Sea Crest Health Care Center

No curmudgeon here, but just one harried boomer, who’s watching life’s intrusions chip, chipping away… One upside of travel used to be the “turn off your mobile phones” announcement, and now, it appears one’s conscience gets no time – off from calorie counting. Regulators’ appetite for calorie counts is about to extend beyond restaurants to include airplanes, movie theaters and convenience stores. The government wants calorie listings posted to make it easier for consumers to select healthier options…and I just want to be left alone.

Sure, I watch what I eat – but I’ll do it on my time & my watch. Though initially appreciative of the health-care overhaul enacted in March that had restaurants post calories, resentment started creeping in on the very rare occasions I was about to succumb. One chocolate chip cookie with my Dunkin Donuts coffee would certainly not wreak havoc on this body… until, I espied the 600 plus calories affixed to that slot.

I know. An airplane is the last place you want their food offerings, but I wish Big Brother would keep its elbows out of my less than roomy aisle seat!

Health advocates say the change could be a powerful tool in fighting the obesity epidemic, a top initiative in Washington since first lady Michelle Obama made childhood obesity her signature cause in February.

Come to think of it…Michelle can stay away too!

According to Jarett Berry, a cardiologist at University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, one must be vigilant about keeping physically active. Yes, in what they used to call “Middle Age.”  Wasn’t that the time we thought would be a little slower, a tad less “vigorous,” an entitlement to ease up a bit? Not if you want to hit 85 says the good Dr. “If you are fit in mid-life, you double your chance of surviving to 85.”

Dr. Berry’s findings, presented last week in San Francisco at the American Heart Association’s Annual Epidemiology and Prevention Conference, are based on an analysis of 1,765 men and women who had physical examinations performed during the 1970’s and 1980’s at the Cooper Institute, the Dallas-based birthplace of the aerobics movement. Put another way: If you’re not fit in your 50’s, your projected life span “is eight years shorter than if you are fit,” Dr. Berry says.

So regular exercise is the most cogent weapon we have to ward off illness and fight disease- as it results in lower blood pressure, healthier cholesterol, and lower blood sugar.

Rest assured… there is a silver lining to all this before you start jogging, digging ditches, or playing singles tennis:  Studies also indicate that exercise’s greatest impact occurs when individuals move from a sedentary lifestyle to embarking on regular moderate exercise regimens.

That’s encouraging. You go, Girl!

Stress is a part and parcel of our frenetic lives, but chronic stress is not what the doctor ordered. Too much stress hikes up your blood pressure, causes body inflammation and can result in heart problems.

So what do we do to slow down? Here are some ways to manage your stress.

• Be realistic about your goals and keep things simple. If you offer to host the annual family Holiday party, don’t go over the top and self cater the entire thing. Take-out side dishes and salads are great fill-ins.

• Express your thoughts in writing. Keeping a journal, blog or diary can be very therapeutic. And if you are not keen of the pen, try recording yourself via a digital voice or video recorder.

• Incorporate some form of exercise into your day and be consistent about it. You don’t have to run the marathon; take a walk with a friend, join the pool at the local Y or shoot some hoops with your kids.

• Massages are the ultimate relaxant. If you don’t believe me, try one for yourself. An aside, did you know that despite the gloomy economy – massage therapy has remained quite popular according to a recent survey from the American Massage Therapy Association?

• Find out if your workplace has any stress-fighting resources in place. Many Employee-Assistance Programs (EAP), wellness programs or health plans provide confidential personal stress-relief plans.

Aside from therapy and medication – crucial elements in one’s battle against serious doldrums, there are some natural lifestyle changes that can be quite effective.

“Having a routine gives you a sense of control over the day,” says Ian A. Cook, MD, director of the Depression Research Program at UCLA. “We know that helps, and we know that not having a sense of control makes people feel worse.”

– Exercise is proven to be a great mood-booster.

– A basic healthy eating plan will do wonders.

– Get a good night’s sleep.

–  Set realistic goals daily and try to meet them.

–  Incorporate some downtime for fun or relaxation into your schedule.

– Have a support network of family and friends and don’t distance yourself from them.

–  Make sure you have some responsibilities that give you a sense of accomplishment and keep you active.

– Try a natural supplement such as fish oil, but only after checking with your doctor.

– Stay away from substance abuse.

– When you’re in a rut, go out of your way to try something new and different. Push yourself to go to a museum . . .Volunteer at a soup kitchen . . . Take a language class. . .

Here are some cognitive ways to fight automatic negative thinking:

– Use logic when you have exaggerated terrible thoughts about yourself.
“Try to impose some reason,” says Cook. “Inject some reality.” Is it really true that no one likes you? Is there real evidence for that?  Sure, you might feel like the most stupid and hateful person on the planet, but really, what are the odds?”

– Clear your head of negativity by taking a break. Breathing exercises or a simple walk around the room can help.

Just remember not to ignore serious signs of depression. If you’re not functioning make sure to get professional help.

At the recent Alzheimer’s Association 2009 International Conference on Alzheimer’s Disease, an eye opening study demonstrated that spouses who care for a mate suffering from dementia were more likely to develop the same condition, with husband caregivers at a much greater risk than wife caregivers.

Wives who cared for husbands with dementia were nearly four times more likely to develop dementia than wives of men who didn’t have dementia, while husband caregivers in the same circumstances were almost 12 times more likely to develop the disease.

So what exactly is it that causes the risk of developing Alzheimer’s to skyrocket? You can’t catch it, can you? Researchers think the root cause is the stress that comes along with these caregiving situations.

Ralph Nixon, MD, PhD, a psychiatrist and Alzheimer’s disease expert at NYU and vice chairman of the Medical & Scientific Advisory Council at the Alzheimer’s Association feels that “the amount of stress involved in caring for a spouse with dementia is tremendous,and stress is a known risk factor for dementia.”

Healthy diet and exercise are key factors of good brain health, and both of these areas tend to falter when one is stressed out. It is critical that caregivers look after themselves properly, making sure to rest, to visit a doctor regularly and to maintain social ties.

Since men tend to rely on their wives to serve as the impetus for seeing the doctor and keeping up with friends and family, they are more apt than women caregivers to let these things slide when their spouse is cognitively impaired – thereby increasing their risk of high cholesterol, blood pressure and other conditions that can lead to dementia.

Is it a question of “Beauty OR Brains” that influences one’s success in the work force?

New research conducted by Timothy Judge, PhD, a management professor at the University of Florida, suggests replacing that “OR” with an “AND.” His research appears in the May issue of the Journal of Applied Psychology, published by the American Psychological Association.

Attractiveness will definitely be integral to your landing jobs, but one’s intelligence quotient gives one the edge when climbing the salary ladder.

“Little is known about why there are income disparities between the good-looking and the not-so-good-looking. We’ve found that even accounting for intelligence, a person’s feeling of self-worth is enhanced by how attractive they are, and this in turn, results in higher pay.”

Judge and his team analyzed data from the Harvard Study of Health and Life Quality. 191 men and women between the ages of 25 and 75, each interviewed three times, six months apart beginning in 1995, answered queries about household income, financial strain, education, and also evaluated how happy or disappointed they were with their achievements up to that time. After completing several intelligence and cognitive tests to gauge mental ability they had their photographs taken.

Scientific researchers averaged the results of six ratings of each person’s attractiveness, relative to their age and gender.

Significantly, the researchers found that physical attractiveness had a significant impact not only on how much people got paid, but how educated they were and how they evaluated themselves. They found that people who were rated as good-looking made more money, were better educated, and more confident.

But a person’s intelligence affected their income more than their looks did.

“We can be somewhat heartened by the fact that the effects of general intelligence on income were stronger than those of facial attractiveness,” Judge and colleagues write. “It turns out that the
brainy are not necessarily at a disadvantage to the beautiful, and if one possesses intelligence and good looks, then all the better.”

It became readily apparent that good-looking people do tend to highly assess their worth and capabilities, which may lead to less financial stress and more money.

“Moreover, the effects of self-concept are particularly noteworthy. Its effects on income are stronger than those of attractiveness and nearly as strong as those of intelligence. The influence of core self-evaluations on both income and financial strain underlines the critical role it can play in both objective and subjective life success,” the researchers say.

Validation is not just a feel-good exercise, but a key ingredient to the successful life.

Just when you think you’ve got the healthy eating thing down right, some scientific papers come out to upend your sense of equilibrium.

While you’ve been vigilant in pursuing “healthy” options in your food purchases, you and millions of others are being “played” by the less scrupulous in the food industry.

Melinda Beck, in her comprehensive article, “The Fine Print: What’s Really in a Lot of ‘Healthy’ Foods” in the May 5th Wall St. Journal, provides far too many instances of manufacturers determination and success at fooling a well-intentioned but easily misguided public.

Chicken: Roughly one-third of the fresh chicken sold in the U.S. is “plumped” with water, salt and sometimes a seaweed extract called carrageenan that helps it retain the added water- and are allowed by The U.S. Department of Agriculture to label it “all natural” or “100% natural” because those are all natural ingredients, even though they aren’t naturally found in chicken.

The “plumped” chicken has between 200 and 400 mgs of sodium per serving, almost as much as a serving of fast-food french fries. And marketers attest to blind taste tests to underline the reality that more consumers prefer these “enhanced” versions.

Salt substitutes: Many contain potassium chloride, which can exacerbate kidney problems and interact badly with some heart and liver medications- not exactly the direction you wanted to take when looking for the alternative to salt.

Artificial Sweeteners: Many brands of Sugar-free gum, mint and candy contain sorbitol, a plant extract that isn’t completely absorbed by the body and works as a natural laxative. That’s why you often experience bloating, flatulence, stomach pains and diarrhea after consuming only one pack of gum, or sucking on a few sugar-free candies. Some diabetics and others who are sensitive to the effect, find that sugar alcohols, i.e maltitol and xylitol can raise their blood sugar.

Trans fat, Cholesterol- Free, Calories-Free: Manufacturers are allowed to “round down” their numbers when it comes to trans fat, “sugar-free,” “calorie free” and “cholesterol-free” labels….! Products labeled zero grams of trans fat can have up to 0.49 gram of fat per serving. You could still be consuming significant amounts of trans fat: if the ingredients include partially hydrogenated oil, hydrogenated oil or shortening, a product isn’t completely trans-fat free. And it may have considerable saturated fat as well. And foods that have trace calories and up to 0.49 gram of fat and carbohydrates per serving- can, yes, be labeled “free” of those properties!

Super Water: The Center for Science in the Public Interest states that drinks — with names like “defense,” “rescue,” “energy” and “endurance” — are mainly sugar water with 125 calories per bottle…

Government surveys show that most Americans aren’t deficient in many of the vitamins supplied in these drinks, and the excess gets excreted anyway. Coca-Cola Co. was sued earlier this year over claims on its Vitamin Water beverages.

Consumers had better be armed with a “HEALTHY” DOSE OF REALISM WHEN SEARCHING FOR THAT PERFECT HEALTHY FOOD.

Yep, here’s another proof that exercise, “often” is really counter-intuitive. A recent study documented the fact that people tended to lose less weight than expected when they passed a certain threshold of serious activity…which is what I all too often discover.

What is it that induces us to sabotage when we’re actually doing the right thing? Maybe it’s our need to pamper ourselves just a bit, cognizant there aren’t too many people on line to do it for us! So we increase the exercise, and OK, take another bite...

http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/weightloss/2009-02-17-exercise-eating_N.htm?csp=34

By Nancy Smith

Today’s medical announcement would be astounding if it wasn’t almost intuitive; the results clearly demonstrate that lifestyle behaviors do contribute to stroke risk independently of the intermediate risk factors.

We are all aware that the following four behaviors are beneficial to one’s health. Physical activity, moderate alcohol consumption, no smoking, and the daily consumption of five or more servings of fruits and vegetables a day can only have a positive impact. The strength of that impact was recently bolstered by a defining EPIC (European Prospective Investigation of Cancer) study conducted in England.

20,040 men and women ages 40 to 79 had a physical exam and completed a detailed health and lifestyle questionnaire upon enrolling in the study. This data determined which participants smoked, drank, were physically active, and whether they ate their fruits and vegetables. The risk of stroke for those who did not practice any of the above mentioned behaviors increased twofold compared with individuals who adopted all four.

“These results provide further incentive and support for the notion that small differences in lifestyle can have a substantial potential impact on risk,” the authors concluded.

~ by Lydia Yolen

Relax actively. That’s the advice of researchers to the retired and the elderly. Not only is it beneficial for your heart, it’s beneficial for your mind.

This news is the conclusion of numerous studies concerning how exercise affects the brain. Exercise causes a chain of reactions that release chemicals into the bloodstream, while regular aerobic workouts build up the presence of these chemicals. The results are startling. Far from the usual shrinking that accompanies aging, the brain begins to grow.

Children have flourishing brains that branch out new neurons with an exuberant frequency. The adult brain begins trimming back unused neurons, and some also die on their own. Until these recent studies, scientists believed that these dead neurons could never regrow. Now they know differently.

In a study by Columbia University’s Scott Small and the Salk Institute’s Fred Gage, subjects asked to exercise regularly seemed to sprout new neurons; the more fit they became the more neurons they grew. The neurons appeared in the section of the brain dedicated to learning and memory, one of the first sections to age. “It’s not just a matter of slowing down the aging process,” explained Arthur Kramer, of the University of Illinois. “It’s a matter of reversing it.”

Exercise does more than just grow a bigger brain. A research group at the University of Washington found that people who exercise three or more times a week have a 30% lower risk of developing Alzheimer’s. Nor did the exercise have to be an intense aerobic workout. Lead researcher Dr. Eric Larson said that a 15-minute walk three times a week was enough to reduce the risk. A similar study found that five to six hours of vigorous physical activity each week led to a 40% decrease in risk of developing Parkinson’s Disease.

Scientists don’t know why this happens, and they haven’t yet zeroed in on the best exercises. But until they figure it out, one thing remains clear: being a couch potato is bad for the brain. So move!