The Dangers of Having No Landline Phone

The Centers for Disease Control realized how important it was to account for cell-phone-only households when it did its health surveys. It isolated those households without landlines and found higher use of alcohol and tobacco, less health insurance, and other "risky behaviors."

I would have suspected that that might be because they were younger and more likely to take risks, but age and even income were not the key factors.

"Old-fashioned" landlines are now in less than half of U.S. homes now. These "Daredevils Without Landlines" are the majority of U.S. homes and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention tracks them through their National Health Interview Survey. That in-person survey with more than 40,000 households annually is conducted face-to-face by Census Bureau interviewers. It contacts landline households, wireless-only households, households that have no service at all.

People who are wireless-only are more likely to smoke, more likely to binge drink, more likely to be uninsured.

What is going on with wireless-only people?

The Pain of the Long Distance Runner

I was a runner in high school. I was a sprinter and I never had that gift (or desire) for going long distances. I was opposed to my coaches who required the sprinters to run miles of laps to "build endurance." If you want me to run faster for 100 meters or anything less than a half mile, let me run lots of sprints.

But running is very popular and distance running, including that 26.2-mile marathon, certainly has its advocates.

My knees are not able to handle running any more, so I am a big advocate of walking - at any speed and distance.

I recall two friends who ran their first marathons and then looked horrible for days after. They were mentally great, but physically lousy. Why would you do that to yourself?

Yes, our earliest ancestors certainly walked and ran longer distances than we do today. They had no choice. They would have prefered to have a vehicle I am sure.

So, I did get a bit of pleasure in seeing that researchers are looking more closely at the many ways running a marathon destroys your body. Even with the proper training, marathoners end up with ravaged joints, shredded muscles and more.

Acute kidney injuries occur because of the flood of chemicals during the run that can overload internal organs. Dangerously low sodium levels, bloody urine and compromised immune systems are some of the side effects of a lengthy run.

They did find that runners seem to bounce back to normal levels within a few days, but nearly half of the marathoners studied experienced kidney damage.

Our immune systems are compromised as the body diverts resources to the running, so colds and fevers following a race are fairly common.

But, as the article I read concludes, "tens of thousands of people run marathons every year, with no long-term ill effects." And there are health benefits. It has been shown to decrease the risk of diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular disease, and depression while improving bone density and supporting weight control.

When done with proper training, nutrition, rest, attention to form and pre-screening for heart conditions, biomechanical issues or other risk factors, long distance running show benefits.

I will be there on the track and trails walking briskly as the runners shoot past me. I will limit my marathon activities to books and movies like Marathon Man and The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner.

Reasons To Be More Stressed

Thanks to an article from Woman's Day online, I now have nine more reasons to be stressed. I might feel better if I can pass them on to you - if you believe in the misery loves company theory - but I'm also passing on some suggestions to help alleviate the stress.

The pain in your neck that you attributed to long hours at the computer could actually be a symptom of stress. Try this exercise: Take 5 to 10 deep breaths and focus on relaxing the tense area of your body, try gentle neck rolls or try to get a quick shoulder rub.

Eye twitching, or blepharospasm, is also a sign. If you are a computer-starer (like right now!) give them a break every 20 minutes by looking out the window at a larger landscape. No view? Close your eyes and imagine a panorama.

Stress can sometimes come from the stress that leads to grinding your teeth at night or during the day can erode dental work, damage your teeth and make them more susceptible to cavities. Sublimate your stressors by literally writing about them (journal, diary, poetry) and if the teeth grinding is severe, see a dentist about getting a mouth guard.
Stress can upset the stomach, and nausea can be a byproduct of worry. Here's a new one for me - if anxiety is causing nausea, try this trick - let tepid water run over your fingers. It seems to keep nausea at bay.

Stress can cause sleeplessness, memory loss and general confusion. Concerning the latter, it seems that stress hormones lodge longest in the brain, so to restore focus, take a walk and move the stress out of your body by exercising large muscle groups like the legs. Also, the sunlight helps the body release serotonin to improve mood, and vitamin D helps you improve your immune system.

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