WELLNESS SOURCE

7 Hidden Heart Attack Symptoms in Women

2012-07-16T16:13:00.003-04:00

7 Hidden Heart Attack Symptoms in Women

Poor Sleep? Heartburn? It Might Be a Sign of Something More Serious

7 Surprising Symptoms

You know the classic Hollywood image of a heart attack: A man clutches his chest and falls to the ground. But a heart attack typically looks far subtler in a woman, with a constellation of symptoms -- including fatigue, heartburn, indigestion, sudden dizziness, and troubled sleep -- that develop over hours, days, or even weeks. It's tempting to write off these signs as "nothing, really," but the more of them you have, the more likely you're suffering a heart attack. If you suspect you're having a heart attack, call 911 immediately.

Plagued by Fatigue?

Fatigue is a common complaint, and one that may indicate you're missing out on sleep, fighting a virus, overextending yourself, or experiencing a side effect due to medication. Unusual or extreme fatigue, however, may also be an early heart attack symptom or a warning sign of heart disease. In one study, more than 70% of the women surveyed experienced marked fatigue in the days or weeks prior to their heart attacks.

Troubled Sleep

It's not unusual to feel tired due to lack of sleep or a demanding week or month, but take notice of any unusual or prolonged disturbance in your sleep patterns. A recent study revealed that almost half of the women who had recently suffered a heart attack also experienced sleep disturbances in the days or weeks leading up to their attacks.

Shortness of Breath

Having trouble taking a deep breath but don't think you have asthma? Unexplained, severe shortness of breath during normal daily activities is one of the most common early heart attack symptoms in women, as is coughing.

Heartburn and Indigestion

When it comes to heartburn, a rich meal isn't always to blame. Nearly 40% of women who have had a heart attack say they experienced heartburn or indigestion shortly before the attack. Heart attack symptoms in women may also include unexplained nausea or vomiting. Women are twice as likely as men to experience gastrointestinal problems when having a heart attack.

Unexplained Anxiety

More than one-third of women experience unexplained anxiety as an early heart attack symptom. Yep, a heart attack can mimic a panic attack. Unfortunately, this can delay lifesaving treatment. Feeling anxious for no reason at all? Call for help, pronto.

Widespread Pain

Although sudden chest pain is considered a classic heart attack symptom, only about 30% of women report having chest pain. Women also report pain or discomfort in other areas of the body before or during a heart attack. Pressure, tightness, aching, or burning in your upper back, neck, shoulders, and arms -- or even in your jaw or throat -- can indicate a heart attack. Women have also described their chest pain as sharpness, fullness, or tingling.

Dizziness and Sweating

Nearly 40% of women suffering a heart attack say they feel dizzy or light-headed. Another 40% also break out in a cold sweat. It's easy to write off both as symptoms of menopause, but sudden dizziness can also be a symptom of stroke, so check with your doctor to be safe.

Know Your Heart Disease Risks

How do you know if your symptoms signal a heart attack? Get into the habit of noting your typical aches and pains and your normal reactions to foods and activities so you can recognize when something is truly amiss. If you have heart disease risk factors, such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, obesity, diabetes, a smoking habit, or a sedentary lifestyle, be especially careful about monitoring how you feel. Alert your doctor if you experience unusual fatigue, changes in your sleep habits, or other subtle heart attack symptoms.

Recommended Blood Glucose Levels

2012-07-15T12:07:00.004-04:00

We talk about carbs and diabetic diet info here, but we haven’t really covered the recommended blood glucose levels before. You can’t be on a low carb diabetic diet without having a target in mind, so knowing what your blood sugar should be is a pretty critical component in the overall picture. To get started, let’s talk about what types of blood glucose readings you will take, and then what those should be.

Fasting Blood Glucose

One of the two times to measure blood sugar is first thing in the morning, before you eat or drink anything. This is called your fasting blood glucose, and the recommended blood glucose levels for fasting are anything below 100. If your blood sugar reading is 101-125, you have prediabetes. A fasting blood glucose level of 126 or more is a diagnosis of diabetes. Experts are starting to discount the accuracy of a fasting blood glucose reading, though it used to be the first indication of blood sugar control issues. Now, the recommendation is the postprandial reading.

Instead of fasting blood sugar readings, try following the recommended blood glucose levels in a postprandial test. Postprandial simply means after eating, and is typically taken at one or two hours after a meal. The one hour reading is slightly more accurate, and has the added bonus of being easier to remember! For the postprandial reading, aim for anything under 140. 141-199 is prediabetes, and a reading of 200 at any time of day is enough to warrant a diagnosis of diabetes.

Recommended blood glucose levels have been determined after extensive research. While it can be tempting to fudge the numbers or discount a slightly elevated reading, if you get a reading in the prediabetes or diabetes range, you need to stop what you’re doing right now and work to improve your blood sugar control. It really is that serious. Prediabetes can actually be reversed, giving you a second chance at a healthy life, so pay attention to those recommended blood glucose levels and stay healthy!

How Do I Calculate Glycemic Index on Foods?

2012-07-15T12:02:00.001-04:00

How Do I Calculate Glycemic Index on Foods?

The Glycemic Index, though making great advances all the time, does not have information on all foods out there. For that reason, many people are wondering if there is a way to calculate Glycemic Index numbers on the foods they can’t find online.
The short answer to this question is, no, you can’t calculate Glycemic Index on your own. This is because to assign a Glycemic Index rating to a food, it must be control tested in a laboratory, with blood sugar monitored regularly to see how foods affect blood sugar. The University of Sydney, home of the Glycemic Index, calculates Glycemic Index by giving a measured portion of a food to 10 or more people and measuring their blood sugar. They assign a rating based on how the food compares to the standard, white bread, which has a GI rating of 100.

The best thing you can do is use common sense when deciding to eat a food, and then measure your own body’s response to the food. The Glycemic Index is a helpful guideline, but the best information comes from knowing your own body. We all respond differently to foods, so while one person may be able to get away with a white potato now and again, eating that same food may cause a spike in blood sugar for you.
By testing and recording your results on different foods, you will have no need to calculate the Glycemic Index of foods, because you will have one better than that – your own research.
For foods that are already tested and assigned a calculated Glycemic Index rating, visit http://glycemicindex.com/ to find the GI rating. More foods are added all the time, so keep checking back if your food is not listed, and remember, the best answers will come from your own body.

The Master List of Low Carb Snacks for Low Carb Diets, Diabetes and Gestational Diabetes

2012-07-15T11:53:00.004-04:00

The Master List of Low Carb Snacks for Low Carb Diets, Diabetes and Gestational Diabetes

Looking for a list of low carb snacks to give you some ideas? This list will be frequently updated as I come across more snack ideas that work for low carb diets, gestational diabetes and diabetic diets. Since most of us don’t have time or the inclination to cook elaborate snacks, most of these can be thrown together in a matter of a few minutes. If the snack item on the list requires a recipe, the name of the snack will link to its corresponding recipe.

Low Carb Snacks on the Go

· Honey roasted peanuts

· Parmesan cheese crisps

Low Carb Snacks under 100 Calories

When you just don’t want to think about your snack, the 100 calorie packs are a great option. These are also excellent low carb snacks on the go since you can just pop them in your lunch box and head to work or school.

· Lorna Doone Shortbread Cookie Crisps 16g carbs

· Yogurt Covered Pretzels 16g carbs

· Milk Chocolate Covered Pretzels 16g carbs

· Ritz Snack Mix 100 Calorie Pack 16g carbs

· Oreo Cookie Crisps 100 Calorie Pack 16g carbs

· Wheat Thins 100 Calorie Pack 16g carbs

· Cheese Nips 100 Calorie Pack 14g carbs

· Planters Peanut Butter Cookie Crisps 100 Calorie Pack 17g carbs

· Chips Ahoy! 100 Calorie Pack 18g carbs

Low Sugar Low Carb Snacks

· Sugar free pudding cups – Jell-o makes great chocolate, chocolate/vanilla and some mixes such as banana cream and bavarian cream, all under 15 carb

Low Carb Snacks for Kids

· Fruit and cheese kabobs

· Cheese and meat rolls

· Ants on a log (celery with peanut butter and raisins)

· Bananas with peanut butter

· Pizza stackers (crackers topped with cheese, pepperoni and sliced olives)

· Yogurt with granola

· Mixed nuts with raisins

· Low carb quesadillas (regular quesadillas on low carb tortillas)

· Popcorn sprinkled with Parmesan cheese

Crunchy Low Carb Snacks

· Rice cakes

· Parmesan cheese crisps

Salty Low Carb Snacks

· Ritz crackers topped with cream cheese and bacon bits

Low Carb Vegetables

· Celery sticks with peanut butter

· Mixed veggies dipped in hummus

· Cucumber slices with seasoning salt, ranch dressing or dip of your choice

· Steamed broccoli and cauliflower with butter, salt and melted Cheddar cheese

· Carrot sticks in ranch, hummus, sour cream dip or Greek yogurt

· Mixed veggies dipped in Greek yogurt

· Pickles with peanut butter

Low Carb Fruits

· Apple slices with cheese slices

· Apple slices dipped in peanut butter

· Apple slices dipped in cream cheese

Bedtime Snacks

· Small bowl of cereal with milk

· Cup of milk with graham crackers

High Protein Low Carb Snacks

· Cottage cheese with lemon pepper

· String cheese dipped in spaghetti or pizza sauce

· Cheese slices with summer sausage, optionally dipped in Grey Poupon

· Cheese and crackers

· Boiled eggs dipped in salt

· Peanut butter and crackers

· High fiber toast with peanut butter (one of my favorite breakfast foods)

· Kashi TLC crackers with peanut butter (it’s so good it’s like dessert)

Americans need to try harder to eat fruits, vegetables

2012-07-12T11:28:00.001-04:00

Great article from USA Today...

No one said eating enough fruits and vegetables was going to be a piece of cake — even if you're giving it your best shot.

The majority of Americans say they've been trying to eat more fruits and vegetables over the past year, according to a poll of 1,057 adults for the International Food Information Council Foundation.

But most people are consuming less than half of what the government recommends. Kids and adults eat an average of a little more than a cup of vegetables a day and a little more than half a cup of fruit, according to the latest data from the NPD Group, a market research firm. Those numbers don't count french fries but do include other types of potatoes, such as baked and mashed.

How much is enough?

How many cups you should eat is based on your calorie intake, according to the government's dietary guidelines. Anyone who consumes 2,000 calories a day is supposed to eat 2½ cups of vegetables and two cups of fruit a day. A person who takes in about 1,400 calories a day should have about 1½ cups of fruits and the same amount of vegetables.

"Children 2 through 12 and their parents are inching up in the amount they consume, but unfortunately, teens and the elderly are bringing the averages down," says Elizabeth Pivonka, president and CEO of the Produce for Better Health Foundation, a non-profit nutrition education group.

The reason for the push for an increased intake of fruits and vegetables is they are loaded with vitamins, minerals, fiber, antioxidants and other compounds that help fight disease, she says.

But can anyone really eat three to 4½ cups from these two food groups each day?

Pivonka says every little bit counts: raisins in cereal, frozen berries in smoothies, vegetables in soup, tomato sauce on spaghetti, beans in chili, veggies on sandwiches, 100% fruit juices.

In general, one cup of raw or cooked vegetables or vegetable juice, or two cups of raw leafy greens, counts as one cup from the vegetable group. One cup (or one piece) of fruit or 100% fruit juice, or half a cup of dried fruit, is considered one cup from the fruit group. So if you eat an apple or banana, that counts as one cup of fruit for the day; a medium side salad could equal about one cup of vegetables.

An easy way to reach the recommended amount is to make half your plate fruits and vegetables at every meal, as suggested by the government's MyPlate icon (choosemy plate.gov), says Rachel Begun, a registered dietitian and spokeswoman for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, formerly the American Dietetic Association: "This is a visual that's easy to remember."

Do the shopping

To eat enough from these two food groups, you need to make sure your fridge and freezer are well-stocked, which may mean grocery shopping one or two times a week, says Dawn Jackson Blatner, a registered dietitian in Chicago.

"I like to buy pre-washed containers of leafy greens, trays of assorted cut veggies and bags of frozen vegetables for later in the week when my fresh produce is gone."

She also likes to have leftover grilled veggies in the refrigerator in the spring and summer and roasted vegetables in the winter and fall.

Cooking vegetables, including grilling or roasting them, often helps bring out natural flavors and sweetness, Blatner says.

Consider the options

When people tell her they don't like vegetables, Pivonka tells them that there are hundreds of different fruits and vegetables that can be prepared in thousands of different ways. "My daughter was 10 years old before I discovered that she liked cooked carrots instead of raw carrots."

She says her group often hears from consumers who are concerned about cost. A government study showed you can eat the recommended daily amount of fruits and vegetables for $2 to $2.50 a day. "It's really a matter of priorities and how you spend your money," she says. "You can skip the soda when you eat out, and you've saved enough money to buy all your fruits and vegetables for the day."

When it comes to both price and taste, it's often best to eat produce that's in season, Begun says:

"There's a world of difference between a tomato from a local farm in late summer vs. one in January that was picked before its time and flown thousands of miles."

15 Myths and Surprising Facts about Your Heart!

2012-07-12T08:02:00.001-04:00

Confused by the news about heart health? We decided to explore the science behind the headlines and to explain clearly but completely the evidence supporting a plan for your heart health.” Here, are 15 claims to help you get to the heart of the matter.

The Claim: Going to the Doc Can Raise Your Blood Pressure

The Truth: For many of us, a visit to the doctor causes emotional stress, and your body releases adrenaline and other hormones into your bloodstream, increasing blood pressure. We call this doctor-induced increase in blood pressure “white coat hypertension.”

If your doctor determines that you have high blood pressure, make sure that this is not simply white coat hypertension. Buy your own blood pressure monitor and check your pressure at home under less stressful conditions. If your resting blood pressure at home is normal (120/80 or less), you have white coat hypertension. If you have white coat hypertension, however, stay on top of your blood pressure (frequent blood pressure checks, exercise, and good diet) to limit your chance of developing real hypertension in the future.

The Claim: Red Meat Is Black-Listed

The Truth: Red meat is relatively high in saturated fat, and as a result, it gets a bad rap. The most important point is to distinguish between processed and unprocessed products. Compared to unprocessed meats, processed meats have similar contents of saturated fat and cholesterol. The key difference is that they have four times as much sodium and 50 percent more nitrates and nitrites. The sodium can increase blood pressure, while the nitrates may promote atherosclerosis and diabetes.

In general, limit all red meats because of their high saturated fat content and try to avoid processed red meats. An occasional meal that contains a reasonable quantity of unprocessed red meat (a 6- to 8-ounce steak, not a 22-ounce rib eye) is unlikely to cause harm.

The Claim: Your Friends Can Make You Fat

The Truth: Researchers from Harvard Medical School addressed this question, examining the spread of obesity in a large social network over a thirty-two-year period. They found that obesity tended to occur in clusters, and examination of these clusters of obese people confirmed that obesity is socially contagious. A person’s risk of becoming obese increased by nearly 60 percent if he or she had a friend who became obese over the course of the study. Similarly, a sibling or spouse becoming obese resulted in a 40 percent chance that other siblings or the other spouse would also become obese. This obesity effect was transmitted over long distances—friends separated by thousands of miles had the same influence as those who lived next door.

The Claim: Sex Is Exercise

The Truth: It depends on what you do and for how long. On average (and of course none of us wants to lay claim to being average), sex lasts for five to fifteen minutes and consumes about as much energy as walking one mile in twenty minutes. The younger and more vigorous among us may double or even triple this figure, reaching the threshold of vigorous exercise. Alas, these people are the exception. So can we make an argument for sex, heart-wise? The answer is probably yes. A healthy sex life correlates with a healthy heart.

The Claim: Hormone Replacement Therapy Will Protect Your Heart

The Truth: Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) should not be used to protect the heart. But careful analysis reveals that HRT poses little to no risk when used for short periods (six months) by women who are within ten years of menopause. In these women, HRT is effective at relieving hot flashes and night sweats. In contrast, in older women and those more than ten years from menopause, HRT is riskier——it increases the likelihood of heart attack and death from heart disease.

The Claim: Eggs Are Off-Limits

The Truth: Everybody knows that eggs contain cholesterol, and it is widely believed that eating foods rich in cholesterol leads to heart disease. Ergo, we should not eat eggs, right? Not exactly. Today we understand that most people can have one to three eggs per week. Eighty percent of your body’s cholesterol is made by your liver, with diet contributing only about 20 percent. Among dietary factors, saturated fats and trans fats have a greater impact on blood cholesterol levels than does dietary cholesterol. This is not a reason to fill your meals with cholesterol, but it does mean that you can keep eggs in your diet.

The Claim: Video Games Can Make You Fit

The Truth: One creative way to get your daily dose of exercise is to play games on the Wii. One-third of the activities in the Wii sports video and fitness packages require enough energy expenditure to qualify them as moderate-intensity exercise. Golf and bowling involve only low-level exertion, but you can work up a real sweat on the Wii with boxing and tennis. The benefits of Wii and similar systems may extend even beyond the heart. Recent studies show that games that require strategic thinking boost both heart rate and cognitive abilities and memory. So, no matter what your age, you can spice up your exercise routine by including action video games in your program.

The Claim: To Get Fit Fast, Vary Your Exercise Pace

The Truth: Once reserved for competitive athletes, interval training is a real option for all of us. With this approach, you can squeeze your workouts into shorter time periods, and possibly derive even greater benefits from them. The principle of aerobic interval training is to vary the intensity of your activity, alternating periods of strenuous exertion with periods of recovery. For the runner, this may mean alternating four-minute sprints with three-minute walks, using the walk to recover from the heavier exertion. Nearly every aerobic activity can be approached in this fashion. Compared to standard, steady exercise, interval training produces greater increases in endurance, oxygen use and general fitness. In addition, studies show that interval training has beneficial effects on body weight and blood pressure.

The Claim: You Have to Be in the “Zone” to Get a Good Workout

The Truth: You don’t have to use some arbitrary percentage of your maximum calculated heart rate to guide your workouts. The truth is that you can have an excellent workout at both relatively low and relatively high heart rates, depending upon your exercise regimen and your own personal cardiac characteristics. Tailor your workout to how you feel, and make sure that you exert yourself—evidence of a good workout will be obvious as the sweat begins to flow. The real key to exercising effectively is to make sure that you are exercising consistently. As one researcher noted, the most important calculation related to exercise is not your maximum heart rate; it’s determining where in your busy schedule you can fit a daily workout.

The Claim: You Can Die of a Broken Heart

The Truth: In 2005, Johns Hopkins researchers stunned the American public with their description of a condition called stress cardiomyopathy, a potentially life-threatening heart problem brought about by intense emotion. Hopkins doctors studied nineteen people who suffered acute chest pain and catastrophic heart failure after sudden emotional stress. The most common precipitating event was death of a loved one, but in two cases the life-threatening event was a surprise party. This understanding of “broken heart syndrome” represents our best scientific evidence of a biochemical link between emotional stress and heart disease. Interestingly, almost all of the patients with stress cardiomyopathy were women. We don’t yet understand why women may be more vulnerable than men. But we do know that this story has a happy ending: all of the patients recovered.

The Claim: Exercise is Dangerous for Heart Patients

The Truth: Nearly all heart patients can benefit from exercise, and this holds true for patients with heart failure and heart damage. The benefits of aerobic exercise are actually not related to a direct effect on the heart. Aerobic exercise works by increasing muscle efficiency, improving the ability of the body’s muscles to extract oxygen from the blood. Patients with congestive heart failure usually have reduced exercise capacity, and this obviously makes it harder to exercise. Our advice is to do whatever you must to find the motivation to exercise. The keys to safety and success are to start aerobic exercise slowly and to increase gradually. Walking is the ideal form of aerobic exercise for the heart failure patient.

The Claim: Hot Tubs Can Hurt Your Heart

The Truth: Staying in a hot tub or sauna for too long can certainly cause severe dehydration and dangerous fluid and electrolyte problems. But a ten-minute session in the hot tub or sauna will not hurt you or your heart. Hot tubs and saunas do not cause heart attacks or heart problems or interfere with cardiac pacemakers. As you enter the sauna or immerse yourself in the hot tub, blood vessels near the skin dilate (enlarge), causing a slight drop in blood pressure; this is rarely dangerous. You can minimize the impact of this blood pressure change by getting in and out slowly, which gives your body a moment to adjust to the temperature change.

The Claim: A Stretch a Day Keeps the Heart Doc Away

The Truth: While American studies of work-related stress and heart disease focus primarily on the quality of the work environment, others have examined the relationship between the quantity of work and heart health. In one recent British study, researchers found that employees working three or more overtime hours per day substantially increased their risk of heart-related problems over a ten-year period. The risk was particularly high among overtime workers with low decision-making capability and high job strain. While the study did not tease out the cause of increased heart disease among overtime workers, researchers noted that employees who worked longer hours were more likely to smoke, had less favorable cholesterol profiles, and had less time for leisure-time exercise than their co-workers.

The Claim: You Can Be “Fat and Fit”

The Truth: A small but vocal cadre of doctors believes that obesity and heart health are not mutually exclusive. They use the term “metabolically healthy obese” to refer to people who are obese but who do not have changes in standard cardiac risk factors, suggesting that these people have nothing to worry about. However, recent, careful studies in this group demonstrate that they face an increased risk of developing heart disease when compared to metabolically healthy people of normal weight. The message here is clear: excess weight is a real and independent risk factor for heart disease even when other standard risk factors are absent. Don’t be lulled into a false sense of security if your weight is high but your cholesterol is normal.

The Claim: You Can be Worked to Death

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Fake Sweeteners Might Help Keep Pounds Off

2012-07-11T16:18:00.004-04:00

Action Points

· The American Heart Association (AHA) has previously concluded that limiting added sugars is an important strategy for supporting optimal nutrition and healthy weights.

· This new statement from the AHA and the American Diabetes Association (ADA) indicates that there are some data to suggest that noncaloric sweeteners may be used in a structured diet to replace sources of added sugars and that this substitution may result in modest energy intake reductions and weight loss.

Can artificial sweeteners help people reach and maintain a healthy body weight?

Maybe, according to two major medical societies:

A scientific statement issued by the American Heart Association and the American Diabetes Association concluded that using non-nutritive sweeteners could cut down on added sugars and therefore lead to beneficial effects.

But an extensive literature search found sketchy, limited, and often contradictory evidence, researchers concluded in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association and Diabetes Care.

"Smart use of non-nutritive sweeteners could help you reduce added sugars in your diet, therefore lowering the number of calories you eat," said lead author Christopher Gardner, PhD, of Stanford University in Palo Alto, Calif.

That reduction "could help you attain and maintain a healthy body weight, and thereby lower your risk of heart disease and diabetes," Gardner said in a statement.

But any beneficial effects, the researchers noted, could be undone if people "compensate" for the calorie cuts by eating more high-calorie foods – drinking a diet soda, for example, and then having an extra piece of cake later.

A high intake of dietary sugars has been shown to contribute to cardiovascular disease and obesity, which can lead to the development of diabetes. In 2009, the American Heart Association recommended a population-wide cutback in added sugars in foods, urging that women eat no more than 100 calories a day and men no more than 150 calories daily of added sugars.

For this analysis, the researchers looked at studies of the non-nutritive sweeteners aspartame, acesulfame-K, neotame, saccharin, sucralose, and stevia.

Few studies have looked directly at whether non-nutritive sweeteners can replace added sugars in the diet, the researchers found, although there are data about their effects on such things as obesity and cardiovascular disease.

But those data are inconclusive. In several studies, use of the substances was associated with unwanted outcomes, such as obesity, presumably because of reverse causation – those using the sweeteners were doing so because they already were overweight.

On the other hand, some people might clearly benefit from drinks and foods that replace sugar with non-nutritive sweeteners, according to co-author Diane Reader, RD, of the International Diabetes Center in Minneapolis, Minn.

"For example, soft drinks sweetened with non-nutritive sweeteners do not increase blood glucose levels, and thus can provide a sweet option for those with diabetes," Reader said in a statement.

But she cautioned that "just because a food product includes a non-nutritive sweetener" does not mean that it is healthy.

Reader added that non-nutritive sweeteners can be an important part of controlling carbohydrate intake in order to manage weight and control diabetes.

The researchers noted that the effect of non-nutritive sweeteners has to be considered in the context of the overall diet.

"Strategies for reducing calories and added sugars also involve choosing foods which have no added sugars or non-nutritive sweeteners – such as vegetables, fruits, high-fiber whole grains, and non- or low-fat dairy," Gardner said.

What benefit is cinnamon in type 2 diabetes?

2012-07-10T16:39:00.003-04:00

Reports about the possible benefits of cinnamon for people who have type 2 diabetes have been circulating for years, and not all of them have been positive. A new study from China, however, bears some sweet news and lends support to the research on the positive side of the issue.

A research team from Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, led by Yan Chen, set out to determine if supplements of cinnamon extract could help control blood sugar (glucose) and triglycerides in people with type 2 diabetes. The investigators used a water extract of cinnamon rather than whole or ground cinnamon.

The randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study involved 66 individuals with type 2 diabetes who were assigned to one of three groups: placebo, 120 mg of cinnamon supplement daily, or 360 mg daily for three months. All the participants were also taking the antidiabetic drug gliclazide, a sulfonylurea like glipizide and glyburide.

After three months, fasting blood glucose levels were significantly lower in patients who took cinnamon: an average of 1.01 mmol/L in the low-dose group and 1.62 mmol/L in the high-dose group. No change was observed in the placebo group.

Triglyceride levels also were significantly lower in the low-dose group by an average of 0.78 mmol/L, but only slightly lower in the high-dose group.

Based on their findings, the researchers proposed "that cinnamon be considered a promising supplement for the therapy of type 2 diabetes when hyperglycemia cannot be satisfactorily controlled by other strategies such as diet, exercise, and prescribed medication." They also noted that "the effect of cinnamon on blood glucose control is likely dependent on the form of cinnamon used for the patients," and that the "different extraction methods might affect the efficacy of cinnamon." Some studies, however, have seen good results with other forms of cinnamon.

Other studies of cinnamon in type 2 diabetes
A meta-analysis conducted at the University of California-Davis included eight clinical studies of the impact of whole cinnamon and cinnamon extract on people with type 2 diabetes or pre-diabetics. The authors reported that both types of cinnamon use resulted in a statistically significant decline in fasting blood glucose. In a more recent meta-analysis, this one from the University of West London, investigators examined the impact of cinnamon on glycemic control in patients with type 2 diabetes. Six randomized controlled trials with a total of 435 patients were considered.

Overall, the reviewers found that use of cinnamon resulted in a significant decrease in mean hemoglobin A1c and mean fasting plasma glucose. They concluded that cinnamon had a good effect on glycemic control and that the short-term effects looked "promising."

As always, more research is needed to better determine the role of cinnamon in managing this growing epidemic. The most recent study provides some sweet news for individuals with type 2 diabetes who are looking for natural ways, like cinnamon, to help them with this task.

Exercise and a Smart Diet Are the Dynamic Duo to Lose Weight

2012-07-09T18:47:00.004-04:00

You may have noticed that exercise alone isn't enough for most of us to lose weight. Even on the TV show "The Biggest Loser," for which contestants exercise for hours and hours a day, contestants still need to use portion control to reach their goals. Still, physical activity is important if you want to reach and maintain a healthy weight because, by the same token, diet alone doesn't give you the muscle tone, endurance, and aerobic capacity that exercise does. In fact, diet alone may increase visceral fat (belly fat) and boost your risk of disease. But combining the two? Like Batman and Robin, this dynamic duo is much better together.

Here's the latest news: Eating right helps your body handle potentially damaging particles called free radicals that are generated when you exercise. In a recent, headline-grabbing study, people who munched watercress daily had an easier time processing these free radicals after a session on a treadmill than those who skipped the leafy green.

Free radicals created by a moderate amount of physical activity, such as a daily, half-hour walk, are actually helpful. Physical activity switches on your cells' antioxidant defenses, increasing their ability to neutralize free radicals, which keeps your cells healthier -- possibly the main health benefit of physical activity. Leafy veggies, such as watercress, kale, spinach, and turnip greens, help out because they contain flavonoids that, along with physical activity, increase your natural antioxidant defenses.

No matter how you exercise, combining good nutrition with regular workouts makes your heart and lungs fitter, and your bones and muscles stronger. It also lowers your risk for everything from diabetes and cancer to plus-size, elastic-waist pants.

Greens aren't the only edibles you should pair with your comfy socks and running shoes. Here's the lowdown on three more nutrients that belong in your diet:

1. Protein: Strength-training with resistance bands, dumbbells, and hand weights, those fancy machines at the gym, or even moves that use your own body weight -- is necessary to maintain and build muscle, as is eating enough protein -- something up to one in three men and two in five women don't do. Nuts, whole grains, fish, skinless chicken, beans, low-fat or nonfat dairy, and egg whites are all great protein sources. To build muscle, it helps to get some protein within an hour of doing resistance exercise. You need about 0.5 grams of protein a day for every pound you weigh (about 75 grams if you weigh 150 pounds).

2. Calcium: Strength-training and weight-bearing exercise, such as walking, running, taking the stairs, lunges, and squats, put good stress on bones and help keep your skeleton sturdy, but from your spine to the tiniest bones in your toes, your frame also needs calcium. Half of us don't get enough of this important mineral, and even more don't get enough vitamin D3, which is necessary for calcium to do its work. You need 1,000 mg of calcium (1,200 mg if you're 60-plus), and 1,000 IU of D3 (1,200 if you're 60-plus) daily. Start with veggies, such as kale and collards (you might consider nonfat dairy or milk substitutes), and add a supplement -- especially necessary for D3 -- if you're not hitting your goals.

3. Good fats: A sharper brain is one of the most amazing benefits of regular exercise. Moving not only encourages the growth of new cells in your noggin, it also nudges these cells to form new connections -- essentially lowering your risk for cognitive decline as you age. Add great fats (especially DHA omega-3s) and good fats, such as olive oil, canola oil, walnuts, avocados, salmon, and trout, to a pre- or post-exercise diet and you'll help keep your mind younger.

Hit the Snooze Button to Lose Weight

2012-07-06T10:22:00.003-04:00

Hit the Snooze Button to Lose Weight

Hit that snooze button and sleep in a little later tomorrow. It's one of the best kept secrets to dieting success.

Yep, according to research, getting enough sleep (8 or more hours every single night) helps your body burn more fat when you're dieting. Maybe you should head to bed earlier, too, for good measure.

Sleep Tight, Melt Fat
In a small study, getting less than the optimal amount of sleep each night had detrimental effects on a group of dieters. After 2 weeks, the dieters who had spent a mere 5.5 hours sleeping each night lost 55 percent less body fat compared with the dieters who spent 8.5 hours snoozing nightly. And here's the really big surprise. Not only did the light sleepers burn less body fat, but also their weight loss efforts carved away substantially more lean body mass than did similar efforts by the good sleepers. Not good, because muscle helps keep your metabolism fired up, so you naturally burn more calories throughout the day.

Hoarding Fuel
But that's not all. The short-duration sleepers also had higher levels of ghrelin in their system -- a hormone that induces hunger. And it seems that extra ghrelin triggered an energy-starved body to retain fat and calories rather than burn them. Interestingly, both groups of dieters lost the same amount of weight. But given the difference in muscle loss and appetite hormones as well as in calorie burning, it's easy to speculate that the good sleepers are better set up for long-term weight loss success.

Sleep deprivation interferes with appetite-suppressing hormones, increases stress hormone levels, and decreases a person's glucose tolerance, all of which may contribute to weight gain. Another way sleep loss may help pile on the pounds: late-night munching. Go to bed and get up at the same time each day to help achieve sounder sleep.

Although more research is needed to confirm the link between sleep and weight, getting 6 to 8 hours of sleep per night can make your Real Age as much as 3 years younger and help improve your mood. Overweight and obese adults are more likely to report skimping on sleep compared to people with healthy body mass indexes. Expending more calories than you take in is the simple science behind any successful weight-loss program. The best way to do this is to eat a healthy, reduced-calorie diet and boost the amount of time you spend exercising. Other habits may boost your weight loss efforts or hamper them. For example, skimping on sleep negatively alters levels of hormones involved in carbohydrate metabolism and appetite control, which may contribute to weight gain. And living a hectic, high-stress lifestyle may make it harder for you to focus on your health and may increase the likelihood that you'll make poor food choices and skip your exercise routine. Set yourself up for success by living a balanced lifestyle, in addition to balancing calorie intake and expenditure

Don't skip meals. It's a setup for dieting disaster.

Foods to Avoid in Your Healthy Meal Plans to Lose Weight while you learn how to significantly improve you cholesterol, blood pressure, inflammatory and blood glucose...and you will learn how healthier weight follows: http://tinyurl.com/746c6vs

Tired of Insomnia? 4 Ways to Get Better Sleep Without Medication

2012-07-06T10:09:00.002-04:00

Trouble getting more than three days of restful sleep a week for three out of four weeks; drove Michael Jackson to desperate measures. If it's driving you there too, you're not alone. Sixty-six million North Americans a year have frequent or extended bouts of sleeplessness. We’re here to help -- and not in a drug sort of way.

Insomnia falls into two categories: acute and chronic.

Acute insomnia (also called transient, situational, or adjustment insomnia) is caused by temporary events or circumstances that usually resolve within a few weeks on their own. These may include any of the following:

· Temporary noise disturbance, such as that caused by a jackhammer, lawn mower, or crying baby

· Short-term pain, such as a tender throat or sore muscles

· Temporary anxiety, such as short-term work, family, or financial worries

· Jet lag

Chronic insomnia persists for at least a month and usually requires treatment. The condition may be due to any of the following:

· Underlying mood disorders, such as depression or anxiety

· Chronic stress

· Chronic illness

· Long-term use of sleeping pills or alcohol

· Aging

· Shift work

· Medical problems, such as chronic pain or overactive bladder

· Primary sleep disorders, such as sleep apnea or restless legs syndrome

To work through your insomnia, - a very successful program at ClevelandClinicWellness.com GO! to Sleep -- suggests that you:

Exercise regularly. Walking 30 minutes a day relieves stress and helps you sleep. But not too close to bedtime! We aim for 10,000 steps, so buy a pedometer and get walking -- early in the day. If you love waking up with a smile on your face and saying, "Wowie, I just had an amazing night's sleep," here's a great way to get it more often: Exercise early in the day.

That's right. You've probably heard that exercise is important for deeper, more refreshing slumber. Totally true. A workout helps you nod off faster than some sleep drugs do (and it's way healthier!). Fit in some physical activity and you'll also have fewer of those annoying 3 a.m. wake-ups.)

Conventional wisdom says that ending a workout 3 hours before bedtime is early enough to let your body and mind settle in for the night. But brain scans (can't argue with those!) show that morning exercise is even better. Compared with midday or early evening workouts, hitting the pavement, the pool, or the bike around 7 a.m. will help you spend 75% more time in deep sleep and let you cycle through the four stages of sleep more often. That's important because you need to hit all the sleep stages several times a night to keep your energy level high, your mind sharp, and your body lookin' good.)

Of course, there's more you can do for stellar slumber. In general, skip meals high in saturated fat meals, but especially at dinner. Avoid alcohol; it may make you feel sleepy at first, but it messes with deep sleep later.

Nix caffeine after noon; keep your sleep zone dark, cool, and comfy; and banish stress boosters from your boudoir (no bill paying, TV watching, or e-mailing while in bed!).

Make bedtime comfy. We know some things in life are worth the expense. Two of those things are good pillows and mattresses.

Slow down to help your body relax. Set aside 30 minutes before bed to finish the day’s must-do tasks (10 minutes). Do the hygiene things (10 minutes). Create calm-down time; try deep breathing and/or meditation (10 minutes).

Still sleepless? Medications, a medical condition or stress could be to blame. Try to identify the problem yourself and work through it. If not a complete success, meet with a sleep specialist or try cognitive behavioral therapy. One-on-one sessions and telephone and group therapy can be very effective.

Losing weigh will also help with better sleep. Foods to Avoid in Your Healthy Meal Plans to Lose Weight while you learn how to significantly improve you cholesterol, blood pressure, inflammatory and blood glucose...and you will learn how healthier weight follows: http://tinyurl.com/746c6vs

Foods to Avoid in Your Healthy Meal Plans to Lose Weight while you Learn how to significantly improve you cholesterol, blood pressure, inflammatory and blood glucose...and you will learn how healthier weight follows:

2012-07-05T16:33:00.003-04:00

Foods to Avoid in Your Healthy Meal Plans to Lose Weight while you Learn how to significantly improve you cholesterol, blood pressure, inflammatory and blood glucose...and you will learn how healthier weight follows: http://tinyurl.com/746c6vs

People get excited about a lot of things, but I have never in my life met anyone who’s thrilled about being overweight. I have however, met folks who are sick of the up and down rollercoaster of so-called healthy meal plans to lose weight. Rather than deal with more dieting disappointments, some of these people conclude that living “large” is simply in the cards for them.

Throwing your hands up in defeat and deciding to spend the rest of your days (unhappily) overweight is no way to live. A decision like this can beat your self-esteem into the ground and shave years off of your life. C’mon, you owe yourself and your loved ones so much more than this.

There’s no magic formula to losing weight – if there were, everybody and their mama would be slim. The best way to achieve successful weight loss results is to know what types of foods to keep out of your diet.

Just Say “No” to Processed Foods

Processed foods are cheap, convenient and easy to prepare. Unfortunately, these foods are bad for your health. Of course, you’d never know this by watching those hyped up television ads. Since manufacturers aren’t going to give you the dirty on the ingredients they use in processed foods, I’ll gladly do it for them.

Let’s start with trans fat. This ingredient lowers good cholesterol, raises bad cholesterol, and can increase your risk of cardiovascular disease. Considering heart disease is one of the leading killers of men and women, trans fat is one ingredient you want to steer clear of.

If you’re wondering where that double chin came from, the high fructose corn syrup used in some of your favorite processed foods may be partially to blame. This ingredient has been getting a lot of press lately because it is believed to be a major player in the rising obesity epidemic.

Don’t even get me started on the chemicals manufacturers use in processed foods. If I tried to name some of these chemicals, I’d be tongue tied for days. Besides, you’d probably think I was reading the label on a can of bug spray instead of the ingredients in your favorite microwavable meal.

Send Sugar Packing

The average person consumes about 150 pounds of sugar per year. When you think about the fact that sugar is in almost everything, it’s easy to eat tons of this stuff without even realizing it. So what’s the big deal? There isn’t enough time in the day for me to tell you about all the damage sugar can do to your health. However, I can give you a quick rundown.

Sugar contains nothing but empty calories. When you eat this stuff, a large portion of it gets stored in the body as fat. If your goal is to slim down, being heavy-handed with the sugar isn’t going to help. This is not even the worst of it. Sugar can also depress the immune system, feed cancer cells, contribute to heart disease, raise your risk of osteoporosis and make you look decrepit.

Give Artificial Sweeteners the Boot

Before you run out and stock your fridge with a bunch of those zero-calorie diet drinks, there’s something you should know. The artificial sweeteners used in diet drinks and other low-calorie products are lab-created. Yep. You heard me right – mixed up in a lab like something out of a Frankenstein movie.

These chemical sweeteners can cause or contribute to a laundry list of neuropsychiatric disorders and chronic illnesses – depression, anxiety, migraines, mood changes, panic attacks, vertigo, memory loss, Alzheimer’s, brain tumors – should I go on? And if you think you’re going to shed a few pounds using artificial sweeteners, think again. These sweeteners stimulate your appetite and make you eat more food.

When you’ve tried diet after diet and not one of them delivers results, it can certainly make you want to give up. But you owe it to yourself and to your family to live the healthiest life possible. Processed foods, sugar and artificial sweeteners are the main culprits of weight gain. When you eliminate these foods from your diet, you greatly improve your chance of losing weight.

Make dieting disappointment a thing of the past. Let the Diet Solution Program arm you with the tools you need to create effective healthy meal plans to lose weight and live healthier.

Build a Culture of Health 10 Ways to Boost Your Wellness at Work

2012-05-15T11:51:00.001-04:00

Build a Culture of Health

10 Ways to Boost Your Wellness at Work

#1 Go green

Get a nature fix (without going outside)! Buy a plant for your desk — it reduces fatigue and discomfort and improves performance and mood.

Interacting with Mother Nature is uplifting to your spirit and soothing to your nerves, but it’s harder to do during the cold winter months. To continue enjoying nature’s health-boosting effects, invest in a plant for your desk (or wherever you spend the majority of your time). A Japanese study found that mood and performance improved among female students who performed a cognitive task in a room with a plant in it, and a Norwegian study found that workers with plants in their office reported 20 percent to 30 percent fewer physical symptoms — including fatigue, cough and dry throat — than workers with no plants.

#2 Be thankful

Research shows giving thanks improves mood — even at the office. The key to workplace happiness: Remember what you like about your job.

Some days it’s hard to remember what we like about our job. But reflecting on its benefits is exactly what will make us more appreciative of the daily grind. Expressing gratitude helps us cope and stay positive. That doesn’t mean you should try to be so blissed out that you ignore problems. Complain constructively. Use a journal to brainstorm solutions — even when you don’t feel like it.

#3 Stay on the ball

Here’s a resolution for brain and body — replace your desk chair with an exercise ball. It strengthens the core and boosts concentration.

You might not associate a large, inflatable, bouncy ball with improved productivity, but using what the fitness industry calls a stability ball as a desk chair can keep your core muscles and your mind engaged. In fact, a rapidly growing number of schools across the United States have replaced their traditional chairs with stability balls, according to a recent article in the Los Angeles Times — the physical challenge of balancing on the balls helps keep otherwise easily distracted students mentally engaged. You needn’t be a child to benefit; sitting on a balance ball requires your core muscles to engage and grow stronger, and this minor physical challenge gives your brain enough of a task that it becomes more alert.

#4 Get up, stand up!

Do you spend most of your day sitting down? Stand up for heart health. Taking mini activity breaks can help boost your health.

From sitting at a desk all day to plopping down in front of the TV at night, most of us lead a very sedentary lifestyle. Even if we work out regularly, all this downtime takes a toll on our health. Turns out, people who sit on their duff all day without taking breaks are at greater risk of a slew of health issues than those who get up and walk around regularly. Sitting for prolonged periods of time is linked to larger waistlines, higher blood pressure, lower levels of “good” HDL cholesterol, increased levels of triglycerides, and higher levels of inflammation. And that even goes for gym rats. Yikes. According to the study’s researchers, 30 to 60 minutes of activity a day can’t undo the effects of sitting for eight to 12 hours at a time. But standing up and walking around periodically throughout the day can help. They recommend standing during phone calls and meetings, walking over to a person’s desk instead of e-mailing them, and making frequent visits to the water cooler and bathroom.

#5 Break for lunch

Got more work than you can handle? Resist the urge to hunker down and skip lunch. Taking breaks increases productivity — and lowers stress.

When you’re under the gun, pushing yourself harder to get everything off your plate may sound like a good idea, but unrealistic deadlines will only stress you out more. It is also the quickest path to mental exhaustion. On-the-job burnout isn’t just bad for morale — it can hurt your heart. According to the American Psychological Association, chronic work stress can cause inflammation that leads to cardiovascular disease. Instead, take a step back from your work. Get some fresh air or call a friend. Remind yourself that even if you can’t control how much work you have, stressing about it won’t get it done any sooner.

#6 Step outside

No time for the gym? Lace up your shoes and head outside for a walk instead; it’s as good for your heart as a more intense workout.

Your schedule is jam-packed and there’s not enough time for a full-fledged workout. May as well hang up your shoes and try again tomorrow, right? Science says no — moderate exercise is just as effective at preventing cardiovascular disease as more vigorous workouts, according to a Harvard study. Keep a pair of comfortable shoes in your desk drawer and head out for a lunchtime walk on those days you don’t have the time or energy for your regular routine.

#7 Laugh it up

Heading to a brainstorming session at work? Goof off a little first. Research suggests that being in a good mood boosts creative thinking.

A new study published in the journal Psychological Science has found that being in a good mood boosts creative thinking. And, say the study’s authors, doing things at work that put us in a happier frame of mind shouldn’t necessarily be viewed as a waste of time. Watching funny videos, for instance, helped people perform better on a series of tests that required creative problem solving. Of course, that doesn’t mean your boss will agree with you on this one. Lift your mood before work or during your lunch hour by listening to humorous podcasts or hanging out with the office clown. Besides boosting creativity, laughter is also a great way to relieve stress.

#8 Surf the web

Goof off (a little) at work: A recent study found workers who surfed the Web for fun were more productive than those who didn’t.

All work and no play may make you dull in more than one sense of the word: A 2009 University of Melbourne study found that workers who engaged in frivolous Web surfing — for less than 20 percent of the total time they were at work — were 9 percent more productive than those who didn’t. The researchers theorize the brain can work more effectively after it has had a chance to take a break from concentrating. If your boss catches you watching videos on YouTube, just tell her that you’re doing it for the good of the company.

#9 Think positively

Nervous about an event? Take it as a good sign. A Harvard study shows that putting a positive spin on your jitters improves performance.

If the thought of an upcoming speech or presentation has you quaking in your boots, don’t resign yourself to giving a subpar performance. A recent Harvard study found that in students taking the GRE, those who were told their nervousness would improve their performance got better scores than the group who wasn’t told anything about their jitters. Before you embark on your anxiety-producing task, imagine your anxiety as a positive force that’s heightening your alertness and focus, and prepare to shine.

#10 Choose wisely

Looking for a job that brings you less stress and greater productivity? Choose a company that offers parental perks like on-site child care.

Whether you’re a CEO looking to improve employee morale and productivity, or you’re a nine-to-fiver trying to find a job that will bring you less stress, take note that companies that offer flex time and on-site child care to parents will give you all of those things. That’s according to a Northeastern University poll of 4,000 working parents. If you’re trying to choose between two jobs, one of which offers parental perks, don’t underestimate its ability to improve your quality of life. The study found that people who worked at family-friendly firms had fewer headaches and stress-related illnesses. Meanwhile, those at companies without those benefits were 62 percent more likely to experience job-related sleep issues and three times as likely to be treated for high blood pressure and diabetes.

10 Ways to Have a Healthier Work Life

2012-05-15T11:42:00.002-04:00

#1 Take a break
Workplace stress is hitting Americans hard. A recent survey shows that two-thirds of U.S. workers reported extremely high stress levels in the past year. Thirty percent said they were too stressed to be effective at their job for at least five days in 2011. Don’t accept stress as just another part of your job. There are several strategies you can — and should — use to bring your levels down. You might think every minute counts, but taking short breaks between tasks can actually help you stay focused and productive. Think of them as mini rewards for completing one job before moving onto the next. Taking a step back can also help you put your workload in perspective. If you’re afraid of things falling through the cracks, keep a to-do list or use an electronic task manager so you’re not constantly worrying about assignments you may have forgotten. Also, make the most of your downtime. Instead of zoning out in front of the TV, schedule activities that cheer you up, like having lunch with a friend or watching a funny movie. Having things you look forward to outside of work can help combat burnout.
#2 Master new skills
“No pain, no gain” may be a fallacy when it comes to working out, but research shows it’s good advice when seeking happiness. According to a study in the Journal of Happiness Studies, working hard to master a new skill, though it causes significant momentary stress, leads to greater long-term contentment. Setbacks and frustration often cause many of us to give up on our goals. But, when it’s for something we care about, pushing ourselves to overcome obstacles helps us achieve more satisfaction in life. Even if your dream feels impossible, go for it anyway.
#3 Take the stairs
Skip the elevator and take the stairs. According to a study in the journal Preventive Medicine, our expanding waistlines may have a lot to do with our on-the-job activities — or, rather, lack thereof. Researchers found that workers move significantly less during the workday than we used to. Fitting small bursts of exercise into your day, such as taking the stairs or walking during your breaks, could make it easier to meet daily fitness recommendations, say the authors. A 2010 study of sedentary workers found that using the stairs at work can help improve cardiovascular fitness, weight, blood pressure and cholesterol levels.
#4 Sneak in a power nap
Feel like putting your head down on your desk for a few minutes? Even if your boss considers it slacking, we don’t. Research shows that fighting your internal clock can decrease job performance. When your energy starts to slip, powering down for a 15- to 20-minute nap can help increase reaction time, boost critical thinking skills and rejuvenate you. The more hours we go without sleep, the more sluggish our minds become. Just be sure to keep it brief: Dozing for more than 30 minutes can leave you in an even groggier state and potentially impact your sleep quality and sleep length at night. And if you do decide to rest your head on your desk to catch a few zzz’s, just be careful not to drool on your PowerPoint presentation.
#5 Make friends at work
Connecting with your colleagues could add years to your life. According to a study in the journal Health Psychology, working alongside people you consider friendly and helpful is associated with a smaller risk of all-cause mortality than working with people you don’t feel supported by. Other research has shown that having a strong network of friends can help keep us healthy and young — but having 500 friends on Facebook doesn’t count. Superficial connections can’t stave off loneliness or health problems the way close social ties can. On-the-job relationships are just one way people can stay connected. If you’re a nose-to-the-grindstone kind of person, try to take a few minutes each day to establish a bond with your office mates. Taking periodic breaks from work to socialize can help you decompress from a stressful workday — which is also good for your health.
#6 Practice good posture
If you spend several hours a day at your computer, maintaining a proper workstation layout and practicing good posture can help minimize the risk of injuries, aches and pains. Use these ergonomic tips to help your body assume a neutral, strain-free position: Sit upright — no hunching or slouching — with your feet flat on the floor in front of you. Your back should be fully supported by your seat, with lumbar support. Keep your shoulders relaxed, allowing your upper arms to hang naturally. Your elbows should be close to the body and bent between 90 and 120 degrees. Your thighs should be parallel to the floor, and your knees should be close to the same height as your hips. Keep your monitor about an arm’s length away; the top of the screen should be eye level, so that you can read it without craning your neck up or down. Also, be sure to stand up and walk around several times an hour to allow your body to stretch.
#7 Leave work at the office
Americans have cut back a little on time they previously spent relaxing, according to the 2010 American Time Use Survey. The survey shows that work-life changes since 2009 affected women more than men: Women worked more hours overall than they did two years ago, especially on weekends. Now a survey from the University of Rochester shows how that affects health. From Friday night to Sunday afternoon, study participants were in a better mood, showed greater vitality, and had fewer aches and pains, among other things, a phenomenon known as “the weekend effect.” Why such positives only on weekends? The research explains that having the freedom to choose one’s activities and having opportunities to spend time with loved ones are top reasons. The researchers suggest working some of the weekend effect into your workweek: Make time for friends and loved ones, participate in a hobby, and do your best to relax.
#8 Learn good sleep habits
You probably don’t need a scientific study to tell you that insomnia and work don’t mix. And yet there is one: the America Insomnia Survey, which used a national sample of 7,428 employed health plan subscribers. The results, which were reported in the journal SLEEP, clearly showed that insomnia is associated with substantial workplace costs — to the tune of $63.2 billion a year! Between the cost of absenteeism for the employer and health care costs, the numbers add way up. And that’s not including the cost to the employee — lost wages and even losing a job. The researchers recommend trials to test if some of these costs could be recovered with insomnia disease-management programs. In the meantime, what can you do to ensure quantity and quality sleep and fewer lost workdays? Try these tips from Michelle Drerup, PsyD, a sleep psychologist and behavioral sleep medicine specialist at the Cleveland Clinic Sleep Disorders Center:
• Keep consistent go-to-sleep and wake-up times throughout the entire week (weekends too!)
• Reduce your coffee intake, especially within six hours of bedtime
• Nix nicotine
• Avoid alcohol within four hours of bedtime
• Keep your bedroom cool, dark and noise-free
• Exercise regularly, but not within three hours of bedtime
• Practice relaxation techniques like yoga and meditation — and even walking — to reduce stress
#9 Update your résumé
Being unemployed for a long time can take its toll on a person’s mental health, as anyone who’s been out of work knows. That’s why taking the first position you’re offered can be tempting — especially when the bills are piling up. But if it’s not a job you want, you may want to hold out for something better. Research shows that taking a job that’s beneath you is even worse for your emotional health than being unemployed. According to the study, demanding jobs that offer little control, support or reward are bad for your well-being. Even though we all love to gripe about hating our jobs, research shows that we benefit from them, because they provide a sense of purpose and the opportunity for friendships. If your job is draining your emotional reserves, it may be time to update your résumé and call the headhunter.
#10 Forget sitting still
Fidget your way to fitness. Moving around constantly throughout the day can help combat a sedentary lifestyle. Researchers have found that incidental activities like walking to the water cooler or fidgeting can have a cumulative effect on one’s cardiovascular fitness — provided one moves quickly enough and often enough. Try to include short bursts of activity, like climbing stairs, walking briskly around the office or cleaning up around the house, throughout the day. As an added incentive, clip on a pedometer to see how many steps you take daily. If you haven’t met your quota of 10,000 steps by the end of the day, enlist friends or family members to join you for a summer’s evening walk or bike ride.

Foods to Avoid in Your Healthy Meal Plans to Lose Weight

2012-05-07T15:55:00.001-04:00

Foods to Avoid in Your Healthy Meal Plans to Lose Weight

People get excited about a lot of things, but I have never in my life met anyone who’s thrilled about being overweight. I have however, met folks who are sick of the up and down rollercoaster of so-called healthy meal plans to lose weight. Rather than deal with more dieting disappointments, some of these people conclude that living “large” is simply in the cards for them.
Throwing your hands up in defeat and deciding to spend the rest of your days (unhappily) overweight is no way to live. A decision like this can beat your self-esteem into the ground and shave years off of your life. C’mon, you owe yourself and your loved ones so much more than this.
There’s no magic formula to losing weight – if there were, everybody and their mama would be slim. The best way to achieve successful weight loss results is to know what types of foods to keep out of your diet.

Just Say “No” to Processed Foods

Processed foods are cheap, convenient and easy to prepare. Unfortunately, these foods are bad for your health. Of course, you’d never know this by watching those hyped up television ads. Since manufacturers aren’t going to give you the dirty on the ingredients they use in processed foods, I’ll gladly do it for them.
Let’s start with trans fat. This ingredient lowers good cholesterol, raises bad cholesterol, and can increase your risk of cardiovascular disease. Considering heart disease is one of the leading killers of men and women, trans fat is one ingredient you want to steer clear of.
If you’re wondering where that double chin came from, the high fructose corn syrup used in some of your favorite processed foods may be partially to blame. This ingredient has been getting a lot of press lately because it is believed to be a major player in the rising obesity epidemic.
Don’t even get me started on the chemicals manufacturers use in processed foods. If I tried to name some of these chemicals, I’d be tongue tied for days. Besides, you’d probably think I was reading the label on a can of bug spray instead of the ingredients in your favorite microwavable meal.

Send Sugar Packing

The average person consumes about 150 pounds of sugar per year. When you think about the fact that sugar is in almost everything, it’s easy to eat tons of this stuff without even realizing it. So what’s the big deal? There isn’t enough time in the day for me to tell you about all the damage sugar can do to your health. However, I can give you a quick rundown.
Sugar contains nothing but empty calories. When you eat this stuff, a large portion of it gets stored in the body as fat. If your goal is to slim down, being heavy-handed with the sugar isn’t going to help. This is not even the worst of it. Sugar can also depress the immune system, feed cancer cells, contribute to heart disease, raise your risk of osteoporosis and make you look decrepit.

Give Artificial Sweeteners the Boot

Before you run out and stock your fridge with a bunch of those zero-calorie diet drinks, there’s something you should know. The artificial sweeteners used in diet drinks and other low-calorie products are lab-created. Yep. You heard me right – mixed up in a lab like something out of a Frankenstein movie.
These chemical sweeteners can cause or contribute to a laundry list of neuropsychiatric disorders and chronic illnesses – depression, anxiety, migraines, mood changes, panic attacks, vertigo, memory loss, Alzheimer’s, brain tumors – should I go on? And if you think you’re going to shed a few pounds using artificial sweeteners, think again. These sweeteners stimulate your appetite and make you eat more food.
When you’ve tried diet after diet and not one of them delivers results, it can certainly make you want to give up. But you owe it to yourself and to your family to live the healthiest life possible. Processed foods, sugar and artificial sweeteners are the main culprits of weight gain. When you eliminate these foods from your diet, you greatly improve your chance of losing weight.
Make dieting disappointment a thing of the past. Let the Diet Solution Program arm you with the tools you need to create effective healthy meal plans to lose weight and live healthier.

Why Cholesterol Matters

2012-05-07T11:18:00.003-04:00

Cholesterol is a waxy, fat-like substance found in the walls of cells in all parts of the body, from the nervous system to the liver to the heart. The body uses cholesterol to make hormones, bile acids, vitamin D, and other substances.

The body makes all the cholesterol it needs. Cholesterol circulates in the bloodstream but cannot travel by itself. As with oil and water, cholesterol (which is fatty) and blood (which is watery) do not mix. So cholesterol travels in packages called lipoproteins, which have fat (lipid) inside and protein outside.

Two main kinds of lipoproteins carry cholesterol in the blood:

■ Low density lipoprotein, or LDL, which also is called the “bad”cholesterol because it carries cholesterol to tissues, including the arteries. Most of the cholesterol in the blood is the LDL form. The higher the level of LDL cholesterol in the blood, the greater your risk for heart disease.

■ High density lipoprotein, or HDL, which also is called the “good” cholesterol because it takes cholesterol from tissues to the liver, which removes it from the body. A low level of HDL cholesterol increases your risk for heart disease.

If there is too much cholesterol in the blood, some of the excess can become trapped in artery walls. Over time, this builds up and is called plaque. The plaque can narrow vessels and make them less flexible, a condition called atherosclerosis or “hardening of the arteries.”

This process can happen to blood vessels anywhere in the body, including those of the heart, which are called the coronary arteries. If the coronary arteries become partly blocked by plaque, then the blood may not be able to bring enough oxygen and nutrients to the heart muscle. This can cause chest pain, or angina. Some cholesterol-rich plaques are unstable—they have a thin covering and can burst, releasing cholesterol and fat into the bloodstream. The release can cause a blood clot to form over the plaque, blocking blood flow through the artery—and causing a heart attack.

When atherosclerosis affects the coronary arteries, the condition is called coronary heart disease or coronary artery disease. It is the main type of heart disease and this booklet will refer to it simply as heart disease.

Because high blood cholesterol affects the coronary arteries, it is a major risk factor for heart disease. Risk factors are causes and conditions that increase your chance of developing a disease.

Other major heart disease risk factors are given here:

Heart Disease Risk Factors

Risk factors are conditions or behaviors that increase your chance of developing a disease. For heart disease, there are two types of risk factors—those you can’t change and those you can. Fortunately, most of the heart disease risk factors can be changed.

Risk factors you can’t change

● Age—45 or older for men; 55 or older for women

● Family history of early heart disease—father or brother diagnosed before age 55, or mother or sister diagnosed before age 65

Risk factors you can change

● Smoking

● High blood pressure

● High blood cholesterol

● Overweight/obesity

● Physical inactivity

● Diabetes

B O X 1

What Affects Cholesterol Levels?

Various factors can cause unhealthy cholesterol levels. Some of the factors cannot be changed but most can be modified. The factors are:

Those you cannot change—

■Heredity: The amount of LDL cholesterol your body makes and how fast it is removed from your body is determined partly by genes. High blood cholesterol can run in families. However, very few people are stuck with high cholesterol just by heredity —and everyone can take action to lower their cholesterol.

Furthermore, even if high cholesterol does not run in your family, you can still develop it. High cholesterol is a common condition among Americans, even young persons, and even those with no family history of it.

■ Age and sex: Blood cholesterol begins to rise around age 20 and continues to go up until about age 60 or 65. Before age 50, men’s total cholesterol levels tend to be higher than those of women of the same age—after age 50, the opposite happens. That’s because with menopause, women’s LDL levels often rise.

Those under your control—

■ Diet. Three nutrients in your diet make LDL levels rise: • Saturated fat, a type of fat found mostly in foods that come from animals;

• Trans fat, found mostly in foods made with hydrogenated oils and fats such as stick margarine, crackers, and french fries; and

• Cholesterol, which comes only from animal products. These nutrients will be discussed more later But it’s important to know that saturated fat raises your LDL cholesterol level more than anything else in your diet. Diets with too much saturated fat, trans fat, and cholesterol are the main cause for high levels of blood cholesterol—a leading contributor to the high rate of heart attacks among Americans.

■ Overweight. Excess weight tends to increase your LDL level. Also, it typically raises triglycerides, a fatty substance in the blood and in food, and lowers HDL. Losing the extra pounds may help lower your LDL and triglycerides, while raising your HDL.

■ Physical inactivity. Being physically inactive contributes to overweight and can raise LDL and lower HDL. Regular physical activity can raise HDL and lower triglycerides, and can help you lose weight and, in that way, help lower your LDL.

Knowing Your Cholesterol Level

You can have high cholesterol and not realize it. Most of the 65 million Americans with high cholesterol have no symptoms. So it’s important to have your blood cholesterol levels checked. All adults age 20 and older should have their cholesterol levels checked at least once every 5 years. If you have elevated cholesterol, you’ll need to have it tested more often. Talk with your doctor to find out how often is best for you.

Cholesterol Classifications

B O X 3

Total Cholesterol

Less than 200 mg/dL Desirable

200–239 mg/dL Borderline high

240 mg/dL and above High

LDL Cholesterol

Less than 100 mg/dL Optimal (ideal)

100–129 mg/dL Near optimal/above optimal

130–159 mg/dL Borderline high

160–189 mg/dL High

190 mg/dL and above Very high

HDL Cholesterol

Less than 40 mg/dL Major heart disease risk factor 60 mg/dL and above gives some protection against heart disease women. It can slow, stop, or even reverse the buildup of plaque. It also can lower the cholesterol content in unstable plaques, making them more stable and less likely to burst and cause a heart attack.

Lowering LDL is especially important for those who already have heart disease or have had a heart attack—it will reduce the risk of another heart attack and can actually prolong life. The level to which your LDL must be lowered depends on the risk for developing heart disease or having a heart attack that you are found to have at the start of treatment.

Anatomy of an Effective Facebook Post

2012-04-30T12:11:00.000-04:00

Anatomy of an Effective Facebook Post

Below are seven things to think about when crafting that perfect Facebook post.
1. Audience. Of course, your company Facebook page is not your personal page. You may need to post with more restraint or regularity and keep in mind a more general audience. Remember to address your specific audience when you post on your company page.
2. Voice and Tone. The “voice” you use on your company Facebook page should reflect the image you are trying to project. Unlike your personal network, your company Facebook fans may not know you very well. Therefore, decide how you want to come across: Fun? Serious? Quirky? (Remember that the Facebook culture leans toward casual, so make sure you don’t come across as too stiff.)
3. Content. Your posts shouldn’t center on promoting your company or products. Everything you put out should offer engaging value to your fans. News, humor, entertainment and insider insights grab your audience’s attention and motivate them to return for more. Simply pouring out post after post of ad copy will guarantee you lose fans and readership.
Content that leads people to interact on your page is particularly powerful. You can use your posts to drive fans to such things as personality tests, surveys and Facebook sweepstakes. This type of content is a great way to get “Likes” and “Shares.”
4. Context. Post as part of a series, to announce an offline event or in response to customer feedback. The larger context gives people a reason to keep coming back to your page to search for the next piece of information.
5. Timing. The best time to post to Facebook is a matter of much debate. As a general rule, think about who you are trying to reach and when they are most likely to be spending time catching up on their Facebook activity. The best posts go “live” when your fans have time to read and digest them and hopefully react. Chances are this is not when they are hard at work but rather during lunch time, evenings, weekends, etc. Experiment to see what makes the most sense for your page.
6. Interaction. Drive interaction with your Facebook posts by asking for advice, opinions or related stories. And to get things started, it’s fine to have a friend, employee or loyal customer comment first.
7. Responsiveness. Once someone has responded to your initial post, make sure you comment to keep the conversation going. Now that it is possible for an individual to send your company a private message, there is a huge opportunity to engage in real dialog with your prospects.
Make sure that you are not letting your Facebook page go unattended. For better or for worse, in this day and age, most of us have come to expected immediate results in the online world.

Find the right treatment for you for your osteoarthritis knee pain.

2012-04-27T12:14:00.003-04:00

If you are diagnosed with osteoarthritis of the knee, your doctor may recommend one or more of the following treatment options to reduce your symptoms:

Lifestyle changes — including moderate exercise, weight control and reducing stress on your joints
Oral pain relievers — such as acetaminophen (e.g. Tylenol^®), NSAIDs (e.g. Aleve^® and Motrin^®) and COX-2 inhibitors (e.g. Celebrex^®)
Topical pain-relieving creams — to apply to your skin
Physical and occupational therapy — to strengthen muscles and improve mobility
Steroid injections — to temporarily relieve pain and reduce any swelling
Viscosupplement injections (also called hyaluronic acid injections) — a knee injection, such as Synvisc-One^® (hylan G-F 20), that replaces damaged joint fluid with a substance similar to healthy joint fluid in order to reduce pain
Surgery — often recommended when knee pain is severe and other treatments have not provided relief

Synvisc-One^® (hylan G-F 20) is a viscosupplement injection. Made from a natural substance that lubricates and cushions your joint, it can provide up to six months of osteoarthritis knee pain relief with just one injection.

What is Synvisc-One?

In knees with osteoarthritis, the joint fluid (called synovial fluid) can break down and not provide the cushioning your knee needs.

Synvisc-One supplements your knee joint fluid to relieve the pain and improve the knee joint’s natural shock absorbing abilities.

A. Cartilage wears away B. Bone spurs may develop C. Joint fluid breaks down
D. Synvisc-One replaces joint fluid

Who is a candidate for Synvisc-One

Patients with knee osteoarthritis who have tried diet, exercise and over-the-counter pain medication but still have pain, should talk to their doctor to see if Synvisc-One is right for them.

How Synvisc-One is administered

Synvisc-One is a single injection. It’s a simple, in-office procedure that only takes a few minutes.

What you can expect following a Synvisc-One knee injection

Synvisc-One can provide up to six months of osteoarthritis knee pain relief. Everyone responds differently, but in a medical study* patients experienced relief starting one month after the injection.
After the injection, you can resume normal day-to-day activities, but you should avoid any strenuous activities for about 48 hours.

Physical Fitness Cuts Heart Risk at Any Weight

2012-04-19T19:10:00.001-04:00

In our weight-obsessed culture, we can lose sight of the fact that health is not all about being thin. In fact, healthy eating and physcial activity alone - and separate from weight - are critical contributors to wellness and disease prevention. Think healthy, not skinny!
A new study reaffirmed this understanding with respect to fitness. The study reports that maintaining or improving fitness counteracts much, but not all, of the increased risk associated with weight gain.
The study was published in the Feb. 14 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
The study took place between 1970 and 2006. 3,148 healthy adults enrolled in the Aerobics Center Longitudinal Study. All received at least three extensive medical exams at the Cooper Clinic, in Dallas.
Three risk factors were assessed: high blood pressure, high cholesterol or metabolic syndrome.
Metabolic syndrome raises the risk of diabetes and heart disease. To be diagnosed, someone must have at least three of the five signs: large waist (abdominal obesity), high triglycerides, low "good" cholesterol, elevated blood pressure (but not necessarily high enough to be classified hypertensive) and high fasting blood sugar (although not yet high enough to be classified as diabetic).
Fitness was assessed on a treadmill test.
At the end of the study, 752 participants had high blood pressure, 426 had metabolic syndrome and 597 had high cholesterol.
Those who maintained or improved fitness over time had a lower risk of developing any of the three risk factors.
Those who maintained fitness had a 24 percent lower risk of high blood pressure, 38 percent lower risk of metabolic syndrome and 25 percent lower risk of high cholesterol. Those who gained fitness reduced their risk of each about the same or slightly more.
Being fit and not being fat work independently to reduce risk factors, said the studies lead author, Duck-chul Lee, a research fellow at the University of South Carolina, in Columbia. If you can't improve both fitness and fatness, try to at least maintain one, he said.
"If you are going to be overweight, you have to be fit." says Dr. Suzanne Steinbaum, director of Women and Heart Disease at Lenox Hill Hospital, in New York City . She is also a spokesperson for the American Heart Association's "Go Red for Women" campaign.

Don’t Let Fear Get in Your Way of Your Successful Goals!

2012-04-16T15:42:00.001-04:00

Yes—and it comes from a source that you usually think of as your ally: your mind, especially your subconscious mind.

When you have fears or concerns about what you believe it will take to achieve a goal or about what will happen after you achieve that goal, you may subconsciously sabotage yourself to avoid success.

Take Laura, for example. Laura started writing a book with a specific goal for completing it but never seemed to get there. When she considered what she thought would happen after the book was completed, she quickly realized that she had many fears, including the fear that the book would be criticized or that it would raise her visibility and make her a target of attention or that success might pull her away from her family.

When you have underlying thoughts like this, it’s no surprise that you stop pursuing or at least slowdown in taking action toward your goals.

To find out if you have any “goal stoppers,” ask yourself: “What’s the worst that could happen if I accomplish this goal?” and “What will it cost me to achieve this goal?”

Make a complete list of your concerns about taking action to accomplish your goal and of what might happen if you accomplish it. Take a moment to actually write them down. Some of your concerns may seem a bit far-fetched—even silly—when you put them down on paper, but some will feel very real.

The truth is, however, that those events you fear may or may not come to pass. We often scare ourselves by imagining the negative outcomes of our actions. If you’re stopped from moving toward your goal by fear, you will never know what you could have accomplished. In order to move ahead powerfully, you’ll need to remove those fears.

Now create success behavior

The solution is to create clear and believable mini-goals on the way to the big one. Behavioral change needs to be reinforced at least every 24 hours. That means you have to accomplish a mini-goal every day.

Here are the essential steps to success behaviors:

Have a deep desire and commitment to acquire the behavior.
Clearly define your specific big goal (i.e., become more assertive).
Outline the daily, believable mini-goals that you're willing and able to do (no mini-goal is too small; if your goal is to lose 30 pounds, an eighth of a pound is not too small a daily goal to begin with).
Achieve your mini-goals every day for 21 days.

After 21 days you do not have a habit, but rather the right to continue. It takes 60-90 days of repetition to create an excellent success behavior. It isn't until you've practiced the behavior daily for about 120-180 days that you become a master. Get extraordinarily clear about your goals, spend time creating a mini-goal list that is achievable on a daily basis, and then actually do them; you'll be more successful than most of the people you know, 24 hours at a time.

When Goal Success Planning, Money Is Time

“The greatest predictive indicator of money is the current use of time. It was on my morning commute that marketing genius Dan Kennedy dropped this bomb through my car’s speakers. I had been listening to and reading Dan’s work for days, almost non-stop since I had received it. But it wasn’t until that moment that I truly “got” it.

The old “time is money” platitude sounds good but has lost a bit of its punch since you first heard it. But, like it or not, the amount of value you can add is severely limited by the amount of uninterrupted, focused, productive time you are able to invest in your endeavors. Because added value is the only thing than can create financial equity, then it behooves you to get serious about how you invest every minute of your time.

Before I lose you to some sort of resistance thinking (“Who wants to watch every minute that closely?”) consider this: Love takes time, friendship takes time, and recovery takes time. Everything is a function of how we spend our time. Money just happens to be easier to quantify.

When we have no detailed plan for our time, stuff will just happen to us rather than the other way around. Apply this to your planning, and you’ve added an entirely new dimension to what’s possible and necessary to derive the most beneficial outcome. Give a lottery winner $10 million, and he’ll go bankrupt in a few years. But give the right punk kid with a dream $5,000 and he’ll create magic and change all our lives. All he needs is a little time.

Goal, setting, time management require a successful platform to manage your plans. Look at the LINK to check out this comprehensive site.

Shopping For a New Doc?

2012-04-11T11:37:00.002-04:00

Finding a new doctor ranks right up there with hunting down a new mechanic, plumber and hairdresser –the toughest finds in a new neighborhood. So what can you do if you’re in the market for a new MD? Following these tips will help lead you to the right doctor…If you have moved, your doctor has retired or you are trying to scout out a specialist, you face one of the most challenging dilemmas in today’s healthcare system. How do you find a new doctor who is both medically excellent and a good fit for your needs? A referral from a trusted source is an obvious route, but not always as reliable as you may think.

1. Use the Doctor Network to Your AdvantageConsider a referral from one of your doctors. Accept it, and you have entered the intricate world of physician-referral networks, which often work like this: If your doctor refers you to another doctor, the arrangement is usually reciprocal. Either that or the doctor at least gives the referring doctor excellent service and attention (in terms of reports, follow-up, professional recognition). If a referring physician breaks the pattern, then he might find himself outside of the self-reinforcing referral loop. This can mean fewer patients, behind-the-back whispers and some icy stares in the doctor’s lounge.

Such a system has its drawbacks. It’s rare for physicians to share Information on performance and outcomes. In fact, most of this information is confidential. Most physicians know very little about the practices of their fellow physicians. So, as long as the patients they send are not complaining, doctors assume the referrals worked out. And unless something truly goes wrong, most patients are reluctant to complain, and some even feel responsible for a poor interaction. The result is an ongoing, unmonitored referral cycle.

2. Beware the Bedside BiasAnother type of referral is one by a friend, relative or neighbor. While these are usually good sources of information, they are subject to another kind of bias: that of the “bedside manner.” Some doctors have a wonderful bedside manner and are well-liked by most of their patients, which drives referrals. But bedside manner does not ensure clinical excellence. In fact, in some cases, it can be a substitute.

Who is to know? Most problems that generalists encounter with patients in the healthcare system tend to go away on their own, given enough time. With little information about medical outcomes within individual practices and the reluctance of people to criticize their doctor, recognizing who is the best doctor based on personal referrals is nearly impossible.

3. Pursue the Elusive Primary Care PhysicianThe most difficult physicians to find are usually primary care physicians (PCPs). These are internists, family practitioners, general practitioners, pediatricians, and obstetrician-gynecologists. The good ones tend to be very busy, and many have closed their practices to new patients. They are also getting pickier about which insurance they will accept. Many also tend to be unevenly distributed across communities, which can limit your access to them.

If you want to find a great PCP, social networking is the name of the game. Social clubs, volunteer groups, PTA, religious organizations, sports facilities, community centers, and neighbors can be the richest sources of referral information. For closed practices, social networking may be one of the few ways to break through administrative barriers, since you’re more likely to connect personally with doctors, their families or their friends.

4. Secure a SpecialistCertain specialists, such as plastic and cosmetic surgeons, dermatologists, and cosmetic dentists often have the most visible practices in a community because of promotions and advertising. However, their expertise can be hard to judge. Again, social networks can be helpful in finding the right match for you. Speak with someone who has actually had a procedure you are considering, not someone who is simply a social connection. Only a former patient can educate you about the details of bedside manner, follow-up, responsiveness to problems, and of course, outcomes.

Other specialists – including, but not limited to cardiologists, general surgeons, oncologists, rheumatologists, orthopedic surgeons, and gastroenterologists – are much less visible to the public. For these, primary care physicians can be the best source of information. Moreover, if you face a considerable delay before you can see a specialist, your PCP is in the best position to expedite the appointment. Referrals to specialists by other specialists, on the other hand, may be subject to the rules of the referral game.

It’s not unusual to wait a month or more to see certain busy specialists. If you feel you need to be seen sooner (and who doesn’t?), call the referring doctor immediately and notify them of the problem. Referring physicians can be very effective at moving you up the list because they are a primary source of patients to the specialist. But if the referring physician is unable to help, and you still need to be seen sooner, ask for a referral to an alternate specialist. Most referring doctors have a selection of specialists with whom they work.

5. Hone in on HospitalsEmergency room doctors and nurses in a local hospital are also great hidden sources of information about doctors. They tend to know who the best doctors are and those who are most difficult to deal with. They interact regularly with most of the medical staff and see doctors under both routine and stressful conditions. Ask them who they think are the top docs.

Another good starting point for finding physicians is your local hospitals’ web site. Nearly all offer information about physicians (organized by specialty) on their medical staff, including training, board certification, the languages they speak, and the insurance they accept. Physicians are also licensed by each state. Most states provide information on state licensing web sites about the status of a physician’s license, pending actions against him and board certification. Fee-based Internet sites offer doctor profiles, some with consumer evaluations. Still, even these sources do not tell everything that can pinpoint a good doctor. Your best bet is to gather as much information as you can from all sources – friends, web sites and health-care professionals.

The information contained on this site is provided for informational purposes only and is not meant to substitute for advice from your doctor or healthcare professional. This information should not be used for diagnosing or treating a health problem or disease, or prescribing any medication. Always seek the advice of a qualified healthcare professional regarding any medical condition. Information and statements provided by the site about dietary supplements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration and are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Wellness Source does not recommend or endorse any specific tests, physicians, third-party products, procedures, opinions, or other information mentioned on the Site. Reliance on any information provided by Wellness Source is solely at your own risk.

What is a Family Practitioner and when to use

2012-04-11T11:30:00.000-04:00

Recently I was asked by a client about when to use a Family Practioner or a specialist. Here is some useful hints when to use the family doctor first.

What is family practice?

A family practitioner is a primary care doctor who provides health services to adults, children and adolescents. Family practitioners have a very broad scope of practice, but are usually the patient’s first consultation before being referred to other specialists, if necessary. The family practitioner performs annual physical examinations; ensures up-to-date immunization status; counsels patients on healthy lifestyles; monitors patients’ blood pressure, cholesterol and glucose levels; and ensures other baseline tests are within normal levels for the patient’s age and gender.

When do I see a family practitioner?

In the United States, about one in four visits to a doctor are to a family practice doctor. Family care physicians care for the poor, indigent and undeserved in the community more than any other physician specialty.

When a patient is an infant or child, he or she might see a family practitioner specializing in pediatric care. When the young patient transitions from childhood to adulthood during adolescence, he or she can see a family practice doctor specializing in adolescent medicine or a regular family practitioner, also known as adult-care physician. Around the ages 18-21, patients typically transition to an adult-care physician who is better suited to their health-care needs.

What should I expect when I visit a family practitioner?

A family practitioner’s scope of practice varies, but these specialists typically provide basic diagnoses and non-surgical treatment of common medical conditions and illnesses.

To arrive at a diagnosis, family doctors will interview and examine the patient. This requires discussing the history of the present illness, including a review of the patient’s body systems, medication history, allergies, family history, surgical history and social history. Then the physician will perform a physical examination and possibly order basic medical tests, such as blood tests, electrocardiograms or X-rays. Ultimately, all this information is combined to arrive at a diagnosis and possible treatment. Tests of a more complex and lengthy nature may be referred to a specialist

Together with the patient, the family practitioner forms a plan of care that can include additional testing if needed, a referral to see a specialist, medication prescriptions, therapies, changes to diet or lifestyle, additional patient education, or follow-up treatment. Patients also may receive advice or education on improving health behaviors, self-care and treatment, screening tests and immunizations.

What are the most common conditions family practitioners treat?

Anemia

Asthma

Common cold

Dementia

Diabetes

Gastrointestinal complaint

Gynecological complaint

Headaches

High blood pressure

Infectious diseases

Musculoskeletal complaint

Pregnancy

Psychiatric disease

Sexually transmitted disease

Skin complaint

Urinary tract complaint

Keep Building Your Brand, No Matter What

2012-04-08T12:30:00.001-04:00

Keep Building Your Brand, No Matter What

It’s tempting, in a yo-yo economic climate, to slash costs and investment across the board. But don’t! Instead, get selective, get lean. Discretionary spending is negotiable. Brand building, innovation and product development are not.
That’s what business advisor and speaker Ram Charan says in his Fortune magazine article “Managing Your Business in a Downturn.” Charan tells us that we must “keep building” even during financial downturns
“When the top line looks shaky and the bottom line worse, the temptation is to go after discretionary spending. Fine—but do not consider product development, innovation and brand building optional. Sacrificing your future for a slightly more comfortable present is not worth it. If you keep building, you can come back strong,” he explains.
Invest in innovation. Charan’s article appeared four years ago. So, what has changed? Not that much, really. The economy is still suspect. The market continues its ups and downs, only now we have the added concerns over the situation in Greece and an Iran that threatens to become a nuclear power.
Recently, I spoke with a friend that recently returned from an amazing trip to Chile and Easter Island. (People are finally discovering this remarkable sliver of a country.) Innovation can be found everywhere. he brought me back a copy of I Love Chile News, which had a special feature entitled “Innovators of 2012.” The issue featured the myriad ways that innovators are transforming that country.
Even in the worst of times, innovation is possible. In fact, it’s often the pressure of hard times that forces people to find new ways of doing things. Don’t let your present situation obscure your view of the future. Keep preparing for it—it’s right around the corner.

Create a 'branding one sheet' to acquire more referrals

A one page brand overview is an incredibly helpful marketing piece that will guide those who could refer you to effectively describe what you do. And, it will help those within your firm describe the company consistently and concisely as well. Include these five sections in your "branding one sheet":

What makes us different? Describe what you do that is truly unique (it may just be you and your team that truly make you stand out).
One sentence description or tagline. We're in business to... (a simple sentence that your referrer will remember).
Our ideal client. "Our best clients are those who..."
Our key areas of expertise. Describe these as needs that your ideal clients have.
Our firm in depth. To find out more about our company, our services, and our people, check out our website at ... (list your web address and other social media sites).

Creating a branding one sheet can be done quickly and easily. It is not meant to be a brochure or something with lots of words and detailed design. Just a simple, to the point, easily digestible, and memorable one-page marketing piece. We have seen this become the main printed collateral of some firms to direct people to their online presence and acquire more referrals. And I think we all could use a few more referrals these days!

Check out www.health31.com for more tips

Today This is the Sales Cycle

2012-04-06T12:15:00.001-04:00

When it comes to selecting products and services, buyers today are much better informed than they were 10 years ago. Social networks, peer groups, company websites and industry analysts arm prospects with more than enough data to help them through the research and evaluation phase of the buying cycle, or the “hidden” phase. As they enter the formal phase of the buying cycle, buyers usually know which problems they are trying to solve, are acquainted with an available solution and have a good idea of the solution’s cost.
This means that a qualified prospect may be well into the hidden phase of the cycle by the time they reach you. As a result, you must find ways to engage with the prospect earlier in the buying cycle and out-educate your competition during the hidden phase. Best-in-class companies are investing in content-based marketing to ensure they are engaging with buyers during the hidden part of the cycle.
Have you ever felt that a buyer was just not that into you? In businesses where the relationship between the buyer and seller is important, it is smarter to focus on that relationship than on the product.
Here are three ways to go from repelling prospects to attracting them and making them want to buy:
Research diligently before meeting a prospect; Research potential prospects even if you don’t know when you’ll meet them. The more you know, the better the conversation will go. Today, no matter who your prospect is, it is easy to conduct research online. If a prospect has put information online, it is there for you to find. It’s not violating personal space when you research people online; it’s smart.
Ask big questions. If you have researched, you will be prepared to ask good, insightful questions that will engage prospects. The key to engagement is interaction and that happens most successfully when they are talking, not you. Most people are focused on themselves and are more than ready to talk about themselves and their products.
Ask big questions such as, “I know your business has received a lot of awards. What was the most meaningful one to you?” Or, “What’s your biggest challenge?” Or, “What is the one thing you wished your current provider/firm/advisor would do?” The key is to ask an open-ended question that can really get the prospect talking.
Listen curiously to more than 50 percent of each conversation. If the interaction is focused on asking big questions and listening, you will immediately stand out. If you can get the prospect talking, you actually make yourself unique, someone who is interested in them. 17 seconds. That is the attention span of an average person. These days, the ability to listen intently to another person is rare. Do this and you will tell your prospect more about who you are than if you monopolize the conversation.
With this approach, you can get others to pay attention to you the way you pay attention to them and turn a disinterested party into celebrated friend.
In a recent Aberdeen Group report, 58 percent of marketing executives indicated they were investing in content creation, while only 6 percent indicated that content creation was not on their agenda. Developing meaningful content is time consuming, and many companies fail to produce the right materials because they don’t make an adequate commitment of time and money.
Consider implementing a content-based marketing program so you are not already at a disadvantage by the time buyers enter the formal phase of the buying cycle.

Blog: http://rhondaleemarketinggroup.blogspot.com/

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Fuel Your Body for Exercise

2012-04-01T17:02:00.002-04:00

Fuel Your Body for Exercise

Don’t think that, just because you’re not an elite athlete, you don’t need to fuel your body for exercise. Eating the right mix of carbohydrates, protein, vitamins, minerals and, yes, even some fat helps you exercise longer, more comfortably and even at a more challenging level than you would if you weren’t paying attention to your diet.Proper nutrition pays off in other ways too: it helps your body adapt to exercise, improves body composition (which is one of the reasons you exercise in the first place, right?) and reduces the risk of stomach upset during exercise.

Start With Your Tank on Full

The results of more than four decades’ worth of research are unequivocal: Eating breakfast is the healthy way to start the day. After going eight hours — or more — without food, your body needs to refuel, ideally within an hour or two of awakening. “If you skip breakfast, your brain and muscles don’t get the energy they need to sustain activity for the whole day,” says Tara Gidus, MS, RD, a spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association.

Skipping breakfast not only makes it hard to rev up for what’s ahead, it also increases the risk of overeating later in the day. According to the National Weight Control Registry (NWCR), eating breakfast is one way to help maintain a healthy weight. Nearly 80 percent of the people involved with the NWCR, who have lost at least 30 pounds and kept the weight off for one year, regularly eat breakfast.

Healthy Eating on the Go

When it comes to fueling up for exercise, low-fat foods rule. “You’ll feel more energized if you avoid simple sugars and anything greasy,” says Gidus.

Gidus has some go-to power foods, which she recommends not only for their nutritional content, but also because they taste good and are easy on the stomach. The last thing you want during a tennis match or a kickboxing class is an upset stomach. If you like to exercise during your lunch hour but find you don’t have time to eat and work out, consider keeping some of these grab-and-go foods on hand. That way you can eat something nutritious before you head to the gym.

Juicy fruits, such as grapes, strawberries, blackberries, oranges, blueberries and raspberries. All of these are full of nutrients, are easy to digest and their natural sugars give you a quick boost.
Trail mix with dried fruit. Nuts are a great source of protein (and essential nutrients) and will give you sustained energy. Dried fruits offer quick sugar for an immediate pick-me-up. Dried fruits are also easier to travel with than fresh fruits, but go easy: Eating more than a handful can cause stomach upset and diarrhea.
Nut butter and fruit spread. Most grocery stores carry single-serving packets of peanut butter that don’t need to be refrigerated and are easy to keep in your gym bag. You can slather nut butter (make sure there are no added sugars or hydrogenated oils) on an apple, crackers, or a slice of whole-grain bread. If you don’t like peanut butter, try almond or soy butter. Try a fruit spread instead of a sugar-packed jelly or jam.
Cereal. Choose varieties that are easy to eat dry and contain whole grains. The complex carbohydrates give you more staying power than the simple sugars. Skip the sugar-coated stuff and anything with sugar early in the ingredient list. Look for at least six grams of fiber per serving.
Crackers. 100% whole-grain varieties have complex carbohydrates and won’t make you feel full and heavy. Combine with a stick of low-fat cheese for a more sustained boost.
Low-fat string cheese. Single servings of mozzarella or cheddar are filling and easy on the stomach.
Granola bars or fruit bars. They’re more palatable than most energy bars. Coat a granola bar with a nut butter for a sustained boost if you’re taking, say, a 90-minute hike or going on an extended bike ride.

Go Bananas!

Bananas are an excellent choice for on-the-go eating — they even come with their own biodegradable packaging! And with their combination of glucose, fructose and sucrose (for easily accessible energy) and soluble fiber (which helps your body absorb that energy steadily), it’s no surprise that bananas are the snack of choice at such events as 5K walks and triathlons. Some other reasons to go bananas:

Bananas are fat-free fuel.
One banana contains about 30 grams of carbohydrates to fuel your muscles and central nervous system.
The potassium in bananas helps your body maintain fluid balance needed in blood and tissue.
A banana contains 20 percent of the daily recommended allowance of vitamin B6, which, among other things, helps your central nervous system function normally.

After a Tough Workout, Refuel

On the days that you exercise for more than 90 minutes, your body is in what’s called an “accelerated metabolic state.” If you don’t want to feel like you drove into a brick wall the next day, try to eat within about 30 minutes of finishing your workout, advises Lisa Dorfman, MS, RD, the director of sports nutrition and performance at the University of Miami Sports Medicine Program in Florida. A mix of carbohydrates and protein will do the trick. “The carbs replace muscle glycogen, and the protein helps prevent muscle breakdown,” she explains. A good recovery snack option, from the American Dietetic Association: graham crackers with peanut butter, low-fat chocolate milk and a banana.

Hydrate for Health

Advertising for sports drinks — a multibillion-dollar business — is so pervasive and convincing that you might think you’re risking your health if you don’t consume one on every jog or bike ride. But actually, for moderate exercise, all you really need is water — which, ideally, you’re drinking throughout the day, including while you exercise. The American Council on Exercise recommends drinking 17 to 20 ounces of water two hours before exercise and then another seven to 10 ounces of “fluid” (water or a sports drink, depending on how vigorously you’re exercising) every 10 to 20 minutes during exercise. During a high-intensity, one-hour workout, you can lose more than a quart of water, so be sure to replace it!

During intense workouts that last 60 minutes or more, you might want to switch to a drink that replaces calories, sodium and potassium — either a flavored water or a sports beverage. (The reason to replace sodium and potassium — those infamous electrolytes — during intense exercise is to offset the salt you lose in sweat and maintain fluid balance, according to the American College of Sports Medicine.) Just be sure to keep an eye on how many calories you’re consuming: Some sports drinks contain as many as a soda!