AAHH: updates and questions answered

     Have you had some trouble sleeping?  Yes, I have had more of that in the past year than ever, I think. In addition to the whole precarious state of the world in 2020 and moving into 2021, our family has had some significant stressors in the past year.  There have been nights when troubled thoughts kept me awake for sure, but that's actually pretty uncommon for me.  I personally am really grateful for that, as many do not sleep that easily.        If you spend more than a rare night with sleep trouble, here are some suggestions, based on real-life interactions with patients in my practice.       First, it may be a good idea to mention it to your primary care doctor.  There are some medical conditions associated with poor sleep, such as obstructive sleep apnea, restless legs syndrome, or other painful conditions that awake you from sleep. Even if it is your sleep partner that snores loudly enough to keep ...

You know I love to talk about good food and good health.  Because if anything, I've learned over the past 20 years that what we eat has more bearing on our long term health, happiness, and well-being than just about anything.   So, I was super-excited this week to see an article come across my email feed, all about another reason to enjoy fish!  Specifically oily fish.  Let's define what that means.  Fish, across the board, is a healthy protein source, low in saturated fats.  Much better for you, in general, than a steady diet of beef for example.  But fish that are "oily" have even more reasons to start planning your menu. Most ocean dwelling whitefish, by contrast, live at or near the ocean floor; while most oily fish spend their time in the upper ocean water.  Salmon for example, obtain their high concentration of omega 3 oils by eating natural sources of omega 3 oils from the ocean, including krill, plankton, and small shellfish. This is ...