I've been struggling with a topic choice for about a week now, and today at the gym I FINALLY came up with something. As American's there is always some sort of expert health advice being thrown at us, whether it's Dr. Oz, Dr. Gupta, The Doctor's talk show, whatever; but some of this advice is not appropriate for everyone. I remember reading a story in Prevention Magazine a while back about a woman who was following the food pyramid guidelines as a weight loss program. After a few weeks into the program she went to her doctor complaining that she was feeling bloated and and had diarrhea. The doctor recommended that she take in more fiber, and that advice almost killed her. She was later diagnosed with celiac disease--her immune system attacks the gluten found in grains, while doing damage to her small intestine at the same time. This gluten free "hype" (for lack of a better word) is something we are all becoming more familiar with as the gluten free products are starting to be advertised publicly. The point of the story is this, that her doctor's advice which in some cases could be a solution for people, almost killed her.
*For the record, I'm still confused why he recommended fiber to someone complaining of diarrhea? No offense to the physician in this situation, I'm no doctor. Makes sense for bloating, but...?
Here's some typical advice that is actually wise for most people--but we're all different. When it comes to your individual health, things should be tailored from person to person; starting with your fitness routine. Normally, expert advice would be that vigorous workouts do more for you than moderate ones. Look at it this way, you lead a sedentary lifestyle and your main goal is to LOSE the weight you've gained. If you start working out extremely hard and your body is not used to it, you're going to tire out so quickly that it won't even allow you to burn enough calories to actually lose weight. Seems logical right?
*A 2003 study of 184 women found that walking at a moderate pace for at least 150 minutes each week had the same effect as someone working out more intensely for shorter periods of time. In fact, women who were told to do long sessions of moderate exercise lost about the same amount as women who worked harder for shorter bursts--15 to 18 pounds on average (Prevention Magazine). To lose weight, work out 3-5 days each week at a pace you can maintain for 30-40 minutes. Walking is the simplest way to exercise, you need shoes and ground, there are no excuses for this one. Nice try though. ; )
Now for food and drink, normal nutritional advice would be to eat plenty leafy green vegetables, but this must be tailored if you have a heart condition and take a blood thinner called Coumadin. (I can thank my internship in cardiovascular rehabilitation for this segment of information). This drug is a blood thinner, and the Vitamin K in it prevents clotting. Just like everything else though, too much of anything can do bad things. Vitamin K is abundant in leafy green vegetables, and too much can overwhelm your safeguard (heart doc's dosage). If you're on this medication, do not exceed more than one serving each day.
How about this one? Drink 8 glasses of water each day, typical health advice right? But if you have bladder control problems you should probably think twice about that. You might be able to avoid accidental flow if you decrease your fluid intake. You should also avoid natural diuretics like caffeine, alcohol, and herbal teas. According to the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, twenty percent of our water intake each day actually comes from food. So just watch the color of your urine, yes check it out! Dark yellow/orange usually means you are dehydrated (deprived of necessary fluid), and if your urine is light colored, your probably drinking enough.
*Random fact, if your lips are dried out, it's also a sign of dehydration in some cases. Bottom line here, listen to your body.
Lastly, I know this blog entry isn't necessarily targeting the college age group and young/middle aged adults like the previous ones, but I thought this information was important enough for those of you reading it, to pass on to your parents or grandparents (and if you're lucky enough great-grandparents). Again, normal health advice from a professional would be lower blood pressure is better. I mean, even I was sure that was the case throughout my clinical hours in the cardiovascular unit ; but blood pressure also has to be tailored by individual. If you have Coronary Artery Disease (CAD), getting down to 120/80 (the ideal or normal range) is great (lowering your risk of heart attack, stroke, etc.), but any lower could cause problems. You're going to need a little extra pressure to get that blood moving through those arteries that have been narrowed by plaque build up.
*Another statistic, courtesy of Prevention Magazine; a study done on more than 22,000 people with CAD who dropped the bottom number of their blood pressure (diastolic pressure) to less than 70, doubled their chance of heart attack or death. However, there is one case where this changes. Lower than normal blood pressure is okay in patients who have had an angioplasty, where the vessels have been cleared out, or bypass surgery, where their vessels are rerouted through a "youthful" vessel.
*Both of these procedures, mostly the quadruple bypass I had the opportunity to stand in on, were absolutely mind blowing. These surgeons are miracle workers. They saved my grandpa's life just in time! So, thanks Dr. Marks! : )
The last medication I'll talk about is usually considered the safest, acetaminophen (Tylenol). It's gentle on an empty stomach, works for a lot of different sources of pain, is fast acting, long lasting, but there's a catch with this one too. If you drink alcohol, even one drink a day, you should be extremely careful with your dosage of acetaminophen. There's a warning written on the bottle, but I have witnessed many of my college friends "pop" Tylenol before heading to the bar in hopes it'll ease their hangover in the morning, WRONG! Dr. Donald Jensen, a board member of the American Liver Foundation, stated that combining these two "drugs" primes the liver for trouble. He says, four grams of acetaminophen is the maximum dosage for a day, but if you even have ONE drink you should not exceed two grams. <-- College students, that one's for you!
Have great week!
-Alexis
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