Does unhappiness cause poor health?

People tend to think that unhappiness causes disease or illness, but a recent study shows that this is not true.

Dr Bette Liu from the University of New South Wales in Australia looked at over a million women (aged 55-63) over a 10 year span.

The researcher found that only after becoming sick did rates of happiness decrease, not the other way around.  The conclusion of this study is that poor health causes unhappiness. Dr Lie says: "We found no direct effect of unhappiness or stress on mortality".

Therefore, it makes very good sense to focus on being healthy, as a way to stay happy.

It's almost obvious that if focused on health ( good nutrition, exercise, sleep hygiene, hydration),  that happiness would follow.

How long does it take to form a new habit?

A habit is a new behaviour which becomes automatic or second nature (like brushing teeth before bedtime) over time.

Based on research done by Dr Phillipa Lally on 96 people, a new behaviour takes about 7 weeks to become habit.

The smaller the action chosen, the more likely it is to succeed. The new behaviour must be performed in the same way, same time, same place (ie same context) so that over time the body becomes cued to perform the habit.

Missing a day here and there does not reduce the chance of forming the new habit, and some habits may take longer than 7 weeks. In general, the larger the new habit, the longer it takes.

Generally doctors do not help their patients make change; they just tell their patient to loose weight, or get more sleep, or quit smoking. When faced with any major lifestyle change,  many people give up because a lifestyle change requires the assimilation of many new smaller habits into their new, healthier lifestyle.

If you are needing to develop healthier habits contact Birgit Schinke, health coach & educator, clinical counselor for help with developing your new lifestyle. 

What is health literacy?

Health literacy are the skills needed to access, understand, and use information for taking care of health.

Low health literacy affects from 50-60% of  the North American population and therefore raises health costs and reduces the  health outcomes in our society.  

People with low levels make more mistakes with their medication or treatments because they are less able to follow treatment instructions.  They also lack the skills needed to negotiate the health care system which can be complex and overwhelming, especially if one is seriously ill. They are also more likely to be hospitalized than people with good health literacy skills.

Some reasons for low health literacy skills are:

• low literacy rates in general
• English as a Second Language issues for New Immigrants and/or refugees.
• lack of trust in the medical establishment due to past bad experiences or structural inequities in the medical system.
• feeling intimidated because of the hierarchical nature of the medical system.
• being anxious and thereby avoidant of anything to do with a complex medical diagnosis
• complicated medical language used in medical written material.

Here are some suggestions to improve health literacy:

• prepare self for any medical appointment by coming with a list of questions ready to ask.
• write down and carry with you a list of any medication and/or vitamins you are taking.
• write down a list of allergies you may have, as well as a list of diseases and/or surgeries you may have had.
• do not be afraid to ask questions.
• bring a friend,  health coach or relative into appointments with you.
• repeat back what you heard so the health care provider can clarify if necessary.
• keep a journal of your visits so you don't have to rely on memory, especially if you're dealing with a chronic disease.

More information can be found at the Health Literacy Council of Canada or Birgit Schinke Health Coach and Educator is available by email, if you need some help with such issues. 

What is Health Literacy?

Health Literacy are the skills needed to access, understand and use health information. The majority (50-60%) of North Americans have low levels of health literacy. This means that they:

1) make more mistakes with taking their medications or treatments
2) are less able to follow treatment instructions.
3) lack the skills needed to negotiate their health care services.
4) are more likely to be hospitalized than people with good health literacy skills.

In other words, if you have low health literacy your health may be at risk. In a review (funded by the US Agency for Health Care Research and Quality) of over 96 published studies, researchers concluded that low health literacy is linked with many types of poorer health outcomes as well as poorer use of services.

Among older people this also translated to higher mortality rates.

Here's what you can do for yourself or a loved one if  low health literacy levels is an issue:

1) be prepared for every appointment you have with your health care practitioner (get someone to help you make a list of written questions, so you don't go off track during your appointment, which can be very rushed.)
2) keep a list of all meds and/or vitamins you are taking.
3) keep a list of allergies and/or illnesses you've had.
4) ask questions.
5) repeat back  what you've heard, so the health care practitioner can clarify if necessary.
6) keep a journal of every visit you have, especially if you have a chronic disease.
7) bring someone you trust (family member, health coach, friend) to appointments with you.
8) ask your pharmacist to explain the medication you've been prescribed and show him/her your other meds in case they don't mix well.

To find out more about cancer or health coaching visit Birgit Schinke's web site. She is a registered clinical counselor and health coach practising online or face to face in Vancouver, BC