Can Black people hide from COVID? – Part 3
The Pros, the Cons, the questions and the realities
In addition to the info on Morehouse School of Medicine’s website, there
is also the Black Doctors’ Consortium in Philly which is reaching out to communities of color to help educate folks. They tell them about
their own individual experiences treating, studying and working with
COVID-19.
Also, the CDC provides updated info about your county.
Start forming your Alzheimer’s prevention strategies now
Pre-Senior Strategies
For seniors and their children – preparation is the key to a healthy future
New research indicates that African Americans and other people of color have twice the risk of getting Alzheimer’s due primarily to diet
and lack of proper medical care. With the expected number of folks
estimated to swell just when our health care system may have to
shrink it’s offerings and accessibility, it’s action time, people.
Here are the steps that will get you started:
- Get moving! The number 1 way to combat cognitive decline is to keep the blood flow going and keep the brain busy. After the initial resistance, your muscles, joints and nervous system will wake up with the right level workout. Run it by your health provider. Start small and work your way
up. Check out YouTube, phone apps, the local Y or community center. They may all have online offerings to get you started. - Use it or lose it, when it comes to the brain. So crossword puzzles aren’t
your thing, but haven’t you always wanted to learn to draw, bead or do
woodworking? There are plenty of online classes to get you started or just start experimenting with your computer paint program or different pens, pencils and paper. Practice makes the eye perfect
in figuring out how to draw. The more you draw, the better you get.
Also, online brain games, like Lumosity, are fun, challenging and stimu-
lating. They guide you towards strengthening your weak spots and you
will actually see changes in how you handle things in everyday life.
You’re never too old! - Getting older is like being a car that goes from automatic to manual.
You gotta do things intentionally that your body used to do without thinking. Stretch! Want to remember things. Write them down. Put
up a calendar that you can write on. Set the timer on your stove
before you walk away from that pot. Learn how to use some of
the new technology. It will help you organize everything. - Get the tools you need to know what your body is doing. Every
senior needs a blood pressure cuff, thermometer and even an
oximeter at home. Know what foods affect your blood sugar so
that you can avoid them. You shouldn’t wait until your next
scheduled medical appointment to find that a new menu
item is driving your blood pressure sky high. Check out
the Apple watches along with other less expensive devices
you can wear on your body to know and track those
life saving numbers! - Put the brakes on eating everything you want all the time. There
is no other part of your life where you can do whatever you want-
no holds barred! Your body won’t tolerate it when it comes to
food either. The ingredients corn syrup (also in sodas) and
hydrogenated fats (like in baked goods) in processed foods
are said to be the two top foods that contribute to Alzheimer’s.
Most folks pay more attention to what they put in
their cars than what they put in their bodies. Oh, and the Food
Pyramid was obviously designed by food manufacturers. It’s
led us to an epidemic of obesity, diabetes, hypertension and cancer.
We have some ideas on this site about how to get and stay healthy
at any age. - With all due respect for the many physicians out there who have
sacrificed their whole lives to help you, you still have to be a
smart consumer of medical care. Your doctor cannot know and
tell you everything. Living is a participation sport. You have to
take responsibility for tracking symptoms, your daily behaviors
and all the stuff you try to forget as soon as you eat it or do it.
People are quick to defend their health with, “Well my doctor
said I am fine!” Uh-huh, but your doctor doesn’t know that you
work 60 hours a week, skip breakfast, don’t sleep well and can’t
walk a city block without looking for somewhere to sit down.
You can change your physical and mental health now. It may
take time, because you have to be aware of your inner misguider,
but YOU CAN DO IT! Here are the facts you need to get
started…….. - Last, (for the moment) but not least, eliminate the sure
enough unnecessary stress in your life. Give others a
little grace when they don’t perform as hoped for.
Give yourself the time and understanding that you
deserve. Let things get done “in due time”, as you
keep moving forward at a comfortable pace. Let go
of people and things that cause you anxiety.
Start your new year of a new you
If the last year or two has left you
with a little more weight than what
you had planned for this point in
your life – here’s the remedy and
the plan
Our favorite nutrition expert and a woman with a
plan, ChicagoanTracye McQuirter, has a new book
and one of the most thorough and appetizing
plans to improve your dinner table status than
we can remember. We’ve featured her on our
home page for years because we feel like you
would be in good hands with the food info that
she has so smartly put together.
Now we know that some of you are not
interested in giving up meat but there is little
reason to not learn how to make vegetables
equal partners on your plate. If we seasoned
and approached cooking veggies the way we
do meat and seafood, it wouldn’t take long
for them to become healthy preferences.
Tracye’s got an even better deal for this
year we are stepping into. Check out her
site and try out her plan. There is a wonderful
guide to download for free. It will get you
started on putting some soul in your food,
the lite, right way.
How police killings of unarmed blacks affect us
They directly impact both our mental health
as well as our physical health
Have you, like so many black parents and
helping professionals, been wondering what impact
these killings of our brothers and sisters are having
on us and our children?
It affects their health, both
emotional and physical. It’s no coincidence that our
communities have disproportionate levels of heart
disease, hypertension, diabetes and addictions. But
when you see the statistics, it is startling.
A report published in the British medical journal,
The Lancet, validates the negative impact of police
killings of unarmed blacks on black people in the
states in which they happened. The inter-
national response to George Floyd’s death shows
that there has been a measurable impact around
the world. It is validating to realize that people
all over the world have been touched by what
has been going on here in the States.
The mental health of white Americans was not
similarly affected by killings of unarmed blacks,
the researchers found. Nor were negative health
effects associated with police killings of unarmed
white Americans or armed black Americans.
The study, which looked at survey data and
examined a database of police killings, noted that
white Americans were not affected similarly.
They also found that killings of armed black
Americans or unarmed white people did not
seem to generate negative health effects.
While we are seeing the increase in violent crime
with the emergence of the pandemic, data tracking
of police killings of blacks found no correlation with
local crime rates. It is more likely that a firearm
and implicit bias don’t belong together but anti-
racism training and more progressive policing
methods do.