Tips for a Healthier Life:  Consider these 5 Key Areas to R.E.N.E.W Your Good Health! Responding to stress more effectively - Before you can begin dealing with your stress, you must recognize its warning signs.   Here are just a few divided into categories. Physical Signals- How Your Body is Functioning. 1. Tension, or migraine, headaches 2. Upset stomach, problems retaining food 3. Change in appetite Emotional Signals- What You Are Feeling. 1.Less time for/interest in hobbies, familiar fun activities 2. Upset by the unexpected 3. Feelings of being swamped, overwhelmed Behavioral Signals- What You Are Doing. 1.    Change in Eating habits 2.    Increased use of alcohol, drugs, coffee, tobacco  3.    Sleep problems Intellectual Signals- How Your Mind is Functioning. 1.    Having difficulty remembering recent information or details of recent situations. 2.    Less able to make decisions. 3.    Difficulty concentrating. Energize your body- Are you getting 30-45 minutes daily of cardiovascular exercise?   Here are some suggestions how can you do it without noticing: 1. Break it up during the day. 2. Park further away and walk briskly to your destination. 3. Take a 10 minute walk when you go out to get the mail. Nourish your immune system- Eat for your heart, eat for your mood, or eat for your overall energy levels. Eating for a better mood boils down to this: control your blood sugars by eating every 4 to 5 hours throughout the day, eat a diet rich in soluble fiber, and incorporate foods rich in omega 3 fats, folic acid, B12 and Vitamin D - four nutrients that researchers have found to be mood lifting. Suggestions: 1. Wild salmon (rich in omega 3 fats and vitamin D) 2. Spinach - (rich in folic acid and soluble fiber) 3. Skim milk - (rich in Vitamin D and B12) 4. Ground flaxseeds (rich soluble fiber, omega 3 fats and folic acid) 5. Blackberries (rich in soluble fiber and folic acid) 6. Omega 3 fortified eggs - (rich in omega 3 fats, Vitamin D and B12) 7. Soybeans - (rich in soluble fiber, folic acid and omega 3 fats) 8. Beans (rich in soluble fiber and folic acid) 9. Brussels sprouts (soluble fiber and folic acid) 10. Sunflower seeds - (rich in soluble fiber and folic acid) Emptying your mind to enhance the effects of relaxation- Even in sleep we are working out unconscious desires, only in deep relaxation do our bodies repair at a cellular level.  This is the basic difference between stress management and relaxation. 1.    Breathe deeply- practice diaphragmatic breathing to decrease blood pressure and remove waste from the bloodstream. 2.    Meditation- clear your mind, think good thoughts.  It takes 6 to 10 seconds for our bodies to begin to relax using positive thinking, which releases hormones into our system. 3.    Practice Yoga, Tai Chi, Swim.  Combining muscular movement with a quiet mind both relaxes and reduces stress. Welcoming others and strengthening relationships-  Social interaction decreases the physiological damage cause by stress by increasing feelings of well being.  Talking to another person reduces stress levels and provides support, which is essential to all behavioral change. 1.    Talk to your Friends 2.    Join a group 3.    See a therapist.  Behavioral counseling can help you identify the areas you need help with and make a realistic plan.  You can succeed if the plan fits your lifestyle, your needs, and your personality.  For more information call for an appointment!

Stress and Fertility Stress has long been known to affect our physical health and our overall wellness.  But did you know that in those couples dealing with fertility issues, although there is a 60% to 70% chance that a medical fix can turn those baby-making odds around, for up to 40% of couples, no discernable reason for infertility can be found? And it is in this group that Jamie A. Grifo, MD, PhD, director of the division of reproductive endocrinology at the NYU Medical Center in New York City believes the effects of stress are most profound. "Twenty years ago the rate of unexplained infertility was between 10% and 20%. Today I see up to 40%. Women's bodies aren't different, but their stress levels are. Moreover, doctors say often the stress of actually undergoing infertility treatments can be so great it can stop even the most successful procedures from working. "The whole process of undergoing fertility treatment is pretty nerve racking, partly because it's a series of hurdles that must be jumped at each step of the way. It's a period of time that in and of itself is very stressful," says Dorothy Greenfeld, MSW, director of behavioral services at the Yale Fertility Center of Yale University. If you already have problems with stress, she says, the treatments themselves can definitely turn your tension up a notch or two. It is also true that for those who experience chronic stress, the inability to relax becomes a physical symptom.  “The body must be retrained to experience deep relaxation.  This is achieved in several ways, depending on who comes into my office,” says Alisa Eisenberg, MFT, therapist who specializes in Stress Management and Relaxation in Orange County, CA.  “For some, there are hidden or not so hidden issues or fears, which block relaxation, for others, they recognize their bodies particular stress signals and they just need some very practical tools and the knowledge of how and when to utilize them.”   "What we do know now is that when stress-reduction techniques are employed, something happens in some women that allows them to get pregnant when they couldn't get pregnant before," says Allen Morgan, MD, director of Shore Institute for Reproductive Medicine in Lakewood, N.J.  Eisenberg agrees, “Pregnancy can be as mysterious a process as the origins of stress, but there is one thing we know for sure, that deep relaxation is the antidote.  Not everyone knows how to induce this state and not everyone clearly knows how to recognize their own subtle symptoms of stress.  Once those elements are achieved, it is easier to become pregnant.”

STRESS AND KIDS   Kids get stressed!  Ask any parent and they’ll agree.  But how kids display signs of stress varies just as it does with adults and is sometimes difficult to interpret.  Add to that the fact that they may not have sufficient coping strategies or the verbal skills to adequately express themselves.  This may lead to unhealthy ways of dealing with everyday stresses and leave parents in the dark as to what’s happening with their child and how to help.   In addition to minor aggravations like running late or having a bad hair day, kids have to cope with major life events. The Mind/Body Medical Institute rates Top 10 Sources of Stress for Kids as: parent having problems, fighting with a friend or a sibling, taking a test, wondering if someone thinks you're attractive (teens and preteens especially), not having enough privacy, birth of a brother or sister, moving to a new school, re/marriage of a parent, not having enough money, a teacher who doesn't like you.   Furthermore, about 25% of the kids surveyed by a KidsHealth® KidsPoll said that when they are upset, they take it out on themselves. These kids are also more likely to have other unhealthy coping strategies, such as eating, losing their tempers, and keeping problems to themselves which they will continue as adults. For some kids, feelings of stress, frustration, helplessness, hurt, or anger can be overwhelming. And without a way to express or release the feelings, a kid may feel like a volcano ready to erupt — or at least let off steam.  Sometimes, kids blame themselves when things go wrong. They might feel ashamed, embarrassed, or angry at themselves for the role they played in the situation. Hurting themselves may be a way to express the stress and blame themselves at the same time. So is there any good news in all this? Well, yes, the poll also revealed important news for parents. Though talking to parents ranked eighth on the list of most popular coping methods, 75% of the kids surveyed said they want and need their parents' help in times of trouble. When they're stressed, they'd like their parents to talk with them, help them solve the problem, try to cheer them up, or just spend time together. You may not be able to prevent your kids from feeling frustrated, sad, or angry, but you can provide the tools they need to cope with these emotions.  Education is the key for both parents and children.  Therapy can help.  By learning what symptoms of stress your child displays you can help them identify when they are stressed.  Since we are all different, different coping strategies work for different people, including kids.  By learning what is effective for THEM to relieve stress, you are setting up a lifelong pattern of healthy coping skills.  To start there’s a website on my links page that can help kids identify if they are stressed and what symptoms may be associated with it.          Be patient. It hurts to see your kids unhappy or worried. But try to resist the urge to fix every problem. Instead, focus on helping them grow into good problem-solvers — kids who know how to roll with life's ups and downs, put feelings into words, calm down when needed, and bounce back to try again. By learning healthy coping strategies, kids can manage stress in the future.