Encouraging Health

Increase attributed to efforts to promote the national number

The number of Americans calling the government’s suicide prevention hot line has increased every year since its launch, say the program’s staff, who attribute that to efforts to promote the number rather than a rise in people considering suicide.

Last month, Americans called the hot line more than 47,000 times. In January 2005, when the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (1-800-273-TALK) was launched, it received just 1,500 calls, according to director Dr. John Draper.

Draper says the hot line receives, on average, about a 10 percent increase of calls every month. In the past year, nearly 500,000 people have called it.

“The increase in calls does not correlate to an increasing number of people who are in psychogical distress,” Draper said.

Although it’s hard to pinpoint an exact correlation between promotional efforts and the number of calls, he said, more people consistently call the hot line after every televised promotion. He also credits word of mouth, media reports and online sources.

There were more than 32,600 suicide deaths in the United States in 2005, the most recent year of available data.

Between the years 2003 to 2005, when a similar government-funded suicide hot line was operating, suicide rates remained stable, said Gail Hayes, press officer for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The hot line is most likely increasingly its outreach to young people through its online promotions. In the past couple years, its begun networking with social Internet sites MySpace, Facebook, and YouTube.

Lifeline has arranged to establishes sites within these networks so people can access its information and help. Also, those who mention “suicide” in their postings to Help.com receive an automatic response from Lifeline urging them to call its number, according to SAMHSA.

The hot line, administered by the nonprofit Link2Health Solutions Inc., can immediately link a caller seeking help to a trained counselor who is closest to the caller’s geographic location, any time of the day or week. Calls to Lifeline and the counseling service are confidential and free. Help for veterans and Spanish speakers is also linked to the hot line.

For a little bit of cell-soothing nutrition, add an extra sprinkle of these zingy flakes to your slice: oregano.

That’s right — oregano doesn’t just add pizzazz to your pizza sauce. It may have the power to prevent tissue-damaging inflammation, too.

It’s Essential
The essential oils in oregano are rife with a substance called (E)-beta-caryophyllene — or (E)-BCP for short. These compounds bind to certain cell receptors in a way that could mean less inflammation, according to mouse studies. Good news, since inflammation has been fingered in a bunch of bad health outcomes, from heart disease to cancer. Researchers suspect (E)-BCP may have a similar inflammation-fighting benefit in humans.

A Little Dash Will Do Ya?
It’s not clear how much (E)-BCP is in oregano, but surprisingly, the lowest dose of the compound was often the most effective in a recent study. Black pepper, rosemary, and cinnamon all have the compound, too. When your spice shakers are on E, try these other inflammation-fighting foods, too:
Anthocyanin-packed cherries and berries
Omega-3-rich fish, like salmon and tuna
Flavonol-loaded dark chocolate
Oleocanthal-crammed olive oil
Recipe Corner
Toss the boring pepperoni and cheese standby and impress your guests with this extra-healthy, extra-oregano-y Caramelized Onion and White Bean Flatbread.

Caramelized Onion and White Bean FlatbreadThis recipe uses mashed beans as a base rather than the usual tomato sauce or pesto. The delicious result is more protein and a very tasty pizza.

Ingredients
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 each large onion, thinly sliced lengthwise
1/4 teaspoon salt
20 ounces prepared whole-wheat pizza dough, thawed if frozen (see Ingredient notes)
2 tablespoons minced fresh oregano
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 15-ounce can white beans, rinsed
3 tablespoons water
2 teaspoons white-wine vinegar
2 each plum tomatoes, thinly sliced
1 cup finely shredded smoked Gouda or Cheddar cheese
2 tablespoons pepitas (see Ingredient notes), optional

Directions
1. Place oven rack in the lowest position; preheat to 450°F. Coat a large noninsulated baking sheet with cooking spray.
2. Combine oil, onion and salt in a medium saucepan. Cover and cook over medium-high heat, stirring often, until the onion is softened, 5 to 7 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low, uncover and cook, stirring occasionally, until very soft and golden, 5 to 8 minutes more.
3. Meanwhile, roll out dough on a lightly floured surface to the size of the baking sheet. Transfer to the baking sheet. Bake until puffed and lightly crisped on the bottom, 8 to 10 minutes.
4. Stir oregano and pepper into the onion. Transfer half the onion to a small bowl. Add beans to the remaining onion; cook over medium heat, stirring often, until heated through, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer the bean mixture to a food processor, add water and vinegar and pulse until a coarse paste forms.
5. Spread the bean paste over the pizza crust. Top with the reserved onion, tomatoes, cheese and pepitas, if using. Bake on the bottom rack until the crust is crispy and golden and the cheese is melted, 11 to 13 minutes. Slice and serve.

Head on over and check out Nutrition Frenzy.

Take time to find — and do — things that make you happy. It could mean better blood sugar.

It’s true. A study shows that depressed people may be 42 percent more likely to develop diabetes. And the stronger the sad symptoms, the greater the odds.

The Culprit: Unhealthy Habits
Sad feelings, researchers suspect, can make you wanna do some pretty unhealthy things — like pig out before bed, sack out on the couch all day, or maybe even smoke or drink. And those are all things that could put you on the road to diabetes. But bad habits are only part of the picture, experts note. Even in the absence of bad habits, depressed people are still more likely to develop diabetes.

Beating the Blues
Battling depression isn’t easy and may require counseling or other treatments if it’s severe or hangs around. But if you’ve got just the occasional blue mood, don’t let it linger. Bust out of it.

Any number of events can set off an unpleasant emotional reaction that leads to a blue mood. For some people, the blue mood can spiral into something deeper and last for weeks or longer. This level of depression typically requires treatment by a professional healthcare provider.

However, if you experience milder forms of depression, such as dysphoria, you can take steps to diffuse your negative feelings before your world comes crashing down and you put your health at risk.

First, take a closer look at three key facets of your life: 1) your thought processes, 2) your relationships, and 3) your stress levels. Next, assess how they influence your psyche on a daily basis and why. As you consider these areas of your life, develop a plan to more effectively deal with any troubling issues.

Read Healthy BPM to find out why livng for the weekend isn’t such a good idea.

Getting older really gets a bad rap. It turns out you’ll have a lot to smile about.

That’s because you’ll actually be happier, despite gray hairs or wrinkles. A three-decades-long survey confirms it: Your odds of scoring well on a happiness scale increase about 5 percent every decade.

With Age Comes . . .
There’s one major advantage to getting older (at least for most of us!), and that’s maturity. Researchers suspect that it’s maturity that enriched people’s lives and boosted their happy factor in a recent study — even when faced with health concerns or lost relationships. Know what else helped ensure happiness in the study? Education.

Why Wait!

But you don’t have to wait until you’re gray to get happy. Put yourself on the love-your-life path today with some simple life changes:

Sweat it. Yep, working that body of yours turns the fretting volume waaay down.

Train yourself to think good thoughts. Your attitude affects your health.

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