PET PERKS:

 

Whether it be Smokie your canine companion, or Mollie, Maygen, and Maxie Boy, my feline kids – or even if you have both – you’re most likely reaping health benefits by having then as your pet. Why?

Studies indicate that having a pet can help:

*      lower stress levels

*      decrease blood pressure

*      support healthy cholesterol levels

*       improve our moods

*       boost our immunity, and more

For example, many studies, including some via the National Institute of Health, say that dogs can offer great social support and stress relief – sometimes even better than family or friends can.  Additionally, some studies even say that having a dog can control blood pressure better than prescription d rugs are able to.  Then there’s the exercise aspect.  Those who own dogs exercise more consistently than those who don’t own dogs.

Some other health benefits from having a dog are:

• increased longevity after having a heart attack
• lowered cholesterol and triglycerides
• improved blood pressure
• reduction of irregular heartbeats, or arrythmias
• improved blood vessel function
• increased physical activity as well as physical functioning
• reduction of minor health difficulties
• improved mood
• boost in self esteem
• improved alertness and attention in elderly people who own pets

Having a cat as a pet has its perks, too.

A study by the Minnesota Stroke Institute, which followed more than 4,000 cat owners over a 10-year time period, found that owning a cat can greatly reduce a person’s chance of dying from heart disease.  In fact, the study found that those who don’t have cats were between 30 to 40 percent more likely to die of cardiovascular disease than cat owners were.  But were the same benefits found with owning dogs?  Not so, according to the study.

Other benefits of having a feline friend – some of which mirror the benefits of having a dog as a pet – include:

• a reduction in heart attack and stroke risk
• improved immune function
• decreased chance of children developing allergies
• helping to prevent asthma in children
• reduced stress and anxiety
• reduced blood pressure
• low triglyceride and cholesterol levels
• help with autism (in some instances) and depression

Likewise, pet ownership – in general – can reduce stress hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol, can boost your immune system and can aid the management of pain.  Having a furry friend has also been found to reduce aggression, to build empathy and to improve learning, while  fostering a great sense of trust in others.  Additionally, owning a pet can speed recovery following surgery.

I can tell you that I recently had knee surgery and my cats took turns being with me, I was never alone, not for a moment – that’s true love and companionship.  So, if you haven’t thanked your pet lately for being such a wonderful companion, then give him or her an extra dose of appreciation and treats for being a great addition to your overall health.

On a sad note.  I have tried for years to at least have cats in Senior Living Homes because of what I’ve just shared.  I even offered to buy the electric litter box and food.  People need something with a heart beat to hold and talk to.  So often children put their parents in homes and think that’s enough.  NO IT’S NOT!   Often when they’re left in these homes they start having more aches and pains, depression, etc., and what does that bring on – another toxic  prescription.  They don’t have a drug deficiency, they have a broken heart, no family, no visitors, etc., what they are is

human attention deficient.

We could start volunteering and visit a couple of times a month.  I promise, you will get more out of it than you ever expected.   Thinking about others, often takes our minds of ourselves, and that could be a very health move!

Dr. Rhonda

Always wanting to help you to –

Plan for Tomorrow’s Good Health – TODAY!™

 

Temporary website:          www.drhenry.com

Email inquiries:                 contact@drhenry.com

Las Vegas Office:              702-269-8120

Multivitamin Necessity!

 

“Don’t stop taking your multivitamin.”

That’s the simple advice offered by board-certified family practitioner David Brownstein, M.D. in the wake of heavily publicized recent studies that concluded a daily multivitamin doesn’t have health benefits.

Of course we are all smart enough to figure out who is paying for the research, because it’s hurting their bottom line.   But I have good news and that is that:

After carefully reviewing the studies, Dr. Brownstein, one of the nation’s top practitioners of holistic medicine, concluded that they aren’t worth the paper they’re printed on.

“I have been practicing medicine for more than 20 years, and I can assure you I have never seen a patient harmed by taking multivitamins,” says Dr. Brownstein.  “However, I have had many patients harmed from FDA-approved drugs.

“In the first place, one of the studies used a very low potency vitamins – so low that I don’t expect anyone would think that they could help anything.  Second, most of the multivitamins used I the studies were cheap synthetics, not natural vitamins.  Inexpensive vitamins are made with synthetics, and many of the substances are made from petrochemicals, which provide a sub optimal response and can even be dangerous.”

A study to determine the usefulness of multivitamins in cardiovascular disease was riddled with problems that made its findings useless, in Dr. Brownstein’s opinion.  “Half of the people stopped taking the vitamins during the study,” he said.  “That, in and of itself, negates it.  Even so, they still found an 11% decrease in cardiovascular risk – it just didn’t meet their criteria for statistics significance.”

The recent studies supposedly debunking the value of multivitamins were released less than 2 weeks after a Harvard study showed a multivitamin combined with selenium slowed deterioration in AIDS patients.  In fact, the scientists labeled their results “groundbreaking,” adding that multivitamins could save a lot of lives at a small price.  Another 2012 Harvard study found that multivitamins reduced cancer risk in older men.

Although the best way to get the vitamins and minerals your body needs is through a healthy diet, the typical diet lacks essential nutrients, according to Dr. Brownstein, and of course you’ve heard me say this on my online radio shows and in articles.  “I check my patients for nutritional imbalances, and the vast majority of patients, both sick and well, have nutritional deficiencies.”  And that is absolutely true also in my practice and others of like mind.

One of the answers is a daily multivitamin, but choosing the right one is essential.

“Not all multivitamins are created equal,” he says.  “There are many inferior vitamins.

 

“It’s bet to enlist the help of a healthcare practitioner who can guide you and test you and adjust your supplements depending on what you need.”  If you don’t want to visit me, just order my HealthTest© and you can easily complete your testing at home.  Check it out on my website:

http://www.drhenry.com.   We aren’t one-size-fits-all, so you must find out what your individual body needs are.

When looking for a good multivitamin, Dr. Brownstein suggests the following and I agree:

*       Choose a natural supplement that contains natural, bioidentical versions of nutrients.

*       Choose multivitamins that contain vitamin D3 – cholecalciferol.

The synthetic form of vitamin D is D2 or ergocalciferol – not good!

*       Be sure to choose vitamins containing natural vitamin B-12 – labeled as hydroxy-, methyl-, or adenosylcobalamin.

Synthetic vitamin B-12 is listed as cyanocobalamin.

This will not be an issue if you order my individualized HealthTest©, because not only will you find out where you are normal, low or very-low in each nutrients, but you will get a clear understanding of each deficiency, plus a list of foods in that category.

If that’s not enough – receive a personally designed food program based on the answers to the questions you submitted.  No counting calories, carbohydrates, fats, protein, fiber, etc., I do all that for you.  What could be easier?

My heart is to educate you, and give you proper health tools to help you, help yourselves.

Dr. Rhonda

Hoping that you’ve started to

Plan for Tomorrow’s Good Health – TODAY!™

 

Temporary website:          www.drhenry.com

Email inquiries:                 contact@drhenry.com

Las Vegas Office:              702-269-8120

Trans Fats:

Going, going, but not gone!

 

It has been 6 years since the FDA began requiring packaged foods to list trans fats on the label.  Though animal foods like butter contain tiny amounts of natural trans fats, most trans fats in our food supply are synthetic, created when unsaturated vegetable oils are partially hydrogenated.

This gives the oils a semi-solid consistency that’s more suitable for many processed foods.  Synthetic trans fats raise LDL (“bad”) cholesterol and have other adverse effects that increase the risk of heart attack and stroke.

In response to the labeling law, many manufacturers voluntarily reduced or eliminated partially hydrogenated oils – and thus trans fats – from their margarines, baked goods, snacks, and other foods.  Sone fast-food restaurants got rid of trans fats in French fries, while California and New York city banned artificial trans fats in restaurants altogether. 

Reassuringly, a 2010 study in the New England Journal of Medicine found that most reformulated foods do not contain higher levels of saturated fats, as feared.  Instead, food makers and restaurants have largely replaced partially hydrogenated oils with healthy unsaturated oils.

These government and industry steps seem to be paying off now.  According to a large study from the CDC in the Journal of the American Medical Association in February, blood levels of trans fats decreased nearly 60% between 2000 and 2009, thanks to the removal of trans fats from processed foods.  Such a dramatic drop in blood trans fats “should help lower the risk of cardiovascular disease,” says Dr. Hubert Vesper, the study’s lead author.

That’s good news, but don’t let down your guard.  Some supermarkets and restaurant foods still contain trans fats, sometimes at very high levels.  Here are some examples, cited by the Center for Science in the Public Interest:

*       Jolly Time Microwave Popcorn (some flavors) has 4 grams of trans fat per serving.

*       Marie Callender’s Lattice Apple Pie, 5 grams

*       Long John Silver’s Clam Strips, 7 grams

*       White Castle donuts, as much as 9 grams

Other companies cites include:

Celeste Pizza – Jimmy Dean – Pepperidge Farm – Giant – DiGiorno, and Betty Crocker.

The American Heart Association advises that trans fats provide no more than 1% of your total daily calories (that’s less than 2 grams a day for someone eating 2,000 calories a day.)

Bottom Line:

 

Check nutrition labels for trans fats, but you have to read between the lines.  Because of a labeling loophole, manufacturers can say their products have 0 grams of trans fat if they contain less than 0.5 grams per serving.  That may not sound like a lot, but the numbers add up if you eat several servings.

To avoid synthetic trans fats in packaged foods, make sure that partially hydrogenated oil is not in the ingredients list.  If you use margarine, soft (tub) margarines are much less likely to contain trans fats, or at least much less of then, than hard margarines.  Keep in mind that products that contain trans fats tend to be junk foods anyway, often high in calories, fat, and sodium.  Life becomes much easier when you eat organic.

Why Am I Gaining This Weight?

                                                          

I hear this question almost every day in my office and all day during January and February.

And no wonder.  Despite our best efforts, most women gain weight in peri-menopause – especially around our waist and hips – even if we’re dieting – which of course is not the answer.  Let me suggest you check out my online radio show entitled: Lose Weight PERMANENTLY By Eating – only an ex-311 pounder would be willing to tell you that it’s not your fault!

Why is this happening to us?  The answer lies in the remarkable links between hormonal balance and body fat.

Before we explore these links, set aside the basic myth behind most diets – that weight control is just a matter of calorie control.  That’s NOT true and it’s misleading, and has made a lot of us suffer unnecessarily.

Weight Loss and Hormonal Balance;

 

The first and most basic link is between insulin metabolism and body fat.  Most of us eat the conventional low-fat, high-carbohydrate diet, with lots of processed foods (pasta, breads, most snacks, beer and wine, etc.).  Over time this diet commonly creates a condition known as insulin resistance.  When you’re insulin resistant your body converts every calorie it can into fat – even if you’re dieting.  And it won’t let you burn fat when you exercise.

A second basic link is between dis-stress and body fat.  Stress (dis-stress creates illness, pain, disease and often early death) hormones block weight loss.  This is sometimes called the “famine effect”: despite adequate food, the body interprets prolonged dis-stress as a famine, and once again, the body thinks it should store every spare calorie as fat.  Which it does very effectively.  Most women are under tremendous amounts of dis-stress – much of it prolonged and without let-up – which leads to adrenal fatigue and intractable weight gain.  This is the first issue I deal with, always.

These two links work together.  Many of us combine a high-stress life with a low-fat, high-carb diet.  This creates such a powerful hormonal imbalance that weight gain is almost inevitable.  Yo-yo dieting – strict dieting followed by a rebound in weight – will only exacerbate the pattern because it stresses the body and damages your metabolism.

A third link is estrogen loss.  As the estrogen production of your ovaries falls, your body turns to secondary production sites, including body fat, skin, and other organs.  If your body is struggling to maintain its hormonal balance, body fat becomes more valuable.  Of course, if you’re dis-stressed and on a low-fat diet, your body is struggling.  This is a vicious cycle.

A fourth link is the cravings created by high-carb diets.  Because your body can’t readily maintain optimal blood sugar and serotonin levels, you are compelled to have snacks and caffeine to make yourself feel better.  But they only exacerbate your insulin resistance and adrenal exhaustion – another vicious cycle – while adding body fat.

Note that artificial sweeteners are not a solution; they’re part of the problem.  They may lack calorie content, but they mimic sugar so well that the body produces insulin to metabolize them – contributing to insulin resistance.  They actually lower your blood sugar level, which is why most contain caffeine to compensate.

By thinking only of calorie control, we actually starve our bodies of the nutrients we need to maintain health, while signaling our bodies to put on weight.  Neither outcome is desirable!  And you end up feeling defeated and depressed by the whole process – as though willpower had anything to do with it.

My philosophy on weight control is based on what has worked for me personally and my patients for  three decades.  You have to get healthy before you can lose weight.  You can’t lose weight to get healthy.  But if you will heal your body and try to balance your life, you will than find you achieve and maintain your ideal weight and feel great!  Instead of being nutrient deficient, I help you become nutrient sufficient and the body heals itself.   This is the only fight you can lose, and still become a Winner!

Check out my website and listen to some of my online radio shows – you’ll get educated, get tools to help yourself and a lot more.  My shows are educational, often controversial, but always the truth, as I see it.

Dr. Rhonda

 

Temporary website:          www.drhenry.com

Email inquiries:                 contact@drhenry.com

Las Vegas Office:              702-269-8120

 

If I can be of further help – just contact me.  In the meantime, please understand the important and starting to –

Plan for Tomorrow’s Good Health – TODAY!™

ASPIRIN GUIDELINES:

I have been asked over and over about taking aspirin to avoid a heart attack or stroke.  I have never been an advocate for just everyone who thinks they should take it, go ahead, it’s not really a drug.  Really~   So, I went to a preventive cardiologist to give you the facts, as I hope you will digest and assimilate for your own good!

“Many of my cardiology patients ask about the value of taking daily aspirin to prevent heart attack and stroke.

Recent research has shed new light on this.  Indeed mounting evidence reported in a number of leading medical journals now suggests that if you’re healthy and not at significant risk for a heart attack, you should not be taking aspirin preventively.

That’s because the studies show that aspirin doesn’t reduce the risk of dying from a heart attack or stroke in healthy people.  Furthermore, the potential risk of a cerebral hemorrhage, gastrointestinal bleeding, and ulcers outweighs any heart benefits the aspirin might provide.

However, if you’ve already had a heart attack or stroke, or if you have been found by your doctor to be at high or moderate risk for heart attack or stroke, the benefits of taking aspirin can trump the risks.  That’s because aspirin acts as an anti-inflammatory and an inhibitor of blood clotting.

For those at risk, aspirin is one of the drugs in our arsenal (along with statins, ACE inhibitors, and beta blockers) that can help keep a coronary event from occurring in the first place or recurring.

As far as what dosage works best in people for whom aspirin is recommended, I suggest you consult your own doctor.  Based on the new research, I no longer recommend aspirin (not even 81mg low-dose, or baby, aspirin) for any of my healthy

patients, because the risk of bleeding is 2 to 4 times greater than if yo aren’t taking aspirin at all.  I do, however, continue to recommend 162 milligrams daily (2 low-dose aspirin) to patients who already have coronary heart disease,, have already had a heart attack or stroke, or who are at high or moderate risk for one and not at risk for gastrointestinal bleeding.

Remember, if you do take aspirin regularly, you should NOT drink alcohol because it can also irritate the stomach lining.  In addition, because aspirin is a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID), it should not be taken with other NSAIDs, such as ibup0rofen or naproxen.  And because it can thin the blood, avoid taking aspirin with anti-clotting medications, such as Coumadin (warfarin) or Plavix (clopidogrel), unless advised to do so by your doctor.

In addition, I now follow the recently revised American Diabetes Association guidelines for aspirin use in people with diabetes.  Whereas the ADA used to recommend low-dose aspirin for every diabetic patient over the age of 40, their new guidelines suggest aspirin as a prevention strategy only in those with diabetes whose cardiovascular risk is above average.  This includes  men over 50 or women over age 60 with at least one additional major risk factor.  In other words, according the  ADA, younger diabetic patients without associated cardiovascular risk factors appear not to benefit from taking aspirin.

The bottom line here is that if you’re healthy you shouldn’t take aspirin without a cardiovascular risk assessment by your doctor.  If you’re not sure about your risk of heart disease, get tested.  Today there are many advanced tests (such as a heart scan for coronary calcium), beyond the basic lipid profile, that can help you and your doctor determine where you stand.

I sure hoping you’re sharing my blogs with your family, friends and social media gang – I’m trying hard to keep you up-to-date with these and my weekly online radio shows which are archived on my temporary website: www.drhenry.com  – would love to hear from you with comments or suggestions.

Remember, yesterday is gone – but this is a new day to start –

Planning for Tomorrow’s Good Health – TODAY!™

Dr. Rhonda

Email inquiries:         contact@drhenry.com

Las Vegas Office:      702-269-8120

The FDA – A Sad Scenario:

In 2010, the FDA put tight curbs on the use of the type 2 diabetes drug Avandia.  Essentially they made it a drug of very last resort.

 

That was a good call.  They had plenty of evidence (and it was mounting) that the drug could increase heart attack and stroke risk.

 

But leave it to the FDA to put this dangerous drug back on the market at full force.

 

When the agency put the brakes on Avandia, they told GlaxoSmithKline (the drug producer) that they could “convene an independent group of scientists to re-adjudicate” a 2009 study that was just one piece of the evidence against the drug.

 

Re-adjudicate?  That’s a fancy, bureaucratic way of saying, “Take a do-over” – like kindergartners on a playground.  And so the agency put GSK in charge of it!  (there own company)

 

At least the fox had to actually get into the hen house.  The FDA basically tore down all 4 walls.

 

And then GSK’s hand-picked panel decided that the study did NOT show increased risk of heart attacks.   (I wonder how much that cost them?)

 

Poof!  Like magic!  The evidence was there before.  The agency recognized it and acted on it.  But then the GSK experts said, “mo.”  Like the evidence was never there.

 

So FDA officials shrugged and said, “Okie dokie!”  They removed the curbs, and now Avandia can be prescribed normally again by those doctors who aren’t taking into consideration the legitimate research initially offered.

 

That’s a nice little system they’ve got there.  Runs like clockwork.  Except for one thing.  The study that was re-adjudicated is not by any means the only study that exposed Avandia dangers.  Other researches found clear links to heart attack, stroke, and heart failure risk.

 

But never mind all that.  Janet Woodcock, the director of the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, says, “Given these new results, our level of concern is considerably reduced.”

 

Really?  Considerably reduced?  Well I’d like to test Woodcock’s “level of concern and her bank account.”

 

I give credit to HSI research for being out there in the fire trying to get information out so that people like me can get it out to you and those you love.  Be aware and don’t just take whatever drug your prescribed without knowing about it – do you’re research before you pay for another prescription and it wouldn’t be a bad idea for you to check those that are going into your body daily.  Just a suggestion, because I really care!

Dr. Rhonda

Temporary website:          www.drhenry.com

Email inquiries:                 contact@drhenry.com

Las Vegas Office:              702-269-8120

Lose Weight Naturally – TODAY!

As an ex-311 pounder I think I am qualified to write on this subject and more important, help those who are in the struggle, maybe as I was, for half of my life.

Weight loss – everybody talks about it, everybody wants to do it, and many people are dying to achieve it.

*       Why is weight loss so complicated?

*       Why doesn’t one program work for everybody?

*       How can you lose weight and maintain or even increase your overall level of health?

Let’s look at these question a little bit more and find out!

Weight loss, like any function in the body, is a complicated mix of neurological, biochemical and physiological processes that must work together in a specific sequence in order for you to lose weight.  Most diets and dietary programs assume that all you must do is tell somebody to eat less and they’ll lose weight.  Anyone that has tried any conventional diet currently out there knows exactly how non-effective this is!  In fact, less than 10% of people that actually do lose weight keep it off with conventional diets.  No wonder we’re all starving for a real way to lose weight (pun intended).

Because weight loss is so dependent on your unique body chemistry and biochemical make-up, no one diet could possibly work for everyone.  In fact, no one diet will work for any two people with the same results.  That’s a pretty bold statement, but take a moment and think about it.  No two people are alike in their biochemical or physiological make-up, not even identical twins.  So how could a diet possibly have the same results on any two people?  The answer is that it can’t. So how do YOU lose weight?  You must find a program that takes into account your unique body chemistry AND addresses all the root causes that have prevented you from losing weight.

You see, weight loss is not just a physical phenomenon.  Yes, the scale tells a story (an it’s pretty loud sometimes), but there are many other physical and non-physical aspects to losing weight. 

            Our feelings, attitudes, self-esteem, social interactions and emotions,

            all play a role in our ability to lose weight and feel good about it.

And they’re just as important as how much you eat or exercise.

In order to truly lose weight and obtain optimal health you MUST follow a program that addresses your entire being,

*       from eating the correct balance of foods

*       to helping you rebalance your body chemistry,

*       to addressing any pre-formed emotional blocks

*       to weight loss or body-image,

*       to designing an exercise program that you can and will actually maintain.

Weight loss is not difficult if you uncover and  address the root causes that are keeping you from your goal weight and getting the help and guidance you need along the way.  Once you do, you’ll be able to enjoy the journey along the natural path to better health and weight loss.

So, the statement and question usually is:

*       I’ve tried everything, what’s new?

*       What should I do?

Let me suggest just a couple of options that may make things easier.  After all, who would know better than an ex-311 pounder.

My scientifically approved, copywriten, individually designed HealthTest©) may be your first step.  Complete this extensive questionnaire and find out if and where you may be  nutrient deficient.

What Will Dr. Henry’s

HealthTest© Tell Me?

 

   1.      It reveals the possibility of over 50 nutrient changes from normal, with gradation from low to very-low deficiencies.

   2.      It explains in depth how each deficiency symptom can be affecting your current health.

   3.      It reveals foods which have high value in each deficient area.

   4.      You will receive 2 specifically designed food programs, one moderate protein, one high protein.  No counting calories, carbohydrates, fats, protein, fiber, etc.  All the work is done for you – all you have to do is EAT!

   5.      Specific suggestions are offered as to the amount of supplemental nutrients which should be included in your daily regime.  (If your working directly with Dr. Henry, she decides on your needs and balances all accordingly).  Otherwise your personalized computer print-out will suggest supplement needs and amounts that correspond with your answers.

   6.      It will reveal the presence or absence of dis-stress in your life.  Dis-stress brings on illness, pain, disease and often death too early.

   7.      Enzyme deficiencies are easily demonstrated and explained.

   8.      Improper food combining habits are noted and discussed to help increase the nutritional value of the foods you are to eat.

   9.      Excess intake of sugar, coffee, or other deleterious substances are evaluated.

10.     Thus, all vitamin, minerals, enzymes, and protein factors are discussed in an easy to read from your HealthTest© Report, which is all about YOU!

11.     Shopping help, it even walks you through your grocery store and educates you in areas that will help you shop wiser.

And so much more…..

This is an educational approach to finding out what foods you should be eating and why, what supplements you may want to add to your new health program along with moderate exercise suggestions.

How many of you have tried diet after diet and wondered why you can’t lose those unwanted pounds, or you can’t keep the ones you have lost off?  Well, this may not be your fault.  I would suggest you check out my online radio show: :Lose Weight PERMANENTLY By Eating” it will no doubt be an eye-opener, for sure!

You’re probably nutrient deficient and your body is working against you instead of with you to help you reach your health goals.  I would suggest that you take my HealthTest©), and perhaps for the first time as a beginning step, find out what may be going on.

Another option is working directly with me.  Yes, I’m available to personally work with YOU.  I know what it’s like trying to go it alone when you’ve tried so many times before.  Not only do I use my copywriten, scientifically approved, and personalize HealthTest©) in my everyday practice, but I deal with your health issues on a cellular level.  Laboratory work-ups designed with your needs and goals in mind.  After a ninety minute initial consultation, I then suggest a program just for YOU.  No One-size-fits-all programs not available in my practice.

I want you to know something that is vitally important and that is:

It’s Not About YOUR FAT

It is About YOUR HEALTH!

If you’re ready to Invest in YOU –

I promise you that there is hope – Look at me!

If you don’t have anyone to help you, know that all my programs are available wherever you live throughout the United States, Canada and Hawaii!  I’ve made sure that you get help if you don’t have the right person already!  Also, I’m more than willing to work with your current healthcare provider.

If you need me – here is my contact information:

 

Temporary website:              www.drhenry.com

Email inquiries:                     contact@drhenry.com

Las Vegas Office:                  702-269-8120

Remember that it’s never too soon to start to –

Plan for Tomorrow’s Good Health – TODAY!™

Another Year!

 

New Years resolutions for many Americans will mean the latest DIE…t and gym membership.

But losing weight and keeping it off might be as much about the psychological struggles as the physical changes.  Ask me, an ex-311 pounder.  Some people say losing weight is in the mind.  So perhaps giving yourself a mental workout can complement healthful eating and exercise regimes.  I think they go hand-in-hand.

Psychological feelings make the holiday season one of the worst times of the year to embark on a program.  Why?  Food can be used as emotional nourishment and to calm anxieties.  The holidays can stir up unfulfilled longings in people.  People are reminded of the things they’re missing out on. etc.

But other emotions make losing weight hard year-round.  Feelings of depression, a loss of control, rationalizing weight gain and low-self-esteem can make losing weight seem like an impossible task.  Some people don’t think they can allow themselves to look their best because they feel like they don’t deserve to be a more attractive person.  Many obese women have been sexually abused and they’re afraid of looking good, even if it is their desire.

Most of the morbidly obese who lose weight through bariatric surgeries, often give up their antidepressants when they shed their extra pounds.  They might also feel like they’re losing a friend, like they must reach their ideal weight to succeed, or they feel like failures.

If you look at the laundry list of  DIE…ts we’ve tried on our own and failed, that can’t have a positive impact on anyone’s psyche.  Because I have been their and finally found the secrets to PERMANENT weight loss, I’m able to ask the right questions, take time to listen, design individualized programs, which empowers my patient’s to take back their lives.  Because I’ve been there, it enables me to give hope and encouragement to others who now don’t have to walk alone, I’m with them throughout the process.

I also help them to find distractions that help them stay away from food.  We have to find out how to deal with the loss of satisfaction of eating the wrong foods that have become their habits.  It’s about exchanging the reward of foods for the reward of achieving their goals.  On the other hand – I teach you how to shop and prepare their food so that their refrigerator is full of food – I want you to eat – and I show you how and what to eat  throughout the day, so that your satisfied, happy and seeing the results of your new lifestyle.  I teach you how to Lose Weight PERMANENTLY by Eating!™   Why should you stop eating?  Makes no sense….

If I can help you in your health journey, here’s my contact information:

Dr. Rhonda

 

Temporary website:          www.drhenry.com

Email inquiries:                 contact@drhenry.com

Las Vegas Office:              702-269-8120

It’s your time to be all you have ever wanted to be, so why not start –

            Plan for Tomorrow’s Good Health – TODAY!™

WHY MDs ABUSE DRUGS

 

Doctors who report they abuse prescription drugs cite self-medication to help manage physical pain and emotional problems as the number one reason for this habit, new research shows.

 

In the study, substance-impaired doctors participated anonymously in guided group discussions as part of a monitored state physician health program (PHP).  In addition to helping manage physical and emotional pain, physicians also cited stress, recreational use, and withdrawal prevention as the main reasons for using prescription medications.

 

Opiates and sedatives were the prescription drugs most commonly misused by the study participants.

 

“Substance-related impairment of physicians is a small but serious problem, with significant consequences for patient safety and public health,” write the investigators, led by Lisa J. Merlo, PhD, from the McKnight Brain Institute and the University of Florida in Gainesville.

 

“Prevention efforts targeting prescription drug misuse among physicians should be initiated during medical training, with continuing education requirements through the physicians’ career,” they added.

 

The study was published in the October Issue of the Journal of Addiction Medicine.

 

High Rate of Misuse:

 

According to the research, 10% to 15% of physicians will experience a substance use disorder during their lifetime.  Although this rate is similar to that in the general population, more physicians appear to misuse prescription drugs.

 

“Understanding the reasons … would help educators, administrators, colleagues, and providers more successfully identify, treat, and monitor addicted physicians,” the investigators write.

 

The study included 55 substance-dependent physicians (94.5% men; 53 years, 72% white, 21% Latino, 7% other) who were participants in a Florida PHP.

 

A total of 21,8% of the participants listed their speciality as family/general medicine, 16.4% listed internal medicine, 14.5% listed anesthesiology, 14% listed surgery, and 10.9% listed psychiatry.  Pediatrics, obstetrics/gynecology, and “others” made up the remaining specialities.

 

All participants in guided group discussions between December 2008 and March 2009.  Beforehand, they filled out a questionnaire, which also asked about substance use patterns and work history.

 

Results showed that 69% of the physicians had misused prescription drugs sometime in the past.  The other reported only using illicit drugs and/or alcohol.  Interestingly, all of those who      reported misusing prescription drugs also had a history of using illicit drugs or alcohol.

 

Those who cited managing physical pain as the main reason for prescription drugs misuse commonly reported having severe chronic pain due to trauma or surgery.

 

To all those I care about: if you or a loved one is having surgery, I would suggest that you request (your right) a day of the surgery drug test (urine), and you make sure you get a copy.  To many unnecessary errors in medications and deaths after surgery should be in question.

Don’t ever lose responsibility for your own body.

 

Health Provider Mistrust:

 

Several of the physicians who said that they misused drugs to manage emotional pain and/or psychiatric symptoms reported that it was because they had trouble trusting the recommendations from their treating provider.  Strange, yet they expect us to trust them!   Not I, for the most part!

 

Many of those who listed stressful situations as reasons explained that included work and person problems, including malpractice suits, financial problems, and juggling work-child responsibilities.

 

The researchers note that recreational use was also an important factor for many of these doctors, with most reporting using prescription drugs to enhance the effect of another substance.  Great!

 

Finally, other participants reported using prescription drugs as a way to prevent or alleviate withdrawal symptoms.

 

“Indeed, the issue of withdrawal seemed to become more salient to the physicians as their addiction progressed,” write the investigators.

 

They note that although the study population was small and was composed mainly of men and so may not be representative of all clinicians who abuse prescription drugs, “there is inherent value in obtaining such in-depth data from physicians.”

 

As reported at the time by Medscape Medical News, Dr. Merlo presented part of this research at the 2011 annual meeting of the American Academy of Addiction Psychiatry.

 

“We know that (PHPs) work, and we know that monitoring is associated with really good outcomes.  It’s just getting people into the system that’s been the challenge,” she told meeting attendees at the time.

 

“And the most important reason for research into this area is that it’s showing that these professionals can be helped and shouldn’t just lose their license,” she added.

 

Disease of Denials:

“This was really interesting,” David O.

 

Warner, MD, professor of anesthesiology at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, told Medscape.

 

Dr. Warner was not involved with this research but recently published a study is JAMA examining the incidence of substance use disorder (SUD) among 44,612 anesthesiology residents between 1975 and 2009.  Results showed that 0.86% of these residents had a confirmed SUD during training.

 

“We don’t really know among the anesthesiology folks why they do this.  Anecdotally, many of the stories revolved around, “Well, I’m around these drugs every day and just wanted to see what it was like.”  Whether that’s actually accurate or not, no one knows,” he said.

 

“Addiction is a disease and is characterized by denial and evasion.  So I think what the real reasons might be is a very interesting question.  Certainly self-medicating for pain or for stress is quite plausible.”

 

The study was funded by a grant from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) and by the Professionals Resources Network, “an integral arm of the Florida Medical Association.”  The study authors have disclosed no relevant financial relationships.

 

Most reading this don’t get the news on health that I do, but I felt obligated to sound the alarm on this one.

Dr. Rhonda

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