The shape of things

It's funny to think that sometimes your doctor might be wrong. Maybe that isn't "funny" - but it sure is true. I know it's hard for me to grasp this concept - doctors being falliable - not because I think a doctor should be all-knowing, but I think a doctor should be well-trained, an expert and very very thorough, especially when it comes to my and my family's health.

CNN had an article today about the five most commonly misdiagnosed diseases. Interestingly the top five are cancer, infection, heart attack, clogged arteries and aortic dissection.

It's interesting that in this day and age of people showing up to the doctor already self-diagnosed (thanks to WebMD and prescription drug advertisements) so many doctors still get it wrong. Maybe it's because so many people walk into the office determined that they have this or that disease, and the doctor has to spend so much time convincing them otherwise because those ads list everything as a symptom for all diseases. (My sister told me that almost no matter what you say your symptoms are on WebMD, cancer is always one of the possible diagnoses)

CNN then offers five great tips on how you can make sure you don't get misdiagnosed. Read here for more details:

1. Ask for more tests

2. Ask "What else could my illness be?"

3. Don't assume no news is good news

4. Assume your doctors do not talk to one another

5. Be wary when your doctors work in shifts.

I feel this article is very pertinent because on Monday (October 1) breast cancer awareness month starts. It's a great time to check up on your own health and make sure your body isn't telling you that something is wrong. If you think it is - go get it checked, and don't settle on the first explanation.

Every year about two times during the year the fashion industry has about a month of back-to-back fashion weeks in NYC, London, Milan, etc. And it seems like inevitably the discussion of young and thin models returns to the mainstream media and then quickly fades away. 

A lot of times these articles consist of "they are too thin, they are too young" and that's about it. But today I read an interesting article in the NY Times Style section about thin and young models. This sentence was at the end of the article, and I love it:

"It will be worth reminding the fashion industry that there is good science demonstrating that when you starve an animal, you make it a lot more vulnerable to self-abuse."

Basically the article looks at the same topics - the models are getting younger and thinner - but then it divulges into the nasty habits that models take up - as part of the job. Obviously to be that thin, you diet. And when you diet - unhealthyfully - you want to supress your appetite so you smoke. And studies have shown that smoking is a gateway drug. So next you take some Vicodin, which is ultimately a painkiller, but also has the great (note the sarcasm) effect of supressing appetite. And THEN you turn to the steroid Clenbuterol which is used by athlets and HORSES! to reduce body fat. EEK. 

(Source: Mat Szwajkos/Getty Images)

Which ultimately leads us back to the sentence - starving them makes them vulnerable to self abuse. 

Now, don't get me wrong here, I'm not saying that the fashion industry needs to do a 360 and only let size 20 models down the runway. That's not my point. And I also don't think they should ban size zeros because it could unfairly target girls who are a size zero and also have a healthy bmi.

My point is that there is obviously no regulation of these young and mostly uneducated girls and there needs to be. No matter how sexy and sultry they look on the runway - a lot of them are 16 years old - and if at 16 years old I had been modeling, flying around the world meeting fabulous people and partying, I definitely would have needed SOMEONE to ground me and say, Stephanie - you need to clean up your act or you won't last long in this life. 

Ultimately, we should want these young girls to "last long in their lives" more than in their short-lived careers (having an 8 year career in modeling these days is basically unheard of). What are your thoughts?

I found this interesting article today about a study that found the annual checkup to a physician is really not worth our time or the money. This is a study my husband would love. He's always said he doesn't go to the doctor unless he's sick. I thought he was crazy, but now I see that maybe he's on to something.

With the healthcare crisis our country is going through today and the plethora of well-intentioned but flawed "universal health care" ideas and/or solutions, perhaps another facet of your system we need to look at is what we're wasting money on.  

The researchers found that on average the check up costs $116 (including lab costs). The researchers believe that some preventitive measures and tests are necessary (i.e. pap smear and mammogram) but they found that a lot of patients were tested for things that were unnecessary and a waste of money.

So how do they propose we get the necessary preventitive tests without an annual checkup? Well, in this article it isn't clear. The researcher did say that he believes we could get it at another visit, since the average person goes to the doctor at least one other time besides the annual check up.

But another interesting finding was that even when people went for their annual checkup, most of the very necessary tests for preventitive care were not administered at that time. So, I agree, that sounds pretty pointless.  Read the article.

Fall is here. Which means that just around the corner is cooler weather, darker evenings and --- the sniffles. Getting a cold is never fun and fortunately it's very easy to ward off colds. It just takes some time and patience.

When I started eating healthy and working out regularly I noticed that I got sick less during the winter months. Previously I would have 1-2 bad colds each year, but the past few years if I would get a cold it would be short and relatively sweet. So that's step 1, make sure your eating well and exercising.

Step 2 is easier - wash your hands! You'd be amazed at the statistics of how many infections are delivered by human touch - 80 percent! This is a little gross - but think about how many surfaces you touch during the day. You're car, you're computer, key board, printer, copier, fax machine, phone, cell phone, purse, pens - now think about how many other people touch the same things as you do... now think about how many times during the day your hands touch your face. Yuck.

Germs are everywhere and the only way to prevent those germs from transmitting diseases is to frequently wash your hands. This may sound funny, but there is a proper way to wash your hands, and chances are we just aren't doing it right. Here's a rundown:

1. First, wet your hands with water. Then apply soap.

2. Now, rub your hands together vigorously for 15-30 seconds. Make sure to rub the wrists, between the fingers, and under the fingernails. When you have time, use a nailbrush, as bacteria often hide under nails.

3. Rinse your hands thoroughly and dry with a clean towel.

4. If you are in a public restroom, shut the faucet off with a paper towel. Try to push the door open with your shoulder, or use another paper towel to turn the knob.

I have a friend that told me in nursing school they tell you to sing "Happy Birthday" to yourself for the duration of hand washing to know when it's been 30 seconds. Just be careful not to sing out loud if someone else is in the restroom... :)

And finally, you need to wash your hands frequently throughout the day, not just after the bathroom - before and after you eat, after school, and after handling any contaminants like raw meat, unwashed vegetables, or garbage, wash your hands after coughing, or touching your pet.

Want to know more, read the article this information is from here.

I recently read this post at Fitsugar about PETA's new ad campaign. It features a naked Alicia Silverstone swimming around and exposing her nude butt on national television - and this is supposed to convince us to become vegetarians? Many people commented about the ad and the general consensus (in my mind) was that the ad was more sex and not very much veg. Obviously PETA is trying to imply that if you go vegetarian you can become sexy and skinny like Alicia.

When I saw this research study today about low calorie - vegetarian diets having little difference than a low calorie - omnivorous diet - it reminded me of this advertisement. The study watched obese and overweight people following a low cal veg diet and low cal meat diet to see if either group's diet had a different effect on their health. Interestingly, neither diet had a significant difference. read more. But, both groups did lose weight and had healthy changes in their bodies. 

I'm not for or against either type of diet, but it does aggravate me when people assume that their diet is the high-moral ground, and everyone else is somewhere below them.

Obviously the important thing about staying healthy is having a well-rounded diet, low in calories and fat, high in fiber and getting proper nutrients. So whether you're a meat eater or a veggie, make sure that your food choices are healthy and don't assume that you're way is the only way.  

Sorry for the lack of posts this week so far. I've been busy at work, but promise a few posts today - so you can still get your fill! :)

Tomorrow morning (saturday) at 8:00 a.m. eastern time, turn your TV sets to ESPN2 and watch the U.S. Women's soccer team battle England in the quarterfinals of the Women's World Cup. We're by far favored to win, but tune in for a great match.

In the spirit of the Women's World Cup  this new research study I read about today finds that soccer is better exercise than jogging. All I can say is that it definitely is more exciting! :) I love both, but soccer beats jogging in the fun category too. (Read the article here).

The researchers found that a friendly game of soccer actually burns more fat and builds more muscle than jogging. So get out your cleats and soccer ball and a few friends and go scrimmage! Have fun and know that you're getting a great workout.

Watch the game tomorrow morning for some great moves to emulate. 

If you haven't had a chance to see Britney's "performance" on the VMAs, you're missing out. Ha, well not really, but this post will make a lot more sense if you watch it: (http://popsugar.com/613065)

I was reading through some health articles today and this headline caught my eye "Britney was bad, yes. But 'fat'?" Apparently after Britney's performance Sunday night the blogosphere went crazy about how bad she was and many (including E! News and New York Post) called her fat, lard, and said she had a bulging belly. 

I want to know what do you think, 1. Is Britney "fat" 2. Did she just choose the wrong outfit, or 3. You think she looks great.

Personally the outfit is ridiculous. But, fat? Far from it. For having two kids and partying like she does, I'd say she looks pretty good. The sad thing about all of this is that normal women and girls who are Britney's size are going to hear all these comments and what will it do for their body image? Especially if these women have worked hard to get where they are.

I think that news companies (as much as E! is news) should stick to critiquing her performance and perhaps her wardrobe, but should steer clear of these "fat bulging belly" comments. What do you think? 

We all know (and have since 1960) that smoking is terrible for you. Not only will you damage your lungs and throat you also have a very very good chance of developing (and dying) of lung cancer. Yet, people still smoke. I find that fascinating.

When I read this article this morning about how 1 in 10 PREGNANT women smoke I was shocked and disgusted. These women know that it's wrong, they know they should quit and they know it's harming their unborn child yet they STILL smoke!

The thing that makes me livid about this is that when you smoke and you're not pregnant your doing the most damage to yourself (unless you're rude and smoking in front of others and therefore are killing them by your secondhand smoke). But when you're pregnant you're harming your child when you smoke.

The study found that the women who smoke while pregnant tend to also be depressed. So the researchers are trying to come up with non-medication depression treatment for pregnant women. That's awesome and I hope they succeed.

Then I read this article about hookahs. Not sure if you've ever tried it or even been exposed to it, but a hookah has flavored tabacco in a water pipe and you inhale and feel relaxed. We had a hookah bar here for a while, it has since closed down.

I've never smoked a cigarette, ever! But I did try hookah, assuming for some reason that it was different from cigarette smokes and not as harmful - boy was I wrong.  Researchers at the world health organization found that the typical hookah smoker inhales hookah 50-200 times in one sitting - which can make one session of hookah smoking much like smoking 100 cigarettes! EEEEK!

Stop smoking hookah and stop smoking while pregnant and just stop smoking!  

Going along with yesterday's "Don't Judge" theme - an article I found today on MSNBC talked about 7 secret healthy foods. They go over seven foods that are usually judged as unhealthy, high in cholesterol and get an all-around bad rep. BUT, they talk about how with certain modifications, these foods are actually quite healthy.

Intrigued?

1. Eggs - great source of protein, low calorie (75 for a medium egg) and contains 13 essential nutrients! How should you eat them? As natural as possible, scramble, boiled or poached mixed with veggies work well.

2. White Potatoes - ever since Atkins deemed these carb-evil, potatoes have had a very bad rep. But despite the fact that they are filled with carbs - they are filled with the good-for-you carbs, the ones that our bodies and brains need for energy! And they contain a lote of vitamen c and other minerals. 

3. PIZZA - this one made me smile. Pizzas can either be a health-nightmare OR a well-rounded meal. Made with whole-grain crust, minimum cheese and lots of veggies it can be a meal that touches all food groups. 

4. Beef - just one 3-ounce serving contains half of your daily protein!! And it also has zinc, B12, selenium (which helps with belly fat) B6, and Iron. It still is what's for dinner.

5. Sugary Cereal - I'm a sucker for these, having grown up eating it every morning. Most of these cereals actually contain a lot vitamins and minerals and fiber from whole grains. Just make sure the one you buy has few ingredients and the first one is whole  wheat or rolled oats.

6. Canned Fruits and Vegetables - These are not worse than fresh produce, and they last longer! Did you knowthat if you rinse beans or canned veggies under water you can actually wash away a lot of the sodium? Awesome.

7. Oysters - Perfect timing since the season just opened, oysters are a good source of protein and omega-3 fatty acids. Six oysters have about 1/3 of the daily recommendation of Omega-3s.  

Read the full article here to get more great tips on how to eat these 7 healthy foods and to learn more about why they're so healthy. (Tip, once you click on the link, you may have to choose the "print" option to view the full article, don't know why, but just a heads up!)

I saw a picture of myself today from Fall 2004. We went on a weekend trip to the beach and the picture was of me in a bikini - belly and all. With 25-30 extra pounds, I definitely didn't look great.

Sometimes I get so caught up in the moment that I don't realize how far I've come in this healthy lifestyle. I'm not sure if you do the same thing - but sometimes I get so hard on myself for maybe gaining 2-3 pounds or eating too much on the weekend or missing a workout - that I completely forget the progress I've made these past three years.

Don't get me wrong - if I got into the habit of excusing gained pounds and missed workouts, chances are it won't be long until I get back to looking like the photo from 2004.

But what I'm trying to say is that we need to be less critical of ourselves, give ourselves shout-outs and praises when we deserve them, and not to be too harsh when we mess up. It's really a balance thing - love yourself, love how far you've come and where you want to go, and go easy when you mess up.

If you do one thing today - steer clear of self-judgment. 

If you catch yourself snarling at your arms in the mirror, or grunting when you look at the scale - stop, step back and appreciate the results of your hard work.