Feed your brain the foods it needs – and avoid the ones that may increase your risk.

Studies have shown that people who are obese in middle age face an increased risk of dementia in later life. The same holds true for individuals who have high blood pressure and high cholesterol.

To help reduce your risk of Alzheimer’s and other serious medical problems, adopt what the Alzheimer’s Association calls a “brain-healthy diet”:

• Cut your intake of foods that have a lot of fat and cholesterol.
• Choose dark-colored fruits and vegetables, which have the most antioxidants.
• Consume beneficial omega-3 fatty acids.
• In moderation, eat nuts – which are a great source of the antioxidant vitamin E.
• Consider vitamins. According to the Alzheimer’s Association, there is some indication that vitamin E, or vitamins E and C together, vitamin B12 and folate may help lower your risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease.

Doctors Daniel Monti and Anthony Bazzan of the Jefferson-Myrna Brind Center of Integrative Medicine were featured on Lifetime Television’s Health Corner on November 1 about their book The Great Life Makeover. In the piece, the doctors--along with two of their patients Bob and Beverly Kistler--explained how the middle years don't have to be a struggle and should actually be very fulfilling.

"These middle years, starting close to age forty, and through the 40s, 50s and 60s are great years and have the potential to be the best years, but there's issues that occur that often manifest themselves in decreased sexual function, problems with mood, weight distribution," says Dr. Monti.

"People can be comfortable starting anywhere in the book. You can start with making some dietary modifications. You can start with changing your activity level. But one thing everybody should start with is getting a snapshot in time of their current health status so they know and can think about their goals moving forward."

Lifetime Television has an audience of over 96 million in the United States.

You can view the segment now by visiting http://healthcorner.walgreens.com and clicking on Archive.

It will also air again on December 27, 2009 at 9:30 a.m. on Lifetime, so set your DVRs!

Eating salmon or other fatty fish just once a week helped reduce men’s risk of heart failure, says a new study reported in the European Heart Journal. This study adds to growing evidence that omega-3 fatty acids are beneficial to heart health – and its findings represent one of the largest studies to investigate the association.

The researchers followed 39,367 Swedish men between the ages of 45 and 79 from 1998 to 2004. They recorded details of the men’s diet and tracked the men’s outcomes through Swedish inpatient hospital registers and cause-of-death registers. During this period, 597 men in the study (with no previous history of heart disease or diabetes) developed heart failure. Thirty-four men died.

Analysis of their numbers showed that the men who ate fatty fish – such as herring, mackerel, salmon, whitefish and char – once per week were 12 percent less likely to develop heart failure compared with men who ate no fatty fish. The researchers found the strongest link with the intake of marine omega-3 fatty acids, which are found in cod liver and other fish oils.

Incorporating fatty fish into your diet
The American Heart Association recommends eating fatty fish not once but twice per week. And while many sit-down restaurants offer fatty-fish entrees, you may be uncertain how best to prepare these dishes at home.

We are pleased to announce that Thomas Jefferson University Hospitals have been designated a Blue Distinction Center for Spine Surgery and a Blue Distinction Center for Hip and Knee Replacement.

The Department of Family and Community Medicine recently received word that its practice, Jefferson Family Medicine Associates, has achieved the highest recognition (Level 3) for Physician Practice Connections – Patient Centered Medical Home (PPC-PCMH) from the National Center for Quality Assurance (NCQA). The NCQA is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to improving the quality of healthcare nationwide.

This NCQA recognition is widely accepted as an indicator that an organization is well-managed and delivers high quality patient care and service. Less than 50 practices nationwide have received this NCQA designation, with roughly only half of those achieving a rating equivalent to Jefferson ’s.

“This is a very significant accomplishment for our group that has required a lot of effort and dedication from staff,” says Richard Wender, MD, Chair of the Department of Family and Community Medicine. “We believe that Jefferson is one of the first practices to receive a Level 3 rating that has a residency and student program embedded within it. We’re also the largest single site practice in the nation to achieve this status for its Pa tient-Centered Medical Home model.”

Join us for a free lunchtime program

Topic: The Medical Management to Weight Loss

Date: Thursday, November 12, 2009

Where: 925 Chestnut, 2nd floor conference room. Get Directions.

Speaker: Dr. Janine Kyrillos.

Time: 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m.

You must register for this program. RSVP to 1-800-JEFF-NOW or online.

They say that laughter is the best medicine.

Jefferson family physician Richard Wender and several Jefferson med students were featured in a Philadelphia Inquirer story on the use of clowns and humor in medicine.

Dr. Wender said that he is "interested in humor as a way of communicating, of creating healing relationships. Humor is part of how both patients and clinicians cope."

Each Friday evening, a group of about a dozen Jefferson staff members try to spread cheer to hospital patients, families and medical staff, the Inquirer reported.

Read the full Philadelphia Inquirer story.

Dr. Marc Altshuler from the Department of Family and Community Medicine talks to BBC World Report on refugee clinics in the U.S.

Each year Jefferson’s refugee clinic treats hundreds of refugees from all around the world, some who have never been seen by a doctor before.

BBC World Report is heard by a global audience of approximately 18 million people every day.

Listen to the BBC World Report interview.

One in 25 American adults is morbidly obese – that is, roughly 100 pounds overweight or roughly 75 pounds overweight with other weight-related conditions, such as hypertension, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, sleep apnea and/or high cholesterol. Morbid obesity can have profound effects on quality of life. It is a significant cause of premature death and a major contributor to many other diseases and conditions, including stroke, reflux, arthritis, gallbladder disease, incontinence, polycystic ovarian syndrome and infertility.

Medical journals are now recognizing bariatric surgery as the only treatment which is truly effective at causing substantial weight loss in most patients. Bariatric surgery has evolved dramatically over the past several years, thanks to the development of a safe, fully laparoscopic (minimally invasive) approach to various procedures, as well as to the establishment of Centers of Excellence standards.

Thomas Jefferson University and Hospitals will sponsor a free heart health event this Thursday - October 8, 2009 - at City Hall in Philadelphia.

The “Heart Healthy Philadelphia Fair” offers free health screenings to the public as well as cooking and fitness demos, prizes and more. The event is part of a campaign to encourage Philadelphians to live heart healthy. TJU President Robert Barchi MD, PhD, and TJUH President and CEO Tom Lewis co-chair the Heart Healthy Philadelphia campaign committee alongside Mayor Michael Nutter and other local healthcare leaders.

Look for nutrition and exercise tips, information about the six-week “Be Healthy – A Frequent Exercise Program,” and other details about the Heart Healthy Philadelphia campaign online.

Event Overview - Heart Healthy Philadelphia Fair
Thursday, October 8
Dilworth Plaza at City Hall
8 a.m. to 3 p.m. 

Heart disease is the number-one killer of Americans, yet 82 percent of heart disease is preventable. Learn more.