Healthy Living

The incomparable comedienne Carol Burnett was asked during an interview by Amy Spencer for Parade magazine, "How do you want to be remembered?" Her reply? "That I made somebody laugh when they needed it. That at one point, when they needed it, I made them forget — even if it is for just 10 seconds — that they were hurting." I thought that was a kind and generous life objective. Carol Burnett, also known as the “First Lady of Laughter,” is no stranger to sorrow and pain, as one of her beloved daughters died of cancer at age 35.

In no way am I suggesting that humor can overcome grief, or that laughter should replace tears. It's important to grieve the loss of a loved one, and unresolved grief will inevitably result in problems in the future.

My friend and colleague, HHC East Region Director of Pastoral Services Rev. Mary Horan tells us, “Laughter and crying often go together. They are both cathartic responses. A good cry, a hearty laugh can dispel anxiousness and fear and leave us feeling more relaxed, open and ready to see things from a slightly different perspective. A sense of humor in any situation can reveal both the seriousness and absurd possibilities which allows us to cleanse our body of distressing emotions and regain balance. The language of laughter connects us in an intimate way and it feels good!”

At my own father’s funeral many years ago, there is one thing that I remember distinctly from that sad time. Two of my cousins were toddlers and were laughing and giggling and playing during the memorial service. It was a very welcome relief from all of the tears being shed. It kept things in perspective. My father would have been pleased to see us having a memorial that included children’s laughter and the retelling of funny stories about him.

Humor and laughter can have healing powers. There is scientific evidence that laughter can lower cortisol levels and increase the production of dopamine, endorphins, T-cells and immune proteins. These changes may contribute to the following: a decrease in feelings of stress, depression and anxiety, and makes challenges seem more surmountable. Now with all that at stake, who couldn’t benefit from a good dose of humor?

The human heart is truly an amazing organ. It beats about 100,000 times a day, sending 2,000 gallons of blood surging through the body. That translates to 2.5 billion heart beats in an average lifetime. It starts to beat about 4 weeks after conception, and of course, keeps on beating until we die.

In simple terms, the heart is a pump made up of muscle tissue. The heart's pumping action is regulated by an electrical conduction system that coordinates the contraction of the various chambers of the heart. But the rhythm of this amazing organ can sometimes go awry.

For example, atrial fibrillation (A-fib) is the most common type of cardiac arrhythmia. It occurs when there are too many electrical signals that normally control the heartbeat, causing the upper chambers of the heart (the atria) to beat extremely rapidly (more than 400 beats per minute) and quiver (fibrillate). This is felt as an always irregular, sometimes rapid heartbeat.

Dr. John Foley, a cardiologist with Hartford Healthcare Medical Group, treats people with cardiovascular diseases, usually with medication.

When heart rhythm disturbances don’t respond to medication and the usual treatments, Dr. Foley will refer that patient to an electrophysiology cardiologist, a specialist in the treatment of electrical cardiac conduction problems. I had never even heard of these specialists until my daughter encountered some very unusual heart rhythm disturbances and was referred to one.

Dr. Foley and Dr. Steven Zweibel, an electrophysiology cardiologist with Hartford Health Care, will be co-presenting an interesting community education program about heart disease and atrial fibrillation on Feb. 24 at Backus Hospital. Call (855) HHC-HERE for information and to register.

February is National Heart Month. We probably don’t think about our hearts very often, so let’s make a special effort this month to appreciate this amazing, hard-working, vital part of our body.

How many times have you forgotten something important and wondered, "Am I getting Alzheimer's disease?" That happens to me often, and I always blame it on getting older. But the truth is that Alzheimer's is not a normal part of aging. I asked Kristine Johnson, Director of the Alzheimer's Association of Eastern Connecticut how we can tell the difference between normal forgetfulness as we age and Alzheimer's. She referred me to their website: www.alz.org where I found "10 Early Signs and Symptoms of Alzheimer's."

One of the most common warning signs is memory loss, especially forgetting recently learned information. Others include forgetting important dates or events, or asking the same information over and over again. It was reassuring for me to learn that a typical age-related change is sometimes forgetting names or appointments, but remembering them later.

Early detection of Alzheimer’s does give the patient the ability to explore treatments that can provide some relief of symptoms and help them maintain a level of independence longer. Early detection also increases the chances the patient will be able to participate in clinical drug trials that help advance research. Dr. Max Okasha, Medical Director of Comprehensive Psychiatric Care in Norwich, has been conducting research on treatments for Alzheimer's for several years now. He believes about 90% of what we know about Alzheimer's has been discovered in the last 15 years; and he’s excited about a promising new treatment in late stage clinical trials. Dr. Okasha and Kristine will be co-presenters of a community education program at Backus Hospital on Tuesday, Feb. 23, focusing on early warning signs, early detection benefits and current research. You can call (855) HHC-HERE to register or for more information.

I reviewed the 10 warning signs and concluded that my forgetfulness is indeed a normal age-related change, not Alzheimer's. After reviewing, if you notice any of the signs in yourself or someone you know, don't ignore them. Schedule an appointment with your primary care provider for an evaluation.

February is National Heart Month, the perfect time to learn about some fascinating and fun facts about our hearts.

• The average heart beats 70 times per minute, or 100,000 times per day, or 37,000,000 times each year.

• The first heart pacemakers plugged into a wall socket.

• Our heart is a well-coordinated machine. The right side pumps blood into our lungs while the left side pumps it back into the body.

• Modesty prompted the invention of the stethoscope. Before it existed, doctors had to put their ears directly on the patient’s chest to hear the heart. (Source: ClevelandClinic.org/healthhub)

• The heart starts beating about four weeks after conception and doesn’t stop until death.

• A woman’s heart generally beats faster than a man’s: about 78 times compared to 70 times per minute for men.

• Prolonged lack of sleep can cause irregular jumping heartbeats called premature ventricular contractions (PVCs).

• The human heart can create enough pressure that it could squirt blood at a distance of 30 feet.

• Just in time for Valentine’s Day, here is a romantic fact: A University of California at Davis study has shown that couples breathe at the same rate and have synchronized heart beats. In the study, couples were connected to heart rate and respiration monitors as they went through several exercises without touching or speaking to each other. The couples' heart and breathing rates tended to be synchronized, indicating that romantically involved couples are linked on a physiological level.

I asked Dr. John Foley, a cardiologist in Hartford HealthCare Medical Group in Norwich, to verify these facts for me, and to add any interesting information he would like us to know. Here is his contribution to the fascinating facts about our hearts:

• Life expectancy in the USA is 78.8 years

• In 2014, we spent $3 trillion on healthcare on healthcare in the United States. Cardiovascular disease is the largest expenditure of Medicare dollars.

• On average, we spend $9,523 per person in the United States on healthcare.

Dr. Foley will be presenting several community education programs about Heart Disease and Atrial Fibrillation (A-Fib). For information about the dates and locations of these programs, call 855-HHC-HERE (855-442-4373).

Let’s all make a promise to take care of our hearts starting this February, and work toward a goal of increasing that life expectancy statistic to at least 80 years.

“An optimist is someone who falls off the Empire State Building, and after 50 floors says, 'So far, so good!' ” — Anonymous

That quote may make us laugh, but there are true benefits of being an optimist, according to recent research studies.

Researcher Shane Lopez and colleagues at the University of Kansas analyzed data from the Gallup World Poll, which included 150,000 people from 142 countries. Data included responses to questions about life satisfaction, expectations for what the future holds, positive and negative emotions and physical health. The researchers found that 89 percent of people involved in the poll said they believed their future was going to be good or better than their current situation, and most had a "glass half-full" mentality.

Positive thinking and optimism have many proven benefits, including stress management, improved performance and productivity, and superior overall health.

Stress management expert Elizabeth Scott, MS, writes that “Optimists tend to experience less stress than pessimists or realists. Because they believe in themselves and their abilities, they expect good things to happen. They see negative events as minor setbacks to be easily overcome, and view positive events as evidence of further good things to come.”

Always the skeptic, I kept trying to find out exactly why optimists have superior overall health. I found one possible explanation — one that makes sense to me. Julia Boehm, a postdoctoral research fellow at the Harvard School of Public Health co-authored a scientific review of this exact question: is optimism linked to a healthier heart, and why?

According to Dr. Boehm, “The evidence suggests that people who are happy and optimistic are more likely to engage in healthy behaviors, like doing physical activity, eating healthy foods and getting enough sleep. It also shows an association between positivity and measurable biological factors, like lower blood pressure and healthier lipid profiles.”

Well, that makes sense, but is it anything new? We have been told all along that engaging in healthy behaviors like eating healthy food, getting enough sleep, and exercising was exactly what we all need to do to maximize our health status.

Even the most optimistic person can find it challenging to be positive in this day and age of instantaneous news updates on the internet and constant exposure to various kinds of social media. My husband, a self-proclaimed pessimist, recommends focusing more attention on the positive things that are happening in your life with family and friends rather than monitoring someone else’s view of how the world stage is in seemingly constant conflict. In effect, simplify your life. Perhaps help brighten someone else’s day with an act of kindness. The reward will be positively amazing.