Jump Start Your Weight Loss Plan the Right Way

I just recently attended an excellent lecture. The speaker was Mary O’Brien M.D. and she covered a lot of information during an interesting and fast paced 6 hours. One of the most interesting topics was related to how getting adequate sleep was tied to maintaining a healthy weight. She went so far as to give her own instructions to effectively start losing weight. Here is a basic overview of her weight loss plan.

For the first two weeks get some sleep.

The only thing you should do during the first 2 weeks is develop good sleep habits. If you are not getting adequate and restful sleep it will be difficult to lose weight or to maintain a healthy weight. When you get a good night’s sleep there are many chemical processes occurring in your body which are essential for proper health.

Deep sleep is restorative and your body uses this time to repair muscles, connective tissues and the immune system. This time is also used to produce hormones such as growth hormone and leptin. Growth hormone plays an important role in maintaining a healthy weight and muscle mass. When leptin is low you get hungry, therefore it is important to get enough sleep so your body will produce plenty of leptin.

Also, a lack of sleep has been shown to increase cortisol levels. Prolonged elevations in cortisol levels can result in increased body fat, increased muscle loss, decreased immune function and decreased ability to repair tissues. The advertised cortisol blockers have not been shown to prevent these problems. You need to get a good night’s sleep.

In the first 2 weeks if you focus your energy on getting about 8 hours of restful sleep you are creating a chemical environment which will allow your body to take full advantage of the following steps. If you don’t do this first step you are less likely to succeed in your weight loss attempt. If you find during this 2 weeks you are having trouble getting a good night’s sleep, talk to your doctor. Also check out the healthy habits of good sleep.

The next two weeks you increase activity

Once you have established a healthy sleep pattern, you are ready to progress to this phase. Continue to get enough quality sleep and add activity to your day. You can add activity any number of ways. The ideal would be to include muscle building exercises and cardiovascular exercises.

Every day look for ways to increase your activity level. Walk around the house during TV commercials, do not use the drive through at the bank and store. Walk around the supermarket twice before you put anything in the cart. Park further away so you have to walk further. Do more gardening. Take an aerobics class. Find things you can do to challenge your body.

You should try to do some exercise every day that makes you break a sweat and gets your heart rate up. Remember, the less you do the less you will be able to do as you age. It is very important that you remain active and challenge your body.

The following two weeks you will cut calories

You have now mastered a healthy sleep routine and have increased the amount of activity in your life. Now is the time to address the food portion. You will not lose weight if you are eating more calories than your body uses. Your body is using more calories because you are now more active but you need change what you eat.

To efficiently lose weight you must cut back on sugar, starches, oils and salts. You also need to increase the amount of water you drink and avoid “diet” drinks and foods. Artificial sweeteners do not help with weight loss. Look around at all the fat people eating and drinking “diet” products. They do not work. Eat more fruits and vegetables and smaller portions of everything else.

Notice the only thing eliminated above are items with artificial sweeteners. The rest of the plan is an increase in healthy foods and a decrease in the less healthy. You use smaller portions and decrease total calories but no food is eliminated completely.

In addition to smaller portions, you should consider eating more frequently. A healthy snack between meals will help curb your appetite and you will feel less hungry when the next meal comes along. Also, smaller mealtime portions are more likely to satisfy you than if you had not snacked.

Conclusion

This advice just scratches the surface. There is a lot more information to be found about each category above. I hope this information gets you on the right track. Start tonight, get a good night’s sleep and you will be on your way to a healthier lifestyle.

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How to Protect Yourself From Medication Errors.

Medication Error Definition

Here is the definition of medication error provided by The National Coordinating Council for Medication Error Reporting and Prevention (NCCMERP). A medication error is “any preventable event that may cause or lead to inappropriate medication use or patient harm while the medication is in the control of the health care professional, patient, or consumer. Such events may be related to professional practice, health care products, procedures, and systems, including prescribing; order communication; product labeling, packaging, and nomenclature; compounding; dispensing; distribution; administration; education; monitoring; and use.”

As you can see, a medication error can occur at any time and can involve anyone in the process of getting the correct medication to the intended person. Everyone involved in the process also has a responsibility to prevent an error from happening. Yearly, community pharmacies dispense over 3 billion prescriptions. It is estimated the error rate in the dispensing process is between 0.26% and 24%. Many of these errors are significant enough to cause harm.

The Institute of Medicine published a report in 2006 estimating there to be at least 1.5 million adverse drug events in the United States every year. This number includes all settings such as hospitals and long term care facilities. They state the true number may be even higher.

To combat medication errors all the medical professions are working on ways to reduce errors. In order for these efforts to be effective the Institute of Medicine states a comprehensive approach is required to prevent errors from happening. There will need to be changes from doctors, nurses, pharmacists, other health professionals, the Food and Drug Administration, other government agencies and from patients.

You, the patient, need to be directly involved in preventing errors and there are lots of things you can do to take an active role. Here are tips from the FDA

• Know the names of your medications – Ask the doctor the drug name when he writes a prescription so you can tell if you are given something different when you get the prescription filled.

• Ask questions – How do I take this? What can I expect? What if I miss a dose? What side effects are possible?

• Know what the medication is for – By knowing what your medication is for you are more likely to understand how to take it, what to expect from the medication, and you will be better able to report if you are having problems with it.

• Read the medication’s labels and follow the directions – Before you use a medication you should know when to use it, how much to take, how frequently and for how long. Read the label every time. There are many reports of people taking the wrong medicine in the middle of the night because they did not turn on the light to read the label.

• Tell all your healthcare providers all of your medications – You should keep an up to date list of the medications you take. This should include prescriptions, over the counter medications, vitamins and herbal/natural products. They cannot make an informed review without complete information.

• Keep this list with you – You should have this list with you at all times and let a loved one know where you keep it. You should also have a copy at home.

Additional tips from PharmerDon

• When the doctor writes the prescription, make sure you can read it. The prescription should be clearly written with no abbreviations which are often misinterpreted. A type written or computer generated prescription is even better.
• Avoid letting the doctor’s office call the prescription in to the pharmacy. There is less chance of an error if you bring the prescription to the pharmacy or the doctor sends it electronically.
• Stay with one pharmacy for all of your prescriptions. If all your medicine is on file in one location the pharmacist can screen for interactions and other problems.
• Avoid transferring your prescriptions from one pharmacy to another. I have seen errors occur when a prescription is transferred between pharmacies. Some people pharmacy hop because of the “free gift card” when you transfer a prescription. The more a prescription is moved around the greater the chance for a mistake.
• Take an active role in understanding your medicine and managing your condition. The better you understand your medicine and your condition the more likely you will receive appropriate therapy and the smaller the chance of an error getting past you.
• Periodically (about every 6 months) ask your doctor to review your medications. Ask if there are any that can be stopped or if there are potential problems. You can ask your pharmacy to do the same.
• Always verify the medication you received from the pharmacy is the same the doctor wrote on the prescription. For refills verify pills look the same as the previous time. Question any differences you notice.
• Always keep medications in the original container with the pharmacy label on it.
• Don’t take someone else’s medications. It may not be right for you or it may interact with your other medications.

Conclusion

Remember, everyone is human and capable of errors. No one wants to make a mistake but it only takes a brief lapse of concentration for someone to make a potentially serious mistake. Do your part, be involved and ask questions. You are the last one involved in medication administration. Be confident the medication you are taking is the correct one for you.

More information about medication safety at www.learnaboutrxsafety.org/

Report an error http://www.fda.gov/medwatch/how.htm

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Using Zinc to Treat a Cold

What is a Cold?

The common cold is a contagious disease caused by a virus. It affects mainly the nose and throat and symptoms are usually mild consisting of runny nose, sneezing, congestion, watery eyes, sore throat, and cough. It is self limiting and resolves in about a week or two. Most adults will have 1 to 2 colds per year and children may have up to 10 colds per year.

What is Zinc?

Zinc is a metallic element. It has many commercial uses. In the body, zinc is considered to be an essential trace element. This means it is needed for normal functioning but only small amounts are needed to maintain proper health. Zinc is involved in over 100 chemical reactions in the body. As a result zinc helps support a healthy immune system, is needed for wound healing, is required for DNA synthesis and helps to maintain the ability to taste and smell.

How does it help with colds?

It is not known for sure how zinc can help with a cold. There is a theory that zinc ions (the active charged zinc) inhibit the viruses that cause a cold from binding to the tissues in the sinuses.

What the research says.

There are a lot of different studies with mixed results. Many older studies had mixed results, were poorly designed and small in size. Many of the newer studies have shown a more positive benefit although most of these studies also have flaws in them. It is not clear how much of a benefit to expect from using zinc but it may decrease the duration and severity of cold symptoms. The only formulas of zinc to show a benefit were zinc acetate and zinc gluconate. The zinc gluconate was the more effective of these two.

How should I take zinc?

Zinc lozenges such as Cold-Eeze® should be started within 24 hours of onset of cold symptoms. Dissolve them in the mouth without chewing every 2 to 4 hours for a total of 6 per day (about 80mg of zinc per day) or follow the package instructions. Continue taking zinc until cold symptoms disappear. If symptoms persist for more than 7 to 10 days or fever or stomach ache develop then a doctor should be consulted.

What about Intranasal Zinc?

The research comparing oral zinc with intranasal zinc shows that the intranasal product is no more effective than the oral products. Also, there is reports of intranasal zinc causing a loss of sense of smell in some people.

This side effect is common enough that one manufacturer removed their product form the market when people started complaining to the FDA. (The company claimed they removed the product …“because the product has not developed into a viable entry in the nasal spray cold remedy category”)

As a result intranasal zinc is not recommended. Zinc lozenges are just as effective without the risk of losing your sense of smell.

Side Effects of Using Zinc.

There are some side effects that could occur while taking zinc. These include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, bad (metallic) taste, mouth irritation and rarely mouth sores.

There are more severe problems from taking too much zinc over a long time. These problems can include heart problems including arrythmias, severe vomiting, dehydration, impaired immunity, anemia and copper deficiency.

Conclusion

The jury is still out on the benefits of zinc in treating the common cold but few other treatments if any show as much promise. If you chose to give it a try, stick with oral zinc lozenges with zinc gluconate. Do not use the nasal products as there is a risk of losing your ability to smell. Use the selected product at first sign of a cold until the symptoms disappear then discontinue treatment. If you have a fever or more sever symptoms see a doctor. Also see a doctor of symptoms persist beyond 7 to 10 days.

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Chronic Inflammation Linked to Heart Disease and Stroke

What Is Inflammation?

Inflammation is the body’s response to injury or infection. Normally this is a chain of events meant to promote tissue repair.

What is Chronic Inflammation?

This is inflammation that is not triggered in response to injury or infection. The body’s normal system of protection and repair actually turns on itself and results in tissue damage.

Why is this Important?

Almost half of all heart attacks occur in people with normal cholesterol. A marker for inflammation is a chemical called C-reactive protein. In 2002 the New England Journal of Medicine published a study in women showing a link between increased C-reactive protein level and an increase in heart problems like stoke and heart attacks. The researchers state that C-reactive protein was a stronger predictor of cardiovascular events than LDL cholesterol.

Does decreasing inflammation decrease risk?

In January 2005 there were 2 studies in the New England Journal of Medicine that show the potential benefits of lowering C-reactive protein levels. The first study took people who had suffered a heart attack and gave them drug therapy to lower cholesterol and C-reactive protein. They found those with lower cholesterol had a lower cardiac risk, but they also found those who had lower C-reactive protein levels also had lower cardiac risks. This benefit was independent of the benefit of lowering cholesterol.

In the second study, people who had atherosclerosis (partially blocked diseased arteries) were given therapy to lower cholesterol and C-reactive protein. There was less progression of artery disease in the group who had the lowest C-reactive protein. This benefit was independent of lowering cholesterol level.

Latest Research

In the November 20 New England Journal of Medicine there is a medical study in which researchers treated apparently healthy people who had high C-reactive protein but normal cholesterol. One group was given medication to lower the C-reactive protein and the other was given a placebo. They were then followed to see if they would develop heart problems. The treated group suffered almost half the heart attacks and strokes as those who were not treated. The results were so significant, the researchers stopped the study 3 years early to offer treatment to all the study participants.

How are C-reactive protein and inflammation reduced?

In the above studies C-reactive protein was reduced by cholesterol lowering drugs known as statins. These are well known to lower both cholesterol and more recently C-reactive protein. There is also evidence that diet, exercise, weight loss and quitting smoking can lower C-reactive protein and inflammation. Trans fats in the diet have been shown to increase C-reactive protein and inflammation.

Conclusion

While it may still be too early to test everyone for C-reactive protein and treat a high level, it certainly is something you should discuss with your doctor. If you are at a low risk for cardiovascular disease you may not need to worry about C-reactive protein levels. If you are at moderate risk, knowing this level may help to direct your treatment. A high C-reactive protein may indicate more aggressive therapy is needed Finally, if you are at high cardiovascular risk, you need aggressive cholesterol reduction therapy which in turn will help lower C-reactive protein. Whatever your situation, eat a healthy low-fat diet with lots of fruits and vegetables and follow an exercise program. A healthy lifestyle will help your medication achieve the best possible results.

Where can I get more information?

One excellent source of information is the American heart Association website. Here is their explanation of Inflammation and the role of C-reactive protein.

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