Tag Archives: smoking

Heart Attacks Drop Dramatically in California Study

A new study has found that heart attacks have dropped by a dramatic 24 percent in a large group of people studied in Northern California. Even more dramatically, there was a 62 percent drop in the most severe type of heart attack, known as an ST-segment elevation heart attack. A coronary artery is fully blocked.

The study’s authors don’t think it’s happened by accident.

“We believe improvements in targeting risk factors are in part responsible,” says the study’s senior author, Dr. Alan Go, M.D., the assistant director for clinical research at Kaiser Permanente, in Oakland, California. “We’ve observed in our population that fewer people are smoking, and there’s better control of blood pressure and cholesterol.”

(more…)

Posted on June 11, 2023 by Jason

Help Someone Else Rather than Hurting Your Health

brooke randolph african orphanageI am sure you have heard the argument before that quitting smoking can help you save money. It is one reason used to argue for a tax on cigarettes. Recently, there have even been discussions of a tax on soda and possibly other unhealthy foods. Often our wallets are more important in motivating us than our own health.

Recently, I was able to visit Africa and help deliver supplies to orphanages that did not have electricity, beds, or even windows. They were enthusiastic, but a suitcase of children’s clothes just did not seem like enough. One orphanage told us that they are trying to raise money and just $2500 would build an entirely new building to house 30+ orphans. How could I not think about how much money I spend on frivolous things when there are children sleeping on concrete and not getting enough to eat? (more…)

Posted on October 18, 2023 by Brooke Randolph

Shake Things up to Make Drastic, Healthy Changes

david sedaris when engulfed in flamesDuring session the other day, a client stated that one of the reasons he/she first started counseling was because if you do not do anything differently then nothing will ever change. I am always proud when a client owns such a statement and even more so in this case because I believe this client has never heard that from me, even if it is a foundational belief that I share. I am certainly not the only change professional that holds to this idea and you have probably heard variations of the same theme from several sources. I recently read about an extreme use of this idea in the book When You Are Engulfed by Flames by David Sedaris. David writes that when he wanted to quit smoking, he needed to shake up his schedule and break his routine, so he moved to Japan for a while. (more…)

Posted on August 2, 2023 by Brooke Randolph

Congressman Chides Ashtray-less Gym

Our public servants in Washington, D.C. get some pretty nice perks. But one such benefit, the congressional gym, isn’t to the liking of Rep. Thaddeus McCotter (R-MI).

Rep. Thaddeus McCotter

Rep. Thaddeus McCotter

When going to the gym, McCotter can’t stand it if there are no ashtrays available. The congressman told Fox News that he doesn’t “go there very much because A, they don’t have ashtrays… And B, the one time I was there, my first trip, someone sort of was talc-ing themselves, and offered their hand and I just said, ‘Hey, we’re cool, dude.'” (more…)

Posted on April 4, 2024 by Jason

Smoking and Obesity are Equally Fatal

When we think of smokers, most non-smokers think about the elementary fact that they are at a serious risk of premature death. And often, people scoff at the behavior as being careless, which usually begins in the impressionable teenage years. But research now shows that it’s not any more dangerous (or frivolous) for young adults to smoke than it is to be overweight.teen smoker

Dr. Martin Neovius of the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden and his colleagues stressed that since overweight and smoking are both associated with increased risks of cardiovascular disease and certain cancers, that if young adults fall in either category, they are at risk of an early death. Although the pathogenic mechanisms differ, he said, a synergistic effect of smoking and obesity may be possible.

The researchers found that obesity and being overweight in late adolescence increased mortality risk, regardless of whether or not they also smoked.

Researchers concluded that “overweight, obesity, and smoking among adolescents might be good targets for intensified public health initiatives.”

(via: MedPage Today)

Posted on March 4, 2024 by Jason

Be a Healthy Role Model for Your Children

Another technique used to encourage life change is Environmental Reevaluation, which combines both emotional and cognitive assessments of how a personal habit affects those around you, as well as the understanding that you are a role model for others. We are not always aware of who is watching what we do, but there is always someone whether it is a child (even if not your own), a boss, or a potential client.

For parents it is hugely important to remember that the old saying “do what I say, not what I do” will never work. Children pattern themselves after what is modeled for them. If they see you doing otherwise, they are most likely to learn that those behaviors (whatever they may be) are simply a privilege of being an adult. (more…)

Posted on December 11, 2023 by Brooke Randolph

Advertising Dramatic Life Change

Dramatic Relief is another technique for lifestyle change that has been adopted by anti-obesity and healthy living campaigns. It has also been used frequently in anti-smoking campaigns. Dramatic Relief can be used no matter your goal, and is designed to help move you from the Contemplation stage to Determination and towards Action. Dramatic Relief works by creating an experience of increased emotion which is followed by a relief from that emotion if a step towards life change is taken. Dramatic experiences can include anything moving such as testimonies, psychodrama, and media campaigns. These type of ad campaigns use uncomfortable emotions, such as fear, disgust, or guilt, so people are motivated to do something not to feel this same way again.

It is the idea used in “reverse thinspiration,” or when someone puts a picture of themselves at their highest weight on the refrigerator. It’s the reason we call loved ones after watching a sappy movie or go clean the kitchen after reading an article about salmonella. It’s hard to imagine driving your kids through a fast food restaurant and not portioning their servings after driving by one of these billboards:

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Posted on December 1, 2023 by Brooke Randolph

Dr. Oz speaks at New York YMCA

Diets In Review is pleased to have guest blogger, Amy Vermeer, share what she learned at a recent event featuring Oprah’s favorite doctor, Dr. Mehmet Oz. Read more about Amy’s healthy approach to living through holistic nutrition at eatlivelaugh.com.

Dr. Mehmet Oz, who has become increasingly well known through his appearances on the Oprah show, appeared at the 92nd street YMCA in New York City for a discussion on the secret to staying young and healthy. He began by speaking to his latest book “You: Staying Young” and about how we should all be focusing on news we can use, a subject we can all relate to as we are bombarded by messages daily with all types of information that may or may not be useful for ourselves and for our families. Additionally, he spoke about how in this latest book his focus is on the primary caregiver, which in most cases is the female in the household. As he states, the female is most likely to take information learned and pass that on to her family as well as to use this information for leverage towards action steps in her household. This is by no means to discount men from reading the book, but is an accurate depiction of how typical households function.

Dr. Oz proceeded by speaking about how sick we as Americans all are, in fact we are twice as sick as Europeans. With being sicker, we as a population are costing 2X as much to care for, creating a huge burden on what we call a “healthcare system”. We need to stop relying on the system and start focusing on ourselves. Can you believe you have a 2 in 5 chance of encountering a medical error? According to Dr. Oz that is the statistic in New York State, and New York is looked upon as being more advanced than other states. What does that mean our chances are if we live in other areas of the country? Dr. Oz reinforced the need to get second opinions and to encourage friends and family as well; your health is not to be taken lightly.

Dr. Oz then moves on to his 5 Life Adjustments, they are as follows:
• Blood Pressure 15/75
• No Cigarettes
• 30 minutes of daily physical activity
• A healthy diet that is easy to love
• Stress control

These 5 elements are essential to maintaining a healthy lifestyle and overall well being. If one does not concentrate on these “life adjustments” then we will likely encounter belly fat, which according to Dr. Oz is a more important health measure than your weight on a scale. Essentially, if your waist, which entails the amount of belly fat on your body, exceeds the following equation: Total height/2 (ie. If you are 5’6” then your total height in inches is 66”/2 = 33 inches), then you are at a much more serious risk for high cholesterol, diabetes and hypertension. A scale is not an accurate measurement as it does not take into account several important elements such as muscle mass. Muscle does weigh more than fat and when you are working out and building muscle, your weight is likely to increase while your waist size is likely to decrease.

We then touched on supplements and the importance they have for our bodies as we do not all ingest the right foods to naturally absorb all the vitamins and minerals essential for regular function. Dr. Oz recommends taking a multi-vitamin, rich in vitamins A, C, and F, all of which are anti-oxidants that allow for regeneration. In addition, we need to ensure a regular intake of Vitamin D and Omega.

A last essential element briefly discussed was sleep. Woman on average need 7 hours while men need 7.5 hours. Dr. Oz jokes that men are more needy, hence their need for more sleep.

As time runs out for the great knowledge sharing of Dr. Oz, he proceeds to open up the floor to any questions in the room. The first question, how can I maintain my health while enjoying my regular martini? I think it might be time for that gentleman to purchase Dr. Oz’s book!

Click here to learn more about Dr. Oz’s book, YOU: On a Diet.

Thank you, Amy!

Posted on January 25, 2024 by Amy

New research on ovarian cancer

A new study that was just published in the recent issue of Cancer showed that smoking or alcohol use did not increase a woman’s chance of getting ovarian cancer. The study also showed that a woman’s risk might be decreased by the consumption of caffeine. But this is no free license for women to continue smoking because there is still significant evidence that shows that smoking increases the risk of a specific subtype of ovarian cancer known as the mucinous type.

Ovarian cancer is a very serious cancer resulting in approximately 23,000 new cases in the U.S. each year. Its cause still remains very unclear to the medical community.

Posted on January 24, 2024 by heather