Canadian organizations in the spotlight for leading workplace wellness programs

GoodLife Health & Wellness Leadership Awards celebrate best practices, encourage happier, healthier employees, positive work environments

TORONTO, Nov. 27, 2019 /CNW/ - Five leading Canadian organizations were recognized this week for their efforts to foster healthier, more inclusive workplaces as part of the GoodLife Fitness Health & Wellness Leadership Awards. 

Allstate Insurance Company of Canada, MOBIA Technology Innovations, Isaac Operations, The Regional Municipality of York and Flight Centre Travel Group all received awards for exceptional efforts to foster cultures of workplace wellness through continuous improvement in fitness, activity, nutrition, education and employee behavioural change.

"The GoodLife Fitness Health & Wellness Leadership Awards celebrate some of the most innovative workplace wellness programs in the country with the goal of contributing to a healthier, more productive workforce across Canada," said Tammy Brazier, Senior Director of Corporate and Business Development with GoodLife Fitness. "In all cases, the winning organizations implemented employee-driven programs that reached team members with the right information in a format that works best for them. These kinds of programs change lives by promoting physical and mental wellness, inclusive working conditions and financial awareness." 

The GoodLife Fitness Health & Wellness Leadership Awards recognize four aspects of workplace wellness programs – Leadership & Innovation, Culture & Engagement, Rewards & Recognition, and Personal Growth – and celebrate organizational initiatives across all sectors and sizes in Canada. 

Allstate Insurance Company of Canada (Gold Award)
Allstate Insurance Company of Canada is a leading home and auto insurer focused on providing prevention and protection products and services for every stage of life. Serving Canadians since 1953, Allstate strives to keep both customers and employees in "Good Hands®" and is proud to have been named a Best Employer in Canada for eight consecutive years.

With more than 2,600 agents and employees across Canada, Allstate delivers a comprehensive workplace wellness program that addresses health and lifestyle practices, physical environment and occupational health and safety and workplace culture. The Gold Award recognizes Allstate Canada's third year receiving an award. Examples of Allstate Canada's wellness initiatives include: 

• A Healthy Workplace Champion program recognizing employees who believe in healthy habits and put them into practice during their workday. 
• Mental health training for all leaders. 
• Regular events celebrating diversity to create an inclusive and comfortable space for all employees. 
• A comprehensive online wellness platform that provides employees and their families with videos, podcasts, live chats and blog posts on a wide range of wellness topics. 
• Employee Healthy Potluck Days to share recipes and healthy eating ideas. 
• Initiatives supporting Financial Literacy month, including videos from senior management.

MOBIA Technology Innovations 
MOBIA Technology Innovations is a systems integration and technology consulting firm working in the telecommunications, healthcare and enterprise sectors. What began as a small family business in Dartmouth, NS, has grown to 325+ employees in many locations across Canada while maintaining a focus on a family feel and culture.  As a growing company in the technology space, MOBIA has shown commitment to employee physical and mental health, as well as to creating healthy conditions in its office locations, including these initiatives: 

• Encouraging one-on-one mentoring and coaching for new employees to foster collaboration among employees, to provide on the job training, and to help develop top performers as they grow in their careers. 
• Fun wellness events and resources for employees including a Superfood Potluck, participating in the Windsor Corporate Challenge, annual on-site flu clinics and wellness webinars on various topics. 
• A newly designed head office space to create a comfortable customizable workplace, featuring sit-stand desks and upgraded lighting with dimming capability for those with light sensitivities. 
• Sponsoring 'Women in Technology' scholarships at Dalhousie University to encourage more women to pursue technology careers in order to increase diversity and inclusion.

Isaac Operations 
Isaac Operations specializes in hands-on, front-line operational and financial performance improvement. The team of experienced, highly qualified engineers works closely with companies to improve their operations and supply chain. Based out of Toronto's Liberty Village, Isaac's consultants often travel to and work long hours at client sites. To foster physical and mental wellness and create a healthy, inclusive culture, Isaac Operations has established some innovative initiatives for employee engagement and wellness, including: 

• Five weeks' vacation for all employees, regardless of how long they've been with the company 
• Personal wellness budget of $800 annually (in addition to our standard benefits package) 
• Twice annual 'Activity Days' for employees to get together and be active outside the office. 
• Funding for 'Isaac Weekends' where employees who plan a weekend adventure with a least 5 peers are sponsored for half the cost. 
• Weekly 'Motivation and Happiness' meetings where everyone in the company (including the CEO) discusses work-life balance to monitor employee well-being. 

The Regional Municipality of York 
The Regional Municipality of York is located in the heart of the Greater Toronto Area. Comprised of nine cities and towns, it provides a variety of programs and services to 1.2 million residents and 52,000 businesses employing more than 636,000 people. York Region employs more than 4,400 people and is working to mitigate health risks, prevent disease, promote health, and identify and respond to the needs of a diverse and decentralized workforce. It delivers an employee-driven workplace wellness program including:

• A dedicated Corporate Wellness Committee with 40 wellness ambassadors representing a variety of roles 
• Online internal employee communications (e.g. 'Wellness Wednesday bi-weekly health tips, telework health and safety tips) 
• Mental-health training for all staff including supervisors, managers and directors 
• Access to a wide range of online wellness content through a social wellness engagement platform and library of well-being tutorials, as well as a dedicated wellness space on the employee intranet to highlight events, programs and content tailored to employees 
• Cardiovascular and biometric health screenings, health risk assessments and ergonomic assessments

Flight Centre Travel Group – Healthwise Canada
After starting with one shop in the early 1980s, Flight Centre Travel Group (FCTG) has grown into one of the world's largest travel agency groups with company-owned operations in 23 countries and a corporate travel management network that spans more than 90 countries. Flight Centre Travel Group employs more than 20,000 people globally and has a total of almost 2,800 businesses. The company has a dedicated Healthwise corporate health & wellness division that drives initiatives based on employee preferences, including: 

• Fun, free challenges focusing on fitness, nutrition & wellness (e.g. sleep challenge, 7 Days of Salads challenge, Winter Immunity program, Mend Your Mind challenge, Deskercise program) 
• Whenever Canadian president John Beauvais sets a personal wellness goal, the company creates a 'Join Johnny B challenge' to motivate employees to join their leader and post on social media about their efforts. 
• 'Laugh, Stretch and De-Stress' videos that run in Flight Centre retail shops to encourage staff to get up and move throughout the day 
• A flexible benefits program, regular face to face contact with management and a customized Healthwise mobile app. 
• Personal consults for employees in BioAge, Full Health & Wellness, Quick Vitals and Ergonomics. 

The winning organizations received their awards and took part in a panel discussion at the GoodLife Fitness Health & Wellness Leadership Summit in Toronto November 26, 2019. For more information about the GoodLife Fitness Health & Wellness Leadership Awards, please visit www.glfwellness.com. 

About GoodLife Fitness
Proudly Canadian since 1979, GoodLife is the largest group of fitness club chains in Canada and the fourth largest overall in the world. With almost 500 Clubs from coast-to-coast, over 12,000 employees and more than 1.5 million members, GoodLife is helping to transform the health and fitness of 1 in 25 Canadians every day.  The GoodLife group of clubs includes GoodLife Fitness, Fit4Less, and ÉconoFitness. 

SOURCE GoodLife Fitness

NEW PODCAST PRESENTS STORIES OF ALL THE WAYS LEGAL CANNABIS MAKES A DIFFERENCE IN OUR LIVES

“How to Do the Pot” equips women with the information they need to understand the legal cannabis market and the plant's potential. 

This Green Wednesday, listen to How to Do the Pot, a new seasonal narrative podcast that answers some of the most common questions women secretly Google about cannabis. The show will inform, educate and demystify cannabis. 

How to Do the Pot  is hosted by April Pride, co-founder Of Like Minds, a new cannabis education platform for women. Pride is an original innovator in the cannabis industry and founded one of North America’s most recognized cannabis lifestyle companies, Van der Pop. Through her work, Pride quickly realized that women were an underserved and fast-growing market who desired information about cannabis, especially as legalization and positive acceptance of it continues to spread across the United States. 

“When I started my first company that designed discerning products for cannabis, I underestimated the need for education. While women appreciated my products, many were not confident in their knowledge about how to buy cannabis and how it could serve them,” said Pride. “So my partner and friend, Ellen Scanlon, and I decided to form Of Like Minds, a business with a mission to equip women with the information they need to understand cannabis. We decided that a podcast would be one of the best first steps to provide quality information and promote discreet discovery for women still uncertain about the plant and its effects.”  

How to Do the Pot’s first season will focus on topics relevant to the health and happiness of women such as pregnancy, sleep and auto-immune conditions - of which women account for 8 out of 10 diagnoses. Listeners will hear from a diverse array of industry experts and professionals who have incorporated cannabis in their lives. Guests will include a professional athlete who uses CBD in training, a retiree who uses cannabis for pain management, a medical doctor who advises pregnant women, and a felon turned entrepreneur. 

“The industry has long been male-led, which overlooked the needs of women, the fastest growing consumer segment,” says Ellen Scanlon, co-founder Of Like Minds. “How to Do the Pot is our opportunity to share the best stories in cannabis, change hearts and minds, and help women feel more confident in their choices.” 

How to Do the Pot is produced by award-winning Western Sound, a Los Angeles-based production studio and Gina Delvic, the founding producer of Call Your Girlfriend. 

Subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts. For more information, visit Of Like Minds and follow the company on Instagram @of.like.minds. April Pride can also be found on Instagram at @AprilPride. 

About April: 

April Pride co-founded Of Like Minds (OLM) with Ellen Scanlon in 2019. A serial creative entrepreneur, April spent time in the worlds of architecture, fashion, and design before finding her way to cannabis. In 2016, she launched Van der Pop, a woman focused brand offering stylish accessories to store, smoke, and share cannabis. April soon realized the need for education and quickly added an education division to Van der Pop. The company quickly became one of North America’s most recognized cannabis brands for women and was acquired in 2018, by Canopy Growth Corporation, the world's largest cannabis company. With OLM, April continues her work educating women on the potential of cannabis for their personal health and happiness. April is a graduate of the University of Virginia's School of Architecture and earned her M.A. at Parsons School of Design.

About Ellen: 

Ellen Scanlon co-founded Of Like Minds (OLM) with April Pride in 2019. She comes to cannabis with experience in finance, healthcare, and startups. In 2014, she founded Magellen Ventures, a strategy and marketing consultancy working with entrepreneurs and business leaders across a range of fast-growing industries. Ellen has also served as director of marketing for a venture-backed startup offering healthcare to women. Ellen also spent fifteen years in financial services and the investment industry, focusing on strategy, leadership, and change management. Ellen holds an MBA from the University of Virginia's Darden Graduate School of Business as well as a BA in English Literature from UVA.

About Of Like Minds:

Of Like Minds is a cannabis education platform for women founded by April Pride and Ellen Scanlon in 2019. Its mission is to equip women with the information they need to understand the legal cannabis market and the plant's potential. OLM wants every woman to feel confident in her choices around cannabis.

As wearable technology helps healthcare sector cut costs, the top companies making fitness trackers is revealed by GlobalData

The integration of wearable technology with augmented reality (AR), artificial intelligence (AI), and cloud computing solutions is driving increased demand for fitness trackers, according to GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company.

The company’s latest report, ‘Wearable Technology in Healthcare – Thematic Research’, reveals that the wearable tech market was worth nearly $23bn in 2018 and is set to grow to $54bn by 2023. The technology has great potential to help the healthcare sector address spiraling healthcare costs, aging populations, and the burden of chronic disease.

The leading companies making fitness trackers according to GlobalData, are;

Fitbit

Fitbit is a pioneer in the wearable technology domain, offering a range of connected health and fitness devices, including fitness watches, smartwatches, wristbands, activity trackers and wireless headphones. The company offers a personalised online dashboard and mobile apps that sync automatically and display real-time data from wearable devices. The Fitbit platform offers social features such as access to an online community of users, leader boards and challenges.

FitBit recently announced its push into the smartwatch market as 70% of its revenue growth is coming from the company’s Health Solutions programme, which primarily caters to employers and payers.

Samsung

Samsung’s wearables portfolio includes smartwatches, smart fitness trackers, and virtual reality (VR) headsets. The company initially developed wearable devices in association with other firms such as Oculus VR and Google. It has now taken control of the subsequent developments and replaced the Android Wear OS with its own Linux-based Tizen operating system (OS).

The company is developing Exynos system-on-chip (SoC) microprocessors for its smartwatches, as well as software and hardware for VR devices. It recently expanded into the hearables segment and is foraying into smart clothes, a segment that has less competition and is gradually gaining market traction.

Garmin

Garmin offers a range of products designed for use in fitness and activity tracking. The company’s fitness trackers and GPS smartwatches are marketed worldwide with the majority of its clientele located across North America, Europe, and the Middle East and Africa.

Garmin introduced the wearables payment platform Garmin Pay and long-term evolution (LTE) enabled smartwatches, apart from the Garmin Connect and Garmin Connect Mobile platforms, which enable users to track, analyse, and share their fitness and wellness data and compete with community members.

Xiaomi

Xiaomi, often referred to as ‘the Apple of China’, is the leading wearables vendor in China. The company is known for delivering high-tech devices at low prices and has a strong command in a number of matured markets, including the US. It procures wearable devices, especially smartwatches, from its exclusive technology partner, Huami.

Xiaomi’s product offerings include the Mi Band fitness trackers, which accounted for approximately one-quarter of the company’s shipments in Q4 2018. Xiaomi is set to introduce new wearables in 2019, which will feature Huami’s new Huangshan-1 chip that is capable of screening the heart rate patterns of users via cloud-based AI.

Nike

Nike is a manufacturer of sporting goods, including wearables that track physiological parameters.

Express Scripts Canada Launches Country's First Medication Nonadherence Early Detection Solution

As many as 70% of Canadians don't take their medications as prescribed, depending on the treatment 

MISSISSAUGA, ON, Nov. 27, 2019 /CNW/ - Express Scripts Canada (ESC), one of the largest providers of pharmacy benefits management services in Canada, today announced the launch of a medication nonadherence early detection solution that can identify the individuals who are most likely to stop taking their prescription medication. 

Plan sponsors lose millions of dollars annually in benefits costs, lost earnings, avoidable medical costs, and lost productivity due to patient medication nonadherence. Set to launch in 2020, the Express Scripts Canada Adherence Program will look at prescription drug claims using proprietary predictive modelling to detect people at risk for future nonadherence. 

"Encouraging adherence is our priority and being able to know who is at risk for nonadherence is half the battle. We are proud to be the first pharmacy benefits manager in Canada to establish a program that will make a real difference in the lives of Canadians by identifying who is at risk before they start to take their prescribed medication," says Dr. Dorian Lo, President, Express Scripts Canada. 

Medication nonadherence is an alarming trend and healthcare challenge, which results in worsening condition, short-term leave, hospital visits, extra medical testing, etc. While nonadherence is a problem for the majority of patients regardless of their treatment needs, it hits patients who take more than one medication harder. The more medications a patient requires, the less likely they are to following their prescribed medication regimens. 

"We know that it's not enough to know who is going to be nonadherent. It requires proactive adherence opportunities and member intervention in order for medications to work," says Lo. "Our medication adherence program will facilitate a proactive, personalized approach, which includes services like renewal and refill reminders that further support best possible health outcomes, to combat the nonadherence challenge."

About Express Scripts Canada

Express Scripts Canada is a leading health benefits manager in Canada and has been recognized as one of the most innovative companies in the world. Our clients include Canada's leading insurers, third party administrators and government. We work with these clients to develop industry-leading solutions to deliver superior healthcare in a cost-controlled environment. We provide Active Pharmacy™ services to more than 7 million Canadian patients and adjudicate more than 100 million pharmacy, dental, and extended health claims. Through our proprietary consumer intelligence, clinical expertise, and patients-first approach, we promote better health decision for plan members, while managing and reducing drug benefit costs for plan sponsors. Express Scripts Canada is a subsidiary of Express Scripts, a Cigna company. Express Scripts is a healthcare opportunity company that unlocks new value in pharmacy, medical, and beyond to further total health. 

SOURCE Express Scripts Canada

Breast milk could help prevent heart disease caused by premature birth, RCSI study

DUBLIN, Nov. 27, 2019 -- Early use of breast milk could play a vital role in preventing heart disease in prematurely born infants, according to a paper led by researchers at RCSI (Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland) and the Rotunda Hospital.

The review article, published in the journal Pediatric Research, was written in collaboration with researchers from Harvard Medical School, University of Oxford and University of Toronto.

One of the long-term health complications that young adults born prematurely may have is unique heart characteristics. These can include smaller heart chambers, relatively higher blood pressure, and a disproportionate increase in muscle mass in the heart.

One study cited in the article looked at 30 preterm-born adults who were assigned to receive exclusive human milk and 16 preterm-born adults who were assigned to receive an exclusive formula-based diet during their hospital stay at birth. They then underwent detailed cardiovascular assessment between 23 and 28 years of age, including an MRI of their hearts. As expected, all of the hearts of those born prematurely had smaller chambers than the hearts in people who were not born prematurely.

However, the study showed that the smaller heart chambers were less profound for the exclusively human milk-fed group in comparison to those who were exclusively formula fed, suggesting a potentially protective effect of human milk for heart structure.

The researchers then identified potential reasons for why breast milk results in a lower risk of heart disease. Breast milk could help prevent heart disease by better regulating hormones and growth factors, strengthening the infant’s immune system, reducing inflammation and by possibly improving the metabolism of the child.

Identifying the key components within breast milk that result in improved heart health could pave the way for a more targeted approach to improve long-term cardiovascular wellbeing for those born prematurely.

“It is becoming increasingly clear that premature birth results in long-term adverse cardiovascular effects with important clinical consequences. There is a distinct lack of preventative and therapeutic interventions available to alleviate those effects,” said Professor Afif EL-Khuffash, Honorary Clinical Professor of Paediatrics at RCSI and Consultant Neonatologist at The Rotunda Hospital, Dublin.

“The current evidence comes from observational studies and highlights the strong link between early breast milk administrations and improvement in long-term heart health, but it lacks concrete mechanistic explanations. More studies on the composition of breast milk could make clear exactly what causes these health benefits, which could in turn lead to better treatment options.”

The collaborative research group is continuing to study the effects of human milk exposure on heart function in very premature infants by using novel scans to measure heart function. They hope to demonstrate that early human milk exposure in premature infants can lead to significant improvements in heart function over the first two years of age.  

RCSI is ranked among the top 250 (top 2%) of universities worldwide in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings (2020) and its research is ranked first in Ireland for citations. It is an international not-for-profit health sciences institution, with its headquarters in Dublin, focused on education and research to drive improvements in human health worldwide. RCSI has been awarded Athena Swan Bronze accreditation for positive gender practice in higher education. 

In Search of the Perfect Strain: Top Cultivator in California’s “Wine Country” of Weed Shares Generational Wisdom Behind One Family’s Decades-Long Pursuit of the Perfect Toke

Committed to purity and sustainability, Autumn Brands’ Head Grower talks sixth-generation Dutch farming techniques and the challenges of spearheading a “no-spray” operation

LOS ANGELES, California – Backed by decades of hard-won sustainable farming expertise, 50% woman-owned Autumn Brands stands out as a sixth-generation, family-run operation with a health-centered holistic focus and refreshingly artisanal approach. Running a large-scale cannabis operation presents a variety of challenges for any commercial grower. Every aspect of cultivation requires strategic precision, from selecting the hardiest strains to keeping up with increasing demand for product. In a notoriously competitive market, many sellers rely on harsh chemicals and pesticides to speed the growth process and ensure a strong final product. Under the watchful eye of Head Grower Johnny Brand, Autumn Brands far surpasses federal and state regulatory standards, offering powerfully potent strains of clean, pesticide-free cannabis from a name customers trust for quality and consistency.

“As no-spray cannabis farmers, we have few of the tools traditional growers use to battle things like mildew and mold,” explains Johnny Brand of Autumn Brands’ rigorous, hands-on approach. Once he establishes that a particular strain is not hypersensitive to the ravages of moisture, he tests 10 plants and observes their unique growth patterns through three distinct stages: first, he notes how easily clones take root and how quickly they grow. Next, Brand looks for plants that swell quickly, producing strong trichomes (the sticky resin glands responsible for their THC, CBD, and other cannabinoid content) and terpenes (which give each strain its unique flavor and aroma). Finally, post-harvest, the plants are dried, hand-trimmed, and lab-tested to verify THC and CBD levels, as well as other beneficial cannabinoids. 

“The full process takes around 6 months, and I’m constantly searching for new strains to test and grow,” says Brand. Fortunately, several family-owned greenhouses give the company a unique edge: the freedom to grow and test product year-round in conjunction with the weather. “Indoor grows can operate year-round, regardless of the weather. Outdoor grows can only cultivate in warmer seasons,” he explains. “We’ve grown in the same greenhouses for more than 27 years, as hard-won knowledge from my grandpa and my dad passed down to me. My favorite part of our approach is the ability to work with the seasons; some plants change color and growth speed depending on the weather - which makes the testing process especially challenging - but it’s also what keeps me engaged in the process.”

Autumn Brands brings an uncompromising work ethic, informed by generations of family farming, to the task of producing hand-selected, sun-grown buds - each hang-dried, hand-trimmed, and cured to preserve maximum potency and full healing benefits. Overseeing every stage of their no-spray growth process, Johnny Brand and his expert team deliver sustainably sourced, farm-to-consumer cannabis to a blossoming health and wellness market. Visit www.AutumnBrands.com to learn more and discover their full selection of premium flower, pre-rolls, and pre-filled cartridges. Follow on Instagram @AutumnBrands for the latest product releases and updates. 

About Autumn Brands:

Autumn Brands is a licensed California cannabis cultivator dedicated to the synergy of health and wellness. The Autumn Brands’ family farm started in Holland more than a century ago, and today, sixth-generation farmers apply the same expertise garnered in growing the world’s finest tulips to producing pure and potent strains of cannabis in sunny, coastal Santa Barbara County. Autumn Brands is proud to be 50 percent woman-owned, free of pesticides and other harmful chemicals. For more information, visit www.autumnbrands.com or email leighanne@anderson-pr.com.

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Dr. Robert Amyot, cardiologist and patient safety advocate, joins the MEDFAR Clinical Solutions team to help support its international growth

MONTREAL, Nov. 27, 2019 /CNW Telbec/ - Cardiologist and patient safety advocate, Dr. Robert Amyot, is joining the MEDFAR Clinical Solutions executive team as Chief Medical Officer, at a time when the company is expanding its presence across Canada and internationally. By welcoming an experienced practitioner and manager aboard, MEDFAR, already a leader in Quebec in the field of electronic medical records, is further reinforcing the strength of its executive team.

"Having rapidly gained the trust of over 6000 healthcare providers and more than 1000 clinics across Canada, Latin America, Europe and Asia, it was the ideal time to welcome Dr Amyot. His valuable expertise in patient safety and broader perspective on the protection of medical data will allow us to pursue our international expansion while remaining true to MEDFAR's values." said Elias Farah, co-founder and CEO of MEDFAR. 

A cardiologist by training, Dr. Amyot was a researcher and Associate Professor of Medicine at the Université de Montréal, where he taught clinical cardiology and echocardiography. An entrepreneur at heart, Dr. Amyot also founded the company Vimedix, which developed the first ever virtual reality transthoracic echocardiography simulator, and whose first client was a Harvard University affiliated hospital. 

Following the acquisition of Vimedix by the multinational company CAE, Dr. Amyot joined the management team of the CAE Healthcare division where he worked for nearly 10 years, serving as Chief Medical Officer, and then as President. In 2018, he was inducted into the Simulation Hall of Fame of the National Center for Simulation in the US. He sits on several boards of directors, including the board of the Royal College International, affiliated with the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada.

"I'm proud to be joining the dynamic MEDFAR team that is helping to shine the light on Canadian genius abroad," said Dr. Amyot. "MEDFAR has developed a visionary digital ecosystem at a moment when the adoption of information technology is revolutionizing healthcare systems around the world."  

About MEDFAR

MEDFAR Clinical Solutions was founded in 2010 by two aeronautical engineers who realised healthcare wasn't leveraging the full potential of technology. Supported by a large community of clinical experts and determined to evolve its solution with its users, MEDFAR was the first to certify a fully cloud based Electronic Medical Records in Canada, MYLE (Make Your Life Easy).

Committed to driving excellence and efficiency in healthcare globally, MEDFAR differentiates itself by solely focusing on clinics and offering an intuitive, end-to-end Clinical Management Solution that substitutes inefficient processes with a faster and safer technological alternative. www.medfarsolutions.com 

SOURCE MEDFAR Clinical Solutions

HOW TO AVOID HOLIDAY HEARTBURN AS EXPLAINED BY AN INTERNIST AND GASTROENTEROLOGIST

                                    www.niketsonpal.com

Even if you’re not a “foodie” most people look forward to indulging in the culinary delights of holiday time between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Eve. This  means that even people who are typically disciplined eat too much in one evening, eat rapidly, imbibe amounts of alcohol they are unaccustomed to, and consume foods that may not be part of their regular diet because “tis the season.”  While nobody likes a medical grinch, there are ways to have gastronomic fun without paying the price with holiday heartburn. Dr. Niket Sonpal is an internist and gastroenterologist at Touro College of Medicine.  He shares his tips for having your holiday cake and eating it too.

Heartburn happens when stomach acid flows backward into the esophagus. It can also go by two names: GER (gastroesophageal reflux) or GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease). GER is also known as acid indigestion, happening only once in a while. GERD is chronic heartburn that can lead to esophageal cancer if left untreated.

Here are some tips for avoiding holiday heartburn

Eat light turkey, not dark

High-fat food can spell trouble if you're prone to heartburn, so do yourself a favor and skip the skin when it comes to turkey time. Your best bet is to eat turkey breast and avoid oilier dark meat. The same goes for gravy. If it's not fat free, it may be smarter to skip this dish.

Choose baked, not mashed

If you have chronic heartburn, you don't have to give up your favorite foods. You just have to choose wisely to save yourself some pain later on. For example, mashed potatoes can trigger heartburn, but baked potatoes may not. When it comes to dairy products, the less fat the better.  Limit butter and avoid sour cream.

Choose multigrain rolls or bread

When choosing grain-based food for the holiday, you can't go wrong with multigrain bread or rolls. Corn bread and white bread are good choices too,if you want to avoid heartburn.

One side dish that should be strictly for the kids, however, is macaroni and cheese. This is one of those dishes known to trigger acid reflux, according to the National Heartburn Alliance.

Selecting a salad

Salads are good news for those with chronic heartburn or GERD—if you have the right salad dressing and ingredients, that is. High-fat foods are a known trigger for acid reflux, so the National Heartburn Alliance recommends avoiding creamy salad dressings, as well as oil and vinegar. Your best bet is a low-fat salad dressing, and avoid tomatoes, raw onions, and other acid-aggravating ingredients. (Want fruit in your salad? Choose apples, not oranges, if you want to avoid heartburn.)

Avoid foods that cause heartburn.

People who suffer from heartburn often know the trigger foods that cause symptoms. Common foods include chocolates, caffeine and greasy foods. These foods relax the lower esophagus sphincter muscle, when this muscle is relaxed, the food will go back up and cause heartburn. Other foods that can trigger heartburn include acidic foods such as citrus fruits or carbonated beverages. This means avoid Champagne! 

Skip Mint Desserts

Candy canes and chocolate mint desserts are best left for others. These dangerous holiday delectables are notorious for helping acid reflux on its way.

Eat more ginger

Ginger is one ingredient that can help ease heartburn, if you don't get too much of it. (More than 2 to 4 grams per day can actually cause heartburn.)

Ginger is a natural match for root vegetable dishes commonly served during the holidays. Heartburn-friendly vegetables include carrots, cabbage, peas, broccoli, and green beans

Linger Over Your Food

Take the time to eat slowly and enjoy your food. Rushing through your meal or chewing with your mouth open can increase your chances of indigestion or heartburn. Linger over your food and allow yourself to feel full by giving your food time to digest.

Limit Alcoholic Beverages

Have to have that holiday egg nog? Limit it to one glass. This festive beverage can do double the damage. Not only does it contain alcohol that irritates your stomach but it contains the added dose of diary that can cause bloating and gas.

Cut yourself off.

After-hours holiday parties can keep you snacking all night, but eating too close to bedtime can make acid reflux worse. Stop eating and drinking (water included) three hours before bedtime.

Ditch the post-meal nap:

Sleeping right after eating can increase GERD symptoms. Instead of falling asleep, try going for a walk.

Dr. Niket Sonpal

 is a native of Long Island NY and a graduate of Medical University of Silesia – Hope Medical Institute in Poland. After completing his residency in Internal Medicine at Lenox Hill Hospital, he was selected to be the 2013‐2014 Chief Resident at Lenox Hill Hospital–Northshore LIJ Health System. He is an Adjunct Assistant Professor at Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine and Clinical instructor at Kingsbrook Jewish Medical Center, Brooklyn. Dr. Sonpal has completed his Fellowship in gastroenterology at Lenox Hill Hospital and will continue his work in the field of medical student and resident test preparation.

Dr Sonpal has spoken and presented at over 25 national and regional conferences on his research and is a regular participant in national courses, as well as offering presentations to medical students, graduates, and residents on the match process. Recently Dr. Sonpal was chosen as one of top ten national residents for the Medelita–‐Dupont Honoring Excellent Resident Observations also known as the H.E.R.O. Campaign. He is the co‐author for the best-selling Master the Boards: USMLE Step 2 CK, Master the Boards Step 3, And Master the Boards: Internal Medicine. He is also the Chief Operating Officer for Medquest Test Prep, Director of Medical Education for Picmonic Test Prep, and a recognized expert on medical test prep.Dr. Sonpal is also on the board of the NY‐ American College Of Physicians (NYACP), and AAPI–‐NYC–‐METRO as the MSRF liaison. He has recently become a board member for NYCMS (New York County Medical Society