As you study teas on the supermarket shelf, you may be surprised to
know that all teas come from the Camellia sinensis plant, a
warm-weather evergreen. How fresh leaves are processed and their
length of contact with oxygen determine the resulting type of tea.

Oxidation gives the leaves their distinctive color. Green tea is
not oxidized. The leaves are steamed, rolled, and dried. Black tea
is oxidized for two to four hours, and Oolong tea falls somewhere
in between.

According to the Tea Association of the USA, herbal teas aren’t
from the Camellia sinensis plant and are not linked with research
on the health benefits of traditional teas.

Tea is one of the most healthful beverages. It’s fat-free and
calorie-free. Tea is rich in flavonoids and powerful antioxidants
that help to prevent chronic diseases such as heart disease and
cancer, as shown in studies at the Antioxidants Research Laboratory
of the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at
Tufts University. Green and black teas have the most antioxidants.

The American Dietetic Association notes that a certain number of
flavonoids in tea are lost during the decaffeination process, so
decaffeinated teas are somewhat less beneficial than regular brews.

How to make tea

From Kevin Hickey of the English Tea Store

Hickey says loose tea brewed in a teapot makes the best-tasting
tea. He recommends one teaspoon of loose tea per person plus one
for the pot.

* Use freshly drawn water. Water loses oxygen when it stands and
that keeps the full flavor of the tea from being released.

* Warm the pot first. It helps to maintain the brewing temperature
long enough to extract more flavor from the tea.

* Use boiling water to make the tea. Water that is “off the boil”
does not allow the tea to brew properly.

* Brew for 3 to 5 minutes. Shorter times will not reveal the full
flavor and quality of the tea. Longer brewing will result in a
bitter-tasting tea as tannin will start to be extracted from the
tea leaves.

* Stir the tea in the pot once or twice while it is brewing.

* For tea bags, the same brewing directions apply.

* In a cup, brew 1 to 2 minutes.

This Sunday will mark my second Mother’s Day and as I was busily running errands today trying to get my last minute Mother’s Day gifts together, I started to think about the millions of people who won’t be celebrating Mother’s Day.  Millions of people whose mothers are deceased, millions who are no longer in contact with their family and for some reason or another won’t be sending their mother a Mother’s Day card or a bouquet of flowers….and millions who don’t even know who their real mothers are. 

Despite the commercialism that surrounds many of our holidays, Mother’s Day has always been a special day for me to reflect upon all the women in my life who have loved me as a mother should…..and who’ve served as my nurturer, my role model, my advisor, my friend and my protector through the years.  From my great-grandmother who served as my cheerleader, always encouraging me to do well in school even at a very young age….or my biological mother who supported my decision to expand my horizon and travel to another district for high school…..or my grandmother Gwen who always came to my school performances, awards banquets, assemblies and graduations….to my mother-in-law who has served as my advisor, my life coach and my role model when it comes to balancing God, family and career.  All these and countless other women have played an integral part in developing my maternal makeup…which in years to come Rufus will appreciate. 

What I’ve learned over the years and continue to see at work day after day is the reflection and manifestation of a mother’s love in the lives of her children—biological or not.  This love is able to transcend blood lines and develop into an impermeable bond between mother and child that lasts throughout the years, through the loss of a spouse, through the loss of physical or emotional health and provides us with the key to understanding the true power of a mother’s love.

Not long ago I was taking care of a 92 year old woman who had been visiting South Florida from upstate New York and was admitted to the hospital after suffering a fall.  She had known osteoporosis and already had significant curvature of her spine limiting her ability to walk long distances.  After her fall, we found that she had a new fracture in her spine but because of her advanced age and the risks involved with surgery, she opted to forego surgery and start with physical therapy.  When I first walked into her hospital room she was sitting alone in her chair and I silently wondered how this 92 year old woman could have traveled all the way to Florida from New York all by herself and then walked in a younger woman in her late fifties.  The friendly banter between the two women quickly led me to conclude that the younger woman was her daughter….but I was wrong.  The younger woman was her daughter-in-law.  I was pleasantly surprised but not shocked at the revelation since I myself have a very strong bond with my mother-in-law.  

I wanted to know more about their plans to return to New York so I sat down on the edge of the bed and listened as the younger woman explained that she had already called the airlines to verify that they’d have direct flights from Florida to New York and available first-class seats.  She had already contacted her own physician to arrange direct airport transfer to an assisted living facility where her mother-in-law would stay, have available nursing care and get the physical therapy and rehabilitation she needed.  The younger woman must have sensed my unspoken question and told me that her mother-in-law had wanted to take one last trip to Florida while she still could and so she arranged to travel with her mother-in-law for her last hoorah in South Florida.  She was able to fulfill one of her mother-in-law’s last requests and she did it out of love….plain and simple. 

So as we look to our mothers….to those who have played the role of mother in our lives….remember this story of a woman and her mother-in-law and you’ll see the incredible power of love in this generation and in generations to come.

Happy Mother’s Day!

To your wellness,

The Health and Wellness Queen

If your answer is yes….then join the club.  You’re not alone in your uneasiness when it comes to certain tests like cardiac catheterizations, colonoscopies, mammograms, MRIs, CAT scans or even certain surgeries like open heart surgery. 

Every day I explain to my patients why I’m ordering specific tests, why I believe they’re necessary and what I hope to find out.  I have the luxury of only seeing patients in the hospital so I can spend the necessary time to answer their questions and even answer the questions of other family members who are present or who may be miles away in another state.  But this is not always the case….

Typically, you’ll be given a piece of paper to sign by a nurse stating that Dr. X will be performing a procedure that day or the next day and the nurse will try to explain the procedure and then have you sign the form giving consent to have the procedure performed. 

But it’s not always that simple. 

You have questions about how Dr. X.  Where did s/he train?  Where did s/he go to medical school?  You want to know how many similar procedures s/he has done in the past and what’s their success rate.  You want to know how long you’ll be out of work and more importantly, will the procedure be painful.  You want to talk with your family—your spouse, your sister, your brother, your cousin or even your parent—before agreeing to have any procedure done.  You want to hear from another doctor confirming that you indeed need to have the test performed.  You want to have the doctor really take the time to explain the procedure…the pros and cons of having the test done now versus waiting.  You want the doctor to understand where you’re coming from. 

So today, as I walked into Mrs. G hospital room, I saw a young middle aged woman sitting on the edge of the bed, expectant and waiting for me to introduce myself.  I explained that I work with Dr. J and would be the doctor in charge of her care today.  I had already read her chart and knew that Mrs. G likely has an advanced stage of breast cancer that had caused severe hardening of her left breast but she has gone almost five months without any treatment.  I suspected that something drastic must have caused Mrs. G to forego treatment for so long. 

So I sat on the edge of the bed beside her and asked her how she first noted something was wrong with her breast.  Mrs. G went on to explain that it first started with a palpable lump on the side of her nipple that slowly got bigger and so she went to her doctor and had a mammogram, which she reports “didn’t show anything.”  She then went to a specialist and had a breast biopsy and was told she had “cancer” and the doctor recommended a bone scan before he would start any treatment like chemotherapy, surgery or radiation.  That’s when things fell apart….a bone scan that Mrs. G didn’t know why she needed and didn’t understand why a doctor who knew she had cancer wouldn’t start treatment immediately and why he was ordering a test that was so difficult to schedule. 

So months passed…with the breast mass growing larger, the skin over her breast turning hard like leather and the pain in her breast increasing with each passing day…..and ultimately, Mrs. G ended up in our emergency room because she couldn’t take the pain anymore. 

Now I don’t know exactly what transpired between Mrs. G and the specialist but what I do know is that Mrs. G case is not unique.  Everyday, people get frustrated with the healthcare system, having to call this doctor to okay a procedure before another doctor will even schedule your appointment OR having serious questions about why you need a particular test and NOT getting the answers or the level of comfort and concern you deserve. 

What I encourage my patients and even my family members to do is appoint one person to be their healthcare advocate, someone…it could be a friend, it could be a family member or it could even by your own doctor….who will be your point person when it comes to making these tough decisions.  You can give this person permission to speak personally with the doctor to ask the questions you’re too afraid to ask or don’t even know to ask.  Someone who has your best interests at heart and can take the time to really explain the details of the test with you and help you make the best possible decision. 

For my family, I’m the “unofficial” healthcare advocate.  For me, my husband’s my healthcare advocate. 

Who’s in your corner?  Who’s your healthcare advocate?  So before you’re wheeled on a gurney to your next procedure….really take the time to understand the procedure and make use of your healthcare advocate…they’ll give you the support and comfort you never knew you needed.

To your wellness,

The Health and Wellness Queen

P.S.  Now is the time for you to be your own best healthcare advocate by getting and staying in shape.  Click here to get your copy of The Backyard Workout now.  You’ll get a customized total body workout along with the amazing fool-proof food plan!  Order your copy today.

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Whether you’re a soccer mom or an Olympic level athlete, this workout is designed just for you.  We’ve taken the guesswork out of program design and provided you with an easy to understand resource that will remarkably transform your body into the fit, toned and healthy body you’ve been waiting for. 

This workout system is The Backyard Workout. 

This workout will not only give you the key to getting your body back in shape but we will reveal the very same food plan that I used to lose the baby fat after giving birth to Rufus and my husband used to maintain weight when he was competing in Olympic level Judo.  We still follow this Fool-proof food plan to stay in amazing shape.

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To your wellness,

The Health and Wellness Queen

P.S.  Don’t miss this opportunity to get your hands on The Backyard Workout package and discover how you can get your very own personalized workout program. 

With our crazy schedules and hectic jobs, it’s so easy to get overwhelmed with everything. 

From finding time to take the car in to get serviced, to remembering to pick up the drycleaning on my way home, these past several days have been extra long for me on top of working back to back 12 hour shifts in the hospital.  With everything going on, I can see how easy it can be to fall into a mental rut filled with worry, apprehension and depression with all the things not done on your To-Do list….with all the pressures imposed on you at work and at home to accomplish extraordinary tasks….with your need to do all things for everyone—except yourself. 

Depression is a disease that is so hard to recognize because it usually takes weeks to months and even years to be diagnosed.  It can start slowly after you’ve suffered a significant loss in your life….the death of a child, of a parent, of a spouse or another loved one and it can even occur after a tremendous “gain” like the birth of a new child.  Disbelief, denial and sadness are all part of the grieving process which can last for weeks to months.  However, you have to be extremely careful not to mistaken prolonged grief for depression. 

When you’re grieving, you’re mourning the loss of something particular—there’s an object of your grief—it could be a mother who died of heart disease or a stillborn child who did not survive delivery. 

But with depression, your whole outlook on life is turned upside down.  Here are some common signs of depression—see if you recognize any of them in you or someone you know—-

• You can’t seem to get or stay interested in anything anymore. 
• You have trouble falling asleep or find yourself waking up in the early morning hours. 
• Your world view has changed—you no longer see the glass half full but everything is half empty or running on empty. 
• You don’t enjoy doing the things you used to do. 
• Your appetite has changed. 
• You’ve gained or lost weight. 
• You’ve lost the energy and drive you once had—now it takes you all day to get a single task completed like doing a load of laundry. 
• You have trouble concentrating or making decisions. 
• Family and friends may have commented that you’ve changed…that you seem sad all the time. 
• You feel hopeless or worthless. 
• You may even think that the world would be better off if you no longer existed.

Depression is a real disease that needs real treatment.  Some of my patients with depression think that they can handle their depression on their own…that it’s all in their mind and if I just give them some time, they’ll get their mind together and “out of that funk.”  But what I tell them and what I’m telling you is that treating depression requires the same attention and commitment as treating heart disease.  Both the doctor and the patient need to be involved in the treatment process. 

And yes!  Depression is treatable.  But let me warn you….treating depression means more than just taking medication. 

When you’re undergoing treatment for depression you NEED to be under the close supervision of a physician to monitor your response to treatment. 

Because….in the early stages of treatment your risk of suicidal thoughts and suicide are very high.  That means when you start on medication you need to be in close contact with your prescribing physician and alert them if you experience any thoughts of death or suicide. 

Depression is common….and it’s treatable….you just know how to recognize the signs of depression and get the treatment you need.

To your wellness,

The Health and Wellness Queen

How do you know if the pain or pressure in your chest is just indigestion…or is it something more serious?  You may think to yourself, “Could this discomfort in the center of my chest be the beginnings of a heart attack?”

Well the simple answer is this:  “It could just be indigestion….or it could really be your heart, you and I just don’t know.”—until more tests are done.  

Even after years of training at one of the top hospitals in the country, I still can’t predict if someone’s chest pain, chest pressure or upper abdominal discomfort is just indigestion that you and I can ignore and hope it will go away or if their pain is a sign of something more serious.  Even after interviewing hundreds of patients who’ve come into the emergency department with a chief complaint of chest pain or stomach pain or even back pain, I can’t accurately tell you that this 60 year old woman is experiencing a blockage in the arteries supplying her heart or that 50 year old man is just having a panic attack.

And if I can’t tell the difference….then neither can you. 

I’m not trying to belittle your intelligence or minimize your educational background.  I’m trying to help you understand that even as a Board certified physician, I cannot always correctly diagnose angina on questioning alone.  Angina is a medical term we use to describe chest discomfort or pain that is directly related to transient blockage in arteries supplying the heart leading to decreased blood flow and therefore, decreased oxygen to your heart.  I can ask you so many questions about your symptoms…about your complaints until I’m blue in the face but if I don’t take the time to literally see how well your heart is functioning, I can’t clearly get a true and real picture of your heart until further studies are done. 

This means that you can’t sit around at home on your computer looking up medical diagnoses to self-diagnose your problem.  You can’t ignore that burning or pressure like tightness in your chest hoping that it will just go away. 

And here’s why…..Yesterday I had to tell a 51 year man that he made the right decision to listen to his friend and come to the hospital to get his heart checked out.  He had been suffering with chest pressure on and off for the past week and a half.  He had initially ignored the tightness in his chest thinking that it was heartburn that would go away.  Even after he started having tingling in this left hand, he didn’t think much of it.  Pain in his neck didn’t even convince him that he needed to go to the hospital.  He would have continued to ignore his symptoms had it not been for a good friend who told him that he needed to seek medical attention. 

This good friend told him what he needed to hear at the time he needed to hear it.  His friend advised him to “just go and check it out.”  And that he did.

I’m still waiting on all of the special tests but my patient is in the right place at the right time—in the hospital hooked up to a heart monitor so we can observe him closely and give him the medications he needs until we determine if he has heart disease or not.  He will undergo additional testing to show if he has any significant blockages in the arteries that supply his heart such as an angiogram (a procedure that shows a pictorial display of his heart’s arteries) or even open heart surgery to repair the blockages.

In the matter of minutes, you could be thinking about heartburn or indigestion and in the next minute, come face to face with your mortality looking the heart surgeon in the face, stunned and speechless as he explains opening up your chest for heart bypass surgery.   

So the next time you experience a pain or pressure in your chest that just won’t go away and keeps coming back—don’t wait.  Get to an emergency department IMMEDIATELY and get checked out!  You’ll put your mind—and your heart—at ease.

To your wellness,

The Health and Wellness Queen

Just turn on the television, pick up a newspaper or listen to anyone’s conversation today and you’re bound to hear words like grief, depression, bereavement…tragic loss. 

When I first heard the news about the Virginia Tech massacre I was rounding in the hospital.  A nurse walked out of a patient’s room and told us in disbelief that more than 30 people were just shot and killed.  None of us could believe what she said and I had to hear and see for myself the horrible tragedy that occurred on Virginia Tech’s campus.  I stared in shock as the first news reports started to piece together the events of that fateful morning.

My heart went out to the family and friends who lost loved ones in that horrible tragedy.  One disturbed individual took the lives of 32 other innocent people…leaving hundreds and even millions of people in mourning, grieving for the loss of life, for the loss of freedom, for the loss of possibility….for the loss of their future…our future. 

How can we possibly go on with our lives without our loved ones, without the ones we’ve grown to count on for support, without their smile, their laugh, their hugs or their kisses to comfort us?  How can we finally accept the loss of a loved one?

I spent months studying “Death and Dying” during one of my semesters in undergrad understanding the stages of grief.  Trying to uncover and describe the progression of our grieving process…to help us understand our own natural response to grief and to find ways to help others cope with their loss.  We focused on the five cycles of grief described by Kubler-Ross—

I can only imagine the denial, the anger the family members of the Virginia Tech victims are experiencing this very minute.  How can you really understand the magnitude of their loss…that emptiness that now fills their hearts after one individual brutally destroyed their loved ones’ future? 

Knowing that the anger in their voice and in their hearts is a natural and expected part of their grieving process, we can help them along their journey with grief…helping them strive towards ultimate acceptance of their loss….and helping them find the way to ultimately live their life without their spouse…their son…their daughter….their parent…their loved one.

Grief, like love, is experienced differently by all of us.  Some of us come to accept our loss quickly, basically bypassing the four other steps of the grief cycle, while others never reach acceptance and become stuck in a pool of depression, unable to fully get through the grieving process. 

So as we offer comfort to the families of the Virginia Tech massacre victims and to other family and friends going through the grieving process, keep in mind the five stages of grief—denail, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance and let’s try our best to support and encourage our bereaved family and friends to continue to live for the moment…to continue to live…and live with the loss of our loved one. 

Dealing with grief is not an overnight process—it takes time…and the Health and Wellness Queen is here to give you the support and love you need to take the journey through grief….from the tears and the emptiness to the comfort of knowing that your loved ones are now in better place.  Letting go is part of the grief process and when the time has come for your grieving to be complete, reflect not only on the life that was lost but also on the life that was lived.  It will bring you comfort.

To your wellness,

The Health and Wellness Queen

Yesterday was a great day!

I woke up about 6am to help my little cousin get ready for his basketball game….he needed special medication infused in his veins to prevent him from bleeding, especially if he got physical on the court or if anyone got physical with him during the game.  After I gave him his medication, he was off to the basketball courts and I off, getting ready for little Rufus’ birthday party.

After running around to pick up the balloons, the cake and ice cream and putting the decorations up, the house was open and ready for 50 plus family and friends, gathered to celebrate Rufus’ first birthday.  But the day was not just to celebrate Rufus….April 14th signalled the beginning of the Ferguson Health Plan. 

My husband, known to some as the Strength and Conditioning King and to others as Coach Ferguson, has said for some time now that we needed to start getting our family more involved with our Health and Wellness plan and yesterday was the kick-off date.  After my husband secured the locale, he and I made the announcement at the beginning of the birthday party that we’re planning The First Annual Ferguson Health Summit this summer.  We passed around a notepad for all the family to list their current contact information so we can keep them up to date on our plans for the Summit.

We’re planning an all-day (and may even make it a whole weekend) filled with information from heart disease prevention and stroke prevention all the way to discussing proven ways to combat the effects of menopause and arthritis.  We will provide them with one-on-one fitness counseling and education and even get in a good workout. 

We’re going to cover the whole spectrum of Health and Wellness during the Health Summit.  This first Health Summit is only the beginning for the Ferguson Health Plan.  We’re staring locally with family and friends and will soon be branching out to parts unknown….so stay tuned!

To your wellness,

The Health and Wellness Queen

P.S.  Check out this website to see pictures of Rufus’ First Birthday party and see what surprise we had in store for the guests!

If you’ve read any of my earlier posts about high blood pressure and how my husband was able to lower is blood pressure by eliminating salt from his food plan then you’d realize that eating too much salt not only alters your taste buds but it also raises your blood pressure….sometimes even to lethal levels.

Even if you throw away the salt shaker and stop salting your food at the table, you’re only fixing the tip of the iceberg.  There’s a larger, more abundant source of salt in the foods that you bring to the table.  Whether you eat out alot or toss a quick frozen dinner in the microwave every now and then, you’re adding a mountain of sodium to your daily intake and may not even know it.  Because the majority of the salt we consume comes from processed or prepared foods such as pre-cooked meats, luncheon meats, frozen foods and other preserved foods.  Just pick up a container of soup and you’ll see what I’m talking about. 

Now some sodium is needed to perform very important bodily functions that facilitate nerve conduction, muscle contraction and relaxation, and maintain your body’s normal fluid balance.  However, when you consume too much sodium, your kidneys work to maintain enough water in your body to keep your sodium concentration within the normal range and so you’ll begin to retain fluid.  Do you ever notice your ankles tend to swell or you’ve gained a couple of pounds after drinking lots of sodas and eating salty foods?  If this has never happened to you…then ask your parents or older relatives. 

As we age, our taste buds are less sensitive to salt and we may find ourselves reaching for the salt shaker more frequently and more importantly, if our kidney function begins to slow down, the salt that we ingest will remain in our body longer leading to higher blood pressure, more retained fluid and can also cause more damage to our kidneys. 

So now is the perfect time to start cutting back on your salt.  Here’s how:

1.  Take a close inventory of the food in your pantry, your refridgerator and freezer.  And I mean everything….for the bottle of ketcup to the tub of margarine….everything with a nutrition label on it. 

2.  Make a note of the low sodium items and the high sodium items.  Low sodium items are foods with less than 140mg of sodium per serving.  Stick to items that are low in sodium—> Remember to watch the portion or serving size to calculate how much sodium you’re actually getting (if you normally eat a whole bag of pretzels which is 2 servings, then multiply the sodium content listed on the label by 2 to get the total amount of sodium you’re eating).

3.  Do not salt your food at the table.

4.  Cut back on the salt you use to prepare foods.  Half the amount of salt called for in recipes and use other herbs and spices to flavor your food.

and….

5.  Avoid extremely salty foods (and don’t forget the condiments…like soy sauce, ketcup and even hot sauce).

So find out where all the salt is coming from in your diet and put a stop to it…for the sake of your health…..your blood pressure and your kidneys.

To your wellness,

The Health and Wellness Queen

While fellowshipping with my family and friends this Easter Sunday, Rufus had another of his vomiting spells after drinking his baby formula. 

This is not the first time that Rufus has blessed the church pew with his spit up….but at least he did it after church service.  After what seemed like minutes…when Rufus finally finished spitting up the last of his stomach contents, my mother-in-law suggested that I try giving him 2% milk enriched with lactobacillus acidophilus.  Now I had already experimented with over three different types of baby formulas to no avail over the last couple of months and I was ready to try anything. 

So on the drive back home I stopped by the grocery store and picked up two containers of milk with L. acidophilus and you wouldn’t believe Rufus’ response!  No vomiting, no excess gas…..no problem!  So I’ll store all those containers of baby formula in the back of the pantry some where….I’ll stick with the 2% milk with lactobacillus acidophilus.

This is not the first time I’ve heard someone suggest using a probiotic and I frequently prescribe it for my patients who are taking antibiotics and have a history of mild diarrhea associated with antibiotic use.  I’ve even been told by another physician that eating yogurt enriched with active cultures (or “friendly” bacteria) can help restore the natural balance of normally occuring bacteria in the vagina…especially in women who are prone to developing frequent vaginal yeast infections. 

Lactobacillus acidophilus is referred to as “friendly” bacteria because it is a natural inhabitant of the gastrointestinal and vaginal tract and helps prevent other “bad” bacteria from proliferating and overgrowing which can lead to disease.  In the intestine, this “friendly” bacteria  produces lactase, an enzyme that normally breaks down the sugar (lactose) found in milk into smaller, more simple sugars that are easily absorbed by your intestine.  When you’re lactose intolerant, you do not produce the enzyme lactase and therefore you can’t digest lactose, leading to excessive amounts of milk sugar that remains in your intestine which results in bloating, gas and diarrhea. 

You may have even noticed the increase in TV commercials about new yogurts formulated with active cultures to prevent constipation and even improve your body’s natural immune response.  While I was in the grocery store looking for the new milk I passed by the yogurt section and saw at least three different kinds of new yogurts for bowel regularity, enhancement of your immune system and ease of digestion.  So I’m not alone in my quest for the best dairy product available for my family.

When I told my husband that we’d found a new milk that Rufus can tolerate, he was surprised when I told him it was the 2% milk with lactobacillus acidophilus.  When he was a baby he also had trouble tolerating commercial baby formulas and his mother started him on the same milk that Rufus now drinks 31 years later.  So we’ve come full circle. 

Hopefully, you’ll also benefit for the sage advice given to me by my mother-in-law.

To your wellness,

The Health and Wellness Queen