Health

Every now and again, there are so many things buzzing around my head that I want to post about that I just have to corral them all together in one place.  That would be now. 

Each of the links I’m posting will open in a new window, so you won’t lose the rest.

First of all, I’ve been reading a great deal lately about blood pressure and heart health.  My mom died from heart problems, and a much, much beloved uncle has problems with his heart as well.  High blood pressure  runs in both my husband’s family as well as my own, so I’ve been doing my homework in an effort to compile information that’ll keep both of us, as well as our three daughters, healthy.

The American Heart Association is a great place to start your own research, but don’t limit your education to just one “instructor”.  Collect as much information as possible - you’ll see a trend develop.  If everyone says something is extremely harmful (smoking, salt, being overweight, inactivity….) - get rid of it.  If everyone says something is extremely helpful (activity, losing weight, bananas, orange juice, fruit, vegetables, salmon, tuna…), welcome it into your world.

In all of the countless articles, books, interviews, and magazines I’ve read on Blood Pressure, do you know what enemy number one seems to be?  Before researching, I would have thought caffeine…. maybe stress… possibly red meat.  I would have been totally wrong.  Salt is the culprit that every expert I read mentioned first.  When asked what people could do to lower high blood pressure or maintain a healthy blood pressure, the experts all agree that cutting WAY back on salt is one of our smartest moves.

And it seems so harmless!

I got to thinking about my family’s own diet and my salty jaw hit the floor.  My biggest culprit is diet soda.  I honestly worry that Diet Dr. Pepper may have trouble staying in business now that I’ve switched to tea.  My daughters’ number one problem would be things like chips and fries.  When you’re so young, you just don’t think about things like blood pressure and sodium.  Big mistake.

The experts agree that adding potassium (white baked potatoes, bananas, orange juice…) to your diet is a great move to make as well.  Needless to say, increasing our activity is another smart thing to do for our heart’s health.

Regardless of the state of our blood pressure or heart health, losing extra weight is one of the most important things we can do for ourselves, our health, and our loved ones.  We’re all familiar with the campaigns that urged smokers to quit, “If not for yourself, for your loved ones…“  Very effective, very true.  However, it’s just as important to take care of ourselves in other areas.  If we want to be around (and be healthy while we are around) for a long time with, and for, our loved ones - we have to get serious about what we eat, what we drink, what we don’t eat, what we don’t drink, how much rest we get, how much we exercise, and how we live our lives.

No food, no drink…NOTHING… is as important as a quality life with those we love.

Of course, what I learned about stress in relation to blood pressure and heart problems was pretty expected.  We MUST do everything we can to remove as much stress as possible.  At the risk of sounding like a drama queen, our lives depend on it.

We should first identify what stresses us out, then make moves to cope with it.  If we feel overwhelmed or overworked, we should cut back asap.  Life is to be enjoyed, after all.  So many people lose sight of that.  They get so caught up in the rat race that they fail to realize that they’re a racing rodent until life has breezed right past them and their left worn out and spent.

Not a pretty image.

In that vein, I’d like you to check out: Relax:50+ Simple 30-Second Ways to Bring Tranquility To Your Life - it’s a wonderful compilation of things you can do to bring more relaxation to our days.  If that doesn’t get your attention, nothing will.  This is an amazing list and, I promise, you’ll get a lot from it.

A few more heart-y links:

• Heart Insight.com 
• Lowering Your Blood Pressure with DASH (PDF)
• Power for Healthy Living with Al Sears, MD

My motto: 

Laugh as often as possible, Live out loud, and Love everything and everyone around you - including yourself.

As I often say, one of the perkiest perks of being a web publisher is the luxury of having wonderful books sent to you.  For a book maniac like me, it’s nearly as good as cash (although I have to confess, the ones who’ve sent a Starbucks gift card along with the book have earned a friend for life).

A book I finished reading last night was Unlocking the Healing Code: Discover the 7 Keys to Unlimited Healing Power by Dr. Bruce Forciea.  Beyond fascinating!

The headline on the back cover gives the best, although briefest, synopsis possible:  A Revolutionary New Approach to Healing.  The author, Dr. Bruce Forciea, holds a doctorate in Chiropractic and is a college professor or anatomy and physiology. He also has an appropriately titled web site, Informational Healing.  He’s sitting on a wealth of information!

One of my favorite subjects of Unlocking the Healing Code: Discover the 7 Keys to Unlimited Healing Power involves the FASCINATING technique known as imagery.  Imagery is one of the most amazing relaxation techniques I’ve ever known.  It allows your body and mind to work together to overcome any tension that’s trying to get the upper hand.  IMAGINE that!

Imagery, as well as other relaxation techniques found throughout the book could go a very long way in reducing stress.  I love the thought of what the author refers to as taking periodical body scans throughout the day.  When you find where tension is holding court, the book’s techniques can help your body say, “Court dismissed!”

Given the fact that stress can, and does, lead to endless diseases and ailments, reducing it in our lives could do more than jus make us feel better.

It could very well add years to our life and life to our years.

Yeah, I went there.

Another wonderful section of the book is the information the author shareds about a health scare he had with his heart.  He details his different healing methods and it’s fascinating every step of the way.  If the thought of discovering 7 keys to unlimited healing power sounds like something you would be interested in, click one of the links within this post (or the image at the top). 

Also, be sure to visit the author’s website:  Informational Healing.com

When it comes to staying young, a mind lift beats a face lift any day. - Marty Bucella

I preach the importance of staying mentally active as often as I drink coffee, and believe me when I say through coffee breath, “That’s saying something.” 

About a year ago, I hurt my ankle while saving my cats from a playful pit bull.  I had to stay off of my feet for quite a while, and even when I was mobile again, it was slow going for weeks.  When the ankle finally decided to man up, I found that my legs were SO weak that short walks left me with jello knees.  I remember having to sit on a park bench as squirrels laughed at me.  Not a personal best for me.

Every part of us, every single thing that goes into making us who we are (from our heart to our heels) needs a steady diet of attention, challenges, and strengthening.  If we neglect anything, it’ll neglect us.

NEVER, NEVER, NEVER is this more true than it is for our minds.  That’s why I often stop right smack in the middle of a particularly gruelling day and smile.  I’m getting a mental workout and believe me I need all of those I can get!  We should all look for as many ways to challenge ourselves mentally as possible.  The article below (it continues after the link at the end) is a great source of ideas and inspiration.  Read through the author’s suggestions, then pluck out the ways you’ll start improving and strengthening your own mind.

When you make mental fitness a priority, you’ll be able to see the effects almost immediately.  Enjoy the article!

 Re-Energize Your Brain!

We all use tools in our work, and all of these tools need to be re-energized in some way over time. They need to be polished, sharpened, refurbished. They need new spark plugs or a tune up. Some times they even need new batteries.  We take these maintenance tasks seriously because we know that when the batteries are fully charged we get the full potential out of electrical devices and when the machinery has been maintained it lasts longer and works more economically. Doesn’t it make sense then to do some regularly scheduled maintenance on our brain - a tool far more valuable than the rest?  It happens to all of us. We get in ruts, we build routines and we develop habits, and in doing so we often don’t use our brain the way we could. It is one of our most valuable and precious resources and it is time to re-energize it. Here then are eight ways you can re-energize, re-invigorate and do some ongoing maintenance for your brain.
1. Ask Why? Our brains are wired to be curious. As we grow up and “mature” many of us stifle or deny our natural curiosity. Let yourself be curious! Wonder to yourself about why things are happening. Ask someone in the know. The best way to exercise our curiosity is by asking “Why?” Make it a new habit to ask “why?” at least 10 times a day. Your brain will be happier and you will be amazed at how many opportunities and solutions will show up in your life and work.

2.  Laugh.  Scientists tell us that laughter is good for our health; that it releases endorphins and other positively powerful chemicals into our system. We don’t really need scientists to tell us that it feels good to laugh. Laughing helps us reduce stress and break old patterns, too. So laughter can be like a “quick-charge” for our brain’s batteries. Laugh more, and laugh harder.

3.  Remember.  Get out an old photo album or high school yearbook. Your brain is a memory machine, so give it a chance to work! Spend time with your memories. Let your mind reflect on them and your mind will repay you in positive emotions and new connections from the memories to help you with your current tasks and challenges.

4 .Do a puzzle. Some of us like jigsaw puzzles, some crossword puzzles, some logic puzzles - it really doesn’t matter kind you choose to do. Doing puzzles in your free time is a great way to activate your brain and keep it in good working condition. Do the puzzle for fun, but do it knowing you are exercising your brain. 

Continue Reading Re-Energize Your Brain for the last 4 great ideas!

One of the things that I love even more than a trip to Starbucks with my husband (even when he’s paying) is to see someone take a creative, brilliant spark of an idea and set themselves on fire with it!

Heidi Roizen (second from the left in the picture below) recently set her world on fire, and the really sweet thing about it is this:  We can all benefit from her combustion. 

Heidi has created a CD, SKINNY SONGS, as well as a website and line of tee shirts  that all put a great big smile on the face of weight loss - I’m sure you’ll agree with the that that’s no small feat.  The songs, which are also available for downloading on iTunes, are hilarious and, quite frankly, very well-performed. 

The cd is perfect to play while doing pilates, calisthenics, and aerobics. The music keeps you fueled while the lyrics keep it fun.  My favorite use of the cd is to play it while cleaning house. I find myself getting a little workout while chores are far less tedious.  Heidi, who must have a wicked sense of humor, wrote the lyrics for all ten songs:

1. Skinny Jeans
2. Thin!
3. I’m a Hottie Now
4. Use it To Lose It
5. The Incredible Shrinking Woman
6. Think I’ll Go To Saks
7. You Da Boss
8. Objects in the Mirror
9. Who the Hell is That?
10. Blowin’ You Off at 8

Jump over to Skinny Songs.com to read the great reviews and Press articles to give you more information.  While there, you have to check out the tee shirts (some are pictured below) - they’re further proof of Heidi’s humor.  She seems to be one of those people who “get” what one of my favorite people, Maya Angelou, once said, “Life loves the liver of it!”

And I love pizza, onion rings, turtle cheesecake, and Mocha Lattes.  Guess I’d better keep my SKINNY SONGS near the cd player at all times.

Here’s some fascinating information about Green Tea:

A study from Japan has shown that people who drink two cups of green tea a day had a 50% lower risk of dementia compared to those who drank less than 3 cups a week.  Black tea and coffee failed to show this benefit.

For more on keeping your brain in tip top shape and fighting off the effects of aging, see Keeping Your Brain Healthy at Any Age.

According to Everyday Health, certain foods can help you reduce your blood pressure.  For those seeking to control it with as little medication as possible, that’s very welcome news.  The foods you should be eating are:

Foods that are High in Potassium  Bananas, citrus fruits, salmon, tuna, flounder, melons, green/leafy vegetables, poultry, raisins, whole-grains cereals, potato skins, yogurt, tomatoes 

Foods that are High in Calcium  Broccoli, canned sardines, salmon (with bones), milk, tofu, yogurt, cheese, kale

Foods that are High in Fiber  Corn, apples, barley, brown rice, legumes, nuts, yams, whole-grain cereals, whole-grain bread

Foods that are High in Magnesium  Fish, green/leafy vegetables, legumes, meats, nuts, whole grains, poultry

I’ve always been a firm believer in following healthy dietary guidelines - even if you don’t have the problem they’re geared toward.  After all, if eating the above foods are beneficial to people who have problems with their blood pressure, surely eating them will help those of us who are lucky stay lucky.

 

Advanced Glycosylated end-products is a mouthful. It’s a lot easier to remember the initials: AGE. Those initials are especially fitting since these compounds accelerate aging.

Under certain conditions, glucose combines abnormally with proteins. The result is called an advanced glycosylated end-product. These compounds are very reactive, so they then go on to combine with other proteins. That’s when the damage starts.

AGE compounds have been extensively studied in diabetic patients because researchers suspect they initiate the major complications of diabetes — blindness and kidney failure (diabetes is a leading cause of both). AGEs appear to bind to the membranes of the cells lining blood vessels, interfering with their normal functions.   [ Keep Reading ]

If you’re one of the blessed, lucky few who hasn’t been bit in the butt by this year’s particularly nasty flu bug - maintain a low profile and don’t let him know where you live.  Never one to miss out on anything if I can keep from it, I (of course) had to give it a go.  What?  You say the flu tends to come hand in hand with bronchitis this year and hits harder and lasts longer than normal?  Yeah, baby, sign me up!

For five straight days my fever was an honor’s student (nothing below 100), I had chills so severe you’d think I was a Floridian visiting Iowa in January.  In shorts.  And aches and pains?  My aches and pains had aches and pains of their own.  To compound matters, the overwhelming feeling of weakness leaves you feeling like you couldn’t even fight off a bad idea.  

One of the cutest tricks of this bug is the way it can make you feel like you’re freezing to death one minute (literally underneath 3 covers and still shivering), then convince you that your insides are on fire the next minute.  At this point is where you get really nauseous and most people start throwing up.  I fought off that joy ride and just headed for a blessed tiled floor to wait for the chill brigade again.  When it showed up, back to the couch, living room floor, or computer room floor.  My youngest daughter had it the same time I did, and we pretty much kept the same route.

Oh.

My.

God.

You might just have to trust me on this one.  Starting right now, pretend you’re in a movie.  Your role is a deliciously complex individual with OCD.  Your character washes his/her hands after everything they touch. Heck, they run for soap and water even if they just think of touching something.  If you wash them so much you begin to feel kind of silly, then (and only then) you can assume you’re on the right track.

A few more tips from the flu battlefield:

 1.  If you or anyone you know has the flu, don’t underestimate it’s bite or the suffering that comes from being bitten.  If the victim (and I haven’t meant that word so literally in a long time!) is elderly, very young, or has a pre-existing problem such as diabetes, heart disease, or asthma - take yourself or them to the doctor when the symptoms first appear. Excess tiredness, a scratchy throat, weakness, headache, and aches and pains are the early signs.

 2.  Wash your hands after everything you touch.  That one can’t be repeated often enough.  Also, teach everyone around you to do the same.

 3.  Buy disposable cups, napkins, and plates.

 4.  Make up a lot of tea and stock up on Gatorade or Powerade, Vitamin Water.  You need to drink a lot, and if you can drink and give your body what it’s missing at the same time, you’re a step ahead of the game.  I love iced green tea, so I kept it flowing - I never got anywhere near dehydrated.

 5.  Unless you feel extremely nauseous, keep eating.  You want your metabolism to keep running and gunning, so keep giving it the fuel it needs. Go with whatever sounds good to you.  For me, on days 2 and 3 the only foods I could stand to be near me were applesauce, grape popsicles, and animal crackers.  So I went with a soft, purple circus.  On the last night though, I HAD to have homemade dumplin’s (maybe it’s a southern thing), so I found myself in the kitchen late at night making dumplin’s.  Delicious!

 6.  Spray or wipe down any places where germs may be lurking.  Flu germs can lurk for up to 48 hours - so don’t let them fool you.  Buy a can (or 2 or 399) of Lysol and a container of Lysol wipes and go after sinks, toilet handles, light fixtures, doorknobs, refrigerator door handles, pantry doors, wands to open blinds, remote controls, the computer’s mouse, the keyboard, etc. Of course, use the wipe on sensitive things like keyboards and remote controls - you don’t want to saturate them, jut wipe them off.

 7.  Gargling with warm salt water actually works wonders.  Do it quite a few times a day and you’ll be able to tell a big difference.

 8.  Don’t push yourself too hard because you’ll only suceed in pushing yourself backwards.  If you get the flu, it’s  too late - he won.  You know how they say that when someone has a gun on you and demands your money - the smart thing to do is to give it?  Only an idiot would fight, right? Well, the flu bug has the gun and you’re unarmed - so give him what he wants, which is between 1 and 2 weeks of your life.  I’ve known some people who were down for 13 days or more  - Yesterday was day 6 for me and was the day I felt human again.  I think the majority of cases seem to fall somewhere in between the two.

Trying to rush things is where I messed up, I think.  After about 2 days, I thought my green tea and I had kicked some serious flu bug butt and I got dressed and took off to take care of a few chores.  Common sense found me in the drink aisle at Target and let me know that I wasn’t the heroine I thought I was.  I crawled to my vehicle with my tail between my legs and came back home to assume my rightful place on the floor.

 9.  If you have head and chest congestion, take something over the counter for it.  I swear by Tylenol products and they really helped a great deal. I have asthma, so chest congestion isn’t something I like to mess around with. 

10.  I actually just read something interesting this morning about fever and the flu.  A doctor wrote that if your fever is below 101 and you can tolerate the side effects, don’t take anything for it.  The fever is actually your body fighting off the virus, so I guess when we shoot down the fever, we’re taking out our own soldiers.

Now, go wash your hands, drink your green tea or Vitamin water, and stay well. 

I was doing some serious mother research online recently because two of my three beautiful daughters feel (and look) like hot messes.  Most of the information I found was already in my own head from years of research just like this.  I’ve been a warm salt water preaching, green tea serving, echinacia believing mom since my girls started walking.

However, I did find a great page on Yahoo! Health about sore throats.  Just in case you, or someone you love is suffering from this hideous plague, below is a link that’ll serve you well.

Making a Sore Throat Feel Better

Stay well and I hope you have a happier Valentine’s Day than two of my valentines are having! 

Conventional medical wisdom is leading millions of people down the wrong path. Part of the reason is that so many “experts” continue to scoff at or ignore the exciting discoveries in the new field of anti-aging medicine.

Just as they did with nutrition as a new field, conventionally educated doctors are willfully remaining ignorant while sticking to the now preposterous position that anti-aging is impossible. By the time you finish reading this you will know how unfortunate this ill-informed position is.

On the surface, you can observe aging as your hair turns gray, your waistline grows and your body goes soft. But there are biochemical changes underneath that drive this physical aging. Measure and manipulate what happens at the cellular level and you can control the way you age to stay younger longer. Continue Reading!