Category: Health

Affordable Health Care Act 2010, better mental health, Exercise, Health, Healthy eating, National Women's Health Week, Preventative care, Women's Health

5 Things You Can Do for Women’s Health Week

Mona Alvarado Frazier

Did you celebrate Mother’s Day with a big  brunch? Take in a little too much vino, BBQ ribs, Mimosa’s, chocolate candy? I will admit that I certainly did and ate leftovers for lunch today too. Then I took the dog on a 3 mile walk.


Big celebrations and the special meals that accompanying them are all right-some of the time, but unless we stick to ‘sometimes,’ we may be headed for some health problems. 


I know we don’t like to talk about women’s health, much less hear about it-especially if we’re still full from yesterday’s celebration. But we’re going to talk about it especially today because this is the start of National Women’s Health Week. The theme for 2012 is “It’s Our Time.”  


Women often serve as caregivers for their families, putting the needs of their spouses, partners, children, and parents before their own. It’s our time to remind our friends, sisters, aunts, mother, daughters-every woman-that we have the power to improve our physical and mental health.   I know I heard an “Amen” from one of you. If not, say it now.


As a result, women’s health and well-being becomes secondary. As a community, we have a 
responsibility to support the important women we know and do everything we can to help them take steps for longer, healthier, and happier lives.


I know that sometimes we just don’t want to hear it,
 or we hear it and don’t stop to do anything about it, or 
we jot down a reminder to schedule an exam and lose the paper we jotted the reminder on, in our ever growing To Do list. 

So for the next 7 days commit to yourself. That’s right, it’s all about you.


This is what we can do to get physically and mentally healthier and lower our risks of certain diseases: 

  1.  Visit a health care professional to receive regular checkups and preventive screenings:

Pick up the phone to make an appointment for your annual preventive services. Thanks to the Affordable Care Act of 2010 we have a greater choice and better control over our own health care. New plans cover vital preventive services, including mammograms, colon cancer screenings, and well-woman visits with no out-of-pocket costs. It also ensures women can see an OB-GYN without a referral.*

       2. Get active:
Find your tennis shoes, put on comfortable pants, grab the dog and/or your iPod, and walk around the block for 15 minutes. Stop and return home. While you walk take in the scenery, clear your mind, breath and relax. You can do this during lunch break too. 

       3. Eat healthy:
Try vegetarian meals three times this week. Eat more berries, apples, oranges. Drink a couple of glasses of water or green tea in place of your second or third cup of coffee.See here  or visit here for cheap and easy ways to eat better.

      4. Pay attention to mental health, including getting enough sleep and managing stress:
Number #2 is worth another look for this area. Watch a comedy for some laughs. Look into low cost Yoga or mediation dvd’s. If you need professional help, talk to someone. Improve your sleep by listening to mellow music half hour before bed, or light a scented candle and shower before you sink into bed. Visit here for more information.


       5. Avoid unhealthy behaviors, such as smoking and not wearing a seat belt or bicycle helmet. 
Add, “NO TEXTING” in your car, to this list. 


Now, go out for a walk, have a healthy dinner or snack, phone a friend, and have a great sleep. 

smartblogs.com

If you have any ideas to share, please use the comment section. 
I’m committed to post my own progress on Twitter, under the hashtag #NWHW 

*To learn more about the law, your health insurance options, and what services are listed as ‘preventive,’ visit this site.

blood pressure, Chest pain, chronic stress, Health, insomnia, Memory Loss, Shrinking brain, Stress, Stress hormones

Do You Have Holes in your Brain?

Mona Alvarado Frazier

from hungryzombie.blogspot

It sounds like something out of science fiction, but this is no Sci-Fi novel where Zombies eat brains. A recently released Yale University study, says that stress causes the brain to shrink. Houston neuroscientist and author David Eagleman states, “Stress is underpinned by particular hormones that circulate through the body and the brain. Those stress hormones are very bad…They eat away at brain tissue.”


      “What’s new to be stressed about is that stress is literally chewing miniature holes in your brain.”

These Zombie hormones aren’t doing this, negative continuous stress is. “…we evolved to have stress systems that are useful when you need a fast response,” says Eagleman. “What we did not evolve for is chronic stress, that 21st century stress that man and woman lives with.” Instead of a burst of a stress hormone, most people have chronically elevated levels.

     “The body is simply not built to have high levels of stress for long periods of time. That’s where the stuff eats away at your brain tissue.”

Stress is the body’s reaction to any change that requires an adjustment. The body reacts to these changes with physical, mental, and emotional responses. Although it’s a normal part of life, too much stress is not only harmful to your brain but to your heart, stomach, memory, and blood pressure.

Stress becomes negative when a person faces continuous challenges without relief or relaxation between challenges. As a result, the person becomes overworked and stress-related tension builds until it leads to a condition called distress. When we experience headaches, upset stomach, elevated blood pressure, insomnia, memory loss or chest pain our body is telling us we are in distress.

       “…you get neurons dying, shriveling up and losing connections. It’s all really bad news.”

This is bad news, but not all is lost. We can help ourselves deal successfully with these zombie hormones. Yes, it all goes back to taking charge of our nutrition and exercise.

A list to ward off Zombie Brain Killers:

  • Complex Carbs: They prompt the brain to make more serotonin. For a steady supply of this feel-good chemical, it’s best to eat complex carbs, which are digested more slowly. Good choices include whole-grain breakfast cereals, breads, and pastas, as well as old-fashioned oatmeal. 
  • Oranges: These contain a wealth of vitamin C. Studies suggest this vitamin can reduce levels of stress hormones while strengthening the immune system.
  • Spinach:One cup goes a long way toward replenishing magnesium stores. Not a spinach eater? Try some cooked soybeans or a filet of salmon, also high in magnesium. Green leafy vegetables are a rich source of this mineral. Too little magnesium may trigger headaches and fatigue, compounding the effects of stress.
  • Omega-3 fatty acids:  Salmon and tuna can prevent surges in stress hormones and protect against heart disease, mood disorders like depression, and premenstrual syndrome.
  • Black tea: Too much caffeine, like that in coffee can boost stress hormones and increase blood pressure. Instead of reaching for that third cup, replace it with a cup of black tea. It can help you recover from stressful events more quickly.
  • Nuts:A handful of pistachios, walnuts, or almonds every day may help lower your cholesterol, reduce inflammation in the arteries of the heart, lower the risk of diabetes, and protect you against stress.
  • Avocado: Half of an avocado has more potassium than a medium-sized banana. In addition, guacamole offers a nutritious alternative when stress has you craving a high-fat treat.
  • Carrots or Celery: Munching on hard raw vegetables release a clenched jaw and that can ward off tension.
  • Toast with a little jam: Carbs at bedtime can speed the release of serotonin and help you sleep better. Heavy meals before bed can trigger heartburn.
  • Calcium:Researchers found that calcium eases anxiety and mood swings. Dietitians recommend a cup of skim or low-fat milk. Almond milk has double the calcium and is low in calories.
  • Aerobic exercise: Aim for 30 minutes of exercise three to four times a week. This increases oxygen circulation and produces endorphins—chemicals that make you feel happy.
  • Yoga or meditation: It releases other hormones that are the anti-flight-or-flight hormones.
  • Stop ruminating: “You keep reliving the situation and get in a vicious cycle that breaks the brain down more,” says Sandi Bond Chapman, founder and chief director of the Center for BrainHealth. “Halt that pattern and change the way you see things.”
  • Support system: Talk to someone, not necessarily to offer solutions but who just listens.
  • Sleep:Eight hours helps restore mental processes so we can handle stress better.

For additional ways to deal with stress visit 30 days, 30 ways to less stress. NOW, which one (s) will you do or are doing? How’s it working for you? 

Now that you’re fully armed, go out and slay some zombie hormones. Your health depends on it.
artist unknown


Sources: Neuroscientist and author David Eagleman, Laboratory for Perception and Action at the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. Yale University researchers report in a study published online January 2012 in the journal Biological Psychiatry and WebMd.com.