Quick reads about health topics in the news

One healthy habitThe adoption of only one

of five healthy lifestylehabits, such as not smokingand drinking moderately,can lower the cancer risk inmales by 14 percent,according to the results of along-term survey by theNational Cancer Center inJapan.

The center surveyed about80,000 Japanese men andwomen aged between 45 and74 over a 10-year period.

The center set numericalcriteria for five cancer riskfactors — smoking, drinking,salt intake, exercise andbody mass index. Cancerrisks increased if the sub-jects exceeded those crite-ria.

According to results of thesurvey conducted between1995 and 2006, the morehealthy habits subjects had,the lower their cancer risk.

On average, the adoption ofone healthy habit wouldreduce cancer risks by 14 per-cent for males and by 9 per-cent for females, the centersaid.

– The Yomiuri Shimbun

Make mine waterWatching their wallets and

waistlines, Americans areordering more free tap waterwhen they eat out. That iscutting into the bottom linesof restaurants, which drawhefty profits from sodas,juices and alcohol.

Beverage purchases havedeclined 6 percent since2006, according to researchcompany NPD Group, andmore people are orderingwater.

In the past two years,orders of water have gone up3.2 percent while purchasesof sodas, coffee and otherbeverages have declined 3.6percent.

– The Orlando Sentinel

Breast-feeding adviceThe American Academy of

Pediatrics reaffirmed itsposition that women shouldbreast feed for at least ayear to get the best healthbenefits for their babies.

The group said in a paperpublished in the Marchissue of Pediatrics thatwomen should breast feedexclusively for six monthsand complement breastmilk with food for anothersix months.

Breast feeding promotesboth health benefits andbonding between motherand baby, the academy said.

But breastfeeding maynot be as easy as it looks.While 75 percent of momsnationwide initiate breast-feeding, many don’t contin-ue for the full year. Babiesmay not latch properly ormothers may find it hard tobalance pumping and work,among other reasons.

– The Baltimore Sun

Whole eatingIn a recent article titled

“Fiber: The Bottom Line,”nutrition specialists at theHarvard School of PublicHealth concluded: “Whenyou eat a healthy diet rich inwhole grains, vegetables andfruit ... you’ll be loweringyour risk of diabetes, heartdisease, diverticulitis andconstipation.” They go on torecommend we “choosefoods that list whole grains(like whole wheat and wholeoats) as the first ingredient.”

Other documented healthbenefits associated with eat-ing foods made with wholegrains include a reduced riskfor stroke and type 2 dia-betes. Whole grains have alsobeen shown to help controlweight and blood pressure,and reduce the risk for col-orectal cancer.

– The Monterey County Herald

STAT

Heidi Lancaster, right, has lost 165 pounds over the last 21/2 years by changing her diet and exercising with friends and a personal trainer.

MARK YLEN | TO YOUR HEALTH

or the longest time, Heidi Lan-caster, 34, focused on everyonearound her: her husband, herchildren and friends.

It came at the expense of tak-ing care of herself. In 2009, atage 32, she was addicted to foodand weighed 381 pounds.

“I don’t remember any day in my life whenI wasn’t overweight,” she said. “I’ve alwaysused food to deal with anything.

“I put my children’s needs before my healthso I didn’t have to deal with my weight. I’msure most parents would think putting theirchildren’s needs first is the right thing to do,but I was doing it so I didn’t have to take careof myself.”

Then her life took a turn. She found herselfwith no husband, no children for the summerand friends who wanted her to focus on herself.

So she did. And now, 21/2 years later, the Al-bany woman has lost 165 pounds from her 5-foot-7 frame and gained a healthy lifestyle andself-esteem.

Start of a changeIn June 2009, Lancaster was approaching

her second divorce and felt like her life wasfalling apart. Her three children from herfirst marriage were away for the summer withtheir dad. She was alone.

As Lancaster thought about her kids — adaughter who’s now 15 and 11-year-old twins (ason and a daughter) — she realized that if theywere so important to her, she needed to take careof herself so she could be with them longer.

It was about then that two friends asked herto join them for morning walks through theneighborhood.

In the past, she hadn’t accepted offers likethat because she was prideful, shameful, em-barrassed and felt as if she was without hope.

This time, she said yes.“I’m not sure why I accepted this offer on

this day, but I thank God every day that sheoffered and that ‘yes’ came out of my mouth,”Lancaster said.

Every weekday morning that summer sheand two friends would go for a walk and dolow-intensity strength training before work.Though there were many days she wouldhave rather slept in, it made a differenceknowing that her friends were waiting for her.

“I believe without a shadow of a doubt thosetwo friends have contributed to saving mylife,” she said. “Having a workout partner ortrainer makes a huge difference.”

By the end of that summer, Lancaster hadlost 25 pounds.

“This was a miracle to me,” she said, “butthe weather was changing and working outoutside soon would not be an option, so I hadto bite the bullet and join a gym.”

Workouts, diets evolveLancaster wasn’t keen on the idea, after a

negative experience at a local gym in 2001. Atthat gym, each new member had to have a fit-ness evaluation from one of the trainers. Afterhers, Lancaster went to get her kids from the

gym’s child-care area and overheard thetrainer telling others how disgusted she was byLancaster’s weight.

“I was mortified, hurt, embarrassed and de-termined to never step foot in another gym,”she said.

But if she wanted to keep up her workoutroutine she only had two choices: Brave theOregon weather or join a gym.

“With great apprehension, I went to a differ-ent gym and signed up,” she said. “It’s ironicthat I was terrified of the gym because now Imiss the gym if I’m gone for more than one day.”

Lancaster chose Fitness Experience in Albanyand couldn’t be more happy with her choice.

“I started to notice something at this gym,”she said. “People there weren’t judging me,they were encouraging. The staff was gen-uinely nice and helpful and cheering me onevery step of the way.”

She joined a variety of classes — bodysculpting, spinning and gravity training — andstarted working with manager and trainerBrenda Spinney.

“I started by monitoring her eating andactivity levels,” Spinney said. “We worked to-gether pretty closely for six months.”

At first Lancaster just started to cut backand make healthier choices. As her workoutsevolved, so did her diet.

“The more time I spent in the gym, the moreI learned about how to help my body, such aswhat to eat before a workout to fuel the bodyand what to eat after to help my body recover,”she said.

Her current diet regimen is 60 percentcarbs, 20 percent protein and 20 percent fat.

“That balance has worked well for me,”she said. “Plus I like that I get to have carbs— good carbs.”

By the summer of 2010, Lancaster wasdown 45 pounds. She and her friends startedtalking about morning workouts again.

“I loved my time with them (last year) andwas so thankful, but something was missing.”Lancaster said. “Then it hit me: running.”

Lancaster had told her friends the previoussummer that she wanted to run a mile, but bysummer’s end she’d only made it three-quar-ters of a mile. So in 2010, she tried again.

“We started running a little bit at a time andwithin weeks I ran that first mile,” she said.“Never in my life had I ran a mile.”

By the end of the summer she ran her first 5K.“It took me 55 minutes. Some people could

have walked a 5K faster than that, but for meit was a run and I did it.”

Head gamesAs Lancaster started eating healthier, run-

ning in the morning and spending evenings atthe gym, her body was improving, but hermind wasn’t following suit.

“I could push myself with exercise butwhen it came to how I felt about myself, therewas something wrong,” she said.

People would compliment her on herphysique, but her mind wouldn’t accept it.

“I was turning into a triathlete and I still feltlike a miserable fat cow,” she said.

At this point, Lancaster had already lost 100pounds, but she couldn’t be happy for herself.

“I actually felt fatter after losing 100 poundsthen I did when I was heavier,” she said.

She came to understand that her journeywasn’t just about her body, but about her mindand her spirit as well.

A weighty achievementAlbany woman loses 165 pounds, learns to value herself along the way

F

SEE ACHIEVEMENT | A6

By AMANDA ROBBINS

BEFORE AFTER

The trick isknowing how

to read them andwhen to take action

BY HEIDI STEVENSCHICAGO TRIBUNE

It might be a caffeineheadache, but it might be ananeurysm. Great. Now, atthe very least, it’s a stressheadache.

We asked the experts totell us five signs that yourbody is telling you some-thing. And why you shoulddo something about it.(Namely, call your doctor.)

HeadacheIf you’re saying the words

“worst headache of my life,”said Camelia Davtyan, clin-ical professor of medicineat UCLA, it’s time to make acall.

“It may be caused by ananeurysm that can burst andlead to sudden death,” saidDavtyan.

Or it could be bleeding onthe brain, encephalitis,meningitis or some otherviral or bacterial infectionwithin the spinal fluid, saidJoshua Miller, medical direc-tor at the Cleveland Clinic’sStrongsville Family HealthCenter.

“The headaches thatworry us are ones that startsuddenly, like a thunder-clap,” Miller said. “Espe-

cially if it’s accompanied bya stiff neck, nausea, fever,bright lights bothering youreyes.”

Chest pain Some chest pain is obvi-

ous — and obviously alarm-ing. “A squeezing pressure,elephant-sitting-on-your-chest feeling,” said Miller.“You may have nausea andshortness of breath and feelyour heart fluttering.”

But some symptoms areless noticeable. Miller saidto be mindful of how yourbody recovers from activi-ties you’re used to perform-ing.

“If you climb a flight ofstairs every day and youusually feel fine, and thenone day you get to the topand feel short of breath,panting, a little pressure inyour chest, you shouldn’tignore that,” he said. “Weworry about cardiovascularevents, aortic dissections,an impending blockage of ablood vessel in the heart,possibly pneumonia.”

“People may think it’sheartburn,” said Davtyan,“particularly women.”

Abdominal pain“It may be attributed to

digestion problems and ig-nored,” said Davtyan, “But itmay be caused by appen-dicitis or kidney stone,which can get worse quicklyif not treated.”

Pay particular attentionto pain that’s accompaniedby a fever or vomiting.

“If there’s a fever or somuch pain that you’re un-able to eat or drink, you’vegot potential gall bladderdiseases, appendicitis,something infectious goingon,” said Miller.

And be mindful of a recentchange in your bowel move-ments.

“If you’re having severediarrhea or black or bloodystools, it can be a warningsign of an abdominalaneurysm,” said Miller.“This is something we getparticularly concernedabout in our elderly patientsbecause it can also mean lowblood flow to the colon. Ifit’s not acted on quickly youcan end up needing emer-gency surgery.”

Back pain Who among us doesn’t

have a sore back, right? Situp and take notice, how-ever, if yours is accompaniedby tingling and numbnessin your feet and toes.

“Tingling and numbnessdon’t happen with a simpleback strain,” said Davtyan.“It may be a disk herniationthat can progress if nottreated.”

“Back pain is probably themost common symptom wesee,” said Miller. “As withanything, worsening of thesymptoms and pain that’s

escalating are what you wantto watch for.

“There could be underly-ing issues such as cancer, butmost often it’s not going tobe. It could be one of thedisks between vertebrae hasbecome infected. It could bea compression fracture inthe back. You want to payattention to the patient’sage, whether there’s a familyhistory of osteoporosis,whether there’s been traumato the back within the pastfew weeks.”

Unexpected weight loss Few of us are going to

complain if our clothes startfitting a little looser, partic-ularly in a nation with a 26percent obesity rate. But un-intentional weight loss,Miller said, is “very con-cerning.”

“It’s a time to get a reallygood history of what’s beengoing on, review your symp-toms from head to toe andget some blood work done,”he said. “Gastrointestinalsymptoms can signal malab-sorption issues such asceliac disease, where yourbody’s not absorbing nutri-ents properly.

“It can also signal depres-sion or, often in the case ofelderly patients, early signsof dementia. They may thinkthey had a sandwich forlunch but, in fact, they for-got to eat. It can be one ofthe first signs.”

“I started to pay attention tohow I treated my friends andhow I would encourage them,say nice things about them andbe there for them if they neededme. Why couldn’t I be a friend tome?”

Spinney told her it was a normalreaction.

“I had to let her know that it’sOK to feel that way,” Spinney said.“I pushed her to look in differentdirections and focus on her goals.”

It helped.“I came to understand what I

was doing,” Lancaster said, “but Iwas perplexed by how to make itstop.”

Lancaster had to retrain hermind so that she would be nice toherself.

“Each day I have to choose tolike me. No matter my size —thicker or thinner — my familyand friends have always loved meunconditionally. It’s time to starttreating myself with as much loveas they have,” she said.

The right numbersIn February 2011, when she

weighed 304 pounds, Lancasterstarted using a Body Bugg — asmall device worn on the arm thattracks calories, fat, muscle andmore. At that time she had 49.1percent body fat.

Now, at 216 pounds, she is downto 25 percent body fat, which isaverage for women and only 1percent away from athletic stan-dards. She has lost 17.5 inches offher waist, 7 inches off her upperarm, 13 inches off her hips and 8inches off each thigh.

“It’s very important to bemeasured. The scale can be de-ceiving,” she said. “Being meas-

ured shows the progress you’remaking that the scale doesn’t.”

During a recent weigh-in, Lan-caster had only lost 2 pounds, buther measurements showed she’dactually lost 6 pounds of fat andgained 4 pounds of muscle.

“I still struggle every day whenI step on the scale. To me, weigh-ing over 200 pounds, even thoughI’m healthy, seems too heavy, butI’m learning the scale is a tool tohelp me figure out how I’ll handlemy day,” she said. “The numberon it isn’t my identity and does-n’t determine my attitude.Weighing myself daily helps tokeep me in check even though it’sso hard to not be fixated on thatnumber.”

Lancaster says she has to con-sider all the facts — her percentageof body fat, muscle mass and thenweight.

Lancaster did her first triathlonon her 34th birthday in April lastyear. Now she focuses more onrunning and can run four mileswith an average pace of 12 minutesper mile. The furthest she hasgone is six miles.

She still has 35 pounds to go tomeet her goal of losing 200pounds, and she’s excited forwhat’s in store. She recently reg-istered for her first half-marathon, in May. She also plansto do more sprint triathlons andmaybe even longer triathlons.

“I am not proud of where I was.It’s not a good place to be,” shesaid. “If I wouldn’t have let myselfget that big, I wouldn’t have had togo through what I did.

“In the midst of all this changeit seems like it’s taken forever andI’ve complained the whole way,but looking back it wasn’t thathard. The time has flown.”

To Your HealthTuesday, March 13, 2012A6

AchievementContinued from A5

Mark Ylen/To Your HealthHeidi Lancaster, left, Cheri Schoen and Keri Schneider work out in front of personal trainer Brenda Spinney.

FOOD ADDICTIONSHeidi Lancaster attributes part of her weight

problem to having an addiction to food.“Food addictions are unlike any other addiction,”

she said. “You can’t just stop eating like you canstop smoking or doing drugs. You have to eat tostay alive.”

Sarah Weber, a registered and licensed dietician,teaches nutrition at Western Oregon University. Shealso works in the WOU dining facility doing nutritionanalysis and counsels students on healthy eating.

“Food addiction is a really interesting topic,” shesaid. “It varies from person to person. How easy itis to overcome depends on the person.”

She explained that some people are able to makesome minor adjustments in their diet, while othersneed to make drastic changes.

Some researches believe that certain food combi-nations trigger the hypothalamus and cause theperson to want more of that food.

The hypothalamus is the part of the brain thatcontrols body temperature, hunger, thirst and circa-dian cycles. It is also the control system that regu-lates the pituitary gland.

“Food addictions do kind of cross the line intothat eating-disorder realm,” Weber said. “It’s notjust about solving that food problem, but beingable to use the food as more or less a focus andalso as something that will initiate a larger changein someone else’s life.”

She explained that we all have our own relation-ship with food and sometimes that relationshipneeds to change.

“We can’t just drop food to stay healthy,” shesaid. “We really need to keep an eye on our foodintake. It’s all about a balance with how much youare expending.”

For most people, addictions happen with certaintypes of foods, such as fats, salts and sweets.

“For those, it’s limiting the amount they can haveor staying away from those foods for a long time,”she said. “If someone is able to identify a certainflavor or certain flavors that trigger the addiction, itis easier to stay away from that certain kind of foodor not even let it in the house.”

Weber added that much like any other addiction,such as smoking, addicts are always going to beexposed to someone doing that behavior, so theyneed to be able to learn the skills to cope with theaddiction on a daily basis.

“Often a journal or person to check in with real-ly helps,” she said. “Many check in with a traineror dietician. Some just have a support person,which is really helpful. It’s really hard to do it onyour own.”

Your body gives you silent cues

BY MELISSA REPKOTHE DALLAS MORNING NEWS

DALLAS — BronwenZilmer has three genera-tions of Alzheimer’s dis-ease in her family. Shehopes not to be the fourth.

Her great-grandmotherand grandmother hadAlzheimer’s. Her father wasdiagnosed at 56, and he diedat 63. She’s now 35.

After her father’s death,the Highland Village, Texas,resident and mother of twobegan running halfmarathons, taking fish-oilsupplements and eating morefish in hopes of avoiding thememory-robbing illness.

“People are desperate toavoid it and desperate to findsome kind of treatment orcure,” she says.“If somebodytold me, ‘Do these 10 thingsand I’ll assure you that youwon’t get Alzheimer’s dis-ease,’ I would do it.”

Researchers agree that thecauses of Alzheimer’s havesome genetic links, but theyaren’t sure exactly whatcauses the disease or how itprogresses.Although a grow-ing number of studies exam-ine how lifestyle choices mayaffect a person’s risk ofAlzheimer’s, medical profes-sionals disagree over thestrength of the evidence.

A National Institutes ofHealth independent consen-sus panel rejected a definitivescientific link betweenlifestyle habits and risk re-duction in a 2010 report thatsaid the amount of evidenceand its quality was low. Thepanel called for more large-scale, randomized studies.

“Currently, firm conclu-sions cannot be drawn aboutthe association of any mod-ifiable risk factor with cog-nitive decline or Alzheimer’sdisease,” the report said.

That hasn’t kept Ameri-cans from taking up brainteasers or buying supple-

ments in the hopes ofstaving off the disease.

Some books, such as “TheAlzheimer’s Prevention Pro-gram” by Dr. Gary Small ofthe UCLA Longevity Center,promote a proactive ap-proach, much like exercise ordiet programs. The book in-cludes a seven-day regimenof foods to eat and mentaland physical exercises to do.

“It’s a weak argument tosay, ‘I’m going to wait hereuntil we have conclusiveproof,’ while we have so muchcompelling evidence already,”Small said in an interview.

“We are not saying youcan guarantee you’ll neverget Alzheimer’s disease,” hesays, “but what we’re say-ing is there is a possibilitythat we can delay the onsetof symptoms through thehealthy lifestyle approach.”

Can you preventAlzheimer’s withlifestyle changes?

REDUCEYOUR RISK

While experts don’tagree on the links betweenlifestyle factors and diagno-sis, there are some habitsthat have been associatedwith risk reduction. TheAlzheimer’s Association rec-ommends these strategies:

• Stay physically active.Exercise helps keep bloodpumping to the brain andwards off heart disease, di-abetes and stroke — otherrisk factors for Alzheimer’s.

• Eat a brain-healthydiet. Fill your meals withlow-cholesterol, low-fatfoods — especially fruitsand vegetables.

• Stay connected to oth-ers. Being social may helpthe brain cells by reducingstress.

• Stay mentally active.Challenging your braindaily can strengthen exist-ing brain connections andbuild new ones.

BY ALISON JOHNSONDAILY PRESS

Challenging your brainwith new and unexpectedexperiences — sometimesreferred to as “neurobics”— can help keep it strongerinto old age.

“Breaking with routine,and using all your senses, islike having your brain cellslifting barbells,” says Man-ning Rubin, co-author ofthe book “Keep Your BrainAlive.”

Some basics:• Make life your “gym.”

You don’t need to use acomputer or puzzle bookor schedule a specific timeto sharpen your brain. In-stead, think of ways youcan break your usual habitsthroughout the day.

• Close your eyes. Listento sounds in the park, take ashower, navigate aroundyour house or try to identifyobjects by touch withoutrelying on sight.

• Use your nondominanthand. Eat, brush your teeth,dial a telephone number orwrite with the hand you

don’t normally use to givedifferent parts of your braina workout. Or try to buttona shirt, tie a shoe or getdressed using just one hand.

• Vary your commute. Getoff at an earlier bus stop ordrive down different roadson regular errands or trips toand from work. New sights,sounds and smells will takeyour brain off auto-pilot.

• Mix things up. Havepeople sit at a different spotat the dinner table, tradechores with another familymember or rearrange dishesin a cabinet so you’ll have tothink about where you’rereaching.

• Try something newevery day. This can besomething small — tasting adifferent food, say, or usingchopsticks at dinner — orbigger, such as picking up anew hobby or tackling a skillsuch as a foreign language.

• Combine your senses.Read a book while burning ascented candle, and pay at-tention to both. Or closeyour eyes and try to identifya food by smell alone.

How to use ‘neurobics’

To Your Health A7Tuesday, March 13, 2012