Reduce Your Fatigue Threshold

Managing fatigue and reducing your fatigue threshold are essential to maintaining maximum performance. No one can work at peak efficiency when he or she is exhausted all the time. According to Dr. Hans Seyle, a leading stress researcher, we all have an energetic savings account and a checking account. If you consistently overdraw your energetic checking account—your daily energy reserves— through overwork, unmanaged stress, and ignored health warnings, eventually your checking account will empty and you will have to draw on your savings account—the body’s emergency energy reserves.
Many years ago Lomas Brown, an NFL player on the offensive line for the Detroit Lions, came to me because he was having problems with his knee joints. Since the NFL is always looking for bigger, stronger, and faster linemen, Lomas’s weight was 310 pounds. When I ran him through our health checks, I discovered that his Body Mass Index and his body fat composition were much too high.
At this point, Lomas had already played eight years on the defensive line. He knew that he didn’t have the energy of a rookie anymore. He wanted to improve his performance so he could stay in the game for a few more years, but he couldn’t do this unless something changed for him. He also knew that overweight offensive and defensive linemen had a 50 percent greater chance of dropping dead of a heart attack than the average man on the street. He wanted to be around to enjoy his children and his grandchildren when his career was over.
Since Lomas was a seasoned veteran with some of the best technique I’d ever seen, there was only one suggestion I could make. I told him, “Since the quickest way to compromise technique is to become tired out, let’s work on improving your fatigue threshold by dropping your weight and getting you better conditioned.”
Soon we had his weight down to 280 pounds, with more lean muscle and less body fat. But then Lomas said, “Mackie, that’s all fine and good, but my offensive lineman coach wants me to weigh in at 295.”
I said, “But you’ve also had knee surgery. Increasing your weight will be harder on your knees in the long run, so I think we’ll have to keep your weight down lower if you want to achieve your goal. Talk to your agent. Tell him ‘When I go into the preseason training camp, weigh me in at 295 automatically. Let my statistics speak for me. If I do what I need to do, then my coach can just assume I’m 295 pounds.’”
Lomas followed this advice and became all-pro that year. He’s been all-pro for a total of nine seasons. At a final weight of 276 pounds, he became the lightest player in the NFL at left tackle.
When he first came to me, he only wanted to squeeze another three years out of his career. But he got an additional nine, as one of the highest paid left tackles in the game—and he’s still playing as of this writing. He learned how to improve his performance by managing his fatigue.
Since you are born with only a limited amount of energy, the key to maintaining a high level of performance and productivity is learning how to manage that energy. There are several ways to do this:

• Your heart has only a finite number of beats in it before it stops forever, but you do not have to squander those beats because your aerobic conditioning is poor. Through exercise,
  you can always develop a lower resting heart rate.
• Get regular health checkups.
• Make sure you get enough sleep.
• Keep your weight within acceptable limits.
• Manage your stress.
  

Reduce Your Health Age to Increase Your Performance Levels

All of us have a chronological age and a health age. One of the hardest tasks we face in the workplace and in life is learning how to manage our health and performance so that the wear and tear of the job doesn’t make us old before our time.
We have all seen men and women who slow down and become old before their time, with a health age much greater than their chronological age. The person who burns the candle at both ends might be fifty but looks and feels like he’s seventy.
On the other hand, we all know incredibly youthful and energetic individuals who might be fifty, but look, feel, and perform like a thirty-year-old. Their health age—their general level of fitness—is below their chronological age. The factors that determine our health age include body fat percentage, resting heart rate, upper body and lower back strength, metabolic rate (normal thyroid), cholesterol, fasting glucose, and triglyceride levels. Those in our society who have a lower health age are the new elite because they have the energy to perform dynamically while others are struggling to maintain the status quo. For example, I have one sixty-seven-year-old
client, Alvin Edinburgh, who is so fit he was chosen to be one of the Olympic torchbearers.
When I turned fifty, my doctor told me I had the health age of a nineteen-year-old. This is not just luck or good genes. It has everything to do with how you manage your greatest asset, your health. Achieving and maintaining optimum health in your thirties, forties, and fifties are governed by very specific lifestyle choices—as are maintaining physical vitality, a good mental outlook, and passion during your last decades of life. The best news is that it is never too late to start.
Doctors used to say that our health was 50 percent heredity and 50 percent environment. They have since revised those percentages to 33 percent heredity and 66 percent environment. So aside from serious injuries or inherited health problems, you have a tremendous amount of control over your health age and, therefore, your performance age.

Don’t Procrastinate – Improve Your Health

What kind of lifestyle changes are best? Those that instill the health habits we teach with The Bragg Healthy Lifestyle! A low-fat, vegetarian diet is crucial for the free and unimpeded flow of blood through your body. Reducing fat in your diet also stimulates weight loss, which, in turn, contributes to reduced blood pressure. Finally, make exercise a fixed part of your daily routine and learn to breathe deeply and relax, freeing yourself of stress while you fill yourself with ample fresh oxygen. Begin today to make this Bragg Healthy Lifestyle a lifelong happy habit! It is bringing miracles to millions.
Please listen to Dr. Claude Lenfant, Director, National Heart, Lung & Blood Institute. He says Lifestyle changes alone can actually reverse the conditions of heart disease. When it comes to making the kind of changes needed for healthy and happy living, the truly important thing is making those changes happen. However, actually doing it, living it, making it happen – this is what counts! So don’t play procrastinating games with yourself! The moment you think, Do I have time to do this right now? is the moment to stop asking and start doing. The moment you think, I want a big steak for dinner, is the time to open up a vegetarian cookbook with pictures and discover healthy, tasty new recipes. Wepromise you will find recipes more delicious, healthy and satisfying than steak. If you do eat meat, limit it to 1 to 3 times a week and be sure it’s hormone-free and organically fed without harmful chemicals.
Millions of successful Bragg students will tell you the same thing: the beginning is the most difficult. The in-between moment after you decide you want to become healthier and before you begin to act on that decision, is the hardest. Example: the moment before you put one leg in front of the other on the first step of your brisk walk is the hardest moment of the exercise.

Feel the Difference between Arousal and Relaxation

In her book The High Performance Mind: Mastering Brainwaves for Insight, Healing, and Creativity, Anna Wise offers some simple exercises to help you become aware of the difference between feeling aroused, ready to fight or to flee, and feeling relaxed and in control of the situation.
When a person experiences feelings of worry, excitement, fear, anger, exhilaration, nervousness, panic, increased heart rate, faster breathing, and/or anxiety, the sympathetic nervous system is activated. When a person feels a sense of relaxation, tranquility, calmness, serenity, lightness, centeredness, clarity and/or a feeling of being in control, the parasympathetic system is activated.
Wise suggests that you can achieve greater awareness of when you are stressed and when you are relaxed by performing the following exercises and observing your biofeedback—how your body feels.

• Hyperventilate by breathing heavily for a few seconds. (Please be careful not to overdo it. If you start to feel faint, stop immediately.) [Stop. Close your eyes. Notice what your body feels like. Make a mental note of all the sensations.]
• Run in place for a minute or two.
• Think about something very upsetting.
• Think about something very exciting.

After each one of these, stop and notice what is happening inside of your body.
The physical state of arousal you are in while doing these exercises will be similar to how your body responds when exposed to stress.
Next notice how your body feels when completely relaxed:

Close your eyes and exhale deeply. Let your shoulders drop.
Rotate your head gently and loosely until you find a comfortable
balanced position for your head, neck, and shoulders. Let
your jaw relax and hang loose. Relax your lips, tongue, and
throat. Exhale deeply again and let go. Continue to breathe
easily, slowly, evenly, and deeply for one or two minutes.

Stop. Notice what your body feels like. Make a mental note of all of the sensations. Compare these to the sensations you noted when you did the arousal exercises.
Wise goes on to explain, “Arousal is not inherently better than relaxation, or vice versa. Both states are important at certain times. What is optimum is to be able to choose the level of relaxation or arousal that you want and to be able to produce that at will.”

The Silent Killer – High Blood Pressure

What happens when you blow too much air into a balloon? If it doesn’t pop, the overextended balloon becomes thin and delicate. Properly inflated, the balloon can be safely bounced, bent and moved around. A balloon with too much air becomes a pop waiting to happen. Don’t let this happen to your vessels and heart.
Weneedblood pressure for our blood to circulate. Too much pressure makes the heart and blood vessels thin and delicate. Increased pressure on the arterial walls makes them more susceptible to fatty deposits.
High Blood Pressure is Often Symptomless
The dangers of untreated hypertension can be deadly! If left untreated, the arteries can become hardened, scarred, and less elastic, unable to carry adequate blood to the organs. The heart, brain and kidneys are most vulnerable. High blood pressure is the highest risk factor for stroke and heart disease. High blood pressure causes the heart to enlarge and become less efficient, known as left ventricular hypertrophy. This dangerous condition can lead to heart attacks. Many connect stress with high blood pressure. Some studies have suggested thatchronic stress can lead to permanent increases in blood pressure and heart rate. Example: air traffic controllers who have high-pressure jobs, have a two to four times higher rate of hypertension and heart problems.
For a healthy, fit heart, it’s wise to keep your blood pressure within the normal 120/70 range. You can manage this with simple dietary and lifestyle changes. Exercise, deep breathing, ample sleep and a healthy diet helps keep your blood pressure under healthy control.
Don’t eat salt or add salt to food, and avoid prepared foods with high salt, sugar and fat contents. Especially avoid simple sugars like refined sugarand keep yourfat intake to a minimum! Never use highly saturated fats. Avoid the fast, nutritionally empty foods so common in our on the go culture. Eat nutritious foods!

Healthy Lifestyle Eating Habits

You need to learn not only what to keep out of your diet, but also, just as importantly, what you should put into it. You will find that you can nourish your body without sacrificing meal-time enjoyment once you understand the basic principles of proper nourishment. These principles will supply you with the knowledge your body needs to build, develop and live healthy, as it was meant to do naturally. Healthful organic foods packed with vital nutrients are abundant worldwide.
The first step, of course, is to get into the habit of eating for health. Such a habit is not difficult to form. Our instinctive natural sense of food selection has been overwhelmed by all of the advertising of popular, fast, junk foods, etc. You have to be strong minded! Like any other ability or skill, Only by using this natural health instinct and desire can we revive and strengthen our health!
America’s former Surgeon General, said this in his famous 1988 landmark report on nutrition and health in America. People don’t die of infectious conditions as such, but of malnutrition that allows the germs to get a foothold in sickly bodies. Also, bad nutrition is usually the main cause of noninfectious, fatal or degenerative conditions. When the body has its full vitamin and mineral quota, including precious potassium, it’s almost impossible for germs to get a foothold in a healthy, powerful bloodstream and tissues!

How Not to Get Sick : Proper Nutrition

The things we eat can have tremendous effects on our health. We can link some foods to causing diseases as well as link foods to helping us fight many diseases. Most people know that too much fat can block arteries, which can lead to a heart attack or a stroke. Most people know that being overweight can lead to diabetes. Most people know that certain processed foods can lead to cancers. Most people know of relatives, friends, or loved ones who developed an illness because of their lifestyle and the foods they eat. You might not have given much thought to proper nutrition. In fact, there are few people who give their bodies the right amount of all the nutrients. We are fortunate that our bodies, a lot of the time, can regulate themselves to get what they need and get rid of the things they do not need. We still, however, have to help our bodies because our bodies can only take this imbalance for so long before we start paying the price of poor nutrition.
To incorporate proper nutrition effectively into our lifestyle, we need to remember why we decided to live a healthy lifestyle and realize that to do that, proper nutrition should be a part of it. At its very core, proper nutrition is giving our bodies the right amounts of the essential ingredients our bodies need to live on. These are:
• Water
• Carbohydrates
• Proteins
• Fats
• Vitamins
• Minerals
How do we get these in the right proportion? The figure below shows the food pyramid developed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
In using this pyramid, we should eat more of the foods at the bottom of the pyramid and less of the foods at the top. Remember, it does not say “do not eat the foods at the top,” just that we should eat less of them. This is important because our bodies need all the components mentioned above. Fats, for example, are needed by our bodies to maintain our brain function and other vital activities. If we totally eliminated fat in our diet, we would not function as well. Any attempt to deprive your body of any of these essential foods can have serious consequences. Another good example is when you deprive your body of carbohydrates (which is what happens when you go on an all-protein diet). Since carbohydrates are the main source of energy for the body, without them your body will start burning fat to release energy. This might sound like an answer to weight loss but, when your body breaks down fats to release energy, it produces substances that, in large enough quantities, can actually lead to comas and even death. So, to attain proper nutrition, resolve to eat more of the foods at the bottom of the food pyramid and less of the foods at the top.

Factors behind health behaviours

Behaviours which are generally assumed to be healthy include physical exercise, a moderate intake of alcohol and fat, and dental hygiene, while unhealthy behaviours are, for example, the use of drugs, sweets, alcohol and tobacco, as well as being under lots of psychological stress. British teenagers considered exercise as the main factor good for their health and dieting the main factor which was bad for their health. By dieting they meant socalled “junk food” and sweets especially; smoking was also considered bad. Healthy eating, exercise, and non-smoking were main factors related to health also in other studies conducted in Britain and Finland. Behaviours including tobacco use, a poor diet, physical inactivity and alcohol abuse are actually the biggest cause of death in the USA.
It has been suggested that people’s health behaviour is influenced by both individual attributes and the conditions they live under. Cohen, Scribner and Farley (2000) identified four categories of factors which are assumed to influence health behaviour:

• Availability of products (protective or harmful), referring to accessibility of products associated with health outcomes, such as tobacco or high-fat foods or fruit and vegetables.
• Physical structures which either increase or reduce opportunities for healthy behaviours, such as consumer products, buildings or neighbourhoods. Well-lit streets, for example, reduce opportunities for assault or injury; childproof medicine containers reduce the risk of poisoning for children.
• Social structures and policies: laws or policies which require or prohibit behaviours, such as laws against selling alcohol to underage people.
• Media and cultural messages. Culture and media messages refer to messages that people see or hear often, and which can either increase or decrease consumption − for example, of tobacco, alcohol or high-fat food.

These factors can all complement each other. The accessibility of harmful products can be reduced through social structures and the media can enhance the other structural factors when messages reinforce behaviours which are promoted by the other structural interventions (Cohen, Scribner & Farley 2000).

Recommendations on healthy eating

The ”Western” diet contains high energy intake in comparison to low energy expenditure, a high intake of total and saturated fat, cholesterol and salt, and on the other hand, a low intake of carbohydrates and fibre. Finns have quite a high cholesterol level compared with other countries, and one reason for this might be the structure of fat in the food: it contains much saturated fat and cholesterol, but little mono- and polyunsaturated fat.

Common elements in the guidelines about a healthy lifestyle and diet include eating a variety of foods; consuming less fat; consuming more vegetables, fruits and grain products; being moderate in use of salt, sugar, and alcohol; increasing physical activity and maintaining a healthy weight. The Nordic countries have set guidelines for the composition of diets and the recommended intake of nutrients.
The guidelines give recommendations for the intake of fat, carbohydrates and protein. The recommendations also include reference values for the intake of energy, certain vitamins and minerals as well as the intake of sodium chloride. The recommendations are given separatelyfor adults, children older than 3 years and children under 3 years of age. According to the recommendations, the diet of an adult should not contain more than 30E% fat and 55 to 60E%
carbohydrate. The protein intake should provide between 10 to 15E%. The current Finnish recommendations (Statens näringsdelegation 1998) are very similar to the Nordic nutrition recommendations. The food circle, the food pyramid and a food plate model are used to describe a recommended, balanced diet.

What Miracles Exercise Can Do for You

Get outdoors fast and get physically active when you feel dark moods, anxieties, worries, blues, depression and tensions overtaking you – otherwise these negative moods can damage you! Walking or any other outdoor exercise will help clear up your thinking and put your problems in perspective. Any form of outdoor recreation recreates the human personality. The ancient men of India who desired to become one with God believed the body and bloodstream had to be pure and strong before this could become a reality. Thus, they developed a physical fitness system called Yoga. They daily practice their belief that the body is meant to be stretched, strengthened and exercised correctly in order to remain healthy. No matter what your calendar years, start turning back your biological clock now faithfully with exercise.
Benefits that Moderate Daily Exercise Brings You:

• Exercise increases circulation, and brings more oxygen into your body. You will feel more energetic.
• Exercise relieves stress, strain and tension. Tension gets locked in the tight, stiffened areas of your body, especially the neck, back and spine. Exercise will stretch and loosen these areas as it restores youthful limberness. You will feel more relaxed and at ease.
• Overcoming chronic tiredness is a major benefit of exercise. That chronic tired feeling to a great extent is due to a lack of sufficient circulation to your brain. Exercise brings the oxygen-laden blood into this vital area with an energizing and revitalizing effect.
• Exercise helps calm the nerves. Nothing can calm the nerves better than 30 minutes of brisk walking and exercise. It also helps to promote a good night’s sleep, which is absolutely essential to maintaining calmness, repose and serenity.
• Exercise increases emotional control. Exercise helps to strengthen the nerves of the body and create the composure that comes from a healthy nervous system and a balanced state of mind.

Exercise Promotes Health & Youthfulness

We know that healthy living with proper exercise can produce a new breed of men and women who will enjoy more strength to carry out their daily work and have sufficient energy left for after-work interests, family and hobbies. They can retain the prime of life for 20 to 40 years longer than the person who is lazy and will not exercise. Example: Jack LaLanne, Clint Eastwood and Paul Newman; all ageless, healthy and fit.

All external characteristics of health (such as powerful Nerve Force) are but the result of the healthy functioning of your vital internal organs and glands. These are what keep you going. Exercise actually reaches into your body and brings about specific miracle improvements in certain internal parts such as your nervous system, your heart, liver, lungs, kidneys, entire digestive tract, colon and thyroid gland among others. To attain these benefits you should follow a regular program of exercise.

age a hinderance to daily exercise? The answer is unequivocally, “No!” In fact, age is no excuse for not exercising! Our good friend Roy D. White at 106 years young walks 3 to 8 miles daily! No one is too old to continue safe exercise! Conrad Hilton jogged daily to almost 100.
To rest is to rust! It is far better to wear out than to rust out. you go outdoors and take a brisk, invigorating walk. Say out loud while walking: Health! Peace! Joy! Love for Eternity! You will feel great and your trillions of cells will rejoice with circulation!

7 Ways to Keep Blood Sugar Levels Low

Australian researcher Dr. Jennie Brand-Miller cites in her new book The Glucose Revolution, that when you eat a carbohydrate – any sugary or starchy food – your blood sugar goes up. If it rises slowly, that’s ideal; however, if it soars quickly, this could lead to serious health threats. Researchers at Harvard Medical School have also cited that a spike in blood sugar can double or triple your risk of developing Type 2 (adult onset) diabetes.
Dr. Brand-Miller has created a Glycemic Index that ranks foods based on how quickly they raise blood sugar. High-glycemic-index foods make blood sugar jump; lowglycemic- index foods cause a slower rise.

• Eat health giving legumes with abandon, such as lentils, soybeans, lima and kidney beans, etc., for they promotea gradual blood sugar rise and have a low-glycemic index.
• Don’t worry about carrots spiking blood sugar. Wide reports that carrots are bad for blood sugar are wrong.
• Add Bragg Apple Cider Vinegar or fresh lemon juice to foods. Studies show only a few tsps in a salad dressing, over veggies, etc. helps lower blood sugar because the acid slows stomach emptying and promotes better digestion.
• Eating organic brown rice, lentils and whole grain pastas are best. They help normalize blood sugar and reduce appetite as well as help in the weight loss because they are filling.
• If you snack, choose fresh organic fruits, even popcorn, never eat jelly beans – they spike your blood sugar.
• Eat fresh, organic vegetables. Think of salad vegetables as “free” foods, with no significant impact on blood sugar or weight. It’s best to avoid fatty foods, sugars, meat, etc.
• Avoid all processed, refined foods: refined breads, cereals, cookies, crackers, desserts etc. These refined starches zip through your digestive tract, raising your blood sugar
  

Protein – Building Blocks of the Body

Protein foods are nuts, seeds (such as sunflower, sesame, pumpkin), nutritional yeast, wheat germ, soy beans, dairy products, whole grain cereals, meat, fish, poultry and protein supplements.

Protein is one of the most important food elements and is essential for keeping the heart fit. You must have protein for building every cell of your body. This fundamental demand of Mother Nature rules every creature living on the face of the Earth.

Protein is you – flesh, muscle, blood, heart, bones, skin and hair – all the components of the body are essentially composed of protein. You are literally “built” of protein. This basic function of your body – of converting food into living tissue – is one of life’s miracles. Your life processes and the factors that help you resist disease are all composed of protein (amino acids) components.

Every time you move a muscle, every time your heart beats, every time you breathe, you consume protein in the form of amino acids. The link between protein and body tissue is the amino acids – and the bloodstream carries them to every part of the body where they work to repair, rebuild and maintain body tissues. They enrich blood and condition the organs, including the heart.

Amino Acids – The Body’s Building Blocks

Human tissue is renewed daily. Scientists once believed that there were great masses of protein in the body in an inactive state – stores of protein built up in the muscles, tissues and organs which remain there until the body might need them. Now we know that the great builder protein is not stationary, but in motion. This activity requires a replenishment of essential protein for the rebuilding process, especially in older people.

What is the connection between Amino Acids and proteins? Amino Acids are the building blocks from which different food proteins are constructed. When we eat a protein food, such as meat or soybeans, the natural hydrochloric acid in the stomach digests the protein, releasing the Aminos Acids. They are the link between the food we eat and assimilate for our body’s tissues. Amino Acids are what makes our food turn into us!

Unlike vitamins, the activators in our nutrition, Amino Acids actually enter into the structure of the body tissue itself. They are the very foundation of all protein foods. They build muscles, tissues and organs and circulate freely in the blood – the body’s vital lifestream. Your blood is your precious river of life – protect it!

The phytochemicals found in soy are specifically known as isoflavins. These isoflavins have been shown to be strong antioxidents that help repair cellular damage in the body, and they have anti-tumor effects. Soy can contribute to optimal health and has remarkable health-promoting properties.

Amino Acids – Life-Givers & Life-Extenders

Famous Pioneer Endocrinologist and Biochemist, Dr. W. Donner Denckla, with the National Institute of Health, has been immersed in pathfinding research on longevity for years. Dr. Denckla has the opinion that ageing is not inevitable and that Amino Acids and their interaction with a hormone secreted by the pituitary gland seem to be the key to slowing down ageing.
If we could look within the body, we would see all the living cells that make up the tissues, organs and bloodstream are in a highly active state. Paul C. Bragg was the first to preach the gospel of Amino Acids, their relationship to ageing and how they can help keep you younger, longer! He stressed that when the protein supply – the Amino Acids – are replenished regularly, the new cells that are constantly growing and being born can then thrive and live with more positive intensity! Another important benefit of Amino Acids – they help form antibodies to fight germs, infections and disease!

How Are Sleep Disorders Diagnosed?

Depending on what your symptoms are, your doctor will gather various kinds of information and consider several possible tests when trying to decide if you have a sleep disorder:

• Sleep history and sleep log. Your doctor will ask you how many hours you sleep each night, how often you waken during the night and for how long, how long it takes you to fall asleep, how well rested you feel upon awakening, and how sleepy you feel during the day. Your doctor may ask you to keep a sleep diary for a few weeks.Your doctor may also ask you if you have any symptoms of sleep apnea or restless legs syndrome, such as loud snoring, snorting or gasping, morning headaches, tingling or unpleasant sensations in the limbs that are relieved by moving them, and jerking of the limbs during sleep. Your sleeping partner may be asked if you have some of these symptoms, as you may not be aware of them yourself.
• Sleep recording in a sleep lab (polysomnogram). A sleep recording refers to a polysomnogram (poly-SOM-no-gram) or PSG test that is usually done in a sleep center or sleep laboratory. You will likely stay overnight in the sleep center with electrodes and other monitors placed on your scalp, face, chest, limbs, and finger. While you sleep, these devices measure your brain activity, eye movements, muscle activity, heart rate and rhythm, blood pressure, and how much air moves in and out of your lungs. This test also checks the amount of oxygen in your blood. A PSG test is painless. In certain circumstances, the PSG can be done at home. A home monitor can be used to record heart rate, how air moves in and out of your lungs, the amount of oxygen in your blood, and your breathing effort.
• Multiple Sleep Latency Test (MSLT). Particularly useful for diagnosing narcolepsy, this test measures how sleepy you are during the day. In this test, typically done after an overnight sleep recording (PSG), monitoring devices for sleep stage are placed on your scalp and face. You are asked to nap four or five times for 20 minutes every 2 hours during times in which you would normally be awake. Technicians note how quickly you fall asleep and how long it takes you to reach various stages of sleep, especially REM sleep, during your naps. Normal individuals either do not fall asleep during these short designated nap times or take a long time to fall asleep. People who fall asleep in less than 5 minutes are likely to require treatment for a sleep disorder, as are those who quickly develop REM sleep during their naps.

It is important to have a sleep medicine specialist interpret the results of your sleep monitoring test (PSG) or MSLT.

How Not to Get Sick : Primary Prevention

Prevention is better than cure—and less expensive than cure. So if we are going to discuss how to save on the cost of healthcare, we might as well start with the least expensive method: how to keep from getting sick in the first place. We can prevent a lot of diseases by living a healthy lifestyle.
The very essence of healthy living is simply to do the things that are good for our bodies and avoid the things that are bad for our bodies; it is that simple. However, since there are many things that are good for our bodies and many things that are not, let’s list the main ones:
Things that are good for our bodies
• Regular exercise
• Proper nutrition
• Routine physical examination
Things that are bad for our bodies
• Smoking
• Excessive alcohol intake
• Illicit drug use
• Unprotected sex with multiple partners
Unfortunately, there are a number of reasons why many do not live healthy lifestyles or can’t seem to do it on a continuous basis. The main excuses are:
1. It is not a priority.
2. They can’t seem to find the time to do it.
3. It can be complicated and they just don’t know what to do.
4. It is expensive.
The biggest stumbling block is that, for most of us, living a healthy lifestyle will cause us to change the way we live right now in some fashion. And change is hard. The good news is that we can change, and we do it all the time. If we understand how change happens, and then apply that to create a healthy lifestyle, we will achieve our goal.
Change begins as a result of a different mindset. Here are some of the reasons that people who successfully live healthy lifestyles use to keep themselves on the right track:
• I want to look good.
• I need to feel energized.
• I want to stay alive long enough to see my grandchildren.
• I hate going to the doctor or hospital.
• I don’t like spending money on healthcare.
• My mom or dad or relative died from that disease and I don’t want that to happen to me.
• I need to release stress.
• My doctor told me to.
Unfortunately, sometimes a reason is forced on us because something catastrophic happened. For example, it’s often the case that when somebody has a heart attack, that person suddenly starts an exercise program, or when somebody has diabetes he or she starts thinking about diet and losing weight. Don’t wait. It will cost you a lot, both financially and emotionally.
If you achieve the mindset that convinces you to live a healthy lifestyle, you would have taken care of excuses numbers 1 and 2 (not a priority and can’t find time). You will make your healthy lifestyle a priority. Once you make anything a priority, you suddenly find that you
can make time to do it.

Dealing with Hospital Costs If You Do Not Have Health Insurance

If you do not have insurance, do everything you can to stay away from the hospital. In an emergency you may not have a choice, but if it is an urgent or elective procedure, investigate the possibility of using an urgicenter or surgicenter before using the hospital. If you have to use a hospital, look at government hospitals first, then community hospitals, then university hospitals, and specialty hospitals last. If you end up in a hospital, remember that no hospital can turn you away for treatment especially if it is an emergency. Keep the following in mind in dealing with hospital costs if you do not have insurance:

• The first thing to do if you need hospitalization, especially for an elective procedure where you can plan ahead, is to determine if you qualify for any insurance program. Are you poor enough to qualify for Medicaid? Are there any government programs that can give you
  assistance? Call your state health office to find out. Do you belong to a group through which you can get some form of health coverage? Do these things before you get into the hospital because if you do them after, even if you get the insurance, it might not cover a cost that was incurred prior to your getting the coverage.
• Always get a second or third opinion about any procedure. Many treatments have alternatives and sometimes you might not even need the procedure at all. Be sure, however, that you do not stay away from a treatment because of the cost, but rather because another well-respected professional determined that it is not necessary.
• Check out government-run clinics and hospitals. These establishments are not only less expensive but will charge you based on your income, that is, on a sliding scale, and will work out payment plans that you can live with.
• The government subsidizes most hospitals, especially teaching hospitals, because they are expected to take care of individuals who cannot pay for what the hospital charges. In these cases, the hospital will charge you on a sliding scale based on income and you can negotiate a payment plan.
• If you have a complicated or rare disease, one that in all likelihood is very expensive to treat, look into participating in clinical trials. In clinical trials, all your expenses will be paid for including, in some cases, your transportation. Be sure you understand what will be
  done and realize that if it is what is known as a double-blind trial, you might not be getting the active treatment but might be getting a fake treatment or placebo and neither you nor your doctor will know until the end. Not all studies are double blind, however. Some are known as open trials, where you and your doctor know exactly what you are getting.
• Avoid unnecessary services like private rooms and special meals if you can.
• If you need medication that can be brought in from the outside, like Tylenol or even some prescription drugs, it might be cheaper to get them from an outside pharmacy than from the hospital pharmacy. Discuss this with your doctor and let the nurses help you with the
  medication regimens.
• Discuss any consultations with other doctors ahead of time and be sure they are absolutely needed so you don’t end up with more physician charges than are necessary. When you get the bill, go over it with a fine-tooth comb. Very few patients do and there have been stories of hospitals charging exorbitant amounts sometimes for services that were not even rendered. You should realize that all bills are negotiable. Start by getting a sense of
  what the hospital charges the government for that service. You can get that information from the AHD web site (www.ahd.com). Then negotiate from there. When you have reached a satisfactory amount, you can work out a payment plan with the hospital that you can live with.

Individuals in Search of Health Insurance

If you do not have health coverage, either through the government or through a private employer, you are left to find one for yourself. It is a daunting task, one that has left more than 40 million Americans with no health insurance coverage. If this is the case for you and you are seeking health insurance, you may be faced with a number of challenges:

• Insurance companies are reluctant to insure most people with preexisting medical conditions. If they do offer coverage, the premiums are extremely high.
• Many benefits such as maternity care, mental health, and prescription drugs are usually excluded.
• The application process can be long and very intrusive.

Some states have created laws to help control these practices. They include:

• Preventing insurance companies from eliminating coverage for preexisting medical conditions. These laws do not, however, force the insurance companies to accept an applicant, only that if the applicant is accepted then their preexisting condition must be covered. Insurance companies are then free not to accept an individual with a preexisting condition, or to accept one and charge much higher premiums.
• Creating high-risk pools to provide coverage for individuals who have been turned down because of their conditions. These policies are usually more expensive but do provide coverage that would otherwise not be available. An individual with
AIDS, for example, would have a hard time getting regular insurance. A high-risk pool insurance would provide coverage for that individual.
• Creating laws that require health insurance companies to provide health insurance at premiums that are set on a market by market basis. This means that the state is broken up into different markets, and for each market the company creates a rate without regard to age, sex, or health status. Every individual in that market gets the same rate and benefits. For healthier individuals, these programs tend to be more expensive than regular plans.

If you are looking to buy health insurance, contact your state’s department of insurance. Any company that sells health insurance in a state has to be licensed in that state and must comply with the insurance laws of that state regarding what it can and cannot do. Appendix A lists the phone numbers of the insurance departments of the different states.

EFFECTS OF WORK STRESS ON BEHAVIORAL OUTCOMES :Caffeine Ingestion

Caffeine is the most widely consumed pharmacologically active substance in the world. The evidence on its possible implications for human health, that is, whether it has chronic physiological effects on habitual consumers, is as yet inconclusive (Benowitz, 1990). It has long been suspected that repeated exposure to caffeine may produce tolerance to its physiological effects (James, 1994). The consumption of caffeine is known to improve physical performance and endurance during prolonged activity at sub-maximal intensity (Nehling & Debry, 1994). Caffeine’s physiological effects are linked to the antagonism of adenosine receptors and to the increased production of plasma catecholamines (Nehling & Debry, 1994).
The study of the relationship between work-related stress and caffeine ingestion is confounded
by the high correlation between coffee consumption and smoking (Conway et al., 1981). A meta-analysis of six epidemiological studies (Swanson et al., 1994) has shown that about 86% of smokers consumed coffee while only 77% of the non-smokers did so.Three major mechanisms have been suggested to account for this close association between caffeine intake and smoking: (a) conditioning effect, (b) reciprocal interaction; that is, caffeine intake increases arousal while nicotine intake decreases it, and (c) the possibility of a third variable affecting both. Stress, and particularly work-related stress, is a possible third variable influencing both caffeine and nicotine intake (Swanson et al., 1994).
Caffeine consumption is often regarded as reinforcing and augmenting the psychological and physiological effects of stress (France&Ditto, 1992; Lane et al., 1990). This synergetic relationship has been explained as due to the effects of both on the elevation of blood catecholamines (Lane et al., 1990). Experimental laboratory studies have found that as opposed to a placebo drink, consumption of high levels of caffeine interacts with stress in worsening the effects of stress on psychological and physiological strain (France & Ditto, 1992; Lane & Williams, 1987).

EFFECTS OF WORK STRESS ON BEHAVIORAL OUTCOMES :Smoking Behavior

Cigarette smoking and the use of other tobacco products constitutes the single most devastating
preventable cause of death in many market economies (Quick et al., 1997). A large body of epidemiological, clinical and pathological studies relates cigarette smoking to the development of cardiovascular heart disease and other chronic diseases, including emphysema, chronic bronchitis and non-fatal strokes. Moreover, a considerable body of research has demonstrated the adverse health consequences of passive smoking, the involuntary exposure of non-smokers to tobacco smoke from smokers in confined environments. This research has led many countries to regulate smoking in public places (Quick et al., 1997). As is the case with the other behavioral outcomes considered here, smoking behavior is multifactorial in its etiology, and there is zvidence pointing to its genetic origins. Twin studies have demonstrated that genetic factors contribute to the initiation of smoking and influence the intensity of smoking cigarettes (number of cigarettes smoked per day; see Pomerleau & Kordia, 1999). A meta-analysis of the data from five studies, each involving more that 1000 twin pairs, found an estimated 60% of the propensity to smoke may be explained by genetic factors (Heath&Madden, 1995). Cigarette smokers are over-represented in many disadvantaged groups, including those with psychiatric and behavioral disorders (Parrott, 2000). Still, there is evidence that environmental and job-related stress may account for a significant proportion of the variance of smoking behavior. Consequently, interest in the pathway leading from stress, and stress at work, to smoking behavior is growing.
Stress and associated emotional responses, including anxiety and irritability, are attenuated by smoking. These effects have been shown to be short-lived (Parrott, 1995). Mood and affective state impairments tend to occur between cigarettes in a repetitive cycle. This cycle provides a clear rationale for the addictive use of cigarettes (Parrott, 1995). Smokers, therefore, obtain only short relief from adverse states of anxiety and irritability that follow the experience of stress. There is evidence from smoking abstaining studies that nicotinewithdrawal symptoms are worse under high environmental stress than under low environmental stress, while post-cigarette relief was also correspondingly greater (Parrott, 2000).
In empirical research, stress is often found to predict smoking behavior while interacting with other predictors, like lack of social support. In a review of the research on smoking behavior among nurses, Adriaanse et al. (1991) found that excessive smoking among both female and male nurses was explained by work stress, lack of social support, and unmet expectations that characterize nurses’ professional socialization. Nurses’ smoking is considered a public health problem since they often act as role models to patients and their families. In several studies, smokers who express high motivation to smoke have reported above-average stress that they had experienced before the smoking, rather than belowaverage stress after smoking (Parrott, 1995). Consequently, stress management and anxiety reduction programs at the workplace have the potential to influence motivation to smoke. Workplace-based smoking cessation programs do bring to the fore, however, the conflict between health and performance. Among aviators, as an example, smoking is a health hazard in the cockpit. Pilots who are required to abstain from smoking during and before flights may suffer cockpit performance decrements (Sommese & Patterson, 1995).
Yet another facet of the complex relationship between stress and cigarette smoking was described by Parrott (1999), who proposed that the evidence on this relationship might be reinterpreted to suggest that smoking actually causes stress. Parrott (1999) pointed out that regular smokers are more stressed than their non-smoking counterparts and that smokers experience an overall reduction in stress when they quit smoking. Another theory holds that
smoking may redistribute stress by modulating moods (Piasecki & Baker, 2000).
Work organizations contribute to and may inhibit (or induce) smoking behavior by three basic processes documented in the research literature. First, work organizations may develop organizational norms with respect to smoking on the job, including the local official definition of permissible smoking and the mechanisms of its control established by management. Second, stressful working conditions, like sustained overload or machine-paced jobs characterized by lack of control, may induce heavy smoking as a coping strategy to alleviate the stressful job conditions. Third, work organizations may explicitly or implicitly encourage the development of occupationally based smoking subcultures. In a survey of 12 000 professional people in 14 occupational categories, Russek (1965) found significant differences in the prevalence of smoking in high-stress occupations as compared with low-stress occupations.

Paying for Physician Services When You Have Insurance Coverage

When you have HMO coverage, your physician visits are covered by your copay, which can range from $5 to $20. That is all you pay, assuming that you visit the PCP that is designated in your plan. Your copay will also cover the tests that the physician performs in his or her office, such as a blood test, urinalysis, EKG (heart exam), or X ray. If any of these tests have to be performed outside the physician’s office,you are still covered and will not incur any additional costs as long as your PCP is the one who authorized the test. If you have to see a specialist, you will also pay only a copay as long as your PCP referred you to the specialist and the specialist is in the plan network. If you visit a specialist without a referral from your PCP, even if that specialist is in the network, the insurance company will not cover it.
In an HMO plan, the physician has already agreed to the fee schedule and cannot charge the patient any more than the insurance will pay. In fact, the patient has no paperwork to deal with and except for the office visit copay, has nothing else to do in term of the charges. However,
the whole system falls apart if you have to see a physician outside the network. A lot of insurance companies will not cover out-of-network visits except for emergency situations.
If you have an indemnity plan, you can visit whichever physician you want but the company will pay only a percentage, usually 80 percent of what is deemed usual and customary. Physicians have all the control in terms of how much they can charge. The insurance company decides how much it wants to pay and the patient has to pay for the rest. There is a lot of paperwork to contend with and the patient usually ends up spending a lot of money out of pocket, whether he or she is seeing a PCP or a specialist. A patient concerned about the cost of a physician visit who has indemnity insurance should therefore inquire ahead of time how much the visit will cost. Work out a financial plan in advance by talking to the doctor and office staff to get a firm estimate of the treatment cost.
One way to reduce your physician fees even with insurance is to use the phone. Every time you visit a physician for care, you are charged a copay or your share of the indemnity insurance. Many times these visits are to seek comfort when dealing with a chronic illness or just to ask some questions. Some of these questions can be handled over the phone and your physician can determine if you actually need to come in. Do not abuse this privilege, however. If you get into the habit of constantly calling your physician for every little issue and then keeping him or her on the phone for long periods of time, the physician may start ignoring you or actually charge you for the phone consult.
The most important aspect in managing the cost of physician services is to understand what is covered and what is not covered, as specified in your insurance manual. Remember, your policy is a contract. If a service was not part of that contract, it is nearly impossible to get the company to pay for it. If you have any doubt about a service, call the company ahead of time to get clarification and if they say it is covered, get a written notice to that effect. This way if it has to go to arbitration or a court, you have a document to back you up.

Drug Company Patient Assistance Programs

Nearly every major pharmaceutical company has a program to help those who cannot afford their medications. Each company has a number of criteria that have to be met for an individual to obtain free medication. Basically, there are two main criteria: insurance coverage and income.
Insurance Coverage
To qualify for assistance, you must not have any other health plan, either private or public, that covers prescription drugs. This means that even if you have health insurance, such as Medicare, as long as that insurance does not cover prescription drugs, you might still be eligible. Also, there should not be any state program that can cover you for that condition. So check with your state to see if you qualify. Just remember that even if your state has an assistance program, a special medical situation might allow you to qualify for assistance from a drug company.
Income
Usually, the patient must not earn above a certain income level to qualify for these programs. Sometimes the particular company states what that amount is, but in many cases there are no exact amounts that a company considers a cut-off point. These companies base their decisions
on a “hardship criterion.” In other words, you need to demonstrate that the cost of the medication represents a hardship to you because of your financial situation. You might earn up to $50,000 a year and still be eligible if your medications represent a significant portion of your expenses. Even a temporary hardship, such as a job loss or a divorce, can still allow you to qualify.
After you demonstrate that you have met its criteria, the drug company will send the medication to your doctor, who then gives it to you. Sometimes you can pick up the drug at your local pharmacy.
This program should be used for chronic conditions because the review process takes about two weeks or even longer, and obviously you can’t wait two weeks to treat a strep throat.
The companies usually supply from one to three months’ quantity of the drug. At the end of that period, the patient must recertify that they still meet the eligibility criteria to continue receiving the free medications.

Prescription Drugs and Healthcare Cost

Drugs today have not only caused us to live longer but they have also improved the quality of our lives. A lot of illnesses can be managed effectively with medications, reducing the need for hospitalization or nursing care. Thus, medications are cost-effective in managing our diseases. Newer and better drugs are being developed each year.
Many people, however, struggle with how to afford prescription drugs. The elderly, those 65 years old and older, are especially hit hard. This group, which is expected to double by the year 2030, uses about 35 percent of all prescription drugs.
The classes of people most affected by the high cost of prescription drugs are:

• People who have no health coverage.

• People who have health insurance but their policy does not provide prescription drug coverage. This applies to seniors on regular Medicare since Medicare does not provide prescription drug coverage.
• People who have insurance coverage but are given prescriptions that are not covered by their plan. This applies to individuals with managed care coverage who have been given a prescription for a drug that is not covered by the plan.
• Individuals with prescription coverage, especially those on multiple medications, who face increases in their share of the cost of the drugs.
  

The debate over the cost of prescriptions is often complex and emotional. Drug companies are in the business of producing drugs for a profit, and they have done a great job in producing newer medications that work better or safer than older medications. It costs a lot of money, to the tune of over $500 million, to get a product to the market effectively.
The debate has always centered on how much these drugs should cost. Drug companies need to get back the money spent in developing a new drug, but more importantly, they need the profits to be able to have enough resources to fund the research to produce the next generation
of drugs. Most of the new drugs used around the world are developed in the United States. This is because the U.S. market is the only market that allows drug companies to price their products using market forces as opposed to the government imposing price controls. This does not mean that drug companies can charge whatever they want. Market forces prevent them from doing so. Competition within the industry, either from other brands or from generics, when available,
helps to ensure that drugs are not priced as much as the manufacturer might like.
Another market force in play is demand for the drug. Newer medications usually are safer or work better than older medications. The drug company might have to spend a huge amount of money educating the public about the drug, in the form of advertisements and consumer brochures, to create a demand for the newer medication. With greater demand, the company can charge a bit more, just as the manufacturer of any product might be inclined to do.

Spiritual Health Promotes Physical Health

Be still and know that I am God.” It is in the peaceful silence of meditation and prayer that you find a higher power than yourself. This power can help, guide and direct you towards the healthy goals in life you are seeking. It is important to set aside a period twice daily – morning and evening – during which time, the mind can go into meditation and prayer to build inner strength. There must be order and clear purpose to your thinking. Silently restate your new goals in life. Remember that you must displace the old, useless and damaging habits of thought with fine, bright, new healthy ideas. Every constructive thought stimulates the nervous system
with great vitality and vigor, and this sustained and powerful activity stimulates the entire body. Through meditation and prayer you are building a strong mind in a healthy strong body. You are building powerful Nerve Force because you are opening that inexhaustible reservoir of energy and creative intelligence which lies within each human. Meditation and prayer will help establish equilibrium in mind, body and soul. It infuses you with new energy and expanded awareness, while it instills you with an inner calm and peace. You gain strength to do and to
endure – to take the strains and pressures of life in stride. You will be better able to face whatever problems that may arise with sufficient Nerve Force to solve them.

Two Methods of Breathing

There are two principal methods of breathing – Chest and Diaphragmatic Breathing. The curved line represents the diaphragm, the broad muscle which separates the heart and lungs from the abdominal organs. When this muscle contracts – moving downward – it produces suction within the chest cavity which causes an inflow of air into the lungs (inhalation). When the diaphragm
rises, air is forced out of the lungs (exhalation). The alternate rise and fall of this muscle produces a corresponding movement of the abdominal organs causing the abdomen to expand and contract. This produces an alternate high and low pressure within the abdominal cavity. Diaphragmatic breathing is the proper method of tranquil breathing and may be termed normal breathing. This is the way babies and children naturally breathe.
Chest Breathing
It may seem strange that breathing – which we do our whole lives – could be done incorrectly. We can observe few people breathe diaphragmatically all the time. Instead, they usually breathe by the chest method. This is because – as we become adults – the tight clothing we wear and the cramped positions we assume when sitting restrict the action of the diaphragm and compel the more powerful chest muscles to come to the rescue. This gradually instills the habit of chest breathing. Years of practice creates a habit so deep-seated that much patient effort is required to correct it.
Chest breathing results from the movement of the rib section of the trunk and especially the upper section of the chest. During inhalation the chest expands and during exhalation it contracts. This form of breathing – especially when performed to the limit of inhalation and exhalation – is an excellent form of internal exercise that develops the size of the chest and is beneficial in many ways. Chest breathing is naturally employed by the body only during strenuous exertion. It might be termed a form of “forced breathing,” just as a forced drought may be applied to a boiler when great steam pressure is needed.
Diaphragmatic Breathing
Diaphragmatic breathing – sometimes called “abdominal breathing” is entirely different in action from chest breathing. During inhalation the abdomen expands (becomes larger) and during exhalation the abdomen contracts (becomes smaller). It must be understood that air does not enter the abdominal region with this form of breathing. This is impossible.

Long, Slow Diaphragmatic Breathing Leads to a Long, Peaceful, Healthy Life!

Miracles happen when you slow down your breathing. Take full diaphragmatic breaths. See how few long, slow deep breaths you can take in a minute. After a few minutes you will find your pulse rate is slower. Your nerves beginto quiet down. Instead of trying to solve your emotional
problems in a state of excitement, you are now calm. This long, slow diaphragmatic breathing allows you to shift from emotionalism to logical thinking. You become master of the situation. You no longer look at your problems subjectively but begin to take the broad, objective view. With logical and positive thinking you can find the answers to emotional problems. If you use this technique when emotional shocks hit, you’ll save yourself a lot of lost Nerve Force. This slow, deep diaphragmatic breathing is a wonderful method to calm yourself and weather life’s emotional upsets. The shortest lived animals are those who breathe rapidly. The longest lived animals are those who take slower breaths. Many years ago we learned this secret from a Breathatarian – as he was known – who lived in India. It was claimed by many that he was over 130 years of age! He looked like a well preserved man in his early 70s. He had sharp eyes and a wrinkle-free face with a happy disposition and a keen mind. He could tell you what had happened in his life 125 years ago! He practiced long, slow diaphragmatic breathing and did it so well that he took only one full breath per minute. He was really an Indian Guru, a teacher. And he had attained perfect bliss consciousness. He finally went to a retreat in the Himalayan Mountains. We’ve been told by a man who recently returned from India that this Guru was still alive and in perfect health! Dad and I are students of deep breathing and we practice it every day of our lives. We are aware of how important oxygen is to our well-being and to the building of our bodies’ powerful Nerve Force.