Updated CPR Guidelines

Can be viewed here http://circ.ahajournals.org/rapidaccess.shtml

It's divided up into chapters - you can just look at the areas that you need. For example, Chapter 4 is Adult Basic Life Support.

Practice Safe Stress

This is just another reason you will want to attend the free teleseminar on December 8th! Keep your eyes here for sign up information.

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SUNDAY, Nov. 27 (HealthDay News) -- The demands of the season are upon you. And all that socializing, present shopping, decorating and feast preparations can turn this time of year into a stress fest that can affect your health.
"If you are not careful, the holidays take an emotional toll on the body, ranging from increased blood pressure to weakening your immune system," said Gina Kearney, a holistic nurse practitioner and site manager at the Integrative Care Center, affiliated with the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York.
Though it's been widely known that stress can boost a person's heart rate and reduce the ability to fight colds, a new study says that even cholesterol levels can be affected.

Continue reading....

Antioxidant Health Tip!

Include antioxidants in your daily food intake as well as in your nutritional supplements. They protect your body from the effects of free radicals which accelerate aging through oxidation (you can see oxidation in action when you watch a cut apple turn brown).

Some of the best food sources for antioxidants are berries, walnuts, sunflower seeds, pomegranate, ginger and selected vegetables.

Barbara C. Phillips, NP
OlderWiserWomen™
Coming Soon: "Acting Your Age: A Guide for Women Who Refuse to Go Over -the-Hill!"

Avoidable Cancer Deaths

On an annual basis, millions deaths from cancer could be prevented. A recent study published in The Lancet medical journal reported that 12 types of cancer are caused by exposure to 9 risk factors.

Which are the most common?

• Smoking
• Alcohol
• Not eating enough fruits and vegetables.

If the majority of these deaths are preventable, what are we waiting for? Read the rest here!


Barbara C. Phillips, NP
OlderWiserWomen™

Smoking? It’s Time to Quit!

Someone you know, perhaps even you, need to quit smoking. You understand the dangers and realize there is not one cell in your body that is unaffected by cigarettes and/or snuff. You even understand that no one in your immediate vicinity is safe from the fumes of your cigarettes or the fumes you exhale.

Yet…you find it difficult to quit. You are not alone. Statistics from 2004 indicated that 70% of smokers want to quit, and most people have to try more than once before they are finally able to quit.

Getting through the nicotine withdrawal is almost the easy part. At least it was for me so many years ago. What I remember to this day was the voices I started hearing…the ones that told me it was okay to have a smoke…no one was around, therefore no one had to know. My biggest enemy then was myself. I believe if you understand that the addicted part of your brain does not have your best interest in mind…you fill find it easier.

Here is some great information on what happens to your body when you quit smoking.

• Within 20 minutes, your heart rate and blood pressure begin to return to normal. In addition the temperature in your hands and feet increases as the effects of vasoconstriction begin to recede.
  
  
• Within 2 weeks to 3 months after you quit, your lung functions increase by up to 30%, continuing to improve each month.
  
  
• Your risk of a heart attack or other coronary event is diminished by 50% within one year, and becomes that of a non-smoker by 15 years!
  
  
• While quitting will not reduce the number of wrinkles in your face, you can definitely stop collecting wrinkles due to smoking.
  
  
• You will smell better, taste better and feel better. You’ll have more money, more time, more friends and more life.

Today is a good day to quit. The rest of your life is waiting.

You’ll find further resources for quitting smoking at OlderWiserWomen/SmokingCessation

©2005, Barbara C. Phillips, NP is the founder of OlderWiserWomen(tm) where women are inspired to embrace the freedom, magic and wisdom of Successful Aging. Visit http://www.OlderWiserWomen.com for your copy of "Celebrating You: 50 Tips for Vibrant Living".
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Permission is granted to reprint this article in print, on your web site or in your ezine so long as the above paragraph with contact information is included. A courtesy email notifying us when you have reprinted this article is greatly appreciated.

A Sleep Advantage for Older Women

Hmm...is this good news or bad? I suppose it depends on your perspective.

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Sleep researchers in Belgium may have discovered a perk of aging for women.

Older women handled a brief but drastic drop in sleep better than younger women, the scientists report.

Read the entire article: A Sleep Advantage for Older Women

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Barbara C. Phillips, NP
OlderWiserWomen™

Four Memory Tricks

Memory Tricks
Nothing helps you get ahead quicker than a good memory. Whether you're trying to remember the name of the guy you just met, a state capital, or complex sets of business data, these simple tricks can help you improve your memory skills.

1. Chunking
2. Using Mnemonics
3. Visual Cues
4. Reading with a purpose

Read the entire article for explaination and examples.


http://encarta.msn.com/encnet/Features/Guides/?article=homeworkmemorytricks

Whose blood pressure is at risk - Coffee or Cola drinkers?

While I am trying to drink more green tea, I am a lifelong coffee fan. I don't mean the coffee you can buy in a can either...but that's another story.

Cola, soda or just plan coke/pepsi...soft drinks just are not good for you any way you look at it. And to express my rant...it's plain irresponsible on the part of parents who put this stuff in bottles! What are they thinking! (end rant).

Back to this study. So though the news is "better" for coffee drinkers, we still have to reduce our comsumption of java....

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Java Won't Get Blood Pressure Jumping
By Amanda Gardner
HealthDay Reporter

TUESDAY, Nov. 8 (HealthDay News) -- Women who love drinking coffee can keep on loving it, researchers say.

Too bad the same isn't true for those who can't get enough of caffeinated colas, however.

A new study has found that regular coffee drinking has no links to temporary hypertension or persistent high blood pressure.

In fact, women who consume the most coffee may even get a protective cardiovascular effect from their cup of java.

In contrast, drinking caffeinated sugared or diet colas raise blood pressure, the researchers found.

"This is good news for women who enjoy drinking coffee," said study author Dr. Wolfgang Winkelmayer, a researcher in the divisions of pharmacoepidemiology and pharmacoeconomics at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston. "Quite contrary to popular belief, it appears to not increase the risk of high blood pressure."

The findings appear in the Nov. 9 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

You'll find the rest of the article here...

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Drink water,

Barbara C. Phillips, NP
OlderWiserWomen™

Medical Errors in the U.S.

The top error cited in this study was receiving the wrong medication. In WA State, a lawsuit was recently filed by a patient who received a prescription medication she had taken before, and it was filled incorrectly at the pharmacy. However, even though she thought it looked different, and made her feel different, she continued taking it. It was not picked up until she want to a different pharmacy for a refill and they saw what was written on the bottle did not match her prescription.

While health care providers have a responsibility to deliver safe care, mistakes undoubtedly happen. Consumers need to take an active roll their care as well. Ask questions! Demand answers! If something does not seem right speak up! Do not trust anyone blindly with your health care. Educate yourself as to your medications, dosages, common side effects and what they are for! It is not okay for you NOT to know your medications.

The article:

"Thirty-four percent of Americans reported at least one of four types of medical errors in the past two years. These included receiving a wrong drug, incorrect treatment, incorrect test results, and delayed test results."

Read the rest here.

Barbara C. Phillips, NP
OlderWiserWomen™

Incontinence: A Taboo Subject

Incontinence: A Taboo Subject

Summary: Nothing slashes a woman’s confidence and self esteem more than this. It’s time to take it out of the closet, discuss it, and find out what you can do.

Urinary incontinence or loss of bladder control. It’s not at all uncommon and no one really wants to talk about it. Seeing the television commercials are a big step, yet talking about it remains something that might be whispered about behind closed doors. Chances are, your medical provider may not even talk about it. It’s been my experience that when women are asked, they are often so surprised that an answer does not appear until a few visits later.

One brave woman opened up an asked this question in a women’s forum:

"Let's talk about kegels. Or rather, incontinence. I know, it's a very delicate subject, and I have frequently been embarrassed, ashamed, etc. about this little problem. For one thing, I didn't think I'd even face this until into my 80s or so. I'm too young to have to wear pads every day. I do kegels, when I think about it. I'm probably 10 pounds overweight, most of it in my belly and thighs. I don't have health insurance, so getting that little 'tie-up surgery’ is out. And besides, my little sister had that done and 6 years later, it's no longer effective. Anyone else struggle with this?"

So, let’s talk about urinary incontinence (UI) in women. To begin with, there are several types, but we’ll focus on the two main ones here.

Stress urinary incontinence (SUI) (that’s the kind that occurs when you sneeze, cough, lift something, etc) is the most common form, affecting about 50% of those who experience incontinence. It seems to be more common in younger women, though occurs in older women as well.

Urge urinary incontinence (UUI) is more common with advancing age (this is the kind that when you gotta go, you GOTTA go NOW!).

Many women will have a mixture of both.

There are various causes, but interestingly enough; studies have been inconsistent in identifying factors that regularly contribute to UI. Some contributing factors may include:

• childbirth – the more vaginal deliveries, the greater the overall risk
• current smoking status as been associated with UI (though the results are inconsistent in former smokers)
• obesity (it does improve with weight loss)
• constipation
• hysterectomy – Some studies show a 60% greater risk of UI following a hysterectomy.
• hormone therapy (A recent study showed that hormone therapy actually has been shown to increase the incidence of UI. JAMA. 2005;293:935-948.)

Kegels become and important part of treatment with SUI since frequently the pelvic floor muscles are weakened. Just like we need to do strength training for our overall health, we need to do pelvic muscle strength training to support our bodies.

When doing Kegels, it's important to make sure you are doing them correctly. To identify the correct muscles, sit on the toilet and try and stop your urination. You may notice that your attempts at stopping urinary are ineffective...well those are the very muscles you need to work on. Use this as a bench mark for yourself and re-test yourself weekly.

Kegels must be done several times each day. Fortunately, they can be done anywhere and no one need know what you are doing. When they are done frequently enough, most women will be able to tell a difference. In addition to the contractions, try holding the muscle tight for a count of 8-10.

Other possible treatments include: behavioral modification therapy using biofeedback, physical therapy using weighted cones to help strengthen pelvic floor muscles, bladder training, acupuncture, medications and surgery.

Treatment often takes a multi-pronged approach beginning with an evaluation to discover the exact type of UI that is present (they have different treatment approaches). Often times, treatment will consists of a few different modalities.

For women who wish to try self treatment first, do consider doing kegels, and increase your fluid intake. While that sound counter-intuitive, concentrated urine, along with caffeine are actually bladder irritant and will make the problem worse. Keep a diary to assess how often this is a problem, what may be some contributing factors, and what you are doing to address the problem. When you do see your health care provider, take this diary with you.

If you are faced with this issue, please do see your health care provider for an exam. Left untreated, it generally does not get better on its own, but can improve with the proper treatment.

©2005, Barbara C. Phillips, Nurse Practitioner and founder of OlderWiserWomen™ inspires women to embrace the freedom, magic and wisdom of Successful Aging. Visit http://www.OlderWiserWomen.com for your copy of "Celebrating You: 50 Tips for Vibrant Living".

Permission is granted to reprint this article in print, on your web site or in your ezine so long as the above paragraph with contact information is included. A courtesy email notifying us when you have reprinted this article is greatly appreciated.