The human body is a wonder in its design, a complex machine capable of everything from rational thought to fending off disease. It’s also capable of some pretty strange things – some of them forewarning disease, while others are just plain involuntary oddities with no conceivable purpose (except to leave us scratching our heads). Rush Copley Medical Group physicians explain a few of them.

Hiccups
Hiccups are common and usually temporary. Very rarely are they so persistent and intractable that they lead to health issues. By definition, a hiccup is an involuntary and intermittent spasmodic contraction of the diaphragm and rib muscles, which leads to the sudden intake of air and abrupt closure of the glottis. Hiccup bouts can occur due to gastric distension from overeating, carbonated beverages, chewing gum (swallowing too much air), smoking, endoscopy due to air insufflation, sudden change in gastrointestinal temperature or excess alcohol intake. It is the more persistent and intractable hiccups, which generally occur due to a serious underlying disease, that needs further examination. Some of these issues include vascular diseases, central nervous system diseases, intracranial neoplasms, GERD, duodenal ulcer and malignancy. Treating bouts of hiccups involves first trying physical maneuvers, including holding ones breath, gargling, sipping cold water, swallowing dry sugar (to stimulate the uvula), pressing the eyes (to increase vagal stimulation), pulling knees to the chest or leaning forward (to contract the irritated diaphragm). If none of these tactics work, medications can then be prescribed.
– Neha Sahni, MD, Gastroenterology

Brain Freeze
There’s nothing worse than having a refreshing cool snack to quench your hunger and having it be followed by brain freeze. Brain freeze is that intensely painful but usually brief head pain that happens after you eat or drink something cold – ice cold drinks, ice cream, and popsicles are common culprits. While we aren’t completely sure what happens, we’re pretty sure it has to do with a cold snack hitting the roof of the mouth and causing blood vessels to constrict and expand rapidly. These blood vessels trigger pain receptors in the roof of the mouth to send a signal to the nearby brain and cause that discomfort. It is usually after consuming a cold food item particularly quickly and having it hit the roof of your mouth before it can get warmed by the tongue.

To help stop or prevent the pain you can try a couple things:

• Allow cold food and drink to warm briefly on your tongue before they hit the roof of your mouth
• Consume cold foods/drinks slowly in small bites/sips
• Place your warm tongue on the roof of your mouth to help the pain
• Tilt your head backwards for 10 to 15 seconds once the pain starts
• Consume something warmer than the cold item after the pain begins (to warm the area)

For the most part, brain freeze is painful and annoying, but, it isn’t harmful and won’t leave any lasting effects. People who get migraines might find them more bothersome as they may trigger headaches to come on. If you have a brain freezes that last longer than 5 to 10 minutes or is associated with other headache symptoms, making an appointment with your doctor might be wise.
– Nicole Keller, DO, Pediatrics

Snoring
People with healthy sleep patterns spend about a third of their lives sleeping. However, those of us who suffer from common sleep disorders might spend significantly less – or more – time sleeping. In other cases, your sleep could be disrupted by your partner’s sleep disorder.

Over 90 million people in the U.S. are impacted by snoring, an ailment that prevents a proper night’s rest and, in many cases, causes friction with loved ones. Snoring occurs as a result of a narrowing or obstruction of the airway during sleep. When we sleep, the muscles of the airway – including the mouth, nose and throat—relax, and the passages may become smaller. Breath moving through these narrowed passages causes the soft tissues of the airway to vibrate, which creates the sounds of snoring.

Of all sleep disorders, snoring is likely the most common. The underlying causes of snoring range from benign issues such as sleep position to more serious problems such as obesity. Allergens can also induce snoring by causing irritation and swelling in your throat and nose. Statistics indicate that about 20 to 30 percent of women snore, compared to about 40 to 50 percent of men. If you’re not sure whether you snore or not, ask your partner, as they are likely aware. The most important step to stopping snoring is to identify its cause. The resulting sleep disruption doesn’t just affect you – it can keep your family awake, as well. If your family is complaining about your snoring, or if you experience unexplained fatigue and sleepiness, it’s possible your body isn’t getting the kind of deep sleep it truly needs. If simple fixes such as changing sleep position or cutting down on alcohol don’t help, you may need to visit a sleep specialist.
– Sujay Bangarulingam, MD, Pulmonology

Fingers Prune
It is a hot summer day in Chicago and you have decided to plop yourself in the local community swimming pool. Everything looks perfect; the summer hat you’re wearing, the new swimsuit you picked up on sale at Marshalls, and the new manicure you spent $30 on and was worth every penny. You lift your hand to admire the new OPI color on your nails (perfectly titled- A Good Man-darin is Hard to Find) when you notice your beautiful manicured hands are ruined by the shriveled up, prune like appearance of your fingers! Why, why why?

There might actually be a purpose for why the skin of our fingers and toes tend to wrinkle when submerged in water for a period of time. One theory is that this increases our grip on objects that are wet. A study published in Biology Letters showed that participants were faster at picking up wet objects when they had submerged their hands in water for 30 minutes, compared to when their hands were dry. Unfortunately we still don’t completely understand the mechanism of how this occurs but a theory that is becoming more popular is something called “digital vasoconstriction.”  This means our blood vessels in our fingers and toes narrow when submerged in water causing the upper layer of our skin to wrinkle.  All of this is thought to be triggered by an involuntary nervous system reaction. That manicure doesn’t look all that bad now, does it?
– Sarah Ahmed, MD, Family Medicine

May is mental health awareness month. Given that spring is upon us which is a season of change, it is a good time for self-evaluation. With the chaotic world we live in it is necessary to take a step back, take a deep breath, and realize that we are all connected by being innately human. Human by Merriam Websters dictionary: of or characteristic of people as opposed to God, animal or machines, especially being susceptible to weakness. We can be flawed and it is okay; no one is perfect. Having a mental illness does not make any individual “less than,” it makes us human!

There are a myriad of mental illnesses (depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, panic disorder, and schizophrenia just to name a few ) that we humans suffer from that go undiagnosed and untreated because of the stigma associated with mental illness, but it does not have to be and should not be this way. More than 43 million adults in the U.S. experiences mental illnesses in a given year according to the National Alliance on Mental Health. There are multiple ways mental illnesses can be managed, no one should suffer in silence alone.

Treatment options include, but are not limited to:

• Therapy (by psychiatrist, psychologist, or licensed clinical therapist)
• Medications
• Bio-feedback training
• Yoga
• Accupuncture
• Meditation
• Support groups

Suicide is the tenth leading cause of death in the U.S. with 44,000 Americans dying by suicide each year (AFSP.org).

If you or a loved one are contemplaing hurting yourself or others please contact the suicide prevention hotline 1-800-273-8255.

Please reach out for help, you are worth it!

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a common and lethal disease. CRC is the fourth common cancer in the United States and second leading cause of cancer death. It is estimated that approximately 135,000 new cases of colon cancer are diagnosed annually in the United States. About 50,000 Americans are expected to die of CRC each year. Both men and women are at the same risk of getting CRC. About four of every 100 adults will be diagnosed with CRC in their lifetime. Risk factors for CRC include advancing age, family member with CRC, person history of colon polyps, obesity, smoking, heavy alcohol intake, red meat, and African-American race.

But despite all that, the good news is that CRC is preventable! Various screening tools help detect not only cancer but pre-cancerous polyps which when removed, preventing colon cancer. The U.S.Multi-Society Task Force on Colorectal Cancer (MSTF) has approved six screening tools which include Colonoscopy every 10 years, fecal immunochemical test (FIT) annually, CT colonography every fice years, FIT-fecal DNA  every three years, Flexible Sigmoidoscopy every five to 10 years, and Capsule colonoscopy every five years. Of these tests, colonoscopy is the only test which not just indentifies pre-cancerous polyps but has the ability to remove them at the same time. Screening for CRC should start at age 50. However, it may start early if you have a family member with CRC, or history of ulcerative colitis or Crohn’s disease.  Subsequent screening  interval and method may vary if at any point your screening test is abnormal.

CRC claims lives and many are preventable with timely screening. Although one screening method might be better than the other, any screening is better than no screening. Talk to your doctor today and get a test which works best for you.

Learn more about screening and schedule an appointment at www.rushcopley.com/services/digestive-health.

Have you ever asked your doctor, what should I eat?  For example, many patients want to know what they should eat to lose weight: High fat, low fat?  Are carbs good for you or bad for you?  I think this exact question represents the dilemma that physicians face when advising their patients about diet. Generally, dietary advice needs to be tailored to the specific needs and goals of each individual patient.

But what if we focused more on the broader principles of a healthy diet which decrease inflammation and can benefit everyone? By doing this we can make general recommendations that most people can try to follow relatively easily and may offer secondary benefits like weight loss, lowered cancer, and heart/brain disease risk.

By emphasizing a wide variety of whole, unprocessed foods and minimizing the intake of refined sugars, trans fatty acids, food additives (and if possible, grown without pesticides , herbicides or other agricultural chemicals) we can decrease inflammation and oxidative stress, greatly reducing free radicals that are often at the cornerstone of disease.

Many of the drugs we use today to treat disease originally were developed using botanicals or natural plants.  Why don’t we go back to basics and simply start eating a less processed diet to harness some of the inherent nutritional benefits that a natural diet can provide?

Here are some suggestions to help you get started:

Increase fiber in the diet: a high-fiber diet normalizes bowel movements, which helps you better absorb nutrients and decreases your risk of developing hemorrhoids and small pouches in your colon that can become infected (diverticular disease). It lowers cholesterol levels and helps control blood sugar levels. It also tends to be more filling and can help with weight-loss than lower fiber foods. We are now starting to understand how fiber can improve immunity and help people fight off infections!

• Increase whole grains. Refined “white bread” type products are typically whole wheat that have been stripped of their fiber content. For example, they lack a chemical called Betaine which reduces homocysteine levels. We know that elevated homocysteine levels can increase heart disease risk. For those of you who have Celiac Disease or are gluten-intolerant, there are many whole grains that are gluten-free. Try Amaranth, buckwheat, quinoa, oats and rice.
• Beans and other legumes are also an excellent source of fiber. Eating beans like lentils, whole soy products (tofu, soy milk, edamame), and other legumes have been shown to help maintain good blood sugar and lower cholesterol levels.  Fun fact—did you know peanuts are legumes?
• Incorporating more fruits and vegetables in the diet. Fruits and vegetables have large amounts of dietary fiber, not to mention a lot of other good stuff (see more on this below).
• Don’t forget about seeds and nuts! Nuts and seeds are also a good source of fiber, protein, and essential fatty acids. Eating a variety of nuts can reduce cholesterol levels and lower risk of heart disease.  The healthiest form of nuts are raw and unsalted. They should be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator so their healthy fats do not oxidize.

Make your plate colorful!  Fruits and vegetables are full of vitamins, minerals, and “phytochemicals” that can help reduce your risk of heart disease, stroke, some cancers, hypertension, osteoporosis and other diseases.

• Specifically cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, kale and cauliflower contain chemicals substances which have demonstrated anticancer effects
• Onions and tomato help your blood to be less likely to clot and can reduce blood pressure.
• Mushrooms are immunity enhancers
• Fruits: berries are particularly plentiful of antioxidant pigments that help fight cancer and due to the fiber they can help keep blood sugar stable. Get frozen berries when not in season!

Avoid refined sugars!

• They can lead to intestinal upset
• Associated with weight gain, impaired blood sugar and increased diabetes risk
• Associated with Increased cardiovascular risk; worsens cholesterol and actually makes your blood more sticky and more likely to clot in your arteries
• Impaired immunity (25 teaspoons or 100g of sugar in healthy volunteers was shown in one particular study to decrease the body’s immune cells to engulf bacteria)
• They are empty calories that contain virtually no vitamins, minerals, other micronutrients or fiber.
• It takes more of these calories to feel full!

Eat breakfast!

Several studies have shown that food consumed in the morning was associated with lower total daily calorie intake, which can promote weight loss. Eating breakfast can reduce total and bad cholesterol levels, improve blood sugar and possible improvement in performing mental tasks.

Meat on the side!

• Try to make plant-based proteins, vegetables, and fruits the star of your meal and let meat be the side-dish or the flavor enhancer.
• Pesticides and chemicals tend to accumulate in animal tissue since they are at the top of the food chain.
• Compared to omnivores, vegetarians have lower incidence of a number of chronic diseases
• Eating less meat is better for the environment
• High-quality, sustainably produced eggs, fish, other meats and dairy products in moderation can provide heme-iron, essential fatty acids and vitamins.

Healthy fats

• Avoid margarine and vegetable shortening and anything with trans fats (also known as partially hydrogenated fats). These fats increase cardiovascular and cancer risk.
• Most fats should be monounsaturated (olive oils, avocado, nuts).
• Consume saturated and polyunsaturated fats in moderation.

Gaby AR. Nutritional Medicine, 2011.

ABIHM Curriculum Study Guide 2013

Mayoclinic.org/health-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. “An apple a day? Study shows soluble fiber boosts immune system.” Science Daily. ScienceDaily, 17 March 2010.

Dr. Weil’s anti-inflammatory diet pyramid