See also: Nutrition
By Jamie Neithold-Nash, DC
The person you are today is an accumulation of everything you have been doing up to this moment. This includes your physical fitness level, your emotional health, your thought patterns, mental acuity and your connection to nature, God and community. Following is a possible framework to honestly discover where you are today, and what changes you might consider taking to become the person you would enjoy becoming. As you get connected to what is really going on in your body and in your life, you can start functioning in the world in a more pro-active way.
Start by dreaming of the person you wish to be. One way to take stock is to outline the following categories:
Stay in the present, and not in the past. You can give yourself the gift of kindness and gentleness as you begin to make new choices toward your dream life. Start slowly. To learn to meditate, begin with 10 minutes a day. Don’t sign up for a 10-day silent meditation that begins at 3 in the morning.
Planning your week to include new goals can be useful. So can utilizing professionals for assistance. That’s true if you join the gym or if you are stuck in an emotion and need someone to talk to.
Personal coaches can motivate you to step into the positive aspects of who you are becoming. Network Spinal Analysis helps your nervous system reorganize at a very deep level so it is easier to make healthier life choices and shift out of those old conditioned responses into more positive ones.
As long as we are alive, we are in the classroom of life. Making gentle, positive moves towards better health can be fun and exciting. If you think it, so it will be. Redirect yourself into the person you want to become, and have fun doing it.
(Dr. Neithold-Nash is a fully Certified Network Chiropractor in South Dennis, 508-394-9355.)
By Carol Charpentier, MS
When the chest pains start, your first thought is, “Oh no, this can't be happening to me.” From then on, your life has changed.
A major health event such as a heart attack has many emotional repercussions, and research is documenting clearly that the mental health side of heart disease has a strong impact on the physical aspects of the illness.
According to research, as many as 65 percent of patients who have had a heart attack suffer from major depression, which appears to increase disability in heart patients because it can contribute to a worsening of symptoms as well as poor adherence to cardiac treatment regimens.
In addition, heart attack survivors with major depression have a three-to-four times greater risk of dying within six months than those who do not suffer from depression.
The good news is that treating depression when it occurs in heart patients can minimize or avoid some of the serious health consequences.
What should the cardiac patient look for as symptoms of depression? Sleep or appetite problems, difficulty concentrating or making decisions, persistent headaches or digestive symptoms, as well as the symptoms most people associate with depression such as feelings of hopelessness, feelings of worthlessness, and loss of interest in activities previously enjoyed.
Feeling depressed after a heart attack is not uncommon. What is surprising is that so few people seek relief. Often patients won't even share their symptoms with their cardiologist or primary care physician, believing that it’s “normal” to feel as they do; or they ascribe the symptoms to their physical condition. In addition, some are unaware that modern anti-depressive drugs are generally very safe for cardiac patients, unlike the medications of a decade or two ago.
Remember, depression can be overcome through recognition of symptoms, and evaluation and treatment by a qualified professional. Individuals with heart disease, their loved ones and their physicians should be alert to the symptoms of depression and seek an evaluation when indicated.
(Ms. Charpentier is director of Bayview Associates, a program of South Shore Mental Health, with offices in Brewster and Hyannis. She can be reached at 508-862-0514.)
By Roy Carter
Ask anyone about the current healthcare crisis and you’ll get a myriad of opinions about what the government and others should do to correct the problem. You’ll hear about the need for universal access, a single payer system, putting a cap on costs, and many other solutions.
What you probably won’t hear is what the individual can do to become part of the solution, rather than the problem. It seems that we have become too dependent on the government to provide solutions to our many problems.
“But what can I do?” you may ask. “I’m only one of the many affected by the present crisis. What can one person possibly do to have any effect at all on health care?” The answer is preventive medicine. That is, to learn how to perform preventive maintenance on your body, to get that extra 100,000 miles out of it.
Years ago, diseases of chance were the main vehicles of morbidity and mortality. These were communicable diseases such as pneumonia or flu that made caring for your health more like a crap shoot. However, many of these diseases have been reduced by vaccinations and other forms of treatment. As a result, we are discovering that today’s number one killers are diseases of lifestyle choices. These diseases take the biggest toll in healthcare’s costs, as well as in production in society and quality of life.
It is becoming increasingly evident that lifestyle choices have a great influence over the risk of cardiovascular disease like heart disease and stroke, type II diabetes, and some forms of cancer. There are some risk factors that cannot be influenced, such as age, heredity, sex and environment. However, there are other risk factors or lifestyle choices that are modifiable, and have a great influence over other risk factors. These are: activity levels, diet, smoking, binge drinking, and how we handle stress. The risk factors they influence are high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and obesity.
This will be the first of a series of articles from the Fitlife program that will explain the lifestyle diseases, and how risk factors can influence them. We will also explain how you can make changes to modify these risk factors. These changes will not always be easy, but then few things worthwhile are.
Our present medical model is based on the sick role, rather than the well role. We wait until we become sick before we address our health. What we need is to change our focus to proactive rather than reactive healthcare. The only person able to make this change is you. You can actually change the health care system from the ground up. This is the concept of wellness. And it’s your choice. Enjoy your life.
(Mr. Carter is a physical therapist for Bayada Nurses. He can be reached at 781-831-0347.)
By Sally Okun
Millions of Americans access the Internet for health related information. Much of the information is valuable. However, the Internet is very vulnerable to rapid and widespread distribution of misleading and even false information. Here are a few questions to consider as you surf the net.
These are just a few ways to evaluate health information on the Internet. A good rule of thumb is to discuss what you discover on the Internet with people you trust and your health care provider. Also, when considering any offers, remember the cautionary saying, “If something seems too good to be true, it probably is.”
(Ms. Okun is the proprietor of Caretography, LLC and may be reached at P.O. Box 1271, Barnstable, MA 02630, 508-280-3485, info@caretography.com or www.caretography.com.)
Exercising over the winter months is a healthy goal for everyone, but keeping the body moving takes on added importance for people recovering from heart disease. To make it easier to maintain a fitness program over the dark winter months, that’s why the Rehabilitation Hospital of the Cape and Islands (RHCI) has been offering a new programs called ”Winter Wellness Tune-Up.”
The four-week exercise programs were designed for individuals who have completed a full cardiac rehabilitation program. “After heart attack or surgery, participation in a structured cardiac rehabilitation program is a proven way to reduce the risk of a future heart attack or surgery,” explains Robert Bokanovich, RN, Outpatient Care Coordinator and member of RHCI's Healthy Hearts Cardiac Rehabilitation Team. RHCI's own Healthy Hearts program is an intensive12-week course that combines cardiovascular conditioning, education and behavioral medicine to improve cardiovascular health and promote positive lifestyle change.
But the challenge to maintaining a healthy heart often comes once the formal program is over and people no longer have the support of professionals and peers to encourage them, Mr. Bokanovich points out.
Contact RHCI's Healthy Hearts Cardiac Rehabilitation Team at 508-833-4065 for information on their latest specialized programs.
By Carol Penfield RN, MS, NPc
Women often find they gain weight as they get older and, to make matters worse, find it more difficult to lose weight. Understanding what is happening to your body and its metabolic rate can help you make healthy changes, and put you on the road to your ideal weight.
Metabolic rate is the number of calories your body uses simply to fuel the functions that keep you alive. Add the number of calories you burn by exercise and that’s the number of calories you need to eat daily to maintain your weight. Any more, and you become larger; less, and you lose weight.
There are ways you can adjust your basic metabolic rate.
If you feel your metabolism is slowing as you get older, you are correct. Studies show that for every decade of life, you burn 100 calories less per day. The reasons for this are being studied. It is known that genetics represent 30 percent of the cause, but what about the other 70?
Of course, we burn fewer calories because modern technology has made society more sedentary. But another contributing factor is the change in body composition the average woman experiences.
During her adult life, a woman will lose 10 pounds of muscle and gain 15 pounds of fat. Since muscle burns 50-60 calories per day, whereas a pound of fat burns only 3-6 calories per day, this means a daily swing of 500 calories.
Even menopause, for reasons that have not yet been explained, can cause a five-pound weight gain. Estrogen has not been proven to be the culprit. Studies show that estrogen supplementation in post-menopausal women has no impact on metabolic rate.
So what’s a woman to do?
Most women try to reduce the calories they eat, but this has the unfortunate effect of lowering their basic metabolic rate. The body is clever enough to know that the dieter is starving the body, and adjusts its metabolic rate downwards, making it harder to lose weight. The other alternative is exercise. Exercise does burn calories, but it takes walking 45 minutes to one hour to burn off that delicious croissant you had for breakfast.
Fortunately, there are three techniques that can increase your basic metabolic rate.
The first is diet. Changing your diet to small, frequent, balanced meals can improve your metabolic rate by 15 percent. It is also important to not skip meals. The body thinks you are starving and slows your metabolic rate. And you’ll probably also end up over-eating as well.
The second is routine exercise. Besides burning calories, if you exercise regularly your metabolic rate will temporarily elevate after you are done. Experts disagree on the exact amount necessary, but a good rule-of-thumb is 30 minutes of sustained exercise five times a week at an intensity level that is perceived as “somewhat hard”. It’s also valuable to vary your exercise routine, by changing the intensity level, speed, duration or mode of exercise. Your ability to burn more calories will improve if you surprise your body with an occasional change.
The third is increasing muscle mass. It’s been shown that any woman can increase her strength or muscle mass at any age by following a strength training program two to three times a week with free weights or machines.
Following this three-pronged approach of small frequent meals, regular exercise, and strength training will make you feel better, more fit, and have the bonus of increasing your metabolic rate. You can break the weight-gain trend that you face over the remainder of your life.
(Ms. Penfield is a nurse practitioner and certified personal trainer who instructs private and small group exercise and weight loss programs to members and non-members at Chatham Health and Swim Club, 508-945-7761.)
By Paulette Richard-O’Rourke, CH
Reiki (ray-kee), a Japanese word meaning Universal Life Force Energy, is a form of hands-on healing, a light touch, without manipulation, but if someone prefers hands-off, it can be applied to the energy field, a few inches off the body.
Reiki is a pleasant way to relax and enter a deep meditative state, while the energies of the mind, body, and spirit are balanced. It creates a sense of well-being, stimulating the brain’s production of natural opiates called endorphins as it simultaneously relaxes and energizes.
Reiki helps reduce stress, release pain and discomfort, and can accelerate healing. It has no contraindications, and can be used safely with all medical conditions, treatments, and medications. Anyone at any age can benefit from a Reiki healing.
Reiki is applied while fully clothed in any position—seated, reclined, or lying down.
It can take 5-10 minutes for a demonstration healing, 15-20 minutes for a clinic healing, and 45 minutes for a standard private healing session. The Reiki Practitioner, while in a meditative state, channels Reiki to the client. The client’s mind, body, and spirit regulates how much Reiki is channeled through to them, and how it is dispersed. This is an empowering experience for the client.
With training and certification, anyone can learn how to channel the Reiki energy to themselves and others.
(Ms. Richard-O’Rourke, CH, Reiki Master-Teacher, is a Complementary Alternative Medicine Provider for Cape Cod Healthcare and sees private patients as owner of Cape Cod Center for Whole Health in Mashpee, 508-539-2885, cccwh@comcast.net.)