To make things worse, she had started to loathe the pressure-packed environment at her office.
“I felt stressed all the time and I was in near-constant pain.”
prescribed muscle relaxants and steroids.
“The drugs helped, but I wanted permanent relief,” Chow says.
The Rx:SELF matched Chow with Jack Stern, M.D.
“The mind-body connection is very strong,” Dr. Stern says.
“For Shirley, stress was manifesting itself as back pain.”
Chow committed to a steady routine of yoga.
The results:YogaWorks instructor Maya Ray, of NYC, worked with Chow on basicyogamoves like Child pose.
Chow says she feels lighter and calmer after each session.
But the biggest change came when Chow ditched her demanding job.
Her new PR gig “is less hectic, with better hours,” she says.
“I’m so much happier now.”
Women’s Health Week on Facebook Starts July 25!
Try these back-bolsteringyogaposes from Maya Ray of YogaWorks.
Press hands and feet into floor as you lift hips as high as it’s possible for you to.
Hold for 8 counts, then slowly return to start.
Hold for 8 counts.
Happy Baby
Releases lower back, hips.
Lie faceup with knees pulled into chest.
Grab outer edges of feet and pull feet up and back until ankles are directly over knees.
Rock gently from side to side for 8 counts.
She had no family history of high cholesterol, and prior checkups hadn’t turned up anything unusual.
Her doctor said she may need to start taking a drug to lower her cholesterol.
A self-professed sweets freak who never exercised, Mazhari knew her lifestyle needed an overhaul.
“I wanted to see if I could lower my cholesterol through diet and exercise,” she says.
SELF sent her to Dennis Goodman, M.D., for a second opinion.
“The higher the HDL, the better,” Dr. Goodman says.
Her LDL, or “bad” cholesterol, was 117; less than 129 is near optimal.
Mazhari’s triglyceride level was 156 mg/dL; Dr. Goodman likes his patients to be below 100.
“Termeh’s risk of developing diabetes was well above 50 percent.
She needed to loseweightand fix her diet.”
Dr. Goodman suggested Mazhari work with Elisa Zied, R.D., of NYC, to overhaul her eating habits.
Zied also recommended Mazhariexerciseregularly.
“ButThe results:have been amazing, and that keeps me going.”
Now 20 pounds lighter and three dress sizes smaller, Mazhari has lowered her triglycerides to 63 mg/dL.
Adds Dr. Goodman, “She did it without drugs, which is a huge success.”
Get tested, then check our chart to see how you score.
Cholesterol:LDLWhat it is:Low-density lipoprotein is the bad guy.
Near optimal: 100 to 129.
Borderline high: 130 to 159.
Borderline high: 150 to 199.
High: 200 to 499.
Very high: 500 and above.Keep it there:Added sugars put triglyceride production into overdrive.
But in her mid-20s, those sporadic bouts of ceiling staring had become a real problem.
“I was afraid that my insomnia would never go away.”
For that she needed a long-term solutionand the help of sleep specialist Shelby Harris, Psy.D.
After reviewing the journal, Harris saw that one of the biggest problems was Bienstock’s constantly shifting bedtime.
“Changing bedtimes every few days is almost like traveling to another time zone.
Essentially, you’re creating jet lag,” she says.
“Sleep doesn’t have an on-off switch.
It’s on a dimmer,” Harris explains.
“You need time to start winding down.”
The results:Bienstock was surprised at how quickly small changes added up.
She was sleeping soundly through the night after two weeks.
And it’s been worth the effort.
“I feel like myself again,” she says.
“Most nights it doesn’t take me more than five minutes to fall asleep.
I feel rested for the first time in years.”
Rebecca Greenfield
For 80 percent of people with insomnia, an underlying health issue is at play.
Three questions your M.D.
Treating your depression or switching meds will mean happier days and nights.
“I would go through a box of tissues a day.
My boss would ask if I was OK because I basically seemed sick all year long.”
Right away, her symptoms worsened to the point that she realized OTC drugs weren’t enough.
If she wanted to keep the pooch, she would need to get help from an allergist.
“I wasn’t going to give him up!”
To double-check she didn’t have to, SELF arranged a consultation with Marjorie Slankard, M.D.
Over time, they build up the immune system’s tolerance to key allergens.
Braganza also needed to change her environment.
“But about a month after starting the shots and changing my habits, I stopped feeling sick.”
And happily, her coworkers have stopped looking at her as though she were a walking petri dish.
“I finally found something that is helping me get better, for good.”
Got a nose that won’t stop running?
One of these allergens (the three most common) could be the culprit.
MoldCheck your houseplants: Moist dirt and decaying leaves are big sources of mold spores.
You don’t have to give up your greenery, though.
Choose plants that thrive in drier soil, such as aloe and jade.
But there was one thing that always gave her away: her cigarette breaks.
“I threw my cigarette away.
Still, as harmful as she knew smoking wasclimbing stairs left her windedshe found it impossible to stop.
“When I was stressed or nervous, smoking is what calmed me,” Manso Brown says.
“The cravings just got too intense, and it was easier to give in,” she says.
“Mentally, I wasn’t ready; the willpower wasn’t there.”
But eventually, she got tired of being breathless and out of shape.
The Rx:SELF paired Manso Brown with Jonathan Whiteson, M.D.
To deal with cravings from nicotine withdrawal, Manso Brown used nicotine patches and lozenges.
The biggest hurdle was changing her smoking behaviors.
“Kira’s morning routine revolved around smoking,” Dr. Whiteson says.
Then she would grab a coffee and smoke outside her office before heading in to start her day.”
To get Manso Brown to stop, Dr. Whiteson took away her triggers.
Dr. Whiteson also helped his patient find new ways to deal with stress.
“I missed smoking and struggled with cravings.”
“I feel much more in control of my body,” she says.
And her sense of taste and smell improved.
“Chocolate tastes so much better.
What a great incentive not to smoke!”
Having trouble staying smoke-free when out with pals?
Use these tricks to snuff your cravings.
Nosh on healthy nibbles like nuts or fruit.
Opt for dinner over happy hourFor many, drinking and smoking go hand in hand.
Watch what you drinkIf you down multiple cocktails, your resolve melts, undermining your self-control.
Before long, you’ll be toasting to your newly healthy self!
Cohen had had occasional bad headaches since childhood.
Alcohol, caffeine, hunger,exerciseand the start of her menstrual cycle could all spark a migraine.
The pain came if she slept less than seven hoursbut also if she slept more than eight.
“I lived in fear,” Cohen says.
“It felt as if the migraines were taking over my life.
I wanted to prevent them from happening, not just treat the pain,” she recalls.
“Magnesium is responsible for shepherding calcium in and around your cells,” Dr. Grosberg says.
That irritates the cells and creates abnormal electrical activity that can spark a migraine."
Yet a month after starting the magnesium, she was free of pain.
“I can have a drink, go out for dinner, ski, run.
Nothing’s better than feeling good and having fun!”
Roughly 22 percent of women get migraines, but not every bad headache is one.
Identify and treat other sources of pain using this handy chart.
Diagnosis:Tension headacheSymptoms:Pain is mild and usually affects both sides of your head.
If you don’t feel sick, it’s not a sinus headache.
They usually opt for steroid pills or nasal sprays if allergies are the culprit.
