Health Advice

Almost everyone knows his or her cholesterol level and understands the importance of this laboratory test as a predictor of the risk of heart disease. However, when physicians measure cholesterol, they almost always also measure a fatty substance known as triglycerides, the same kind of fat that's in foods and gets stored on our bodies. When high levels of triglycerides circulate in the blood they become a health and heart risk.

Normal levels of triglycerides are less than 150 mg/dL. Levels greater than 500 mg/dL are particularly concerning because they are associated with development of pancreatitis, a serious and painful inflammation of the gland that gives us digestive enzymes and insulin.

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Is marital strife bad for your health? And is there a difference between women and men in their marital strife risk?

Marital strife can do more than make you heartsick. In studies from our lab where we asked couples to discuss a disagreement, those couples whose disagreements were more nasty or hostile showed much larger increases in stress hormones like epinephrine and norepinephrine during and after the argument, with wives showing much bigger changes than husbands. In one of our projects we created small blister wounds on our participants' arms to study how interpersonal stress affected wound healing. The wounds of couples who were nastier to each other while trying to resolve a disagreement took longer to heal than those of couples who could discuss their differences amiably.

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Yoga can absolutely be a great way to reduce stress and anxiety, and no—it is not necessarily for everyone. Forcing yourself to do something because "it is supposed to be good for you" is almost certain to fail in the long run and can actually increase your stress and anxiety in the short term. There are many paths to stress reduction, including other forms of exercise; myriad mind-body techniques such as meditation, prayer, and visualization; and other forms of expression such as journaling, art, music, and talking to a friend.

I have two pieces of advice for you: 1) Be open to new approaches. Do not assume something new to you would not work for you. Often, approaches that you are unfamiliar with are the most interesting, and most surprising. 2) Pay attention to what you love. If you try yoga and give it a fair shot (a month or two), and you find yourself dreading the class, try something else. Self care should be fun and nurturing, not something you dread—especially when your goal is to reduce stress and anxiety. One of the best ways to do this is to find something you love, and enjoy it. You will also be much more likely to sustain these activities across time. So relax, and enjoy the exploration.

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A reasonable guideline would be twice in their 20s, three times in their 30s, four times in their 40s, five times in their 50s, and annually thereafter. Attempts to apply scientific rigor to what should be included in the history, the physical, and screening laboratory studies can argue that almost none of this is cost effective; yet I feel that periodic examinations are a good way for doctors and patients to get to know one another, to identify risk factors, to discuss lifestyle issues and to review immunizations while discussing benefits, risks, and costs of screening procedures. It is helpful to have an established relationship with a personal physician when dealing with intercurrent illness or major health problems. Personal physicians also represent an excellent source of referrals to other healthcare providers as these needs arise. Additionally, a personal physician can be a helpful sounding board in talking through recommendations from other specialists.

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