MHI HEALTH PULSE
February 2024
A Message from MHI
Dear reader,
This Black History Month we want to take the time to recognize the outstanding achievements and impacts that individuals of the Black diaspora have made in our world throughout history. From art and literature to science and technology, the Black community has made everlasting marks on history that we continue to reap the benefits of today. While we take the time to recognize these successes, we must simultaneously hold space for reflection and acknowledge that there is still more history to be made.
In a time where Black history is being suppressed, the aspect of community is ever more important. For example, Dr. Uche Blackstock’s reflections on her journey into medicine acknowledge the impact of understanding history and the importance of having a community (Read more here). Organizations, such as the Gulf Coast Medical Society, Manasota ASALH, Little Medical School–Suncoast, Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe, and more work to provide opportunities that foster the community needed to expose and educate individuals in the Black community and beyond to a wide range of topics that may otherwise be looked over in the traditional education setting.
This month, continue to support Black communities and think about attending events held by any of these organizations or similar organizations in your community.
By. Marquia Walker – MHI Scholar
Upcoming MHI February Events
8 - National Black Women Physicians’ Day - Rebecca Davis Lee Crumpler, M.D., born February 8, 1831. Dr. Crumpler was the first African-American female physician in the United States. She completed medical school at the New England Female Medical College and received her M.D. in 1864. Send some love and appreciation to the Black Women Physicians across the country by reading more information on https://nbwpd.net/ or sharing the following photo on your social media pages: https://twb.nz/nbwpd2024.
8 - MHI’s Lifestyle Change Program: Nutritional Health Prgoram sponsored by Feeding Tampa Bay - Bradenton, FL @ 5 PM
Join us for a 4-session biweekly nutritional program. This program is focused on tips to help individuals stretch their food dollar, eating on a budget, and purchasing food at the best price. Each lesson includes interactive activities and a recipe demo. Participants also get a printed recipe booklet of low-cost, easy to prepare recipes. Join us in person at the Oneco Hope Global Methodist Church at 2112 53rd Ave E Apt 4, Bradenton, FL 34203. Register at https://forms.gle/SbvSLkvWnXRd1Sof9.
National Observances: American Heart Month
February is American Heart Month, a time when everyone can pay attention to their cardiovascular health. Incidences/Cases of Cardiovascular Disease (CVD) and CVD mortality are on the rise in working-age adults, and Black adults bear the heaviest burden of CVD and its health consequences, particularly in the United States. Black adults in the United States die from heart disease at twice the rate of White adults. No matter where you are on your health journey, you can live a healthier life. Living your life to the beat of your own heart allows you to avoid cardiovascular disease on your own terms. Small steps can be taken to improve or prevent CVD, such as moving more, eating healthier, controlling blood pressure, managing cholesterol, managing blood sugar, working with a doctor, managing stress levels, and quitting smoking (get support for quitting tobacco at the MHI), among many more.This website has fantastic tools for explaining why heart health is important, as well as how to learn about each of the steps that can be taken and how to get started. The CDC provides additional information at this link, with very useful toolkits for not only learning but also seeking assistance and spreading awareness. Both sources are very interactive and easy to read, promoting better understanding and making it easy to share with anyone.
By. Manuela Miller – MHI Scholar
Current News Updates
1. Dr. William Bronston author of Public Hostage, Public Ransom: Ending Institutional America, and strong advocate for a Single Payor health care system (Calcha.org, Ourhealth.pub) urges people to take a closer look at the underbelly of our fraying healthcare system. Do you feel like your care journey has become "McDonaldized" on an impersonal conveyor belt bent to extract maximal profit? Well perhaps you are right. Unlike many other modern countries that support their passionate best and brightest students aspiring to become doctors by subsidizing the cost of their education, and providing universal care to their citizens, we graduate our young docs with staggering debt loads and little choice but to become easy fodder for the increasingly corporatized medical industrial complex. For more information, please view these websites:
About Dr. Bronston:
“A life-long advocate for health and social justice, Dr. William Bronston’s landmark book “Public Hostage, Public Ranson: Ending Institutional America” is leading an effort by thousands of physicians to put healthcare back into the hands of the public, their physicians and health professionals…not insurance companies and banks. Dr. Bronston explains how he was drawn into the stark realization that a system-wide change was needed when he was hired at Willowbrook State School in New York State. “Only my sense of obligation to my medical oath and the medical needs of the tortured souls I witnessed, could have called me on such a huge mission.” While he was there, he organized and informed hundreds of families of residents, families who knew nothing of the deprivation, deplorable conditions, and abuse of their incarcerated family members -- from infants to the elderly. Willowbrook was one of 30 such institutions in New York State in the late sixties and early seventies. Following a national expose by Geraldo Rivera in 1997, Dr. Bronston coordinated the Federal Class Action lawsuit against the then Governor Rockefeller and the State of New York for “crimes against humanity.” Provisions were made to move the incarcerated 6000 residents, to safe and caring facilities…efforts that continue today. Following his service as a physician, pediatrics specialist and psychiatrist at Willowbrook, Dr. Bronston subsequently served as the Medical Director for two California State Departments which serve all children and adults with disabilities. “As America is now caring for the largest aging population ever in its history, it is urgent that each and every citizen of America speak up now to change the “hostage ransom, medical market system” approach that is bleeding each of us and costing our health and well-being. Over 30,000 physicians, who are members of “Physicians for a National Health Program,” are already working to eliminate the privatization of our current system. “Public Hostage, Public Ransom: Ending Institutional America,” is available in audio from Audible and as a book with pictures, from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Alibris, and eBay.” - Biography courtesy of Pat Lynch, Founder & CEO of Women's Online Media and Education Network, Producers of WomensRadio(R), (www.womensradio.com) and AudioAcrobat(R), www.audioacrobat.com
2. A revolutionary new understanding of the mind/body connection
By. Samuel J. Mann, MD | Conditions | January 14, 2024 - Doximity
“There is a widespread belief that the emotional distress we feel causes or contributes to many common medical conditions. However, decades of mind/body research performed by research psychologists who strongly believed this failed to confirm these beliefs. Worse, studies also could not confirm any benefit of stress reduction techniques in the management of common medical conditions.
Then, is there a mind/body connection?
The answer is yes, but it is very different from what nearly everyone thinks. It is almost completely unknown among both patients and physicians and almost completely overlooked in research. Yet, it is relevant to many common chronic medical conditions that remain inadequately understood and treated, including hypertension, chronic fatigue syndrome, migraine, inflammatory bowel disease, chronic pain syndromes, and others.
This new understanding focuses on the powerful emotions that we don’t even feel because we have unknowingly repressed them from our awareness.
Our ability to repress emotions actually is a gift of evolution that protects us from being emotionally overwhelmed during periods of severe stress or trauma. However, those powerful emotions, even though we would insist we do not feel them, linger within us for years or decades, and unknown to physicians and patients, silently cause or contribute to many common chronic medical conditions whose cause and treatment remain inadequately understood.
I want to emphasize that repressed, unfelt emotions do not underlie illness in all patients with these conditions. This understanding is relevant to a proportion of patients that differs from condition to condition. For example, in most patients, hypertension is not a mind-body condition. In most, it is attributable to factors including genetics, salt intake, weight, and others. But in about 10 percent, this mind/body origin appears relevant, particularly in types of hypertension, such as paroxysmal (episodic) hypertension, severe resistant hypertension, and young adults with unexplained hypertension, that are associated with increased activity of the sympathetic nervous system (SNS), the autonomic nervous system that governs our “fight-or-flight” reflex.
In contrast, I suspect repressed emotions silently underlie illness in most patients who suffer from chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), a condition whose cause and treatment have remained a stubborn, unfortunate mystery. Supporting this understanding, studies of CFS patients consistently find an increase in SNS activity and much higher scores on adverse childhood events (ACEs) questionnaires. Repressed emotions are also the hidden trigger in patients with chronic pain syndromes, an understanding pioneered by Dr. John Sarno.
I emphasize that this understanding is rarely considered because of the absence in most of emotional symptoms. But there are clues, conspicuous but rarely noticed, that can alert us to consider this mind/body origin. In particular, the combination of a past history of trauma or of severe or prolonged stress, along with the fortunate yet surprising absence of any obvious emotional impact.
Gaining awareness of long-hidden emotions can result quickly in physical and emotional healing. In others, treatment that targets the SNS, such as beta-blockers, can be helpful. And in some, treatment with an antidepressant, prescribed despite the absence of depression or anxiety, can be very helpful.”
Dr. Weddle, MHI Director of Wellness and Helen Neal MHI VISTA hope to start a new Mind Body healing series soon.
MHI is collaborating with Roskamp Instutite and USF to help people learn about Dementia and free screenings to help determine best care plans.
3. On Friday, February 2, 2024, Kiarra Womack (2017 Selby Scholar and 2016-2019 MHI Scholar) presented to the Environmental Ambassadors Club at Booker High School in which she discussed the importance of scholarships in financing a college education. In particular, she highlighted the William G. & Marie Selby Foundation Scholarship Program whose application opened January 1, 2024 and closes March 1, 2024. For more information regarding the scholarship, please visit www.selbyfdn.org or contact Kiarra directly at kwomack@selbyfdn.org (or call at 941-957-0442).
Environmental Justice - Air Quality
There is a groundswell of effort, policy shifts and funding being directed towards historically vulnerable communities to address the greater impact of decades upon decades of environmental injustices and associated health impacts. Further possible research projects are underway and we look forward to strengthening data sources with our recently placed “Purple Air” monitors throughout North Sarasota. We appreciate the opportunity to find ways to keep going through a variety of collaborative partnerships and possible additional funding. Meanwhile, keep on reducing, reusing, recycling wherever and whenever you can.
You can also track fluctuations of fine particulate matter in the Manasota Region and see the real time readout of the Fine Particulate count here:
Given the ongoing Environmental Health Challenges impacting our state and nation, https://time.com/6288683/florida-desantis-environment-climate-change/ We know the importance of advancing community efforts with emphasis on education, individual and collective action to do what we can however we can. Getting more air, water and soil monitoring in our area is now an active goal in process. Learn about the Environmental Impacts and steps you and your family can take to improve your health in our recent report and consider joining the Environmental Collaborative, reach out to northsrq.nature@gmail.com: You can read the entire convening report here, and if you or your organization would like us to make a personalized presentation for your organization summarizing the findings, data updates and emerging recommendations, please submit a request to admin@the-MHI.org
Eleanor’s Portico of Arts
Through Women’s Eyes is proud to present:
The Fight for Black Lives a featured documentary about the racial disparities between Black and white women, especially in maternal health. It is a riveting and important story; 11:30 Saturday, March 9, Sarasota Art Museum SHS Alumni Auditorium. Followed by a conversation with the filmmaker and local participants.
Blue Sunshine is a featured narrative about the life of a trans woman school teacher in contemporary rural India; 4:45 Saturday, March 9, Sarasota Art Museum SHS Alumni Auditorium. The filmmaker will be in attendance.
Single films $12; all festival passes available.
More info and ALL tickets here.
In Memoriam
Edith P. Mitchell, MD, MACP, FCCP, FECP
With sadness and the heaviest of hearts we announce the unanticipated passing of Edith P. Mitchell, MD, MACP, FCCP, FECP (London), the 116th President of the National Medical Association (NMA) and Editor of the Journal of the National Medical Association (JNMA). Please view the National Medical Association’s memoriam here.
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