New Years Revolution!

Happy New Year! Unlike many of my friends I love days like New Years, birthdays and Thanksgiving. I use these types of transitional days to clear my head, to look back and learn from my mistakes, to look forward at what I may do in the future and to be thankful for what I have in the present. I dislike the commercialization of these days and I really wish more people understood the historical background for days like Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Some people are bummed by the new year because, even though they say “Happy New Year”, they are focused on what is NOT happy, what they DIDN’T do and they feel the new year will bring more of the same.
I used to make New Years resolutions until a few years ago. They were usually along the lines of losing weight or “finding my true love”. When that didn’t happen by the next year, despite my best efforts, I would feel like such a loser. No matter that I managed to start a business on my own or supported myself, paid my bills, ate my veggies and exercised!
Goals are a good way to change what you want to change in your life, but some things are more obtainable than others. Research shows that most people can’t lose weight and keep it off. However, I can exercise 30 minutes per day and try to eat at least five servings of vegetables per day and that will impact my health positively! I can give someone a break when they are having a bad day and forgive them for tailgating me or messing up my order.
My New Years revolution for 2012 is to find ways to make other peoples’ lives better. I’m not sure what that will be beyond what I do already, but I’m willing to try and keep trying. The revolution is that the goal is really about other people and not myself.
What is your revolution for 2012?

Buzzing Brain

I have all sorts of things buzzing around in my brain, but I have yet to put it on paper.  Some of these things include:  how diabetes, elevated cholesterol and hypertension interact, hormones in cosmetics, importance of trying to be happy and keeping the flu at bay.  I hope by next week to have something for you.  Do you have other suggestions for posts?

Correlation is Not Causation: Fat is not bad!

Why your fat won’t kill you.

I went to a seminar on obesity, weight loss and menopause about a month ago and I’m still digesting what went on there.  The first speaker was a bariatric surgeon. He admitted to this statistic that I’ve seen while researching various weight loss options: 95% of people who lose weight on diets gain back every pound within three years. He was quoting that to promote gastric bypass as a way to lose weight. 

“In the more than forty years that bariatric surgeries have been performed, there have been no randomized, controlled clinical trials that have shown any long-term improvements to actual health or that lives are saved or extended by these surgeries — not any of the dozens of types and variations being performed, and certainly none of the new procedures claiming to be better and safer. According to obesity researcher, Dr. Ernsberger, Ph.D., of Case Western Reserve School of Medicine, Cleveland, Ohio, several clinical studies to examine the long-term consequences and look for improved life expectancies have been started but the results were never released. “I think it’s because it’s bad news.” Quoted from the blog, Junkfood Science, by Sandy Szwarc, BSN, RN, CCP.

The ECRI report, “Bariatric Surgery for Obesity,” noted that the surgeries can produce significant initial weight loss but “three years after surgery, the typical patient is still obese.” (Also quoted from Junkfood Science.)

Speaker after speaker at this seminar would pay lip service to the statistics that it is almost impossible to lose weight and keep it off, then turn right around and promote diet strategies, weight loss programs such as the HCG injections, and not discuss what a fat or any size person can do to be healthy without worrying about their weight. Some claimed that the cost of obesity health care is increasing everyone’s insurance premiums. 

The CDC’s latest estimate is that an additional 112,000 deaths per year can be ASSOCIATED with obesity. So there is only a .12% increase in death risk if obese. Some of the statistics used to claim the obese are increasing our insurance rates included everyone with hypertension, diabetes, stroke, etc. I know plenty of thin people with these problems as well. I’m sure you do too.

I’m beginning to think the whole obesity crisis is a made up marketing scheme. When I was in college we measured our percent body fat with calipers and the water tank. I had 15% body fat then (very low for a woman) while some teeny tiny gals had 30 and 40% body fat. The trend now is to calculate Body Mass Index (weight in pounds divided by height in inches squared times 703.) This is why so many athletes are “overweight” when BMI is calculated, as the calculation does not take into consideration muscle mass and build. BMI was never meant to measure individual people, it was a statistical tool to measure populations’ obesity. This whole “obesity crisis” stuff came about when the BMI parameters for obesity changed in 1998. One day you were “normal” BMI and the next you could be “overweight”, overnight, at the same weight.

More than ¾ the studies that tracked death rates and weight did not show that the thinnest people live the longest. Glenn Gaessser’s review of heart disease medical literature revealed no correlation between body fat and atherosclerosis. “Clogged arteries are the leading cause of death for Americans, yet after more than five decades and tens of thousands of autopsies, the studies show that fat people are no more likely than thin to have clogged arteries.” (Paraphrased from “Fat! So? by Marilyn Wann)

Some people who get adult-onset diabetes are fat. Some are not. Regardless, treatment centers have found that when diabetics improve their diet and exercise habits, they can lessen the severity of their diabetes and even normalize their blood sugars. These improvements happen even if they don’t lose any weight at all.

The Cooper Institute for Aerobics Research has an ongoing study of 30,000 people which has found that those who are fittest live the longest, no matter what they weigh. Fat people who exercise regularly live longer than thin people who don’t. What does this all mean? If you have a healthy diet and moderate exercise, even if you don’t lose weight, you will live longer, barring accidents, than someone who does not have a healthy diet and does not do moderate exercise. This means a person who weighs 300 pounds can be healthy, especially if the other signs (blood pressure, blood sugar, cholesterol) are within normal limits. I think that this statement will shock alot of people. You can’t tell, just by looking at someone, how fit they are.

Some statistics I’ve read say that childhood obesity has leveled off or even decreased since 2005, so maybe some of the obesity panic has helped parents get their children more active and make better food choices. Some people in the natural health realm use the obesity crisis as a way to get people to pay attention to industrial farming practices or various chemicals in our foods that mimic hormones. I think we should still be concerned about that. Just don’t show that concern by putting down or bullying someone who appears fat.

I could go on and on, and I will, later. Tell me what you think?

I took too much information from:
Junkfood Science http://junkfoodscience.blogspot.com/
The Fat Nutritionist http://www.fatnutritionist.com/
FAT! SO? by Marilyn Wann, c1998, Ten Speed Press
Shapely Prose http://kateharding.net/

Do You Really Need Eight Glasses of Water a Day?

We can exist without food for months, but without water we can only survive a few days.  Your body is made up mostly of water, which is essential for digestion, nutrient absorption and elimination, aids circulation, helps control the body’s temperature, lubricates and cushions joints, keeps the skin healthy and helps remove toxins from your body.  Every day you lose water from your body through urine and sweat and the fluid needs to be replaced.

I have often told my patients they need to drink at least eight eight ounce glasses of pure water per day.  Then in April, 2004 I read a story in Family Practice News(http://www.familypracticenews.com/) that suggested letting thirst be your guide may be the way to go. (I am unable to find the article at this time.)
Despite concerns that caffeine and alcohol are diuretic, they can count towards daily fluid intake.  For women, 2.7 liters (91 ounces) and for men, 3.7 liters (125 ounces) per day is the recommended total from all beverages and foods each day.  If it is hot outside, you have a fever or you are exercising, you will require more water than normal and should drink more in these cases.
As a person grows older, they sometimes can’t tell that they are thirsty,  so older adults will want to be sure to drink water regularly.
Dr. Joseph Mercola (mercola.com) recommends using the color of your urine as a guide to how much water you should be drinking.  As long as you are not taking riboflavin (B2, which in most cases turns urine bright yellow), then your urine should be a very light yellow.  If it is a deep yellow, then you are not drinking enough water.  
I often look for chapped lips, tenting (where skin on the back of the hand returns more slowly to its original position), complaints of constipation, or if the person has an occupation of real estate agent.
What type of water should you be drinking?  The answer is clean, spring water and filtered water.  I don’t recommend drinking unfiltered water, distilled water or fluoridated water.  Make sure to read the report from your local tap water supplier that’s usually mailed to you yearly.  This will help you determine what type of filter you need to make sure your water is free from contaminates such as heavy metals and bacteria.  That said, tap water in the United States is generally quite safe to drink.  (http://water.epa.gov/drink/guide/upload/book_waterontap_full.pdf)
The reason why filtering your own water is important  is that bottled water is a huge strain on the environment.  Plus, some bottled water may not be any cleaner than tap water and the bottles water is in can leach unsafe chemicals called BPA into your water.

My conclusion is that if you feel thirsty, have something to drink.  If you are not thirsty, don’t drink unless you want to. If you are older, bigger than normal, a real estate agent, suffer from constipation, diarrhea or chapped lips you may want to set up reminders to drink more water on a regular basis. Remember there are fluids in the foods you eat so you may not need to drink eight glasses of water per day.
Do you keep track of how much water or fluids you drink?  How much do you drink?

Maybe God is trying to tell you something .. about sleep!

Can't sleep at night and you wonder why

Maybe God is trying to tell you something

Crying all night long, something's gone wrong

Maybe God is trying to tell you something

I always liked that song from The Color Purple.  If you can’t sleep at night and God isn’t trying to tell you something, then your body definitely is trying to tell you something.
Sleep should be a priority in your life as it plays a dramatic role in your overall health.  Without enough sleep, your body may accumulate a sleep debt that affects your normal thinking abilities, and you might not notice!  Most people need at least six hours of sleep for peak memory.  Regular sleep makes you less forgetful.
Getting a good night’s sleep can release certain hormones that boost your immune response. Previous studies have made it very clear that not enough sleep will increase your insulin levels, increase your risk of diabetes, affect hormone levels and accelerate aging.
There are many reasons for insomnia.  Due to the demands of life, we often freely choose to cut back on our sleep.  I like to stay up a little later and read to wind down.  Some of you like to watch the late night talk shows or “farm” on Facebook for the same reason.
Other reasons for insomnia include:   a cluttered, too warm bedroom

loud neighbors, street, animals

exercising too close to bedtime

caffeine after noon

heartburn

chronic pain from arthritis, fibromyalgia, etc.

stress

Dr. Deepak Chopra has an insomnia protocol to which I often refer my patients.  These are the highlights:
*    The natural human biorhythm is to sleep between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m.  This means you should be in bed, lights out by 10 p.m. and be up at 6 a.m.  (I always tell my patients they should get up and go to sleep at the same times every day.  Being on the same schedule, including weekends, helps your body know better when to pump out certain hormones that wake you up, help you sleep and deal with stress better.)
*    Decrease your mental activity after dinner.  Journaling may help with stress.
*    Take a hot bath 30 minutes before bedtime.  You can include calming fragrances, music and lighting to let go of your daily stress.
*    Use your bed for sleep and sex only.
I learned in medical school to tell my patients to go to sleep in a cool, uncluttered room, with no lights on and preferably no electronics like TV’s in the room.  Sometimes deep breathing and progressive relaxation can help you relax into sleep.
Skullcap, passionflower and valerian, in capsule, tea or tincture form, help promote a good night’s sleep for most people.  If tight muscles or anxiety is a problem, kava kava can often help.
If you go to sleep well and then wake at 2 a.m. for no apparent reason, you may have a cortisol issue.  I like to test a patient’s cortisol level four times throughout the day to see if it’s out of whack.  If it is, there are things that can help, depending just what and when things are wacky.
It is also helpful to remember that your sleep requirement can change with the seasons.  In the middle of the summer you might actually be able to get by on six hours of sleep or less.  In the winter you might require nine or more hours of sleep to optimize your health.
Do you have insomnia or other sleep problems?  What do you do to help yourself?

Common Sense Health: Introduction

So many people ask me questions about new age type ‘cures’ such as crystals or energy work such as reiki or detoxification regimens for particular problems.  After a while, it gets old because most people have not worked on common sense type things to fix their problems before trying some things that can be kind of ‘out there’.  It’s probably that most people want to just take a pill to take care of their health problem, to have a magic bullet.

Common sense is not a science.  It is more about what ‘everyone’ feels to be true.  There is an interesting article at Wikipedia on common sense:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_sense

I’ve been wanting to write about this lack of common sense, that people are not working on the building blocks of health before they use subtler types of cures.  I feel that the building blocks of your health can be determined by the following questions:
    1.    How much sleep are you getting?
    2.    How often do you have a bowel movement?
    3.    How much water are you drinking?
    4.    What types of food are you eating, how often and how much?
    5.    What types of body movement do you do on a regular basis?  
    6.    How is stress affecting your life?
    7.    Do you have good friends you can talk with,  be yourself with?
    8.    Is your spiritual life supporting you the way that you need?

These questions are separated out for focus, but they all interact with each other.  Stress and anxiety may make it difficult to sleep.  If you are not drinking enough water, it can cause constipation.  If you’re not getting enough sleep, you may not want to go exercise.
This being said, I am not saying that things like energy work or homeopathy or crystal healing don’t work, because they often do.  I just think that it is better for your health overall to address the questions above before diving into the fine tuning.

In the interest of not having a Borg cube of text, my next post I’ll write about sleep and sleep optimization and separate the topics out into eight posts.
Questions? Comments?