By Sheila Kun RN, BSN, MS, CPN, FCCP Last edition we reviewed the role of the hypothalamus ; the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) turns off alerting signals, allowing sleep to occur. Similarly, the ventrolateral preoptic nucleus (VLPO) also can inhibit their activity and turn off the arousal centers, promoting sleep to occur. Today we will go over the function of the brain stem in regulating our … Continuar leyendo Understanding Sleep – The Brain Stem

By Sheila Kun RN, BSN, MS, CPN, FCCP I have a confession to make; last week, we detailed the anatomy of the brain center that governs sleep. I have a feeling that each structure is pretty novel to you. I, therefore, take the liberty of dissecting each important part of the brain that regulates sleep and try to present the information slowly. To begin with, … Continuar leyendo Understanding Sleep – The Hypothalamus

By Sheila Kun RN, BSN, MS, CPN, FCCP The following is the subsequent of Understanding Sleep from the Mayo Clinic. This piece might be a little more technical. But it is worthwhile to understand the anatomy in the brain that indicts how the brain functions during sleep. This is important because most of us spend one third of our daily life is under this vital … Continuar leyendo Understanding Sleep – Anatomy of Sleep

By Sheila Kun RN, BSN, MS, CPN, FCCP Before the age of technology, i.e. the time when there were no stethoscope, no EKG, no sleep lab, no ultra sound, no X-Ray, no MRI and no CT scan, doctors used their naked eyes to visualize your health, asked pertinent questions to assess your problems and felt your pulses at your wrist to determine your health status. … Continuar leyendo Understanding Sleep (Part I)

By Sheila Kun RN, BSN, MS, CPN, FCCP Impact of Modern Technology The blue light emitted by mobile phones, TVs, and tablets mimics the blue we see in the sky during the daytime. Our bodies have evolved to be awake during the day, so our brains release the hormone cortisol when we see blue-ish light. Cortisol wakes up the brain, making us alert and active. However, if … Continuar leyendo What is the Circadian Rhythm? (Final Part)

By Sheila Kun RN, BSN, MS, CPN, FCCP Your Rhythm Might be Different than Others While all humans have a circadian rhythm of 24 hours, your alignment is probably different than your friends’. People who feel energized later in the day are sometimes called night owls. Their built-in circadian rhythm is different from that of “morning people.” The technical term for whether someone is a … Continuar leyendo What is the Circadian Rhythm (Part III)?

By Sheila Kun RN, BSN, MS, CPN, FCCP Discovery of the Circadian Rhythm A long time ago, people noticed humans, plants, and animals have daily cycles of hunger and sleep. The first known written record is from a 13th-century Chinese medical textbook. In the year 1729, a French scientist Jean-Jacques d’Ortous de Mairan recorded observations about circadian rhythm as he watched a plant “wake” and … Continuar leyendo What is the Circadian Rhythm (Part II)?

By Sheila Kun RN, BSN, MS, CPN, FCCP By the time this article comes out, you have already fallen back, re-set your clock one hour backward. We ended the daylight saving regimen this last Sunday. This annual ritual raises a subject that I am pretty curious about – circadian rhythm. I never really understand the total ramification of the phenomenon. Hence I decided to devote … Continuar leyendo What is the Circadian Rhythm?

By Sheila Kun RN, BSN, MS, CPN, FCCP This is our last discussion on the subject of influenza vaccination. As noted before, although the U.S. has one of the highest vaccination rates in the world, only 45 percent of adults and 63 percent of children get flu shots each year. For some people, the question of its efficacy remains. We need to be aware that … Continuar leyendo Flu Vaccine: Final Words on Influenza Vaccination (Abstracts from CDC)

By Sheila Kun RN, BSN, MS, CPN, FCCP Populations at Higher Risk for Medical Complications Attributable to Severe Influenza All persons aged ≥6 months who do not have contraindications should be vaccinated annually. However, vaccination to prevent influenza is particularly important for persons who are at increased risk for severe illness and complications from influenza and for influenza-related outpatient, emergency department, or hospital visits. When … Continuar leyendo Flu Vaccine: Guidance for Use in Specific Populations and Situations (from CDC)

By Sheila Kun RN, BSN, MS, CPN, FCCP Balancing considerations regarding the unpredictability of timing of onset of the influenza season and concerns that vaccine-induced immunity might wane over the course of a season, it is recommended that vaccination should be offered by the end of October. Children aged 6 months through 8 years who require 2 doses should receive their first dose as soon … Continuar leyendo Timing of Vaccination (From CDC )

By Sheila Kun RN, BSN, MS, CPN, FCCP Most of us have been taking flu shots for years. Others might be resistant to the idea of getting a flu shot because “it doesn’t work”, or “I am pretty healthy, I never get sick”. That is why I feel it is worthwhile to spend some time on this topic so that we know what we are … Continuar leyendo Interesting Facts from the CDC (Center of Disease Control) on Influenza Prevention

By Sheila Kun RN, BSN, MS, CPN, FCCP The flu season has arrived! Working in the hospital, we get reports of the incidence of the influenza infection for this year and get ready to start giving flu shots. The flu season has an early start this year; we have heard of two pediatric deaths related to influenza infection. I thought this will be a very … Continuar leyendo Understanding Your Defense against Germs during the Viral Season

By Sheila Kun RN, BSN, MS, CPN, FCCP For years we were under the assumption that there is nothing really you can do once you are diagnosed with this horrifying condition of dementia – Alzheimer. It feels like a death sentence as your brain is not working properly. You will get worse and eventually succumb to the disease. On September 21, 2019, from NBC news, … Continuar leyendo How to Slow Down Alzheimer’s Disease

By Sheila Kun RN, BSN, MS, CPN, FCCP It is natural to consider healthy aging as all the habits that increase physical health. However, we want to discuss this week something that is more valuable than your physical health. We consider spiritual health an important part that grows old together with our body. Our spiritual health or “strong in spirit” needs to get along well … Continuar leyendo Spiritual Health and Your Spiritual Legacy

By Sheila Kun RN, BSN, MS, CPN, FCCP According to Dr. Judy Salerno of the National Institute on Aging, “Disease and disability are not inevitable consequences of aging.” In fact, the medical community as a whole has a lot of research dedicated to the concept of “healthy aging.” Dr. Salerno says, “Maintaining good habits and positive attitudes is what we should all be aiming for.” … Continuar leyendo Healthy Aging

By Sheila Kun RN, BSN, MS, CPN, FCCP Does eating carbohydrates cause weight gain or make it difficult to lose weight? That depends. Eating too many calories from any type of food will cause weight gain. But foods with low fiber content often contain a lot of calories without any nutrients. They are metabolized very quickly into glucose. The sudden spike in the blood glucose … Continuar leyendo Carbohydrates – Part III

By Sheila Kun RN, BSN, MS, CPN, FCCP How many carbohydrates does a person need in a day? Instead of counting carbohydrates, dietitians now recommend planning meals using the “Healthy Plate.” At each meal, half of the plate should be filled with fruits and vegetables and a quarter of the plate should be filled with whole grains. (Dietitians do not count potatoes or French fries … Continuar leyendo Carbohydrates – Part II

By Sheila Kun RN, BSN, MS, CPN, FCCP Source: Cleveland Clinic For the past 2 months, we have spent time understanding sugar and how much we should take in our daily diet. It would be logically to follow the sugar discussion with a deeper appreciation of its relationship to carbohydrates. Nowadays, many health conscious folks would go light on carbohydrates. Let us explore together what … Continuar leyendo Carbohydrates

By Sheila Kun RN, BSN, MS, CPN, FCCP The Provincial Care Ministry highly recommends this important publication from Harvard. See How Much Sugar is in Soda, Juice, Sports Drinks, and Energy Drinks The Nutrition Source has prepared a handy guide to the amount of sugar and calories in soda, juice, sports drinks, and other popular beverages, How Sweet Is It? The front of the guide graphically depicts … Continuar leyendo How Sweet is it?

By Sheila Kun RN, BSN, MS, CPN, FCCP Last week we began the conversation on sugar and fruit, abstracting from the article “If sugar is so bad for us, why is the sugar in fruit OK? The source is from the “The Conversation” March 7, 2018 posting, authored by Ms. Kacie Dickinson, an accredited practicing dietitian; lecturer in Nutrition and Dietetics, Finders University and Ms. … Continuar leyendo If sugar is so bad for us, why is the sugar in fruit OK? Part II

By Sheila Kun RN, BSN, MS, CPN, FCCP The topic of eating less sugar is not new. We have been told to pay attention to the sugar content of our intake to make sure we consume the appropriate amount of sugar. Louis, my husband, teaches the grandsons to read the label; any food that contains more than 4 grams of sugar they should consider how … Continuar leyendo If sugar is so bad for us, why is the sugar in fruit OK?

By Sheila Kun RN, BSN, MS, CPN, FCCP You are going to laugh at me this week. Yes, I am showing you two charts comparing some of your favorite foods. The goal is for you to now look at the food item and determine whether the glucose content meets your dietary choice. It is a cliché; a picture is better than a thousand words. I, … Continuar leyendo Know your glucose content and Make a Smart Choice

By Sheila Kun RN, BSN, MS, CPN, FCCP I love what was described in the independent.co.UK website about certain facts of sugar. I hope you would enjoy reading the reason why many of us love sugary food. What happens to your body when you overindulge your sweet tooth? Sugar is essential for the human body as it powers the cells that keep us alive. However, … Continuar leyendo Sweet Talk – Why Is Sugar so Attractive to Us?

By Sheila Kun RN, BSN, MS, CPN, FCCP We need sugar and carbohydrates as our main source of energy, converted by the body to power our cells and keep us alive and growing. But I was shocked by this data reported from the independent.co.UK: the average adult consuming approximately 63 grams (2.2 ounces), nearly 16 teaspoons, of sugar each day. That’s over twice the recommended daily … Continuar leyendo Sweet Talk – How Much Sugar Should We Eat Each Day?

By Sheila Kun RN, BSN, MS, CPN, FCCP Two weeks ago, for those who might miss reading our discussion on “Sweet Talk”, we began exploring what are the many faces of sugar. We recognize that sugar can be simple or complex and that their names usually end with “ose”. We also understand that sugar is part of the carbohydrates in our food. This week, I … Continuar leyendo Sweet Talk – How Does Human Body Digest Food?

By Sheila Kun RN, BSN, MS, CPN, FCCP As we are paying more attention to the increase in incidences of obesity and diabetes, we often focus on what we should eat, namely, how much “sugar and carbohydrates” is not considered excessive. I thought we might want to understand the many faces of sugar and how that relates to carbohydrates in the upcoming weeks. *Scientifically, sugar … Continuar leyendo Sweet Talk – Types of Sugar in your Food

By Sheila Kun RN, BSN, MS, CPN, FCCP May 26, 2019 was a beautiful day of celebration at St. Bridget Chinese Catholic Church in Chinatown, Los Angeles. Not only were we Salesians celebrating the Feast of Mary Help of Christians, but this was the occasion for the induction of 18 candidates to become Salesian cooperators. As usual, Fr. Ted, our Provincial, delivered a memorable homily … Continuar leyendo Establishing a Healthy Relationship with the Seniors

By Sheila Kun RN, BSN, MS, CPN, FCCP I have a confession to make. The sin was committed last week. It was the sin of omission. Last week in our discussion about the benefits of water, I pointed out that beer and alcohol should not be counted as part of the daily liquid intake. However, I forgot about a very important liquid that we should … Continuar leyendo Say Goodbye to Soda for Good!

By Sheila Kun RN, BSN, MS, CPN, FCCP Sixty years ago, I could never imagine in my lifetime that we would pay for a bottle of water. Back then in Macau, water was the most undesirable drink that you could offer to a kid. A treat was, this is still very fresh in my memory, to go to the corner store down the end of … Continuar leyendo Water: Good Water

By Sheila Kun RN, BSN, MS, CPN, FCCP When it comes to health issues and management, it seems like the Eastern and Western approaches often differ. However, the perception of water and its value to your health appears to be very similar. It is a popular belief in Hong Kong, Japan and China that you should drink two cups of warm water before eating breakfast. … Continuar leyendo Water: How Much Do You Know about Water and Health?