Monday, February 25, 2013
The health benefits of optimism
At the Vietnamese restaurant, my cookie fortune read, “Your
life will be happy and peaceful.” My husband laughed and said, “It figures you would get that fortune.”
He is a
self-admitted pessimist, and I suspect my upbeat, positive attitude gets a
little annoying sometimes. But I
firmly believe there are health benefits to optimism. I decided to Google “health benefits of optimism” and got
1,120,000 hits.
A 2011 Mayo Clinic article reported that researchers
continue to explore the effects of optimism on health. Positive thinking may
provide these health benefits:
• Increased life span
• Lower stress levels
• Lower rates of depression
• Greater resistance to common colds
• Better psychological and physical well-being
• Reduced risk of death from cardiovascular disease
• Better coping skills during hardships and stressful times.
It's unclear why people who engage in positive thinking
experience these health benefits. One theory is that having a positive outlook
enables you to cope better with stressful situations, which reduces the harmful
health effects of stress on your body. It's also thought that optimistic people
tend to live healthier lifestyles — they get more physical activity, follow a
healthier diet, and usually don't smoke or drink alcohol in excess.
This would be bad news for pessimists, except renowned
psychologist Dr. Martin Seligman promotes the idea of “learned optimism.” He outlines a series of steps
pessimists can take to re-think their approach to problems and stressful
situations; view them as opportunities instead of negative forces. It’s an
attitude adjustment that takes practice. There is a choice to be made: view life
by looking at the positive side.
I’ve decided it is my mission to convert my husband to
optimism. When I shared that with him, his reply was, “Good luck with that one.” Clearly, I have a lot of work to do!
Alice Facente is a community education nurse for the Backus
Health System. To comment on this column or others, visit the Healthy
Living blog at www.backushospital.org/backus-blogs or e-mail Ms. Facente or any of the Healthy Living columnists at healthyliving@wwbh.org.
Monday, February 18, 2013
Keeping the house too cold can result in hypothermia
Oil prices have risen to more than $4 per gallon, so it’s no
big surprise people are lowering the thermostat.
However, lowering the thermostat too low can have severe
consequences.
Individuals
often think of hypothermia as a condition that occurs with overexposure to the
frigid outdoor conditions. But
hypothermia can occur when the temperature is set too low in your house or
apartment — even when temperatures are above 40 degrees.
Certain illnesses, medications and lack of basic activity
can make it difficult for your body to stay warm. Nader Bahadory, DO, an
emergency department physician, describes hypothermia as simply a condition
that occurs when body temperature falls below its 98.6 degrees.
Early signs of hypothermia include cold feet and hands, a
puffy or swollen face, pale skin, shivering (in some cases a person with
hypothermia does not shiver), slower than normal speech, slurring words, acting
sleepy, and confusion.
According to Dr. Bahadory, as hypothermia progresses, the
person may experience trouble walking, become clumsy, have stiff or jerky
movements, have slow and shallow breathing, slow heartbeat and blackout or lose
consciousness.
Dr. Bahadory provides the following suggestions to prevent
hypothermia.
• Keep your living areas warm. If you are not using certain
rooms close them off from the living areas, keep vents and doors closed, and
place a rolled towel in front of doors to keep out drafts. Keep the heat in by
closing the blinds and curtains. This will also help keep the cold air out.
• During the day, wear warm clothes, put long johns under
your clothes, wear socks, and place a blanket across your legs when sitting.
• When sleeping, use extra blankets, wear a hat and long
johns under your pajamas.
• Stay indoors on those cold and windy days. If you have to
go outside dress for the weather and wear warm clothes. Dress in loose layers
of clothing, put on a hat, scarf and gloves. You lose a lot of heat when your
head and neck are uncovered.
• Most importantly, if you live alone, ask family, friends
or a neighbor to check on you during cold weather.
What do you do if you think someone has warning signs of
hypothermia?
Having a body
temperature below 95 degrees is a medical emergency. The first step is to call 911.
Then wrap the person in a warm blanket. Your goal is to warm the core parts of
the victim like the chest, neck, head and groin. Do not rub the person’s arms or legs, do not use a heating
pad, and do not try to warm the person in a bath.
By following these simple suggestions, you can prevent
yourself, your loved ones, or even your neighbor from developing hypothermia.
Stay safe and warm.
Lisa Cook is a community education nurse for the Backus
Health System. To comment on this column or others, visit the Healthy
Living blog at www.backushospital.org/backus-blogs or e-mail Ms. Cook or any of the Healthy Living columnists at healthyliving@wwbh.org.
Monday, February 11, 2013
Know the signs and symptoms of a heart attack
Last month a friend of mine had a heart attack. He didn’t recognize the early signs
because they weren’t typical, like the crushing chest pain people often
describe as “an elephant standing on my chest.”
Several people have died while shoveling snow during the
blizzard this past weekend.
Perhaps they experienced unusual symptoms and ignored them because
didn’t recognize they were having a heart attack. Perhaps they had crushing chest pain, but it was too late to
call emergency medical responders.
A heart attack strikes someone about every 34 seconds. It occurs when the blood flow that
brings oxygen to the heart muscle is severely reduced or cut off
completely. This happens because
the arteries that supply the heart with blood have become thicker and harder
from a buildup of fat, cholesterol, and plaque. Often, the symptoms in men and women are
different. Here is what to look
for:
• Chest pain. Discomfort in the center of the chest that lasts
more than a few minutes; uncomfortable pressure, squeezing, fullness or pain.
• Indigestion
• Shortness of breath
• Cold sweats
• Nausea
• Lightheadedness
• Pain in other areas such as one or both arms, the neck, jaw,
back or stomach.
As with men, women’s most common heart attack symptom is
chest pain or discomfort. But some
women have no acute chest pain and are somewhat more likely than men to
experience some of the other symptoms such as:
• Back pain
• Jaw pain
• Shortness of breath
• Nausea or vomiting
• Dizziness.
Why do people delay seeking medical attention when they are
having heart attack? Often, they
don’t recognize the signs or attribute them to other causes. My friend had a rather severe case of
indigestion, took some antacid, and felt a little better. Fortunately, he did call his doctor to
report it, and was subsequently seen and treated appropriately in the ER.
My mother had a similar experience a few years ago. She was doing some heavy housecleaning
when her upper back started to hurt.
She thought she pulled a muscle, so she didn’t do anything about it.
When she mentioned the upper back pain to my sister, she wisely told Mom, “that
could be cardiac: I think you
should call your doctor right away.” Sure enough, my mother was evolving a heart attack,
and my sister’s quick thinking may have saved her life.
My colleagues in the ER admit it is sometimes tricky for
people to recognize the signs of a heart attack. They readily agree people can’t come to the ER every time
they feel dizziness or nausea, but if it is accompanied by one or more of the
other signs, don’t delay. Seek emergency medical attention if the symptoms persist more than
five minutes, and let the
professionals evaluate and decide if you are indeed having a heart attack. It truly is “better to be safe than
sorry.”
Monday, February 04, 2013
Top 10 tips for a healthy heart
On his late-night TV show, David Letterman often presents
his popular “Top Ten” lists. I find them enjoyable and entertaining. My charge is to write about health
topics, and it’s not so easy to make them entertaining. I guess I can only hope to be
informative and useful.
In that spirit,
and with Valentine’s Day just around the corner, I offer my “Top 10 Tips for a
Healthy Heart.”
10. Eat more fish and fiber rich foods like whole grains and legumes.
9. Eat less salt, sugar and fat.
8. Take medicine as prescribed. Keep them organized in a pillbox.
7. Get your blood pressure checked at least once a month.
6. Incorporate exercise into every day. Regular exercise will decrease your blood pressure and help you achieve or maintain a healthy weight.
5. Watch what you drink. Avoid diet sodas and caffeine. Limit daily alcohol to one drink for women, two for men. Water is still the best beverage choice.
4. Manage stress. We all have stress in our lives from one source or another and scheduling some fun or relaxation around it will stop it from taking over.
3. Laugh a lot. According to research from University of North Carolina, when you watch a comedy show or just laugh, your arteries expand with 22% more blood flow.
2. Fill half your plate with vegetables and fruits. The more colorful, the better. Visit www.chooseMY PLATE.gov for more information about this recommendation.
1.Think positive. Research suggests that positive emotions
such as optimism are associated with lowered production of the stress hormone
cortisol, better immune function, and reduced risk of chronic diseases. Make a
resolution to view the cup as half full instead of half empty. This comes
naturally to optimists, but it can be a learned behavior for pessimists. And the health benefits make it worth
it!
