlets.

The number of kids playing flag football has risen dramatically over the past nine years.

Photo: Joshua Choate/Pixabay

There’s some data behind the breathless headlines: According to the NFL’s official flag football program, since 2015 the number of kids ages 6 to 12 who play flag football has risen by 38%, to more than 1.5 million.

In my recent book, “Emerging Sports as Social Movements,” I explore nontraditional sports like flag football and disc golf. One of my key findings is that splashy headlines about trendy sports rarely capture a sport’s true reach and staying power.

For every sport like pickleball that gains widespread, sustained popularity, there are several – adventure racing, paintball and wakeboarding – that remain firmly ensconced in their niche.

In the case of flag football, there are a handful of recent trends that truly do point to a promising future. But there are also some red flags that could end up hampering its growth.

A fun, fast, safer alternative

Though its rules are similar to tackle football, flag football is currently gaining attention for what makes it different.

It’s considered a no-contact sport. A “tackle” involves snatching one of two flags that hang from the hips of the ball carrier. While players face injury risks, they sustain far fewer head impacts than athletes who play tackle football.

With the public’s concerns about brain injuries on the rise, many parents are opting for flag football instead of tackle for their kids.

Obscurity is a powerful barrier to emerging sports. But getting noticed may not be a problem for flag football.

The International Olympic Committee announced in October 2023 that flag football would be headed to the Summer Games in Los Angeles in 2028. It’s not clear yet if active NFL players can compete, but if they are eligible – and if the U.S. assembles a “Dream Team” like the Olympic men’s basketball team of 1992 that included superstars Michael Jordan, Larry Bird and Magic Johnson – flag football could get on the radar of millions of casual sports fans in 2028.

The Olympic version of flag football is fast-paced

Games are shorter than a typical game of tackle football. Five players compete on 50-yard fields with 10-yard end zones for two 20-minute halves. This format made its first big appearance in the 2022 World Games in Birmingham, Alabama, where the U.S. men won gold and the women took home silver.

The NFL cultivates the grassroots

Although it may come as a surprise, the NFL is embracing flag football and taking its growth seriously.

In 2021, the NFL and Nike committed US$5 million in equipment to support high school flag football teams across the nation. The NFL’s official flag football program operates more than 1,600 local leagues and receives sponsorships from top brands like Visa, Gatorade and Subway.

Most NFL teams are currently supporting the grassroots of flag football with summer camps, clinics and regional tournaments.

During last year’s Super Bowl, an estimated 115 million viewers watched a flag football TV commercial featuring Mexican quarterback Diana Flores bobbing and spinning to evade NFL players and celebrities as they attempted to take her flag.

On Feb. 4, 2024, the Pro Bowl – the NFL’s annual all-star game – sidelined tackle football for the second year in a row. In its place was a 7-on-7 flag football game that aired on ESPN and ABC and streamed on ESPN+.

Prior to that game, on Feb. 2-3, the league also hosted the International NFL Flag Championships as part of the Pro Bowl Games, featuring young athletes from 12 countries.

By the numbers

Flag football may be having a moment, but the question remains: Is the sport actually experiencing a meaningful surge in participation that could extend into the future?

According to figures collected annually by the National Federation of High Schools, 21,980 students played high school flag football in 2023. To put this number in context, however, tackle football attracted 47 times more students – roughly 1 million players – the same year. Track and field, basketball and soccer have roughly 1 million participants apiece.

Interest in flag football seems to be concentrated in a few regions, with roughly 80% of high school players living in just three states: Florida, Georgia and New York.

Though high school participation in flag football has increased steadily since 2007, almost all the growth comes from the girls’ side.

A nationwide sports participation survey finds that the number of casual players of flag football is up, but core participation is down. The study defines “casual players” as those who play fewer than 50 times per year, whereas “core players” participate 50 or more times each year.

The share of Americans who play casually increased by 41% between 2016 and 2022. But core participation declined by 13% during this period.

For sustainable growth, nontraditional sports need to generate excitement among both core and casual players. Top-down investments and marketing strategies may attract new players, but grassroots organizing keeps them coming back.

Take pickleball. In recent years, the sport has generated plenty of cultural clout, with high-profile athletes like LeBron James investing in the professional circuit, and celebrity pickleball players making headlines. There has also been tremendous growth in pickleball’s social and physical infrastructure. For these reasons, both casual and core participation in pickleball more than doubled between 2016 and 2022.

Red sport, blue sport

In the end, the future of flag football may hinge on the public debate over tackle football’s safety. Over the past decade, several studies have found a link between repeated head impacts and the risk for serious brain injuries, including chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE.

Photo: Ty Swartz/Pixabay

Yet recent efforts to make tackle football safer for young athletes have been met with fierce resistance from families, fans and organizers. In many regions of the U.S., tackle football is deeply ingrained in the culture, leading to strong opposition to any changes.

New rules to protect NFL players have seeped into mainstream politics. For instance, in 2019, former President Donald Trump dubbed the NFL’s concussion protocol “soft” and said that safety measures were “ruining the game.”

Meanwhile, Democratic state lawmakers in New York, Illinois and California have introduced bills to ban tackle football for kids under 12, often citing flag football as a suitable alternative. None of these bills, however, have passed.

Some research shows that Democrats are more likely to trust concussion science than Republicans. Democrats also pay more attention to news about concussions than Republicans.

As beliefs about the dangers of tackle football become polarized, the perceived benefits of flag football will likely follow suit. As I showed in a recent study of sport popularity in 207 areas of the U.S., flag football is more popular in regions that tend to vote Democratic, with tackle football more popular in Republican areas.

So in addition to going after the resources needed for sustainable growth – investment, organization, visibility, legitimacy – flag football’s advocates will also need to navigate a nation divided by politics.

Josh Woods, Professor of Sociology, West Virginia University This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

CUPHD Justice Coalition to present panel discussion on Black health, wealth & wellness

CHAMPAIGN - The Champaign-Urbana Public Health District will host a panel discussion on Black Health, Wealth & Wellness on February 22 during Black History Month. The main focus of the conversation will be on the advancement and evolution of Black health, wealth, and wellness within the Champaign-Urbana community.

The CUPHD's Justice Coalition will moderate the discussion. The doors at 201 West Kenyon Road in Champaign will open at 5:30 p.m. for light refreshments, with speakers starting at 6 p.m.

The panel's primary goal is to "provide a space for the community to share information and discuss mutual obstacles."

Attendees are encouraged to park in the north entrance lot and enter the building through the main conference room door.

Dietitian says we don't need to fear aspartame

by Tim Ditman
OSF Healthcare

URBANA - With the new year starting this week, your mind may wander back to conflicting summer news about aspartame, an artificial sweetener found in things like diet soda, gum, ice cream, yogurt and other sugar-free foods. The World Health Organization (WHO) cited “limited evidence” of aspartame being “possibly carcinogenic to humans.”

Not so fast, responded the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

“Aspartame is one of the most studied food additives in the human food supply,” the agency said. “FDA scientists do not have safety concerns when aspartame is used under the approved conditions.”

Carly Zimmer, a registered dietitian-nutritionist at OSF HealthCare, explains how we got here.

Zimmer says the agency within WHO that researches cancer has four levels of certainty that a substance can cause the disease. Group one is labeled “carcinogenic to humans.” Things like tobacco, alcohol and solar radiation are here. Group 2A is “probably carcinogenic to humans.” Group 2B is “possibly carcinogenic to humans.” And group three is “not classifiable as to its carcinogenicity to humans.” Coffee and mercury are in this group.

WHO put aspartame in group 2B along with aloe vera plant extract and traditional Asian pickled vegetables.

“That group B classification means there is a possible risk for that substance to cause cancer, not that it’s necessarily linked to cancer,” Zimmer says.

The other thing to consider: Zimmer says the FDA sets an acceptable daily intake for the six sweeteners it has approved. For aspartame, the limit is 50 milligrams per kilogram of body weight. For example, someone who is 60 kilograms (or 132 pounds) would have to consume 75 packets of aspartame (think of brand names like Equal, NutraSweet and Sugar Twin) in a day to reach the limit.

“It would be pretty hard to reach those numbers,” Zimmer says.

That’s not a license to add a lot of sweeteners to your drinks or drink soda with every meal. Sugary foods are bad for your heart, among other things, and should be consumed in moderation. But cancer risk from diet soda? It’s not something to lose sleep over.

“Artificial sweeteners definitely have a place [in diets], but we don’t want to consume them in excess,” Zimmer says. For example, sweeteners can add sweetness to foods without raising blood sugar. That’s helpful for people with diabetes or heart disease. Want to cut aspartame out greatly or all together? Try fruit-infused water, which you can make at home or get at the store. But check the label. Zimmer says drink mixes like Crystal Light often have aspartame. Hint Water is a better choice, she says. Also, look for high levels of added sugar on the food label.

And in general, talk to your health care provider or a dietitian if you have questions about what you should eat and drink.

Guest Commentary | The only way to lose weight is to get religious

by Glenn Mollette, Guest Commentator

2024 is here and congratulations – you are here to celebrate!

This is the time of the year when people are making New Year’s resolutions. Typically, the most common is to lose a few pounds.

I suspect you want to lose a couple of pounds. Maybe you need to lose a lot of pounds. Many of us do. From September 1 through December, 27 I gained 15 pounds. I know, that’s really bad. I wasn’t bad for four months but I had a few good spells of being bad. On September 1st, I weighed 198 pounds. Then on December 27th, I weighed 213 pounds.

My trend started when I had my colonoscopy. My doctor didn’t want me to eat any salads and a number of other healthy foods in preparation for my procedure. I had some very happy meals and gained almost two pounds leading up to my test. A couple of family get togethers, a vacation, Thanksgiving and Christmas added up to 15 pounds. Let me tell you, I can tell the difference when I put my shoes on. Also, developing plantar fasciitis and a sore foot didn’t help matters either. Many Americans deal with this occasional foot issue. During flare ups it really hurts to walk.

The only way I’ll be able to shed the pounds is to get real religious on my eating. We gain weight by eating too much and we lose weight when we cut back the portions and eat much less. A lot of our eating is habit. We think we have to be eating all the time. Winter months are tough because on cold dreary days and nights we hibernate in front of the TV and think we have to have food going into our mouths.

Consider sane proportional eating. Eat three small meals a day. Women can typically lose weight if they keep the calories to 1200 a day. If you are active then maybe 1400. Aim for three four hundred calorie meals. Men typically can lose on about 1700 calories a day. This gives you three meals at just under 600 per meal. Keep in mind that often, food has more calories than we think.

Another option is to graze all day. A fitness trainer friend says he eats six times a day, but it’s only about 300 calories at a time. The upside to this plan is you are always looking forward to your next little meal. If you like to eat all the time this may be your best plan.

Any activity that you can employ will also help. Winter months are tough so you have to be creative. Walk in place. Clean your house. Do setups while watching television. Do some toe touches, pushups, squats and anything that will get your heart rate up. Gym memberships soar at this time of the year. If you have time to go to the gym it might help you get through the winter. Mentally, it might help you to get out of the house.

I’m with you on this. My hope is to lose one pound a week. Maybe by Easter I’ll be back to where I want to be. Drop me a note at GlennMollette.com or gmollette@aol.com and let me know how you are doing and I’ll post more later if I have been able to shed my extra pounds. Good luck!

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He is the author of 13 books including Uncommom Sense, the Spiritual Chocolate series, Grandpa's Store, Minister's Guidebook insights from a fellow minister. His column is published weekly in over 600 publications in all 50 states. The views expressed are those of the author and are not necessarily representative of any other group or organization. We welcome comments and views from our readers. Submit your letters to the editor or commentary on a current event 24/7 to editor@oursentinel.com.

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Infective endocarditis death rates declined overall in the U.S. over past 21 years.

Our study findings raise a public health concern, especially since the deaths in younger age groups are on the rise ...

by American Heart Association

DALLAS - Death rates related to infective endocarditis declined in most adults across the U.S. within the last two decades, yet accelerated among young adults ages 25 to 44 years old, according to new research published today in the Journal of the American Heart Association, an open access, peer-reviewed journal of the American Heart Association.

Infective endocarditis, also called bacterial endocarditis, is an infection caused by bacteria that enter the bloodstream and settle in the heart lining, a heart valve or a blood vessel. The disease is rare, however, people with previous valve surgeries, heart valve abnormalities, artificial valves, congenital heart defects or previous infective endocarditis have a greater risk of developing it. It can also be a complication of injecting illicit drugs.

“Our study findings raise a public health concern, especially since the deaths in younger age groups are on the rise,” said study lead author Sudarshan Balla, M.D., an associate professor of medicine at the West Virginia University Heart and Vascular Institute at J.W. Ruby Memorial Hospital in Morgantown, West Virginia. “We speculate that this acceleration was likely, in the most part, due to the opioid crisis that has engulfed several states and involved principally younger adults.”

Researchers examined death certificate data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Multiple Cause of Death dataset, which contains death rates and population counts for all U.S. counties. They looked for national trends in deaths caused by infective endocarditis, plus differences in deaths related to age, sex, race and geography among states from 1999-2020. Researchers also analyzed the association with substance use disorder, considering the emergence of the opioid epidemic during the study’s time frame.

The analysis found:

In the 21-year period analyzed, infective endocarditis death rates declined overall in the U.S.
Death rates increased significantly for young adults, at an average annual change of more than 5% for the 25-34 age group and more than 2% for the 35-44 age group.
In the 45-54 age category, death rates remained stagnant at 0.5%, and there was a significant decline among those aged 55 and older.
Substance use disorder associated with multiple causes of death increased drastically – between 2-fold and 7-fold among the 25-44 age group.
Kentucky, Tennessee and West Virginia showed an acceleration in deaths caused by infective endocarditis in contrast to other states with either a predominant decline or no change.

“We found that substance use was listed as a contributing cause that could explain the higher death rates in the younger age groups and also in the states in those who died due to endocarditis,” Balla said.

The study researchers call the rise of infective endocarditis as the underlying cause of death in adults 25-44 years old “alarming” and recommend more investigation to identify the reasons for these trends among young adults and in the three states noted. Researchers speculate the increase is connected to the opioid crisis that has engulfed several states and involves primarily younger adults.

“Comprehensive care plans for those treated for infective endocarditis should also include screening and treatment for substance use disorder,” Balla said.

To address intravenous drug use, some states have started harm reduction programs, which are public health efforts to reduce the harm from substance use and drug abuse, such as increased risk of infectious diseases like HIV, viral hepatitis, and bacterial and fungal infections. “Whether these programs make an impact is yet to be determined,” Balla said.

Researchers were limited in the medical details they could collect because of the use of death certificate data, which may contain inaccuracies, such as errors in diagnosis, data entry and cause of death. For similar reasons, researchers could not determine a direct cause-and-effect relationship between the rise in deaths caused by infective endocarditis in younger adults and substance use disorder.

Avoiding holiday acid reflux is a cinch; Dr. Greg Ward explains how

Eating before bed, especially foods like ice cream is a no-no for people who suffer from acid reflux.

Abhishek Hajare/Unsplash

by Tim Ditman
OSF Healthcare

URBANA - No eating after 6 p.m.

The advice from Greg Ward, MD, is sure to raise some eyebrows.

But he’s serious. It’s one way to prevent reflux, an ailment that’s painful and annoying in mild cases and can necessitate surgery in advanced instances. And it's something to be aware of during holiday eating.

Terminology

Dr. Ward, an OSF HealthCare surgeon, says you may hear many terms in this area of medicine: reflux, acid reflux, heartburn, indigestion and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). They all describe the same thing: acidic contents of your stomach coming up into your esophagus and burning it.

Key takeaways:

• Reflux is when acidic contents of your stomach come up into your esophagus and burn it.

• Prevention includes not eating late; avoiding junk food, nicotine and alcohol; exercising; and sleeping with your head above your body.

• Treatments include medicine and, for tricky cases, surgery where the stomach is wrapped a bit around the esophagus.

“People lose sleep over it. They wake up in the middle of the night coughing. They have other discomfort,” Dr. Ward says.

One outlier term: Barrett’s esophagus. That’s when your esophagus (also called the food pipe) is damaged from chronic reflux, and abnormal cells grow. It’s named for Australian-born surgeon Norman Rupert Barrett, according to the National Institutes of Health. Barrett’s esophagus comes with an increased risk of esophageal cancer, and Dr. Ward says typical reflux treatments won’t work to lower the cancer risk. Instead, a doctor can use heat energy to destroy the abnormal cells.

Reflux treatment and prevention

Dr. Ward says changing your lifestyle is the best way to prevent reflux. Here’s a checklist to know:

• Don’t eat after 6 p.m. This can upset your stomach.

• “People love to have things like ice cream right before bed. That’s a killer for reflux,” Dr. Ward says.

• Avoid excess fatty food, nicotine, caffeine and alcohol.

• Exercise regularly.

• Sleep on an incline with your head above the rest of your body. This keeps the stomach fluid in place, Dr. Ward says. Don’t just do this with pillows, he warns. That can actually pinch the stomach. Instead, put the head of your bed frame on six-inch blocks.

Advanced cases

Dr. Ward says if simple lifestyle changes aren’t helping, the next step is likely medication. Protonix, Prevacid and Tagamet are common ones.

But some people won’t respond well to medication, or they don’t want to take it for the rest of their life, perhaps due to side effects like bone weakening and increased pneumonia risk. Dr. Ward says those people are candidates for minimally invasive laparoscopic surgery.

The person will do some pre-surgery tests to see how well their esophagus is working. The muscle needs to be working well for surgery to be an option.

On surgery day: “We wrap the stomach a bit around the esophagus to keep food from going back up into the esophagus when it shouldn’t,” Dr. Ward explains.

Dr. Ward adds that the procedure is usually a one-night stay in the hospital, but people usually report feeling better quickly.

“Very satisfying,” he says.

Another eyebrow raiser, but important guideline post-reflux surgery: no more carbonated beverages like soda. For life.

“You’re unable to burp,” Dr. Ward says plainly.

“You’ll really get uncomfortable if you drink a carbonated beverage. And if you force yourself to burp, it loosens the work we’ve done in surgery. All of a sudden, you’re having heartburn again.”

A small price to pay for a lifetime of minimal or no reflux.

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Innovation is the key to improving health in rural areas

by The American Heart Association

Dallas, TX - Cardiovascular mortality is on the rise in rural areas of the United States, where more than 60 million Americans live, according to an American Heart Association presidential advisory. Understanding and addressing the unique health needs of people in rural America is critical to the Association’s pursuit of a world of longer, healthier lives.

Today — on National Rural Health Day — the Association, the world’s leading nonprofit organization focused on heart and brain health for all, announces two new collaborative efforts to help close the gap between rural and urban hospital care and bring equitable care to all, regardless of where you live.

“Addressing the unique health needs of people in rural America is critical to achieving the American Heart Association’s 2024 impact goal for equitably increasing healthy life expectancy nationwide,” said Karen Joynt-Maddox, M.D., MPH, American Heart Association volunteer, associate professor at the Washington University School of Medicine and co-director of the Washington University in St. Louis Center for

Advancing Health Services, Policy & Economics Research. “Innovative collaborations like these are key to improving rural health across the nation.”

Sharing clinical educational resources

The American Heart Association is collaborating with the National Rural Health Association (NRHA) to highlight and share cardiovascular and stroke clinical educational resources such as model practices, collaborative learnings and rural quality research findings with NRHA membership.

Through this collaboration, the American Heart Association will submit content for NRHA’s magazine Rural Horizons, weekly e-newsletter NRHA Today and Journal of Rural Health, as well as participate in NRHA’s 2024 Annual Rural Health Conference and 2024 Rural Health Clinic and Critical Access Hospital Conference.

“NRHA is excited to partner with the American Heart Association to share resources and education to help reduce rural cardiovascular health disparities,” said NRHA CEO Alan Morgan.

Harmonizing quality data for analysis and validation

The American Heart Association and the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) are collaborating on efforts to resolve outcomes gaps and identify model practices for hospitals and health systems in the rural setting. This effort will identify sites participating in both organizations’ respective quality programs and cross-promote their data registries, as well as explore data harmonization and opportunities for shared data analysis and validation.

The Association and ACEP share common priorities in addressing outcomes gaps in rural areas and building the knowledge base needed for evidence-based clinical practice. Reaching clinicians and providers and other key constituents with important messages is foundational to these efforts.

ACEP’s E-QUAL stroke initiative strives to make stroke quality improvement strategies accessible for emergency departments of all shapes and sizes. The E-QUAL data submission activities have been designed to allow hospitals who are already participating in the American Heart Association’s Get With The Guidelines® programs to seamlessly meet all E-QUAL reporting requirements.

“Through ACEP’s E-QUAL stroke initiative, we strive to make stroke quality improvement strategies accessible for emergency departments of all shapes and sizes,” said Kori Zachrison, M.D., MSc, E-QUAL Stroke Initiative co-lead. “While many rural EDs may be working with fewer resources at their disposal, they remain the anchor of the community’s stroke chain of survival. We’re thrilled to work side-by-side with the AHA in investing in these communities.”

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Brem Foundation announces new breast cancer screening tool

Photo: Leeloo Thefirst/PEXELS

by Brett Peveto
Illinois News Connection

CHICAGO - October has been Breast Cancer Awareness Month and in the wake of a recent study showing an increase in the incidence of cancer at younger ages, the Brem Foundation has announced a new online resource to help women assess their cancer risk.

The study, published in August, found from 2010 to 2019 the incidence of early onset cancer increased in women mainly because of cancers of the uterus and breast. The Brem Foundation has released a new online tool called CheckMate, a quiz to help women assess their breast cancer risk and determine if they should seek additional screening.

Dr. Rachel Brem, co-founder and chief medical officer at the foundation, said many women may underestimate their risk for breast cancer.

We have many things in our tool chest that can find early curable breast cancer, like screening breast ultrasound, or MRI.

"We know that the average age of breast cancer is significantly decreasing," Brem pointed out. "So that we really have to get this interactive, easy, quick tool into the hands of everybody, including younger women, because the incidence of breast cancer is happening in younger and younger women."

In the past, the only tool for finding breast cancer early was X-ray mammograms. Brem noted in recent years, many advances in screening technology have taken place and now early detection is far better.

"We have many things in our tool chest that can find early curable breast cancer, like screening breast ultrasound, or MRI," Brem outlined. "The reason that's so important is because 95% of women with early breast cancer survive and thrive five years and more."

She added finding breast cancer early not only improves survival rates, but also allows for less difficult treatments.

While mammograms are a reliable screening tool for many women, some women in higher risk categories including those with dense breast tissue often need more advanced screening methods. Brem emphasized CheckMate was developed by a panel of national experts to help address different risk factors among varying racial and ethnic groups.

"Higher risk groups like black American women, like Ashkenazi Jewish women, where breast cancer does occur younger and more aggressively, CheckMate can be a lifesaving tool to find out if they have an increased risk of breast cancer and whether they need more screening to find early curable breast cancer," Brem stressed.

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Heart disease is a risk for women transitioning through menopause

by The American Heart Association

DALLAS — Medical experts note that hormone and body composition changes during the transition to menopause can increase the risk of developing heart disease after menopause.^[1] The American Heart Association, a global force for healthier lives for all, offers tips to support women’s heart health during this transition.

“More women in the U.S. are living longer, and a significant portion of them will spend up to 40% of their lives postmenopausal,” said Brooke Aggarwal, Ed.D., M.S., F.A.H.A., assistant professor of medical sciences in Cardiology at Columbia University Medical Center and a volunteer for the American Heart Association’s Go Red for Women™ movement.

As women grow and change so does their risk for cardiovascular disease. Go Red for Women, the Association’s premier women’s movement, addresses awareness and clinical care gaps of women’s greatest health threat, and is a trusted source for health and well-being at every age, stage and season.

“Navigating through menopause isn’t one-size-fits-all, and neither is the journey to good heart health,” she added. “This makes it even more important to focus on heart and brain health at all stages of life.”

The best defense against menopause-related changes is working with your doctor to make sure your key health numbers are in a healthy range, and understanding which healthy habits you can fine tune to boost your heart health. These tips can help:

Health by the numbers: Blood pressure, blood sugar and body mass index should be monitored yearly. More often if your numbers are out of range. Cholesterol level is also important, and healthy numbers are more individualized based on your other risk factors. Your doctor can help you figure this one out.
The best way to eat: No single food is a miracle-worker for health. Instead, look at your overall pattern of eating. Experts at the American Heart Association rated 10 popular eating patterns and the DASH-style and Mediterranean-style way of eating rose to the top as having the most heart-healthy elements: high in vegetables, fruit, whole grains, healthy fat and lean protein; and low in salt, sugar, alcohol and processed foods.
Exercise that does double-duty: Strength and resistance training is one of the four types of exercise in a general workout routine along with endurance, balance and flexibility. Strength and resistance have the added benefit of increasing bone strength and muscle mass. As women enter menopause, bone density may take a hit and body composition tends to shift to lower muscle mass. Strength training at least twice a week can help your bones and muscles maintain strength and density.
Protect your sleep time: Healthy sleep is part of the 8 essential elements of heart health called Life’s Essential 8, but the transition to menopause comes with myriad interruptions to a good night’s rest – nightly restroom trips, night sweats, insomnia. Do whatever it takes to get your Z’s because better sleep has great health benefits: stronger immune system, better mood, more energy, clearer thinking and lower risk of chronic diseases. A few habit changes can improve sleep, like setting a notification or alarm to remind you it’s time to wind down, then shutting down electronic devices at that time. For stubborn sleep problems your doctor may be able to help.

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Diabetes is a silent killer because people tend to ignore symptoms

Photo: Sweet Life/Unsplash

by Shelli Dankoff
OSF Healthcare

Evergreen Park - During the winter months there is typically a spike in seasonal illnesses such as common colds, flu, and pneumonia. While there are tips and tricks forkeeping seasonal illnesses at bay, they are sometimes unavoidable. And for those with other health conditions a simple cold can be so much more than that.

According to the American Diabetes Association (ADA), when someone who has diabetes gets sick with things like colds or the flu, the illness and stress cause their body to release hormones that raise blood sugar (blood glucose) levels, making it harder to keep their blood sugar in their target range. The ADA adds that while having diabetes in and of itself does not necessarily make someone more likely to get a cold or the flu, it does raise the chances of getting seriously sick. Some people may not even know they have diabetes until a severe illness occurs.

“If you have poorly controlled or undiagnosed diabetes and develop symptoms of something like the flu, you will have increased risk factors of severe illness. I would encourage those people to get quickly examined at an urgent care or their primary physician,” says Mohammed Khan, M.D., an OSF HealthCare family medicine physician.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) says that nearly a third of people with diabetes do not know they have it, and someone can go years before getting a diagnosis. The reason diabetes can fly under the radar is because the symptoms can be minor, especially early on.

“When patients have certain symptoms like more frequent urine and going to the restroom more often, losing weight, having lack of energy, having dry mouth, feeling thirsty and drinking more often, having recurrent infections like skin and urine infections – those are the things that indicate a screening for diabetes,” explains Dr. Khan.

He adds, “People who have diabetes sometimes ignore the symptoms and think they are not affected which is why it is a silent killer. The body is getting destroyed from the inside and many do not notice it unless you go to regular health exams or are screened for it. Diabetes is also one of the most common causes for chronic kidney disease. For a lot of people who develop problems like kidney failure or needing dialysis, the root cause for that most of the time is diabetes.”

Dr. Khan advises people who do have diabetes to keep it under control as best as possible, as well-controlled diabetes helps manage seasonal illnesses when they do occur. However, serious illness can still occur.

“With diabetes, your immune system goes down which is a risk factor. If you have diabetes, you want to make sure you are fully vaccinated and get the flu shot and are up to date on COVID vaccinations. If they are at a higher risk factor due to age and are in the age group to receive the pneumonia vaccination, we encourage get that as well, Dr. Khan advises.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends a pneumonia shot for anyone age two or older who, because of chronic health problems (such as diabetes) or age, has a greater chance of getting pneumonia, and urges all eligible individuals who are six months and older to get their annual flu shot.

If you have diabetes, have a kit on hand with the following items in it: A glucose meter, extra batteries, supplies for your insulin pump or continuous glucose monitor, ketone test strips, a week’s worth of glucose-lowering medication (but don’t store these longer than 30 days before use), glucose tabs or gels, and flu or cold medications that won’t disrupt your diabetes management.

If you do end up with a seasonal illness, keep track of your symptoms and let your primary doctor know if they get worse. If your symptoms become severe or unmanageable, go to the nearest urgent care or emergency department.

If you have not been diagnosed with diabetes but are exhibiting any possible signs and symptoms, make an appointment with your doctor.

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