“One of the first spring vegetables to poke through the soil, asparagus is worthy of celebration after a winter of frozen, canned, and imported produce. The appearance of fresh, local asparagus at newly reopened farmers markets and roadside stands alerts us to the presence of spring just as surely as blooming daffodils and budding trees. In much of the U.S., asparagus season comes into full swing around May, making it a fitting month to dedicate to the unique and delicious vegetable.”

Backyard Garden (Tips For Celebrating National Asparagus Month This May)

Why?  Here are some reasons asparagus is a health topic for May!

1- Asparagus is a low-calorie vegetable that is an excellent source of essential vitamins and minerals, especially folate and vitamins A, C and K.

2- Asparagus is a good source of antioxidants!

3- Antioxidants are compounds that help protect your cells from the harmful effects of free radicals and oxidative stress.

Oxidative stress contributes to aging, chronic inflammation and many diseases, including cancer.

Asparagus, like other green vegetables, is high in antioxidants. These include vitamin E, vitamin C and glutathione, as well as various flavonoids and polyphenols.

Asparagus is particularly high in the flavonoids quercetin, isorhamnetin and kaempferol.  These substances have been found to have blood pressure-lowering, anti-inflammatory, antiviral and anticancer effects in a number of human, test-tube and animal studies.

Purple asparagus contains powerful pigments called anthocyanins, which give the vegetable its vibrant color and have antioxidant effects in the body.  This increasing anthocyanin intake has been shown to reduce blood pressure and the risk of heart attacks and heart disease. So eating asparagus along with other fruits and vegetables can provide your body with a range of antioxidants to promote good health.

4- Dietary fiber is essential for good digestive health.

Taking a half a cup of asparagus contains 1.8 grams of fiber, which is 7% of your daily needs.

Studies suggest that a diet high in fiber-rich fruits and vegetables may help reduce the risk of high blood pressure, heart disease and diabetes!

Asparagus is particularly high in insoluble fiber, which adds bulk to stool and supports regular bowel movements.

It also contains a small amount of soluble fiber, which dissolves in water and forms a gel-like substance in the digestive tract.  Soluble fiber feeds the friendly bacteria in the gut.  Examples of friendly bacteria like Bifidobacteria and Lactobacillus.  Increasing the number of these beneficial bacteria plays a role in strengthening the immune system and producing essential nutrients like vitamins B12 and K2.  Eating asparagus as part of a fiber-rich diet is an excellent way to help meet your fiber needs and keep your digestive system healthy.

Endling line asparagus helps your digestive system by promoting regularity, digestive health and may aid in reducing your risk of heart disease, high blood pressure and diabetes.

5- It helps to support a healthy pregnancy!  How?  Asparagus is an excellent source of folate, also known as vitamin B9.  Just half a cup of asparagus provides adults with 34% of their daily folate needs and pregnant women with 22% of their daily needs.  Getting enough folate from sources like asparagus, green leafy vegetables and fruit can protect against neural tube defects, including spina bifida (both happening during fetal developement).  Folate is so vital during pre-pregnancy and early pregnancy that folate supplements are recommended to ensure women meet their requirements. Folate is an essential nutrient that helps form red blood cells and produce DNA for healthy growth and development. It’s especially important during the early stages of pregnancy to ensure the healthy development of the baby.

6- It helps lower the blood pressure!  High blood pressure affects more than 1.3 billion people worldwide and is a major risk factor for heart disease and stroke.  Research suggests that increasing potassium intake while reducing salt intake is an effective way to lower high blood pressure.  Potassium lowers blood pressure in two ways: by relaxing the walls of blood vessels and excreting excess salt through urine.

Asparagus is a good source of potassium, providing 6% of your daily requirement in a half-cup serving.

What’s more, research in rats with high blood pressure suggests that asparagus may have other blood pressure-lowering properties. In one study, rats were fed either a diet with 5% asparagus or a standard diet without asparagus.

After 10 weeks, the rats on the asparagus diet had 17% lower blood pressure than the rats on the standard diet.

Ending line, eating more potassium-rich vegetables, such as asparagus, is a great way to help keep your blood pressure in a healthy range.

7- It can help if your dieting to lose weight.  How?  First asparagus is about 94% water. Research suggests that consuming low-calorie, water-rich foods is associated with weight loss.  It can definitely help in dieting!

8- It’s inexpensive!

“More than 106 million people in the United States have asthma and/or allergies.  Asthma and allergies aren’t managed in isolation – they’re shaped by where you live, the air you breathe, and the people around you. Keeping these conditions under control takes more than medication. It takes a community.

You have 8 million people with asthma, you have 22 million people with food allergies, and 82 million people with nasal allergies.

These numbers paint a picture of how many people in the U.S. are managing asthma and allergies. But they don’t paint a picture of the overall impact these diseases have on individuals, families, caregivers, and communities.

Since 1984, the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA) has designated May to be National Asthma and Allergy Awareness Month. It’s a time to focus on respiratory and immune health. The awareness month aims to educate the public about asthma and allergic diseases, risk factors, symptoms, and treatment.

Your community of support includes everyone who influences your health and well-being: family and friends, your health care team, school staff, employers, local neighbors, advocates, and lawmakers. When that community shows up for you, the difference is real. You can experience:

• Better day-to-day symptom management
• Healthier, more inclusive spaces at home, school, and work
• Access to more treatment options
• Stronger protections and policies that improve quality of life

The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA) is the nation’s oldest and largest nonprofit dedicated to saving lives and improving quality of life for people with asthma and allergic diseases.”

Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (May Is Asthma and Allergy Awareness Month | AAFA)

More than 65 million Americans overall have asthma and allergies. Some people may have one or both of these conditions.  About 25 million Americans have asthma (20 million adults and 5 million children)  About 32 million Americans have food allergies (26 million adults and 6 million children).  About 24 million Americans have rhinitis (hay fever), or nasal allergies (19.2 million adults and 5.2 million children)  There is no cure for asthma or allergies.

Rates of asthma are highest among African Americans and Puerto Ricans, young boys, and people living below the poverty line. Each year, asthma leads to more than 1.6 million emergency department visits and 170,000 hospital stays. For many, the change in seasons—with more allergens in the environment—can increase wheezing, chest tightness, shortness of breath, coughing, or severe asthma attacks.

Asthma is a chronic (long-term) condition that affects the airways in the lungs. The airways are tubes that carry air in and out of your lungs. If you have asthma, the airways can become inflamed and narrowed at times. This makes it harder for air to flow out of your airways when you breathe out.  Many of those affected with Covid 19 with asthma have a harder time with dealing with it compared to those with no asthma due to the condition affecting breathing to begin with.

Normally, the body’s immune system helps fight infections. But it may also respond to other things you breathe in, such as pollen or mold.  These are things that trigger symptoms of asthma to come on.   In some people, the immune system reacts strongly by creating inflation.  Ending result is the airways narrow causing it more difficult to breath. Over time, the airway walls can become thicker again making oxygen and carbon dioxide exchange not be as effective as someone without asthma.

“According to the 2024 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), 228.4 million people ages 12 and older (79.2% in this age group) reported that they drank alcohol at some point in their lifetime.^1,2 This includes:

• 113.7 million males ages 12 and older (80.6% in this age group)^1,2
• 114.7 million females ages 12 and older (77.9% in this age group)^1,2
• 934,000 American Indian or Alaska Native people ages 12 and older (68.5% in this age group)^1,2
• 11.1 million Asian people ages 12 and older (59.7% in this age group)^1,2
• 25.1 million Black or African American people ages 12 and older (71.1% in this age group)^1,2
• 145.7 million White people ages 12 and older (85.4% in this age group)^1,2
• 5.1 million people of two or more races ages 12 and older (79.2% in this age group)^1,2
• 39.6 million Hispanic or Latino people ages 12 and older (72.5% in this age group)^1,2
• Estimates for Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander people ages 12 and older were not presented because they were based on a relatively small number of respondents or had a large margin of error.^1,2

• In 2022, the total cost for alcohol-associated liver disease in the United States was $31 billion.² 
• About 178,000 (about 5% of all) yearly deaths from excessive alcohol occurred in 2020 and 2021 in the United States, an increase of approximately 29% compared to 2016 and 2017.³“

National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism – NIH                      (Alcohol Use in the United States: Age Groups and Demographic Characteristics | National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA))

Factors that put you at risk for alcoholism:

• Steady drinking over time. Drinking too much on a regular basis for an extended period or binge drinking on a regular basis can lead to alcohol-related problems or alcohol use disorder.
• People who begin drinking at an early age, and especially in a binge fashion, are at a higher risk of alcohol use disorder. Alcohol use may begin in the teens, but alcohol use disorder occurs more frequently in the 20s and 30s. However, it can begin at any age.
• Family history. The risk of alcohol use disorder is higher for people who have a parent or other close relative who has problems with alcohol. This may be influenced by genetic factors.
• Depression and other mental health problems. It’s common for people with a mental health disorder such as anxiety, depression, schizophrenia or bipolar disorder to have problems with alcohol or other substances.
• Social and cultural factors. Having friends or a close partner who drinks regularly could increase your risk of alcohol use disorder. The glamorous way that drinking is sometimes portrayed in the media also may send the message that it’s OK to drink too much. For young people, the influence of parents, peers and other role models can impact risk.

Alcohol intoxication results as the amount of alcohol in your blood stream increases. The higher the blood alcohol concentration is, the more impaired you become. Alcohol intoxication causes behavior problems and mental changes. These may include inappropriate behavior, unstable moods, impaired judgment, slurred speech, impaired attention or memory, and poor coordination. You can also have periods called “blackouts,” where you don’t remember events. Very high blood alcohol levels can lead to coma or even death.

Alcohol withdrawal can occur when alcohol use has been heavy and prolonged and is then stopped or greatly reduced. It can occur within several hours to four or five days later. Symptoms include sweating, rapid heartbeat, hand tremors, problems sleeping, nausea and vomiting, hallucinations, restlessness and agitation, anxiety, and occasionally seizures. Symptoms can be severe enough to impair your ability to function at work or in social situations.

Are you wondering if you drinking is on the high side or it crossed a line into a problem?  It may be time to make some changes and its never too LATE!

What could be telling you that your having a problem with drinking? Well if you are asking yourself any of the listed problems or asking yourself the followng questions listed below it maybe time to be checked or you get help:

1. You drink more than planned. If your coming into this situation drinking more than you planned to or longer than you thought than you are having problem controlling your alcohol!

2. You find yourself spending a long time drinking, even getting sick from the drinking but  and in time from the side effects of drinking recover.  Why even get to that point.  Keep track of your daily activities with seeing how often you drink in a diary and see if the bottles add up highier than one glass of wine a day or one or three glasses a week of alcohol.  Again you might see it adds up much higher than that.

3. Has your tolerance build up that you have to drink more for your buzz.  Your brain adapts over time to alcohol sensitivity and goes up when drinking high levels of alcohol.  Just like a completely different disease but similar concept.  In a pt without emphysema (COPD type the worst)  where in time the brain adjusts to CO2 – Carbon Dioxide levels with O2 levels.  A person without emphysema the brain makes us breath on low 02 levels but with a emphysema pt the brain makes them breath based on low CO2 levels since in time the brain developed sensitivity to it.

4. You crave alcohol frequently, another factor in making you want to seek help.  There are times you want to drink so badly bases on emotions or physical feelings you are experiencing that can trigger the craving.  You can be at a place (like a bar) triggering that craving.  That strong need or urge to drink can be triggered by people, places, things also.  When you have a trigger reacts to these factors differently than a social drinker’s does.

5.  You give up activities; what do you do for fun besides drinking?  Now yes life does change but what have you edged out of your life for drinking and or does everything you do entail a lot of drinking.  Has drinking stopped you from doing those things you use to do or pushed them out of your life.

6.  Are dropping the ball on life?   Take work, how many times have you come to work with a hang over, missed dead lines for your boss, or got behind on college work?  Now if your drinking in high school you know your under the age and its against the LAW!  When your drinking keeps you home sick or from your responsibilities that is a problem!

7.  Is it causing friction in your relationships?  If you care about your loved ones but can’t imagine your life without drinking that is a problem!  If your in this situation, this does not make you a bad person at all but like any problem you need to resolve it.  You need to look for help and make changes to help the relationship you have with a significant one in your life or with family members or friends to get those relationships back on the right track for both of you.

8. Are you having Withdrawal S/S from drinking?  (S/S are listed above under withdrawal).  Remember alcohol changes your brain’s chemistry.  When you drink heavy over a long period of time the brain has adapted to the high alcohol in your body.  So understand,  if you suddenly stop drinking your brain has to adjust again and with doing so this will make withdrawal s/s occur.

9.  Have you been put in the situation that you could have been hurt due to drinking or has an injury actual already happened.  Your brain didn’t react fast enough or was it from poor decision making that an injury almost occurred or actually happened (Examples of getting into risky situations due to your heavy drinking could be: Driving, swimming, getting into fights, poor sex-ending up with sexual transmitted diseases or passing on your STD like HIV for example and walking into dangerous areas getting hurt or someone else hurt.)

10. Getting sick with medical conditions or health problems due to your heavy drinking.  Alcohol can damage your liver, brain, heart, pancreas and even immune system.  It can even raise odds of getting certain cancers.

Drinking alcohol increases the risk of cancer. Drinking alcohol doesn’t mean that you’ll definitely get cancer, but the risk is higher the more alcohol you drink.

People might talk about some alcoholic drinks being better or worse for you than others. But all types of alcohol increase the risk of cancer – as it’s the alcohol itself that causes damage, even in small amounts.

So the more you can cut down on alcohol the more you can reduce your risk of cancer.

Drinking less alcohol has lots of other health benefits, too. You can reduce your risk of accidents, high blood pressure and liver disease by cutting back.

Alcohol can damages our cells and this can stop cells repairing damage.  Alcohol effects chemical signals which can make cells more likely to divide this in turn increases the chance of cancer to develop.  Alcohol makes it easier for cell in our mouth and throat to absorb cancer causing chemicals.

There are many ways that alcohol can cause cancer. Some of the main ways are:

• Damage to cells. When we drink alcohol, our bodies turn it into a chemical, called acetaldehyde. Acetaldehyde can damage our cells and can also stop cells from repairing this damage.
• Changes to hormones. Alcohol can increase the levels of some hormones in our bodies such as oestrogen and insulin. Hormones are chemical messengers, and higher levels of oestrogen and insulin can make cells divide more often. This increases the chance that cancer will develop.
• Changes to cells in the mouth and throat. Alcohol can make it easier for cells in the mouth and throat to absorb harmful chemicals that cause damage.

Remember, it’s the alcohol itself that damages your body, even small amounts. It doesn’t matter whether you drink beer, wine or spirits. All types of alcohol can cause cancer.

There’s plenty of tricks that people claim ‘cure’ hangovers. But even if they work for your hangover, they don’t reverse the damage caused from drinking alcohol.

What types of cancer does alcohol cause?

Drinking alcohol causes 7 different types of cancer. This includes:

• Breast cancer and bowel cancer (two of the most common types)
• Mouth cancer
• Some types of throat cancer: oesophagus (food pipe), larynx (voice box) and pharynx (upper throat)
• Liver cancer
• Colon and Rectum

“Contrary to what many people believe, false pregnancy is not only found in women but men as well. When a man suffers a false pregnancy, it is usually called Sympathetic Pregnancy.  This is more common when his significant other is pregnant and is dealing with the normal aches and pains that are associated with pregnancy. The medical term when men experience this is called Couvade.  Pseudocyesis is extremely rare in both men and women so doctors are still trying to piece together the root cause of the condition.”

American Pregnancy Association

The risk of phantom pregnancy is higher in women who have depression or who have:

• Lost a pregnancy
• A history of infertility
• A history of abuse or current abuse
• Relationship instability

Phantom pregnancy symptoms

Phantom pregnancy symptoms are primarily the same as for pregnancy, including:

• Menstrual changes (no period or irregular cycle)
• Weight gain, swollen belly
• Enlarged and tender breasts
• Sensation of fetal movements
• Gastrointestinal symptoms and abdominal pain
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Frequent urination
• Food cravings

Phantom pregnancy treatments

If a woman has a phantom pregnancy, her caregiver will:

Provide evidence. This can be devastating to a woman who thought she was pregnant, but her caregiver will show her (with test results and/or an ultrasound if necessary) that she isn’t pregnant. The caregiver should strive to be empathetic. She might assure the patient that her belief that she was pregnant was understandable given the symptoms, for example.

Address other medical conditions. After determining that a woman has a phantom pregnancy, her caregiver will want to rule out – or address – other medical conditions that may be causing the pregnancy symptoms.

Reduce symptoms. If the woman isn’t having menstrual periods, for example, the caregiver may restore them with the use of hormonal intervention, if necessary. She might also help address symptoms such as nausea and fatigue.

“A woman’s intuition is a funny thing. Most women know they are pregnant before they are even far enough along to take a test; we know our bodies and when something is different we can just feel it. What about a phantom pregnancy? There are times when even a woman’s intuition is off and our body tells us we are pregnant when in fact, we are not. This is a phenomenon called Pseudocyesis or a false pregnancy.”.

American Pregnancy Association – https://americanpregnancy.org/getting-pregnant/false-pregnancy/

A phantom pregnancy happens when a woman believes she’s pregnant and has pregnancy symptoms, but isn’t pregnant. It’s also called a false pregnancy or pseudocyesis. (People once also referred to it as an hysterical pregnancy or fake pregnancy.)

A phantom pregnancy or false pregnancy happens when a woman has pregnancy symptoms but isn’t pregnant. Phantom pregnancy is rare, and experts don’t know exactly what causes it, but it’s probably a combination of psychological and hormonal factors. In a phantom pregnancy, the pregnancy test comes back negative and an ultrasound shows that there’s no baby. A woman who has a false pregnancy will need plenty of support from her caregiver to deal with symptoms, any medical condition causing the phantom pregnancy, and the psychological aftermath.

Phantom pregnancies are rare. Estimates vary but range from 1 to 6 cases per 22,000 births in the United States. False pregnancies were more common in the past, before the widespread use of ultrasounds. Interestingly, they’re more common in cultures where motherhood and fertility are emphasized. In Africa, for example, the rates of phantom pregnancy are estimated at about 1 in 160.

Eighty percent of women who experience a phantom pregnancy are married, and most are between the ages of 20 and 44. It can happen at any age, though, including childhood or in the senior years. A woman can have a phantom pregnancy more than once. It can even (very rarely) happen to men. This is called a sympathetic pregnancy or Couvade syndrome.

No, a false pregnancy and a delusion of pregnancy aren’t the same. With a delusion, women don’t experience symptoms. Women who have a delusion of pregnancy are mentally ill and believe that they’re pregnant, even though they have no symptoms. It’s important for doctors to distinguish between the two because a delusional pregnancy requires different psychiatric treatment than a phantom pregnancy.

We don’t know what causes phantom pregnancy, though experts suggest that both psychological and hormonal factors are at play. (Because it’s such a rare condition, there’s not much data, and studies are largely based on individual case reports.) Basically, the body is tricked into thinking it’s pregnant. An increase in hormones such as estrogen and prolactin lead to pregnancy symptoms.

What causes this diagnsosis?

A psychosomatic condition. Because of intense pressure or desire to be pregnant, a woman’s brain triggers hormonal changes that cause pregnancy symptoms. This may happen when a woman has struggled with infertility or had a miscarriage or loss of an infant, or another traumatic event. It also sometimes happens to women who have an intense fear of pregnancy.

Some experts theorize that abdominal growth, the sensation of feeling fetal movement, and the experience of labor pain may be due to increased activity in the sympathetic nervous system (the body’s “fight or flight” system).

Another medical condition. Sometimes a completely unrelated illness can cause elevated hormonal levels or other physical reactions that lead to pregnancy symptoms. These conditions include ovarian tumors, severe depression, cancer, obesity, and ectopic pregnancy. Even weight gain, constipation, or gas – when paired with psychological factors – can cause abdominal distention that a woman may interpret as pregnancy. In one recent study, more than 16 percent of cases of phantom pregnancy were linked to medical conditions.

Major depressive disorders. Women with severe depression or severe stress may have changes in reproductive hormones. In addition, antipsychotic medications can cause some pregnancy-like symptoms, such as weight gain, loss of menstruation, and breast tenderness.