Joannie Rochette Heart Your Health Campaign

Joannie Rochette is a Canadian bronze medal figure skater

Last year at the Vancouver 2010 Olympics, her mom died suddenly of heart disease

days before she was to compete

Joannie skated for her mom and won her country the bronze medal

her goal now is to spread awareness about heart disease

It is the number one killer of women in north America - over all the cancers combined.

tell someone you love about the risk of heart disease

and encourge your family members to go to the doctor regularly - even if they think nothing is wrong

high blood pressure is called the silent killer because it often presents no signs

until it ultimatly leads to stroke or heart attack

Flu Season

It may only be Fall every where else but we are getting frost and some snow here in Calgary already.
Flu season is upon us. There is some concern that H1N1 will come back this season so time to get prepared!

The best way to prevent the flu is good hygiene and sanitation.
In my sociology of health and illness class we recently learned that the most drastic decline in mortality rates from infectious diseases occurred before the vaccines were available. This is accredited to improved sanitation and hygiene.

So wash your hands! 
The friction created by rubbing the soap all over your hands is what actually separates the germs form your hands. So use soap! 2/3 don't on a regular basis.
You should lather really well make sure you get your wrists, thumbs, between fingers and under your nails.
It should take your 20 seconds - or the time it takes to sing Happy Birthday twice.
Rinse with warm water and then briskly dry your hands on a clean towel.

Experts say that you are better off drying your hands on pants than using a hand dryer - they heat up re-circulated bathroom air and then blow it on your hands.

Remember - vaccines are not obsolete either - if you are of high risk, or live with someone who is high risk - talk to your doctor about getting the flu vaccine.

Earlobe Crease

On Dr.Oz today he had 7 signs your body is aging too fast.
One that i thought was important to share with everyone was the earlobe crease.

the linear crease on the earlobe starting near the head and angling out is a predictor of heart disease.

it is a good indication that the elastin in the body is starting to harden. you arteries need to be elasticy to expand and contract when the heart pumps blood.

keep an eye on your earlobes and those of the people you love. if you notice the crease talk to your doctor about the implications.

Diet vs. Exercise

Women's Health recently discussing whether its diet or exercise that is the most important. They looked at 6 common situations.
Here's what they found

To Lose Weight - Diet
To Boost Energy - Exercise
Reduce the Risk of Heart Disease - Diet
Prevent Type 2 Diabetes - Exercise
To Prevent Cancer - BOTH - plant based diet and consistent exercise
Improve Mood - Exercise

To read the full article including reasons why they came to these conclusions check out the article here

To sum up - both diet and exercise are vital to living a healthy lifestyle. Avoid yo-yo dieting or yo-yo exercising and try to maintain consistency with both. Everything in moderation

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Yoga Thrive

Yoga Thrive is a yoga program developed for people who have or have had cancer, and their support person(s). It was developed by Dr.Nicole Culos-Reed at the University of calgary.
Yoga has been shows to minimize or improve treatment related symptoms such as nausea and fatigue. Participants also have increased overall physical activity levels, improved physical strength decreased levels of perceived stress and improved mood state.

 In order for this practice and the benefits to reach more people there are classes being held all over Canada
-Check out this link to find a class near you - as well as more info on the program
http://www.kin.ucalgary.ca/healthandwellnesslab/Site/Yoga_Thrive__.html 

There is also a DVD available so you can practice at home, or with someone you know who has been affected by cancer.  - a link to buy the DVD can be found by clicking the link above.

You can read more about Dr. Culos-Reed's research by following this link http://www.kin.ucalgary.ca/healthandwellnesslab/Site/Yoga_Thrive___files/Yoga%20Thrive%20-%20research%20summary%5BMay%202009%5D.pdf

Dr. Culos-Reed has also developed fitness testing for cancer survivors.
If you, or anyone you know lives in or near Calgary - they can contact the Health and Wellness lab and set up a fitness assessment for either Cadiovascular health or for Strength. For $150 you get a 1.5 hour assessment as well as a 1 hour training session on another day. Follow this link for more information http://www.kin.ucalgary.ca/healthandwellnesslab/Site/Fitness_Testing.html
OR
To book a session:
CALL (403) 210-6983
or EMAIL thrive.centre.info@gmail.com
Please leave your name and contact info, and our staff will contact you to set up your appointment


"Being inactive is not an option. Walking 30min a day, 7 days a week increases cancer survival rate by 50%" - Dr. Culos-Reed

Hip-to-Waist Ratio

We've all heard of BMI - body mass index. It is a height to weight ratio. Click Here to calculate your BMI.  It is widely used in body composition tests, and by doctors. It is a strong predictor for risk of diabetes, cancer and heart disease.
The problem with BMI is it does not take into consideration fat vs muscle, or where your body fat is located.
That is where the hip-to-waist ratio comes in.
To measure your hip-to-waist ration:
measure around the smallest part of your waist - usually near your belly button.
measure around the widest part of your hips and buttocks.
divide the waist measurement by the hip measurement and you've got your hip-to-waist ratio
According to Health Canada, a ratio less than 0.8 for women, and less than 1.0 for men is associated with lower heath risk.
This measurement is an even stronger predictor for increased health risks than BMI. This is because it gives an indication of where you store your body fat.
We've all heard terms apple shaped, and pear shaped.
Well bad news if you are apple shaped and carry most of your weight around your stomach, and less around your waist. This means that there is more fat surrounding all your internal organs, including your heart. This increases your risk of heart attack, stroke, and diabetes.

So find out your number for both these measurements, BMI and Hip-to-waist ratio. Write them down and talk to your Doctor about the implications. If either of your numbers are higher than recommended by Health Canada - talk to your doctor about an exercise regime and some nutritional advice that will help you become healthier.

vitamin D

the sunshine vitamin.
Did you know it is actually a hormone produced naturally by our bodies. When we are exposed to UVB rays,  our skin produced vitamin D3 and we only produce as much as we need. It only takes about 10 minutes of unprotected exposure to UVB rays to get all the vitamin D that we need.  That being said, I think our hands and faces should always have sunscreen on them because they are typically always exposed to the sun. But maybe consider waiting 10 minutes after going outside before putting sunscreen on your arms. (Make sure you talk with your doctor/demetologist before going out without sunscreen)
Unfortunatly... here in Canada about 6-8 months out of the year, you could go outside without sunscreen all day and your body wouldnt produce any vitamin D.
This is because the sun is at the wrong angle, and the UVB rays are not strong enough to activate the vitamin D synthesis process (this DOESNT mean they arent strong enough to do damage. a sun burn in the winter is as dangerous as a sunburn in the summer).
That is why so many doctors recommend taking a vitamin D supplement.
Currently, the recommended daily intake of vitmin D is 1000 IU but a lot of research is suggesting that the number be increase to as high as 5000 - 10 000 IU.  (check out an interesting article here)

Vitamin D plays an important role in bone density. it raises blood calcium levels by increasing the absorbtion of calcium from the gut, and reabsorption of calcium from the kidneys. When blood calcium levels rise, more is stored in the bones increasing their density and strenght.
It has also been implicated in the prevention of many types of cancer, and Multiple sclerosis.  MS is almost not exisitant in equatorial regions where sunlight and vitamin D levels are typically adequate.
Vitamin D can help improve mood by alleviating Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD/Winter blues), and can also help reduce muscle fatigue and chronic pain.
Some preliminary studies also suggest that low Vitamin D may also be linked to an increased risk in heart disease and stroke (see a brief overview of Vitamin D here)

Vitamin D is found in some foods, such as salmon, and milk and breakfast cereals are typically fortified with vitamin D (fortified means it has been added to a product that did not naturally contain that vitmain/mineral, where as enriched means vitamins and minerals that have been lost during processing have been added back in). Most multivitamins contain about 400 IU (about 10% of the body's daily need)
So how do you know if you are getting enough vitamin D?
Ask your doctor, and get your blood tested for vitamind D levels. Once the results come back talk to your doctor about how much vitamin D you should be taking every day. 1000IU may be sufficient, or they may recommend more. Make sure you follow the doctors advice because, as with all vitamins, Vitamid D does have toxic effects if taken in excess (although up to 10 000IU appears to be safe)
Write down some questions or concerns that you have before you go to the doctor so you don't forget or get overwhelmed!