Health&Fitness

WINTER 2015 HERSAM ACORN NEWSPAPERS

Special

Section

to:

The

Stratford

Star

The

Milford

Mirror

The

Trumbull

Times

The

Huntington

Herald

The

Monroe

Courier

The

Easton

Courier

Audra Napolitano photos

Annamarie Rivera works out on an elliptical at the local Planet Fitness.

Changing her life

Woman nds her secrect to weight loss
by Robin Walluck
One day it just clicked. Something
had to change, and Annamarie Rivera
was going to make it happen.
I was in a really, really bad relationship that kept getting worse and worse,
Rivera said, remembering that day. I
was too attached, I couldnt get out of
it.
Rivera, 27, said she weighed more
than 400 pounds five years ago. She
was in the habit of eating fast food more
than once a day.
When I was with him, I was eating
McDonalds seven to 10 times a week,
she said. I only knew of Coke and
juices. I would never think of wanting
to eat healthy.
I was always heavy, but when I was
in that relationship, I had gained over a
hundred pounds, she said.
She was going through the motions,
making her way from her home in
Trumbull to her job in Shelton every
day, until she decided she was done

with what was happening.

One day I just did a U-turn in the
middle of the road, drove to the gym,
and signed up, Rivera said.
Getting started
She couldnt start her new journey
right away. She wasnt in any kind of
shape to use the machines and her
weight exceeded some of the limits to
use the machines.
I just started walking. It was literally
the next day, said Rivera. I dont know
what clicked with me. I just would put
my headphones on and zone out the
world around me.
A few days later she moved out of
the ex-boyfriends house. Despite a few
setbacks an accident that affected her
mobility she hasnt looked back.
The weight began to fall off. The gym
became a mental addiction.
This was going to be my outlet,
to walk away stress and any fears. She
started her first day at the gym with
10 minutes on the elliptical, and then

moved to the treadmill. The gym

became a mental addiction, she said,
but in the course of it she met her husband. The two were married in May.
The hardest part of [my transformation] was healthy eating, said Rivera.
When they say its a lifestyle change...
you really have to change your complete
mental outlook on it.
Finding the right food
When I first started, I started trying
to not have any carbs, Rivera said. But,
when she started to look at it, she saw
that its not right to cut out all carbs.
You need to eat good carbs, she said.
After seeking some help from her
mom a marathon runner shes
found something that works for her.
She didnt eat out at restaurants for
a while because she wasnt really sure
what would be the right food choices
for her.
Eventually, you know what to order,
See Changing on page 3B

Annamarie Rivera holds her size 28 jeans that she was barely
squeezing into when she started her exercise routine to change
her life.

 Health & Fitness Hersam Acorn Newspapers

January 29, 2015

Finding the right exercise routine for you

Its official. Its the last week in January, and
you havent gotten yourself together to start a
fitness routine. Or, maybe you tried that first
week of the month, but found that it wasnt
for you.
Throughout the country, people are finding
the gym, a style of dance or Pilates the way to
go to lose weight or tone up. Here are some
spots to look at to make changes.
Pure Barre
Pure Barre, with locations in Fairfield and
Westport, launched a new franchise studio in
Darien. Located at 313 Heights Road, it is coowned by Laura Laboissonniere and Kristin
McClutchy.
Pure Barre is a total body workout that
is made for absolutely everyone, said
Laboissonniere, who owns Pure Barre
Westport and Fairfield. Its amazing when
you see a mother and daughter in the same
class both being challenged. I have personally seen it transform my own body, as well as
others, and I cannot wait to bring the workout to Darien after great success in Westport
and Fairfield.
The ballet barre workout has exploded in
popularity since its inception in 2001, said
Laboissonniere. Focusing on the areas of the
body women struggle with the most, Pure
Barre lifts the seat, tones the thighs and upper
body and creates the long and lean muscles of
a dancer through small isometric movements
centered around a ballet barre. Since it began
franchising in 2009, more than 280 Pure
Barre studios have opened nationwide.
The 55-minute full-body workout concentrates on the areas women struggle with
the most: hips, thighs, seat, abdominal and
arms. The Pure Barre technique is low-impact,
protecting your joints by avoiding any bouncing or jumping. Each strength section of the
workout is followed by a stretching section
in order to create long, lean muscles without
bulk.
We are thrilled to open our newest location in Westport and bring the excitement
and results of Pure Barre to its residents, said
Carrie Dorr, founder and chief concept officer
of Pure Barre. The continued growth of Pure
Barre studios across the country is a testament
to the workouts ability to quickly transform
womens bodies, and we couldnt be happier
to bring this experience to Darien.
For more information on Pure Barre call
Laura Laboissonniere at 203-557-8663, visit
purebarre.com or follow each Pure Barre location on Facebook.

Bryan Haeffele
A scene of a class at Pure Barre in Westport. This warmup is lead by Nicole Buyskes.

KoKo
A digital gym in Monroe aims to cut out
the confusion and add precision to peoples
workouts.
Koko FitClub, 447 Monroe Tpke., does
away with sometimes costly personal trainers,
and instead uses computers, attached to each
machine, to guide people through their exercise routines. It even sends its members meal
plans, recipes and grocery lists, and gives
them an online profile to monitor their progress. There are also online nutrition courses
called Fuel school.
The approach uses a digital computer
system to keep people on track with their
exercising and charting their workout routine. Users have accounts and Koko keys
they stick into the machines to personalize
their workouts based on goals theyve set
and health metrics they recorded when they
joined.
When a user does an exercise such as an
incline bench press, the computer describes
the proper technique where to position the
chest, elbows, and how to hold and move the

weights.
Within two months, I hit my goal weight,
said Connie Parker. Im still losing weight
while gaining strength and getting toned. I am
down 27 pounds and have my figure from 25
years ago back.
When the set begins, the screen shows a
square moving up and down at the ideal pace.
A line, which represents how the user is actually moving the weight, moves up and down
as well. The goal is to keep the line within the
square.
For more information, call 203-445-6110
or visit monroe.kokofitclub.com30for30.
Pilates
Darien Pilates follows the traditional teachings of the Pilates system. Their goal is to
have those exercising feel stronger, more connected and centered in their lives.
Pilates is a method of exercising that was
created by Joseph Pilates several decades
ago. According to the Darien Pilates website,
Pilates work started in Europe and England
during World War I before he immigrated to

the United States, where he opened the first

Pilates studio.
Here at the studio we are dedicated to creating a safe and welcoming place for Pilates
devotees to make profound connections with
themselves through their individual workouts
connections that are carried out into their
daily lives, a post on the studios website
said.
Pilates is a series of exercises that are used
to develop strength, flexibility and stability in
the entire body. To do that, one has to use the
powerhouse, a group of muscles including
the abdominals, hips, inner thighs, buttocks,
shoulder girdle and lower back.
Focusing on controlling the movement from
the powerhouse is essential to the work and
takes a lot of effort so that means, its the
quality, not quantity of each exercise that is
important.
Darien Pilates is located at 870 Post Road in
Darien. For more information call 203-6620084 or visit darienpilates.com.

You Should Know...

Weve earned our

Invisalign reputation
one smile at a time.

 Health & Fitness Hersam Acorn Newspapers

January 29, 2015

A barrier, stitch,
balloon and
weight loss!
by Dr. Neil Floch
As the obesity pan-endemic
increases around the world, there is
a growing demand for less invasive,
successful interventions to control
and treat obesity. The gold standard bariatric surgical procedures
such as gastric bypass, duodenal
switch, sleeve gastrectomy and
adjustable bands have a proven
track record to cause significant
weight loss and improve chronic
diseases such as type 2 diabetes.
Patients have been limited by
insurance coverage and only 38% of
employers offer the benefit that covers the surgery, while the Affordable
Care Act in most states such as
Connecticut do not offer surgical
coverage in any plans. Limitations
to access for care as well a the fear
of having surgery, are the most
common reasons that patients do
not proceed with lifesaving surgery
that now only has a mortality of
0.13%.
New, cheaper and less invasive
treatments to resolve obesity may
be the answer to the acceptance for
coverage by insurance carriers and
create a cheaper option for patients.
These procedures may also alleviate
many of the fears patients have of
undergoing traditional surgery.
A suturing device that is placed
at the end of a traditional endoscope now allows surgeons and
gastroenterologists to create a
sleeve gastrectomy by sewing from
the inside of the stomach and
eliminating the need for abdominal incisions. Apollo Endosurgery
produces the Overstitch device.
In a recent study 20 patients with a
BMI of 30 and 35 were followed for
one year. Patients lost 43% of their
excess bodyweight.
Two companies: Apollos Obrera

and the Reshape Duo now produce

balloons that are inserted into the
stomach and remain for six months.
The procedures can be performed
with limited intervention on an outpatient basis. The procedures avoid
complications due to surgery but
may have limited benefit and need
to be removed after several months.
The EndoBarrier is a long,
soft plastic tube made by G.I.
Dynamics, which is placed into
the first part of the small bowel, or
duodenum and mimics a gastric
bypass. Similar to the results of
bypass, the EndoBarrier improves
many of the parameters of type 2
diabetes. It is placed and retrieved
endoscopically and can be performed at an Endoscopic Surgery
Center. The device can be placed
again if patients regain weight so
it is reversible and repeatable. The
best candidates for this procedure
have a BMI between 30 and 40 and
have diabetes.
In the United States, 80 million
people have obesity and are now
candidates for minimally invasive
procedures, which can be performed in an outpatient setting. At
a lower cost, these procedures offer
an accessible option for patients.
The EndoBarrier is approved in
Europe. The balloon is soon to be
approved in the United States. The
stitch has been approved in the
United States and is available. My
practice, Fairfield County Bariatrics
& Surgical Specialists, P.C., is performing the stitch and will perform
the others as soon they receive
approval here in the United States.
For more information, contact Floch,
director of minimally invasive and bariatric surgery at Norwalk Hospital and of
Fairfield County Bariatrics and Surgical
Specialists, P.C., 148 East Avenue,
Norwalk, 203-899-0744.

St.Vincents customizes urgent

and emergency care visits
Most of us anticipate a lengthy
wait in the event we need to go to
a walk-in or the emergency room.
Now, with planMYcare.com, offered by St. Vincents Medical
Center, you can eliminate the
wait. planMYcare.com is an online, self-scheduling service recently launched by St. Vincents,
for their emergency room and all
four of their Urgent Care Center
walk-ins in Faireld County. They
are the rst hospital in the area to
offer this type of personalized service.
This user-friendly tool helps
to take some of the anxiety and
guesswork out of where to go for
the best and most timely care. Just
go to planMYcare.com on a computer or your smart phone, and the
next available appointments are
displayed at all four Urgent Care
locations in Bridgeport, Faireld,
Monroe and Shelton, and at the
hospitals ER in Bridgeport. You
choose the time and location that
best suits your needs, and book it.
Knowing when a doctor will
see you, and having the option to
wait in the comfort of your own
home, just makes sense, said
Thomas Saxa, a registered nurse
and manager of St. Vincents Urgent Care Services. At the same
time, our staff will know approximately when a patient will arrive
and what injury, illness or treatment they may require.
Since the planMYcare launch
in October, patient reviews have
been positive. Nobody likes to
wait -- especially when everyone
is coughing and sneezing around
you, said one patient using the
service at St. Vincents Faireld
Urgent Care Center.
I got an appointment within
two hours and they saw me at the
exact time I had requested, said
another patient who used the feature at the Shelton Urgent Care.
A patient who visited the Bridgeport Urgent Care wrote, My son
had an allergic reaction and we had

Changing

said, to get the craving out of the way.

Once you see results, it will become something that you love doing, Rivera said.
Rivera said as she was trying to find her
Continued from Page 1B
way through weight loss, she turned to the
Internet and found people with similar stories. She found them inspirational. She soon
Rivera said.
Its been a lifestyle change for her. She said was posting her weight loss story on the web
for others. She has found that telling her story
it needs to be because thats the only way
and hearing that shes inspiring others has
one can truly maintain a weight. She works
out about six times a week at the local Planet helped her stay on track.
You realize that if this person could do it,
Fitness and eats right.
You cant just eat healthy for one year, get then I can do it, she said. Its a life-changing
journey. I actually truly feel beautiful.
skinny, and then think it will stay that way,
Rivera is hoping to lose about 20 more
she said. You cant do quick fixes and crash
diets. Its impossible. You will never succeed. pounds to her goal weight. Shes also looking
to become a certified personal trainer so she
She said she loves picking out a variety
can help someone accomplish what she has.
of food to eat. She said she has to find the
To follow Rivera on her weight loss journey,
food she likes because thats the only way to
find her on Instagram @weightlosswithanstick with it. If she didnt like the food, she
namarie or visit Weightlosswithannamarie.
wouldnt eat it.
You have to have a cheat meal a week, she com.

Health
&
Fitness
JANUARY 29, 2015

Robin Walluck, editor

Ian Murren, designer

Thomas B. Nash, publisher

For advertising information,

call 203-926-2080
Copyright 2015, Hersam Acorn Newspapers, LLC

1000 Bridgeport Ave, Shelton, CT 06484

203-926-2080

Dr. Doodnauth Hiraman of St. Vincents Medical Center Emergency

Department with a patient.

gone to a walk in closer to my

home where they said he had a
three hour wait. I went to planMYcare.com and found a time
that would be less than a 30 minute
wait. When we got there, they took
him immediately. I was extremely
grateful for the wonderful care he
received, from the front desk girl
to the nurses and doctor.
The St. Vincents Medical Center ER implemented planMYcare.
com in December and is already
seeing the benets for both patients and ER staff. It gives the
patient much better access to us,
and helps streamline the emergency room experience for them,
said Dr. Doodnauth Hiraman, director of emergency care at St.
Vincents. planMYcare also helps

our emergency department team

triage more efciently, knowing a
little about the patient and nature
of their visit before they actually
arrive in the ER.
planMYcare is intended for
non-life-threatening
conditions
only. We need to make it perfectly clear to the community, calling
911 is the best course of action for
true emergency situations, said
Hiraman.
planMYcare.com will extend
to St. Vincents fth Urgent Care
Center at St. Vincents Stratford
Health and Wellness, a brand new,
state-of-the-art medical building
opening next month at 3272 Main
Street, Stratford.
To learn more, visit StVincents.
org.

Hospital opens medical clinic

St. Vincents Medical Center is offering
extended service with its first retail health
clinic.
Opened on Jan. 13, the St. Vincents
Health Clinic at Oronoque is inside the
Oronoque Pharmacy, 7365 Main Street,
Stratford.
St. Vincents Health Check Clinic at

Oronoque offers quality health care that is

more convenient for individuals and families. Staffed by a board certified nurse practitioner with 25 years of clinical experience,
the clinic is ready to diagnose and treat
common illnesses, minor injuries and more,
hospital officials said.

Screenings, support groups, classes

Bridgeport Hospital will offer the following classes, health lectures, screenings
and support groups during the month of
February.
Blood pressure screenings
The hospital will offer free blood pressure
screenings at the following locations and
times:
Fairfield Senior Center, 100 Mona
Terrace, Monday, Feb. 2, 9:3011:30
a.m.
Stratford Baldwin Center, 1000 West
Broad Street, Monday, Feb. 9, 9:30
11:30 a.m.
Shelton Senior Center, 81 Wheeler
Street, Monday, Feb. 23, noon2 p.m.
Breastfeeding support
Group for new and expectant mothers
meets Wednesdays, Feb. 4, and Feb. 18,
10noon, at the hospitals outpatient cam-

pus, 5520 Park Avenue, Trumbull.

The group is facilitated by a certified
lactation consultant. Mothers can attend as
many meetings as they wish and are welcome to bring their babies.
Expectant parents
Classes and tours for new and expectant parents, including: Birthplace Tours,
Thursdays, Feb. 5, 12, 19 and 26, 67 p.m.
and Infant CPR Anytime, Thursdays, Feb.
5, 12, 19 and 26, 7:158:15 p.m. Register.
Genetic counseling
Bridgeport Hospital and Yale Cancer
Center provide monthly genetic counseling services by appointment, including
Wednesday, Feb. 11, at the hospitals
outpatient campus, 5520 Park Avenue
in Trumbull. Services are provided by a
certified genetic counselor. Information,
appointments: 203-764-8400.

Short Term Rehabilitaon Long Term Care Demena Care Hospice

For more informaon or to schedule a tour, please contact
the Admissions oce at 203-336-0232, ext. 103
www.athenanh.com/northbridge
Managed by Athena Health Care Systems

2875 Main Street, Bridgeport CT | Directly across from St. Vincents Hospital

 Health & Fitness Hersam Acorn Newspapers

Rose of Hope to feature

yoga instructor from
Norma Pfriem center
The 2015 Rose of Hope winter event is Monday, Feb.
23, at 6 p.m., at the Trumbull Marriott, 180 Hawley
Lane.
The title of the event is Transforming Tragedy: A 9/11
Survivors Story
Colleen Reilly, an integrative Kundalini yoga instructor at the Norma Pfriem Breast Center in Fairfield and
the Grove Healing Center in New Jersey is the keynote
speaker.
To register, or for more information, visit foundation.
bridgeporthorthospital.org/ROHWinterEvent2015.

Have Dinner with

the Doc Feb. 10
On Tuesday, Feb. 10, Milford Hospital will host the
first in a new series of Dinner with the Doc programs.
Februarys session, titled Heart Smart, will be led by
Milford Hospital Cardiologist Dr. Clifford Kramer.
During his heart health presentation, Kramer will discuss prevention, diagnosis and treatment options for cardiovascular disease. The session begins at 6 p.m. A light,
healthy meal will be served. Time will be allowed for
questions and answers following the presentation.
Registration is required and seating is limited. Call
the Milford Hospital Community Education Department
203-876-4004 to reserve a seat.

Al-Anon meetings
Here are open meetings for Al-Anon for people to go for
support, and not necessarily speak. For even more meetings, visit: ctalanon.org/meetings/meetings-by-town.

Milford
Sunday, 6 p.m., Woodmont United Church of Christ,
1000 New Haven Avenue.
Monday, 7:30 p.m., United Church Of Christ, 18 West
Main Street, parents meeting, Plymouth Building.
Tuesday, 6 p.m., Trinity Lutheran Church, 21 Robert
Treat Parkway, second driveway, door on right.

Shelton
Tuesday, 7:30 p.m., St Pauls Episcopal Church, 25
Church Street.
Wednesday, 12 p.m., Spooner House, 30 Todd Road,
ring doorbell; park on street.

Trumbull
Thursday, 11:30 a.m., Grace Episcopal Church, 5958
Main Street.

January 29, 2015

Is free food really free?

by Kim Bensen

some, it even means fruit.

But hear this nothing is really free!
Im not talking about cost. Free
Other than water, everything has calories.
food is a term used by many diet pro- So while you can eat a larger quantity
grams to identify foods that are allowof low-density foods for less and for
able on a relatively unlimited basis.
health and fullness you should do so -Their purpose is simple: those of us
the quantity you consume still has to be
with weight problems dont eat because
considered.
we are physically hungry. We eat for emoHow much free food do you actually
tions, boredom and, well, because we
eat? What does that mean in calories?
enjoy eating. It brings us pleasure (for the
Your BMR is your line. Thats how
moment).
many calories your body needs to stay
Most of us have a hard time recognizthe same. Simply put, eat less than that
ing when we are full. Sometimes we just
and youll lose. Eat more than that and
dont care. Offering a free foods list
youll gain. You generally want to eat
steers dieters away from high-fat, calorie- 500 calories less for a 1-2 pounds weight
laden foods when we feel that need to eat. loss.
Celery is usually on the list. Chocolate
I didnt make this up. Its just science
cake is never on the list. Depending on
and math (3,500 unused calories equals
which program you follow, it could mean one pound of fat). The fact is, if you eat
all non-starchy vegetables or it may mean 200 calories more than your body needs
a food item that has zero net carbs. For
each day, you will gain 20 pounds in one

year! Two cups of broccoli, a cup of carrots and two pieces of fruit is more than
200 calories. One bag of baby carrots
alone is 120. A large banana is the same.
Are you starting to re-think the free
food thing?
No matter what your weight loss program teaches, there is no magic formula
in dieting. The concept of filling up on
lower-calorie, higher-nutrient foods is
a good one, but still must be managed
within your calorie range.
If you have been doing this forever
and still havent gotten to goal or have
been losing super slowly, the culprit is
usually free foods and sloppy dieting.
Something has to change. Either do your
program differently or find one that does
it for you.
For more information on Kim Bensen, author
and nutritionist, visit kimbensen.com.

Add reflexology to your wellness plan

Its January and what often comes
with it are the winter blues. Youve
probably tried everything in the past to
battle the sadness and inevitable sniffles
and colds that arise during the long
winter months.
But have you tried reflexology?
Reflexology is an alternative medicine
that deals with the principle that there
are reflex areas in the feet and hands
which correspond to all of the glands,
organs and parts of the body. The premise is that the application of pressure
to these reflex areas through thumbs,
fingers and hand techniques can affect a
physical change to the body.
Reflexology therapeutically reduces
stress and tension throughout the bodys
systems to improve blood and lymph
circulation, increase nerve supply to
the cells and release toxins from the
bodys tissues. It promotes the release of
endorphins, the bodys natural feel-good
hormones, well documented in their
ability to relieve stress.
Overall, reflexology has been known
to relieve: Stress and stress-related conditions, tension headaches, digestive
disorders, arthritis. insomnia. hormonal
imbalances, sports injuries, PMS and
back pain.
History
Reflexology was first practiced as

studies and abstracts that Kunz and

Kunz compiled from journals and meetings from around the world.
Many of these studies originated in
peer-reviewed journals in China and
Korea. All of the studies had information about the frequency and duration
of the reflexology application.
Benefits
Based on the studies they reviewed,
Kunz and Kunz identified four primary
effects that reflexology demonstrates:
1. Reflexology has an impact on specific organs (e.g., fMRI readings demonstrated an increase in blood flow to
kidneys and to the intestines)
2. Reflexology can demonstrate an
amelioration of symptoms (e.g., positive
changes were noted in kidney functionearly as 2330 B.C. by the Egyptian cul- ing with kidney dialysis patients)
3. Reflexology creates a relaxation
ture and the alternative therapy as we
effect
(e.g., EEGs measure alpha and
know it today was first researched and
theta
waves,
blood pressure was
developed by Eunice Ingham, the piodecreased, and anxiety was lowered)
neer of this field.
4. Reflexology aids in pain reduction
Her first book on the subject was
(27
studies demonstrated a positive outpublished in 1938. Currently, it is one
come
for reduction in pain; e.g., AIDS,
of the most used alternative therapies
chest pain, peripheral neuropathy of
in Denmark and is commonly used in
diabetes mellitus, kidney stones, and
Norway.
osteoarthritis)
The Center of Spirituality and
This article was supplied by the
Healing at the University of Minnesota
website cites a summary of 168 research Darien YMCA.

 Health & Fitness Hersam Acorn Newspapers

January 29, 2015

Find and ght lung cancer in 2015

Lung cancer is the leading cause
of cancer death in the country, but
it can be treated effectively if those
most susceptible are tested and take
steps to decrease their risk.
For more than a year, Griffin
Hospitals Low Dose CT Lung
Cancer Screening Program has
helped hundreds of individuals
at high risk for lung cancer get
screened and get on a healthier
path. The program provides free
lung cancer tests and connects
patients with the hospitals free
smoking cessation classes in an
effort to reverse the effects of this
deadly disease.
Lung cancer causes more deaths
than the next three most common
cancers colorectal, breast and
prostate combined, said Dr.
Richard Salzano, a thoracic surgeon
and chairman of Griffin Hospitals
Department of Surgery. The Low
Dose Lung Cancer Screening
Program is about saving lives,
whether its by finding lung cancer
at an early and treatable stage or
having people take stock of their
smoking habits and change course
for the better.

Dr. Richard Salzano consults with a patient.

2014 due to lung cancer.

One of the reasons lung cancer is
so deadly is that there are little to
no symptoms until the cancer has
progressed into the later and less
treatable stages. According to a
study in the New England Journal
of Medicine, more than 85% of the
men and women diagnosed with
lung cancer are diagnosed in the late
Diagnosis often comes too late stage when the survival rate is low.
If the cancer is found in Stage I,
The American Cancer Society estithe
study found that 88 percent of
mates there were 159,260 deaths in
the individuals diagnosed lived for

10 or more years.
In order to catch the cancer early,
Griffins lung cancer screening program seeks out high-risk individuals who are 50 and older and have
an extensive history of smoking
or being exposed to occupational
or environmental hazards such as
asbestos and radiation.
A long and prevalent history of
smoking is the leading cause for
cancer deaths, Salzano said. Some
studies estimate that active smoking
is responsible for nearly 90% of all

lung cancer cases. If you are a heavy,

Be smoke free this year
longtime smoker, you owe it to
In order to help heavy smokers in
yourself and your family to get test- the lung cancer screening program
ed and potentially avoid tragedy.
and in the community kick the
habit, Griffin Hospital offers a free
Promising early results
smoking cessation program called
A recent clinical trial by the
Thats It Learn to Quit.
National Lung Screening Research
The goal of the program is to
Team found that individuals at high help you learn how to quit, said
risk for lung cancer could decrease
Carrie OMalley, a co-coordinator
their chance of lung cancer death by of the program. There are different
20% if given regular low-dose CT
methods of quitting and managing
scans as opposed to the standard
nicotine withdrawal. If one method
chest X-ray.
didnt work for you in the past
When Griffins Low Dose CT Lung well help you understand all your
Cancer Screening Program started
options.
in the fall of 2013, Salzano expected
Through group discussion and
to see one or positive cancer test
interactive activities, participants
results based on statistics from
learn how to develop a quit plan that
similar programs across the country. addresses their personal behaviors and
However, the program has found six habit. Strategies to manage nicotine
individuals testing positive for Stage withdrawal, behaviors, triggers, urges
I or II lung cancer.
are all discussed as well as weight
The results have magnified the
control and stress management.
importance of the program, espeFor more information on Griffin
cially in the region.
Hospitals Low Dose CT Lung
These are six individuals whose
Cancer Screening Program, visit
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Athletes: Keep your head in the game and gain that edge
Dr. Bruce Singer
It turns out that your coach was
right you do need to keep your
head in the game.
New York Knicks President Phil
Zen Master Jackson is smart to
encourage his players to practice
mindfulness, according to Dr.
Bruce Singer, director of Silver
Hill Hospitals Chronic Pain and
Recovery Center.
In fact, Singer says athletes at all
levels can gain an edge from learning about how to be mindful, especially in the heat of the action.
Mindfulness focusing on ones
thoughts and feelings in the present
moment, non-judgmentally can
help athletes in a number of ways.

It makes you respond, rather than

react. During a game, an athletes
judgment can get clouded by emotions and adrenaline. The ability
to generate more level-headed and
even creative in-game responses can
improve performance.
It helps athletes become unattached from negative emotional
states like disappointment, frustration and anger. Instead, you can
learn to stay present with whats
right in front of you, whats happening now, and let go of whats
happened or worry about what will
happen.
It cultivates resiliency which
allows great athletes to get back up
after being knocked down, or play
through minor injuries.

It builds team chemistry, especially when there are strong egos, by

bringing a team together and helping them to hear what your teammates are saying in a validating and
constructive fashion.
Chronic pain
Working with patients struggling to overcome the debilitating
effects of chronic pain at Silver Hill,
Singer emphasizes a FAR approach
Flexibility, Acceptance and
Resiliency for athletes. Flexibility
is not just physical; flexibility of
mind, spirit and emotion equates to
adaptability.
Acceptance is about living in the
here and now. If youre still dwelling on that double-fault you just

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wind and sun as you jog, focusing

on each step as you walk, paying
attention to the texture of the dirt
trail as you ride a mountain bike.
Mindfulness, in short, gives athletes an edge, according to Singer.
By catching and releasing negative
thoughts, you can develop creative
responses when others are behaving in the same, predictable way:
Whether its on the baseball diamond, the basketball court or the
board room or class room.
Silver Hill Hospital is located
at 208 Valley Road, New Canaan.
For more information visit
SilverHillHospital.org.

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made, youre going to miss whats

going on in the present moment.
Resiliency is about dealing with failure and developing mental toughness to overcome it. Its not just
about getting back up on your feet,
but how fast you can do it.
What makes elite athletes great is
a commitment to practice that, in
turn, creates muscle memory.
Singer says athletes need to train
their mindfulness muscle, too.
Tools like simple breathing exercises, taking time between plays to
re-center yourself and even changing your posture on the bench can
all help.
He adds that anyone who exercises can practice mindfulness by being
present in the activity feeling the

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January 29, 2015