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Tag Archives: bone loss

No Wheat, No Weight? – Part 1

23 Saturday Feb 2013

Posted by yeloros in mind/body

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Alzheimer's, aqua jogging, belly fat, bocce ball, body mass index, bone loss, celiac disease, chair exercises, daily food journal, exercise, gluten sensitivity, glutten-free, obesity, overweight, physical activity, subcutaneous fat, visceral fat

man and woman abstractLet’s just say that this is Mary and Joe Scofield on their way home from their doctor’s office, where once again they heard their yearly lecture.  Obviously, they are in that 68.8% of Americans who are overweight or obese and experiencing the consequences. When reading their charts, everything that should be low is high, and everything that should be down is up, including their weight.  The doctor reminded them that getting rid of the weight would probably eliminate some, if not all, of the medications they are taking for heart problems, elevated cholesterol, blood pressure, and diabetes.

This time the doctor was impressed with their optimism as they began talking about what they will do to improve their health.  Watching the HBO special “The Weight of the Nation” was a wake-up call for them to go online to research their conditions. They even had a list of questions to ask the doctor about a sensible diet, a safe exercise program, and they set realistic short-and long-term goals as an important first step.  They’re particularly excited about being able to exercise at home and showed the doctor a printout of how they can get a full-body workout with chair exercises.  (Read “Move It! You’re Losing It” and cdc.org at end of post.) Because they have been inactive, part of the plan is to gradually build up to a variety of more intense exercise routines.

According to The National Institutes of Health, 30 minutes of moderate physical activity most days of the week can have positive results, even when spread out in ten-minute sessions throughout the day.

The couple was also motivated after reading that Honey Boo Boo’s mama even lost over 100 pounds by being more physically active (walking and moving) while taping their TV show, 365 lbs. to 263 lbs. so far.

To jump-start their physical activity, Mary and Joe decided to make brisk walking part of their daily regimen. Studies show that those who regularly walk (not stroll) to lose weight, are more likely to keep it off.  Their pedometers will let them know how close they are to their goal of 10,000 steps a day, but even if they don’t reach 10,000, every step is better than none at all.  Plus, brisk walking will help melt away that dangerous, deadly (visceral) belly fat.   This is the kind of fat wrapped around the organs in the abdomen, increasing the risk of heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, diabetes, even death. (*See web site at end of post for body mass index.) According to the American Cancer Society, there’s strong evidence this type of fat may even cause colon cancer.  Moreover, it is linked to a higher risk of other cancers and poor brain health, increasing the risk for dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.  Research has also linked belly fat to bone loss in men.  Experts say this fat is often the first to go when combined with diet and physical activities you do regularly, like walking, biking, dancing, even housework and working in the yard.  Crunches, sit-ups and other abdominal exercises are good for getting rid of fat located directly under the skin (subcutaneous).

6975217_sJoe is excited about golfing (no cart) with their neighbor and joining a group of friends a few days a week to play bocce ball.  Mary is looking forward to shedding pounds by aqua jogging (running in water) with her friends.  She is also motivated to plant a garden, which promises to be a great form of physical activity.  Consequently, she is looking forward to shopping (more walking) for that new wardrobe after her weight loss. They both realize that daily physical activity and a healthy diet translate to a life-long change, now that they are seriously aiming for longevity and working on their bucket list.  Who knew fun and games could equal health and wellness?

Because they have heard so much about this thing called gluten, they are wondering if it could be the answer to some of their complaints, such as bloating, joint pain, diarrhea, gas, and stomach aches.  (Read “Tips-Gluten No-No’s”.) Since so many people are boasting about losing weight on a gluten-free diet, they are hoping it might work for them also. The doctor is testing them for celiac disease even though they don’t fit the profile, for studies show that even overweight people can have the disease.  In the meantime, they will plan their meals for the week, keep a food journal and take note of when their symptoms worsen. The journal will also allow them to see just how much, what and when they are eating and document all junk food, sugary drinks, processed foods, snacks, and “grazing”.

For years they have tried many ways to lose weight, but failed: diets, treadmill, gadgets, pills, drinks.  Nevertheless, they wonder if there’s any scientific evidence to back up those gluten weight loss testimonials, because it all sounds too good to be true.

Dieting couple

*To calculate your body mass index (BMI) go to the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute Web site, http://www.nhlbisupppot.com/bmi.

Related posts:

  • “Move It! You’re Losing It”
  • “No Wheat, No Weight? – Part 2”
  • “Tips-Gluten No-No’s”
  • “Goodbye Arthur“

Resources:

  • (http://www.mayoclinic.org)
  • (http://www.cdc.gov/physicalactivity/growingstronger/exercises/index.html)
  • Stanford University School of Medicine
  • Johns Hopkins School of Medicine
  • National Institutes of Health (www.nia.nih.gov/Go4Life)
  • University of Washington Medical School
  • American Cancer Society
  • American Heart Association
  • Harvard Medical School, Boston
  • HBO Special – “The Weight of the Nation” – 4 parts
  • (http://www.clevelandclinic.org)
  • (http://www.celiac.org)
  • (http://www.webmd.com)

Images:

  • Fotolia.com
  • 123rf.com

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Dumbbells And Diet

13 Wednesday Jun 2012

Posted by yeloros in bones, mind/body

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Tags

bone density test, bone fractures, bone loss, calcium, glaucoma, high blood pressure, inversions, National Osteoporosis Foundation, osteopenia, osteoporosis, valsalva maneuver, vitamin D, WPLongform, yoga poses

6615207_blogThis post was originally going to only be about osteoporosis (oss-tee-oh-pore-OH-sis) (porous bones) and would be of concern to women only, and I would not get into all the information they could easily find online.  I was going to tell about the pitfalls I ran into while doing all the things needed to keep bones strong, like walking, yoga, and exercising.  Well, I soon realized that those pitfalls could actually save anyone from a hospital stay, keep someone out of a wheel chair, prevent a stroke, or even death.

WARNING:  DON’T ASSUME!

Now you’re probably wondering what on earth these kids have to do with this post.  The caption for the picture reads “Yeah, Sis, osteoporosis really is a crying shame!”  To me, this little girl is typical of the child who would eventually become that thin, small, older woman with fragile bones and break a hip because of osteoporosis.  Her little consoling brother assumes, that as a male, he really won’t have to worry about this awful thing.  Well, we were both wrong.  First of all, men get osteoporosis too, and men and women of all backgrounds need to be aware that they could be at risk.  Building strong, healthy bones begins at birth and lasts our whole life.  Consequently, calcium-rich foods, along with sunshine for vitamin D, and plenty of physical activity are essential even early in life.  It’s like building a savings account of strong  bones for adulthood.  Little did I know that all of us start losing bone about age 30 when the rate of bone building slows down as the rate of bone loss picks up.  How wrong I was to assume that I never had to worry about osteoporosis because I didn’t fit the profile of that little girl.

You might be thinking, (assuming) that you don’t have to worry because your bones feel just fine.  Osteoporosis is a “silent disease” where your bones become fragile and break easily causing terrible pain.  Here’s the sad part and the real crying shame:  Very fragile bones can break from something as simple as a hug, sneezing, bending over, bumping into furniture or even spontaneously–you don’t have to fall to break a bone, your bones can break, causing you to fall! I like the way it’s described in The Surgeon General’s Report:  With osteoporosis, your body’s frame becomes like the frame of a house damaged by termites.  Termites weaken your house like osteoporosis weaken your bones.

One in five people with a hip fracture will most likely end up in a nursing home within a year and others may be confined to a wheel chair, or worse!

bigstock-Person-On-Wheelchair-1661469

EARLY DETECTION

Now I’m pretty savvy about taking charge of my health and keeping up with tests women should have at different stages of life.  However, because of my assumption that I wasn’t a candidate for osteoporosis, I never thought to ask for the pain-free, 10-15 minute bone density test.  This is an x-ray showing how strong your bones are, and my doctor never mentioned it.  I became concerned and asked for the test only after a dear friend, with osteoporosis, fell and broke her wrist.  The most common breaks in weak bones are in the wrist, spine and hip, but any bone can be affected.  Early detection is critical because by the time any symptoms (pain or fracture) become apparent, the disease process is already far advanced.

Now here is something to think about:  What if our primary care doctor had a form in front of every patient’s chart, one for men and one for women, listing all the tests we should have according to our age and risk factors?  That form would have been right there in plain sight making my doctor aware of when I was due to have a bone density test, and I could have been spared the diagnosis now of osteopenia (thinning bones).  (How about also putting the patient’s photograph with the form?  It would be especially helpful in the chart of patients hospitalized or in nursing homes.  How many injuries or deaths occur each year as a result of patients getting the wrong treatment or medication due to misidentification?)

KNOW YOUR RISKS

I’m sure we have all heard about the wonderful benefits of tai chi and yoga.  One day our well-qualified yoga instructor said that anyone with heart disease, high blood pressure, glaucoma or certain health problems, should not do the next poses.  Well, I assumed she didn’t mean me because my one and only medication is for high blood pressure and I assumed it was under control, therefore I did the poses.  When I got home and took my blood pressure because I didn’t feel “quite right” it was sky high.  Those poses, called inversions, are a group of yoga positions where your hips or legs are higher than your heart, or the heart is higher than the head,

woman adho mukha svanasana Dog Position woman sarvangasana setu bandha bridge pose yoga iStock_000015898994XSmall (1)

spiking your blood pressure and increasing your risk for stroke or other cardiac event.  Of course there was no need to stop the classes, I just stopped doing those poses.

DO YOUR RESEARCH

8950366_sBecause I’m not crazy about exercising, I was elated when one day I read an article promising to reverse bone loss in just ten minutes a day.  I assumed this meant that I never ever had to exercise again.  It turned out that they were talking about isometric resistance movements.  Thankfully, I went online to research this claim.  The warning in several articles was in big bold print stating “If you have high blood pressure or any heart problems you must avoid doing isometrics.”  It causes your blood pressure to rise to extremely high levels leading to fainting, headaches, even stroke.  This is due to what’s known as the valsalva maneuver which happens when we’re grunting or straining, holding our breath and not breathing properly while exercising.  I’m not going to attempt to fully explain it here, but see website at the end of this post and I urge you to read all about it.

KNOW YOUR LIMITATIONS

Walking is one of the best exercises we can do because of all the health benefits.  How glad I was when our new community center opened and had an indoor walking track.  Just 16 laps around the track equals one mile.  I was under the assumption that surely I could walk a mile without stopping, so I started out like I was in training for race walking.  Around lap 12 or 13 I started slowing down and realized I was not breathing right and was straining and forcing myself to continue. (Why is it so many of us don’t know how to breathe when it comes to exercising?  Instead of breathing openly and freely, we actually do the opposite and hold our breath.) At lap 15 I wasn’t feeling “quite right” but told myself I could do one more lap, but my body told me to quit and go home.  To shorten this story, at home I waited for my blood pressure to come down but it continued to steadily rise.  It was well pass time to call 911 when it reached 230/180–I was experiencing the valsalva effect.  This assumption that I was physically prepared to walk a mile, put me in hospital for two days having all kinds of tests including a heart catheterization.

Lesson learned–ASSUMPTIONS CAN BE HAZARDOUS TO YOUR HEALTH!

DCF 1.0

So what’s this sleepy looking bear have to do with anything?  Good news!  Research is underway at several medical centers and universities to find out why bears are able to maintain their bone strength following months of hibernation.  Let’s hope this research leads to preventing and reversing bone loss and finding better treatment options for osteoporosis in the future.

See “Move It! You’re Losing It” and “Are You What You Eat?” to read more about saving your most valuable “assets”–your bones and muscles.

See “Simple Salmon” for a quick and easy bone-building recipe.

The National Osteoporosis Foundation (http://www.nof.org) has more information than you can imagine. 

Be sure to have your vision checked.  A recent report discovered that having surgery to correct cataracts resulted in fewer broken hips from falls in older people.  It would be a good idea to have your hearing checked also, especially if you think everybody is whispering.

Resources:

  • (http://www.mayoclinic.org)
  •  National Osteoporosis Foundation (http://www.nof.org)
  • Yoga Journal: High Blood Pressure and Inversions
  • (http://www.livestrong.com/article/357774)
  • (http://www.yogaalliance.org) (find certified instructors)
  • (http://www.livestrong.com/article/299067/hypertension-isometrics/)
  • U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
  • National Institutes of Health (http://www.nih.gov/osteoporosis)
  • (http://www.niams.nih.gov/bonehealth)
  • The Surgeon General’s Report on Bone Health and Osteoporosis
  • Michigan Technological University (http://www.mtu.edu)
  • The American College of Sports Medicine
  • “Essentials of Exercise Physiology”
  • American Heart Association (http://www.heart.org)
  • National Institute on Aging (http://www.nia.nih.gov/osteoporosis)

Images:

  • 123RF.com
  • istock.com
  • Bigstock.com
  • Ponds5.com

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