**LET'S TALK**

### SPRING 2003

### 

### WE ARE LIVING IN UNCERTAIN TIMES. 

### Military members and reservists are being deployed daily. Deployments are forcing many families to adjust to a new way of life. Government employees are assuming additional workloads. Many of us are feeling a bit off kilter and worried about what the future holds. The articles in this spring edition of Let's Talk provide helpful hints to improve both your physical and emotional well-being during this time of uncertainty.

Enjoy the newsletter and remember that whenever you see the VOD symbol
and three-digit code you can access additional information on that topic
by visiting www.vitality.com.

# Making Sense of Medical Advice

**IF SEEMINGLY CONTRADICTORY HEALTH NEWS HAS YOU CONFUSED,**

learn how to read between the lines. Remember these recommendations the

next time you hear or read about a new health tip.

**Check It Out**

▪ **BE SUSPICIOUS OF ADVICE THAT SOUNDS TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE ---**

because it probably is. Watch for so-called "experts" who pretend they
can

do what medical doctors can't.

▪ **INVESTIGATE THE ADVICE BEFORE FOLLOWING IT**.

Closely examine who's giving the health advice and consider the possible
motivations. Also, watch out for word-of-mouth endorsements,
sensationalized advertising and emotional success stories.

▪ **PUT THE ADVICE IN PERSPECTIVE.**

Most studies tell only a small part of a big story. Not until a
significant amount of evidence has been collected and evaluated do
government agencies or health associations draw conclusions and make new
recommendations.

▪ **DON'T FOLLOW ADVICE BECAUSE YOU WANT TO BELIEVE IT'S TRUE.**

Desperation can make people vulnerable to believing lies or bad
information, no matter how doubtful or unsubstantiated the claims may
be.

▪ **WATCH FOR ATTACKS ON MAIN-STREAM MEDICINE**.

Scam artists want you to believe there's something wrong with standard
medicine in the United States, or that doctors and drug companies have
conspired to keep secrets from you. For reliable information, turn to
reputable sources, such as the American Medical Association, American
Stroke Association or similar groups. And check whether medical studies
have appeared in credible journals, such as the *New England Journal of
Medicine* or *Pediatric*s.

▪ **RUN THE ADVICE PAST YOUR DOCTOR.**

He or she knows how to look at new health information with a critical
mind and put it in perspective.

▪ **LISTEN TO ALTERNATIVE ADVICE WITH AN OPEN MIND**.

Even the prestigious, mainstream National Institutes of Health has an
office to study alternative forms of medicine, such as acupuncture. It's
appropriate to keep looking for new ideas and alternatives, but it's
just as important to be discriminating.

*By Barbara Floria.*

in the know

#### Late-Breaking Health News

**\>\> Common mood disorders may be inherited.**

One study at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore examined 203 families
in which at least one member had bipolar disorder. Researchers found
that if one family member had both panic disorder and bipolar disorder,
then the risk of panic disorder in other relatives was greatly
increased. They also determined that panic disorder and manic depressive
(bipolar) illness probably aren't separate diseases, but different forms
of a shared and complex biological condition with a probable common
cause.

**\>\> "Energy drinks" stir health debate.**

So-called energy drinks --- a new breed of concoctions with high doses
of caffeine and sugar and a mixture of herbs and other substances ---
are fast becoming the younger generation's pick-me-up of choice. But
some doctors and nutritionists question the drinks' safety, especially
since some people mix the strong stimulants with alcohol. Drink-makers
insist the products are harmless if people who use them stay hydrated.
Water is an issue because caffeine, a diuretic, promotes fluid loss.

**\>\> Combining common medications with the popular "club drug" ecstasy
can cause a stroke.** Mixing serotonin-enhancing drugs --- used to treat
depression and other mental disorders--- anti-migraine agents,
decongestants, diet pills or amphetamines with the illegal drug ecstasy
increases the risk of stroke. Combining these drugs also can cause
sudden, severe headaches and seizures, according to a study published in
*Neurolog*y.

**\>\> MIDDLE-AGED MEN WITH SYMPTOMS OF PSYCHOLOGICAL DISTRESS,** such
as

depression and anxiety, are more than three times as likely to suffer a
fatal stroke than middle-aged men who aren't distressed, according to
research reported in *Stroke: Journal of the American Heart
Association.* The connection was graded, meaning the risk increased as
depression and anxiety worsened. Other studies have shown a link between
depression and anxiety and changes in the autonomic nervous system,
which regulates heart rate and the contraction of blood vessels. Those
changes may produce alterations that contribute to the severity of
stroke, the third-leading cause of death in the United States, ranking
behind heart disease and cancer.

VITALITY-ON-DEMAND VITALITY-ON-

***A world of additional health information available via your
computer.***

You may think of this publication as just a magazine. But would you
believe it's also an access index to one of the largest databases of
family health and personal self-care data around? With our free
Vitality-on-Demand (VOD) service, you can get all of the information you
need any time you want it!

Look for this symbol VOD 000 throughout this document for topics you
would like to learn more about.

Placing your VOD order is simple. And it's free.

**Via the Internet:** Visit our home page at *www.vitality.com* and
press the Vitality-on-Demand button. Enter the three-digit VOD number
from this document, or you can search by keyword.

SPECIAL REPORTS

**540** How to Quit Smoking

**541** Sensible Weight Loss

**542** Lowering Your Cholesterol

**543** Reducing Your Stress

**544** Walking for Fitness

**545** Workstation Comfort

**546** Fixing an Aching Back

**547** Start An Exercise Program

**548** Controlling Allergies

**549** Lowering Health-Care Costs

**550** Living With Arthritis

**551** Dealing With Headaches

**552** High Blood Pressure

y o u r m e n t a l h e a l t h

How to Feel Good When Your Life Isn't Perfect

### MOST PEOPLE HAVE THOUGHTS AND DREAMS ABOUT HOW THEIR LIVES

**OUGHT TO BE**. When things don't work out the way they had pictured,
they

tend to blame other people or situations. They don't realize that the
bad feelings

come from their own thinking. "When things are bad, people say to
themselves, 'Things aren't the way I like them,' and then say, 'That's
terrible, that's awful' --- meaning they think things are so bad that
they shouldn't or mustn't be that way," says Albert Ellis, Ph.D., the
creator of Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy and author of *Feeling
Better, Getting Better, Staying Better.*

However, it's normal to have to deal with difficult situations and
difficult people as you go through life. Here's how to change your
thinking, so you can feel good when

your life isn't perfect.

**Unconditionally Accept Yourself**

Most people want to do well in order to feel good about themselves and
be loved by the significant people in their lives. But this way of
thinking can make you feel crazy. "It's important to accept yourself
whether or not you do well and whether people who are important to you
love you," says Ellis. "Don't think, 'I *have* to do well,' because
then, if you don't, you'll worry. Instead, just *prefer* to do well.
Even when people are doing well and being loved by significant people,
they worry about tomorrow."

**Don't Over generalize**

You can evaluate what you think, feel and do, but don't give yourself a
generalized

rating. You're like a diamond in the making and have many facets. Some
shine brilliantly, and others still need to be polished. "People
generalize and say, 'I failed a few times, and I might fail again.'
That's true enough, but then they stupidly over-generalize and say, 'I
failed a few times, and I'm a failure.' You can't be a failure or a
success," says Ellis. "But you can fail at things and be successful at
things." Even evaluating yourself as a good person creates stress,
because you'll always have to live up to your image and do good things.
The truth is that you do thousands of things --- some good, some bad.

**Unconditionally Accept Others**

You may get angry with relatives, friends, co-workers or other people
because of things they've done. You'll feel far less miserable if you
feel disappointed, instead. "You can think, 'I don't like their
behavior, but they're fallible humans who some-times do good and
sometimes behave badly.

I can accept them and not make myself incensed or furious at them.' "
says Ellis. "You can judge their behavior as bad or wicked, but never
judge them, as people, as bad, evil or rotten." This doesn't mean you
should tolerate bad behavior. You can still try to get them to change
how they behave, but you can do it without anger.

**Unconditionally Accept Life**

Many bad things may happen to you in your life, but you don't have to
view them as terrible, because you can handle them and even be happy in
spite of them. Therefore, it's not the bad things that upset you ---
it's your view of them. Feeling bad comes from demanding that something
turn out a certain way.

"A demand says, 'I have to have something, or to have something turn out
a certain way, and it's terrible and I'm no good if I don't have it,' "
says Ellis. "You don't need life to be good. It's preferable, of course
--- highly preferable --- but it's not a necessity."

*Harriet Meyerson spoke with Albert Ellis, Ph.D., the creator of
Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy and author of* Feeling Better, Getting
Better, Staying Bette*r, Impact Publishers Inc., 2001, \$15.95.*

**wellness quiz**

What Do You Know About Alcohol Abuse?

**1. Alcohol abuse is greatest among which of these age groups?**

a\. 15- to 17-year-olds

b\. 18- to 29-year-olds

c\. 30- to 54-year-olds

d\. 55 and older

**2. How many drinks per day is defined as low or moderate alcohol
consumption for women?**

a\. one

b\. two

c\. three

d\. four

**3. Which of these is a symptom of alcohol abuse?**

a\. feeling guilty about drinking

b\. drinking alone

c\. morning nausea, shakiness

d\. all of the above

**4. If not stopped, alcoholism can decrease your life by how many
years?**

a.  20 years

b.  15 years

c.  10 years

d.  5 years

Alcohol Abuse Answers

1\. B --- 18- TO 29-YEAR-OLDS. One in every 13 adults abuses alcohol;
the highest rate is among young adults.

2\. A --- ONE. For men, it's two drinks.

3\. D --- ALL OF THE ABOVE. The bottom line: You're abusing alcohol if
you experience negative consequences when you drink.

4\. B --- 15 YEARS. Alcoholism increases the risk of certain cancers,
pancreatitis and liver damage.

**DIGEST**

**Deep vein thrombosis,** the development of blood clots in deep veins,
can occur during long airline flights. Portions of these clots can break
loose and travel to the lungs, causing acute breathing difficulty and
cardiac arrest.

To help prevent the problem: Drink plenty of water while in the air. Get
up and walk around the plane several times. Stretch your legs and rotate
your feet while seated. **VOD884**

*University of Washington Health Science and Medical Affairs, Seattle.*

**Middle-aged men** who spent a total of at least two hours a week doing
vigorous exercise had a 60 percent lower risk of heart attack than
sedentary men did, one study found.

*The New England Journal of Medicine, P.O. Box 9135,Waltham, MA 02254,
weekly, \$120.56/yr.*

**Use a tartar-control toothpaste** if your dentist says you have a
plaque problem. But because such a paste can be abrasive, alternate
using it with a regular-formula product.

*Real Simple, Rockefeller Center, New York, NY 10020, 10 times a year,
\$19.95/yr.*

**To eat more healthfully,** 57 percent of Americans say they have
reduced their use of saturated fat/oils when preparing food at home; 49
percent have reduced their use of salt; 48 percent eat more fresh
fruits/vegetables; 48 percent have reduced their use of sugar; and44
percent use more olive oil.

*International Communications Research, Media, PA.*

**Always clear your desk at the end of the day.** That way, when you
arrive the next morning, you'll automatically address the most important
issue, not the one still staring you in the face from the day before.

*10 Minute Guide to Managing Your Time by Jeff Davidson, Macmillan USA,
2000, \$10.95.*

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**V** DIGEST

*Information published in* Let's Talk *is the opinion of the sourced
authors. Personal decisions regarding health, finance, exercise and
other matters should be made after consultation with the reader's
professional advisers. All models are used for illustrative purposes
only.*

*Copyright © 2003 Health Ink & Vitality Communications. All editorial
rights reserved.*