Showing posts with label A GAL NEEDS...Health & Wellness. Show all posts
Showing posts with label A GAL NEEDS...Health & Wellness. Show all posts

Monday, January 8, 2018

The Vitamin D Effect---More Than Just S.A.D. Relief!

We're right in the thick of winter and I'm one of the 6% of people in the U.S. who suffer from mild Seasonal Affective Disorder! It is hard on my poor husband, my dog, and my body. Some of the symptoms I experience are: needing to sleep much more than normal, lack of wanting to get outside, lack of desire to exercise, lack of motivation for pretty much anything. It is during this time that I am in danger of losing my "girlish figure". I jest of course, but still....this is when I can really pack on the pounds. 

We already know that Vitamin D is the Sun vitamin and that there is evidence which shows that supplementation can help calm down your Seasonal Affective Disorder symptoms. My doctor told me recently that there are quite a few people in my state of Utah who test low in Vitamin D. There are a couple reasons for this. First of all, we are in the western U.S., surrounded by mountains on the east and west, making the sunrise later and the sunset earlier. And because many people in the state are very health conscious, they additionally use sunscreen to block out the sun in order to prevent skin cancer. But it also blocks Vitamin D.
Besides alleviating the symptoms of S.A.D., there are some other very exciting benefits that accompany having sufficient levels of the Sun Supplement. There is even an ideal blood serum level to aim for that appears to be the magic number. That would be 40-60 ng/ml year round.  
What are some of these other benefits? Here they are:

Thursday, October 26, 2017

Why Managing Your Cholesterol Is Important

This post was sponsored by Kowa Pharmaceuticals America, Inc. Personal opinions and thoughts are my own.
 
I have such fond memories of my grandmother! She was a southern gal and her meals and desserts were delicious! I remember the words of wisdom she gave to me. I clung to them because she loved me unconditionally and her words were straight from the heart! I'm so glad that I had her all the way until I was in my 20's. She lived until she was 92. I believe she had some great genes, but she also took care of herself and was careful to take her medications, including a daily statin for high cholesterol. 

Statins are not just for the elderly. For example, I have a friend who lights up a room when she walks in! She's so funny, and can tell a story like nobody else! When she gets off work, she likes to unwind by getting social with friends, eating, and staying out late. However, over time she started gaining weight and wasn't taking care of herself. It all went south one night when she had trouble breathing, started sweating profusely, and had intense vertigo. She went to the doctor and got tested. When the results came back, she found that she had diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and her liver and kidneys were failing.

The doctor told her that if she didn't lose weight, get her diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol under control, she would be dead in a year. Needless to say, she started working on it. She was given a statin to lower her cholesterol, medication for her diabetes, and was told to lose weight, and to stop drinking and smoking. It has been over a year now and she looks and feels fabulous! She took her doctors' advice and lost 69 lbs. She controls her cholesterol with a statin. Her family has been so grateful that she made these changes and has lowered her risk for heart disease and other illnesses.

I was really surprised to find out that more than a few people I know depend on statins to keep themselves within the safe range for high cholesterol. High cholesterol is a silent killer if not kept under control and statins are true miracle workers if you need them.

More than 100 million American Adults have high cholesterol, a major risk factor for heart disease--the leading cause of
death in America. To lower cholesterol and help prevent heart disease, doctors often prescribe statin medication. Surprisingly, despite the fact that statins are proven to lower cholesterol and fight heart disease, up to 50% of people stop taking their statins within one year of starting it. This is risky because high cholesterol doesn't just go away. The good news is that there are multiple statins available and by talking to your doctor, it is possible to switch to a statin that fits your individual needs. 

To understand why people stop taking their statin, a recent poll of more than 5,000 Americans aged 45+ with high cholesterol took a poll called ACTION: THE Statin Survey, and discovered some interesting findings.

  • Only one third (33%) of people say their healthcare provider explained why that particular statin was being prescribed when they were first prescribed a statin.
  • Just 21 percent of patients say that their healthcare provider told them that there are different types of statins available when first prescribed a statin.
  • Roughly a quarter of patients (24 percent) currently taking a statin say they had challenges with the first statin they took.
  • Only 18 percent of people say they were told that their prescribed statin medicine could potentially interact with other medications and dietary supplements.
I am proud to support a new educational campaign called Take Cholesterol to Heart to help people understand their treatment options for high cholesterol and motivate them to speak up if they are thinking about stopping their statin. Take Cholesterol to Heart provides great tools and strategies to help people "master the cholesterol conversation" with their doctor. As you may know, there are multiple statin medicines, so it's important to talk regularly with your doctor about your treatment plan, including a statin that is right for you!
Regis Philbin, TV legend and heart disease survivor, joined Take Cholesterol to Heart to share his experience having a conversation with his doctor about high cholesterol and finding the right statin for him. Check out his story in this short video:


If you or someone you love takes a statin, please visit TakeCholesterolToHeart.com for a number of helpful resources, including a doctor/patient discussion guide, a quiz on statins and tips for caregivers. 

Disclosure: This post was sponsored by Kowa Pharmaceuticals America, Inc. and should not be construed to constitute medical advice. My personal story and opinions are my own. I am not a medical professional and am not qualified to give medical advice. Please talk with your doctor about your individual medical situation

Footnote:

* Harris Poll conducted ACTION: The Statin Survey (Understanding Patient Adherence and Concerns with Statins, and Medication Discussions with Physicians) online on behalf of Kowa Pharmaceuticals America, Inc., within the United States from July 7- August 4, 2017, among 5,014 U.S. adults aged 45 or older, who have been diagnosed with high cholesterol, and have ever used a statin to treat high cholesterol. This online survey is not based on a probability sample and therefore no estimate of theoretical sampling error can be calculated. For complete survey methodology, including weighting variables, please contact Erin Bittner at W2O Group, 212-301-7226.



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Thursday, April 20, 2017

6 Easy Ways To Quickly Increase #GutHealth And Why Everyone Should!

  My stomach has always had issues. I've had to bow out of activities and parties because I've had these crazy, disabling, sharp, pains in my stomach. I thought that maybe I was experiencing the precursors to Irritable Bowel Syndrome or even Crohn's Disease, which my mom had later in life. Thankfully I figured out that the majority of my problems stem from my unhealthy stomach environment and that I am able to correct it with a few things. 

I must have given myself a good headstart at having a horrible gut environment every time I took antibiotics as a kid, and there were quite a few times! I'm sure most kids have to have at least several rounds of antibiotics to get through childhood. But I'm definitely for medicine if you need it.

Then we added insult to the injury and my little sugar addiction turned into a monster! You know you've got a sugar addiction when the sight of macaroons (or brownies, cakes, twinkies, candy, or anything sugary) makes you salivate! And when you succumb to having "just a taste", you find that, like a crack addict, you can't stop at just one. You have to go back again and again!