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March 3, 2011  In This Issue... - The 10 Biggest and Deadliest Heart Myths
- New Danger of Contemporary Living -- Rx "The Great Outdoors"
- Blast Away High Cholesterol. Lose 67 Points in Just 28 Days
- Don't Breathe Deeply If You Want to Calm Down!
- Marge Couldn't Remember Her Phone Number... But Now Her Brain Is 20 Years Younger...
The 10 Biggest and Deadliest Heart Myths The number of heart attacks has increased by 27 percent over the past 20 years, in spite of all the supposed advances of modern medicine. What's going on here? Could we be mistaken about some things? Perhaps we're under some major misconceptions about heart disease. Like... Myth #1 -- Heart disease and heart attacks are an inevitable part of aging. Myth #2 -- Cholesterol is the main cause of heart disease and heart attacks. Myth #3 -- Blood pressure drugs help you avoid heart problems and live longer. Myth #4 -- Aggressive, "type A" behavior increases your risk of a heart attack. Myth #5 -- Low-fat, low cholesterol diets are good for you and your heart. Learn more...
New Danger of Contemporary Living What a winter! If you’re like most people I know, you’ve spent entirely too much time indoors of late and, dear readers, this is not a good thing. Sounding a bit like our moms, health professionals have been saying for some time that we should find something to do outside -- but, while mom might have had an ulterior motive (peace and quiet), these doctors don’t -- it really is for our own good. But my question is, over the years have we forgotten how to do things outside? Bear with me -- you’ll see what I mean. The "Inside" Story I’ve recently read not one but several articles and papers sounding an alarm about our increasingly "sheltered" lifestyle. Some slap fancy names such as "outdoor deprivation disorder" or "diseases of indoor living" on the problem, but the common theme is essentially the same -- spending a lot of time indoors hurts our health, physically and mentally. You may be surprised to hear that it even hurts our vision -- too much focusing on things close up and not enough focusing on distant objects has been linked to myopia. - Our virtual lives have overtaken real-world activities. Recent research shows that children ages eight to 18 spend, on average, a whopping seven and a half hours a day using electronic media -- and grown-ups aren’t far behind, averaging about four to six-plus hours daily. Meanwhile, a spate of studies has recently focused on the dangers of sitting for extended periods of time, which now has been identified as a risk factor for heart disease.
- We’re scared of sunshine. Dermatologists have harped on the sun as the enemy and warned us for many years to avoid it for fear of skin cancer. As a result, Americans are suffering an epidemic of vitamin D deficiency. This is worrisome, given that vitamin D deficiency is associated with an increased risk for health problems such as multiple sclerosis and breast cancer.
- We have an overblown fear of outdoor public places. Dr. Miller says she has found that people worry so much about the risk of being robbed, attacked or abducted in parks that they stay away from them. The cost, ironically, is their health.
Twiddling Our Thumbs There’s yet one more reason people find themselves stuck inside, and I think you will find it surprising -- many say they wouldn’t know what to do with themselves if they did get outside! One study, for example, found that about the only use of many public lands is for picnicking -- but even there, people generally go no further than 50 or so yards from their cars in the parking lot. (And, of course, a lot of picnic time involves sitting and eating.) Dr. Miller is one of many physicians urging Americans to get up and go outside where there are a wealth of different activities you can enjoy that will improve your health in a myriad of ways. Dr. Miller recommends being outside each day from 30 to 60 minutes. Park It Here Many people are unaware of the many beautiful parks right near their homes. Look online to find listings of parks and recreational areas near where you live -- you’ll find that many communities post maps and guides of their paths and trails for walking, jogging, hiking and biking. Other ideas for spending time in local parks include... - Events. Many communities offer an ongoing calendar of outdoor community activities, including concerts, sporting events, walk-a-thons and other opportunities to spend time outdoors on your own or in the company of others.
- Finding inner peace outdoors. Meditating in a natural environment is soothing to the soul. The gentle Asian exercise tai chi is traditionally done out of doors, and some yoga and other movement classes hold sessions outside as well.
- Catch on to geocaching. This newly popular activity is like a scavenger hunt. Participants use GPS devices to locate hidden containers filled with "treasures" (geocaches) and exchange accounts of their adventures online. Learn more about it, and find out about geocaching near you, at http://www.Geocaching.com.
You Can Do It At Home But you needn’t journey to another location to benefit from spending time outdoors because you can achieve many of the same benefits by opening up your front (or back) door and heading out into your own yard or neighborhood. Consider... - Daily walks. These are not only excellent exercise -- I find my morning and evening strolls help me sort out challenges I face at work and, as I’ve often written about, walking after meals is great for digestion as well.
- Gardening. Dr. Miller points out that planting vegetables or even just taking care of a small patch of flowers gets you outdoors and using your muscles often.
- Outside group activities. Like-minded friends and neighbors can bicycle, run or go race-walking, which is easier on the joints than running (and you don’t have to be actually racing). Or simply play catch. Remember how soothing it was to simply be in the rhythm of tossing a ball back and forth with a friend?
You Can Also Do... Nothing! Sometimes you may just want to sit under a tree and relax. By all means, do so -- even that enhances your health. For example, several studies find that surgery patients who have a window overlooking trees actually heal faster than others, and a Japanese study showed that spending several hours a week among trees improved people’s immune systems, an effect that lasted throughout the week. Instead of stalling out in front of the TV, then, come up with a list of five or so activities that you think you would have fun doing outside. Get up, get out and get busy with your list. You’ll be glad you did.
Blast Away High Cholesterol. Lose 67 Points in Just 28 Days The big drug companies don't want you to know about the alternative cures that can make their drugs obsolete. The alternative medicine believers think drugs and surgery are bad ideas. Guess what? They're both dead wrong. Finally, a maverick M.D. has dared to identify the world's best cures from both sides of the medical aisle. These are the real forbidden cures you want... Read on...
Don't Breathe Deeply If You Want to Calm Down! You’ve heard it often -- if you need to calm down, breathe deeply. It is startling to learn, then, that new research has found that breathing deeply is exactly what not to do, especially for people who suffer from anxiety and panic attacks. Deep breathing actually makes the situation worse, says Alicia Meuret, PhD, assistant professor of psychology at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, who has studied breathing patterns and how they relate to anxiety. She says the best way to calm anxiety or panic actually is to take a series of shallow breaths... as I will describe shortly. Feeding the Panic When I spoke with Dr. Meuret, she said that the key to this finding relates to carbon dioxide -- in particular, the amount of carbon dioxide that you have in your blood under normal circumstances compared with when you are very anxious or panicky. Contrary to what most people believe, she and her colleagues found that when people prone to panic attacks become anxious, they don’t breathe too fast -- instead, they breathe in and out so deeply that they end up blowing off too much carbon dioxide. The resulting low levels of carbon dioxide remaining in the blood cause symptoms strikingly similar to those of a panic attack -- the feeling of not having enough air, choking, chest pain or pressure, dizziness and a sense of unreality. Dr. Meuret says that it’s common for people with panic disorder to have chronically low carbon dioxide levels and an overly sensitive "suffocation alert system." This makes them feel like they are not getting enough air when they actually are getting plenty -- a situation that makes them more vulnerable to panic. She told me that it is not clear whether the low carbon dioxide levels are a cause of panic disorder or it is the other way around. To normalize carbon dioxide levels, these people must learn to breathe shallowly, which is more difficult than it sounds. Initially, for people with low carbon dioxide, taking shallow breaths intensifies the panicky feeling because it creates a feeling of not getting enough air. To get them over this hump, researchers have adapted a machine called a capnometer -- which tracks blood carbon monoxide levels and is used in many medical settings, including during surgery to monitor anesthesia or in the ICU to check patient carbon dioxide levels -- to provide biofeedback. The treatment developed by Dr. Meuret and her colleagues helps patients learn to breathe in a more helpful way. It is called capnometry-assisted respiratory training (CART). Patients in the study practice breathing slowly and shallowly twice daily (15 minutes each session) for four weeks. But even though people in CART using the instrument can see that they are getting plenty of oxygen, Dr. Meuret says that it takes about two weeks for them to relax into the new breathing pattern. After that, she said, most patients found it quite helpful, and they achieved good mastery of the technique after four weeks. To Learn Shallow Breathing Unfortunately, CART is not yet available to the public. Dr. Meuret and others are hoping to devise a capnometry machine for at-home use, but it will take time. Until then she has suggestions to learn how to breathe shallowly, which will help decrease panic and anxiety... - Never breathe deeply when you start to feel anxious. Although it feels counterintuitive, concentrate on taking shallow breaths only.
- Breathe only through your nose -- this will make it easier to keep your breath shallow.
- Breathe from the abdomen but so lightly that you experience almost no movement in your belly or anywhere else in your body.
- Time yourself -- try to take nine breaths per minute, which is somewhat slower than normal breathing.
Dr. Meuret has one more bit of conventional wisdom to lay to rest. If you find yourself hyperventilating, do not breathe into a paper bag -- not only does it not help with panic, but the oxygen deprivation that results from it can be dangerous for people with lung or cardiac disease. Instead, try the techniques mentioned above. Source(s):
Alicia E. Meuret, PhD, assistant professor of psychology, Southern Methodist University, Dallas.
Marge Couldn't Remember Her Phone Number... But Now Her Brain Is 20 Years Younger... "I used to have a great memory," Marge told Dr. Ray Sahelian. "All my life I've worked with numbers," this former bookkeeper explained... "But now I can't remember simple phone numbers... it's so frustrating!" She'd lose things right after she put them down -- it was totally demoralizing. She was only 71, but she felt like a useless antique. Other doctors might have shrugged and said, "Sorry Marge, you're getting old... " But Dr. Ray Sahelian reversed her frightening decline almost immediately. Soon Marge's memory picked up dramatically and she was focused all day. Marge now says she hasn't thought so clearly in 20 years... Learn more...
Be well, 
Carole Jackson
Bottom Line's Daily Health News
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