The Pennington Post, Norma Jean Devico
Published June 1, 2004
During last Wednesday night's Woman's Health Symposium at Stony Brook Assisted Living, valuable health advice was dispensed by four presenters.
To maintain good health, you must eat your vegetables, get enough exercise and have a good attitude. And a glass of wine won't hurt, either.
That's the message John J. DiBiase, MD, Susan McCoy, MD, Phyllis Famularo,RD and Kate Thomsen, MD delivered to a rapt audience of approximately 50.
Each speaker is a friend or relative of staff or clients of the Stony Brook community. Dr DiBiase, who has offices in Pennington and Hamilton, talked about osteoporosis-thin bones-and osteoarthritis,the wearing out of joint cartilage, which usually starts with an injury or Break. Bad habits, such as carrying around too much weight, worsens osteoarthritis. Flexibility and strengthening programs can help prevent this disease; proper diet and supplements, weight loss, plus using a cane or walker to take weight off the affected joint can slow down deterioration. A lifetime of good habits can pay off, but DiBiase stressed that with exercise one can get stronger at any age. Conversely, losing even 15° of flexibility alters the body's mechanics and increases the rate of arthritis; stiff joints hastens its onset. How is your posture? Are you leaning over a computer all day? Does your footwear offer support? Good shoes decrease the impact on the foot and therefore on the knee, hip and spine. Glucosamine and Chondroitin Sulfate nourish cartilage and in half of cases, helps with pain; unfortunately one has to take many pills and beneficial effects aren't apparent for a month.
Anti-inflammatory drugs without aspirin's stomach-upsetting side effects include Celebrex®, Vioxx®, Bextra and Mobic. These may, however, cause salt and water retention and raise blood pressure. An injectable, made from purified rooster combs, which acts as a lubricant is FDA?approved for use in the knee. These drugs, Suparts, Synvisc® and Hyalgan® help patients feel better and avoid replacements. DiBiase stressed that to prevent osteoporosis, calcium and Vitamin D are critical in the diet.
Any technique that averts surgery is desirable - DiBiase said surgery is the last resort when the level of pain or disability become unacceptable. DiBiase's formula for preventing osteoporosis is, "Don't smoke; don't drink 10 cups of coffee a day; exercise."
Hormones or Not?
Dr. McCoy of Princeton said that attitudes about hormone replacement therapy (HRT) range from "The best thing since sliced bread to something that will kill us all."
After the Women's Health Initiative (WHI) - a study to determine if estrogen helps prevent cardiovascular disease - ended abruptly in July 2002, when a pre-determined number of adverse events occurred, many women were thrown into a quandary.
Coronary heart disease is the number-one killer of women and the incidence increases as women age, as estrogen levels drop. The Nurses Health Study of the 1990s showed that women who took hormones had less heart disease. Generally the nurses were younger and more active, less likely to smoke and took more aspirin than the women who participated in the WHI.
Only post-menopausal women participated in the WHI. One hypothesis is that the earlier HRT commences, the greater its potential efficacy. Timing is everything. Eat Your Vegetables Registered Dietitian Famularo of Sodexho Senior Services, Allentown, PA, offered a recipe for improving eyes, skin, cognitive function and bone density.
"The skin is the first line of defense against disease and infection," she said. Antioxidants in the form of foods that contain Vitamins E, C and A (Beta-carotene )- the more colorful the better - build new cells, maintain healthy cell surfaces and help keep skin structure elastic.
Vitamins B6 and B12 support cognitive function, and may even improve forgetfulness in people deficient in these nutrients.
Foliate improves mental function and the heart; patients taking Coumiden may eat those leafy greens, but should eat the same amount every day. Everyone knows calcium strengthens bones, and Famularo pointed out that everyone's favorite, ice cream, contains about one-tenth the amount of calcium of milk.
The good news is that when calcium is taken with Vitamin D, people tend not to fall as often, perhaps because blood pressure is Normalized.
Falls can occur with blood pressure fluctuations. Monounsaturated fats and Omega-3 fatty acids, found in certain fish are good for your heart.
Famularo stressed that supplements should be reserved for use during illnesses or when an individual hasn't been eating properly.
"Pills can't beat food's functional components," she said. A balanced diet is key, and Americans have access to an abundance of fresh vegetables and low-fat meat and dairy all year.
She warned against taking iron since the mineral can build up and recommended taking extra calcium unless you're drinking three glasses of milk a day. Tums , which contain calcium carbonate is a good source, but before adding any over-the-counter medication, check with your physician.
Don't Worry, Be Happy
After waving into the audience and saying,"Hi, Mom!" Pennington-based Dr. Thomsen talked about integrated wellness - the mind, body and spirit connection - to which women tend to relate better than men.
"Certain habits can help calm you and lower rates of infection and blood pressure," she said.
The idea that the brain runs every function in the body, a prominent theory during the Industrial Revolution when a foreman ran all the functions in the shop, is no longer accepted.
The mind and body work together. Stress is an example, the fight-or-flight reaction that produces glucose so our ancestors could face a life-threatening situation.
Frequent psychological stress turns on the flight-or-fight nervous system these days and results in shallow breathing "as if life is an emergency" and seems to store more inflammatory body fat.
Thomsen suggested exercises in deep diaphragmatic breathing while resting or practicing yoga.
Prayer, positive beliefs and hope also have a healing effect.
She suggested practicing forgiveness, appreciation and loving kindness. Meditation, exercise and laughter can also contribute to good health.
To Your Health!
During the post-presentation question-and-answer period, the speakers agreed wine has beneficial effects because of its antioxidant properties.
Women should stick to one glass a day, men two. Those not accustomed to drinking wine probably shouldn't start in later life, however.
Grape juice offers some of the same benefits. There was a disagreement about weather red is better than white Wine. Since so many diseases are related to inflammation, instead of using aspirin, fish oil was recommend as a natural anti-inflammatory. One audience member brought up the question of mercury; even EPA recommends limiting tuna intake to one serving a week for women of child-bearing age and children and the Environmental Working Group cautions that everyone should limit their intake of white albacore tuna.
Salmon, mackerel, flounder and fresh-water trout were recommended, as were fish oil supplements. High-quality supplements have no odor, but are not light or heat stable. If the company supplying the capsules has good manufacturing practices in place, a third-party certificate of analysis should be available demonstrating all mercury has been removed.
The mystery of applying heat or cold for sore muscles was solved: Heat for chronic sore muscles, cold for sudden injuries that become inflamed.
