Columnist Dr. Cheryl Christy

Faith and civic group engagement topics:

• Good health is not just what we eat — but it’s an essential start

• What doctors don’t have time to explain

• Stress management isn’t just self-care — it’s disease prevention

• Faith and social connection to address mental health issues

• Over-the-counter medication and supplement interactions

Author's note: This column is intended for educational purposes only. It aims to highlight gaps in health knowledge, provide support and empower organizations to guide their members in creating effective health and wellness programs.

Communities everywhere have health and wellness challenges. Along Alabama’s coast, health care has a challenge of its own besides the weather. During peak tourism months, the population swells dramatically and again with the arrival of winter residents causing system-level impacts. Summer tourists experience heat illness, dehydration, water-related injuries, foodborne illness, respiratory viruses and fractures. Elderly snowbirds arrive with co-morbidities such as diabetes, heart disease, COPD, anticoagulant use and mobility issues. This fluctuation in health care needs affects the entire region, resulting in a strain on the health care delivery system, such as longer wait times for doctor appointments, ER visits and elective surgeries.

In a future op-ed, I plan to take an in-depth look at the relationship between population growth, economic development and health care.

Staying healthy begins with understanding your own health risks. Start with a notebook to track your diagnoses, medications, laboratory and test results. Take it with you to all your medical appointments and jot down questions to ask your provider or use it to make notes of the visit. Store all your provider contact information here. Doing this will put you back in charge of your own health care. It will also prove invaluable to your family if you become ill or injured.

The latest studies and medical breakthroughs are challenging enough for health professionals to keep up with, such as new vaccines to reduce dementia risk, GLP-1 drugs for diabetes and obesity, AI-driven diagnostics and predictive models and mRNA therapies to name a few. I plan to break down the latest health news that you can use right away.

One current news story is the U.S. government’s release of an updated nutritional food pyramid that places greater emphasis on “high-quality protein” including red meat, eggs and full-fat dairy. It also focuses on “real, whole, nutrient-dense foods” with a dramatic reduction of highly processed foods, added sugars, refined carbohydrates and unhealthy fats. The recommended limit of saturated fat remains at 10% of total calories and is based on research showing that higher percentages can increase LDL cholesterol with the associated risks for cardiovascular disease (www.dietaryguidelines.gov/). It’s also important to be aware that added protein throughout the day in the form of protein bars or shakes can place a strain on kidney function, especially for those with diabetes, hypertension or chronic kidney disease. You can reach this resource at www.kidney.org.

An important takeaway here is that nutrition, like all aspects of health and wellness, should be personalized as health needs are dependent on multiple factors including age, gender, activity level, total calorie needs and genetic risk factors.

Another practical but overlooked action that may adversely affect your health is sleep deprivation.

Sleep deprivation can turn into a health issue instead of a lifestyle choice. Many in Baldwin County normalize poor sleep by attributing it to excessive heat, storms or long days filled with outdoor activities. But chronic sleep deprivation worsens the following:

• Heart disease
• Blood sugar control
• Memory and mood
• Chronic pain

What you can do now:

• Treat snoring, gasping or daytime fatigue as medical symptoms.
• Avoid alcohol, caffeine and nicotine before bed.
• Keep the bedroom cool, dark and quiet.
• Establish a regular bedtime routine.
• Consider treating allergies and asthma with an air purifier, especially if you have pet dander and keep air vents and fans dusted.

Dr. Cheryl Christy is a Baldwin County resident and registered nurse with nearly 30 years of experience. She holds master's degrees in nursing education and nursing practice and a doctorate in nursing practice. She is a member of Sigma Theta Tau, Phi Pi Chapter, a certified lay counselor and the author of "Voices for Healthcare," a health care blog.

Read last week's column titled "Why health care belongs in faith and civic communities."