Posted in Workplace Wellness, tagged Emory University, Flu Self-Assessment, H1N1, test for the flu on November 5, 2009| 2 Comments »
Feeling sick, wondering if you have the flu? And if so, how do you know if you, or your loved ones, have the H1N1 flu, a seasonal flu or just a cold?
Use the Flu Self-Assessment, based on material from Emory University, to:
(Licensed from Emory University.)
Posted in Fitness, Workplace Wellness, Yoga, tagged my yoga online, workplace yoga, Yoga, yoga at work, yoga on demand, yoga videos on November 5, 2009| Leave a Comment »
Office Yoga
My Yoga Online is a premium online subscription and digital download service, offering yoga, Pilates, meditation, and wellness video classes to thousands of members and free video and written content to hundreds of thousands of visitors worldwide. It was was created in 2005 and is Vancouver, Canada based. My Yoga Online partners a ‘Ancient Practice meets Modern Delivery’ concept, to bring the physical, mental, and emotional benefits of these wellness practices and exercises to a global audience, improving quality of life for all.
My Yoga Online streams its large video library over the internet using streaming technology, allowing for full screen viewing in HD quality at your computer or on an attached television. People can download individual classes for their ipod, iTV, iPhone, or to burn to DVD. They also sell yoga related music and meditation downloads.
Monthly Membership
$9.95 per month
• Unlimited access for just 33 cents a day
• Less than one DVD or studio class
• Experience our growing library of videos
• On demand anytime, anywhere
• Billing recurs monthly, cancel anytime
• No contract, no obligation
Yearly Membership Plan
$89.95 per year.
• Unlimited access for just a quarter a day
• 12 months for the price of 9
• World class teachers with guided instruction
• All the benefits of yoga at your fingertips
For more information on My Yoga Online, go to their website here.
Posted in Fitness, Motivation, Stress Management, Workplace Wellness, tagged depression and exercise, Dr. Shock, Dr. Walter W. van den Broek, endorphins, exercise and aging, exercise versus antidepressants, MD, natural antidepressants, neuroscience of exercise on November 5, 2009| Leave a Comment »
What does exercise do to your brain? Specifically how can exercise improve your mood, your memory and your ability to process information aka your ability to think (cognate)?
Dr. Walter W. van den Broek, MD, PhD, (aka Dr. Shock), a Dutch Psychiatrist, has a website that answers these and many other questions about neuroscience for laypeople. Read his blog post below to learn more about the effects of exercise on your brain.
The Benefits of Exercise
The brain needs certain ingredients to flourish or to life up to the expectations of every day problems. The brain has priority when it comes to certain ingredients. A variety of foods can be beneficial for learning. Positive effects on brain function have been reported for fish oil, teas, fruits, folate, spices, cocoa, chocolate and vitamins.
How does exercise improve the brain?
And from Henriette van Praag, from Trends in Neuroscience:
Recent research indicates that the effects of exercise on the brain can be enhanced by concurrent consumption of natural products such as omega fatty acids or plant polyphenols. The potential synergy between diet and exercise could involve common cellular pathways important for neurogenesis, cell survival, synaptic plasticity and vascular function. Optimal maintenance of brain health might depend on exercise and intake of natural products.
Source:
van Praag, H. (2009). Exercise and the brain: something to chew on Trends in Neurosciences, 32 (5), 283-290 DOI. Read more here: 10.1016/j.tins.2008.12.007
Read D. Shock’s full article at his website here.
And for those that want to know more about exercise effects on your brain as you age, read more on Exercise, Experience and the Aging Brain at this abtract here.
Posted in Workplace Wellness, tagged back pain, Ergonomics, neck pain, office seating, proper seating, spinehealth on November 4, 2009| 1 Comment »
From Spinehealth.com
October 29, 2009
by: Sylvia Marten
Having the best designed and most ergonomically-friendly office equipment may not necessarily mean much for preventing back pain, neck pain and other pain if such equipment is out of sync with your workstation, as confirmed in a recent study that provides a great forum for examining how you can adjust an office chair to your work environment.
Detailed in the October issue of the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, a new study found that workers who received not only new ergonomic office furniture but professional set-up by an ergonomist had less symptoms of musculoskeletal pain and eyestrain 18 months later than those workers who had to set up their new furniture on their own based off instructions.
Now what if your employer can’t afford to hire a professional ergonomist to visit your office during these tough economic times? Well, there are still many ways to be proactive when setting up your office chair and desk just right to your needs and the principles of ergonomics.
Understand the Ultimate Goal
ergonomic chair
Having a special chair is often viewed as the be-all, end-all of correct office ergonomics. While an ergonomically-designed chair can certainly do wonders, remember that the ultimate goal is to achieve balance between finding a work chair that fits you, provides good support and minimizes stress on the back, and using it correctly in relation to your work environment.
Before providing instant analysis of your chair, examine other factors, including your optimal desk level, how you sit, and the height of your computer screen, and strive to improve on these areas.
Get Suited to Your Work Surface
Rather than just going out and buying a new chair, ask yourself “what type of chair will fit your work station?”
Examine how long you sit all day and how you sit at your desk.
Are you semi-seated (similar to sitting on a bar stool) or do you sit straight up? Do you need to adjust your chair? Where is your computer in relation to your body?
Determine your appropriate work surface (which takes into account the position of your arms, elbows and hands in relation to your desk’s height and your laptop or desktop computer) and be sure to have a chair that allows you to attain this specific height.
The correct surface level can vary from profession to profession (for example, architects and draftsmen often prefer to sit higher), and the final decision as to what’s appropriate is thus determined by each individual.
Become a Series of Right Angles While Sitting and Typing 
Sit down straight and as close and comfortable as possible to your desk, with your upper arms parallel to the spine and your hands rested on the work surface.
At this point, take a step back and examine whether your elbows are at a 90-degree angle. If they are not, adjust your office chair higher or lower as deemed fit.
Also make sure that your legs are bent at the knees at a 90 degree angle. Try to maintain this ideal sitting posture as much as possible, and if you find yourself slacking, give yourself a break by getting up and stretching.
Don’t Sit Too High Unless Necessary
Did you know that all of our ankles swell up anywhere from 6 to 8 percent by the end of the day, but for patients with back, leg or circulation problems, this swelling can jump from 10 to 15 percent, especially if sitting in a chair that is too high and leaves the feet dangling?
Generally speaking, a seat height ranging from 16 to 21 inches off the ground is suitable for most workers. To tell whether your chair is too high or at the right height for the desk surface, slide your finger underneath your thigh at the front end of the chair.
If this proves easy to do, your chair is likely at a good height. However, if this proves difficult, your chair is likely too high, which can put extra pressure on your feet and require you to proceed to the next tip.=
Boost Your Feet in Certain Situations
In situations where you have to lift your feet off the ground because of a chair or even a desk that is too high, or where the chair height is right but you’re not that tall, consider using a foot stool to prop and rest your feet as opposed to leaving them hanging all day long.
Such action will reduce both pressure on the feet and the likelihood of foot pain at the end of the day.
Raise Your Work Surface When Applicable
Standard seats should allow for 2-4 inches between the back of the knees and chair.
However, if you’re a taller worker, you may be familiar with this problem: your chair seat is not long enough for your thighs, which have too much space underneath them. In these rarer situations, raising the work surface level may be necessary to ensure circulation at the back of the knee.
Make a Fist to Your Calf
Ensure that there is enough room between the front edge of your chair and calves by simply making a fist, bringing it to the edge of the chair and pushing it on the calf.
If you can fit your full fist between the front edge and your calf, you likely have enough space for circulation and pressure. If not, your chair is likely too deep.
Adjusting the backrest forward, inserting a cushion, pillow or rolled-up towel to support your lumbar spine (lower back), or purchasing a new office chair are some possible solutions to this problem.
Have the Support of Your Back
Back support is a main focus of many ergonomic chairs, but what makes a chair good in terms of supporting the back?
Ideally your work chair should do a couple of things: provide back support angling just past 90 degrees or up to 90 degrees, and include cushioning that pushes your back forward when sitting back in the chair.
Such low back support is essential in preventing slouching as you tire and minimizing the load or strain on your back. With this in mind, the backrest of an ideal ergonomic office chair is typically between 12 and 19 inches wide.
Sit Right
A lot of times, workers have chairs with great back support but don’t take advantage of these features because they sit on the edge of the chair.
Make a conscious effort to press your bottom against the back of the chair, and avoid slumping or slouching, which places extra stress on the lumbar discs and other structures of the lower back.
Apply A Different Kind of Eye Test
Once your chair has been adjusted to the height of the table, your legs have gotten comfortable and your back is supported, close your eyes and take a deep breath.
Casually look forward with your eyes closed, and then open your eyes, which should be aimed at the center of your computer screen. Depending on whether the computer screen is higher or lower than your gaze, you may need to raise or lower the monitor.
If you need to raise your laptop, consider using a stack of books or even a small box, which has personally helped me reduce the likelihood of neck strain at work.
Adjust Your Armrest
Armrests play an important role in reducing neck and shoulder strain and diminishing the likelihood of slouching forward in your chair.
Adjust the armrest to the point where your arms are slightly lifted at the shoulders. Doing so will allow the armrest to support just the elbow and take weight off the shoulders.
Perhaps after making all these changes, you ultimately decide that you do need a new office chair.
If you find yourself in the market for a new chair, you’ll want to consider many factors, including the seat’s height, width, depth, materials, armrests, back rest, lumbar support and swivel.
Posted in Nutrition, Workplace Wellness, tagged American Diabetes Association, Archimedes, Check Up America, Cholesteral, diabetes, heart disease, My Health Advisor, type 2 diabetes on November 3, 2009| Leave a Comment »
By Sue Shekut, Licensed Massage Therapist, ACSM Personal Trainer, Certified Wellness Coach, Owner, Working Well Massage
Take this easy test to calculate your risk for diabetes and heart disease.
Just enter some basic health information and My Health Advisor very accurately calculates your risk for type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and stroke. Note: Your results will be more accurate if you know your blood pressure, cholesterol and glucose levels from recent blood tests.
Then, once My Health Advisor calculates your personal risk, you can quickly and easily see the difference simple lifestyle changes—like losing 5 or 10 pounds or quitting smoking—make in your overall risk. Then get your personal action plan outlining suggestions for lowering your risk for these deadly diseases. When you’re done, email your results to your doctor and make plans to discuss them at your next check-up.
You can stop type 2 diabetes, starting right now. Use My Health Advisor. Then talk to your doctor about your risk for diabetes, heart disease, and stroke. Listen to your doctor. Eat better. Get moving.
Learn more about CheckUp America and your risk for type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and stroke.
My Health Advisor is powered by Archimedes, a very powerful health modeling program that brings together a large amount of clinical research data to make highly accurate predictions about health risk. Archimedes creates a virtual reality in which all the important objects and events in the real world match objects and events in the model’s world.
When a simulation model is run, the objects interact and events occur as they would in the real world. So, My Health Advisor is very accurately projecting your personal risk based on real world events.
My Health Advisor was developed through the American Diabetes Association’s CheckUp America program, which is supported by unrestricted educational grants from Eli Lilly & Company, Merck & Merck/Schering-Plough Pharmaceuticals, Novartis, Pfizer Inc., sanofi-aventis, and Takeda Pharmaceuticals North America.
Go to the American Diabetes Association website for more details.
Posted in Workplace Wellness, tagged back pain, ergonomic footrest, Ergonomics, footrest, neck pain, proper seating on November 2, 2009| 10 Comments »
By Sue Shekut, L.M.T., ASCM Personal Trainer and Certified Wellness Coach
Sitting with your feet flat on the floor with our backs resting on the back of your chair is an optimal ergonomic position (versus sitting on the edge of your chair as many shorter people end up doing so their feet can rest on the floor). However, many desks and computer surfaces are too high for people shorter than 5 feet 4 inches. At 5′-2″, I have always struggled to find the best combination of chair height and footrest to allow me to sit all the way back in my chair at my computer.
Recently we tested out two of the footrests shown below. Our clients report that both the 8 inch high Safeco footrest and the Rubbermaid Footrest have really helped them feel less neck and back strain when they work. Two of our vertically challenged clients (one approximately 5′-3″ in height and the other 5 foot) are using the footrests to allow them to raise their chairs high enough so that they are in proper position over their keyboards AND can still rest their feet on the floor or footrest.
Note: My feet are flat on a Safeco 8″ footrest myself as I type this post!
Price $30.84
Order from Amazon here.
This is a great footrest for people under 5′-2″. If you must raise your chair up to it’s upper most height just to get your hands comfortable on your keyboard, this is a footrest for you. It can sit flat so you can rest your feet flat as you sit. It can also easily angle if you need to rock your feet towards you or if you need a bit less height.
Amazon Customer Reviews
• I had a very old rubbermaid footrest that finally cracked. Tried some out and wasn’t pleased. Decided to try this one, mostly because it was a bit higher than most others and i am short. I was skeptical because it ‘looked’ like it tilted ‘at will’ and wasn’t able to be set at one position. Well, that part is true but i just LOVE it and it is extremely comfortable whether tilted towards me or if i am resting such that it is tilted away from me! This one’s a keeper!
• After reading the reviews posted, I decided to get this foot rest to help relieve my lower back pain. It has helped relieve my lower back pain considerably. I am only 5 feet tall and can never reach the floor. Having this has helped my posture and sitting position immensely. I cannot begin to tell you how this has helped my lower back. Thank you fellow reviewers for turning me onto such a wonderful product!
• I bought this for use at home with my computer… as a woman with short legs, even at the lowest setting my computer chair forces me to sit forward in order for my feet to be comfortably on the floor. This footrest is fully adjustable, tips comfortably and instantly relieved the pressure sitting at the computer, enabling me to work for longer periods of time with less back, neck and shoulder strain! Highly recommend you have one at home… I always had one at work but getting one for home was a great move!
• This footrest is fairly simple but it gets the job done. Because the design is so simple, the likelihood of anything breaking on this is slim to none. I bought one for home and work and they both help me keep my legs up so that my legs aren’t getting pinched by the edge of the chair. I also like how you can adjust it by just moving your feet around which is nice for a fidgety person like myself.
Note: This footrest is very high compared to other footrests. At its full height it is 8 inches from the floor. So for people taller than 5’4″ you may be better off with a shorter footrest, as shown below. Amazon reviewers that were average height or only needed a footrest a few inches off the floor did not like this footrest due to it’s height.
Price: $26.31
This is a shorter version of the Safeco 8″ footrest. it’s also simple in design but gives you just a few inches of height for those that are taller than 5′-2″ or 5′-4″
Amazon Customer Reviews:
• There are fancier and more expensive foot rests out there, but they offer little more than an increased price and decreased reliability. This unit sturdy consisting of a metal frame and a solid (plastic or wood, I cannot tell) platform. It has only one moving part: the platform tilts in place on the metal frame.
• I am 6′ tall and find this foot rest to be quite comfortable. It’s at just the right height to keep my posture straight when sitting at my desk in my office chair. The tilting feature is effective in allowing me to find a comfortable position, and allows me to change the easily position when I want as is recommended for maximum benefit. Changing position is done by simply moving the platform with the feet — it is held in position by friction which seems sufficient to prevent unwanted slippage, yet yields when required.
• I looked at a lot of foot rests before choosing this one. The size is good, lots of foot room. I like that it can set over the cords rather than having to push them out of the way. It’s bulky or heavy and though it does not lock in place, it doesn’t move unless I want it to, I prefer it that way as I can’t sit in one position for long.
• I looked at all the reviews on footrests first. This one had none; I went for it. All the others seemed to have some problem. It is not fancy, only two pieces. Little or nothing to break. It looks and feels sturdy. It does what is supposed to do: adjust to your feet-and-back-needs with a slight pressure with your soles. It stays in place until you change it. No wobbling. Rubber on the bottom has enough traction to keep footrest from slipping on hardwood floor. Feet don’t slip from rest surface, either. I started using it this morning. Very comfortable. My back feels better already. I recommend it.
Note: Not every Amazon shopper was pleased with this Safeco footrest. But the unhappy reviewers main complaint was that the footrest broke when they applied too much pressure to it. Remember, this is a footrest, not a foot stool!
Price $46.99 at Amazon.
Order Rubbermaid footrest here.
Product Details
* Item Weight: 6.5 pounds
* Shipping Weight: 6.5 pounds
Our 5′-3″ Working Well Massage client really likes this footrest. She’s only had it about a month so she can’t attest to it’d durability. However, it has made her much more comfortable sitting at her compute r and visiting coworkers like to putt heir feet on it under her desk when they come in for meetings as well.
Amazon Customer Reviews:
• I’ve had this for about 4 years and it works great. It is the only footrest you’ll find that goes to a full 6.25″ in height, so if you are 5’3″ or shorter, a standard footrest probably is not going to be high enough for you. If you are taller than about 5’7″, you could probably get a standard foot rest. This one is very solid, and while the height is not easy to adjust, I have needed to adjust it exactly one time–when I took it out of the box–unless your height fluctuates from day to day you’ll never have to change it.
• I bought this to use at work and liked it a lot. However, one month later, it broke. A piece of plastic snapped off and now I no longer have three positions. Just one, flat on the floor. If you buy one, treat it gingerly and push it aside so no one else will use it when you’re away.
• My husband and I both bought one Eldon Height-Adjustable Tilting Footrest for our offices. We were delighted at first, because it did seem to relieve back pain and adjust our sitting positions. However, a few months later, two piece of plastic which change positions snapped off on his footrest. I thought he was not gentle enough. Not long after that, mine broke too, just when I needed it most (pregnant women have achy back!) I swear I was very gentle, and with my husband’s experience, I was trying to be extra careful with it. Oh well. I will need to get another one. This time, I will buy one with metal support.
• I am so happy with this product for several reasons – 1) Its the only footrest that I found that has 3 adjustable heights with the highest being almost 7″. This is great for me being only 5’2″! 2) It adjusts very easily…to raise it, just pull up to each height and to lower, hold the front and tilt it back. 3) It tilts back and forth, for added comfortability and increased circulation. The one thing I don’t like is the raised hard dimples. I know these are supposed to increase circulation in your feet, but I found them rather uncomfortable.
Posted in Stress Management, Yoga, tagged depression, Harvard Health Publication, stress relief, Yoga on November 2, 2009| Leave a Comment »
By Harvard Health Publications
Since the 1970s, meditation and other stress-reduction techniques have been studied as possible treatments for depression and anxiety. One such practice, yoga, has received less attention in the medical literature, though it has become increasingly popular in recent decades. One national survey estimated, for example, that about 7.5% of U.S. adults had tried yoga at least once, and that nearly 4% practiced yoga in the previous year.
Yoga classes can vary from gentle and accommodating to strenuous and challenging; the choice of style tends to be based on physical ability and personal preference. Hatha yoga, the most common type of yoga practiced in the United States, combines three elements: physical poses, called asanas; controlled breathing practiced in conjunction with asanas; and a short period of deep relaxation or meditation.
Many of the studies evaluating yoga’s therapeutic benefits have been small and poorly designed. However, a 2004 analysis found that, in recent decades, an increasing number have been randomized controlled trials — the most rigorous standard for proving efficacy.
Available reviews of a wide range of yoga practices suggest they can reduce the impact of exaggerated stress responses and may be helpful for both anxiety and depression. In this respect, yoga functions like other self-soothing techniques, such as meditation, relaxation, exercise, or even socializing with friends.
By reducing perceived stress and anxiety, yoga appears to modulate stress response systems. This, in turn, decreases physiological arousal — for example, reducing the heart rate, lowering blood pressure, and easing respiration. There is also evidence that yoga practices help increase heart rate variability, an indicator of the body’s ability to respond to stress more flexibly.
A small but intriguing study further characterizes the effect of yoga on the stress response. In 2008, researchers at the University of Utah presented preliminary results from a study of varied participants’ responses to pain. They note that people who have a poorly regulated response to stress are also more sensitive to pain. Their subjects were 12 experienced yoga practitioners, 14 people with fibromyalgia (a condition many researchers consider a stress-related illness that is characterized by hypersensitivity to pain), and 16 healthy volunteers.
When the three groups were subjected to more or less painful thumbnail pressure, the participants with fibromyalgia — as expected — perceived pain at lower pressure levels compared with the other subjects. Functional MRIs showed they also had the greatest activity in areas of the brain associated with the pain response. In contrast, the yoga practitioners had the highest pain tolerance and lowest pain-related brain activity during the MRI. The study underscores the value of techniques, such as yoga, that can help a person regulate their stress and, therefore, pain responses.
Questions remain about exactly how yoga works to improve mood, but preliminary evidence suggests its benefit is similar to that of exercise and relaxation techniques.
In a German study published in 2005, 24 women who described themselves as “emotionally distressed” took two 90-minute yoga classes a week for three months. Women in a control group maintained their normal activities and were asked not to begin an exercise or stress-reduction program during the study period.
Though not formally diagnosed with depression, all participants had experienced emotional distress for at least half of the previous 90 days. They were also one standard deviation above the population norm in scores for perceived stress (measured by the Cohen Perceived Stress Scale), anxiety (measured using the Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory), and depression (scored with the Profile of Mood States and the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale, or CES-D).
At the end of three months, women in the yoga group reported improvements in perceived stress, depression, anxiety, energy, fatigue, and well-being. Depression scores improved by 50%, anxiety scores by 30%, and overall well-being scores by 65%. Initial complaints of headaches, back pain, and poor sleep quality also resolved much more often in the yoga group than in the control group.
One uncontrolled, descriptive 2005 study examined the effects of a single yoga class for inpatients at a New Hampshire psychiatric hospital. The 113 participants included patients with bipolar disorder, major depression, and schizophrenia. After the class, average levels of tension, anxiety, depression, anger, hostility, and fatigue dropped significantly, as measured by the Profile of Mood States, a standard 65-item questionnaire that participants answered on their own before and after the class. Patients who chose to participate in additional classes experienced similar short-term positive effects.
Further controlled trials of yoga practice have demonstrated improvements in mood and quality of life for the elderly, people caring for patients with dementia, breast cancer survivors, and patients with epilepsy.
Benefits of controlled breathingA type of controlled breathing with roots in traditional yoga shows promise in providing relief for depression. The program, called Sudarshan Kriya yoga (SKY), involves several types of cyclical breathing patterns, ranging from slow and calming to rapid and stimulating, and is taught by the nonprofit Art of Living Foundation. One study compared 30 minutes of SKY breathing, done six days a week, to bilateral electroconvulsive therapy and the tricyclic antidepressant imipramine in 45 people hospitalized for depression. After four weeks of treatment, 93% of those receiving electroconvulsive therapy, 73% of those taking imipramine, and 67% of those using the breathing technique had achieved remission. Another study examined the effects of SKY on depressive symptoms in 60 alcohol-dependent men. After a week of a standard detoxification program at a mental health center in Bangalore, India, participants were randomly assigned to two weeks of SKY or a standard alcoholism treatment control. After the full three weeks, scores on a standard depression inventory dropped 75% in the SKY group, as compared with 60% in the standard treatment group. Levels of two stress hormones, cortisol and corticotropin, also dropped in the SKY group, but not in the control group. The authors suggest that SKY might be a beneficial treatment for depression in the early stages of recovery from alcoholism. |
Since evidence suggests that yoga can tone down maladaptive nervous system arousal, researchers are exploring whether or not yoga can be a helpful practice for patients with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
One randomized controlled study examined the effects of yoga and a breathing program in disabled Australian Vietnam veterans diagnosed with severe PTSD. The veterans were heavy daily drinkers, and all were taking at least one antidepressant. The five-day course included breathing techniques (see above), yoga asanas, education about stress reduction, and guided meditation. Participants were evaluated at the beginning of the study using the Clinician Administered PTSD Scale (CAPS), which ranks symptom severity on an 80-point scale.
Six weeks after the study began, the yoga and breathing group had dropped their CAPS scores from averages of 57 (moderate to severe symptoms) to 42 (mild to moderate). These improvements persisted at a six-month follow-up. The control group, consisting of veterans on a waiting list, showed no improvement.
About 20% of war veterans who served in Afghanistan or Iraq suffer from PTSD, according to one estimate. Experts treating this population suggest that yoga can be a useful addition to the treatment program.
Researchers at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C., are offering a yogic method of deep relaxation to veterans returning from combat in Iraq and Afghanistan. Dr. Kristie Gore, a psychologist at Walter Reed, says the military hopes that yoga-based treatments will be more acceptable to the soldiers and less stigmatizing than traditional psychotherapy. The center now uses yoga and yogic relaxation in post-deployment PTSD awareness courses, and plans to conduct a controlled trial of their effectiveness in the future.
Although many forms of yoga practice are safe, some are strenuous and may not be appropriate for everyone. In particular, elderly patients or those with mobility problems may want to check first with a clinician before choosing yoga as a treatment option.
But for many patients dealing with depression, anxiety, or stress, yoga may be a very appealing way to better manage symptoms. Indeed, the scientific study of yoga demonstrates that mental and physical health are not just closely allied, but are essentially equivalent. The evidence is growing that yoga practice is a relatively low-risk, high-yield approach to improving overall health.
Yoga Chicago magazine is a free publication distributed around the Chicagoland area. It contains a directory of all yhe known yoga classes in the city and suburbs of Chicago. Other cities may have similar publications or online services. For the Yoga Chicago main class directory go to this link here.
There are also a number of great yoga DVD’s available from Amazon, or you may find them at Target, Best Buy or Whole Foods Markets:
Yoga for Beginners from Amazon here.
Yoga for Stress Relief from Amazon here.
Yoga for Every Body from Amazon here.
and Yoga for Inflexible People from Amazon here.
Working Well Massage also provides certified yoga instructors for your home or office.
Brown RP, et al. “Sudarshan Kriya Yogic Breathing in the Treatment of Stress, Anxiety, and Depression: Part I — Neurophysiologic Model,” Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine (Feb. 2005): Vol. 11, No. 1, pp. 189–201.
Brown RP, et al. “Sudarshan Kriya Yogic Breathing in the Treatment of Stress, Anxiety, and Depression: Part II — Clinical Applications and Guidelines,” Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine (Aug. 2005): Vol. 11, No. 4, pp. 711–17.
Janakiramaiah N, et al. “Antidepressant Efficacy of Sudarshan Kriya Yoga (SKY) in Melancholia: A Randomized Comparison with Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT) and Imipramine,” Journal of Affective Disorders (Jan.–March 2000): Vol. 57, No. 1–3, pp. 255–59.
Khalsa SB. “Yoga as a Therapeutic Intervention: A Bibliometric Analysis of Published Research Studies,” Indian Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology (July 2004): Vol. 48, No. 3, pp. 269–85.
Kirkwood G, et al. “Yoga for Anxiety: A Systematic Review of the Research,” British Journal of Sports Medicine (Dec. 2005): Vol. 39, No. 12, pp. 884–91.
Pilkington K, et al. “Yoga for Depression: The Research Evidence,” Journal of Affective Disorders (Dec. 2005): Vol. 89, No. 1–3, pp. 13–24.
Saper RB, et al. “Prevalence and Patterns of Adult Yoga Use in the United States: Results of a National Survey,” Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine (March–April 2004): Vol. 10, No. 2, pp. 44–49.
For more references, please see www.health.harvard.edu/mentalextra.
Posted in Nutrition, Workplace Wellness, tagged American Diabetes Association, diabetes, diet, Eating healthy foods, fruit and diabetes, suger, type 2 diabetes on November 1, 2009| Leave a Comment »
The American Diabetes Association designated this November as the month to communicate the seriousness of diabetes and the importance of proper diabetes control and treatment to those diagnosed with the disease and their families. Throughout the month, the American Diabetes Association will hold special events and programs on topics related to diabetes care and treatment. For information click the link to go to the website, American Diabetes Association or call (800) DIABETES.
Diabetes Myths and Facts
Read the myths and facts below from the American Diabetes Association to see how well you know your diabetes facts.
Myth: Diabetes is not that serious of a disease.
Fact: Diabetes causes more deaths a year than breast cancer and AIDS combined. Two out of three people with diabetes die from heart disease or stroke.
Myth: If you are overweight or obese, you will eventually develop type 2 diabetes.
Fact: Being overweight is a risk factor for developing this disease, but other risk factors such as family history, ethnicity and age also play a role. Unfortunately, too many people disregard the other risk factors for diabetes and think that weight is the only risk factor for type 2 diabetes. Most overweight people never develop type 2 diabetes, and many people with type 2 diabetes are at a normal weight or only moderately overweight.
Myth: Eating too much sugar causes diabetes.
Fact: No, it does not. Type 1 diabetes is caused by genetics and unknown factors that trigger the onset of the disease; type 2 diabetes is caused by genetics and lifestyle factors. Being overweight does increase your risk for developing type 2 diabetes, and a diet high in calories, whether from sugar or from fat, can contribute to weight gain. If you have a history of diabetes in your family, eating a healthy meal plan and regular exercise are recommended to manage your weight.
Myth: People with diabetes should eat special diabetic foods.
Fact: A healthy meal plan for people with diabetes is generally the same as a healthy diet for anyone – low in fat (especially saturated and trans fat), moderate in salt and sugar, with meals based on whole grain foods, vegetables and fruit. Diabetic and “dietetic” foods generally offer no special benefit. Most of them still raise blood glucose levels, are usually more expensive, and can also have a laxative effect if they contain sugar alcohols.
Myth: If you have diabetes, you should only eat small amounts of starchy foods, such as bread, potatoes and pasta.
Fact: Starchy foods are part of a healthy meal plan. What is important is the portion size. Whole grain breads, cereals, pasta, rice and starchy vegetables like potatoes, yams, peas and corn can be included in your meals and snacks. The key is portions. For most people with diabetes, having 3-4 servings of carbohydrate-containing foods is about right. Whole grain starchy foods are also a good source of fiber, which helps keep your gut healthy.
Myth: People with diabetes can’t eat sweets or chocolate.
Fact: If eaten as part of a healthy meal plan, or combined with exercise, sweets and desserts can be eaten by people with diabetes. They are no more “off limits” to people with diabetes than they are to people without diabetes.
Myth: You can catch diabetes from someone else.
Fact: No. Although we don’t know exactly why some people develop diabetes, we know diabetes is not contagious. It can’t be caught like a cold or flu. There seems to be some genetic link in diabetes, particularly type 2 diabetes. Lifestyle factors also play a part.
Myth: People with diabetes are more likely to get colds and other illnesses.
Fact: You are no more likely to get a cold or another illness if you have diabetes. However, people with diabetes are advised to get flu shots. This is because any illness can make diabetes more difficult to control, and people with diabetes who do get the flu are more likely than others to go on to develop serious complications.
Myth: If you have type 2 diabetes and your doctor says you need to start using insulin, it means you’re failing to take care of your diabetes properly.
Fact: For most people, type 2 diabetes is a progressive disease. When first diagnosed, many people with type 2 diabetes can keep their blood glucose at a healthy level with oral medications. But over time, the body gradually produces less and less of its own insulin, and eventually oral medications may not be enough to keep blood glucose levels normal. Using insulin to get blood glucose levels to a healthy level is a good thing, not a bad one.
Myth: Fruit is a healthy food. Therefore, it is ok to eat as much of it as you wish.
Fact: Fruit is a healthy food. It contains fiber and lots of vitamins and minerals. Because fruits contain carbohydrates, they need to be included in your meal plan. Talk to your dietitian about the amount, frequency and types of fruits you should eat.
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