Well,
I was going to write about weather and its impact on wellness because
we’ve had some beautiful days lately, but when I read the New
York Times last night, I had to make a shift in my plan. In
addition to my favorite part of the newspaper, The Science Times,
which is published on Tuesdays, I discovered a special section, Well,
a collection of articles on what we might need to know about
staying well as we age. As a wellness coach, I am always interested
in what we can do to take better care of ourselves.
Don’t
get me wrong, I believe that there is a place for medications, used
appropriately. After working as a nurse in pediatric oncology and as
a medical advertising copywriter and creative director, I’ve
seen the benefits of pharmaceuticals. But, lifestyle changes are a
huge part of the equation when seeking better health and wellness. An
integrated approach is best, but not one where you think taking
cholesterol-lowering medications is a license to eat with abandon,
let’s say. Several articles in Well address the magical
effects of positive, healthy lifestyle changes on different
structures and organs of the body. I won’t review all of them,
but the one about having a healthier heart speaks volumes.
In
the Well piece on the heart, Eating Your Way to a Sturdy Heart,
Tara Parker-Pope writes that “simple and even pleasurable
changes in the foods you eat can rival medication in terms of the
benefit to your heart”—an organ you’ll need for the
rest of your life. She mentions that there is a lot of data to show
that just a few small changes, including eating more fish, nuts,
vegetables, and fiber, can make a huge difference in heart health.
So, why aren’t people making those changes? Are you eating more
of these foods lately? If not, what steps could you take to move
closer to that way of eating? When will you start? Speaking of steps,
Gina Kolata’s Well article on exercise, More Than An
Exercise In Vanity” focused on functional fitness,
endurance and strength as key to aging well. If you happen to fall
when you’re older, you do want to be able to get
up. If exercise isn’t a regular part of your routine, how could
you make that happen? What would happen if you don’t exercise?
Do
you want to change your diet? A diet rich in fish-derived
omega fatty acids can lower the risk of death by almost 25%. Send the
grilled salmon right over here, please. She went on to mention that
some studies show that a diet high in omega-3 fatty acids from fish,
nuts and other sources can lower cardiovascular risk by 60%. Adding a
salad to your day isn’t difficult these days, with the wide
variety of bagged greens and produce available. I don’t know
about you, but I want my heart to hold out for as long as possible.
Another
enormous contributor to heart disease is smoking. The good news is
that fewer people are smoking these days, helping to reduce the rate
of cardiovascular disease. Interestingly, as I finished reading Well
and The Science Times section, I reached for the first section
of the paper, and right on the top left was the headline, Cigarette
Bill Treats Menthol With Leniency. What’s that about, I
wondered? It turns out that Congress wants to give the FDA the right
to regulate tobacco for the first time, but menthol would be exempt
from regulation. Lobbyists for the tobacco industry are protecting
mentholated brands, which make up 25% of the $70 billion dollar
industry, probably because these brands seem to help new smokers
tolerate the taste of tobacco and likely encourage addiction. It
seems that they are heavily marketed to African-Americans; about 75%
of African Americans smoke mentholated brands, a fact I didn’t
know before reading this article. But, because of the way our
legislative system works, the exemption for menthol must be tolerated
in order to pass the larger issue of tobacco regulation. This is very
unfortunate, as African-Americans, who are generally under served
medically in this country are often diagnosed late when they develop
lung cancer, which places them at a distinct treatment disadvantage.
I’m
not sure that regulating tobacco is the answer, as it seems there is
infighting within the industry, with some, such as Philip Morris,
supporting regulation and others not. This may give cigarette makers
the ability to say that the FDA has approved their brands as less
harmful. Is that a benefit? I guess that’s in line with how
the FDA operates, approving certain drugs that are less harmful than
others… My personal preference would be to engage tobacco
industry executives and workers in purposeful work other than making
cigarettes, which would eliminate a major source of many medical
conditions (not just lung cancer) and out-of-control
health care costs.
Let’s
turn the page to Tuesday’s obituaries, where I came upon the
life of Murray Jarvik, uncle of Dr. Robert Jarvik, who developed the
first artificial heart implanted into a human. Murray Jarvik was a
psychopharmacologist who contributed to development of the first
nicotine patch. The quote chosen to close his obituary, words he
wrote in 1977, is telling: “It is strange that people should
go to such lengths to burn and then inhale some vegetable matter. We
must find out what is rewarding about it."
So,
eating our vegetables is better for us than smoking them, but
grilling and eating fish is good, too. And, it’s better to
never start smoking. What healthy lifestyle changes will you make—or
think about making—today? You can find more ideas on
www.nytimes.com/wellguide. I
wish you well.
Beth
Tansey Peller, RN, BS is a health writer and wellness coach certified
by Wellcoaches Corporation. Beth focuses on helping women dealing
with the multiple responsibilities of midlife amid the hormonal
shifts of perimenopause to achieve long-desired positive changes in
fitness, nutrition, stress management and overall wellness.Beth
offers affordable e-booklets in her series, Make It Happen in
Midlife!, as well as a range of individual and group coaching
services. You can find out more about Beth by visiting
www.bewellwithbeth.com.
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