Dear Friends,

THIS IS A SPECIAL NEWSLETTER TO SHARE WITH YOUR LOVED ONES: spouse, children, grandchildren, nieces, nephews, anyone you care about. I want to make you aware of a great concern I have, so that, possibly, you can help save your loved ones from future pain, illness and loss of time and money, as well as enable them to live longer, healthier, happier lives.

Until recently, I have been heartened by reports of increasing life spans and people remaining active and vital as they reach later years.  But that trend is now in jeopardy.  There is evidence that life spans in America may actually shrink, if we continue our sedentary ways. I have been growing more and more concerned about this, and a few recent reports I’ve read have crystallized my worry.

In a cover story in Smart Money magazine (May 11), contributor Dawn MacKeen, writes:

            “A sedentary lifestyle has earned today’s 55- to 64-year-olds the glamorous status of being the fattest age group ever, with 39% of them qualifying as obese based on their “body mass index,” . . . . . . .you’ll also find that half of this age group has hypertension . . . . .  That puts them at much greater risk for heart disease, stroke and kidney malfunction.  What’s more, an estimated 20.8 million people, or 7% of the population, have diabetes.

            “. . . . . a growing cadre of scientists believe that within the next few decades, these factors may halt—even reverse—the growth in life expectancy.  And people who reach old age are more likely to see the quality of their lives decline as they face chronic disease."

I was also chagrined when, in another recent article reproduced from Forbes magazine, there was a picture of a relatively young woman all marked up for surgery that would remove fat from several parts of her obese body.  I thought, “If only she had not overindulged, she would not be going through this. . . if only I could have reached her beforehand.”

There are so many medical developments to help keep us healthy and to live longer, but they are being negated.  We are killing ourselves!!

The Forbes article also discussed cosmetic surgery, the number of procedures being performed and the cost, which led me to still another article about global spending on cosmetics.  All of this spending is designed to make us look younger and more beautiful, according to societal norms. This caused me to reflect on the 34 years that I’ve been in the anti-aging, health and beauty business preaching preventive measures and developing tried and true products that help, and can be sold at reasonable prices.  I’m afraid the success of my mission is in jeopardy.

The fastest-growing procedures in plastic surgery aren't just mere tune-ups any more, such as eye jobs and nose reshaping; those are actually declining in number.  Rather, they're major operations in which surgeons literally cut away pounds of flesh.

Over the last five years, the types of plastic surgery procedures that have shown major increases are:

Lower body lifts              +4101%
Upper arm lifts               +3413%
Buttocks lifts                 +283%
Tummy tucks                +115%
Thigh lifts                      +80%

Each of these deals with the aftereffects of gastric bypass surgery, a procedure that is becoming more and more popular, in which the stomach is tied off to reduce the amount that people eat. People can lose hundreds of pounds after the operation, but their skin remains stretched out, often becoming a loose and baggy apron. "It's like taking the air out of a balloon," says Berish Strauch, academic chair and professor of plastic surgery at Albert Einstein College of Medicine and Montefiore Medical Center.

And the jury is still out concerning the long-term effects of this type of major operation, as well as potential for regaining weight over a long period as the stomach expands from any overeating  There are potential side effects too, such as abdominal hernias, gallstones, infection, vomiting, ulcers, blood clots, “dumping” (rapid digestion of food resulting in nausea, feeling faint, sweating and diarrhea).  Thirty percent of people who have undergone the procedure suffer from nutritional deficiency because they did not adhere to post operative guidelines concerning the need for nutritional supplements.

As people lose hundreds of pounds in a short period, they are often left with aprons of skin that were stretched permanently by years of weight gain. Usually, a much bigger operation than a standard tummy tuck is needed. Indeed, up to six procedures may be required to deal with the aftereffects, including two upper arm lifts, two thigh lifts, an abdominal lift and facial surgery. Yes, facial surgery.  Obesity can permanently stretch facial skin, too.  That can mean going back to the hospital several times for repeated major surgery at a cost of $50,000 or more.  And most of the time this is not covered by insurance.

What’s that old saying?  “You can put the water in front of the horse, but he doesn’t have to drink it?”   Oh, I know that’s not it, but you get the point.  People are always looking for excuses.

The fast food companies are partially blamed for the obesity epidemic.  Well, they’re convenient and inexpensive, and much of their food isn’t the healthiest, but you don’t have to eat it.  Listen, I have a Big Mac every now and then, but I don’t make a habit of eating that kind of food; twice a year is about enough.

While it’s true that obesity can be caused by things out of our control, such as illnesses, hypothyroidism, Cushing’s syndrome, certain neurological problems, some drugs, and genetics, the main cause is lifestyle.  In other words, what we choose to do.

People like to blame someone else…it allows them to put blinders on. For example people look in the mirror and see a wrinkled, prematurely aged face, and blame their parents and grandparents for passing on bad genes.  They don’t consider that perhaps they spent lots of hours in the sun without protection, or smoked cigarettes for years, or didn’t get the proper nutrition and exercise.  Oh no, it’s not their fault, it’s their genes, they lament.  Poppycock!  Scientific research says seventy percent of the aging process is due to lifestyle and environment.  In other words, what we choose to do.

The same is true with obesity.  Overweight or obese parents do not frequently breed that into their children genetically, so, if you or a loved one are greatly overweight, don’t conveniently blame it on genes.  Check your parent’s lifestyle, see if, instead of genes, it isn’t their bad habits that have been ingrained into you as just that—bad habits. THAT is probably the case.

Teach your children NOT to make excuses for anything. Excuses can kill them—and you, too—can result in serious illness, shortened life span and a miserable one along the way. Teach your children to do what is necessary in the way of P_R_E_V_E_N_T_I_O_N and give them the proper example.  Say “No” to overeating, say “No” to the wrong foods, say “No” to baking in the sun, say “No” to smoking, etc., etc.

Please forgive me for preaching, but I’m very upset over this problem, since it’s my mission to promote and help with creating longevity and vitality, and, if I can stimulate any action at all, it’s worth it, even if some might think I’m being too forward.

Overweight and obesity can sneak up on you. Little by little over the years, people increase their dress size a few times and, without realizing it place extra “weight” on their heart and limbs, and suffer fatigue, which promotes a more sedentary lifestyle, reducing physical activity, which can bring on disease and the expense of doctors and drugs, hospital stays and operations, with the great possibility that it could have been prevented.

Medical science has made wonderful advances, and there will be more coming. But we can’t count on them. Besides, why wait to get sick, which is when we turn to the science?  The most effective “medicine” any of us can take is prevention by controlling our lifestyle.  Get out of the vicious cycle of overeating and lack of exercise, which leads to sluggishness, disease, doctor visits and quick fixes of the symptoms through the use of drugs, but not the underlying cause.  All of this costs money, unnecessarily.

Imagine, after a gastric bypass procedure, as many as six follow up operations, costing $50,000, not covered by insurance, might be required.  It is certainly, without question, less expensive to opt for the alternative, namely, prevent obesity in the first place by eating healthy foods and supplementing them with good vitamins.  Easier said than done, you say. That is another excuse…nothing could be more arduous than to have a poor, sick lifestyle with a shorter life span  I’ve written about it often in tips and newsletters, and there are affordable products available from Oleda and Company (and others) to help you do it.  (We recently revamped our Weight Loss Department with great new products that you can peruse in http://www.oleda.com.)

A regular visit to your doctor for an annual check up (semi-annual over 65), pap smear, mammogram, occasional stress test, and other preventive maintenance your doctor recommends, can not only keep you healthy and happy, but also save you a lot of money in the long run.  Get the men in your life to do it, too, with regular prostate exams.

You must take care of yourself; no one, absolutely no one can or will do it for you.  Doctors are mostly trained to solve our problems after we mess up. . .but often it’s too late to undo what we did to ourselves.  I say this not to hurt anyone, but in the hope of waking people up to zero in on what’s best for living a long, healthy and happy life.

THE COST OF CONTROLLING OUR HEALTH, BEAUTY AND AGING IS MUCH LESS THAN THE TREATMENTS AFTER THEY’RE LOST.