Talking About Health; Why Health Communication Matters

Health communication about eating sugar and wrinkles

August 29, 2012

Another one of those incomplete messages came my way. I was reading again while waiting for a meeting. And the headline was ‘Face facts about sugar.’ There it was. A statement, with no link to the published medical research and no mention of a journal it was published in. The magazine is a 2012 one. But when I went to search for research related to the idea that “Consuming sweets can damage skin’s collagen”–the article’s claim–I found research that was published in 1998 and conducted on male rats [see http://jn.nutrition.org/content/128/9/1442.short]. OK, interesting. But it seems worthy of at least a descriptive study in humans. And worthy of including female humans. While we might not want to volunteer for a randomized clinical trial in which we get assigned to a group that eats, let’s say, the amount of sugar that is ‘average’ or eats no sugar at all, it seems like there may be some ‘natural’ study groups out there to observe and survey. Folks who simply don’t eat sugar or eat very little sugar. Let them provide photos of their faces, or some lab work relating to collagen levels. Compare the results to a group that eats more ‘normal’ levels of sugar. Factor in whether they are male or female, how old they are, and a few of the other correlates related to collagen–such as lifetime sun exposure [see, for example, http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8642084]. It would be interesting to ‘see’ if there are differences in the appearance and would give us some actual ‘human’ face facts.

Who told me about glutein for eye health?

May25, 2012

After a brief hiatus to complete those piles of undone tasks [which are still not all complete but I’m making progress!], I wanted to share how communicating about health in my family may have helped my vision. I use ‘may’ because it appears to be the case, but I am not a medical doctor and can only tell you my personal experience–with a focus on how talking about health worked in this case.

First, setting the stage, I have low vision. For those of you who have low vvision, you know what this means. For others, it means that limits related to my ability to see are significant. For example, I cannot drive… I see a low vision specialist at least every six months and more often if I feel the need based on some symptom. At any rate, in addition to impaired peripheral sight in both eyes and practically no vision in the left eye, at the last visit–my low vision doctor announced that a cataract had begun to develop. And it was in my so called ‘good’ eye. When I told my parents, my dad asked me if I was taking Lutein. He takes it for his vision. So this family conversation started me on a path.

I looked online at google scholar and found quite a few published scientific articles about cataracts and lutein. Here is a link to one example: http://www.nutritionjrnl.com/article/S0899-9007(02)00861-4/abstract I went to Wal Mart and found lutein in the 20 mg size with zeaxanthin…which some studies specifically mentioned as being important with lutein. I took it 3 or more times each week. And this week, my visual acuity was significantly improved and the start of the cataract waas reversed…not there. Hmm. Sure am glad I talked to my dad…

Interestingly, the doctor wanted to know what I was doing differently because the change was a positive and clinically significant one. I told her. And she said, ‘the National Eye Institute at the National Institutes of Health have found that taking lutein improves eyesight…” She went on with more details but I was lost in the thought that ‘she knew this but she didn’t tell me. My dad told me…’ I have several follow-up questions for the doctor but did not ask them at the time. Why didn’t she tell me? Did she doubt the results? Did she think I wouldn’t take the supplement? She could’ve advised me to eat more fruits and vegetables with the lutein and zeaxanthin. I do eat a lot of these though and probably wouldn’t have changed my eating habits. Brussel sprouts is included in this list, as well as some others. See http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1722697/

But in the end, she didn’t say anything. I sure am glad my dad did…

When communication benefits health

January 28, 2012

There is hardly anything more fun than getting together with family and friends. And celebrating life is the best reason to get together that I can think of.

We had a baby shower that proved the point.

Everyone got a preview of the nursery.

The food was fantastic. Chocolate-dipped strawberries. Crab cakes. Mini quiche and more…

It was fabulous! And will keep me smiling to remember it in the days and weeks to come…

Consumer Reports and Apple Juice: Why Did Dr. Besser Apologize to Dr. Oz?

December 11, 2011

Not long ago, near the end of September, I reflected on the debate that took place between Dr. Besser and Dr. Oz about apple juice. It was a chance to consider the meaning of evidence when reports appear about the safety of food or other substances. I noted that I would have appreciated it if Dr. Besser had spent more time talking about why the evidence was of poor quality and less time attacking Dr. Oz.

Well, new data is in. Dr. Besser apologized to Dr. Oz and aimed his criticism at the FDA where data about arsenic in applie juice had been piling up for a number of years. A new study released by Consumer Reports added to that data. Dr. Oz gives tips about the amount of apple juice that should be safe for children at different ages to drink. It is clear that all of us need to keep asking for answers to the question: how did the science reach that conclusion? When we ask, someone just might listen and try to give a more valid answer…

Grammie, were you that girl who played ‘boy’ games with the boys?

August 2, 2011

Yes, Grace… I was. We were painting the swingset and ‘chit-chatting’ as my granddaughter likes to call it. Being a baby-boomer has its perks as I have this long view of such matters as ‘what girls and boys do’ and some opinions about how it affects our health…all the way from bone density based on early childhood through developmental years of activity versus inactivity to body image and weight. Or so I thought.

Why is it that the same divisions that seemed like we worked through in the past still remain? The boys always played together at recess…something fun like kickball or chase or even just ‘let’s go expore the other side of the playground.’ The girls always played together at recess…something like ‘let’s catch up on who’s wearing what’ [like we couldn’t all see that and who cares…] and ‘let’s play house’…

Much to my surprise, Grace told me as we were painting all about how she is the girl who crosses over to play with the boys. I knew she played sports at recess because shopping for clothes for Grace means buying something pretty and pink but something–like she is wearing to drive the tractor with Granddad–that she can hang upside down in on any number of jungle gym type toys… skorts–those marvelous crossovers between shorts and skirts are the perfect ticket and have only gotten much cuter over the years. She told me that her best friend is a boy. She was the only girl invited to his birthday party. She told me how there is one boy who sometimes plays with the girls…when they need a ‘daddy’ for their household.

Interesting, I told her. I was the one rolling down hills, climbing trees, and well–being a ‘tomboy’ when I was growing up, too. “A tomboy? What’s that,” Grace asked me.

Well, at least that has changed…

Could we please use a different word–one besides ‘stress’–when we talk about what causes health problems?

119_1914 September 21, 2010

Today is my daughter-in-law’s birthday. I thought about her this morning as Dr. Oz talked about the health of skin for women in their 30s, their 40s, and their 50s… For women in their 30s, like my daughter-in-law, the guest dermatologist noted that ‘stress’ is a big contributor to skin problems. Sigh. From the vantage of late 50s, I wish that we might use other words to communicate about health conditions and changes. What if instead of saying with stern expression and furrowed brow, “When we don’t get enough sleep because our toddler doesn’t sleep eight hours or our elementary age child wakes up sick and keeps up in the night, it causes us stress,” we said with a chuckle, “I have a much greater appreciation for my parents now that I’m learning to catch a few hours of sleep here and 20 minutes there. I understand now why ‘sleep’ could make the top five list for ‘things I want to do on my vacation.'” Sometimes, it is all in the framing.

We talk about loss versus gain frames in communicating about health. Loss frames emphasize the costs associated with developing new health habits, while gain frames emphasize the benefits associated with developing new health habits. Stress is all about losses and costs. Life is all about gains and benefits. So, yes, even though the dermatologist also cautioned that alcohol causes premature aging of the skin, I hope my daughter-in-law is celebrating her life today, and perhaps even toasting the year ahead….