Flu Shot ?

By Dr. Kulka

Flu Shot ?

These are the most common excuses people give when trying to refuse the flu shot in my office: “I don’t need a flu shot because I don’t get sick.” and “But, my friend got the flu from a flu shot.” Unfortunately, these are both very misleading statements demonstrating non-scientific thinking.

The influenza vaccine is made up of influenza antibodies and not the live flu. People may develop common cold-type symptoms such as a runny nose, sore throat, and a low-grade fever, but they cannot possibly develop the flu because the vaccine is not an active flu strain. After giving thousands of vaccines over the past two decades, I have found these common cold symptoms to be seldom and mild. They are the exception and not the rule. Most people feel fine and do not develop any side effects except a mildly tender arm.

Australia is having a terrible Influenza season in 2022. What does this mean for us?

Australia is in the middle of a rough Influenza season, which came on fast and furious, according to the latest report from the Australian Department of Health. This may indicate that we may have a similar situation. Influenza generally migrates from the southern hemisphere to our northern hemisphere during early fall and winter. The CDC is watching closely and paying attention to signs of an early aggressive flu season in our country and recommends obtaining an influenza vaccine as soon as they become available.

The seasonal flu vaccine protects against four influenza viruses that research indicates will be most common during the upcoming season. These include two influenza B viruses and two Influenza A viruses. Each year, two flu viruses are used to produce the seasonal influenza vaccine.

When should I get the Influenza Vaccine?

The flu season in the U.S. can begin as early as October and last as late as May. Since it generally takes several weeks to build up an adequate amount of antibodies after receiving the vaccine ,The CDC recommends that people get vaccinated as soon as the vaccine is available. It is now available at my office and most others throughout the country. Studies have shown that the beneficial effect of the flu shot continues through the entire the influenza season so its not worth trying to time the vaccine and wait until later in the fall or winter. You may miss your window of opportunity!

Protect your family & friends!

Why is it so crucial for even healthy people who say they never get sick to get the flu shot? One reason is that if a healthy person is vaccinated, they will automatically protect family, friends, coworkers, and their community from getting the flu.

A healthy person can be infected with the flu but not know it because they don’t develop classic flu-like symptoms. Then this person could be contagious and infect a high-risk person such as a child, older adult, or a chronically ill person in their community without ever knowing they were a carrier. So the more people get vaccinated, the safer the community becomes. That’s why all health care workers and those working with children and the elderly should get vaccinated first, often mandated by their employers.

Healthy people should get vaccinated too! An otherwise healthy person could develop mild flu, pneumonia, or secondary bacterial infection that can lead to bad outcomes. In addition, if you have the flu, it can make you more susceptible to other circulating viruses! You know the one I am alluding to. You do not want a double wallop!

The CDC estimates that flu may have resulted in up to 41 million illnesses, 710,000 hospitalizations, and 52,000 deaths annually between 2010 and 2020.

The Good News!

Now it’s time for the good news. We can significantly reduce the number of people who develop the flu! Those who developed the flu and were previously vaccinated generally recover faster and with a less severe case.

Get your flu shot soon to protect you and others too. I did!

Medical Disclaimer
The content of this website is provided for general informational purposes only and is not intended as, nor should it be considered a substitute for, professional medical advice. Do not use the information on this website for diagnosing or treating any medical or health condition. If you have or suspect a medical problem, promptly contact your professional healthcare provider.

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Dr. Kulka

Dr. Kulka is a board-certified family medicine physician with 20 years of clinical experience. Placing an emphasis on improving wellness and avoiding illness, Dr. Kulka has a passion for educating people about their health, weight loss options, and specific medical concerns in an easy-to-understand way.

If you, like so many people, struggle to be consistent with your healthy diet and exercise routine, or feel overwhelmed and unsure where to start on your journey to a healthier lifestyle, check out our Seriously Simple Steps to Health and Wellness program.

Sugar = Heart Disease

By Dr. Kulka

Sugar = Heart Disease

A Study Finds Adding Simple Carbs/Sugars to Your Diet Increases Risk of Heart Disease

The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) published a study showing that added sugar in diets causes an increased risk of heart disease and mortality. The study followed close to 12,000 individuals over the last decade and found that added sugar is an independent risk factor for heart disease. This means sugar added in during the manufacturing process, and this occurs in products such as soda, fruit drinks, candy, and grain/carbohydrate based desserts (cookies/cakes).

This is the first study to show the direct link between excess sugar intake and illness. Previous studies showed that sugar causes weight gain, obesity and diabetes. But now this direct link shows that sugar intake is connected to the number one cause of death in the U.S. – heart disease.

How much added sugar increases your risk?

The study showed that once added sugar reached 15% of an individual’s daily caloric intake, that person’s cardiovascular risk became elevated.

15% of an average U.S. diet generally represents about 150 calories or one can of soda. Think about that – Drinking just one can of soda a day increases your risk of heart disease! From that point on the more sugar a person consumes, the higher the risk becomes. Those that consume over 24% of their calories from sugar may find that their risks for heart disease and death could triple over time.

At the moment, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration does not set a recommended limit for added sugars in our diets. The American Heart Association recommends a daily intake of fewer than 150 calories for men and 100 calories for women. The World Health Organization recommends that less that 100 calories or 10% of a person’s dietary intake should come from added sugars.

My thought is that we should follow the American Heart Association guidelines as stated above or more importantly we should strive to follow a plant-based diet. Consider limiting your meat intake to less than 10% of your diet and added sugar to less than 10% of your diet as well. At the same time, you can fill up on plant-based foods such as fruits, veggies, nuts and legumes in larger volumes.

A patient of mine recently followed up in the office after six months of sticking to this type of plant-based diet. He lost 25 pounds without counting calories. He ate a higher quantity of food than ever and never felt like he walked away from a snack or meal hungry. You can do this too! Just remember that you will need to plan ahead by preparing theses types of healthier foods for snacks and meals to have on hand.

Dr. Kulka

Dr. Kulka is a board-certified family medicine physician with 20 years of clinical experience. Placing an emphasis on improving wellness and avoiding illness, Dr. Kulka has a passion for educating people about their health, weight loss options, and specific medical concerns in an easy-to-understand way.

If you, like so many people, struggle to be consistent with your healthy diet and exercise routine, or feel overwhelmed and unsure where to start on your journey to a healthier lifestyle, check out our Seriously Simple Steps to Health and Wellness program.

Healthy Tips and Tricks Delivered to your Inbox

Enter your email below and I’ll send you delicious recipes, articles, and tips to get control of your health and simple steps to maintain it.

Stressed Out? Try Exercise and Meditation!

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Not All Bread is Bad

By Dr. Kulka

Not All Bread is Bad

If you’ve been following my blog, you are probably well aware that for a healthy diet and gut I recommend keeping processed and other simple carbohydrates to a minimum. These carbohydrates include bread. So many of us overindulge in eating “bad” breads such as rolls, hoagie bread, plus the typical store brands of wheat, rye, whole grain, and the dreaded white bread.

First of all I want to mention that almost all of these bread types listed above have minimal nutritional value and are not better than white bread. They all have multiple additives, preservatives and are full of empty carbs.

Now that I have sufficiently trashed so many kinds of bread, I can actually recommend a healthy alternative with nutritional value, a significant amount of protein, and a low glycemic index. A low glycemic index food is a food that produces a lower level of circulating glucose in your system than others and usually less carbs and calories.

I do recognize that bread is a part of the American and global diet and very hard to avoid all together. Since finally identifying this healthier alternative I have switched over and have been very satisfied with the product.

I recommend sprouted grain bread, and my favorite brand is Ezekiel. Read on to learn why.

Sprouted grain bread is harvested from the shoots that grow from the grain or seed.

Typical grains are processed from the whole grain before it sprouts. The sprouts require more protein, vitamins, and use up energy (sugar=carbs) in order to grow. This produces bread with higher levels of protein, vitamins, and less carbohydrates than the typical breads you most likely have been consuming.

Ezekiel has 9 different varieties of sprouted grain breads, as well as 4 types of gluten-free sprouted grain bread. The Ezekiel brand is also a very natural alternative without any preservatives or artificial ingredients and has no (zero) flour or refined sugars! It’s so natural that I have to keep it in the fridge or it will go bad in a few days on the counter or in the bread drawer.

Why the name Ezekiel? “Take also unto thee wheat, and barley, and beans, and lentils and millet, and spelt and put them in one vessel…” Ezekiel 4:9. When you read the ingredients it makes sense. Remember though, it’s still a bread so I do not recommend eating half the loaf in one sitting. It still has carbs and calories. That being said it has only 80 calories per slice. See the nutritional facts below and notice that all the ingredients are all natural. Feel free to head into your kitchen and compare the ingredients and nutritional information of Ezekiel bread to the bread you purchased recently. I bet you will be amazed.

Ingredients
Organic Sprouted Wheat, Filtered Water, Organic Malted Barley, Organic Sprouted Rye, Organic Sprouted Barley, Organic Sprouted Oats, Organic Sprouted Millet, Organic Sprouted Corn, Organic Sprouted Brown Rice, Fresh Yeast, Organic Wheat Gluten, Sea Salt.

Carefully review the Nutrition Facts of other brands of sprouted grain breads, as many have additives and artificial ingredients. Read the labels carefully. By the way I think Ezekiel bread tastes the best when it’s toasted. Enjoy!

Medical Disclaimer.

The content of this website is provided for general informational purposes only and is not intended as, nor should it be considered a substitute for, professional medical advice. Do not use the information on this website for diagnosing or treating any medical or health condition. If you have or suspect you have a medical problem, promptly contact your professional healthcare provider.

Healthy Tips and Tricks Delivered to your Inbox

Enter your email below and I’ll send you delicious recipes, articles, and tips to get control of your health and simple steps to maintain it.

Dr. Kulka

Dr. Kulka is a board-certified family medicine physician with 20 years of clinical experience. Placing an emphasis on improving wellness and avoiding illness, Dr. Kulka has a passion for educating people about their health, weight loss options, and specific medical concerns in an easy-to-understand way.

If you, like so many people, struggle to be consistent with your healthy diet and exercise routine, or feel overwhelmed and unsure where to start on your journey to a healthier lifestyle, check out our Seriously Simple Steps to Health and Wellness program.