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HealthHealthFebruary 2012

Quick reads about health topics in the news

Chronic tollThe sunny fact that

Americans are living longer,more productive lives has adark side: More of us thanever live with chronic illnessesthat are not only a drag onsufferers’ time and energy,but on the nation’s pocket-book. The Institute ofMedicine recently put a dollarfigure on the cost of caringfor chronic illness in theUnited States — $1.5 trillionyearly, fully three-fourths ofannual health care spending.

A panel of experts called onpolicymakers to do more toprevent and track the big ninechronic diseases that mostdrain the nation’s wallet.

Among the chronic healthconditions on the Americanmedical landscape, nine dom-inate, the Institute ofMedicine report says. Theyare arthritis, cancer survivor-ship, chronic pain, dementia,depression, Type 2 diabetes,post-traumatic disability,schizophrenia and hearingand vision loss.

— Los Angeles Times

Fitness signsWhat does it take to makepeople more physicallyactive? Maybe just a sign.

Signs posted in buildingsprompting people to take thestairs instead of the elevatorsproved successful in gettingthem to hoof it, according to astudy in the February issue ofthe American Journal ofPreventive Medicine. Signswere placed in three multi-story buildings in New York: athree-story health clinic, aneight-story academic site anda 10-story affordable housingbuilding.

The signs featured a pic-togram of a man walking upstairs with text that read,“Burn calories, not electricity.Take the stairs.”

Researchers tallied 18,462trips up and down the stairsat the various sites. Rightafter the signs were posted,stair use increased 9.2 per-cent at the health clinic, 34.7percent at the academicbuilding and 33.6 percent atthe affordable housing site.

— Los Angeles Times

Obese petsAmerica’s obesity crisis is

spreading — to our pets.About 53 percent of the

nation’s cats and 55 percentof dogs are overweight. Andmore than one in five of thosefat animals is clinically obese,meaning at least 30 percentabove normal weight.

That’s the, um, skinny froma study released last week bythe Association for PetObesity Prevention. Fat catsand dogs are much more like-ly to wind up with expensivehealth problems, veterinarianssay. The answer is not to buy abigger doghouse or Sansabeltcollar, vets say. Instead, feedyour furry friends less andexercise them more.

— Los Angeles Times

Toothpaste troubleA dab of toothpaste has

long been a favorite homeremedy for clearing up pim-ples. But could it also causethem?

Despite suspicions fromsome zit-stricken folks seek-ing answers on online adviceforums, dermatologists saythere’s no reason to blametoothpaste for acne break-outs.

What toothpaste cancause, however, is irritation orallergic reactions in peoplewith certain sensitivities,resulting in rashy bumpsaround the mouth or, per-haps, rosacea, a chronic con-dition of redness and skinsores that might be confusedwith traditional acne, said Dr.Richard Gallo, chair of thedermatology department atthe University of California atSan Diego.

People who are worriedthey are allergic to toothpasteingredients should see a spe-cialist who can test reactionsto the specific ingredients,Gallo said.

— Chicago Tribune

STAT

If you want to get to your love’s heart through the stomach, try making this honey-lime salmon for a candlelit dinner.

JEN MATTEIS | TO YOUR HEALTH

or Valentine’s Day, why notprepare a heart-healthy meal toshow your loved ones that youcare about their health as well astheir taste buds?

Fish is a good choice for amain dish. According to guide-lines provided by Good Samari-

tan Regional Medical Center, eating fish richin omega-3 fatty acids such as salmon, troutor herring twice a week can help preventcoronary artery disease, the most commontype of heart disease and the leading causeof death in the United States among bothmen and women.

Other heart-friendly tips include bakingfoods instead of frying them, and cookingfood in oils low in saturated fat, such as oliveoil or canola oil.

Foods that are low in calories and high infiber, such as fruits, vegetables and wholegrains – including whole-wheat breads,whole-wheat pasta, brown rice and quinoa— may reduce your risk of heart disease.When in doubt, look for the American Heart Association’s heart-check mark on food packaging.

For dessert, don’t worry about strayingtoo far from tradition. Flavonoids, an an-tioxidant found in dark chocolate, promotehealthy blood vessels, reduce levels of LDLor “bad” cholesterol and may prevent heartdisease. Choose chocolates that are mini-mally processed and contain few ingredi-ents — those are probably the best-tasting,too. Many other foods such as apples, redwine and cranberries are also rich inflavonoids, while honey, blueberries,beans, blackberries, fruits and nuts aregood sources of heart-healthy antioxi-dants.

Heart-Healthy Recipes:

Basic HummusServe with pita bread or assorted vegeta-

bles for dipping.Ingredients:14-ounce can garbanzo beans, rinsed and

drained, or 1½ cups cooked garbanzo beans,drained

1/3 cup sesame paste such as tahiniJuice of 1 whole lemon (or lime)1-2 fresh garlic cloves, diced

1/4 cup fresh parsley1-2 tablespoons olive oil (may need a little

extra if too dry to blend)1/2 teaspoon saltPlace all ingredients into food processor

or powerful blender. Blend until smooth,mixing as needed to help process. Makes twocups. Keep chilled. Will store for four to fivedays.

Recipe by Samaritan Health Services

Honey-Lime SalmonThis salmon baked with honey and lime

works well with a simple steamed vegetablesuch as broccoli or asparagus, served along-side brown rice or quinoa.

Ingredients:1 salmon fillet, 1/2 pound to 1 pound, cut

into two portions1 tablespoon honey1 limeOlive oilBlack pepperPreheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

Place fillets skin-side down onto a foil-linedbaking sheet coated with olive oil. Drizzlehoney over salmon. Top salmon with thin

slices of lime. Bake for 15 minutes, or untilflesh flakes easily. Squeeze extra lime juiceover salmon to taste. Top with freshlyground pepper if desired.

Recipe by Jen Matteis

Oven-Roasted BroccoliIngredients:1 pound fresh broccoli crowns, rinsed and

trimmed11/2 teaspoons minced garlic2 teaspoons low sodium soy sauce1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil1/4 teaspoon black pepper3 tablespoons chopped unsalted, unoiled

nuts, such as almonds, pecans or walnutsHeat oven to 400 degrees. Rinse broccoli,

trim stalks into 1/8-inch-thick chunks andcut florets into bite-sized pieces. Place in amixing bowl and toss with soy sauce, oil,pepper and garlic. Sprinkle the chopped nutsevenly into a 9-by-13-inch casserole dish.Place in the oven three to four minutes untilnuts are lightly toasted. Remove from ovenand mix in the broccoli. Roast 10-12 minutesuntil broccoli is tender.

Recipe from the American Heart Association

Recipes for lovePrepare a heart-healthy meal for your Valentine

FBy JEN MATTEIS

Honey-lime salmon with quinoa and oven-roasted broccoli satisfy your taste buds and enrich your heart.

BY JENNIFER ROUSETO YOUR HEALTH

Your heart: It starts beating just fourweeks after conception and keeps onticking, beating 100,000 times in asingle day. And if you’re lucky, it willbeat tirelessly more than 2.5 billiontimes in your lifetime.

Most of the time, we don’t give thismiraculous organ a single thought, justtrusting in it to do its job. But accord-ing to the national Center for DiseaseControl, heart disease is the No. 1 killerin America, affecting more Americansthan all forms of cancer combined.

That sounds scary, but here’s thegood news: in many cases heart dis-ease can be prevented. Here are tipsfrom heart experts on how to care foryour heart throughout your life, fromits first beat to No. 2 billion.

At 5 years oldYou might think that kids, at least,

are safe from heart disease. Unfortu-nately, that’s not the case for today’schildren. According to the AmericanHeart Association, soaring rates ofchildhood obesity mean that childrenas young as age 3 are now showing in-dicators for heart disease later in life.

What can a parent do? Mostly, itcomes down to putting nutritiousfood on the table, to limiting TV andcomputer time, and especially to beinga good example, said Tom Marker, di-rector of cardiac rehabilitation andechocardiography at Good SamaritanRegional Medical Center.

“Kids really care about what theirparents and their teachers tell them.They want to do those things,” Markersaid. “What you learn in childhood iswhat you carry with you throughoutyour life.”

Even if kids frown about eatingvegetables or brown rice, the fact thatthose foods are there — and that theysee their parents eating right and ex-ercising — helps define what’s normalfor them.

“You can give them a lifetime offeeling that the day is not completewithout exercise, just like brushingtheir teeth before bed at night,”Marker said. “Once it’s ingrained, youdon’t have to do that much.”

At 15 years oldAs you move into the teenage years,

it’s important that healthy lifestylechoices continue, or start if they haven’talready. According to a report in Circu-lation, the journal of the AmericanHeart Association, your weight at age 18tracks with your risk of developing vas-cular disease and diabetes later in life.

A rare but serious heart conditionthat tends to affect young people iscalled hypertrophic cardiomyopathy,sometimes referred to as an enlargedheart. It’s the undetected disease that

killed Oregon State football playerFred Thompson in December. “It’sthe most common cause of death inyoung athletes,” Marker said.

The disease often doesn’t manifestitself with any symptoms, and as suchmost people don’t get tests such as anEKG or echocardiogram, which mightbe able to identify the condition.

It’s currently not recommendedthat all young athletes get such tests —they are expensive, unnecessary formost teens, and may not catch 100percent of cases, Marker said.

However, a teen who has any familyhistory of sudden deaths, or who hasother symptoms, such as heart palpi-tations or spells of light-headedness,should get a more advanced screening.

At 25 years oldBy young adulthood, most of the eat-

ing and exercise habits you developedduring childhood will have begun tomake their effects known. It’s alsopossible that you may have picked up

some other habits along the way. If yousmoke or drink heavily, it’s time to stop.

Smoking by itself — even if you’re ata healthy weight and you stay active —is considered an independent risk fac-tor for heart disease and strokes.Drinking excessively — more than oneor two drinks a day for men, or one perday for women — can also increase therisk of high blood pressure, stroke andother health problems.

As an adult, it’s also time to assessyour risk factors for heart disease, ifyou haven’t already. The AmericanHeart Association recommends thatall adults age 20 and over get theircholesterol levels checked every fiveyears. You might need to be morevigilant, depending on your personaland family health history. Do you havefamily members who have had heartattacks or who have high blood pres-sure, diabetes or high cholesterol?

“If you have these genetic factors,that family needs to be more focused,”Marker said. A trip to your doctor fora blood test can set your mind at ease.Ask for a test that includes total cho-lesterol, glucose, triglycerides andblood pressure. Once you know yournumbers, you can see whether you’reon track for continued health or not.And if you are beginning to showsome less-than-ideal factors, you stillhave time to make changes.

At 55 plus years oldYou may have heard that if you’re

over a certain age, you should take ababy aspirin every day. While aspirincan be beneficial for preventing strokeand heart attack in some cases, it’s nota cut-and-dried decision, Marker said.

“It varies depending on who youare,” he said. “If you already have thedisease, or you’re at risk, then maybeyou should be on an aspirin.”

For other people, he said, it’s impor-tant to weigh out the risks taking an as-pirin a day could cause, such as an in-creased risk of gastrointestinal bleed-ing. It hasn’t been shown that an as-pirin a day provides enough benefit ingeneral to make it worth it for everyone.

For everyoneAt all life stages, a focus on the ba-

sics of a healthy lifestyle is what reallycounts for helping your heart, Markersaid. That means eating lots of wholegrains, lean proteins, fruits and veg-etables. It means maintaining ahealthy body weight. It means beingphysically active most, if not all, daysof the week. And it means periodicallychecking your cholesterol, blood pres-sure and blood sugars to make surethey’re in a healthy range for you.

“These are simple things,” Markersaid. “It might get complex in the de-tails, but not really. It’s mostly com-mon sense stuff.”

To Your HealthTuesday, February 14, 2012A6

BY JEN MATTEISTO YOUR HEALTH

Adrenaline is a wonderfulhormone when you need it.Released under stressful sit-uations, it speeds up yourbreathing and your heartrate, preparing you for “fightor flight” situations.

However, in a world withfew physical predators tofight or flee from, chronicstress can become a prob-lem. According to the Amer-ican Heart Association, neg-ative effects range fromheadaches to difficultysleeping, anger and an in-crease in unhealthy habitssuch as smoking and drink-ing.

Chronic stress can alsocause irregular heartrhythms, temporary spikesin blood pressure and arte-rial damage, which couldcontribute to heart disease.

Relaxation is the key toreducing stress. Calmingactivities such as gentleexercise, meditation andyoga s l ow d ow n yo u radrenaline output, reduc-ing your heart rate and rateof breathing.

According to Troy Mad-dux, a licensed massagetherapist with Living RiverTherapeutics in Corvallis,most types of massage re-duce stress. Massage alsopaves the way to futurestress-relief by providing abehavioral standard.

“I think the most usefulway that massage relaxes usis by teaching us what it is tobe relaxed,” he said. “Most ofus are usually wound uppretty tight.”

Maddux recommends amixture of techniques forreducing stress, such aswalking, yoga, tai chi orstretching. Even sittingdown and taking a few deepbreaths can help.

“Take a deep breath in,hold it for a few seconds, andthen let it out slowly andeasily,” he recommended. “If

you do that several timesyou’ll find that you are morerelaxed. That’s a really sim-ple thing that anyone cando.”

Certain visualization ex-ercises can also promote re-laxation.

“You can close your eyesand you can visualize a waveof relaxation starting at yourtoes, flowing up throughyour feet and your kneesand your thighs, and feelthis healing wave flowingup through your body. Asyou do that you’ll feel allyour tissues and your organssettling down,” Madduxsaid.

Don’t stress out too muchabout proper technique,even with massage. Madduxsaid it’s pretty easy to pickup on the other person’scues of what feels good, es-pecially if you know themwell. He recommended at-tending a massage class orsimply picking up an in-structional book.

“Anyone can massagepeople to their benefit,” hesaid. “It’s mostly commonsense and using feedbackfrom the other person.

“We all need massage inour daily lives,” he added.“It’s a great way to remindyour body and your mindwhat it really is to be relaxed,to be at peace.”

Heart health at any age

Learn to relax

GETTING SCREENEDFinding out what your numbers are —

how your body is handling things likecholesterol and glucose — is an impor-tant step in keeping your heart healthy.You can’t start fixing a problem if youdon’t know you have one.

There are several ways people can goabout assessing their risk for heart dis-ease:

• If you already have recent scoresfrom a blood test, you can go online to a“heart health profiler” at www.samhealth.org/services/heartvascular. You’llbe prompted to enter your cholesterol,glucose, triglycerides, weight, family his-tory, and other information. After com-pleting the assessment, the tool will tellyou what your “heart age” is, as com-pared to your age in years. It providesdetails about your 10-year risk of heartdisease, your biggest risk factors, and tipson lowering your risk. The assessment isfree, but it does ask participants to entertheir name, date of birth, address, andemail address to receive their results.

• Samaritan Heart & Vascular Instituteoffers free screenings each year. Spots forthe 2012 screenings are already filled,but you’ll be able to sign up for nextyear’s free spaces starting in January2013. Clinics are offered in Albany,Corvallis, Lebanon, Lincoln City andNewport. Beginning in 2013, call 541-768-4752 to sign up for a free screening.

• You can walk in to a hospital withno appointment and get a complete labwork up done for about $50, no doctor’sorder required. Testing is offered atSamaritan hospitals from 8 a.m. — 5p.m. on weekdays. The cost is as follows:total cholesterol is $12; lipid panel is$20; and lipid panel with glucose is $22.

— Jennifer Rouse

Take a deep breath for your health

5 EASY WAYSMeditate: Just five to 10

minutes of meditation a daycan help stress levels drop.

Go for a walk: Exercisereleases endorphins, givingyour mood a boost.

Listen to music: Anytype of music can reducestress, provided you enjoy it.

Journal: Writing aboutwhat stresses you can helpimprove your mood.

Laugh: Laughing increas-es — and then reduces —your body’s stress response.

AP PHOTO/AL BEHRMAN

Acustomer checks out the ready-made food section at a grocery store in Cincinnati last week. Nearly all

Americans consume much more sodium than they should, according to a report from the Centers for Disease

Control and Prevention released Feb. 7. Most of the sodium comes from common processed and restaurant

foods. Salt is the main source of sodium for most people, and sodium increases the risk of high blood pressure,

a major cause of heart disease and stroke.

BY BARBARA MAHANYCHICAGO TRIBUNE

A bruise, quite simply, isthe booby prize that comeswith life’s lumps and bumps.

It’s what you see whenblood leaks out of blood ves-sels into tissues of skin, mu-cous membranes or otherorgans, including muscleand bone. Most of the time,it’s nothing to worry about,merely the dark side of bum-bling your way through theday.

You’re more likely tobruise if you suffer from avitamin C deficiency, un-derlying genetic disorders,alcohol abuse or side effectsof certain medications, saysDr. Javette Orgain, vicespeaker of the AmericanAcademy of Family Physi-cians. But anyone whoknocks up against an unfor-giving force — be it car dooror coffee table — is gonnasport that telltale bruise.

If you bruise easily, askyour doctor to:

• Conduct a thorough his-tory and physical exam.

• Determine your stan-dardized bleeding score (aranking system to organizeyour bleeding history andavoid overlooking commoninherited disorders).

• Order blood work, in-cluding complete bloodcount with platelet count,

peripheral blood smear, pro-thrombin time, partialthromboplastin time.

If there’s no underlyingdisease causing bruising,consider:

• Boosting your daily vi-tamin C intake. Vitamin C,an antioxidant, is known tostrengthen and help repaircell walls. You don’t needmegadoses, says Orgain, justmake sure you’re meetingthe minimum daily require-ment — 90 mg for men, 75mg for women.

• Steering clear of med-ications known to cause easybruising, such as Plavix,Coumadin and aspirin (askyour doctor if there aresmart substitutes).

• Cutting your alcoholconsumption.

• Clearing the clutteraround your house, so youhave less to bang into.

If you’re older or havethinning skin, wear thickerclothing.

Can you hasten fading? Try Traumeel, a homeo-

pathic ointment that lots offolks insist fades the blues.But, fact is, there’s little thatwill hasten fading, whichtakes anywhere from two tothree weeks, says Orgain.Hit that bump with ice soonas you can after impact, butthen sit back and watch thecolor show.

Bruises are a part of life for everyone

So much sodium

To Your Health A7Tuesday, February 14, 2012