Nurses are known as carers of the world. When you have sworn the oath to care for the people and wore the badge as a nurse, you become one of the essential workers of our society.
Of course, along with this profession comes a myriad of responsibilities. And sometimes, we nurses become so indulged with caring for others that we lack the support we truly need – to be our advocate.
It’s funny because we take good care of everyone around us, but we often overlook ourselves. Sometimes the carer needs to be cared for too.
In this episode, we are joined by our guest, Cat Golden. She is the creator and owner of Nurses Inspire Nurses. Her career in the nursing field began as a pediatric nurse, where she worked as one for seven years.
Cat understood what it’s like for a nurse to feel exhausted and isolated, which prompted her to build one of the largest nursing communities in the country.
And if you are a tired nurse like many of us, sit back, relax, and enjoy another awesome episode with your favorite Cup of Nurses!
Some of the questions that we asked Cat Golden:
Can you give us a background about yourself and your nursing experience?
What does it mean you support nurses as humans first and nurses second?
You always seem to be doing your own thing; what is your current mindset journey?
How has your community felt with everything that is currently happening in healthcare?
Has your community grown in the past years? Was it affected by the pandemic?
Why do you think your community has bonded so well and grown together?
How do you cultivate positivity and self-care in your life?
How do you manage your day-to-day life?
What are all the ways you stay healthy with all the travel you do?
Ready to learn how to inspire nurses? Check out our latest episode here 👇
You can also catch Cat on her personal Instagram account @catgolden.inspires, and for business inquiries, you can click on her business page @nursesinspirenurses for more information.
TIMESTAMPS:
0:00 Introduction 0:58 Cup of Nurses Introduction 2:19 Episode Introduction 2:55 Meet Cat Golden 3:32 What Cat’s Main Mission Means 4:55 What do you think nurses need most? 7:48 How Cat’s Life Has Changed 9:12 What’s the feedback of your community with healthcare? 10:52 Advice For Nursing Community 12:50 How To Build A Nursing Community 15:07 Why The Community Bonded So Well 17:51 What Shaped Cat Golden To Be The Best Version Of Herself 21:14 How To Cultivate Positivity 24:48 One Thing That Cat Cannot Live Without 29:19 How To Manage Time & Stay Organized 32:02 Hardships That Cat Went Through 38:14 What’s Next For Nurses Inspire Nurses 40:57 Where Can People Find Cat Golden
Reading is a crucial skill that all of us must learn. A person who reads exercises their comprehension abilities and analytical abilities. Imagination and memory recall is stimulated through reading. It also helps in stabilizing your emotions too.
In this episode, we will discuss the three reasons why reading is essential and why we should make it a habit. Towards the end of the discussion, we will dive into a book that we have read in the past year that we enjoyed reading. Be prepared because we are going to dive into life and philosophy on this one.
History of Reading
The National Library Lover’s Month is in February. It’s dedicated to the people who love whole buildings devoted to reading, housing, organizing, categorizing, finding, studying, and otherwise loving books. Join us as we tackle another excellent episode of Cup of Nurses!
Where Did It All Start?
Around 4,000 to 6,000 BCE, Mesopotamia started the first known human civilization. This changed the course of history discovered in these city-states, the earliest known form of writing, cuneiform, and script.
It started with some squiggles on clay to represent a goat and an ox, this form was good to depict the list of goods. But, what exactly do human beings get from reading books? It is just a matter of reading for pleasure, or are there benefits behind the enjoyment of reading?
The 3 Benefits of Reading
Reading transports us to worlds we would never go to, and never see. It introduces us to people we would never meet and instills emotions we might never otherwise feel without reading. Are there other benefits? Reading books benefits both your physical and mental health as well.
1. Reading reduces stress
Put simply, by opening a book, you allow yourself to be invited into an artistic world that distracts you from your daily stressors. On a physical level, reading can even relax your body by lowering your heart rate and easing the tension in your muscles [1].
In a 2009 study from the consultancy Mindlab International at the University of Sussex, tests found that reading reduced stress levels by 68 percent. Thus making it a more effective means of relaxation than taking a walk (by 42%), drinking a cup of tea (54%), or listening to music (61%).
In another study in 2009 as well, a group of researchers measured the effects of yoga, humor, and reading on stress levels of health science program students in the United States.
The study found that 30 minutes of reading lowered blood pressure, heart rate, and feelings of psychological distress just as effectively as yoga and humor did. Lastly, 30 minutes devoted to reading is something that can easily be incorporated into your daily schedule [2].
2. Reading strengthens your brain
A small study in 2013 found that reading a novel increased communication between parts of the brain that control language processing [3].
These changes could be segregated into networks associated with short-term changes originating near the left angular gyrus (Langauge, reading & writing) and long-term changes dispersed bilaterally in the somatosensory cortex (receives and process sensory information across the body).
Reading creates new neural pathways in the brain, this process is known as neurogenesis. Neurogenesis creates neurons that send messages and transmit information to different parts of the brain. How is this possible?
Reading books require thoughts, consideration, and effort to metabolize what’s being described in the book, which leads to the creation of new neurons. The question remains for further research to study how lasting are these effects.
3. Reading percent age-related cognitive decline
Having an active life, mentally, is generally one of the best things you can do to protect yourself from Alzheimer’s. Cognition includes the ability to learn, remember, and make judgments.
A study published in 2020, a 14-year longitudinal study with a representative sample of 1,962 Taiwanese community-dwelling older persons aged 64 and above, followed up in four waves of surveys over 14 years [4].
Results showed that those who read one or more times a week were less likely to have cognitive decline at 6-year and 14-year intervals. After 14 years, older people who read more often had a reduced risk of cognitive decline compared to those who read less often.
Reading is even associated with a lower risk of dementia. In a very large 2018 study in China, 15,582 community-living Chinese individuals aged 65 years or older who were free of dementia were followed up for a median period of 5 years [5].
Daily participation in intellectual activities was associated with a significantly lower risk of dementia several years later independent of other health behaviors, physical health limitations, and sociodemographic factors.
How to Make Reading a Habit
The easiest way to start reading more is to schedule it in your daily life. If you assign it into your planner or schedule, it’ll be harder to miss, having that accountability.
If you are trying to take better care of yourself with activities such as – sleep, nutrition, & exercise, you will want to schedule it into your daily life.
Other tips:
Keep a book with you when traveling or commuting places
Reading books on topics you want to learn more about or are interested in
Reading a book when you wake up or before bed
Be patient – reading, like any skill/habit, takes time to develop
The Books We Like
We are avid readers and among the books that we’ve read, here are three of the best books that made us more conscious of ourselves and life in general.
1. Jordan Peterson – 12 Rules For Life: An Antidote to Chaos
It provides life advice through essays on abstract ethical principles, psychology, mythology, religion, and personal anecdotes. The book pushes the idea that people are born with an instinct for ethics and meaning and should take the responsibility of searching for meaning beyond their own interests.
The critical idea of the book is that suffering is built into being. Being in the material and immaterial existence of a thing. With suffering people have a choice through life to either face it and transcend or withdraw which is almost a suicidal gesture.
He stresses that we live in a world of chaos and order and that everyone has a darkness that can turn them into the monster they are capable of being. However, when that darkness has a focus the impulse can be satisfied in the right situation.
Happiness Should Be a Byproduct
Another key point he brings up is happiness. Happiness should not be a goal of life it should be a byproduct or side effect of your life. Happiness should not be an aim because it’s not something that can stay there, it’s unpredictable and changing.
When you are unhappy does that mean you are a failure or failing? Happiness is based on perception and with perception, you don’t always realize what’s there.
The Gorilla Test does a good job of showing you how your perception changes based on what you are doing. Gorilla test conclusion: results indicate that the relationship between what is in one’s visual field and perception is based much more on attention than was previously thought.
2. 12 Rules for Life Proposed by Jordan B. Peterson
If you like self-help books, this one is a good read. There are plenty of lessons and virtues that you can get from this book. Here’s our take on this book:
“Stand up straight with your shoulders back.”
All animals including humans are governed by an internal hierarchy that is involuntary and biochemical. JBP talks about lobsters in this sense. When 2 lobsters square up for battle a winner is chosen before a fight occurs and many times it does not even lead to a physical battle.
Dominant lobsters have high serotonin to octopamine ratio leading to greater confidence, posture, and strength. That works in the human and nonaquatic world as well. In addition to that, stronger animals get more food, better homes, higher status, better mates, and cooperation from others.
There is a really harsh passage from the bible that goes: (Matthew 25:29) “to those who have everything, more will be given; from those who have nothing, everything will be taken.”
The recommendation JBP gives in this section is to always wake up at a similar time each day. You don’t have to go to bed at the same time each night but waking up is crucial.
Don’t slouch, fix your posture and give eye contact because when both of those are poor it signals weakness.
“Treat yourself like you are someone you are responsible for helping.”
JBP brings up another fundamental t chaos and order, that fundamental is to consciousness. Consciousness is how you bridge the gap between chaos and order and that consciousness allows you to function in whichever manner you choose.
What we should truly be doing for ourselves isn’t what we want and it is also something that doesn’t make us happy. No one understands us better than ourselves and no one can help us more than ourselves.
“Make friends with people who want the best for you.”
The environment around us shapes us. He asks the question if you have friends whose friendship you wouldn’t recommend to others why would you have that friend?
We become the average of the people we spend the most time with.
“Compare yourself to who you were yesterday, not to who someone else is today.”
No matter how competent and accomplished you are there is always someone out there better.
Life is not just a game it’s you playing many games at the same time. If we are always playing the same game and always winning there is no difficulty, there is no growth.
Pay attention, focus on your surroundings notice that something bothers you, concerns you, something that you just want to change.
What is it that is bothering me?
Is that something I can fix?
Will I actually be willing to fix it?
What could I do, that I would do, to make Life a little better?
“Do not let your children do anything that makes you dislike them.”
Children are constant learners trying to figure out where the boundary lies. They are always trying to figure out what the limit is, that is how they learn what they can and can not do.
If you want your children to talk more you need to communicate with them first.
Raising children is having the ability to properly create order in chaos. Giving the child the right amount of adventure while still enforcing good behaviors.
Studies show that if a child does not learn the basics of socialization and discipline it will be a lot harder for them to learn later in life.
Limit the rules
Use the least amount of force possible to enforce those rules
Don’t be a revengeful parent
As a parent, you are the proxy for the real world
“Set your house in perfect order before you criticize the world.”
Many, perhaps even most, of the adults who abuse children were abused themselves as children. However, the majority of people who were abused as children do not abuse their own children.
Ask yourself, have you cleaned up your life?
Start with not doing what you know is wrong
Stop questioning the things you are doing wrong when you know they are wrong.
“Pursue what is meaningful (not what is expedient).”
The successful delay gratification they bargain with the future. The successful sacrifice.
What are your values and do you follow them? Are they in your reality? You may have to sacrifice something you love best for you to become who you might become instead of saying who you are.
The one who wants to bring out the best of all possible futures will always make the greatest sacrifices.
No tree can grow to heaven if its roots don’t reach hell
Realize that thinking about life in a meaningful way is a difficult task for many individuals. Think about it this way CO2 emissions are relevant but are they relevant to someone that is hungry?
Always aim up fix what you can but don’t be willfully blind or arrogant of others and your surroundings.
“Tell the truth — or, at least, don’t lie.”
Nazi Germany was built on small lies.
What should you do when you don’t know what to do? Tell the truth. To accept truth mean to sacrifice.
Don’t lie to yourself. Are your goals really aligned with what you want to be doing or plan on doing?
“Assume that the person you are listening to might know something you don’t.”
Memory isn’t only a tool for the past, it is something that guides your future. However, memory is there to stop you from doing the same thing.
For many listening is too dangerous, they have an impulse to evaluate. It takes courage to listen. But if you listen, people will talk.
“Be precise in your speech.”
The only way you can get your needs out is through speech. Furthermore, speech directs your actions and lets others know your wants and needs.
“Do not bother children when they are skateboarding.”
We are hard-wired to enjoy risk, but it’s the chaos that helps us develop.
People compete to rise to the top. There is no reward without risk.
“Pet a cat when you encounter one on the street.”
Maybe when you are going for a walk and your head is spinning a cat will show up. And if you pay attention to it then you will get a reminder for just fifteen seconds that the wonder of this being might make up for the ineradicable suffering that accompanies it.
3. Meditations by Marcus Aurelius
Meditations is a collection of 12 books written by Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius, who’ll introduce you to Stoic philosophy, the concept of logic, and self-discipline, and give you faith that the course the world runs is good. Aurelius called them “writings to myself.”
4. Book Chapters and Their Summary
Book 1
Marcus Aurelius thanks those to whom he is indebted. His father showed him to be humble, frugal, and calm; his mother for teaching him to be generous and non-materialistic; and his teachers taught him the value of hard work, self-discipline, equanimity, rationality, humor, and tolerance.
Book 2
Aurelius reminds us that each day we will meet some terrible people. He says death, is nothing to fear; it can’t hurt us. But what is most important about us is our minds.
We shouldn’t let them be slaves to selfish passions, argued with fate, or be anxious about the present or afraid of the future.
We can’t guarantee fame or fortune, but we can keep our minds calm and free from injury, a state superior to both pleasure and pain. Freedom is the control of our minds.
Book 3
Aurelius tells us to be mindful of little things like cracks in a loaf of bread and the texture of figs and olives. He says to think and talk about things you would not be ashamed of if they were found out. There is nothing more valuable than a mind pursuing truth, justice, temperance, fortitude, rationality, and the like.
Book 4
Aurelius tells us that we can always find solitude in our own minds. If our minds are serene, we will find peace and happiness. As for how others view us, we have little control over this.
Book 5
Aurelius says to get up each day and do good work. We need to act naturally and contribute to society without expecting payment or gratitude for doing good deeds. Instead, be satisfied with being like a vine that bears good fruit. Virtue is its own reward.
Book 6
Aurelius disavows revenge, not to imitate injury. It is our duty to act righteously and not be disturbed by the rest. Think of good things and control your mind.
Book 7
Aurelius advocates patience and tolerance. Nature works like wax, continually transforming—so be patient. Evil people try our patience and tolerance, but we can remain happy by controlling our response to them.
Book 8
Aurelius argues that being disconnected from humanity is like cutting off one of your own limbs. Instead, live connected to nature and other people. No matter what you encounter, maintain a moderate and controlled mind.
Books 9, 10, 11
Aurelius argues that we should be moderate, sincere, honest, and calm. If someone reports that you are not virtuous, dispel such notions with your integrity, and use humor to disarm the worst people. Kill them with kindness, essentially.
Book 12
Aurelius asks why we love ourselves best but so often value the opinion of others over our own. This is a mistake. Remember too, that the destiny of the greatest and worst of human beings is the same—they all turn to ashes.
One of the last things that Aurelius wrote in his tent, in modern-day Austria, “Life is warfare and a stranger’s sojourn (temporary stay), and after fame, oblivion.”
Learn why reading is important by watching the full episode here 👇👇
TIME STAMPS:
0:00 – Intro 0:46 – Plugs 2:50 – Episode Introduction 7:56 – History of Reading 9:23 – Reading reduces stress 14:20 – Reading strengthens your brain 18:25 – Reading percent age-related cognitive decline 26:50 – How to make reading a habit 29:42 – Peter on “Jordan Peterson – 12 Rules For Life: An Antidote to Chaos” 33:22 – Rule 1: “Stand up straight with your shoulders back.” 36:00 – Rule 2: “Treat yourself like you are someone you are responsible for helping.” 36:53 – Rule 3: “Make friends with people who want the best for you.” 37:58 – Rule 5: “Do not let your children do anything that makes you dislike them.” 39:10 – Rule 6: “Set your house in perfect order before you criticize the world.” 41:07 – Rule 7: “Pursue what is meaningful (not what is expedient).” 42:15 – Rule 8: “Tell the truth — or, at least, don’t lie.” 45:46 – Rule 9: “Assume that the person you are listening to might know something you don’t.” 47:04 – Rule 10: “Be precise in your speech.” 48:43 – Rule 11: “Do not bother children when they are skateboarding.” 49:28 – Rule 12: “Pet a cat when you encounter one on the street.” 51:13 – Matt on “Meditations: by Marcus Aurelius” 51:57 – Meditations: Books 1 to 12
Are there actual steps to sobriety and recovery for good? How do you overcome addictions to substances like drugs and, in our today’s topic, alcoholism?
While many physicians recommend consuming a few milligrams of alcohol for our health, developing alcoholism is a growing problem.
According to statistics, people in the United States alone who are at the age range of 12 years old and older were reported to consume alcohol even with the strict laws that the country has implemented.
Over time, this alcohol experiment among young adults can develop into severe alcoholism and significant health problems, which are harder to overcome.
Along with this, the growth rates of juvenile crimes committed by teenagers are also on the rise. It is why we must understand how a person develops alcoholism so we can also take the necessary steps needed to help them.
Dr. Neff is also an alcoholic in recovery. Besides talking about his work, we will also discuss his involvement with alcohol and the state of the healthcare system from a healthcare provider’s point of view.
In addition to that, he also shares his experience dealing with depression, anxiety, PTSD, and alcoholism – both from a patient’s and doctor’s perspective and the lessons he has learned the hard way.
The questions below are some that we tackled with Stephan:
Can you give us a background about yourself and your experience?
What can you tell us about the field of Anesthesia?
When in your life did you notice your drinking is becoming a problem?
Talk to us about the 12-step program
How do you deal with urges?
Why do you take consistent steps every day for yourself?
How do you become the best version of yourself?
What is your current obsession with Krav Maga?
To learn all about alcoholism, and how to recover from it, click here for the full episode 👇
TIMESTAMPS:
0:00 Introduction 1:00 Cup of Nurses Introduction 2:17 Guest Introduction 2:37 Meet Dr. Stephan Neff 4:04 How Private Anesthetist Differs From Public Anesthetist 7:05 Healthcare System in Smaller Countries 10:27 Travel Nursing or Agency Nursing in Other Countries 14:21 The United States Response to the Pandemic 17:53 Trauma Experience Working in the Healthcare System 22:31 The Positive Aspect of Alcoholism 30:32 Exchanging Alcoholism to a New Lifestyle 33:10 What are the symptoms of PTSD? 35:18 Recognizing & Dealing with PTSD 39:35 Stephan’s Recovery Experience 44:17 The Journey After Rehabilitation 49:23 Steps to Sobriety By Stephan Neff
The pandemic has affected all of us; countries closed their borders, traveling is kept to a minimum, being in contact with people is limited, lockdowns, and most of all, the ever-increasing number of deaths.
While the world struggles to hold on and survive, healthcare professionals and frontliners are situated in front, serving all of us.
Nurses, in particular, have been called to work, assigned to different places, and worked tirelessly and diligently to give their best to patients suffering from Covid-19.
But like their patients, the number of nurses dying from Covid and exhaustion has also become an alarming concern to the healthcare world. It is also among the reasons why there are nursing shortages in hospitals.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), nurses represented the most significant number of healthcare workers involved in this pandemic.
The year 2020 marks the 200th year since Florence Nightingale founded nursing, and it also became the year when nurses had to face the biggest challenge of their lives as the pandemic spread across the world.
What is Covid-19?
The World Health Organization defined Coronavirus (Covid-19) as an infectious disease where the infected people will experience mild to moderate respiratory illness. Older people and those with medical problems like diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, cancer, and others are more likely to develop serious infections.
The transmission mode of Covid-19 is primarily through droplets of saliva or nose discharges of an infected person when they are coughing or sneezing.
To slow down the transmission of Covid-19, protect yourself and others by frequent handwashing, using an alcohol-based rub or sanitizer, and wearing facemasks. Practicing social distancing and getting vaccinated also helps in slowing down the spread of this disease.
9 Reasons for Nursing Shortages During Covid-19
Nursing shortages have always been an issue, even before the pandemic set in. However, it’s been given more light during the pandemic. But what are the most common reasons why nurses are short-staffed these days? Here’s what we gathered [1].
1. Overworked and exhaustion
While nurses’ wages have improved over recent years, there are still nurses who struggle with lower pay. Add the long hours of work and dealing with covid cases, and many nurses become burned out with work.
2. Older nurses are about to retire
As the years go by, more and more elderly nurses are retiring. Studies showed that about one-third of the nursing force aged 50 and above would quit in a couple of years.
3. Nurses are quitting their jobs
A study conducted in December 2020 by the NNA (National Nurses Association) showed that heavy workloads, stress, insufficient funds, and burnout are among the concerns of many nurses quitting and leaving their jobs.
Many nurses considered working a different career besides nursing so as not to be involved with Covid patients. Others quit because handling Covid-19 cases has become too much for them.
5. The trauma of the pandemic
Another good reason why there are plenty of nursing shortages in hospitals these days is the trauma that the pandemic caused [2]. In January 2020, the ICN (International Council of Nurses) raised their concern about the mass trauma experienced by nurses during the surge of Covid-19.
They also took note of the medium to long-term effects of this trauma on the nursing workforce. The issues and risks combined with the stress and overworked nurses threaten the already vulnerable nursing community.
6. Burned-out nurses
As the pandemic continues, the number of nurses reaching their point of burnout increases as well. Because of this, many nurses are considering the idea of leaving their jobs.
If this happens, nurses leaving their jobs because of burnout could potentially damage the healthcare system in the years to come.
7. Depression and anxiety
Besides being burned out at work and working long hours handling covid patients, many nurses reported experiencing depression and anxiety. Research conducted in the Philippines shows that prolonged distress from the pandemic has developed stress among nurses.
On the other hand, Egypt and Pakistan showed that the pandemic threat has prompted 95% of their nurses had intentions to leave their present jobs involving Covid-19 Triage Hospitals, and 25% want to leave the profession for good because of the stress, anxiety, and depression that they’re experiencing.
8. A limited supply of new nurses
There are plenty of new nurses graduating each year, and it’s not enough to cover up for the deficit caused by those who will be retiring soon.
New nurses are helpful, but not so they can fill in for those who are already experts in the field. In short, they need time and experience to become fully capable of handling difficult situations like Covid patients.
9. Not enough pay
Another reason nurses leave their current jobs is to search for better opportunities. Nurses who have been on the front lines working in nursing homes are not making livable wages. So if they can find another hospital that offers higher incentives and better compensation, they will leave.
How Can Hospitals Avoid a Shortage of Nurses During Pandemic?
There are millions of registered nurses in the United States, yet there are still shortages in the workforce [3]. How can this be resolved?
Dr. Joanne Spetz, Ph.D., a professor at the Philip R. Lee Institute for Health Policy Studies and associate director for research at the Healthforce Center at the University of California, San Francisco, suggested these tips to help our nurses get back into work:
Offer financial incentives. Higher salaries or student loan repayment programs will encourage nurses and future nurses to serve in different areas where the pandemic hit the hardest.
Create quicker ways of speeding up the license application for nurses living in other states and authorization of immediate license reactivation.
To expand their scope of practice and oversight rules. The best example of this is to loosen regulations that require physicians to oversee nurse practitioners. Allow nurses to do jobs that do not necessarily require the presence of a physician.
Create a law or rule that nursing students and those scheduled to graduate soon to help and provide support in hospitals during the pandemic.
Provide new child care options to nurses, especially pregnant or those who have small children.
Provide nurses with their personal needs like lodging. This way, they don’t put their families at risk of being exposed to the virus. Supporting their mental and emotional health are also important. Providing them with activities to de-stress can help reduce their anxieties as well.
Provide nurses with adequate access to personal protective equipment, especially those working in critical areas or handling Covid-19 patients.
Provide a flexible schedule for nurses so they can juggle their work and family life. Flexible schedules allow them to decompress between stressful and emotionally demanding shifts that can drain their energies. A flexible schedule keeps nurses happy and more positive in their working environment.
A chance to develop their careers through promotion also helps in retaining nurses. Hospitals must help their nurses to obtain the highest education possible. It will encourage nurses to stay within the organization and feel more satisfied with their accomplishments professionally.
Give your nurses a voice by listening to their concerns. Nurses who can voice their concerns to supervisors and managers are most likely to stay within the company. Implementing their suggestions and ideas also show nurses that the hospital managers are serious about their inputs and that they are also an essential part of the company.
Nurses Will Stay
Nurses are among the best workers globally, and they will stay working as long as they can handle the situation. However, the pandemic changed all that.
It’s not a secret that many of our nurses are exhausted these days, and there’s no certainty as to when this pandemic will end. The only certainty we can give is to protect our nurses by supporting them, providing them with their needs, and hearing them out.
If every nursing company provides their nurses with these, there will surely be no nursing shortages in hospitals. So support your nurses whenever you can; we still need them!
Looking for more nursing and travel nursing information? Check out these helpful links!
In this episode, we would like to talk about dental health. Many people don’t know that dental health provides valuable information on someone’s overall health.
Today we know that most chronic illnesses are not down to coincidence, bad luck, or bad genes. Instead, they are the result of constant, silent inflammation in the body and the resulting chronic stress. This kind of inflammation often occurs in the mouth.
It can be found hiding in the tips of inflamed tooth roots, gingival pockets, around implants, in dead teeth, or in the cavities that are left behind whenever a tooth has to be removed.
Although research is constantly revealing new relationships between teeth and the body, doctors and dentists work in two different spheres, our medical care system is structured such that we can’t see the forest for the trees.
Importance of Dental Health
Looking inside someone’s mouth gives clues to their overall health. Did you know that many problems can stem from poor oral health?Good oral health gives a person the ability to speak, smile, smell, taste, touch, chew, swallow, and impacts facial expressions to show feelings and emotions.
Just like in other parts of the body, the mouth houses a lot of beneficial bacteria. But remember that the mouth is the initial entry point into the rest of your body and sometimes these bacteria make a home elsewhere where they can cause damage. Proper oral hygiene keeps these bacteria in stable conditions.
What Contributes to Poor Dental Health
Untreated tooth decay. More than 1 in 4 (26%) adults in the United States have untreated tooth decay.Gum disease. Nearly half (46%) of all adults aged 30 years or older show signs of gum disease; severe gum disease affects about 9% of adults [1].
The main factors that cause oral health are:
Poor hygiene
Diet high in sugar
Sugar changes the acidity in your mouth.
There are 2 bacteria, streptococcus mutants, and streptococcus sobrinus. These bacteria feed on sugar and create plaque on your teeth. When you get your teeth cleaned your dentist removes this plaque. If left unchecked this plaque will eat away at your enamel.
Sugar also attracts bacteria that eat away at your gums and cause gingivitis and gum disease [2].
Alcohol use
Alcohol drinks are usually high in sugar like beer, liquor, and mixed drinks. This leads to the breakdown of enamel, long-term tooth decay, and gum disease.
Alcohol also decreases the amount of natural saliva that acts as a natural antibacterial agent.
Depending on what alcohol you consume it can stain your teeth.
Normal Saliva PH: 6.2-7.6
Smoking
Smoking weakens your body’s infection fighters (your immune system). This makes it harder to fight off a gum infection. Once you have gum damage, smoking also makes it harder for your gums to heal.
You have twice the risk for gum disease compared with a nonsmoker.
The more cigarettes you smoke, the greater your risk for gum disease.
The longer you smoke, the greater your risk for gum disease.
Treatments for gum disease may not work as well for people who smoke.
Prevention
Proper oral hygiene
A well-balanced diet low in free sugars and high in fruit and vegetables, and water as the main drink;
Stopping the use of all forms of tobacco, including chewing
Reducing alcohol consumption
encouraging the use of protective equipment when doing sports.
What Conditions are Linked to Oral Health
Your oral health might contribute to various diseases and conditions, including:
Endocarditis
This infection of the inner lining of your heart chambers or valves (endocardium) typically occurs when bacteria or other germs from another part of your body, such as your mouth, spread through your bloodstream and attach to certain areas in your heart.
The study looked at 94 participants where participant’s portal hygiene, gingivitis, and periodontitis statuses were evaluated.
The authors found that oral hygiene and gingival disease indexes were associated significantly with IE-related bacteremia after toothbrushing.
Participants with a mean plaque and calculus scores of 2 or greater were at a 3.78- and 4.43-fold increased risk of developing bacteremia, respectively.
The presence of generalized bleeding after toothbrushing was associated with an almost eightfold increase in the risk of developing bacteremia [3].
Cardiovascular Disease
Although the connection is not fully understood, some research suggests that heart disease, clogged arteries, and stroke might be linked to the inflammation and infections that oral bacteria can cause.
There are a few theories on why this can occur, according to Harvard:
The bacteria that infect the gums and cause gingivitis and periodontitis also travel to blood vessels elsewhere in the body where they cause blood vessel inflammation and damage; tiny blood clots, heart attack, and stroke may follow.
Supporting this idea is the finding of remnants of oral bacteria within atherosclerotic blood vessels far from the mouth.
Rather than bacteria causing the problem, it’s the body’s immune response – inflammation – that sets off a cascade of vascular damage throughout the body, including the heart and brain.
There may be no direct connection between gum disease and cardiovascular disease; the reason they may occur together is that there is a 3rd factor (such as smoking) that’s a risk factor for both conditions.
Other potential “confounders” include poor access to healthcare and lack of exercise – perhaps people without health insurance or who don’t take good care of their overall health are more likely to have poor oral health and heart disease [4].
Pregnancy and birth complications
Periodontitis has been linked to premature birth and low birth weight.
Nearly 60 to 75% of pregnant women have gingivitis, an early stage of periodontal disease that occurs when the gums become red and swollen from inflammation that may be aggravated by changing hormones during pregnancy.
If gingivitis is not treated, the bone that supports the teeth can be lost, and the gums can become infected. Teeth with little bone support can become loose and may eventually have to be extracted.
Periodontitis has also been associated with poor pregnancy outcomes, including preterm birth and low birth weight. However, how periodontitis may lead to adverse pregnancy outcomes is not yet fully understood [5].
One systematic review looked at periodontal status looked at 22 totaling about 17,00 subjects and concluded that “The present systematic review reported a low but existing association between periodontitis and adverse pregnancy outcomes.” [6].
Pneumonia
Certain bacteria in your mouth can be pulled into your lungs, causing pneumonia and other respiratory diseases.
A study looked at over 122,000 participants with no history of pneumonia with a median age of 52.4.
The mean systolic blood pressure and fasting glucose were 125.5 mmHg and 96.7 mg/dL. While 49.6% of participants had periodontal disease, 2.7% and 6.0% had five or more dental caries and missing teeth, respectively.
According to the self-reported questionnaires, 45.0% of participants brushed their teeth three times or more per day, and 26.0% replied having professional dental cleaning at least once per year.
It concluded that:
The risk of pneumonia was higher in groups with more dental caries and missing teeth. In contrast, the risk of pneumonia was lower in the frequent tooth brushing group and the regular professional dental cleaning group.
There was no significant difference in the risk of pneumonia between groups with and without periodontal disease.
A number of dental caries and missing teeth, and the frequency of tooth brushing and professional dental cleaning, were associated with the incidence of pneumonia.
The risk of pneumonia was significantly higher in the group with a higher number of dental caries and the group with more missing teeth.
Risks of pneumonia decreased significantly in the frequent tooth brushing group and the regular professional dental cleaning group [7].
Fluoride: Is it the best means of fighting tooth decay?
Fluoride is considered an essential part of dental care. Almost all toothpaste contains it. Roughly 73.0% of the U.S. population with public water access in 2018 received water fortified with fluoride. In Germany, however, no fluoride is added to drinking water—and yet rates of tooth decay have dropped.
Fluoride can store and lock calcium and other minerals in tooth enamel, which sounds like a beautiful, helpful attribute. But just like many things, it also comes with unwanted side effects.
There are ongoing studies linking fluoride to chromosomal changes, bone cancer, and impairments to intelligence, while many other studies declare its innocence of these allegations.
The concept of holistic dentistry is based on avoiding overburdening the body with artificial substances as far as possible. If we eat well and get all the nutrients we need, there is no need for additional fluoride. Saliva’s job is to store minerals in teeth. That is its natural function, and it does not require extra fluoride to get the job done.
Tough Foods Make You Tougher
Chewing food is easier to digest. But did you know that adequately chewing our food can protect us from infections? Researchers recently discovered this when they took a closer look at what is known as Th17 cells in our mouths.
These cells are part of the immune system and can ward off harmful bacteria to our health while leaving friendly bacteria in peace.
Furthermore, Th17 cells form in the mouth, so the more we chew, the more cells are produced. In addition to this, eating foods with a more rigid consistency, or simply chewing well, ensures a better immune defense in the mouth.
Good Dental Hygiene Practices
Taking care of your oral health may take a lot of effort. However, if you add them to your daily routine and practice them daily, it will not feel like a chore but more of a natural habit. Here’s how you can practice good dental hygiene:
Brush your teeth twice a day
Use mouthwash daily
Floss daily
Drink more water
Eat more crunch fruits and vegetables
See your dentist twice a year
Watch the full episode on this by clicking here:
TIME STAMPS:
0:00 Introduction 1:00 Sponsor Ads 2:15 Cup of Nurses Introduction 4:04 Episode Introduction 6:36 Importance of Dental Health 10:44 Statistics About Gum Disease 13:28 What Contributes To Poor Dental Health 13:39 Sugar changes the acidity in your mouth! 15:42 How Alcohol Affects Dental Health 18:08 How Smoking Affects Dental Health 21:59 How to Prevent Poor Dental Health 22:45 Conditions Linked to Bad Oral Health: Endocarditis 23:23 Study About People with Endocarditis 25:13 Conditions Linked to Bad Oral Health: Cardiovascular Disease 28:24 Conditions Linked to Bad Oral Health: Pregnancy & Birth Complications 31:51 Conditions Linked to Bad Oral Health: Pneumonia 37:36 Fluoride: The best means of fighting tooth decay? 44:13 Tough Foods Make You Tougher
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