Martha Nance, MD, Medical Director

From the medical director

7 ways to winterize your body

Fall is here, which means winter is coming. Now is the right time to prepare for a healthy winter. Here are seven suggestions to help winterize your body.

1. Shortage of sunlight and physical activity in the winter can lead to low vitamin D levels and thinning bones. Have a blood test to check your vitamin D level, consider having a bone density test and ask your primary care doctor about taking calcium or vitamin D supplements or other treatments for osteoporosis. Physical activity also helps to keep bones strong, and being outside in the sun for at least 20 minutes twice a week is beneficial.
2. Like bears and turtles, people sometimes have the urge to sleep more in the winter. Scheduling an activity in the morning forces you to get up and get going. Some doctors prescribe stimulant medications to certain patients who are too sleepy.  Try “bright light” therapy (doctors disagree about how much light, and what time of day is the best, but some small studies have shown that exposure to bright full-spectrum lights for one to two hours a day can improve Parkinson’s symptoms, reduce sleepiness and improve depression). 
3. Get a flu shot! 
4. Holidays are a happy time for many people, but they can be stressful for some, and bittersweet or lonely for others. Simplify your routine to reduce stress. Nobody over age 75 should ever have to shovel a sidewalk or prepare Christmas dinner for the extended family. Tell your children or grandchildren how they can help out. If you find yourself slipping into depression – with sadness, lack of interest in activities, too much or too little sleepiness, helpless, hopeless or suicidal thoughts – talk to a trusted family member, friend, clergy or your doctor. Medications can dramatically relieve depression. Left untreated, it can be fatal. Don’t be afraid to ask for help.
5. Find a place and time to exercise. If you usually walk in the park or along the street in the summer, you may need another place to exercise in the winter. Drive to the mall and do some laps inside before the shops open and the crowds come. Get a home exercise machine (if it is safe for you). Try a new dance or exercise class at your local senior center, YMCA or health club.
6. Since you are likely to be indoors more, winter is an excellent time to take up a new craft or hobby, or gather a stack of books or magazines to read. Mental activity is as important as physical activity in fending off the changes caused by Parkinson’s disease.
7. If you never got around to your annual checkup during the summer, make an appointment now. Then you can begin 2009 in as good health as possible.

If you follow even half of these suggestions, you will be on your way to optimizing your health.