'I nearly gave up': Ulrika Jonsson on her agonising back condition

By Ulrika Jonsson


Looking forward: Ulrika today is coming to terms with the back pain which has blighted her life since 2007


Back pain - the words alone don't seem enough to describe what we go through. I have been a sufferer for the past four years and, as it no doubt is for thousands with the same problems, life has been at times a living hell.

I remember days last summer, lying flat on my back with my children playing happily downstairs, wondering if I would ever lead a normal life with them again. I couldn't eat, or sleep.

And despite injections of painkillers, steroids, physiotherapy, osteopathy and a number of other treatments, nothing could end the agony. In those darkest moments through a thick fog of disordered reason, a demented mind and the very deepest frustration, I simply didn't want to go on.


In June 2007, before this all began, I was an active, fit mother of three who - as any other mum will attest - spent much of my time picking up things off the floor.

I was at my local chemist's, bending down to tidy up the products my (then) three-year-old daughter Martha had knocked over, when suddenly it felt as if acid was being poured down the very lower parts of my spine, my coccyx and down my left buttock.

It was so weird, I don't think I even cried out. I repeated the move to see if it was a one-off - it wasn't.

As a keen runner, I had suffered various snags - painful hips and minor knee injuries - most of which resolved with a bit of physiotherapy. But this pain I felt deep inside my lower back was so much worse than anything I had experienced before, and it did not relent.

Fighting back: Ulrika and family after Malcolm's birth in 2008. She put on 5st while pregnant and was told to lose weight and strengthen core muscles to ease her pain


The very next day, I visited my physiotherapist, who suggested it could be sacroiliac joint problem - these are the bones at the bottom of the spine that attach to the hip.

I had been moving house in Sweden a few weeks before and had been lugging heavy boxes. This, she said, could have triggered the problems.

I went home with some gentle stretching exercises and the expert's reassurance that it would probably get better in a few weeks.

But after two months the pain had still not subsided, so I went to see my GP. He immediately referred me to a neurosurgeon - which sounded rather extreme - concerned it could be a neurological problem.

Although an MRI scan ruled that out, it did reveal that the vertebral discs - cushions that act as shock absorbers between the bones of the spine - were degenerating in my lower back.

Apparently, fluid was leaking from them, pressing on nerves and causing the pain.

Even worse, although for some patients surgery is an option, in my case he wasn't sure it would help.

Brighter outlook: Ulrika in her weather girl days before her back problems


I felt disheartened. My pain was so very clear to me and to hear there was nothing much that could be done was frightening. It should improve in the next three months, I was told, and I should keep taking the painkillers and anti-inflammatories I had been prescribed.

The neurosurgeon told me that if I was desperate, I might be helped by epidural injections in my spine, similar to those given to women in childbirth, combining an anaesthetic and steroids, which dampen inflammation. I certainly was desperate, but I had a trip to Sweden booked to celebrate my 40th birthday and I wanted to give it time to see if it would improve, so I decided to wait until my return.

My husband Brian and I had been trying for a baby for the previous five months - my fourth and final child - and I was again reassured my condition was probably a flareup that would soon settle. I had no reason to think otherwise.

A month later, in September 2007, I fell pregnant, but instead of the terrible, relentless pain having improved as the neurosurgeon and physio had suggested, I was no closer to having any relief. Elation at the news of my pregnancy soon turned to concern as I knew I'd have to give up the painkillers.

With the pain so acute and unrelenting, I resolved to investigate the injections. I was referred to pain-relief expert Dr James Foster at The Princess Margaret Hospital in Windsor. Not only did he confirm that I was suffering from degenerative disc disease and a problematic sacroiliac joint, I also had a good dose of arthritis in my hips.

He said he couldn't give me the injections: I was pregnant and as they are performed with the aid of an X-ray machine to make sure they get the needle in the right place, that could pose a risk to my unborn child. I walked away feeling despair and resignation.

The pregnancy continued much as I had expected - my increasing weight putting further pressure on my back, added to which I also suffered from symphysis pubis dysfunction. This is a condition brought about by the pelvis becoming misaligned through excessive movement.

It caused me terrible pain, especially during the last trimester of pregnancy, and I sought momentary relief from a great osteopath. Of course all this was a small price to pay to bring a child into the world. But the pain was constant.

I gained an unbelievable five stone and eventually gave birth to 10 lb of Malcolm in June 2008. The next month, I made my way back to Dr James Foster, who duly administered the injections.

It was hard to gauge how much exactly they helped. They definitely gave me some relief but the pain in my left buttock and thigh, which stopped more or less behind the knee, remained.

Dr Foster advised me to lose weight and strengthen my core muscles so they would support my lower back. 'Think Darcey Bussell, think Darcey Bussell,' he urged.

I felt more like a sack of sprouting potatoes . . . but started on a programme of Pilates and physiotherapy. Then one morning a couple of months later, I woke up incapable of moving at all.

Busy: Before her condition Ulrika was an active, fit mother-of-three who spent much of her time picking things up off the floor


When I tried to get up, I was paralysed with pain. It took my breath away and I couldn't even call out to Brian. Eventually, when I did manage to let out a scream, the look of sheer terror on my face, and tears (which don't normally come easily) streaming down my cheeks frightened him and the children.

I was terrified because I had no idea what the pain was. With Brian's help I eventually got upright and called Dr Foster, who agreed to administer some more injections.

I was instructed to persist with the physio exercises in the hope I would not only strengthen my core stability but rebuild my muscles on the left side of my buttock and thigh.

I am a diligent pupil but my pain persisted, and moved position from time to time. I stayed on the anti-inflammatories and another year or so passed. By last year, depression had begun to creep in.

Pain is incredibly isolating. We live semi-rurally so everywhere is reached by car - but I couldn't bear the thought of sitting in a car seat. So I couldn't take the children out. I didn't even go out myself. I spent days on end behind closed doors.

I don't go out socially very much, so that was no great loss. But I didn't want the days to begin and I couldn't wait for them to end. I was incapable of tending to my children - indeed, I wasn't able to be left alone with my youngest for fear of not being able to pick him up if he fell.

I had also chosen a new profession - that of writer, which involved sitting at a desk - and I couldn't even do that. I feared for my future - psychologically, professionally and maternally.

By April last year the pain had worsened again and I found myself back in Dr Foster's office. He ordered another MRI, gave me more injections and started me on a very low dose of amitriptyline, a tricyclic antidepressant that is helpful in treating chronic pain.

At the time I was filming BBC2's Shooting Stars and struggling to stand up, let alone act in some of the sketches. I think what I hated most of all was the idea that I wasn't able to just get on with it, as I've always done all my life.

I hated being the one who wasn't able to feel normal. I was furious with the pain and I couldn't bear even to have a conversation with people about it.

The injections gave me relief and, courtesy of the amitriptyline, I was starting to get some better sleep.

By last July we were between houses, renting, and I was in such agony that I didn't know where to put myself. I'd pace the house all night because lying, sitting, standing or even walking did not alleviate my suffering. I truly felt as if I was being driven insane.

I couldn't see past this pain. I couldn't imagine it ever subsiding.

Dr Foster found me in his office in absolute pieces. I couldn't even sit still on the chair opposite him. I tried so hard to hold it together but the floodgates opened and the tears poured out. I was angry, hurt and exhausted. He understood. He read in my eyes that I couldn't go on any longer; that I was close to giving up, that I saw no way out; no way of life without pain.

He prescribed pregabalin, a powerful drug that works by stabilising electrical messages in the brain, also used to treat epilepsy. After that, I seemed to cope much better. I still have the pain, and some days are considerably worse than others.

One of the side effects has been the impairment of my short-term memory. I sometimes struggle to find words which, in turn, leads to momentary frustration.

For the past three months I have gone swimming religiously, every second day. At times the pain feels as if it has subsided, at others, during times of stress or sitting down for long periods, it flares up. Some days are considerably worse than others.

What I have lived through these past few years has been life-changing. I have seen the world in a different light, from a different perspective: one of lying flat on my back. We were building a house and at one stage I thought we should consider making a bedroom downstairs for me to live in.

And now I remember my father and his parents' constant complaining about their bad backs. Why didn't it dawn on me earlier that I may have inherited a problem like this?

My condition is degenerative - it is not likely to get better. I know I'll be back for more injections and that doesn't faze me at all. I will do whatever it takes to help myself.

I will continue swimming because the feeling of being mobile in the water exhilarates me each and every time. My aim is to reduce my intake of painkillers and anti-inflammatories.

I feel stronger psychologically and my appetite for life has returned. I am determined not to be beaten. I may not win every battle, but I'm extremely determined to win the war.

Fixing the spine's shock absorbers

Degenerative disc disease is a term used to describe the changes in the spinal discs that occur in some patients, writes Dr James Foster, Consultant and Hon Senior lecturer in Pain Medicine.

It appears to be part of the ageing process but can occur with athletes or be a result of heavy lifting. Genetics and lifestyle (smoking and obesity) may also be factors that cause disc disease.

The spinal discs are fluid-filled, compressible cushions between the vertebrae, which act as shock absorbers for the spine.

Degenerative disc disease can occur anywhere in the spine, but most often occurs in the lower back and in the neck. Age-related changes in the discs include a loss of fluid, reducing disc height and the ability of the discs to act as shock absorbers.

With age, the discs are also more likely to tear, leaking fluid into the spine, or bulge, resulting in pain.

Treatment at first is usually painkillers (anti-inflammatory drugs), physiotherapy and lifestyle changes (such as weight loss and stopping smoking). Exercises that strengthen the core stability muscles, such as Pilates and yoga, are also helpful.

If these treatments do not help, then injections into the spine - using local anaesthetics and steroids or radiofrequency lesioning, which interrupt nerve signals that transmit pain - can give patients significant relief.

Surgery is also an option. This usually consists of either spinal fusion, in which sections of the spine are fused using metal rods or bone grafts, or the newer artificial disc replacements.

Alternatives to surgery are interventional pain management techniques including spinal cord stimulation and implantable drug devices. The advantages of these over surgery is that they have fewer complications and if they are not effective, the devices can be removed without damage. If surgery fails, the patient is often in a worse situation than before.

There are patients who are never free of pain. Pain-management programmes are useful treatments for these patients as they use a holistic approach, involving psychologists, physiotherapists and other health professionals.


source:dailymail

I was terrified of leaving my sons without a mother: Slimmer of the year sheds HALF her body weight

By Daily Mail Reporter


-'My friend was getting married and I was scared of fitting in the pews'
-Dropped from 35st 7lb to 15st 7lb and dress size 36 to 14-16

Transformed: Zelda Haxby, 47, was so overweight she refused to leave the house for fear of being ridiculed and could not manage everyday tasks like doing the shopping


A 35-stone mother who used to gorge on up to 15 packets of crisps a day and struggled to even walk up the stairs has lost 20 stone so she could live to see her two sons grow up.

Zelda Haxby, 47, was so overweight she refused to leave the house for fear of being ridiculed and could not manage everyday tasks like doing the shopping.

But after being hospitalised five years ago the mother of two from York vowed to turn her life around for the sake of her boys, Liam, 19, and 15-year-old James, and has now been crowned Slimming World's Greatest Loser 2011. In the process she dropped from 35st 7lb to 15st 7lb and from a dress size 36 to a 14-16.

She said: 'When I was in hospital that was the final straw for me. I hated being away from my two boys and I realised that if I didn't lose some weight I might leave them without their mother for ever.

Zelda pictured in 2006. 'Now I can walk up the stairs without bracing myself first that I might not get to the top,' she said after being named Slimmer Of The Year


'I was offered tablets and a gastric bypass, but the risks and side effects were too terrifying to even contemplate.

'I just wanted to be me again and do all the things people take for granted, like shopping. I could do it but it would take twice as long, and things like leaning on the shopping trolley I just couldn't do. It hurt to stand up.

'When I'd take the boys to the beach in the summer I would stay in the car because I was too embarrassed to get out. I felt like I couldn't be there enjoying it with them.

'At my biggest I wasn't living, I was existing. I struggled to walk or stand for long and I was hugely embarrassed about my weight so I didn't leave the house unless I absolutely had to. When I did, people would laugh and shout things at me - you take a lot of stick when you're that big.'

The mother, who at her biggest was a size 36 and still keeps the skirt she used to wear as a reminder to keep the weight off, is now a trim 14-16 and says she feels healthier than when she was a teenager.

She said: 'As a teenager my weight would go up and down. I'd always been a big girl and was around a size 16 then. Me and my friends would sponsor each other to lose weight but nothing ever worked.

'Then when I had the boys the weight just piled on. Being at home with then it was easy to snack. Crisps were my real weakness and I'd eat as many as 15 packets a day.

'I tried different things to lose weight. I'd buy diet books, do fitness videos and I'd lose a bit but then I'd start eating bad things again or eating at the wrong times, and the weight would creep back on.'

Zelda, left, in 2006, and, right, last month. She used to regularly eat 15 packets of crisps a day

But it was her friend Chantelle Byford's wedding in September 2007 that really made her want to get the weight off in time for the big day.


Zelda, who ended up losing 12 stone in just one year so see Chantelle walk down the aisle, said: 'When Chantelle told me she was getting married I was determined to go. It would have been heartbreaking for me not to be there.

She said: 'She was getting married in a church and I was scared of fitting in the pews but one day Chantelle, who was already a member of Slimming World, left their magazine at my house. I read one of the stories and it was like I was reading about myself, so I got on the phone to her and asked how I could join.

'I was so terrified at the time. I sat outside in the car shaking, scared the scales wouldn't be able to weigh me, but the consultant came out to the car to introduce herself. She was so kind and friendly and reassured me that I didn't have to get weighed in front of everyone.'

Now Zelda, who used to gorge on takeaways, bacon butties and chocolate, has gone on to lose a massive 20 stone in just five years and has vowed to keep it off.

She said: 'Before I had to check restaurants before we would go just to see if I could fit in the seats, but now I don't even think about it.

'Now I can walk up the stairs without bracing myself first that I might not get to the top. I feel amazing, even better than when I was a teenager and the kids are so, so proud of me. They've been such a support.'

Her next goal is to get back in the swimming pool, which she used to love before she piled on the pounds.

She said: 'I've started looking at swimming costumes again. There was one time I wouldn't even have given them a second glance, but now I've got my sights set on going back in the pool.

'I can't believe I've done it. If you'd have told me five years ago I'd have lost 20 stone I would have said you're mad.'


source:dailymail

The psychology of weight loss

Psychology plays a major role in weight loss. Why is it we all know what we should be but yet we fail time and time again? There is something stopping you, something in your sub conscious.... Even if you are telling yourself you want to lose weight, your sub conscious mind may be sabotaging your attempts. You need to find out what the reasons are for your previous weightloss failures now or you will not succeed in the future. To be able to lose weight successfully you need to find out and confront the underlying reasons for not wanting to lose weight, once you do this you will find it easier to start losing weight.

Most overweight people can give one excuse or another to justify why they are overweight. Excuses are used in our lives every day to protect us from being emotionally hurt. Listed are some common reasons we use for not losing weight (I have used a few myself)


• I have a slow metabolism
• I have also been a big person
• It's genetic. my family members are all big
• I don't have time to prepare healthy meals
• I can't function without sugar
• I don't have time to exercise
• I don't know where to start

There are many more reasons, BUT there is no real reason you cannot lose weight. These are excuses we use to protect ourselves. Are you really convinced that you can't lose weight because you need sugar or have no time???? No, there is more to it than that. What benefits are you getting from being overweight, here a few common ones:


• People treat me better when I am overweight
• I don't have to change
• I don't have to go out and meet people
• I use weight as an excuse not to succeed
• When I fail to find friends. a partner or a job I can blame my weight
• I'm lazy and can't be bothered to put in the effort
• I use my weight as a barrier to the outside world

These are some of the underlying reasons why you may not be losing weight. You have a battle going on in your sub conscious. Failed weight loss attempts in the past should not stop you from trying again. It's not just you there are many people in the same position. As long as you can clarify to yourself the reasons for your being overweight, you should be able to work on them, and then weightloss will become easier.

Weightloss is a slow and frustrating process; it can take months to lose few kilos. However you should begin to look at it as a lifestyle change, something you are going to do for the rest of your life. It doesn't mean denying yourself of the things you like. It means having them in moderation.

You need to create new habits; we eat the way we do out of habit. Habit is a powerful force because it brings us comfort. When you are in your comfort zone anything that is outside of it can upset or ruffle you, doing new things, changing things etc. Are usually things you try and avoid.

To be able to change your habits, you must consciously work hard on creating new ones. It is also very easy to fall back into your old habits and therefore it is very important to be very aware of what you are doing at all times.

Changing anything is stressful. But you need to realise this beforehand and tell yourself that change is good. You need to recognise that any change in your life is going to be stressful even if it is for the better. You will have to buy different sorts of food, you will have to start exercising and you will have to change many of your daily routines. But even if these changes put you outside your comfort zone, you need to realise that they are changes for the better and you need to be persistent.


source:healthme.com.au

The gift of sleeping

Sleep is one of the few things that the human body cannot do without. Lack of sleep can weaken willpower, mental alertness, judgement and reflexes. Research also shows that going 24 hours without sleep leads to reduced hand-eye co-ordination similar to that experienced with a blood alcohol level of 0.1. Yet, though most of us say we wish we enjoyed more sleep, most Australians are clocking up less than seven hours a night.

How much sleep should you be getting? The optimal amount is 7-8 hours, even as you get older (though you might find from your 60s on that you feel sleepier earlier in the evening and wake earlier in the morning).

Studies have shown that children are not getting enough sleep, with one study citing that up to a third of 12-16 year olds are sleeping between four and seven hours a night. Experts are now calling for sleep to be taken as seriously as diet and exercise in the fight against obesity. Research has suggested that there may be a link between our sleeping habits and weight gain. A lack of sleep may actually be a key factor in our growing obesity epidemic.

It has been found that when you are sleep deprived, your body undergoes hormonal changes, which make you crave sugary or starchy foods. Sleep deprivation seems to be becoming more of an issue as people attempt to fit more and more into their increasingly longer and busier days.

Do you find you are more and more sleep deprived? Have you noticed that this affects your eating habits? Are you struggling to get out of bed each morning? You may need to look at your environment and any pre bed habits maybe following a sleep routine. The following sleep strategies might help diminish sleepless nights:

Become a creature of habit
Try to rise and retire at the same time every day (and avoid a nanna nap if you had a late night the night before). A predictable sleep routine helps synchronise your body's circadian rhythm to light and dark. This ensures that at sleep time your body temperature is dropping (making it easier to fall asleep) and rising again at the right time in the morning (when you need energy to face the day). Avoid exercising two hours before bedtime as this will elevate your body temperature when you want it to drop.

Set a meal a regular time
Don't eat a meal later than 8pm or you will kick-start your metabolism, which might keep you awake later. If you feel a little hungry, enjoy a cup of herbal tea like chamomile or lemon balm, which act as calmatives. Or drink a hot cup of milk with honey as this contains tryptophan, an amino acid that helps your body produce a natural relaxant called serotonin.

Avoid Alcohol
Although a few glasses of wine might help you drop off to sleep, alcohol causes rebound wakefulness later. Think twice before reaching for sleeping tablets, too. They may help you fast-track to sleep, but they could end up creating problem such as depression, daytime drowsiness and withdrawal symptoms from addiction. For a healthier sleep-inducer, try valerian tablets. Or slip on light cotton socks for 10 minutes. Swiss research has shown warming the feet before bed dilates blood vessels, which promotes faster sleep onset.

Put down that book
Avoid activities such as reading or checking emails on your laptop in bed as these stimulate wakefulness.

Banish sleep thieves
To promote rest, your bedroom needs to be sleep-friendly. Turn your alarm clock away from you so you can't see the time, put pets out so they can't scratch at your door and banish snoring partners (easier said than done). Wear a sleep mask and earplugs to enhance sleep quality and, if necessary, install new curtains/blinds to make sure your room is dark.

Turn off your mind
A soak in a bath with bubbles or salts is an enjoyable way to relax tense muscles. Another good strategy is to sprinkle essential oils on your pillow. Try ylang ylang, lavender, clarysage, rosemary, basil or neroli, which are all good for promoting calmness and serenity.


source:healthme.com.au

The importance of drinking water

Simple, yet still the most effective thing you can do to improve your health.

Pure drinking water is a fundamental part of good health. It ranks second to oxygen as essential for life. 70% of your body is made up of water. A person can survive for thirty days without food but no more than three days without drinking water.

You should drink at least 2 litres of water a day and more if you are exercising. If you feeling tired and sluggish all the time this could mean you are dehydrated. When was the last time you were at that tap and not for beer, but for water? If you don't have enough water moving food through your body, your body will signal to you that you are hungry. These signals are known as false hunger pains.

Stay away from alcohol, because alcohol dehydrates you. Remember the last time you had a hangover and you were feeling sluggish and headachy weren't you craving a big glass of water?

Water is also one of the keys to losing weight. The most effective way to lose weight is to drink more water. Water is the 'magic pill'. You also obviously need to eat sensibly, cutting down on calories and eliminating fats. Water will also help lubricate your joints, allowing you to enjoy exercise more freely and in turn burn more calories.

Health benefits of drinking water:

• regulate appetite
• increase metabolism
• boost energy levels
• release toxic waste products
• ease joint pain
• improves skin
• less water retention
• alleviate some headaches
• help reduce blood pressure
• help reduce high cholesterol
• less chance developing kidney stones

When you feel thirsty, you are already dehydrated. Avoid this situation by drinking water consistently. Water is nature's slimming tonic - and the best thing is that its calorie free, so drink up!


source:healthme.com.au

The benefits of stretching exercises

The key to any fitness program is stretching before and after. Stretching before participating in any physical activity helps warm up your body reducing the risk of any accidents or injuries. Stretching increases joint and muscle flexibility allowing you to have a better workout. When stretching before exercise, stretches should be held between 15 and 30 seconds.

Stretching after exercise is just as important, it helps relieve muscle tightness, improve flexibility and helps cool the body down. The body will be able to stretch even further now and the stretches should be held from 30secs to 1 minute, this is the time that flexibility increases the most.

When stretching it is important that you do not hold your breath, concentrate on your breathing and the stretch you are doing. You should feel a small amount of tension in the muscle you are stretching but no pain or discomfort, you should also avoid bouncing.

It can be difficult to maintain your balance when doing standing stretches, so if you need to hold on to something like a chair or the wall it is a good idea to do so, this will also enable you to hold a proper posture and do the stretch correctly.

Stretching is the type of exercise that can be done anywhere at any time. Stretching can be done on its own in any environment, whilst shopping, working, lunching, wherever, there are so many benefits of doing so.

Listed are some of the benefits of stretching:

•Calming and relaxing
•Provide a sense of well being and peace
•Lengthens ad strengthens your muscles
•Helps prevent accidents and injuries
•Improves flexibility and elasticity
•Increases blood flow and circulation
•Helps with balance and co ordination
•Improves range of motion
•Improves posture
•Reduces stress

Stretching exercises should be included in everybody's daily routine, it helps reduce stress and improve circulation. Stretching should specifically be done before and after participation in any physical activity.


source:healthme.com.au

For the Overweight, Bad Advice by the Spoonful

By GINA KOLATA


Two-thirds of Americans are overweight or obese. For most, research shows, neither diets nor moderate exercise brings significant long-term weight loss.


Americans have been getting fatter for years, and with the increase in waistlines has come a surplus of conventional wisdom. If we could just return to traditional diets, if we just walk for 20 minutes a day, exercise gurus and government officials maintain, America’s excess pounds would slowly but surely melt away.

Scientists are less sanguine. Many of the so-called facts about obesity, they say, amount to speculation or oversimplification of the medical evidence. Diet and exercise do matter, they now know, but these environmental influences alone do not determine an individual’s weight. Body composition also is dictated by DNA and monitored by the brain. Bypassing these physical systems is not just a matter of willpower.

More than 66 percent of Americans are overweight or obese, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in Atlanta. Although the number of obese women in the United States appears to be holding steady at 33 percent, for most Americans the risk is growing. The nation’s poor diet has long been the scapegoat. There have been proposals to put warning labels on sodas like those on cigarettes. There are calls to ban junk foods from schools. New York and other cities now require restaurants to disclose calorie information on their menus.

But the notion that Americans ever ate well is suspect. In 1966, when Americans were still comparatively thin, more than two billion hamburgers already had been sold in McDonald’s restaurants, noted Dr. Barry Glassner, a sociology professor at the University of Southern California. The recent rise in obesity may have more to do with our increasingly sedentary lifestyles than with the quality of our diets.

“The meals we romanticize in the past somehow leave out the reality of what people were eating,” he said. “The average meal had whole milk and ended with pie.... The typical meal had plenty of fat and calories.”

“Nostalgia is going to get us nowhere,” he added.

Neither will wishful misconceptions about the efficacy of exercise. First, the federal government told Americans to exercise for half an hour a day. Then, dietary guidelines issued in 2005 changed the advice, recommending 60 to 90 minutes of moderate exercise a day. There was an uproar; many said the goal was unrealistic for Americans. But for many scientists, the more pertinent question was whether such an exercise program would really help people lose weight.

The leisurely after-dinner walk may be pleasant, and it may be better than another night parked in front of the television. But modest exercise of this sort may not do much to reduce weight, evidence suggests.

“People don’t know that a 20-minute walk burns about 100 calories,” said Dr. Madelyn Fernstrom, director of the weight-management center at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. “People always overestimate the calories consumed in exercise, and underestimate the calories in food they are eating.”

Tweaking the balance is far more difficult than most people imagine, said Dr. Jeffrey Friedman, an obesity researcher at Rockefeller University. The math ought to work this way: There are 3,500 calories in a pound. If you subtract 100 calories per day by walking for 20 minutes, you ought to lose a pound every 35 days. Right?

Wrong. First, it’s difficult for an individual to hold calorie intake to a precise amount from day to day. Meals at home and in restaurants vary in size and composition; the nutrition labels on purchased foods — the best guide to calorie content — are at best rough estimates. Calorie counting is therefore an imprecise art.

Second, scientists recently have come to understand that the brain exerts astonishing control over body composition and how much individuals eat. “There are physiological mechanisms that keep us from losing weight,” said Dr. Matthew W. Gilman, the director of the obesity prevention program at Harvard Medical School/Pilgrim Health Care.

Scientists now believe that each individual has a genetically determined weight range spanning perhaps 30 pounds. Those who force their weight below nature’s preassigned levels become hungrier and eat more; several studies also show that their metabolisms slow in a variety of ways as the body tries to conserve energy and regain weight. People trying to exceed their weight range face the opposite situation: eating becomes unappealing, and their metabolisms shift into high gear.

The body’s determination to maintain its composition is why a person can skip a meal, or even fast for short periods, without losing weight. It’s also why burning an extra 100 calories a day will not alter the verdict on the bathroom scales. Struggling against the brain’s innate calorie counters, even strong-willed dieters make up for calories lost on one day with a few extra bites on the next. And they never realize it. “The system operates with 99.6 percent precision,” Dr. Friedman said.

The temptations of our environment — the sedentary living, the ready supply of rich food — may not be entirely to blame for rising obesity rates. In fact, new research suggests that the environment that most strongly influences body composition may be the very first one anybody experiences: the womb.

According to several animal studies, conditions during pregnancy, including the mother’s diet, may determine how fat the offspring are as adults. Human studies have shown that women who eat little in pregnancy, surprisingly, more often have children who grow into fat adults. More than a dozen studies have found that children are more likely to be fat if their mothers smoke during pregnancy.

The research is just beginning, true, but already it has upended some hoary myths about dieting. The body establishes its optimal weight early on, perhaps even before birth, and defends it vigorously through adulthood. As a result, weight control is difficult for most of us. And obesity, the terrible new epidemic of the developed world, is almost impossible to cure.


source:nytimes

What to Do When You Can’t Read the Fine Print, Even at Arm’s Length

By MICHELLE ANDREWS

EVERYTHING seems to stiffen up as people age, and our eyes are no exception. As the years go by, the lens of the eye becomes harder and less elastic. The result is a gradual worsening of the ability to focus on objects up close, called presbyopia.

There’s no escaping it. Diet and exercise, the baby boomers’ weapons of choice for warding off age-related health problems, have no effect. Presbyopia generally starts in the mid-40s, when people begin to notice that they have difficulty punching out a number on their mobile phone or reading a book. Over the next 20 years or so, the eyes continue to lose their ability to zoom in on things; by about age 65, it’s often impossible.

“It’s like having a camera with no multifocal option,” said Dr. Rachel J. Bishop, chief of the consult services section of the National Eye Institute.

About four years ago, Freda Dallas noticed that she was having trouble reading and helping her son with his homework. Ms. Dallas, 51, works as a vision therapist with children to correct crossed eyes and other problems at the Ohio State University College of Optometry in Columbus, Ohio.

She knew right away what her problem was. “I was in denial,” she said.

Until then, Ms. Dallas generally wore regular contact lenses to correct her severe myopia, or nearsightedness. She knew that she did not want to switch to glasses with bifocal lenses. Once, during a Jazzercise class, her glasses had flown off and she could not find them without her classmates’ help. She needed an option that would stay put.

Her optometrist suggested multifocal contact lenses, which correct for both distance and near vision problems. Ms. Dallas tried them, and loved them. They’re more expensive than regular contacts or bifocal glasses because she has to replace them every two weeks at an out-of-pocket cost of about $200 annually, including cleaning solution. (Her vision insurance covers another $250 of the cost.)

But it’s worth it. “They’re really comfortable, and I’m sold on them,” she said.

Like many people, when Ms. Dallas first noticed she was having trouble reading she tried to compensate by shining a brighter light on the page. Others try holding reading material at arm’s length. But at some point, even the longest-armed person can no longer read the fine print on a menu.

That’s when it is time to find some help. Both optometrists and ophthalmologists can perform eye exams and prescribe eyeglasses and contact lenses. Ophthalmologists are medical doctors who can also perform eye surgery, like Lasik, to correct refractive errors.

Here’s some advice on what to ask them about, and how to pay for it.

A VISION PLAN Many employers offer or provide vision insurance for their employees, but it can also be purchased as a stand-alone product. At Vision Service Plan, a large vision insurer, individual coverage costs between $149 and $181 annually, depending on the state, said Gary Brooks, V.S.P.’s president for vision care.

A typical plan covers a comprehensive annual eye exam and provides a certain amount, often a few hundred dollars, toward the purchase of contact lenses or glasses. Like health insurance, prices may be cheaper if members use a practitioner in the insurer’s network.

For many types of corrective lenses, however, vision insurance coverage is inadequate, experts agree. The biggest advantage may be that the coverage encourages baby boomers to get annual eye exams, which can catch vision problems at an early stage.

Glaucoma, for example, damages the optic nerve and is the leading cause of irreversible blindness, yet half of people with glaucoma don’t know it, said Dr. J. Alberto Martinez, an ophthalmologist in private practice in Bethesda, Md.

GLASSES The easiest and cheapest solution for presbyopia is to go to your local drug or discount store and buy a pair of $10 reading glasses. For those whose only vision problem is presbyopia, cheap reading glasses may do the trick.

But for many patients, one-size-fits-all reading glasses cause eye fatigue, said Dr. Martinez. If that is the case, prescription glasses or contacts may be best.

The least expensive prescription option is bifocal or trifocal glasses with a visible line separating the top portion of the lens, which corrects for distance if necessary, from the bottom portion, which corrects for presbyopia. On trifocals, there is a middle section that corrects for intermediate distances. These lenses can be bought for under $200; frames are priced separately and can run from under $100 to more than $1,000 for those by high-end designers.

Progressive eyeglass lenses — in which the lens power gradually increases from the top of the lens to the bottom — eliminate the unsightly focal lines and avoid the image jump that can occur with traditional lenses. The downside is that progressive lenses often are significantly more expensive than bifocals or trifocals, sometimes $400 or more, and can cause visual distortions that some people have difficulty adjusting to.

CONTACT LENSES Bifocal and multifocal contact lenses have two or more prescriptions in the same lens, similar to eyeglasses. They come in a range of hard and soft materials with various disposable options.

In the past, some doctors told patients with presbyopia that they were not good candidates for multifocal lenses. Although fitting presbyopic patients with multifocal contacts is more complicated than fitting people without it, it’s a good option for many patients, said Kathryn Richdale, a senior research associate also at the Ohio State College of Optometry. “The lenses have come a long way in the past few years,” she said.

Expect to pay a fitting fee of up to $200, and up to $500 a year for lenses.

Some patients do well with a different therapeutic approach called monovision. Rather than correcting both eyes for both distance and near vision problems, monovision corrects one eye for distance vision and one eye for near vision. “Your brain learns to ignore the image that’s not in focus,” said Dr. James Salz, a clinical professor of ophthalmology at the University of Southern California.

This can be accomplished with contact lenses or through Lasik surgery, which reshapes the cornea. If someone is considering an irreversible process like Lasik, however, it’s important to test monovision first with contact lenses, say experts. And insurance generally does not cover Lasik surgery, which typically costs up to $2,500 per eye.

Research shows that about 70 percent of patients tolerate monovision, said Barry Weissman, a professor of ophthalmology at the University of California, Los Angeles. As people age and their presbyopia worsens, however, the growing difference between the two corrections often causes discomfort, he added.

LENS REPLACEMENT As the eye ages, the lens may develop cataracts, or cloudiness. Eye surgeons correct the problem by replacing the lens. Now some of these intraocular lenses can also correct for presbyopia.

But be warned: health insurance will generally cover cataract surgery, but if you opt for one of the new lenses that correct presbyopia rather the standard single-focus lens, you’ll have to pay the difference — up to $2,500 per eye.

Some ophthalmologists are now replacing people’s healthy lenses with presbyopia-correcting lenses. Because it is not medically necessary, insurance won’t cover the $3,000 to $7,000 cost per eye.

And some doctors are wary of the practice. “To correct just for presbyopia, I myself wouldn’t do that,” said Dr. Bishop. “I don’t believe the risks are outweighed by the benefits.”

source:nytimes

Foods That Helps You To Sleep

Many people in this world are suffering from lack of sleep, which always leaves a bad effect for the next morning. It makes them drowsy, tried etc. However when you are going through such a problem just give a little focus on your food habit or regular diet. Experts believe that having the perfect foods can give you a sleepy night. So make sure you have the list of those foods in your grocery list.

•Having some dairy products (milk, yoghurt etc.) can also enhance your sleep. Calcium has been found to be quite competent in lowering your stress level as well as in stabilizing your nerve fibres.

•Having a banana (you can also mix it with a cup of milk & prepare a smoothie) can help you to get a quality sleep, because banana is a great supplier of potassium as well as magnesium. It will assist you to relieve your stressed muscles. Tryptophan is a great switcher to serotonin with melatonin, which you can also figure out in this ingredient.

•Tough we believe that avoiding caffeine is a good option to get a good sleep, however experts have spoken on the behalf of decaf varieties. To get a safe as well as sound sleep they have mentioned about chamomile tea. They also revealed that green tea is a rich supplier of theanine, which can help you to boost your sleep.

•Researchers also believed that miso soup is quite a good choice when you are suffering from insufficient sleep. It’s a rich container of amino acid, which could enhance the manufacturing of natural hormone melatonin & it will help to get the quality sleep.

•Instead of having sugar, carbohydrate rich candy or cake having a cheese or an egg or any other rich protein supplier can help you fall asleep.

•Edmame has also been found to be beneficial for getting your sleep, especially for people suffering from menopause associated indicators. One of the easiest recipes of Edamame is as follows: Blend 2 cups of cooked, shelled edamame along with one tablespoon of salt , a little bit of olive oil and a single clove of garlic until you get a smooth mixture.

•Clinical nutritionists believe that a bowl of hot oatmeal can help you to get into a good night’s sleep. It’s a great supplier of phosphorus, potassium, magnesium, calcium etc., which will fulfill your nutritional desire so that you can get the sleep. However using too much sugar as a topping can have a reverse effect so switch to fruits in term of toppings.

•Expert revealed that almond is a rich supplier of magnesium, which boosts your sleep as well as is quite helpful in muscle relaxation. Almonds are also a great container of protein & while you are sleeping its able to keep your blood sugar level steady. It satisfies your sleeping needs by converting with your alert adrenaline cycle with your rest & digestive cycle.

•Researchers have revealed that, consuming cherry juice (especially tart cherries) can help people suffering from insomnia. Though they are still not sure how many cherries would be the best for you.

•Experts have also identified that foods which are a great source of complex carbohydrates which can enhance the access of tryptohan in your bloodstream, which in turn helps you to get your quality sleep. So having a cereal just before going to bed can give you the desired result.


source:coolhealthtips