Paragon Orthopedic Center Blog

Have you ever wondered if you shouldn’t go for a walk because your knees ache?  Do you know how to protect your knees when you go for a walk?  We’ve found an article with 12 tips to help keep you walking, even if you have sensitive knees.  Paragon Orthopedics Center thinks you will find it encouraging because it offers many solutions to the concerns many people with knee aches have.  Don’t let a sensitive knee stop you from getting the exercise you need, especially during this beautiful fall weather we are experiencing in Southern Oregon.  From choosing the right shoe, to the right walking surface, to finding the right time of day to walk, this article has many helpful tips.

12 Tips for Walking When You Have Sensitive Knees (verywellfit.com)

Even though Southern Oregon does not see many car jackings, it is good to know how to prevent one and how to survive one if it happens to you.  You might think you are already careful, but what if when you pulled into your driveway, someone pulled up behind your car to trap you while another person approached your car to take it?  Criminals think of ways to trap you where you might have no option but to surrender your vehicle and belongings.  Remember, nothing you own is worth your life.  Here is an article that is a quick read, goes over statistics about car jackings, and has great bullet points for you to consider.  Some of the articles out there seem written to instill fear, so we chose an article that educates and empowers the reader.  Paragon Orthopedics Center wants to keep Southern Oregon safe.  Please take a few minutes to educate yourself, and then go educate others.

How to Survive (and Prevent) a Carjacking | The Art of Manliness

Sometimes we can feel Southern Oregon is immune to big city problems, but hearing about the violent car jacking of an elderly couple in Grants Pass on Tuesday is a wake-up call to always be alert.  KDRV in Medford recently put out a press release with a picture of the suspect who is in custody.  Paragon Orthopedics Center would like to express our deep gratitude for all the emergency responders who helped get this suspect into custody.   Here is a link to the very recent article about the incident:

Police identify suspect in Grants Pass carjacking and high-speed chase through Siskiyou County (kdrv.com)

There has been a lot of misinformation spread nationally about whether or not the COVID vaccines contain fetal cells or if fetal cells were used in the development of them.  This might have resulted in some people refusing a vaccine based on false information, or passing along information as fact when the opposite was true.  A well-researched document about this has been compiled by North Dakota Health.  It is an easy read that goes over the rumors and states the facts, with links to factual sites to back up what is said.  Knowing the facts about fetal cells use, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops stated, “…being vaccinated can be an act of charity that serves the common good.”  The Southern Baptist Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission has also deemed the vaccines as morally acceptable.  The article also helps you understand how the cells are used and reviews the backgrounds of each individual vaccine that has been offered here in the U.S.  It is an excellent read for the facts.  Paragon Orthopedics Center encourages you to click below to educate yourself, then educate your friends and family  Let’s get the facts out there.
COVID-19_Vaccine_Fetal_Cell_Handout.pdf

Things we know: the Delta variant of COVID has broken through the vaccine in some cases, the vaccine helps if you get infected, unvaccinated people fuel the spread of the virus, and now, booster shots offer more protection.  Israel released research that compared 149,144 patients who received a third dose of the Pfizer COVID vaccine to 675,630 patients who only had two doses.  The groups were of similar ages, all over the age of 60.  Why study this?  Because Israel is showing more breakthrough infections in people having only two doses, and people over the age of 60 are particularly vulnerable to this virus.  Read here for more about what we know and a breakdown of the study:
Highly Vaccinated Israel Is Seeing A Dramatic Surge In New Cases : Goats and Soda : NPR

The internet can be a fantastic source of instant, valuable information, but it can also spread a lot of misinformation that can be detrimental to your health.  Here is a quick 5 minute read about 10 myths surrounding osteoporosis.  What is osteoporosis?  It is a condition where your bones weaken and become susceptible to fractures.  It is sometimes called a “silent disease” because so many people don’t know they have it until a bone breaks.  As this article points out, your bones are alive and it’s never too late to make them stronger.  Read on for your bone health and educated those you love:

Top Myths About Osteoporosis— Better Bones

Researchers were looking for a connection between wildfire smoke in the air and COVID sickness/death in three states: Oregon, California, and Washington.  Those three states were chosen because they suffered the most from wildfire air pollution last year in our country.  We already know this air pollution is connected to other health problems, such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), so they were specifically looking to see if COVID cases increase in the areas that lived with this smoke.  They gathered data about the particulates in the air during the 2020 fire season and looked at subsequent cases/deaths.  They found the wildfires amplified the effect of smoke on COVID cases for up to four weeks after the exposure.  This is directly applicable to all of us in Southern Oregon who live with wildfire smoke in the summer.  Read the article in the Harvard Gazette here:

Wildfire smoke linked to increase in COVID-19 cases and deaths – Harvard Gazette

A study recently came out in August that looked at 1,176 hospitalized patients in Israel with Covid.  It found that those with severe or critical cases of Covid were more likely to have very low levels of Vitamin D than those with mild or moderate disease.  Among those who were hospitalized and not Vitamin D deficient, only 3% died.  Among those who were hospitalized with a deficiency, 26% died.  Here is an article that examines the study with more detail.  Paragon Orthopedics Center encourages you to talk to your healthcare professional about whether you should be taking Vitamin D and how much you should be taking.  It might be what keeps you out of the hospital as we navigate life with the Delta variant of Covid that is overtaking our hospitals in Southern Oregon right now.  Please educate yourself and educate others.

1 in 4 COVID patients hospitalized while vitamin D deficient die – Israeli study | The Times of Israel

Dr. Rob Bents took some time to read the most recent COVID research and local developments concerning its spread through our counties, state, and country.  He has condensed what he found into the August Paragon Orthopedics Center Newsletter.  Click here to educate yourself:

Paragon Press, August 2021

Unfortunately, Southern Oregon is being hit by smoke that is coming at us from multiple directions from multiple forest fires.  Paragon Orthopedics is always encouraging our patients to get out and get exercise, but maybe your plans have been foiled by this unhealthy air.  Or maybe you don’t know how to check the air quality in your area.  Athletes like you are breathing 10 to 20 times more air than a sedentary person, so you should give some thought as to what’s in the air you’re breathing.  Here is an article that will tell you how to find information about air quality in your area and the levels that are not healthy, the differences between what might be in the air (smoke, smog, and allergens), and addresses the question about whether you should wear a mask while you exercise.  Be safe Southern Oregon!

Recommendations for Exercising in Smoky Conditions and Air Pollution | Stages Cycling – North America