It’s summer time!
With summer in full swing, now is the time to plan that great amazing summer getaway with the family.  But your next summer getaway doesn’t have to cost you an arm and a leg or require weeks of preparation.  You don’t need to recruit your travel agent or go online to plan this upcoming summer adventure.  You won’t even need to spend any extra money if you don’t want to.  This summer adventure is about getting your family involved in an activity that everyone can take part in and enjoy….from the youngest to the oldest. 

Because what you need is a great family workout—early morning or late afternoon at the beach playing Frisbee or building a sandcastle, an early morning break at the local pool or create your own backyard playground where everyone can enjoy cycling through an obstacle or relay course.  For those of you who aren’t that creative to develop and design your own backyard workout, we’ve done away with the guesswork and have an easy to follow Backyard Workout manual that you can use to develop a family workout that everyone can do. 

Whatever the adventure, the most important aspect is getting the entire family involved—from the planning stage to the actual adventure date.  Let your kids think up activities that they’d like to do, that will get their pulses racing without emptying your pockets.  And if you’d rather have an indoor adventure…the sky’s the limit. 

Get out that old Twister game, a timer and the entire family and play Twister—the pumped up version….timing the rounds.  But players BEWARE—if you haven’t played in years, have chronic aches and pains from sore muscles and joint problems this is NOT the game for you!  But if you’ve already received permission from your doctor to participate in physical activity…then by all means grab that Twister game and get spinning.

And if you’re brave enough to weather the elements and want to try an outdoor adventure…please heed this warning and don’t forget about sunscreen.  No matter if there aren’t any clouds in the sky or all you see are overcast clouds, harmful ultraviolet rays can penetrate your skin and cause damage to your cells’ DNA and significantly increase your risk for developing skin cancer—-the most common form of cancer. 

Skin cancer can affect anyone…no matter your skin color or skin type—so everyone must take steps to lower their risk of getting skin cancer.

Here are some skin-saving tips for this summer season and for all seasons…
 

1. Wear sunscreen every day at least SPF 15—even when it’s overcast.  SPF refers to the ratio of time it takes you to burn when out in the sun with sunscreen compared to the time it takes you to burn without sunscreen.  So if you normally burn after 5 minutes, if you apply SPF 30 sunscreen, you can spend up to 150 minutes and be protected.
2. When you’re out in the sun, wear sun-protective clothing such as wide-brimmed hats and long-sleeve but breathable clothes.
3. Reapply your sunscreen frequently if you’re active in water sports or if you perspire.
4. Avoid being outside during the hours of 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., when sun rays are at their strongest.
5. Skip the tanning booths.  Use artificial tanning products or bronzers to get that golden glow without the harmful UV rays.

So before setting out on your next family adventure, pack the sunscreen and have fun.  Be active and be healthy!
To your wellness,
Dr. Traci Ferguson, The Health and Wellness Queen

Over these past several days I’ve put the finishing touches on my first book entitled “The 21 secrets to Amazing Health.”  I passed the first draft on to my husband who’ll give it a close read before passing it on to our editor.  My “21 Secrets to Amazing Health” is a comprehensive guide that is months in the making and will take you on an amazing journey to help you achieve greater results in terms of weight loss, healthy living and longevity.
 
The need for these “21 Secrets to Amazing Health” was even more evident yesterday when I was sitting at the bedside of one of my patients, Mr. M, whom I had admitted to the hospital a day earlier.  For the past 2 days Mr. M had noted some chest discomfort but no “true” chest pain.  When he began to experience profuse sweating along with the chest discomfort he came to the emergency department to get evaluated.  As I was approaching his hospital room, Mr. M was walking towards me looking for his nurse.  He wanted a cup of water and quenching his thirst was his highest priority at the time, not the fact that he had severe chest discomfort and might have a blocked artery supplying his heart. 
 

During my interview and examination, I discovered that Mr. M had had a recent stress test several months earlier and was told by his doctor that the test was abnormal but he opted for medications only and didn’t want to have a cardiac catheterization to take a better look at his arteries.  He told me he had a “bad” experience some 15 years ago when he had his first catheterization and didn’t want to go through that again. 
 

Both I and the cardiologist I called in to see him knew that Mr. M’s symptoms were highly suggestive of a blocked artery and that a cardiac catheterization would be the most definitive test to perform but given his reluctance to undergo the procedure, he had a low level stress test performed yesterday.  To his surprise but not to ours, he again had an abnormal stress test but this time, the cardiologist was able to convince him to have the cardiac catheterization. 
 

I was called by the cardiologist immediately after the catheterization with the results.  Mr. M had a “widow maker” lesion along with severe blockage of 2 of his other coronary arteries and was being emergently prepared for open heart surgery within the hour.  The “widow maker” is a severe blockage of the left main coronary artery which supplies a significant portion of your heart muscle with blood and other nutrients.  Most people who have abrupt complete blockage of the left main artery will never make it to the hospital for evaluation and will die immediately, hence the name “widow maker.” 
 

Even though Mr. M was reluctant to proceed with a cardiac catheterization, we convinced Mr. M that he was here in the hospital for one reason and one reason only and that was for his health…to do whatever we needed to do to help him live many more years past the age of 67. 
 

Mr. M in his desire to enjoy the “golden years” of his life, ignored the signs of heart disease and wanted to blissfully enjoy living in ignorance when it came to his lifestyle.  He told me that he didn’t like doctors and really never bothered to follow up with their recommendations.  I explained to Mr. M that I wanted him to enjoy his “golden years” and that means doing whatever is necessary to make sure that his chest pain is fully evaluated and if that means opening up a blocked artery (or in his case, having open heart surgery to bypass his blocked arteries) then we’re prepared to do whatever it takes.
 

If you were in Mr. M’s position, what would you do differently?  Are you like Mr. M, are you ignoring certain warning signs that you need to get checked out by your doctor?  Do you want to enjoy your life but you’re unsure as to what it really means to live healthy?
 

This and many more questions and issues will be answered in my upcoming “21 Secrets to Amazing Health.”  Continue to visit http://www.thehealthandwellnessqueen.com for future release information and for general information on your health and wellness.
 

Take care,
Dr. Traci Ferguson, The Health and Wellness Queen
 

This is a question that even I have to ask myself when I’m suffering from an irritating sore throat with a runny nose and a productive cough.  Should I ask my doctor for antibiotics or is this consellation of symptoms just the result of some pesky virus that won’t be affected by antibiotics and may even raise my risk of contracting a bacteria that’ll be resistant to even the most powerful of antibiotics?

As a new mother, I’m tempted to call the pediatrician for every runny nose, every sneeze and every tug at the ear BUT I don’t.  Most of the time, Rufus’ symptoms are very self-limited and don’t even last for more than a day.  But on the other hand, I’ve been medicating myself with Theraflu and menthol cough drops for the past several days without much improvement in my nagging cough and I’m beginning to wonder if I need antibiotics!

So before I went on my trip to Maryland to see the family with Rufus I got a Rapid Group A Strep test to see if I had strep throat.  The Rapid test was negative for Group A strep but it wasn’t until I returned from my trip that I finally got around to checking on the final throat culture.  What I found out was no surprise given my continued cough especially worse at night.  I found out that my sore throat was not due to a simple virus but due to another form of hemolytic strep species called Group F Strep. 

Now for a quick microbiology lesson of Streptococcus.  Streptococcus is a bacteria that is a common naturally occurring bacteria that you can find in your mouth and on your skin.  Occasionally a particular strain of streptococcus predominates and causes inflammation and irritation of your throat called pharyngitis.  There are several groups of Streptococcus and it’s the beta-hemolytic streptococcus groups that can cause rheumatic fever and potentially cause irreversible damage to your heart valves….thus the importance of identifying and treating a sore throat or pharyngitis due to beta-hemolytic strep.  Even without antibiotic treatment your Strep throat will get better but it’s the damage to the heart valves that we’re trying to prevent by prescribing antibiotics to eradicate the bacteria. 

Since I spend all my time working in the hospital I see the devastating effects of random and careless use of antibiotics by many doctors and patients to treat anything from the common cold to the flu.  Antibiotics–no matter how strong and powerful WILL NOT treat viruses!  You’d need an anti-viral medication and there is no such medication for the common cold.  Because I’ve seen the insurgence of antibiotic resistance over the past several years, I follow a strict self-imposed rule of NOT prescribing antibiotics unless I’m sure I’m treating a bacterial infection.

So when I first got the throat culture, the emergency room doctor wondered if I was already taking antibiotics for my sore throat and I told him NO!  I explained to him that I would wait to see what the throat culture showed before taking any antibiotics and lo and behold, I took my first dose of antibiotics tonight. 

When I was on my trip visiting family, I knew that the severity of my sore throat was not normal and that something more was going on and I was right.  Although I had to take frequent breaks I was still able to stick to my workouts but had to use a modified version of the Backyard Workout that I could perform in my mother’s living room.  Even with eating out every night, my workouts kept the extra pounds at bay and the scale thanks me. 

So now that I’m heading off to find another menthol cough drop I know that there’s light at the end of the tunnel for my sore throat.  I’m day #1 on a 7 day course of antibiotics to rid my throat and my body of any potential damage to my heart valves. 

To those of you who often wonder if you should ask your doctor for antibiotics for whatever infection you have, why don’t you first ask for a culture to be taken, so both you and your doctor will know exactly what you’re treating!

To your wellness,

Dr. Traci Ferguson…The Health and Wellness Queen

Ask any high level athlete if they’ve ever competed when they’ve felt fatigued or so drained and they’ll say YES! 

Yes, they’ve fought in a Judo match when they were still recovering from a stomach virus the night before.

Yes, they’ve played in the NBA championship game after suffering a painful bruised rib because their team need them.

Yes, they’ve completed in the Olympics with a bad shoulder injury because the Olympics only come once every four years.

But to those of us who aren’t elite athletes…what should we do when we don’t feel up to doing our full, intense regular workout routine?

Just like I, Dr. Traci Ferguson, the Health and Wellness Queen tell my patients….you can do all things in moderation.  Case in point, if you have symptoms of a common cold—runny nose, post-nasal drip, nasal congestion, a sore throat—and you’ve tried hot tea, lots of fluids and even over the counter remedies without much success, you may be tempted to forego your scheduled workout routine that day but you don’t have to.  Now, I’ll never advise anyone to exercise or workout when they’re having pain, shortness of breath, chest discomfort, an injury or any other medical problem that requires immediate medical attention.  If you experience any discomfort that causes you to feel faint, unable to catch your breath or carry on a normal conversation, then immediately STOP all activity and seek medical attention. 

But for those of us you are suffering from the common cold, here’s what you can do to still exercise and stay in shape when you’re not feeling your best….You can workout in moderation. 

Working out in moderation means that instead of doing your scheduled 20 or 30 minutes of exercise to keep your heart rate up, try 5 or 10 minute intervals at a lower pace.  If you’re able to complete only 15 minutes total when you’re feeling slightly under the weather….that’s GREAT!  We’re not trying to run the marathon here, we’re just trying to keep our level of activity and physical conditioning up despite our cold. 

The real secret to being able to workout when you’re feeling under the weather is to stay hydrated before, during and after the workout.  This means if you feel so upset to your stomach that you can’t keep down adequate fluids…..then you should NOT workout—plain and simple.  Your ability to workout depends on your ability to keep fully hydrated. 

As I’m writing this post, my nasal passages are congested but I can still breath, my throat is sore but I can still swallow without difficulty, my appetite is decreased but I can still drink plenty of liquids.  What I have is an annoying virus that’s causing my upper respiratory infection.  Even with this cold, I was still able to work a full 12-hour shift at work yesterday and I can certainly workout today with the Workout Out with Rhadi DVD. 

Instead of doing my regular 2 sets of each exercise, I’ll aim for one good set, take frequent water breaks and finish the workout despite being under the weather. 

Now I, Dr. Traci Ferguson, the Health and Wellness Queen would not recommend you do anything that I wouldn’t do myself.  So the next time you’re feeling under the weather and if can wonder if you can still workout….workout in moderation and take it from me, a health professional, a day lost of physical activity is virtually impossible to make up.  So stay ahead of the game, keep hydrated before, during and after the workout, take it easy and workout in moderation.

To your wellness,

The Health and Wellness Queen