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!

GREAT NEWS - MY WEB SITES ARE BACK

     Most technology is way beyond my pay grade.  So I am so happy that I have a fantastic webmaster.  Mike, thanks for all your help in getting my web sites back on line.  If you haven't checked them out, learn more about hypnosis and about my practice at www.JenniferPJohnson.com.  If you are thinking about quitting smoking, go to my site just for you, www.BeaHealthyNonsmoker.com.  Now that they are both up and going, I will return to adding new information on this site:  www.johnsonhypnotherapy.com which incidently rolls over to the other two sites.  Thanks for your interest and support while I was "technologically challenged".

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.

GET MOVING AND DECREASE RISK OF KIDNEY DISEASE

     Do you sit at a desk most of your work day?  Do your evening plans include tv or more time sitting at a computer?  A new study by researcher Thomas Yates, PhD and senior lecturer at University of Leicester in Leicester, England, was recently published in the AMERICAN JOURNAL OF KIDNEY DISEASE.  Yates reported that kidney disease is linked to prolonged sitting.  Men who reported spending the most hours sitting were at 19% increased risk for kidney disease.  While women who sat for eight hours or more daily were 30% more likely to develop chronic kidney disease than those who sat less than three hours per day. 

    So what can you do to lower that risk.  If you have a seated job at work, you may want to try a standing desk and if you are seated, get up regularly and move around.  We all need to be moving.  But if you have a sedentary job, it is extremely important to move when you are not working.  Get up and move to decrease the risk of kidney disease.  Hypnotherapy can be used as a great tool to motivate you to add movement into your life.  Get moving, decrease your risk of kidney disease 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.

STOP DRINKING SOFT DRINKS WITH HYPNOTHERAPY

      Most of us know or at least suspect that soft drinks are not good for us.  Whether we are talking about sugared sodas or diet drinks or even bottled teas or sports drinks, there are significant health risks to consuming those drinks.  Studies show that the average American consumes about fifty gallons of soft drinks in a year and 11.5 gallons of fruit juice and fruit beverages.  These drinks contain sugar or a sugar substitute and may also contain caffeine, phosphoric acid or high-fructose corn syrup. None of these things are good for us and may cause health problems.

    Our bodies are simply not created to process the sugars in sweetened drinks, the excess sugar negatively affects the body's chemical balance which can lead to a variety of serious illnesses including: pancreatic cancer, osteoporosis, leaky gut syndrom which can increase the risk for and/ or severity of rheumatoid arthritis, lupus and other autoimmune diseaes, hypertension, asthma, gout and heart burn.  Diet sodas are no better with recent research indicating that people who drank diet soda daily were at much greater risk for stroke and heart attack. It is likely the sugar substitutes such as saccharin and aspartame and the phosphoric acid are the causes for this risk.

     If you are thinking of turning to sports drinks, be aware that a sixteen ounce bottle of lemon tea has 10.5 teaspoons of sugar and a twenty ounce bottle of Gatorade Original Lemon-Line contains 8.5 teaspoons.  If you have decided these health risks are to great, hypnotherapy can be a great tool whether you quit cold turkey or gradually.   

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. 

HAPPY HOLIDAYS

     The holiday season is upon us.  With shopping to do, gifts to wrap and meals to prepare, it's easy to become overwhelmed with activity.  So just for a moment, I hope you will stop with me and take a moment to think about the past year in our personal life and that of our country and the world.  In spite of the many tragedies we have seen play out on tv, most of us have been blessed with a family we love, friends to enjoy and reasonable health to make it possible for us to go forward in our lives.  As we think about those who have lost homes and businesses to disasters and loved ones through senseless acts of violence, our own problems come in to perspective.  Among the many things I am grateful for this year, is the opportunity to share wellness information with the readers of this blog.  I hope that at least one of the blogs has touched your life in a positive way.  I will be out of the office until after New Year's Day spending time with my family.  My wish for you is that you have a wonderful and joyous holiday season and that 2013 will be a happy one for you and those you love.  Happy Holidays and Be Well. 

DEPRESSION TRAPS AT THE HOLIDAYS

     "It's the most wonderful time of the year" sing the carolers.  But for many people, the holidays from Thanksgiving till New Year can be cause for depression.  The holidays are times of high expectations, jammed calendars and memories of the past.  All of these things can trigger depression which can cause behaviors that may make things worse.

    Every year many people put great stress on themselves by trying to create "the perfect" holiday. There are homes to be decorated, food to be prepared, gifts to be bought and wrapped and people to be entertained. Trying to do this while still maintaining work schedules, school schedules and regular homelife can be overwhelming.  As time to the big day gets closer and closer, a feeling of failure can trigger depression.

    Because people are busy, some important self-caretaking can be dropped. The time demands and the darkness outside may have regular exercisers dropping their routine. Exercise increases levels of the mood-boosting brain chemicals, serotonin and dopamine.  When people don't exercise they lose those helpful chemicals. Then there are all the food choices to be made around the holidays.  Most of us do not usually have six dozen fat and sweet cookies sitting on the table year round.  Gaining weight through the holidays is typical and can be depressing.  In addition, we tend to eat more sugar.  Sugar is a substance which will originally elevate mood, but then comes the sugar crash and depresses the mood. 

     As depression begins to occur, many people try to relieve the anxiety that comes with depression by drinking alcohol. This self-medication may be a temporary fix for depression but soon causes more harm than good as it interferes with sleep, depresses the central nervous system and may interact with any antidepresants being taken. While some people drink, other people begin to withdraw from family and friends.  Social withdrawal will in actuality increase depression.

    So avoid the depression traps of overeating, self-medicating with alcohol, food or sugar or social withdrawal.  Hypnotherapy can be a great tool to help you deal with the stresses and depression traps of the holidays.  BE WELL and have a happy holiday season.

STRESS MANAGEMENT FOR BRUXISM AND TMD

     Ten million Americans suffer from the painful condition known as temporomandibular disorders (TMD).  These disorders affect the facial muscles and or the jaw joint and can cause pain and other symptoms in the ears, neck face and head.  Among common symptoms of TMD are: a clicking or popping sound in the jaw, aching facial pain or face fatigue, headaches and ear pain and stuffiness.  In fact, many people are surprised to learn that people with TMD do not always suffer jaw pain.  Instead misalignments of the jaw and bite can produce painful inflammation causing all the earlier mentioned issues.  Cases of TMD are usually diagnosed by a dentist who may do disk manipulation to temporarily eliminate the pain or make a bite plate appliance to help with tooth grinding.  About five per cent of sufferers may need surgery to get relief.

     So what causes TMD?  Even slight misalignments of the jaw can cause aching pain because of the constant movement of the jaw as we speak, chew and relax and tighten facial muscles.  Another common cause of TMD is bruxism.  This is when people grind their teeth while sleeping. Some people get only occasional pain from bruxism while others are chronic teeth-grinders which can cause long-term damage to teeth and gums.

    So what can be done to deal with these painful side-effects of bruxism?  Of course, you should work with your dentist who can evaluate your bite and the height and tooth positions and make whatever adjustments are needed to relieve discomfort.  This may include grinding down a tooth or adding height with a crown. Your dentist may do disk manipulation or custom-make you a bite plate appliance.

    In addition, you can relieve bruxism by finding ways to manage the stress that exacerbates teeth grinding. Relaxation tips such as massage therapy, biofeedback and hypnotherapy can be helpful.  Hypnosis can be a valuable tool to provide relaxation and relieve the chronic stress.  Manage your stress, relieve bruxism, BE WELL.

CHECK MY WEBSITE TO LEARN IF YOU ARE READY TO QUIT SMOKING

    Hope everyone had a safe and happy Thanksgiving.  If you have been thinking about quitting smoking either now or making a New Year's resolution to stop smoking in 2013, please check my website:  www.BeaHealthyNonsmoker.com.  The site has lots of information for those thinking about quitting smoking and even has a quiz to help you decide if you are ready to be a nonsmoker.  Whether it's your first time to try to stop or your tenth, keep your goal in front of you  It's never too late to become a nonsmoker.  Within 24 hours of quitting smoking, you'll be at a lower risk for having a heart attack and your blood pressure will be closer to normal.  Within a week of quitting you'll be less short of breath and your sense of smell and taste will be better and within three months of stopping you will have more stamina and lung capacity and your circulation will improve.  Stop smoking and Be Well.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

     Time to begin an early Thanksgiving holiday.  I am so thankful for each one of you for reading my blog.  Your thoughts and shares are truly appreciated.  May you and those you love have a wonderful holiday.  Please join me next week here at www.johnsonhypnotherapy.com  and on twitter @DrJenJohnson.  Until then have a very safe and Happy Thanksgiving.

LACK OF SLEEP LINKED TO COLON CANCER

     In earlier blogs, I have talked about insomnia and the problems caused by lack of sleep.  If lack of sleep is a problem for you, be sure and read my earlier posts about insomnia.  In 2011 a new study on lack of sleep was completed by Li Li, Md, PhD, associate professor of family medicine at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine Cleveland.  The study was based on a survey of 1,240 patients who were getting ready to have a colonoscopy.  They were asked about their sleeping habits including the number of hours they slept nightly.

     It was found that the patients who slept, on average, less than six hours per night were 50% more likely to have precancerous lesions in the colon and/or rectum than those who got at least seven hours of sleep per night.  Dr. Li theorized that lack of sleep lowers the production of melatonin.  This is a problem because melatonin is believed to help repair DNA damage which is important in preventing cancer.

     If you have insomnia and particularly if you have a history or family history of making adenomatous polyps (those pre-cancerous lesions), then you are at greater risk for developing colon cancer.  Getting help for insomnia may include counseling with a sleep hygienist and over-the-counter or prescription sleep aids.  Hypnotherapy can also be a valuable tool in working with the issue of insomnia.  As you are sleeping better, your body will produce more melatonin and reduce the risk of colon cancer.