HeartBurn-related stories
Celebrity Fitzness Report: Charlie's Angel Cheryl Ladd
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Curious to know how celebrities squeeze fitness into their daily lives? Want to know the secrets of the stars? Bi-weekly our That's Fit fitness expert Fitz sits down with the celebs we want to know more about, and digs out their great and not-so-great methods to staying healthy.
My guest this week became famous as one of the hot, yet capable babes of Charlie's Angels. This role that burned Cheryl Ladd's name and face into our minds forever, in my opinion, will not in the end, be what we remember her for. We spoke recently both over the phone and in person, and she definitely showed a side of her I hadn't expected to see.
Although stunningly beautiful, and more capable of turning heads at age 57 than most women are at 25 ... Cheryl's most impressive quality in my book is her willingness to take care of other women. She's investing a lot of time in guiding and educating other Baby Boomer women about menopause. Menopause is often a taboo, hush hush topic. But Cheryl has embraced her age and stepped up to the plate to help make her personal experience with menopause an educational experience for others. She shared a bunch of private experiences with me and offered advice for growing more beautiful each year. Read on to learn how to age as gracefully and gorgeously as she has.
Fitz: You're an iconic figure in beauty. You've aged flawlessly, and to me ... you're prettier today than you were 30 years ago starring in Charlie's Angels. What can we do, to be more like you?
Cheryl: First of all, I think it's most important for women to have a close relationship with their doctor. It's important to trust your doctor, so when things go weird you are comfortable addressing the situation and taking care of things. Be proactive with your health! You also have to love yourself! Beauty comes from the inside first.
Fitz: Well your outside is pretty fantastic too. Let's start with your fitness routine. What do you do to stay in such great shape?
Click here for a sneak peek at Fitz's live interview with Cheryl!
When heartburn won't quit
Womens Health, HealthWatch, Diet & Weight Loss, Fitness, Nutrition & Supplements, Men's Health
For whatever reason, green apples give me heartburn. I still eat them from time to time, but without fail, I feel a little bit of acid reflux after I do. Many people also suffer from occasional heartburn, though their respective food or foods that cause it can be quite different. However, when heartburn is a frequent problem, it might be something known as GERD.
Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (let's stick with GERD, shall we?) happens when stomach acid makes its way back into the esophagus, resulting in that slight burning sensation in your chest. What makes GERD different than the occasional instance of heartburn is that it is due to a slight bodily malfunction: the muscular valve where the esophagus meets up with the stomach is weak and/or does not close properly.
Left untreated, GERD can lead to many esophageal disorders, such as bleeding, damage to the tissue lining of the esophagus, and inflammation. In more extreme cases, it may even be a precursor to esophageal cancer. Signs of GERD, beyond those already stated, include chest pain, raspy or sore voice, bad breath, and difficulty swallowing.
If you have any of these symptoms, you may want to schedule an appointment with your physician or a GI specialist very soon.
Heartburn or heart attack?
HealthWatch, Diet & Weight Loss, Fitness, Nutrition & Supplements
Sometimes heartburn -- or as my Italian grandmother calls it, agida -- is just that. It's uncomfortable, it's annoying, and it's no fun whatsoever. It's also not cause for any great concern. Most of the time, anyway.
For women who are getting up there in age, however, a little chest pain may be more than a simple case of heartburn. It could be a heart attack. This is because the chances of feeling a heart attack drops with age and, as a recent study from the National Institute of Health shows, women are less likely than men to recognize the signs of a first heart attack. This is likely because women tend to have their first infarction about 10 years later than men.
While this doesn't mean that a trip to the emergency room is necessary every time you feel a little heartburn or indigestion, it's certainly worth being aware and in tune with what your body could potentially be telling you.
Fight heartburn without medication
Healthy Habits, Diet & Weight Loss
My allergist recently put me on a heartburn medication to see if it helps my asthma stay in control. GERD and asthma are connected, though health experts aren't exactly sure what that connection is. I'm hopeful that it works, because asthma affects my ability to exercise, yet I'd like to avoid another long-term medication if I can. So when this trial period is over, if my asthma symptoms have improved, I'm going to be working very hard to avoid acid reflux naturally.
I have a few bad habits that may be making things worse. One -- I snack late at night, sometimes right before bed. I also like spicy foods, chocolate, and tea, all of which can exacerbate the issue. Other lifestyle changes that you can make to improve heartburn symptoms include:
- Wear clothing that is not too tight in the waist or neck.
- Lose weight or maintain a healthy weight.
- Eat smaller meals.
- Avoid fatty or acidic foods.
- Stay away from caffiene, nicotine, and alcohol.
Sleeping on left side may help heartburn
Healthy Habits, Womens Health, HealthWatch, Diet & Weight Loss, Fitness, Nutrition & Supplements, Men's Health
A few days ago, I mentioned that certain instances of heartburn may be related to the consumption of a high-glycemic-index diet. So, if cutting back on the bagels and sweets hasn't offered any relief, maybe the following tip from the Graduate Hospital in Philadelphia will.
Addressing the problem some 60 million Americans face, the researchers uncovered a very simple solution to the sleep troubles many people with heartburn suffer from nightly. What is that simple solution? Sleeping on your left side.
Sleeping on your right side may worsen heartburn symptoms, chiefly because it takes longer for the acid to clear out of your esophagus. Sleeping on your left side, by contrast, seemingly prevents acid from entering into the esophagus in the first place. Because the tube-like passage curves slightly as it enters the stomach, sleeping on your left side creates a sharper angle in the passage, thereby preventing the entry of rising acids.
While this may not be the hearburn cure you wer hoping for, it may help you to at least get a good night's sleep.
Carb reduction may help with heartburn
Diet & Weight Loss, Nutrition & Supplements
Carbs, carbs, carbs -- yeah, we know all about carbs. There's so-called "good" ones and there are definitely "bad"ones. There are times when we need them, and there are times when we should probably steer clear of them altogether. Readers of this blog may know more about the ins and outs of carbs than anyone, but even they may not know something that researchers from the University of North Carolina discovered. Interested to know what they found? If so, read on.
According to a study, cutting back on carbs can help you can relieve heartburn. Patients experienced a 44 percent reduction in the severity of their heartburn symptoms after spending a mere 4 days eating a reduced carbohydrate diet. In addition, the pain-inducing acid in each patient's esophagus decreased by an average of 60 percent.
What's more, patients that returned to eating a higher-carb diet after the study found their heartburn to return.
The difference between a stomachache and something worse
- Sharp, sudden or persistent pain
- Bloody, black or unusual vomiting
- Bloody, black or unusual stools.
- Weight loss
- Poor appetite
- Bloating
- Belching
- Nausea
Daily Fit Tip: Avoid heartburn with lifestyle changes
There are plenty of medications out there to treat heartburn these days, but did you know that there are easy lifestyle changes you can make to prevent occasional heartburn so that it doesn't need to be treated in the first place? WebMD has a great list of things to try, including avoiding certain foods, cutting back on alcohol and caffeine, eating smaller meals, not eating before bedtime, and losing weight. If you make an effort to try these tips and still find yourself wincing from frequent heartburn, then it may time to see your doctor.Use of heartburn drugs by kids skyrockets
Healthy Kids, Nutrition & Supplements
More kids are obese these days than before, and now -- according to a recent drug analysis -- ore kids are taking heartburn drugs than ever before. Yikes -- this is another sign of how the quality of food many kids are eating has deteriorated in the last decade.In addition to heartburn, kids are on drugs for other digestive problems as well in increasing rates, to the tune of a 56% increase in recent years, according to a Medco Health Solutions analysis released this morning.
The Medco research looked at prescription drug claims from over 575,000 U.S. children to come up with its conclusion. I'll say this -- analyzing the drug claims of all U.S. kids would probably lead to finding out that we're raising an entire generation of kids using drugs for one thing or another. The funny thing is, much of this nonsense is completely preventable. Yet, many seem powerless to stop this madness.
Get back to sleep for better health
For all you sleepy heads who can't seem to get a wink of slumber, these tips are for you.
- Sip on some chamomile tea. It contains glycine, a chemical that acts as a mild sedative and muscle relaxant. Drink this potion an hour or more before bedtime if nighttime trips to the bathroom are a problem.
Got heartburn? Try these tips
Heartburn, sometimes a sign of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), can be minimized, even cured, with the right kind of exercise. Try walking, biking, swimming, yoga, and gentle weight training. Steer clear of high-impact aerobic activity -- this can make reflux more intense. And try to wait two hours after eating before exercising.
Gaining weight can also make GERD worse. A rise in your body mass index can bring on or worsen symptoms, especially if the pounds land in the abdominal region. Eating smaller portions works too by decreasing acid. Make sure to eat meals three hours prior to bedtime since symptoms are often worse at night.
How to deal with exercise-related heartburn
Do you suffer from exercise-induced heartburn? It can really be miserable, not to mention put a serious kink in your efforts and sap your motivation to work your hardest. So in order to stave it off completely, or deal with it most effectively when it does strike, try these tips:- Pay attention to your diet, and do some problem-solving
- Eat something small that you know helps reduce your chances of heartburn right before you workout.
- Experiment and find the ideal time to eat before working out -- whether it's 30 minutes or 2 hours, everybody is different.
- Pay attention and experiment to see if all exercise, or only certain kinds, trigger heartburn attacks.
- Don't be afraid to treat heartburn symptoms, for example taking a small sip of vinegar can neutralize the acid.
- Try commercial over-the-counter treatments like TUMS or some other calcium-based antacid. Experts say it certainly can't hurt to try.
5 ways to say 'no thanks' to summer holiday heartburn
Although summer holidays bring thoughts of sun and fun, for many people they also bring the dread of miserable heartburn symptoms and discomfort. If you're one of those unfortunate souls then review these 5 ways to avoid heartburn this summer, and anytime:- Avoid trigger foods. Heartburn triggering foods differ for everybody, but generally speaking some of the worst ones are ice cream, mac & cheese, French fries, raw onions, cranberry juice, wine, and chocolate. Also download a free brochure from the National Heartburn Alliance for more information.
- Avoid eating too much in one sitting. Eating smaller amounts more frequently will help keep the stomach from becoming too full, which can increase the risk for heartburn.
- Avoid eating before going to bed or lying down, or if you must then raise the head of the bed a few inches with books or cinder blocks.
- Lose weight. Having excess fat around and in the midsection puts extra pressure on the stomach, increasing the risk for and severity of heartburn symptoms.
- Adopting all-around healthy lifestyle habits, such as quitting smoking and reducing stress can help reduce heartburn by association.
Obese caucasians at highest risk for heartburn
Obese caucasians are at higher risk for developing acid reflux disease than obese individuals of other races. In a group of 80,000 patients obesity was found to increase risk by a fairly significant amount for Caucasians, while it seemed to have little or no effect on acid reflux for African-Americans or Asians. I'm interested to know why this is, but unfortunately experts have no idea. What they do know is that Caucasians with the largest waists are as much as 85% more likely to get heartburn -- that's a big number! Seems unfair, but what ya gonna do? Try to slim down, that's what.
10 foods that aren't easy to stomach
Diet & Weight Loss, Nutrition & Supplements
What do you think? Do these things leave you running for the bathroom?






















