Bartley Center Wellness News – 73

January 2007

• Optimism and Wellness
• Ask the Doctor
• Dehydration and headaches
• Wellness Notes
• Quotes
• A Wellness Challenge

Wellness News quiz:

1.      New  research has found that genes contribute only 25% to the length of your life. True/False

2.      The annual physical is an opportunity for you and your doctor to prevent medical problems. True/False

3.      Insufficient water intake can cause headaches. True/False

4.      Who said - "He is happiest, be he king or peasant, who finds peace in his home.”

Answers are below in the reading material.

1. Optimism and Wellness

An optimistic outlook adds more years to your life.

Research has proven that genes and health behaviors contribute to the length and quality of your life. But  what about  your attitude and beliefs about aging.

Americans are living longer than ever. Over the past century, the average American lifespan has increased a whopping 27 years. What’s the secret to a long and healthy life?

Good genes help. You get them from your parents. And since you can't pick your parents, this avenue to a longer life is out of your control. Besides, the value of good genes is in question. New  research has found that genes contribute only 25% to the length of your life. This seems to mean that other factors, such as health behaviors and mental health, play a role in longevity, too. The study claims that a good attitude helps keep your heart pumping and your feet tapping an additional 7.6 years on average. An optimistic outlook adds more years to your life than low blood pressure (4 years or less), low cholesterol (4 years or less), a healthy weight (1 to 3 years) and regular exercise (1 to 3 years).

"These Are the Good Old Days"
The study suggests that people who believe negative stereotypes about growing old may face a reduced life expectancy. If you think old people are frail and sickly, you'll probably see yourself as frail and sickly when you get old. You know what you're supposed to do to stay healthy and live long: eat well, exercise regularly and stay away from smoking and excessive drinking. These behaviors require dedication and self-discipline. People who are optimistic are better able to stick to good behaviors because they know that good habits are the result of smart choices they make. People who don't have an optimistic outlook are likely to take a more passive approach to health. They may believe that they have no control over their weight or diet so they don’t make the effort to practice good health habits.

When faced with a health crisis, optimists adapt and recover more quickly because they actively participate in their treatment and recovery. They believe their actions directly contribute to improved health.

Finally, optimists do not feel the sense of hopelessness so typical of pessimists. As a result, optimists experience less stress and less depression overall.

"Put On a Happy Face"
To stay optimistic as you age or to create an optimistic point of view, take these steps:

• Realize that setbacks are a part of life
  No one can escape hard times. When you find yourself in a stressful situation, tell yourself that time passes. There can’t be valleys without peaks. Look for the next peak.
• Visualize a positive outcome
  The movie "Field of Dreams" taught us “If you build it, they will come.” The same can apply to your health. If you aim for the best outcome, your actions will likely follow.
• Reject negative messages about aging
  Media and advertising would have us believe the world is filled only with youth. Just because TV often depicts age as being equal to infirmity doesn't mean you have to buy that message. Once you spot these falsehoods, you'll be a lot less susceptible to them.
• Find examples of people who have aged gracefully
  Paul Newman isn’t letting age slow him down. He’s still racing cars at age 80 and running a food company. Martha Stewart, at age 64, is busier and more successful than ever, with an empire that includes magazines, TV and products. Picture them the next time you think your age is a roadblock to an accomplishment.
• Develop a strong social network
  Friends play a key role in helping you through any crisis, health or otherwise. Your network can also include counselors, clergy and support groups. Even optimists need help sometimes. When Frank Landry's first wife died of cancer, he was devastated. "I decided to take whatever help I could get," he says. "I joined two grief support groups and accepted counseling. I was in a hole and that brought me out and made it possible for me to live again."

If you dread the thought of growing old, work now to change your perceptions and develop a more optimistic outlook. It may lead to a healthier, longer life.

2. Ask the Doctor

General Medical Questions for persons who are visiting a doctor or health care provider.

Below are a sample of the kinds of questions you can ask a primary care physician when you are having an annual medical exam or check-up.? The annual physical is an opportunity for you and your doctor to prevent medical problems or identify new medical problems at a very early stage.

For adults, one of the most valuable functions of the annual physical is cancer screening. Cancer screening tests vary for men and women, but they include:

• colon cancer screening tests,
• a regular Pap smear,
• mammogram,
• breast examination by your doctor,
• testicular examination by your doctor or by yourself, and
• digital rectal examination of the prostate with prostate specific antigen testing.

Also, catch up and review vaccinations. A new vaccination to prevent pertussis (whooping cough) is now recommended for most adults.

Get help during your annual visit if you smoke, drink an unhealthy quantity of alcohol, or if you have symptoms of depression. In addition, birth control, STD’s, and safe sex are also a good topics to bring up at your annual visit.

At an annual physical, ask the doctor:

• What is the most important change I can make to improve my health?
• What cancer screening tests are appropriate for a person my age?
• What vaccinations do I need to be up to date?
• How is my blood pressure?
• Do I have a healthy weight?
• Do you advise me to adjust my diet or exercise plan in any way?
• Do I have risk factors that mean I should be screened for diabetes?
• Is it time for me to have a cholesterol test?
• At my age, should I take a daily aspirin to prevent heart attack or stroke?
• (For women): At what age should my bone density be measured to screen for osteoporosis?
• (For women): Do I need to be tested for Chlamydia infection or any other infections?
• Are any of my current medicines no longer needed?
• Take a list of any medications you are currently taking.
• If you have seen a doctor before for a similar problem, take the record from the visit with you.

During a visit for a particular problem:

• State your main problem first.
• Describe your symptoms - use a checklist).
• Describe your past experiences with the same problem. Ask what's wrong, what might happen next, what I can do at home, do I need to return for another visit, can I phone in for test results, what danger signs should I look for, when do I need to report back about my condition, and what else do I need to know?

3. Dehydration and headaches

Can insufficient water intake cause headaches? The answer is yes. Some people are more prone to headaches related to dehydration than are others. Those who are more susceptible learn to avoid the headaches by making sure they drink enough fluids daily.

Water-deprivation headache can cause pain throughout the head or it can be more localized to the front, back or less often one side of the head. The head pain tends to intensify when bending the head down or other head movements. Even walking can make the headache worse.The exact cause of dehydration headaches is unknown. The brain itself does not have pain receptors. Dehydration headache is possibly triggered by pain receptors in the lining around the brain, called the meninges. Lower pressure inside the arteries that supply blood to the meninges could stimulate the pain receptors.

Water-deprivation headache caused by simply not drinking enough fluids during the day can respond within an hour or two to drinking 16 to 32 ounces of water. Longer or more severe dehydration will require more fluids and lying down for several hours. If dehydration is very severe and vomiting prevents adequate oral fluid replacement, intravenous fluids may be needed to relieve the headache.

Special note: a migraine headache attack can be prolonged if a person is not adequately hydrated. Even if you have nausea with a migraine attack, you should try to sip a little fluid every few minutes at the onset of symptoms.

4.Wellness notes: 

What is Feng Shui?

Feng Shui literally means wind and water. It is the ancient Chinese study of the natural environment concerned with the art of placement to correct the flow of energy in the home or workspace. It explores various ways to bring a sense of harmony and balance into working and living environments by providing a practical, sensible approach to making shifts in different areas of life through the power of placement and intention. Feng Shui uses a common sense approach to understand conscious and unconscious physical and psychological influences we experience in our environments. Making simple adjustments can enhance creativity, wellness, motivation, relaxation and rest, prosperity, harmony in relationships, and productive communication. The art and science of Feng Shui is to create optimal living and working spaces by using the architectural structure and incorporating the intentional design of placement, color, shape, and sound. Every structure has unique energy characteristics that need to be individually addressed.

Pause and Refresh Yourself – Do NOTHING!

Just sit and be alone.  Turn off the television and the radio. Ignore the phone.  Don’t try to solve a work or family problem.  Don’t plan the rest of the day or the evening meal.  Let your mind go blank and your body go limp.  Become reacquainted with that still, silent place that is your essence.  Visit this remarkable place as often as you like.  Stay as long as you can.  Few activities are more refreshing.

5.  Quotes:

“All is for the best in the best of all possible worlds.” - Voltaire

“He is happiest, be he king or peasant, who finds peace in his home.” ~Goethe

“Most people have seen worse things in private than they pretend to be shocked at in public.” -

Edgar Watson Howe

“The rewards...in this life are esteem and admiration of others - the punishments are neglect and contempt - nor may anyone imagine that these are not as real as the others. The desire of the esteem of others is as real a want of nature as hunger - and the neglect and contempt of the world as severe a pain as the gout or stone.“  - John Adams (1735-1826)

“It is better, of course, to know useless things than to know nothing.” – Anonymous Sports Fan

“Eccentricity is not, as dull people would have us believe, a form of madness. It is often a kind of innocent pride, and the man of genius and the aristocrat are frequently regarded as eccentrics because genius and aristocrat are entirely unafraid of and uninfluenced by the opinions and vagaries of the crowd.” - Edith Sitwell

“It is good to know something of the customs of different peoples in order to judge more sanely of our own, and not to think that everything of a fashion not ours is absurd and contrary to reason, as do those who have seen nothing.” - Rene Descartes

“Ridiculum acri Fortius et melius magnas plerumque secat res.” -  Horace

(A jest often decides weighty matters better and more forcibly than can asperity.) 

6. A Wellness Challenge - keep it simple: find and preserve the simplicity in well-being, live healthy by eating healthy and participating in regular, meaningful physical exercise. Not only does it sound simple, it is simple.