SMOKING-RELATED DEATHS AMONG WOMEN HAVE SOARED

Women began smoking in large numbers after World War II.  The consequences of this shift to large numbers of women smoking are just now reaching women in their fifties or older.  Steven Schroeder, a health and smoking expert at the University of California, San Francisco, said, "We used to think women were at less risk of illness from smoking.  That doesn't seem to be true now.  My guess is that early women smokers didn't smoke as much as men because there was some stigma to it.  Now they"re smoking as many cigarettes as men are."  So he concluded, "Smoke like a man, die like a man.

And that seems to be what a report in the New England Journal of Medicine showed.  It indicated that for the first time since the 1950's, the rate of smoking-related deaths is now nearly equal between male and female smokers.  Since  the CDC says that smoking kills some 443,000 people every year, that is a scary statistic. If you do not want to be a statistic like that, it's time to think about becoming a nonsmoker.  So check my website: www.BeaHealthyNonsmoker.com or find a hypnotherapist in your area help you to become a healthy nonsmoker.

SMOKING-RELATED DEATHS AMONG WOMEN HAVE SOARED

     Women began smoking in large numbers after World War II.  The consequences of this shift to large numbers of women smoking are just now reaching women in their fifties or older.  Steven Schroeder, a health and smoking expert at the University of California, San Francisco, said, "We used to think women were at less risk of illness from smoking.  That doesn't seem to be true now.  My guess is that early women smokers didn't smoke as much as men because there was some stigma to it.  Now they"re smoking as many cigarettes as men are."  So he concluded, "Smoke like a man, die like a man.

    And that seems to be what a report in the New England Journal of Medicine showed.  It indicated that for the first time since the 1950's, the rate of smoking-related deaths is now nearly equal between male and female smokers.  Since  the CDC says that smoking kills some 443,000 people every year, that is a scary statistic. If you do not want to be a statistic like that, it's time to think about becoming a nonsmoker.  So check my website:www.BeaHealthyNonsmoker.com or find a hypnotherapist in your area help you to become a healthy nonsmoker.

APPETITE CONTROL THROUGH EXERCISE

James LeCheminant, PhD, and associate professor of exercise sciences at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah, did a study of 35 women who had brain scans to figure out how their brains responded to pictures of food.  One group of scans was done after the women walked briskly on a treadmill for 45 minutes.  A second study was completed of their brains without having the women exercise first.  LeCheminant's study found that when the women had just exercised, the brain responses to the pictures of food, which were considered a marker of appetite, were reduced.  Dieting to control your weight can be difficult if you are not exercising.  Reduce your desire to eat by doing moderate exercise.  And remember, a hypnotherapy session can be a great motivator to get moving!

BELLY FAT LINKED TO OSTEOPOROSIS

In 2011, Miriam Bredella, MD, assistant professor of radiology at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, presented a paper on belly fat and its link to osteoporosis at a meeting of the Radiological Society of North America. Dr. Bredella had led the study of 50 premenopausal obese women. She reported that obese women with more fat around their waist were more likely to have low bone-mineral density than obese women with less fat around their middle. This is important because low bone-mineral density is a risk factor for osteoporosis.

Some earlier studies had suggested that carrying more body fat might actually protect against osteoporosis. But we now know that not all fat is the same. Some women carry excessive subcutaneous fat which is fat just below the surface of the skin. These women showed normal bone structure. But the women who had the deep belly fat, those women with the apple-type figure, were more likely to be at risk for lower bone-mineral density.

With lower bone-mineral density comes the risk for susceptibility to bone fracture especially of the back and hip. The National Osteoporosis Foundation reports that about 10 million Americans have osteoporosis and another 18 million have osteopenia or moderately low bone mass. Since bone fractures can cause mild to severe pain, losing that belly fat can be a way of preventing the problems caused by the increase risk of fractures. Hypnotherapy can be a valuable tool in building a bone-healthy lifestyle by exercising more, quitting smoking, avoiding excess alcohol and certainly losing belly fat.

NEW STUDY SAYS SMOKING CARRIES GRAVE RISKS

A study recently reported in the New England Journal of Medicine emphasized the message that smoking carries severe risks for smokers.  The study took the result of surveys of 217,000 adults collected for the federal National Health Interview Survey between 1997 and 2004 and linked them to the National Death Index which reports cause-of-death.  The results were scary.  Very few smokers reached the age of eighty.  In the nonsmoking population seventy percent of women who never smoked and sixty-one percent of men who never smoked reached the age of eighty.  Just thirty-eight percent of female smokers and twenty-six percent of male smokers celebrated their eightieth birthday.

If you want to give yourself the best opportunity to live a longer, healthier life, it's time to consider quitting smoking.  Hypnotherapy can be a valuable tool in helping you get rid of this scary habit that can carry such grave risks.  Quit smoking, live long and BE WELL.

NEW STUDY SAYS SMOKING CARRIES GRAVE RISKS

     A study recently reported in the New England Journal of Medicine emphasized the message that smoking carries severe risks for smokers.  The study took the result of surveys of 217,000 adults collected for the federal National Health Interview Survey between 1997 and 2004 and linked them to the National Death Index which reports cause-of-death.  The results were scary.  Very few smokers reached the age of eighty.  In the nonsmoking population seventy percent of women who never smoked and sixty-one percent of men who never smoked reached the age of eighty.  Just thirty-eight percent of female smokers and twenty-six percent of male smokers celebrated their eightieth birthday.

    If you want to give yourself the best opportunity to live a longer, healthier life, it's time to consider quitting smoking.  Hypnotherapy can be a valuable tool in helping you get rid of this scary habit that can carry such grave risks.  Quit smoking, live long and BE WELL.

RESTORE LIFE EXPECTANCY - QUIT SMOKING BY 40

   Did you see the new study published online last Wednesday in the New England Journal of Medicine about quitting smoking by 40?  The bottom line - smokers who never stop smoking lose about ten years of life expectancy.  But the good news, if a smoker quits between the ages of 35 and 44, he can gain back nine of those years.  Those who quit between 45 and 54 gained back six lost years and even those who didn't quit until between 55 and 64 gained four years back.  Best news of all - those smokers quitting before the age of 35 gained all ten years back. 

    Restore years of life expectancy by quitting smoking.  Check out my website www.BeaHealthyNonsmoker and learn how hypnotherapy can be a valuable tool in stopping smoking.  Stop smoking, restore life expectancy, Be Well.

BELLY FAT LINKED TO OSTEOPOROSIS

     In 2011, Miriam Bredella, MD, assistant professor of radiology at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, presented a paper on belly fat and its link to osteoporosis at a meeting of the Radiological Society of North America.  Dr. Bredella had led the study of 50 premenopausal obese women.  She reported that obese women with more fat around their waist were more likely to have low bone-mineral density than obese women with less fat around their middle.  This is important because low bone-mineral density is a risk factor for osteoporosis.

     Some earlier studies had suggested that carrying more body fat might actually protect against osteoporosis.  But we now know that not all fat is the same.  Some women carry excessive subcutaneous fat which is fat just below the surface of the skin. These women showed normal bone structure.  But the women who had the deep belly fat, those women with the apple-type figure, were more likely to be at risk for lower bone-mineral density.

    With lower bone-mineral density comes the risk for suceptibility to bone fracture especially of the back and hip. The National Osteoporosis Foundation reports that about 10 million Americans have osteoporosis and another 18 million have osteopenia or moderately low bone mass.  Since bone fractures can cause mild to severe pain, losing that belly fat can be a way of preventing the problems caused by the increase risk of fractures.  Hypnotherapy can be a valuable tool in building a bone-healthy lifestyle by exercising more, quitting smoking, avoiding excess alcohol and certainly losing belly fat.  

SMOKE FREE

    Got this email today:  "Had wonderful holidays smoke free!!!  Hope you had a wonderful holiday season as well.  I have referred a couple of people to you for weight loss and/or smoking, hopefully you can help change their life as much as you helped change mine.  Have a happy new year."  (E.H.)  Are you ready to be smoke free?  Hypnotherapy can be a valuable tool to become the person you want to be. Be smoke free.  BE WELL. 

A HAPPY NONSMOKER

      Getting letters from clients is one of the most awarding parts of my profession.  Like this one:  "I'm on my 44th day of being a non-smoker!  I never in a million years thought I could do this.  Thank you so much.  Four of my friends have also contacted me about the hypnosis & have requested your information!  They want so badly to be smoke free.  Hopefully they will contact you soon when they are 100% ready.  Thanks again!  Brooke"  You, too, can be a person who used to smoke.  Hypnotherapy is a valuable tool for anyone who wants to be a healthy nonsmoker.

NEW BEGINNINGS

    It's the time of the year when many of us begin to think about a new start.  Whether it's losing weight, quitting smoking, getting more exercise or one of a myriad resolutions, most of us consider the beginning of a new year an opportunity for change and new beginnings.  For most of us that process of change begins by identifying the bad habit.  To learn and  understand your habit, break it down.  Ask yourself "what are the triggers that cause me to (do whatever it is you want to change).  Next break down the actual behavior of the habit ( what do you do, where, when, are you alone or with others). Then think about why you have the habit - what are the rewards? Finally, identify how you are going to change the triggers, behaviors and rewards to attain your goals.  It is o.k. to look for help in making those changes.  Smart people use tools.  You can dig a hole with your fingernails.  It's a lot easier to use a backhoe.  So get help where you can - a personal trainer may help you to get started in an exercise program, a registered dietician may help you plan your meals.  A hypnotherapist can be another great tool in supporting new beginnings.  Be smart.  Get the help you need to make new beginnings.  And BE WELL. 

QUIT SMOKING AND REDUCE DEPRESSION

    A study published in NICOTINE & TOBACCO RESEARCH reported that quitting smoking reduces depression.  The study by Christopher Kahler, PhD, research professor of community health, Warren Alpen Medical School, Brown University, Providence was the author of a study of 236 people who were trying to quit smoking.  He found that people who quit smoking were happier than those who remained smokers.  He also reported that those who quit smoking even for a short amount of time were more likely to be less depressed while they were not smoking.  Once a subject returned to smoking, the symptoms of depression reoccured.

    If you are a smoker suffering from depression and want to feel better, now is the time to quit smoking.  Know that hypnotherapy is a great way to become a nonsmoker.  Check out my website:  www.BeaHealthyNonsmoker.com and get rid of the chemicals in the cigarettes and the depression they can cause.

BEING TOO THIN

      Everyone has heard the old saying "You can't be too rich or too thin".  With so many people coming to see me to lose weight, it's interesting that occasionally someone will come to see me because they are underweight.   It may be hard to be sympathetic if you are one of the roughly 72 million American adults who are overweight or obese.  But about five million American adults are underweight. And being underweight can be a health risk.

    Being underweight is defined as having a body mass index (BMI) of less than 18.5.  If you are not sure of your BMI you calculate it by going to the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute Web site, www.nhlbiSupport.com/bmi to determine what is a healthy weight.  An analysis of data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys reported that underweight people have a greater risk of surgical complications, of dying from infections and in being prone to other conditions than people who are normal weight.

    The first step in dealing with being underweight is to analyze why a person is underweight.  Obviously, genes factor into a persons ability to lose weight, gain weight or just be thin.  But if you have unintentional weight loss, you should see your physician and be evaluated.  A number of diseases and chronic conditions can cause weight loss.  Among those are chronic conditions such as celiac disease and Crohn's disease that may lead to malabsorption and digestive problems.  Chewing and swallowing conditions may affect weight.  In addition, some mental and emotional issues such as depression can lead to unintended weight loss.  Medications may also factor in to a person being underweight.  Some antidepressants, antibiotics, painkillers and diurectics may cause a person to lose weight.

    Once a person has been evaluated by a physician  to screen for an illness or medication causing weight loss, s/he should try to gain enough weight to reach a healthy goal weight.  There are a number of things you can do to gain weight.  A reasonable goal is to gain one to two pounds a week.  An underweight person needs to add as many as 1,000 calories daily beyond what they have been consuming. A person with a chronic condition such as diabetes or heart disease may need the help of a registered dietician to plan his weight gain program.

     If you have experienced any of the signs of depression such as difficulty with  concentration, feeling hopeless, having changes in sleeping and eating patterns or changes in mood, get professional help. Depression is among the main causes of adults who have lost interest in life and it's pleasures such as eating.  Get professsional help if your weight loss seems to be a symptom of depression.

    Eating suggestions to help gain weight include: consciously planning to gain weight by getting more fat into the diet, adding food-supplement beverages like Ensure Plus or Carnation Instant Breakfast and snacking often.  An underweight adult may eat three large meals and three high-calorie snacks.

    If you are a smoker and underweight, be aware that smoking suppresses the appetite.  In addition, cigarettes often become an oral substitute for food.  Many smokers gain weight when they quit smoking.  If you are a smoker and underweight, it's just another reason to stop smoking.

    And it's time to get moving.  This may surprise you.  Sometimes my clients who want to lose weight are fearful of starting to exercise for fear of burning even more calories.  But exercise can build greater muscle and bone mass, increase appetite and improve your mood so you want to eat more.  A combination of strength and flexibility exercises working up to 30 minutes daily is a good goal to encourage you to eat more and begin to gain weight.

     Hypnotherapy won't change your genes.  But it can help you to get motivated to make the changes so you can gain the weight and no longer have the health risks of being underweight.

BREAST CANCER RECURRENCE REDUCED

     In 2009 scientists headed by C. I. Li at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle had an article published in the JOURNAL OF CLINICAL ONCOLOGY.  It was called "Relatonship Between Potentially Modifiable Lifestyle Factors and Risk of Second Primary Contralateral Breast Cancer Among Women Diagnosed with Estrogen Receptor-Positive Invasive Breast Cancer".  The scientists reported that certain lifestyle changes could reduce breast cancer recurrence rate.  Women who smoked had a 120% higher rate of breast cancer recurrence.  Women who were obese had a 50% greater risk of recurrence.  And women who consumed more than seven alcoholic beverages weekly had a 90% greater risk of breast cancer recurrence in the other breast than those who did not.

    If you have already had a breast cancer diagnosis and want to decrease your risk for recurrence, not smoking, losing weight and cutting back on alcoholic beverages can reduce your risk of breast cancer recurrence.  Hypnotherapy can be a valuable tool in making those life style changes.

ERECTILE DISFUNCTION

      Sometimes a man will call to make an appointment with me and describe his issue as a "personal problem".  That personal problem is often erectile disfunction.  This problem can be a sign of aging.  Though men and women can have an active sex lives into their 90's, men typically will take longer to get erections as they get older.  They will usually require physical stimulation to become erect.  But if a man has a consistent problem getting or maintaining an erection during intercourse, he may seek out treatment for erectile dysfunction (ED).

    Although ED may be caused by an underlying psychological problem, the majority of men who have difficulty iniating or maintaing erections have underlying physical problems.  One of the first things to rule out in discovering the problem causing the ED is to see if the man has low testosterone.  This can be established by seeing an endocrinologist specilizing in treating hormone imbalance. A medical test and testostrone supplements are available.  But know that less than 4% of erectile disfunction cases are related to testosterone deficiency.  In addition testosterone supplements can exacerbate a man's condition if he has either prostate cancer or benign prostate enlargement.  In reality, the long-term benefits and risks of testosterone supplements are still not clear and more studies need to be done in this area.

      Be aware that some medications including those used to treat high blood pressure or depression can have a side effect of causing ED.  More than 40% of men with hypertension also suffer from impotence.  And nerve damage from diabetes can also be a cause.  Diabetes is believed to contribute to almost half of impotence cases.

     If medications, diabetes  or low testosterone are not the underlying reasons for ED, consider that erectile dysfunction may be an early warning sign of future cardiovascular problems.  High blood pressure, diabetes or pre-diabetes, and higher triglyceride or cholesterol levels may eventually result in clogging or blockages in the arteries.  The main artery in the penis is only about one-half millimeter in diameter.  Even small accumulations of plaques (fatty deposits) can inhibit blood flow.  For that reason those small arteries will begin to clog sooner than the larger arteries that supply the brain or heart. 

     Because erectile dysfunction could be a symptom of cardiovascular disease, men experiencing ED should get a complete cardiovascular workup.  Of course, we have all seen the ads on tv for ED.  After watching all the television commercials for sildenafil (Viagra), vardenafil (Levitra) and  tadalafil (Cialis), many viewers may get the impression that erectile dysfunction will go away by just popping a pill.  Millions of prescriptions have been written for these drugs and they are considered a very safe drug.  Taking that pill may take care of the ED issue for a particular night, but the underlying, more serious problem of what caused it including the possibility of atherosclerosis (clogging of the arteries) is still there.

    For most men, ED can be prevented by making lifestyle changes that promote cardiovascular health.  ED is a wake-up call.  So what can you do to prevent or perhaps even reverse ED?    First of all you need that visit to your physician.  A man whose total cholesterol level is 200 or higher is much more apt to have ED than someone whose numbers are lower.  Numbers can some times be brought down through dietary changes such as eating less saturated fat and increasing fiber consumption while many will need a cholesterol-lowering statin drug such as atorvastatin (Lipitor) or pravastatin (Pravachol).

    A man who has ED may want to have his doctor review the drugs he is taking for side effects.  In addition to almost all blood-pressure lowering drugs and drugs for treating diabetes, antihistamines, sedatives, pain medications, antipsychotics and antidepressants may have the side effect of ED.  Drug side effects are highly individual and switiching to a different drug, may reverse the problem.

    The oral drugs, the penile implants and the vacuum devices prescribed by doctors are all tools to help men deal with ED.  In many cases, life style changes can help.  I always tell my clients, "If you value your sex life, stop smoking."  Smoking damages the inner lining of blood vessels in the penis and increases the risk of plaque buildup.  If you smoke one or more pack of cigarettes daily, your risk of erectile dysfunction is 60% higher than those who never smoked.  In addition weight loss, exercise and improved diet may be necessary to have the best chance at reversing ED.  If you value your sex life, going to a hypnotherapist to get motivated to quit smoking, to lose weight, to exercise more, may be valuable.

HEALTHY LIVING AND HYPNOTHERAPY

     In May of 2008, C. M. Blanchard et al, reported in the JOURNAL OF CLINICAL ONCOLOGY on a study of 9,000 survivors of six different types of cancer.  The study concluded that a higher quality of life was correlated to making healthy lifestyle choices.  The majority of cancer survivors in the study were not smoking but had mixed results  from other positive lifestyle changes.

     The American Cancer Society has healthy lifestyle recommendations for cancer survivors.  They include:  not smoking, exercising for 30 minutes at least five times a week and eating at least five servings of fruits and vegetables daily.  In the study of the 9,000 survivors almost 92% did not smoke.  But the numbers weren't as good for the other recommendations.  Fewer than half were doing the prescribed amount of physical activity and less tan 19% of survivors were meeting the five-a-day food recommendation.  The study concluded that prostate, colorectal and breast cancer survivors who met the smoking and dietary guidelines had a significantly higher quality of life than those who didn't.  A higher quality of life was reported by all survivors who met the exercise recommendations.  Those in the study who made those positive lifestyle changes had a higher quality of life.

    If you or a loved one is a cancer survivor or if you want to improve your quality of life, follow The American Cancer Society recommendations.  Hypnotherapy can help you get motivated to quit smoking, eat healthier and exercise regularly.  To learn more check my websites:  www.JenniferPJohnson.com or www.BeaHealthyNonsmoker.com.

SMOKING AND HEART ATTACK RISK

     The American Heart Association reports that there are about 920,000 heart attacks every year. If you are a smoker, the risk of having a heart attack rises. Cigarette smoke can trigger heart attacks in people with underlying heart disease by causing spasms in the blood vessels or by causing clots. Being a smoker raises your risk.  One way this was proven was in studies of community smoking bans and heart attack rates.  In 2009, two seperate analyses of laws in the United States, Europe and Canada found a dramatic correlation between community smoking bans and reduced number of heart attacks.  These studies found that heart attack rates fall 17% within a year after the smoking bans take effect. 

     One analysis considered eleven studies and appeared in the JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN COLLEGE OF CARDIOLOGY.   A second analysis of thirteen studies appeared in CIRCULATION: JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATION.  The CARDIOLOGY paper concluded that public smoking bans could prevent more than 150,000 heart attacks every year.  But those bans may or may not happen.  If you are a smoker thinking about becoming a non-smoker, check out my web site: www.BeaHealthyNonsmoker.com. Hypnotherapy can be a valuable tool in becoming a nonsmoker thus lowering your risk for heart attack.

QUIT SMOKING AND BITING FINGERNAILS WITH HYPNOTHERAPY

     This is a transcript of a recent phone call I wanted to share with you.  "Hi, Dr. Johnson. This is (client's  name withheld).  I was in to see you about six weeks ago to quit smoking.  It's been an amazing experience. Since I walked out of your office I haven't had an urge at all.  And my fingernails have grown to whole new lengths I've never had before.  I justed wanted to let you know.  Thank you very much.  My son and some friends are coming to see you.  Thanks again.  Have a wonderful day."  Hypnotherapy can help you change old bad habits as well.

PREHYPERTENSION AND STROKE RISK

     One of our most feared medical emergencies is that of stroke.  There are two kinds of stroke - ischemic stroke which occurs when blood flow to the brain is interrupted by a blocked artery and hemorrhagic stroke which is caused by bleeding in the brain.  About 90% of all strokes are ischemic strokes.  When stroke occurs a number of symptoms may manifest including: numbness or weakness of the face, arm or leg which likely will occur on one side of the body, trouble speaking or understanding, loss of balance or coordination, confusion, dizziness, and severe headache.

     Hypertension (high blood pressure) is the leading risk factor for stroke.  High blood presure is defined as 140/90 mmHG or above. In 2011 an analysis of data on more than 500,000 people with pre-hypertension (above normal reading of 120/80 but below 140/90 high reading) found that those with pre-hypertension were 55% more likely to have a stroke in the next five to 10 years of their life than those with normal blood pressure.

     Have you had your blood pressure checked recently?  Many grocery stores and pharmacies have a free blood pressure monitor that you can check for yourself.  Until age 65, you should have your blood pressure checked at your doctor at least every other year.  At age 65 and after, you should have it checked annually. Your ideal blood pressure may vary based on your specific medical profile including cholesterol screening, a blood test for C-reactive protein and perhaps an ECG to evaluate your heart health. 

     If you have pre-hypertension, you and your doctor may discuss healthy lifestyle changes including, eating heart-smart foods, cutting fat, losing weight if you're overweight, cutting back on salt, quitting smoking and exercising for at least 30 minutes daily. Other treatments under doctor's supervision may include: low-dose aspirin therapy with dosages ranging from 80 mg (a baby aspirin) to 325 mg (one adult aspirin), supplements of folate and vitamin B6 which lowers elevated levels of homocysteine, fish oil capsules containing omega-3 fatty acids which act as anticlotting agents, or prescription medications.

     Lifestyle modifications can also help to minimize stress which is often a precursor to pre-hypertension.  Taking a vacation can help relieve stress that can endanger your health.  Researchers found that men ages 35 to 57 who took a yearly vacation were one-third less likely to die from heart disease than those who did not take a vacation.  Controlling anger will also protect you from stroke and heart disease.  A study of 13,000 people found that those who angered quickly were three times as likely to have a heart attack than their more laid-back friends.  Spending time with friends in quiet conversation, taking a walk, saying a prayer, exercising or meditating can all give you that "time out" you need to minimize stress.  Hypnotherapy can be a great tool for dealing with stress and encouraging you to take care of yourself. By using these tools you can bring those numbers down and the risk of heart disease and stroke as well.

QUIT SMOKING AND SAVE YOUR TEETH

               Like to have the best chance of not losing your teeth?  Quit smoking.  If you like your smile and want to keep it that way, quit smoking now.  Elizabeth Krall, Ph.D., an assistant research professor at Tufts University's School fo Dental Medicine worked with statistics from the Boston VA Dental Longitudinal Study which tracked the oral health of over 1,000 men since 1968.  She found that a person's risk of losing teeth doubles if he smokes.  She accounted for other variables such as alcohol and coffee consumption and found that women who smoked cigarettes lost significantly more teeth than non-smoking women.  Another Tufts researcher specializing in nutrition in studying osteoporosis, collected similar data on tooth loss from over 500 Boston area women.  If you are looking for another reason to quit smoking, add tooth loss and its affect on health and appearance to your list.  If you are thinking about quitting smoking, hypnotherapy can be a great tool to help you make a change that could keep you from losing your teeth.