I wanted to share something that I received from our local hospice agency. They send out information to grieving family members, and I though this information was appropriate as it can impact all of us…not just those of us who have lost loved ones. So here is their list for First Aid for Your Mental Health.

• TALK IT OUT – Find a level headed person you can trust
• ESCAPE FOR A WHILE – Find a spot of peace and quiet
• WORK OFF YOUR ANGER – Pitch into exercise or hobbies
• GIVE IN OCCASIONALLY – Admit that you can
• DO SOMETHING FOR OTHERS – It takes your mind off yourself
• GIVE YOURSELF A PAT ON THE BACK FOR THE THINGS YOU DO WELL – But do not try to be perfect
• GO EASY WITH THE CRITICISM – others have virtues too
• MAKE YOURSELF AVAILABLE – often others are only waiting for you to make the first move
• SCHEDULE YOUR RECREATION – essential to good physical and mental heatlh
• TELL SOMEONE YOU CARE
• BE ABLE TO LAUGH AT YOURSELF – AND SMILE, SMILE, SMILE

My favorite…escape for awhile. I love the forest and the ocean…both of which are in great abundance where I live. What about you? What is your favorite on this list? How do you take care of yourself?

Heart disease kills an estimated 630,000 Americans each year. It’s the leading cause of death for both men and women.

In the United States, the most common type of heart disease is coronary artery disease (CAD), which can lead to a heart attack. You can greatly reduce your risk for CAD through lifestyle changes and, in some cases, medication.

But the good news is…in most cases, heart disease is optional!  You can absolutely lower your risk and even prevent the development of heart disease.  Whether you already have heart disease or not…you can control your disease, or even prevent disease from being part of your life by making some changes in your life. Here are a few tips:

• Watch your weight.
• Quit smoking and stay away from secondhand smoke.
• Control your cholesterol and blood pressure.
• If you drink alcohol, drink only in moderation.
• Get active and eat healthy.
• Talk to your doctor about taking aspirin every day if you are a man over the age of 45, or a woman past menopause.
• Manage stress.
• Eat vegetables, fruit, whole grains and lean proteins.
• Watch your portions

A healthy life can be yours, but you have to make the choice, and take the actions to make it so.

One of the questions I still hear in my practice is, “Why do I need to be concerned with my heart? Women don’t get heart disease like men”.  So, let’s talk about that for a moment.

The truth is heart disease is the #1 cause of death in women over the age of 50. About one in four women dies of heart disease. And the older we get, the more likely we will suffer from heart disease. While both men and women can suffer from heart attacks, we as women are more likely to die from them.

The good news is, most heart disease (and Type II Diabetes) is preventable and that’s what I try to focus on with my patients.  This is good news as more and more people are interested in how to prevent disease so they can live long healthy lives (not to mention, reduce their health care expenditures!).

Here are some steps you can take to reduce your risk of heart disease.

Know your blood pressure. High blood pressure has been called the silent killer for good reason.  Hypertension (high blood pressure), over a longer period of time, can damage the heart. Yet, most people don’t know they are walking about with hypertension. You want to make sure you are getting it checked regularly. It’s easy today with the availability of blood pressure cuffs you can use at the pharmacy. If you have readings above 130 on the top and 80 on the bottom, you’ll want to see your health care provider.

Still smoking? You need to quit. Not cut down…you need to quit. Smoking is a major cause of many illnesses and cancers – and it’s totally preventable. There is lots of assistance to be had, all you have to do is make the decision to quit. Check out www.smokefree.gov and www.quitnet.com

Maintain a healthy weight. Yes, I know it’s easier said than done, but it can be done. Start by adding more fruits, vegetables and whole grains to your diet. Get rid, as much as possible, of fast foods, fried foods, and “junk food”. At the same time, you’ll want to increase your physical activity with the goal of at least 30 minutes of walking daily.

Get tested. You’ve got to know your blood sugar level as well as your cholesterol. This should be a fasting test (water only for 10 hours before having your blood drawn) and should include a lipid panel (total cholesterol, good and bad cholesterol and triglyceride level) and a glucose (sugar) test. Abnormalities in these tests can increase your risk of heart disease.

Stressed? Stress can wreak all sorts of havoc in our bodies. While all of us have varying degrees of stress in our lives, we can learn to channel it and lower the effects on our bodies. Talk with your friends, keep a journal, exercise…whatever works for you is good.

Drink alcohol? You’ve got to limit the amounts you are drinking. Excessive alcohol use has been implicated in multiple issues that can contribute to heart disease. What are the healthy limits? One 12 ounce beer, one 5 ounce glass of wine, or one 1.5 ounce shot of hard liquor per day.

You can do this! While this sounds like a long to-do list, it’s easy to begin to incorporate some of these changes in your life.  Make it fun, get your families and friends involved and start reaping the benefits of a healthier life and healthier aging!

You’ve heard this all your life…”you are what you eat”. But often, we get confused about what we should be eating. While there is a lot of information available to us about healthy nutrition, it’s good to start with a few sound principals.

As a rule, people of all ages, who wish to be healthy may want to look at the portions of food we eat. You’ve heard of supersizing no doubt? You don’t have to supersize in order to be eating too much…you can do that just by having portions that are a bit larger than they should be.

Most people have “portion distortion”. Get a good reference book on the subject of portions (any diet or nutritional book) and start measuring your portions.

Yes, get out the measuring cup, the tablespoons and the scale. Do this until you relearn the proper amounts of food to eat. Check yourself periodically to make sure you are staying on target. You’ll be amazed with the results.

Eat organically as much as possible. Food today is loaded with hormones, pesticides, anti-bruise chemicals and the like. Simply washing your fruit may not get rid of the pesticides, and you certainly cannot get the hormones and antibiotics out of your meat. If you cannot grow it yourself (and know it’s clean) then consider purchasing foods that are certified as organic.

We, as whole human being, like to stay in balance as much as possible. I believe that much of our stress, much of our illness, and indeed a large part of aging is due to being out of balance. This principal holds true for our eating habits as well.

We need all components of nutrition. We need the fats (healthy fats), carbohydrates (complex carbohydrates) and the protein. Stay away from dietary recommendations that tell you to avoid “all fats” or “all carbohydrates”. You need all three. Balance.

Excerpt from Aging with Success, page 21-2.; (C) Barbara C. Phillips, NP

You know how if you look up in a grocery store, they will have signs that direct you to where the coffee, flour and cereal are? Well, in a store about an hour from me, I found the most amazing signs….”Nutritional Food”, “Natural Cereal” and “Nutritional Drink”.  This is a chain supermarket (and I’ll leave them un-named).

While, I don’t have to tell you that not all food is healthy, the fact that the grocer is now advertising this is telling. Truly…it’s time for the consumer to beware. If you are looking for foods that are nutritional, make sure you are in the correct aisles.

Seriously thought, learn to read the labels and check them for any products you buy. As much as possible, purchase plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables (no labels unless they say “organic”).  Of course, avoid prepared foods, excessive carbs/starches,  soda and sweets, or if you have to get them…make it the smallest amount you can. As always…fresh is likely better. I never heard of anyone going wrong with vegetables.

While food shopping can seem confusing, it seems stores such as the one I visited want to make it as easy as possible for consumers. I hope your local store has nutritional food as well.

When a new patient comes to my clinic, I ask them to list all their medications, including any over-the-counter medications, herbal and vitamin supplements they may be taking. Often times, they don’t know.

While I understand that it’s sometimes difficult to remember everything, I cannot tell you how important it is to your health and safety for you to know what you are taking and communicate that list to your own provider, the hospital or emergency personnel.

Let’s say you suddenly show up in the ER and are unconscious. Medical personal are not going to know what kind of medication you take or what your health problems are. This could be dangerous as they will be treating you somewhat blinded. As we all know, various medications should not be combined. But how will anyone know?

In our clinic, I have cards I give out to all my patients and encourage them to write down everything, each and every medication, and carry it with them at all times.

Here is a medication list I designed for you.  It has your information, your providers information, allergies and a place for you to list all your medications, why you are taking them, and how often. Feel free to download it, fill it out and carry it in your wallet or purse at all times. Keep it updated with new medications, or remove medications you are no longer taking.

Let me know how it works for you.

Our family has seen a lot of death. My father when I was 16, two of my sisters before age 40, multiple aunts, uncles, cousins, Mom’s second husband, and several pets. For years, Mom and I talked about what she wanted at end of life. I was her Power of Attorney for both health care and business matters. She was very clear about how it needed to be. And her desire included Hospice.

Just slightly over 2 weeks ago, it was clear to me that it was time. In the weeks leading up to this, she had made several statements to the staff at the assisted living facility that she was tired. Though she spoke of having Mincemeat Pie for Thanksgiving desert, her future talk went no further.

She was losing weight and her desire to live when she suffered what appeared to be her 2nd compression fracture (she wanted to xrays, no hospitals). Clearly she was in a lot of pain and had resisted using what she called “dope”. When I suggested it was time to call Hospice, her only concern is that she would have to leave her apartment (which she did not have to).

Hospice arrived the next day and felt that Mom probably had a few more week. However, Mom had other plans and less than 24 hours later, she slipped away very peacefully and comfortably.

What happened? Calling in hospice, as we had previously talked about, gave her the permission to let go when she was ready. I’m not sure what she was holding on for, but I believe even the idea that I would call Hospice let her know, that I “knew” and it would be okay.

If you have not talked with her family members about end of life issues do so now. It’s the best gift a family can give one another…the assurance that you will be able to follow through with end of life wishes.

Sometimes you just gotta laugh at yourself and enjoy.

Binge drinking has become nearly synonymous with college students, but a study out today shows a significant, worrisome level of binge drinking among those age 50 to 64 as well.

Working with the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, Duke University researchers report that 22% of men and 9% of women ages 50 to 64 engaged in binge drinking — five or more drinks at a time — within the past month of the survey. The research, based on a survey of 11,000 men and women that took place in 2005 and 2006, is reported today in the American Journal of Psychiatry.

The survey also found that 19% of the men and 13% of the women had two or more drinks a day, considered heavy or “at-risk” drinking under American Geriatric Society guidelines for older people.

Dan Blazer, the study’s lead author and a professor of psychiatry and behavioral science at Duke, says that level of drinking places the older group at more of a health risk than younger counterparts.

“They don’t metabolize alcohol as quickly, they may be on medications, or they may have some health problems that alcohol may contribute to,” Blazer says. “On average, if a young person drinks five beers and an older person drinks five beers, the older person is almost certainly going to have more difficulty.”

Read the rest of the story here.