by Terry Sequeira
A person has only one body and he needs to take care of it.
That’s the advice of Dr. Jackelina Gutierrez, MD, one of the women who grace the pages of Dos Mundos in March, which is also designated as Women’s History Month. The paper provides the following transcript of a recent interview with Gutierrez, who graduated from medical school in Mexico:
Dos Mundos: Why is it important for people to have a regular sleep routine?
Jacqueline Gutierrez: Rest is important. To sleep well and get a good night’s sleep, you must have a bedtime routine. This means no cell phone use, no television viewing or other bright light sources.
Follow the same steps every night. Don’t eat, (but) wash your face, brush your teeth, put on your pajamas, go to bed and so on every night. In other words, a super organized routine. And go to the bathroom early, so you don’t have to get up to urinate at night. Also, being well hydrated (important), so that the body’s repair processes take place successfully.
DM: Are melatonin and CBD good alternatives to help people rest?
JG: Melatonin is a sleep-inducer. Don’t make you sleep. Makes you sleepy. CBD has some positive properties, and some negative properties. It is studied a lot and many articles are issued. Evidence suggests it is useful as a sleep inducer or as a sleep aid. But also, because it’s a bit new, the side or long-term effects haven’t been studied yet. So its use is still a bit controversial.
McCullin: What are the essential elements in people’s routines to live a healthier life?
JG: Moisturizing. There are calculators that tell you how much water you should drink according to you – your age, weight and height. Obviously the recommended amount is 2 liters, but there are people who may have lower requirements and that’s fine.
Also, the diet, basically, it is necessary to maintain a diet that contains all food groups, because each group contains … essential nutrients, and skipping one of them also means the risk of disease or malfunctioning of the body. For example, fat. Although people usually say, “I’ll avoid them because they suck,” well, no. I mean, they really help us with the physical processes. Well, basically, there are no excesses and maintaining a balanced diet.
McClain: Do people really need to take vitamins?
JG: Well, vitamins aren’t really necessary, unless you have a proven vitamin deficiency. There are certain vitamins that certain groups of people lack – for example, vitamin B12 for diabetics, which helps with various processes. Vitamin D is supposed to help us, …because we are more lethargic and spend more time indoors and less time in the sun. It also helps regulate the metabolism of many things, such as the thyroid gland and bones. So really, vitamins you don’t need, you end up excreting through your kidneys.
Ultimately, you make your body work harder. You can also take toxic doses of some vitamins. For example, vitamin A can affect your eyesight and vitamin K can interfere with your body’s clotting processes.
McCullen: How often is it recommended to get a check-up?
JG: In general, every year. People 40 years of age or older start to develop certain deficiencies or certain diseases, and it’s important to get them checked out. It is important to carry out studies to be able to timely diagnose diseases such as diabetes, anemia, and high uric acid or cholesterol. This is especially important, so that it does not result in long-term complications.
McClain: How does stress affect health?
Jeffrey Golden: I think everyone has their own triggers, but I think it’s managing emotions many times and setting boundaries for others and for oneself. The stress hormone is cortisol, and when it rises, it travels to certain parts of the body, especially the target organs. For example, the heart. This happens, for example, with heart attacks. Also, the psychological part, which in the end also generates an imbalance of neurohormones.
McClain: How can you prevent stress from affecting your health?
JG: By doing physical activity or channeling those feelings in some way. Exercise generates endorphins, and in a way, your body releases stress. But it could also be other things. practicing a hobby. Everyone has their own hobby and it is important to prioritize it. Sometimes, we get too caught up in our routines or… in what we have to do. Whether it’s work, school, kids… sometimes we put aside the healthy stuff, too.
Interview: Dr. Jackelina Gutiérrez
A person has only one body and must take care of it.
That’s the advice of Dr. Jacqueline Gutierrez, one of the women who graces the pages of Dos Mundos in March and also named Women’s History Month. The paper provides the following transcript of a recent interview with Gutierrez, a medical school graduate in Mexico:
Dos Mundos: Why is it important for people to have a regular sleep routine?
Jacqueline Gutierrez: Rest is essential. To get a good night’s sleep and get a really restful night’s sleep, you need to have a good bedtime routine. This means not using your cell phone, not watching TV or other bright light sources. Follow the same steps every night. Don’t eat, (but) wash your face, brush your teeth, put on your pajamas, go to bed and so on every night. In other words, a very structured routine. And go to the bathroom early, so you don’t have to get up to urinate at night. Also, be well hydrated (it is important), so that the repair processes in the body can take place successfully.
DM: Are melatonin and CBD good alternatives to help people rest?
JG: Melatonin is a sleep-inducer. She does not sleep. Makes you sleepy CBD has some positive and negative properties. It is studied a lot and many articles are issued. Evidence suggests it is useful as a sleep inducer or to help you fall asleep. But also, because it’s a bit new, the side or long-term effects haven’t been studied yet. So its use is still a bit controversial.
McClain: What is essential in people’s routines to live a healthier life?
JG: Moisturizing. There are calculators that tell you how much water you should drink based on your age, weight, and height. Obviously the recommended amount is 2 liters, but there are people who may have less needs and nothing happens. In addition, the diet, basically, is necessary to maintain a diet that contains all food groups, because each group contains … essential nutrients, and skipping one of them also means the risk of disease or malfunctioning of the body . For example, fat. Although people often say, “I’ll avoid them because they suck,” well, no. That is, they really help us with physical processes. Well, basically no excesses and maintaining a balanced diet.
McCullen: Is it really necessary to take a multivitamin?
JG: Well, vitamins aren’t really necessary, unless you have a proven vitamin deficiency. There are some vitamins that certain groups of people lack; For example, vitamin B12 for diabetics, which helps in various processes. Vitamin D is supposed to help us, …because we are more lethargic and spend more time indoors and less in the sun. It also helps regulate the metabolism of many, many things, such as the thyroid gland and bones. So really, the vitamins you don’t need, you end up excreting through your kidneys.
Ultimately, you make your body work harder. You can also take toxic doses of some vitamins. For example, vitamin A can affect vision and vitamin K can interfere with the body’s clotting processes.
McCullen: How often is it recommended to get a check-up?
JG: In general, every year. People 40 years of age or older start to develop certain deficiencies or certain diseases, and it’s important to do studies on them. It is important to carry out studies to be able to diagnose diseases such as diabetes, anemia, and high uric acid or cholesterol in a timely manner. This is especially important, so that it does not result in long-term complications.
McClain: How does stress affect health?
JG: I think everyone has their own triggers, but I think many times managing emotions and setting boundaries for others and for oneself. The stress hormone is cortisol, and when it rises, it travels to certain parts of the body, especially the target organs. For example, the heart. This happens, for example, with heart attacks. Also the psychological part, which eventually also leads to an imbalance in neurohormones.
McClain: How can you prevent stress from affecting your health?
JG: Doing physical activity or channeling those feelings in some way. Exercising releases endorphins and somehow your body releases stress. But it could also be other things. They have a hobby. Everyone has their own hobby and it is important to prioritize it. Sometimes we get too caught up in our routine or… what we need to do. Whether it’s work, school or kids, … we also put the healthy stuff aside.