**  Those never Ending Sleep Problems by Frank Barnmill, M.D.

** Smiles – Old Age

** The Poor Man's Meat Can Lower Your Cholesterol by Dr. James Groves

** More good news about the Mediterranean diet  by Dr. Earl Mindell

** Trivia

** Stress Tips by Dr. Rae Baum
 

The best gift you can give someone is the gift of health.To help you along your way, visit our Web Site at - http://bestbodyever.com/ .   We have also reworked our "FitnessProgram" and the electronic version which is sent directly toyour email address is now available for just $49.95.

 WARNING!! Always seek the advice of a Medical Doctor beforestarting, or making changes in your diet or exercise program. All previous newsletter are archived at our web site at:http://www.adv-marketing.com/business/bbnewslt.htmIf you haven't already, be sure to stop by our web site at:http://www.bestbodyever.com/

All opinions presented in this publication are those of the authors. Articles in this newsletter are for information only. If you have a medical problem, see your Medical Doctor.

There's an old wives tale that claims, as we get older, we don't need as much sleep. Nothing could be further from the truth, as studies have shown we all function better with a seven or eight hour sleep night.

There are many causes of insomnia or disorder of sleep. Among the most common are those we cause ourselves. Contrary to popular belief, alcohol actually interferes with a good nights sleep by interrupting your body's normal sleep rhythm. Caffeine, nicotine, and other stimulants have similar effects. Vigorous exercise within four hours of bedtime can cause a very restless night due to high adrenaline levels.

One easily overlooked cause of insomnia is over the counter and prescription medications. Drugs such as prednisone, decongestants, cough syrups, blood pressure pills, stimulating anxiety medications and antidepressants, asthma pills, and thyroid medications can cause mild to severe sleep problems.

Natural changes of aging can lead to other medical problems, which interfere with a good nights sleep. For example, sleep apnea affects 10% of adults ages 30 to 60 and 60% of those over age 65. Affected persons may snore loudly and then abruptly stop breathing for 10 to 30 seconds. It's possible for a person to experience apnea hundreds of times a night and never reach a state of complete sleep relaxation. The next day, that person will be very tired and may fall asleep without warning.

Another common cause of a restless night is acid reflux or GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease). Reflux of acid into the esophagus and throat causes partial arousal (near awaken state) and interferes with sleep since you never reach the deepest sleep levels. Reflux can also cause a chronic cough, lead to ulceration and cause cancer in the lower esophagus. Like sleep apnea, reflux or GERD is worsened by being over weight and often improves with weight loss. It can be treated with antacids and drugs, which reduce acid output such as Prilosec, Nexium, Axid, Zantac, and Pepcid.

Almost everyone over the age of thirty has jumped out of bed in the middle of the night grabbing a calf to massage terrible cramps. These cramps may be from Restless legs syndrome (RLS) or periodic limb movement syndrome (PLMS). Both disorders can cause jerking sensations of the legs and sometimes calf pain, which reduce the amount of time spent in deep sleep by awakening you or causing near arousal. Unfortunately, the cause of RLS and PLMS is not known, but drugs such as Sinequan, Sinemet, and Neurontin can be used to suppress these abnormal leg movements and help you get a good night's sleep.

Advance sleep cycle dysfunctions can also cause restless nights and usually involve disturbances in our circadian (bio) rhythm. Normally, our core body temperature drops a little and we get sleepy around 10 or 11 pm and remain sleepy for 7 or 8 hours, such that we awaken between 7 and 8 am. As we get older, our body temperature falls at an earlier time, say 8 or 9 pm and we get sleepy and go to bed. When core body temperature rises 7 or 8 hours later, we awaken at 4 or 5 am unable to return to sleep. This essentially happens when we travel east to west and cross three or more time zones in a 12-hour period (jet lag). Wearing sunglasses in late afternoon in your new time zone can delay this effect if you wish to maintain your "normal sleep times" while traveling. Likewise, it is possible to delay onset of your normal sleep cycle by prolonged exposure to bright light similar to natural sunlight.

I know most of us have well meaning friends and families who blame a "bad case of nerves" for our sleepless nights. It's true that untreated depression can cause sleep problems, but equally important, untreated insomnia can lead to depression. Diagnosis of sleep disorders can be quite complicated and requires identification of the underlying problem by a thorough medical exam. Blood testing and possibly x-rays or special diagnostic testing such as sleep studies may help your doctor make an accurate assessment. Once diagnosed, a modification in your lifestyle, such as weight loss, or getting rid of alcohol and tobacco, or a change in your current or addition of new medications may be needed.

For Further information on sleep apnea, depression, seasonal affective disorder, esophageal reflux and nocturnal leg cramps, please access the archives at drhuggiebear.com.

Have a great night's sleep!
Dr. Frank Questions? drfrank@drhuggiebear.com

Copyright Frank Barnhill 2008

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Drhuggiebear.com offers common sense solutions for life's little problems, as well as sources to help you and your family achieve important goals. Dr. Frank Barnhill and Uncle Frank Jones offer a free newsletter providing monthly up to date information on depression, ADHD, stress burnout, success training, and may other medical and personal life skills topics. http://www.drhuggiebear.com

Old Age
=-=-=-=-=

A 60-year-old man went to the doctor for a check-up. The doctor told him, "You're in terrific shape. There's nothing wrong with you. Why, you might live forever. You have the body of a 35 year old. By the way, how old was your father when he died?"

The 60 year old responded, "Who said he was dead?"

The doctor was surprised and asked, "How old is he and is he very active?"

The 60 year old responded, "Well, he is 82 years old and he still goes skiing three times a season and surfing three times a week during the summer."

The doctor couldn't believe it. "Well, how old was your grandfather when he died?"

The 60 year old responded again, "Who said he was dead?"

The doctor was astonished. He said, "You mean to tell me you are 60 years old and both your father and your grandfather are alive? Is your grandfather very active?"

The 60 year old said, "He goes skiing at least once a season and surfing once a week during the summer. Not only that," said the patient, "my grandfather is 106 years old, and next week he is getting married again."

The doctor said, "At 106 years old, why on earth would your grandfather want to get married?"

His patient looked up at the doctor and said, "Who said he wanted to?"

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 A guy walks into a bar and approaches the barman, "Can I have  a pint of Less, please?"
 
 "I'm sorry sir," the barman replies, looking slightly puzzled,  "I've not come across that one before. Is it a spirit?"
 
 "I've no idea," replies the guy, "The thing is, I went to see  my doctor last week and he told me that I should drink less."

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Seems an elderly gentleman had serious  hearing problems for a number of years.

He went to the doctor and the doctor was  able to have him fitted for a set of hearing  aids that allowed the gentleman to hear 100%.

The elderly gentleman went back in a month  to the doctor for a check up.

The doctor said, "Your hearing is perfect.  Your family must be really pleased you can  hear again."

To which the gentleman said, "Oh, I haven't  told my family yet. I just sit around and  listen to the conversations. I've changed  my will five times!"

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Are you unhappy with the way you look? Would you like to loose weight? Are you interested in toning-up or increasing your muscularity? Would you like to improve your health and quality of life? Are you thin and like to gain weight? If you have answer ed "yes" to any of these questions, We are confident our diet and exercise program will quickly get you to your goals. Your diet and exercise program is tailored to your individual needs and situation. We are here to help you every step of the way. P lease visit our web site at http://www.bestbodyever.com/. There are some great "before and after" pictures on the site that will motivate you to make the decision to improve your health and build your best body ever.

Always plan ahead when traveling. Load up on healthful snacks like fruits, veggies and granola bars. Having these on hand keeps you from eating overpriced, high-calorie fare at airports and gas stations.

Here's another tip you can use to lower your cholesterol.   You've learned about avocados and almonds, now you can eat the "Poor Man's Meat" and lower your cholesterol in  just three weeks.

Eat lots of beans, lentils, and peas. These foods are rich in protein and complex carbohydrates.  They are also low in  fat, sodium and they have no cholesterol.

If you don't want to spend endless hours, soaking and cooking beans, then use split peas or lentils.  They don't need to be  soaked and they cook in a fraction of the time that other dried beans demand.

Split peas can be used for more than just soup.  They make a  great no-guilt dip. Cook yellow split peas until well done, then  place them in a bowl overnight.  Spoon this mixture into a food  processor and add one teaspoon of olive oil, and one tablespoon  of lemon juice.  Process until smooth, and creamy. Place in a  bowl and add 1/2 cup of diced onions and one more teaspoon of  olive oil.  Your guests and family will love this dip served with raw vegetables.

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Live in Passion and Good Health,
James Groves

A study published in the journal Thorax describes a protective effect of this diet—rich in antioxidant-dense vegetables, fruits, and whole grains—against pediatric allergy and asthma. The study was conducted via surveys of 690 children ages 7 to 18, all of whom lived in rural Crete, an area of Greece. Of these children, 43.8 percent had moderate adherence to the traditional Mediterranean diet, and 28.3 percent had high adherence. Moderate to high adherence was linked with lower risk of asthma and allergy. Oranges, grapes, apples, and nuts were found to be especially protective.

To learn more about this healthy diet, go to: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/mediterranean-diet/CL00011

Take action, feel great, and make your day by making a difference in someone's life.

---- Dr. Rae ----

~ Need help with this? Contact The Baum Group at:
mailto:TheBaumGroup@YourStressMatters.com

If you need to lose weight, you must be in caloric deficit. This can be accomplished by cutting down your caloric intake, or increasing the amount of calories you burn by exercising. I recommend both. Even though a calorie is a calorie when it comes to weight loss, a calorie is not a calorie when it comes to your health. Make sure your daily diet includes several servings of fruit and vegetables and whenever possible, avoid foods that contain trans fat.

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Yours in Health
Bob Osgoodby