Vim & Vigor - Summer 2020 - UVA - 3

Healthy Dose

Lower Your
Cholesterol,
Naturally
Natu

Natural
Solutions

Watch a video for more
information featuring
UVA Health cardiologist
Brandy Patterson, MD,
discussing natural ways to
lower your cholesterol. Go
to uvahealth.com/natural.

Millions of Americans take prescription drugs, known as statins,
to lower their cholesterol. This is
important, because high cholesterol
greatly increases your risk of heart
disease and stroke. While statins are
highly effective at lowering cholesterol,
these drugs can cause unwanted side
effects, including dizziness, muscle aches,
drowsiness, headaches and digestive issues. What's
another way? Exercise, weight control and diet are
proven alternatives to taking prescription medication.
The best foods for lowering cholesterol include:
Legumes, avocados, broccoli and other fruits and vegetables that are high in soluble fiber and plant phytosterols
Oatmeal, quinoa, barley and other whole grains
Salmon, tuna and nuts, like walnuts and almonds, that
are rich in omega-3s
Soy milk, tofu, edamame and other soy products

TOP PHOTOS BY GETTY IMAGES; BOTTOM PHOTO BY KAY TAYLOR, UVA HEALTH

Help Navigating Life After a Trauma

As a UVA Health nurse practitioner who cares for people
after a major car crash or other
trauma, Elizabeth Alvarez knows
well the emotional toll a lifedisrupting event can take. "Just
because patients recover from
their physical injuries doesn't
mean that they're better,"
Alvarez says.
"You go through the stages of
grief," Alvarez says. "The disbelief, the bargaining and anger.
You grieve the life you thought
you were going to have. Medical
trauma can change the trajectory
of a patient's life."
An important part of moving
beyond the grief is reaching
Trauma survivor Pete Weatherly with Gabriele Ford, NP
out to other trauma survivors.
Alvarez is coordinator of the Trauma Survivors Network support group that meets monthly
at UVA hospital in Charlottesville. "We meet for 90 minutes," she says. "We do a lot of just
sharing stories, comparing and contrasting experiences. Survivors want to be heard, and
speaking out loud helps them process their trauma." Meet a member of the group and
learn more at uvahealth.com/trauma-story.

Track Your
Period for Peak
Performance
Before winning last year's World
Cup, the U.S. women's national soccer team used multiple strategies
to ensure the team was in tip-top
shape come game day. But it was
coach Dawn Scott's first-time use of
period tracking to optimize player
performance that made 2019's
World Cup training notable.
The team's historic win raised
the question: Is it time for all
women to put their periods to
work and use those fluctuating
hormones to their advantage? The
answer, according to UVA Health
OB-GYN Carrie Sopata, MD, is yes.
Understanding the physiological
changes happening in your body
during the four phases of your
menstrual cycle can help you maximize your potential week to week.
Register for that 5K if it falls during
your follicular or ovulation phase,
which are typically the best for
peak physical performance. Learn
more about the phases of the
menstrual cycle and how to track
them at uvahealth.com/peak.
VIM & VIGOR SUMMER 2020

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http://www.uvahealth.com/natural http://www.uvahealth.com/trauma-story http://www.uvahealth.com/peak

Vim & Vigor - Summer 2020 - UVA

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