WARM UP:

One Joke: 

• I asked my date to meet me at the gym today.

• She didn’t show up.

• That’s when I knew we weren’t going to work out.

One Fact: 

The skin is the largest organ in the body, weighing ~15% of a person’s total body weight. That means the average adult is covered with approximately 20 square feet of skin weighing about 6-9 pounds!

One Quote:

"If you want to live a happy life, tie it to a goal, not to people or things." 

– Albert Einstein

One Guess…Name That Drug: (Answer at bottom)

• Description:  Medication used to treat seizures and panic attacks.  44th most commonly prescribed drug in the US.

• Mechanism of Action:  Benzodiazepine that binds to GABA_A receptors, increasing the effect of the inhibitory neurotransmitter GABA.  Intermediate onset and longer duration of action relative to other benzodiazepines.

• Effects:  This medication has anxiolytic, anticonvulsant, sedative, hypnotic, and skeletal muscle relaxant properties.  

• Route:  Oral tablet.  Less commonly given IV.

• Side Effects:  Controlled substance.  Common side effects may include sleepiness, poor coordination, and agitation.  Can cause paranoid or suicidal ideation and impair memory, judgment, and coordination. Combining with other substances, particularly alcohol, can slow breathing and possibly lead to death.  Long term use may result in tolerance and dependence.

HEALTHCARE HEADLINES:

** The CDC reported more than 3,700 cases of congenital syphilis in 2022, up 10x in the last decade.  The increase in congenital syphilis is linked to an overall rise in the rate of the sexually transmitted infection among women of reproductive ages.

** Medicare Advantage plans are offering seniors with help affording groceries.  Some 25% of MA plans offer the service, with mounting evidence that access to nutritious food has a myriad of benefits on overall health.

TOGETHER WITH FULTON:

Discover the world's most comfortable, supportive, and sustainable insoles. Fulton offers comfortable cork insoles that mold to your foot as you walk to provide customized arch support. They mitigate foot, knee, and back pain and align your body to prevent injury. Fulton offers a 90 day comfort guarantee, so your order is risk free!

WATER COOLER WONDERS…the stuff we found interesting this week:

** Movies: Are you on a Napoleon kick after seeing the new movie?  If you’ve got an extra $2.1M lying around you can get one of his famous hats at auction!

 ** Fact: What’s more expensive than gold?  Saffron!  This beautiful flower only grows in certain parts of the world for a few weeks a year.  A single pound of the spice can represent 75,000 flowers and real saffron can cost $2,000 - $10,000 per pound.

** Chart: Think you have eyes like a hawk?  See how 90 animals ranked by eyesight and how they compare to humans.

FITNESS FRIDAYS:

Love to multitask? How about improving your physical and mental health at the same time?  A new review study shows that high intensity exercise can significantly reduce anxiety, on top of well documented benefits of exercise on brain function, cardiovascular health, and immunity: 

• Scientists reviewed 15 studies and found that higher-intensity workouts led to a 25 percent reduction in clinical anxiety symptoms compared to low-intensity exercise. 

• High-intensity was identified as workouts where you maintain at least 60 percent of your maximum heart rate.

• Intense exercise triggers the release of endorphins, the so-called “feel good” chemicals in the brain.  But serotonin and norepinephrine are also released with exercise, which plays a role in decreasing stress and anxiety.

• That’s not to say that lower intensity workouts have no benefit.  Start with an achievable workout that gets your heart rate up and work on consistency.  Over time as you develop more stamina and strength, up the intensity!

• Doing 30 minutes of exercise 3-5 times a week is ideal for improving mental health.

So take control of your anxiety.  Go exercise this weekend!

THANKS FOR READING!

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Disease Answer: Clonazepam (Klonopin)