We are heading towards the big three holidays: Thanksgiving, Christmas/Hanukkah, and New Years. We have all seen the movies. You know the ones. The ones with scenes where there are mild, funny conflicts and then everyone makes up and there is a happy holiday ending. Wouldn’t it be great if life worked that way? I am not saying that holidays cannot be fun and happy. However, when families’ get together there is usually some element of drama and it can be stressful.

When expectations of a wonderful holiday are not fulfilled many of us are tempted to self medicate with food, alcohol and even drugs. That is why it is so important to learn productive ways to deal with holiday stress. Eating a healthy diet, exercise and deep breathing and meditation techniques help. Finding a funny movie as a diversion might take the edge off as well.

Life is rarely as bright and fun-filled as it seems in the movies or on television. We all have our “stuff“ regardless of how it looks from the outside looking in. That is something I have learned as a physician and the keeper of people’s secrets. Even those who look like they have everything, have issues.

Many people look to the holidays as the time when those issues may be resolved or at least put aside. If that does not happen and you find yourself upset, rather than reaching for the cookies when you feel family pressures go for a walk around the block. A quick trick is the 4-7-8 breathing method. Inhale for a count of 4 hold your breath for a count of 7 and then let it out for a count of 8. Do it for a cycle of three 4-7-8’s and you will find yourself calming down.

Stay healthy over the holidays by making positive choices when faced with stress. You will feel better and develop some good coping mechanisms to handle difficult situations now and in the future.

There are many foods we hear about that are considered junk food and often on the “forbidden” list, but they really aren’t bad for you. Here are a few that may surprise you – just in time for the holidays!

Sour Cream

It is true that sour cream is 90% fat. However, it is usually only eaten in small quantities. A serving of sour cream is two tablespoons and is only 52 calories. This is less saturated fat than is in a 12-ounce glass of 2% milk.

Coconut

Coconut is packed with saturated fat. However half the fat is lauric acid. A recent review has found that lauric acid can increase the LDL or “bad” cholesterol levels, but it boosts the HDL or “good” cholesterol more. The rest of the fat is made up of medium chain fatty acids, which are neutral. A pinch of unsweetened shredded coconut can make a nice snack, or at least can add some flavor to another snack. Just don’t overdo it as it is high in calories.

Chocolate

Chocolate has been given a bad rap in the past. However, dark chocolate is rich in flavonoids. These compounds (also found in green tea and red wine) have been found to reduce inflammation and relax blood vessels, improve blood flow, and even improve your mood. Three ounces a day can decrease blood pressure. Once again, moderation is the key when it comes to eating chocolate. The recommended amount is the equivalent of 2 Hershey kisses a day.

Pork Rinds

Pork rinds are made from fried pigskin. Sounds fatty?! However, a one-ounce serving contains 9 grams of fat, 17 grams of protein and NO carbohydrates. Almost half the fat is unsaturated and in the form of oleic acid (the same healthy fat found in olive oil); the rest is saturated fat that is in the form of stearic acid and considered harmless. The key, if you like these, is not to go overboard.

Beef Jerky

Beef jerky is often thought to be high in preservatives and not particularly healthy. However, it doesn’t have to be unhealthy if you get the right brands. It is a great high protein snack that won’t raise your insulin levels. The key is to find it with all natural ingredients (without MSG, sodium nitrate and chemicals). For variety and omega-3 fatty acids, make sure to get grass-fed beef or give salmon jerky a try!

The holidays are on their way and the urge to stuff ourselves along with the turkey will be a temptation. What can we do to avoid the pitfalls?

Nutritionists and scientists have long tried to unlock the secrets of overeating. But some of the best information is coming from an unexpected source: marketing experts! It turns out that even the most self-aware individuals are subject to mindless eating.

Most of the research comes from a marketing professor, Dr Brian Wansink, from Stanford University. He wrote a book called Mindless Eating: Why We Eat More Than We Think.

Interesting things to know

* Package size counts
In one study, two groups of people were given free, but stale (five-days old) popcorn while watching a movie. Half of the group got a medium-sized tub; the other got a large tub. The people with the larger tubs ate 53 percent more than those with the medium tubs. They ate the popcorn regardless of taste (five-day-old movie popcorn? YUK!) because it was there and they were distracted by the movie.

* People use visual clues to stop eating
In another study, Dr. Wansink rigged a soup bowl to continuously fill with tomato soup essentially making it bottomless. The eaters with the rigged soup bowls ate on average six ounces more soup than those with a regular bowl. This means that most people ignore how full they feel and eat until they clean their plates.

• Our eating is influenced by color
People will eat more M&M’s when they are multicolored than when they are all one color. People also eat more in a yellow or red room (think about the colors at McDonald’s), and eat less in a blue room.

• We are influenced by those who eat around us
People are more likely to eat faster (and larger amounts) if those around them are shoveling food into their mouths.

• Sound and distraction matters
Playing fast music while eating will cause you to eat more. And every parent knows that kids (and adults) eat more when in front of a TV.

Some tips to help you avoid overeating:

* Eat slowly (or pick a slow eater to sit next to at the next dinner party). It takes ten to 20 minutes for your brain to register that your gut is full.

* Use smaller bowls and plates. Since we all have a tendency to clean our plates and bowls, start small and use smaller utensils as well.

* Never eat directly from the box or bag (think cookies and chips). You can’t see how much you’re eating, which means you won’t remember how many calories you’re consuming.

* Beware of buffets. Use a small plate and only put two items on the plate at a time.

* Be aware of your surroundings. Always sit down to eat and try not to eat in front of the TV. When you choose restaurants, gravitate toward the quiet ones that are painted blue!

Mindless eating contributes to the gradual weight gain that many of us experience as we age. By being aware of some of the cues that trigger overeating, you can turn gradual weight gain into weight loss!

Winter is coming and so is cold and flu season. There are many ways that you can improve your immunity and protect yourself. It can be as simple as eating the right foods and exercising!

Foods that Boost your Immunity

Omega 3 fatty acids that are found in fish, flaxseed, and walnuts reduce inflammation and help strengthen the immune system. You might want to shoot for at least two servings a week.

Protein

Zinc is important for white blood cells to function properly. The white blood cells are the cells that fight infection. Zinc is found in protein such as lean meats, chicken, eggs, and tofu. It is also found in fortified foods. It is important to eat adequate amounts of these zinc-containing proteins.

Fruits and Vegetables

Brightly colored fruits and vegetables are loaded with phytonutrients. Phytonutrients improve the immune system and can help to fight cancers as well. Not to mention, they are just plain good for you!

Citrus

Citrus fruits contain vitamin C. This vitamin can help ward off colds. Although you can find it in supplements, it is probably more effective if you can get it in food such as oranges and grapefruit.

Nuts

Nuts contain vitamin E. Vitamin E is an antioxidant vitamin that helps to fight colds and upper respiratory infections. The best nuts for vitamin E are sunflower seeds (1/4 cup), almonds (1/4 cup) and 2-3 Brazil nuts (they also contain selenium).

Garlic

Garlic has immune boosting properties that fight bacteria and viruses. If you have a cold, the best way to use garlic is to chop it up and swallow it. You can use it as a paste on bread or mixed in applesauce. Don’t chew it if you don’t want your breath to smell!

Chicken Soup

The hot liquid of chicken soup clears the nasal passages. However, something about most chicken soup helps boost the immune system and helps to fight colds. Whether it is the soup or the love with which it is cooked, chicken soup works!

Mushrooms

Mitake, Shitake, and Reishi mushrooms are among the mushrooms that help boost the immune system. You can stir fry them or get them in capsules (fungi.com). Better yet, put them in your chicken soup!

Probiotics

Probiotics have been found to improve the immune system. In China, a study of small children who were treated with a mixture of Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium daily had 59% fewer runny noses and used 82% fewer antibiotics. They missed 32% fewer school days than those who did not take probiotics.

Exercise

Regular, moderate exercise allows the cells that fight viruses and bacteria to circulate more quickly throughout the body. While they are getting an energy boost, they give your immunity a big boost. The more you exercise, the longer lasting the immune effect. That is another reason why exercise is so important.

In Summary

By eating well and exercising, you can increase your odds of having a healthy cold-free winter!

There have been two recent studies that have shown vitamins may be harmful to our health. There have been studies in the past showing just the opposite. Who do we believe and what do we do?

A study of 39,000 women found that women over 55 who took multivitamins may have a slightly increased risk of early mortality than those who do not. When looking closely at the study many of the women were taking multivitamins with iron. Postmenopausal women without iron deficiency should not be taking iron. It can increase the chance of heart disease, the number one killer of women. In addition, we do not know what prompted the vitamin use in this group of women. It could be that they were not feeling well and looked to vitamins to make a difference.

Another study of 35,000 men found that 400 IU’s of Vitamin E in the form of dl-alpha tocopherol daily were at increased risk for developing prostate cancer. This study implies that men should not be taking vitamin E in this synthetic form. Vitamin E in natural form is a mix of 8 different antioxidant tocopherols and tocotrienols. When one piece of a vitamin is extracted it may not be effective and could possibly be harmful.

What is a person to do? I have an idea. Just as it is probably not a good thing to pick apart vitamins and take them. It is probably not a great idea to take vitamins outside their natural source. What do I mean by that? The best way to get vitamins and minerals is in food. That is the healthiest and safest source.

For vitamin C, eat citrus fruits. For Vitamin E eat nuts such as almonds and walnuts. For selenium, all you need is one or two Brazil nuts a day. For vitamin A, the safest source is food that contains beta-carotene such as carrots and sweet potatoes. Liver is another good source. The only vitamin that is tough to get in food is Vitamin D. It is absorbed through the skin but as we age or if we use sunscreen we may not get enough this way. You might require a supplement for that. Calcium is also hard to get if you are not a milk drinker.

I agree that all these studies are confusing. I doubt we will ever know the true positive or negative effects of vitamin and mineral supplements. There are variable manufacturing practices, a zillion brands and combinations and there is a consistency problem. Therefore, I feel strongly that we should get our vitamins the old fashioned way, the way mother nature intended, by eating healthy nutrient packed food.

When my children became teenagers, I remember asking myself where my sons went and who was in their place? It seemed like overnight they had been abducted by aliens. My sweet lovable sons had turned into surly, know-it-all strangers.

Now I know what happened. Past scientific thought looked at the teenage brain as being similar to an adult brain. That is not the case. Research has found that the teenage brain is truly a work in progress. It is a miraculous organ that is capable of learning and multitasking faster than the speed of light. Adolescence is a time when they can amass large amounts of knowledge.

In addition, taking drugs and drinking alcohol are considered learned behaviors. The impact of these substances is far greater in teens than adults. That is why the chance for addiction in the teen years is great.

The problem is that the frontal lobes of the brain are not quite connected at this point and they have not finished developing. The frontal lobes are necessary for executive function. They provide insight and judgment and are important for seeing the impact of their actions on others. That may be why many teens make poor choices, get in car accidents, experiment with risky behaviors; you get the idea. That is why they need us!

We need to educate them on the benefits of healthy choices and be available to help them when they find themselves in complicated situations. I think it is important to be their parents and not their friends. Guide them and help them with their executive functions until they can take over, which will be when they are in their late 20’s. A parent’s work is never done, and this is a critical time when it is important for everyone to be on his or her game.

In 1998 when Dr Andrew Wakefield published his article in the Lancet (an esteemed British medical journal) that connected autism and the MMR vaccine, it caused a major sensation. The other thing that happened was that it caused a panic among parents in England that spread to the United States. Eleven years later, the medical board in England denounced Wakefield and his study.

Why did it take them so long? There have been multiple studies to show that there is no link between autism and the MMR vaccine. Wakefield had not been honest about the fact that he had been paid by lawyers representing the parents of children with autism who were suing the vaccine companies. He also paid many of his subjects some of whom he got from his son’s birthday party.

How is it that a small study done by someone who behaved unethically was able to have such a huge influence on parent’s behavior? This is something that has caused harm to children around the world. Measles, mumps and rubella can cause serious problems and even death. Fear of the autism connection to vaccines has bled over into other vaccines as well.

It is important that journal review boards do their due diligence. By not acting sooner with Dr Wakefield there has been serious harm done to children and families. Unfortunately, regardless of the evidence, the idea of the autism vaccine connection has taken on a life of its own. Unless rational behavior prevails, more children will continue to be harmed.

A recent survey of parents has found that as many as 17% are choosing not to vaccinate their children. As many as 55% of parents have chosen to follow their own schedule for vaccination. Some are choosing to eliminate certain vaccines. Unfortunately, this sets us up for a perfect storm.

I recommend that parents sit down with their childrens health care providers and come up with a rational plan that works for both parties. Because of these unhealthy choices, with the frequency of world travel there is great potential for the spread of preventable diseases that can still cause deadly epidemics.

I recently attended a conference that was all about pain. Did you know that pain is a significant problem for 116 million Americans?

Pain is one of those things that we all have experienced at some point in our lives. The kind of pain that occurs with a broken bone, a skinned knee or the pain that occurs while the doctor is doing a C-section and the anesthesia wears off (I have personal experience with this one) are what we call acute pain. This type of pain has a resolution and is generally short-lived.

Pain that is sometimes left after back surgery, fibromyalgia pain, and any pain that continues beyond several months is considered chronic pain. It often does not resolve completely but can be reduced in intensity.

There are certain types of pain that can improve with opioid medication such as hydrocodone but there are other types of pain that do not. Many doctors as well as patients assume that all pain should respond to pain medication, which is not always the case. That is why it is important to come up with alternative strategies to help.

There is one thing that is the key to treating chronic pain. That one thing is to find a doctor or provider who is your partner in care. Without that, you will be chasing your tail. There are providers out there who can help. You just have to find them. You need someone who will help evaluate the cause of the pain and help come up with a plan to reduce it.

Strategies to help may include medication but also treatments such as physical therapy, meditation, yoga, tai chi, acupuncture, massage, and laugh therapy to name a few. It is important to eat healthy and exercise even if it is just a small amount of low intensity exercise each day.

You may find that relief of your pain does not come in a pill but within yourself along with the help of your doctor who is your partner in health.

A recent study has found that coffee drinking is linked to a reduced risk of depression in older women. That got me thinking. As a regular coffee drinker I have wondered for years why coffee has gotten a bad rap. The truth is that coffee definitely has some beneficial effects.

Coffee has been found to reduce the risk of several diseases including; Parkinson’s disease, type 2 diabetes, cirrhosis of the liver in alcoholics, gallstones, kidney stones, asthma and even Alzheimer’s disease.

Many years ago it was thought that coffee drinking was linked to pancreatic cancer. However, when the data was re-analyzed, the majority of coffee drinkers in the study were also smokers and it was really the cigarette smoking that increased the risk for pancreatic cancer not the coffee.

Are there any negative effects of coffee? There are a few. It can stimulate abnormal heart rhythms in those that are prone to rhythm problems. Caffeine can interfere with sleep. It can cause anxiety, and heartburn. If you drink a lot of coffee without milk, it can leach calcium from bones. If you drink boiled as opposed to drip coffee, it can increase the bad or LDL cholesterol in the blood.

Finally, there is an addiction factor. If a regular coffee drinker quits suddenly, they will most likely develop a headache. After a few days it will subside.

All in all, for me the benefits outweigh the risks. I enjoy the ritual of coffee drinking as well as the stimulation that gets my brain going in the morning. What I have learned over the years is moderation. I make sure that I quit drinking coffee by 2PM so it does not keep me awake and I restrict myself to 2-3 cups a day. I also add cream or milk. The recent results of the above mentioned study showing that it may also reduce depression in older women just affirms my decision to keep on drinking it!

Have you noticed that using public restrooms has gotten complicated? There are a dozen varieties of towel dispensers and faucets. Some towel machines require you to wave your hands in front of them, others use a knob and then others you just pull out the bottom the old-fashioned way. As for the faucets, some are triggered by waving your hands under them. Others require you to punch the top and then there is the traditional turn the knob faucets.

Going to the bathroom has become an intellectual exercise. Sometimes I find myself waving my hands in front of towel dispensers and under faucets only to find out that it is the old-fashioned towel and faucet combo. I have spoken to my friends and I am not alone. Instead of feeling like a complete fool, I have decided to treat it as a brain game.

The brain is our most precious organ. It is important to keep it as healthy as possible. We know that it shrinks as we age making multitasking difficult. There are many things that we can do to improve neural connections and function.

Exercising, keeping blood pressure down, lowering elevated cholesterol, and maintaining a healthy weight are all important. Exercising the brain is crucial. If you don’t use it you can lose it. To keep the brain active it is important to learn new things. You can challenge yourself such as trying things left handed if you are right handed and performing intellectual exercises.

Now I have added one more, the bathroom challenge. Try and figure out what type of towel dispenser and faucet are in front of you. The next time you catch yourself waving at the towel dispenser or placing your hands under the faucet and you guessed wrong, just smile and say to those around you that you are just playing the brain game!