Tag Archives: Merry Christmas

Straight, No Chaser: The Intersection of Health and Happiness, aka Merry Christmas!

December 25, 2016General Health and Wellness, Health Prevention844-SMA-TALK, Behind the Curtain, Merry Christmas, Sterling Medical Advice, SterlingMedicalAdvice.com, Straight No ChaserJeffrey Sterling, MD

Straight, No Chaser isn’t a medical encyclopedia. It’s a tool to empower you to make choices that best suit your lifestyle – the intersection between health and happiness. Even though today is Christmas, remember we offer you the gift of knowledge every day.
After more than 20 years as a physician, I still am fascinated at the health trade-offs people make for their pleasure – or “quality of life.” We have previously discussed your habits and how some of them negatively impact your health. Click here for that discussion. The literature on negative energy and health is well documented and robust. In short, avoid negativity and those that bring it to you! That said, we’re following our own advice and going positive today. To that end, here’s the other half of the “health and happiness” equation:

STATE OF MIND = STATE OF BODY.

Research from the Harvard School of Public Health (Go, Crimson!) led by Laura Kubzansky, Associate Profession of Society, Human Development and Health, identified personal attributes that actually do translate into better health. Specifically these personality traits have been shown to help avoid or healthfully manage depression, diabetes, heart attacks, strokes and other diseases.
Her landmark 2007 study followed over 6,000 men and women for over 20 years, discovering that a sense of enthusiasm, hopefulness, engagement in life and the ability to face life’s stresses with emotional balance appears to reduce the risk of coronary heart disease. Her studies have also demonstrated that children with a positive outlook and ability to focus on a task at age seven are in better health with fewer illnesses 30 years later. An additional finding of hers is that optimism cuts the risk of coronary heart disease in half.
This isn’t that hard. It just requires a rewiring of some of our outlook on life. Make a change today. Become a more positive person, and you’ll become a healthier person! Incorporate these mental lifestyle changes and reap the benefits.

Emotional vitality: a sense of enthusiasm, hopefulness, engagement
Optimism: the perspective that good things will happen and that one’s actions account for the good things that occur in life
Supportive networks of family and friends
Good “self-regulation,” i.e., bouncing back from stressful challenges and knowing that things will eventually look up again
Healthy behaviors such as physical activity and eating well
Avoidance of risky behaviors such as unsafe sex, drinking alcohol to excess, and regular overeating

Speaking of Christmas, the Straight, No Chaser team greatly appreciates your readership, support and feedback. Over 40,000 of you both follow us and like us on social media and WordPress. We’ve had readers in approximately 200 countries around the world with approximately 1,000,000 page clicks. Most of all you’ve helped us successfully launch www.SterlingMedicalAdvice.com (SMA), 844-SMA-TALK (www.docadviceline.com) and Dr. Sterling’s acclaimed first book, Behind the Curtain. We’ll continue to give you information to make a difference in your lives. Please continue to share your stories. It is very fulfilling and fascinating to hear how these efforts have made a difference in your lives. Feel free to continue to send us topic requests. We generally find a way to work them into the schedule.

Thank you so much, Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Kwanzaa, peace and blessings throughout the holiday season.

Feel free to ask your SMA expert consultant any questions you may have on this topic.
Order your copy of Dr. Sterling’s new book Behind The Curtain: A Peek at Life from within the ER at jeffreysterlingbooks.com, iTunes, Amazon, Barnes and Nobles and wherever books are sold.
Thanks for liking and following Straight, No Chaser! This public service provides a sample of what http://www.SterlingMedicalAdvice.com (SMA) and 844-SMA-TALK offers. Please share our page with your friends on WordPress, like us on Facebook @ SterlingMedicalAdvice.com and follow us on Twitter at @asksterlingmd.
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Straight, No Chaser: The Intersection of Health and Happiness, aka Merry Christmas!

December 25, 2015General Health and Wellness, Mental HealthSterling Medical Advice, 844-SMA-TALK, Behind the Curtain, Merry Christmas, SterlingMedicalAdvice.com, Straight No ChaserJeffrey Sterling, MD

STATE OF MIND = STATE OF BODY.

Emotional vitality: a sense of enthusiasm, hopefulness, engagement
Optimism: the perspective that good things will happen and that one’s actions account for the good things that occur in life
Supportive networks of family and friends
Good “self-regulation,” i.e., bouncing back from stressful challenges and knowing that things will eventually look up again
Healthy behaviors such as physical activity and eating well
Avoidance of risky behaviors such as unsafe sex, drinking alcohol to excess, and regular overeating

Speaking of Christmas, the Straight, No Chaser team greatly appreciates your readership, support and feedback. Over 36,000 of you both follow us and like us on Facebook and WordPress. We’ve had readers in approximately 200 countries around the world with approximately 300,000 page clicks. Most of all you’ve helped us successfully launch www.SterlingMedicalAdvice.com (SMA), 844-SMA-TALK (www.docadviceline.com) and Dr. Sterling’s acclaimed first book, Behind the Curtain. We’ll continue to give you information to make a difference in your lives. Please continue to share your stories. It is very fulfilling and fascinating to hear how these efforts have made a difference in your lives. Feel free to continue to send us topic requests. We generally find a way to work them into the schedule.

Thank you so much, Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Kwanzaa, peace and blessings throughout the holiday season.

Order your copy of Dr. Sterling’s new book Behind The Curtain: A Peek at Life from within the ER at jeffreysterlingbooks.com, iTunes, Amazon, Barnes and Nobles and wherever books are sold.
Thanks for liking and following Straight, No Chaser! This public service provides a sample of what http://www.SterlingMedicalAdvice.com (SMA) and 844-SMA-TALK offers. Please share our page with your friends on WordPress, like us on Facebook @ SterlingMedicalAdvice.com and follow us on Twitter at @asksterlingmd.

Straight, No Chaser: The Intersection of Health and Happiness, aka Merry Christmas!

December 25, 2014General Health and Wellness844-SMA-TALK, Conditions and Diseases, Merry Christmas, Sterling Medical Advice, SterlingMedicalAdvice.com, Straight No ChaserJeffrey Sterling, MD

STATE OF MIND = STATE OF BODY.

Emotional vitality: a sense of enthusiasm, hopefulness, engagement
Optimism: the perspective that good things will happen and that one’s actions account for the good things that occur in life
Supportive networks of family and friends
Good “self-regulation,” i.e., bouncing back from stressful challenges and knowing that things will eventually look up again
Healthy behaviors such as physical activity and eating well
Avoidance of risky behaviors such as unsafe sex, drinking alcohol to excess, and regular overeating

Speaking of Christmas, the Straight, No Chaser team greatly appreciates your readership, support and feedback. Over 5,000 of you both follow us and like us on Facebook and WordPress. We’ve had readers in approximately 200 countries around the world with approximately 300,000 page clicks. Most of all you’ve helped us successfully launch www.SterlingMedicalAdvice.com (SMA). We’ll continue to give you information to make a difference in your lives. Please continue to share your stories. It is very fulfilling and fascinating to hear how these efforts have made a difference in your lives. Feel free to continue to send us topic requests. We generally find a way to work them into the schedule.

Thank you so much, Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Kwanzaa, peace and blessings throughout the holiday season.

Thanks for liking and following Straight, No Chaser! This public service provides a sample of what 844-SMA-TALK and http://www.SterlingMedicalAdvice.com (SMA) offers. Please share our page with your friends on WordPress. We are also on Facebook at SterlingMedicalAdvice.com and Twitter at @asksterlingmd.

Straight, No Chaser: Keys to Mental (Un)Health and (Un)Happiness

December 24, 2014General Health and Wellness, Mental HealthConditions and Diseases, Merry Christmas, Sterling Medical Advice, SterlingMedicalAdvice.com, Straight No Chaser, 844-SMA-TALKJeffrey Sterling, MD

On this day before Christmas, Straight, No Chaser is mindful that there are multitudes of us excessively happy and unhappy. Everyone has thoughts about the keys to happiness, but we can objectify the conversation and identify what’s most likely to make you unhappy and lead to depression. You may find this hard to believe, but outside of medical causes of psychiatric illness and factors outside of your control, there are actually three choices we make that most commonly adversely impact your happiness and good mental health. Take it for what you will, but the data is what it is. Stay away from these circumstances, and you’re less likely to be unhappy. Sometimes it’s about addition by subtraction.

Health Problems: People who are sick or have significant illness in their families generally aren’t happy. Although this may seem obvious and perhaps unfair, given that some illnesses and conditions are inherited or occur haphazardly, be mindful of the things you can control. Of course, this gets to the negative effects of obesity and smoking. More so than any other health-related activities/conditions, these will eventually lead to deteriorating health and subsequent unhappiness.

Job Problems: You don’t have enough to do with your time? Yep, an idle mind is the Devil’s workshop, as the saying goes. It should be pointed out that neither too much work nor the wrong type of work (i.e., low job satisfaction) seems to promote happiness. On average, people change careers seven times during their lifetimes. It’s often due to a search for happiness and actually is a good thing to do to avoid being stuck in a bad situation. Follow the job you love, and you’re more likely to be both happy and successful.

Relationship Problems: You make bad relationship choices? Well there’s one specific choice that is shown to be most likely to reduce your happiness—choosing a neurotic partner. What’s neurotic? For one particularly disruptive example, think about the so-called Drama Queen/King. A neurotic partner responds emotionally to events that wouldn’t affect most people, and their reactions tend to be more intense than normal. They’re more likely to interpret minor frustrations as hopelessly difficult. Their negative emotional reactions persist for unusually long periods of time. In short, if you want to be really unhappy, become attached to such a person. They will negatively affect your world, keeping you embroiled in drama and unhappiness, no matter how good the financial, physical, or other parts of your relationship.

Now your results may vary but probably won’t. I’m not make judgements, just sharing the data. Life choices have consequences. Choose wisely!
Thanks for liking and following Straight, No Chaser! This public service provides a sample of what 844-SMA-TALK and http://www.SterlingMedicalAdvice.com (SMA) offers. Please share our page with your friends on WordPress. We are also on Facebook at SterlingMedicalAdvice.com and Twitter at @asksterlingmd.

Straight, No Chaser: The Intersection of Health and Happiness, aka Merry Christmas!

December 25, 2013Mental HealthStraight No Chaser, Christmas, Facebook, Hanukkah, Happiness, Harvard School of Public Health, health, mental-health, Merry Christmas, Sterling Medical Advice, SterlingMedicalAdvice.com, WordPressJeffrey Sterling, MD

Today is Christmas, and we want to celebrate the best parts of you! Even better, do that for yourself and allow that to translate into better health. We have previously discussed your bad habits and how they negatively impact your health. Click here for that discussion. The literature on negative energy and health is well documented and robust. In short, avoid negativity and those that bring it to you! That said, we’re following our own advice and going positive today. That’s the other half of the “health and emotions” equation:

STATE OF MIND = STATE OF BODY.

So here we go.

Research from the Harvard School of Public Health (Go, Crimson!) led by Laura Kubzansky, Associate Profession of Society, Human Development and Health, identified personal attributes that actually do translate into better health. Specifically these personality traits have been shown to help avoid or healthfully manage depression, diabetes, heart attacks, strokes and other diseases.
Her landmark 2007 study followed over 6,000 men and women for over 20 years, discovering that a sense of enthusiasm, hopefulness, engagement in life and the ability to face life’s stresses with emotional balance appears to reduce the risk of coronary heart disease. Her studies have also demonstrated that children with a positive outlook and ability to focus on a task at age seven are in better health with fewer illnesses 30 years later. An additional finding of hers is that optimism cuts the risk of coronary heart disease in half.
This isn’t that hard. It just requires a rewiring of some of our outlook on life. Make a change today. Become a more positive person; become a healthier person! Incorporate these mental lifestyle changes and reap the benefits.

Emotional vitality: a sense of enthusiasm, hopefulness, engagement
Optimism: the perspective that good things will happen and that one’s actions account for the good things that occur in life
Supportive networks of family and friends
Good “self-regulation,” i.e., bouncing back from stressful challenges and knowing that things will eventually look up again
Healthy behaviors such as physical activity and eating well
Avoidance of risky behaviors such as unsafe sex, drinking alcohol to excess, and regular overeating

Speaking of Christmas, the Straight, No Chaser team greatly appreciates your readership, support and feedback. In a matter of a few months, over 3,000 of you both follow us and like us on Facebook. We’ve had readers in over 105 countries around the world. Most of all you’ve helped us successfully launch www.SterlingMedicalAdvice.com (SMA). We’ll continue to give you information to make a difference in your lives. Please continue to share your stories. It is very fulfilling and fascinating to hear how these efforts have made a difference in your lives. Feel free to continue to send us topic requests. We generally find a way to work them into the schedule.

Thank you so much, Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Kwanzaa, peace and blessings throughout the holiday season.

Feel free to ask your SMA expert consultant if you have any questions on this post.

Thanks for liking and following Straight, No Chaser! This public service provides a sample of what http://www.SterlingMedicalAdvice.com offers. Please share our page with your friends on WordPress. We are also on Facebook at SterlingMedicalAdvice.com and Twitter at @asksterlingmd.