Core Conditioning Crossfit: first workout program of its kind in Los Angeles

Core Conditioning Crossfit is the first workout program of its kind in Los Angeles. You will get a total body workout that is effective and efficient. CCC combines every aspect of training: cardio, strength, flexibility, core, stability, and interval conditioning with principles of CrossFit and Bootcamp. It will get you in the best shape of your life and feeling great with maximum results in half the time of conventional workouts.
The classes are small to ensure that each client gets one-on-one personal coaching. Each session, offering a total of 40 classes with Monday-Friday early morning and evening classes, is $299. You can attend as many classes as you’d like during each 4-week session.
Classes are outdoors at Pan Pacific Park.
To register and for more information please contact
Erin at 310.6009826, erin@erinmcfarland.com or
Joy at 310.722.8014 trainerjoy@earthlink.net.

Being social may ward off physical decline

All of us will see some decline in our ability to get around as we age, but for people who are more socially active, this decline may happen more slowly, new research shows.
“Being more active in a wider array of activities looks like it might be good for you,” Dr. Aron S. Buchman of Rush University Medical Center in Chicago told Reuters Health. Loss of motor function is a major public health problem, Buchman noted, and the nation’s aging population is growing. “If it turns out to be true, it’s something that we can intervene with on a large scale without costing society a lot of money.”
Several studies have shown that being physically active helps stave off motor decline in older people, Buchman and his team note in the Archives of Internal Medicine, and there’s growing evidence that social activities and other pursuits keep people’s minds sharp and extend their lives. But to date, no one has looked at whether social activity might have physical benefits.
To investigate, Buchman and his colleagues looked at 906 people participating in a long-term study of aging. At the study’s outset, all were quizzed on how frequently they engaged in six different types of social activity, from going out to restaurants to playing bingo and visiting friends. They also underwent a battery of tests of motor function.
People with higher levels of social activity had better physical function, the researchers found. A one-point lower score on the scale the researchers used to gauge social activity was equivalent to a person having the motor function of a person 5 years older.
And over 5 years of follow-up, people with lower social activity scores had a faster physical decline. People with lower levels of physical activity were also more likely to become disabled and more likely to die.

Depression is a family matter: report

In a report released last month at the National Press Club in Washington, DC, the National Research Council and Institute of Medicine call for a new family-focused model of depression care to minimize risks and problems for parents with depression and prevent possible spillover effects in their children.

“To break the vicious circle of depression, we need to refocus our view of this illness through a broader lens that sees the whole family, not just the individual with depression,” committee chair and psychiatrist Dr. Mary Jane England, president of Regis College, Weston, Massachusetts, noted in a prepared statement.

“Our report describes a new vision for depression care that would provide comprehensive services not just to adults, but to their children as well. It will take significant policy changes to make this vision a reality, but the benefits warrant the effort,” England added.

In a given year, an estimated 7.5 million adults with depression have a child under the age of 18 living with them, accounting to the report committee members. It is estimated that 15.6 million children live in households with parents who suffer from “major or severe” depression.

Depression in parents interferes with parenting quality and boosts the odds of health, emotional, and behavioral problems in children, the committee warns.

Effective screening tools and treatments for adult depression are available and offer substantial promise for reducing the negative consequences of the disorder, the committee notes. Yet, only one in three adult depression sufferers get adequate treatment.

“In short, parental depression is prevalent, but a comprehensive strategy to treat the depressed adult and to prevent problems in the children in their care is absent,” the committee concludes.

To successfully move to a family-focused model of depression care, federal and state agencies, nonprofits, and the private sector will have to work together to develop nontraditional ways of organizing, paying for, and delivering services, the committee acknowledges.

Americans wait weeks for routine doctor visit

Americans wait weeks for routine doctor visit By Victor Melamed

Many Americans who need to see a family physician or specialist may have to wait weeks or even months for an appointment, a new survey suggests. People living in and around Boston need to have the most patience, according to the survey, which attempted to gauge average wait times for doctor appointments in 15 U.S. metropolitan areas. Boston residents, the survey suggests, need to wait an average of 70 days for a routine check-up with an obstetrician/gynecologist; 63 days to see a family physician for a standard physical; 40 days to see an orthopedic surgeon to assess a knee injury; and 3 weeks for a check-up with a cardiologist.

Atlanta typically had the shortest wait times — 9 days to see a family physician, for example, and 5 days to see a cardiologist. The survey was conducted by Merritt Hawkins and Associates, a physician search and consulting fi rm that is part of AMN Healthcare, a healthcare staffi ng organization. Researchers arrived at their fi ndings by attempting to make routine doctor appointments in 15 major metropolitan areas. For each city, they called a minimum of 10 practices in each of five medical fi elds: family practice, cardiology, dermatology, ob/gyn and orthopedic surgery.

In cardiology, the survey found, the average wait time exceeded 2 weeks in fi ve metropolitan areas: Minneapolis (47 days), Miami (29 days), San Diego (22 days), Boston (21 days) and Washington, DC (18 days). In family practice, wait times were 2 weeks or longer in eight cities: Boston (63 days), Los Angeles (59 days), Washington (30 days), New York and San Diego (24 days), Houston (17 days) and Denver and Detroit, each at 14 days. Boston was consistently at or near the top in average wait time for each specialty, while other cities tended to vary depending on the field.

This may be related to the fact that Massachusetts now mandates health insurance coverage for residents — a move that, along with increasing the rolls of the insured, has boosted demand for doctor appointments. Even though Massachusetts has more doctors per capita than any other state, patients are still having difficulty getting an appointment, Merritt Hawkins president Mark Smith said in a new release from the firm. If national healthcare reform leads to a similar expansion of insurance coverage nationwide, Smith said, long wait times could become an even greater problem. Along with geographical differences in wait times, the survey also found wide variation in doctors’ acceptance of Medicaid, the government health insurance program for the poor.

Minneapolis had the highest rate of Medicaid acceptance, at 82 percent, while Dallas came in last, at 39 percent. “Merely having medical coverage does not always ensure access to a physician,” Smith said. “Many doctors simply can no longer afford to see Medicaid patients.”

Sexual Healing

Sexual Healing: A clinical psychologist, marriage and family therapist, sex therapist, and life coach for over forty years, Los Angeles based DR. Edward A. Dreyfus answers questions about individual issues, relationships, sexual difficulties, parenting concerns, personal groath issues and career concerns By Patrick Tsakuda

DR. EDWARD A. DREYFUS
is a Los Angeles based Clinical Psychologist, a Marriage, Family, Child Therapist, and a Certifi ed Sex Therapist. He received his Doctor of Philosophy degree in Clinical Psychology from the University of Kansas and his Master’s and Bachelor’s degrees from the City University of New York. He has published extensively in professional journals and has published six books. His most recent books, KEEPING YOUR SANITY (in an Insane World), offers a collection of practical essays for your psychological well-being and SOMEONE RIGHT FOR YOU: 21st CENTURY STRATEGIES FOR FINDING YOUR MATE offers a step-by-step program for fi nding an appropriate mate for you. In an interview with LA Health News last month, Dr. Dreyfus answered a few questions related to his field.

What is short term
or brief psychotherapy? Short-term or brief psychotherapy is problem focused and time-limited. It can be anywhere from one to twelve sessions. Brief therapy includes, but is not limited to, (1) crisis intervention for dealing with situational crises that occur in ones life (e.g., marriage, divorce, death, disability, losses and other tragedies); (2) developing coping strategies for dealing with life transitions, career issues, dilemmas, situational stresses; (3) problem centered work for dealing with specific issues, habits, fears, and phobias. Once it is established that the concerns are amenable to brief-psychotherapy, specific goals will be determined and a treatment plan will be developed, including the length of treatment. Specific techniques, including homework, are employed depending upon the problem.

Is brief psychotherapy helpful?
Brief psychotherapy can often prevent the need for more extensive treatment later on. Frequently simply making the decision to visit a psychologist can help you formulate your thinking and begin the process of gaining a fresh perspective.

What training does a clinical Psychologist receive?
Clinical Psychologists hold a Bachelors degree in Psychology and after attending graduate school for 4 - 6 years obtain either a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) or Doctor of Psychology (Psy.D.) degree specializing in clinical psychology studying the psychological basis of behavior. Subsequently they complete a one year internship in a clinical setting. On completion of this training they are then ready to sit for the licensing examination in Psychology. The practice of Clinical Psychology includes psychodiagnosis, psychological testing, neuropsychological evaluations, and psychotherapy with individuals, groups, and couples either in private practice or in a clinical setting.

What is a sex therapist?
A sex therapist is a licensed mental health professional (psychologist, psychiatrist, social worker, or marriage, family, child therapist) that has had additional training and experience in treating sexual dysfunctions. In addition to their professional license, the sex therapist is certified by the American Association of Sex Educators, Counselors, & Therapists as a Certified Sex Therapist or holds a Diplomate from the American Board of Sexology. (Dr. Dreyfus holds both certifications.)

Questions? E-mail Dr. Dreyfus at ead@docdreyfus.com or call 310-208-5700 or write to: 1421 Santa Monica Blvd., Santa Monica, CA 90404. You can visit his website at www.docdreyfus.com as well as his blog at www.psychologicallyspeaking.net.

Promoting Preventive Care

Promoting Preventive Care: Health experts promote prevention efforts, embrace meditation, massage, acupuncture By Will Dunham

Medical experts launched an initiative recently to promote preventive care, healthy habits and alternative medicine as the White House and Congress consider an overhaul of the healthcare system. The Institute of Medicine, which advises policymakers, convened a meeting on “integrative medicine” — combining prevention, treatment, rehabilitation and recovery efforts while also promoting wellness rather than reacting to disease. Institute president Dr. Harvey Fineberg said the approach embraced alternative medicine such as meditation, massage, acupuncture and herbal treatments. It also envisions personalized care tailored to individuals, he said.

“The key concept in all of these ideas from my vantage point is that what matters is whether the evidence shows that the intervention works,” Fineberg told reporters. President Barack Obama and congressional leaders have pledged to make major changes in the U.S. healthcare system, which is the world’s most costly even as it lags other nations in many quality measures. The government says 45.7 million Americans, or 15 percent, had no public or private health insurance in 2007.

The concepts being discussed at the meeting could become part of the healthcare overhaul. For example, the economic stimulus measure Obama recently signed included an infusion of money for disease prevention efforts. Dr. Ralph Snyderman of Duke University, a leading player in the institute’s meeting, said that “it is far more effective to intervene early for chronic diseases and to treat them coherently over time rather than treating events when they occur,” he added.

Many chronic illnesses such as heart disease, diabetes and some types of cancer can be prevented through such simple steps as a better diet and more physical activity. Heart disease and cancer are the top two killers of Americans.

Ironman Tri-Athlete Brendan Brazier

An interview With Professional Ironman Tri-Athlete Brendan Brazier. “I’m 34 now, so I’ve still got my best years ahead of me”

By Mark Ariel

Brendan Brazier is one of only a few professional athletes in the world whose diet is 100 percent plant-based. He’s a professional Ironman triathlete, bestselling author of Thrive: The Vegan Nutrition Guide to Optimal Performance in Sports and Life, and the creator of an award-winning line of whole food nutritional products called Vega. He is also a two-time Canadian 50km Ultra Marathon Champion.

LA Health News met up with Brazier, currently on a book tour, during a quick stop over in Los Angeles.

You seem to travel quite a bit. how do you stay fit while traveling - what do you do if you have to stay indoors?
One of the great things about running is that it can be done most anywhere. I’m on the road about 200 days a year but have no problem ftting enough running in to race competitively. Right now I’m on a book tour in Canada and am training for the San Fransisco marathon that’s on July 26th. I just get up early and get a good run in before the chaos of the day unfolds. It also acts as a form of active meditation that complements the rest of the day. I do bodyweight exercises in my hotel room as well, I have something called a Jungle Gym that allows me to train anywhere.

You have a hectic schedule. What do you do to de-stress?
I run because I enjoy it. It’s that simple. I believe my success as an athlete is directly related to my love of sport. Since I perceive it as stress-relieving, it is. For me there’s no better way to mentally de-stress than going for a long bike ride or run.

What are your latest projects and what are you working on now?
Thrive in 30 just launched. It’s a 30-day online program made up of concise written and video segments that I filmed in and around LA. I created it to help busy people transition to a high-performance, whole food, plant-based diet. My goal for creating it was to develop a more effi cient way to get the information in my book to people who may not take the initiative to actually read it. So I implemented Thrive in 30 as a way to deliver concise, applicably info. Three emails a week get sent to participants for four weeks. Each email consists of a distilled written component with only the most pertinent info along with a short video. In about 20 minutes a week, for four weeks, you can gain enough applicable info to immediately begin making signifi cant health and performance gains. Since I think the info can significantly help most everyone, the whole program is free at: www.thrivein30.com

… I just finished writing a follow-up book to Thrive called Thrive Fitness. It includes a stepby-step fitness program than doesn’t require gym access. Based on my Ironman training regimen, but molded into a practical “high-return” program that only takes 45 minutes three times per week, the results have proven to be impressive. It also discusses the non-physical benefits that can be garnered from physical exercise such as right brain stimulation and therefore improved creativity. It will be published by Da Capo in January, 2010.

We also just launched a new flavor of Vega, Vanilla Chai. And later this year we’ll launch a new Vega product called Vega Sport Performance Optimizer. It’s what you’d drink before and during a workout to boost performance with natural whole food ingredients. It launched in Canada in April and has proven to be extremely popular. Essentially, it’s a natural plant-based sport drink.

Sounds awesome… on a personal level, what are some of your long term goals?
I’d like to continue improving as an athlete. I certainly want to run a good marathon time within the next few years. I ran 2:29 when I was 24 and I know I can run faster now. That’s one of the great attributes of endurance sports; it takes decades to build up the aerobic engine, so patients are a virtue. Provided their diet is good and they stay injury free, most endurance athletes peak in their late 30’s. I’m 34 now, so I’ve still got my best years ahead of me.

I plan to continue formulating innovative Vega line extensions too. And, I certainly have a few more books in me.

For more info visit www.brendanbrazier.com

Hormone Therapy lowers colon cancer risk

HORMONE THERAPY: Hormone therapy lowers colon cancer risk By Maggie Smith

Hormone replacement therapy lowers a woman’s risk of colon cancer, according to two studies released last month. The studies presented at a meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research further complicate the debate about HRT, used to relieve the effects of menopause including hot flashes and insomnia.

Millions of women stopped taking HRT when a Women’s Health Initiative study showed in 2002 that the hormones raised the risk of stroke, heart disease and breast cancer. Hardest hit was Wyeth’s Premarin, which is soon to be acquired by Pfizer Inc. Dr. David Limsui of the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, and colleagues had been studying 41,836 women aged 55 to 69 from Iowa since 1986. They already showed that smoking raises the risk of colon cancer.

Another analysis of the group showed that the women who took HRT lowered their risk of colon cancer, however. “Women who did use these drugs had a 28 percent lower incidence rate than women who did not use these drugs,” Limsui said in a statement. “But we still don’t know how estrogen compounds work in cancer prevention, which is intriguing.”