Pandemic predicts known social determinants of health in access, quality, care opportunities in racial minorities. Read article here.
Lifestyle and good habits are rooted in the interception of Individual, family, and community. Its is the recipe for centurions in 5 keys cities in the world. Learn about how these Blue Zones can be applied in disparate communities. Read article here.
To Kill the Immigrant Mockingbird: An Immigrants’ Racism Tale
by Dr. Irene Lazarus, MD MPH
Long ago in Latin America across the South and North Americas lived many mockingbird species. There was famine, war, and persecution in their home and most of the species wanted to migrate across the United States of the American border, because of the many accounts by other birds of better living and opportunities for work, food, and safety. Three different tribe mockingbirds became friends during their arduous migrations: the wise Patagonian Antonio mockingbird from Chile. Sebastian the swaggering brown-backed from Argentinian. Lastly, the beautiful and compassionate Maria from Socorro Island a small volcanic island off the western coast of Mexico.
Antonio, Sebastian, and Maria were the only the 3 mockingbird species that were not killed by predators, rape, lack of food, or disease along their long treks to the United States. They were survivors because they had survived the Northern American humans. It was common for the mockingbirds to be caught killed, or even sold for their singing, but many were returned back across Mexico if found alive in the food and water traps set by the humans.
The three friends eventually settled in Las Cruces, New Mexico for some time. There they grew to appreciate their customs and learned mocking-chirp language tones unique to their region. Sebastian was able to apply for asylum with the Prairie Falcons of the Southwest, the natives of the New Mexico state. The Prairie Falcons understood that the Argentina brown-backed mockingbirds have been suffering from their cousin the Argentavis magnificens, who committed horrible crimes against them and persecuted their lives down to merge extinction. Sebastian was able to get more worms, and better housing with better work now that he obtained New Mexican citizenship.
Over time Antonio and Maria noticed that Sebastian started to be able to chirp the English local New Mexican language. Eventually, he started to distance himself from Antonio and Maria, because they did not have a legal status like he did and were less useful for him since they struggled more than he did to learn English chirp. Then Sebastian would deny knowing them at the community bird water hole. After the third betrayal, Maria and Antonio realized that Sebastian was not a friend or family as they once promised to be until their deaths.
Given that life for Maria and Antonio was not improving as so promised by the stories of other birds, they decided to migrate further North to the current day region of the United States Arkansas, Florida, Mississippi, Tennessee, and Texas. This region is where the native Northern mockingbird bird ruled. There was promise for freedom in the north because of their distant bloodline to the Southern Mockingbirds. Maria eventually was able to have a family with a beautiful, boisterous, and patriotically Tennessean Northern Mockingbird named, Bobby Walker III. Maria’s children now could have a better life than she had to fight for after much abuse and trauma on her immigration.
Unfortunately for Antonio, the Patagonian mockingbird died on the journey from New Mexico to Tennessee. It is told down from the centuries in the mockingbird species, that Antonio died of a fallen spirit because of the experience he had on his immigration trail. To this day the Socorro Mockingbirds say that Antonio lost his ability to mock the other birds and that his wings broke from his brittle health making it hard for him to finish his flight. Maria told her grandchildren, and great-grandchildren until her last days that when he sang out his last goodbyes, the Patagonian spirit raised from the soil up to the sky and chirped the Patagonian mockingbird tribal saying that states:
“You are the light of the world- like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden.”
Maria promised Antonio that she would teach her children how to chirp the Patagonian tribal wisdom chirp in honor of his life. If one ever can hear the Northern mockingbird species song, we know that the modern-day mockingbird species, are rooted from the Patagonian mockingbird species of Chile. Although, Antonio died in his immigration he left a permanent legacy that has touched the mockingbird species and other birds throughout the centuries.
Spanish presentation from Fort Worth, Tx Caregiver Event
As per the CDC website, "Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) can have a tremendous impact on future violence victimization and perpetration, and lifelong health and opportunity. CDC works to understand ACEs and prevent them."
On the CDC website, it explains facts of ACEs, risk factors, evidenced based solutions, and resources. Click here To watch the TED talk watch Nadine Burke Harris on this blog post.
The Transtheoretical Model (TTM) provides researchers and clinicians with a practical heuristic for understanding progressive movements toward intentional behavior change. The TTM takes a client-centered perspective and stems from the concept that the client “owns and manages” the change process (Connors, DiClemente, Velasquez, & Donovan, 2013). Treatment from this perspective is viewed as a catalyst or facilitator of the client’s change process (Connors et al., 2013; DiClemente, 2007). Constructs of the TTM can operate as mechanisms and markers of a behavior change occurring both with and without professional treatment (Connors et al., 2013; DiClemente & Prochaska 1998; Prochaska, 2013). To read article click here.
The 10 Processes of Change Behavior (as explained by R1 learning) are:
Consciousness-Raising — build awareness: Individuals increase awareness through information, education, and feedback about their current pattern and behavior, and/or their potential new behavior
Emotional Arousal / Dramatic Relief — pay attention to emotions and feelings: Individuals feel fear or anxiety because of their unhealthy behavior, or feel inspiration and hope when they hear about how people are able to change to new healthy patterns and behavior
Self-Reevaluation — create a new positive self-image: Individuals clarify values and realize that the new healthy pattern and behavior are an important part of who they are and aspire to be
Environmental Reevaluation — notice impact on others: Individuals realize how their unhealthy pattern and behavior negatively affect others and how they could have more positive effects by changing their behavior
Social Liberation — notice public support and gain alternatives: Individuals realize that society is more supportive of their new healthier behavior
Self-Liberation — make choices and commitments: Individuals believe in their ability to change and make choices, commitments, and re-commitments to act on their belief and stay the course in their recovery
Counterconditioning — use substitutes: Individuals substitute new healthy ways of thinking and acting for unhealthy patterns and behavior
Stimulus Control — observe and manage environment: Individuals use reminders and cues that encourage healthy behavior as substitutes for those that encourage unhealthy patterns and behavior
Helping Relationships — get help and support: Individuals find people who support their new healthy behavior
Reinforcement Management — use rewards: Individuals increase the rewards that come from positive healthy behavior and decrease those that come from negative unhealthy behavior
What is your blood type. Donated over Christmas break in 2023. Found out today in the new year 2024 my blood type after donating to the American Red Cross!
After refreshing myself on the difference between the blood types came across the blood type diet!
What's the Blood Type Diet?
In 1996 Peter D'Adamo, a naturopathic physician, published a book in which he described how people could be healthier, live longer, and achieve their ideal weight by eating according to their blood type. One's choice of condiments, spices, and even exercise should depend on one's blood type. Soon, the book was a best seller and people everywhere were finding out their blood type, revising their grocery lists, and changing how they ate, exercised, and thought about their health.
Here are some of the recommendations according to the "Eat Right for Your Type" diet:
Those with type O blood should choose high-protein foods and eat lots of meat, vegetables, fish, and fruit but limit grains, beans, and legumes. To lose weight, seafood, kelp, red meat, broccoli, spinach, and olive oil are best; wheat, corn, and dairy are to be avoided.
Those with type A blood should choose fruit, vegetables, tofu, seafood, turkey, and whole grains but avoid meat. For weight loss, seafood, vegetables, pineapple, olive oil, and soy are best; dairy, wheat, corn, and kidney beans should be avoided.
Those with type B blood should pick a diverse diet including meat, fruit, dairy, seafood, and grains. To lose weight, type B individuals should choose green vegetables, eggs, liver, and licorice tea but avoid chicken, corn, peanuts, and wheat.
Those with type AB blood should eat dairy, tofu, lamb, fish, grains, fruit, and vegetables. For weight loss, tofu, seafood, green vegetables, and kelp are best but chicken, corn, buckwheat, and kidney beans should be avoided.
As mentioned, the recommendations for the blood type diets extend well beyond food choices. For example, people with type O blood are advised to choose high-intensity aerobic exercise and take supplements for their sensitive stomachs, while those with type A blood should choose low-intensity activities and include meditation as part of their routine.
To read the full Harvard Health Publishing Nutrition Article click here!
During medical training we are taught about the 3 A's: Availability, Affability, and Ability those are predominately for God, but we want to consider another way to practice the healing practice of medicine that considers the 3 C's instead which are: 1. Compassion, 2. Character, and 3. Competence which are with God.
Click on YouTube video link located here to see Dr. Ronald Yamamoto, my mentor, friend, and exampliary orthopedic surgeon that knows all about living the 3 C's, speak about the Heart of Medicine!
Warm Regards,
Dr. Lazarus!