Stress is endemic to our society, and with a recession on top of it, these are stressful times for everybody. We know many of the common symptoms of stress such as insomnia and depression. However, an additional problem that we don't normally think of is weight gain. In 2003, Dr. Shawn Talbott of the University of Utah wrote a book entitled The Cortisol Connection . An updated version came out in 2007. As the book title suggests, Dr. Talbott first made the connection between stress, cortisol, and weight gain. Cortisol is a hormone produced by the adrenal gland, and is related closely to cortisone in its physiological effects. Cortisol levels are highest when we wake up in the morning, and tend to fall during the day. If you are stressed, cortisol levels will remain high all day. When cortisol stays elevated, the body will store fat in the abdominal area rather than burn it for energy. Cortisol can also lead to increased blood cholesterol, increased risk for atherosclerosis, and lost bone mineral. So, with the frenetic schedule most of us have, how do you avoid raising your cortisol level? Dr. Talbott suggests that we take some time out of our day to walk, do yoga, or some other form of gentle exercise.

Bibliotherapy – or gaining therapeutic benefit from reading – gained popularity after WWII when soldiers found that reading was healing and helpful during their long periods of recuperation. Fast forward to the 21st century, bibliotherapy now encompasses most any way that information can be delivered: via books, through the Internet, and on CDs and DVDs. In the UK, a study was done on book prescribing to see how well the concept of “healthy reading” fit in as an adjunct to regular therapy for treating mild depression and anxiety or as a stand-alone therapy. The doctors and therapists who participated in the study had prescription pads specifically for recommending books and audiovisual materials alongside their prescriptions pads for pharmaceuticals. Doctors here in the U.S. have been known to write out prescriptions for their patients to pick up certain books or workbooks to assist with developing an arsenal of coping strategies to better manage depression and anxiety.

However, you don’t have to wait for your doctor or therapist to recommend a good book to manage the winter blues or cope with trauma. The medical librarians at your Health Library can recommend some pertinent titles, and you are welcome to come in and browse the shelves when the library is open (M-F, 8 AM – 4:30 PM). Just to give you an idea of what the Health Library has on its shelves to help you with your own bibliotherapy program, here are some titles:

• Complementary and Alternative Treatments in Mental Health Care (2006)
• Coping With Trauma: Hope Through Understanding (2005)
• Don’t Panic: Taking Control of Anxiety Attacks (2009)
• Getting Help: The Complete & Authoritative Guide to Self-Assessment & Treatment of Mental Health Problems (2007)
• Undoing Depression: What Therapy Doesn’t Teach You and Medication Can’t Give You (1999)
• Winter Blues: Everything You Need to Know to Beat Seasonal Affective Disorder (2006)
 

According to the Mayo Clinic, “breast exams, once thought essential for early breast cancer detection, are now considered optional. What's now stressed is breast awareness — being familiar with the normal consistency of your breasts and the underlying tissue.” While the Mayo Clinic isn’t discouraging women from doing their own breast exams, they are recommending that it be part of a multi-method screening for breast cancer, which includes clinical breast exams by your doctor, mammography, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for certain high-risk women.

A mammogram is a black and white picture of your breast taken with a safe, low dose X-ray machine. A mammogram is the most effective exam for early detection of breast cancer and helps decrease breast cancer deaths as the earlier that breast cancer is found, the earlier it can be treated, and the better a woman’s chances are of surviving a disease that claims over 40,000 women’s lives each year. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “aside from non-melanoma skin cancer, breast cancer is the most common form of cancer in women. Breast cancer is the number one cause of cancer death in Hispanic women. It is the second most common cause of cancer death in white, black, Asian/Pacific Islander, and American Indian/Alaska Native women.”

A mammogram can be used either for screening or for diagnostic purposes. Each year, close to 200,000 women and approximately 2,000 men are diagnosed with breast cancer. How often you should have a mammogram depends on your age and your risk of breast cancer; however, it is recommended that women over the age of 40, even with no familial history of breast cancer, have a mammogram done every one to two years. Here is a video entitled, "Mammogram for Breast Cancer Detection: What to Expect": www.mayoclinic.com/health/mammogram/MM00639.

If you have been diagnosed with breast cancer, the Health Library has some excellent books to support you through your treatment process. After the shock of the diagnosis wears off, a woman typically has a hundred and one questions about the disease and what her options are. Here are a few of the books that can help answer some of your questions:

• Breast Cancer Clear & Simple: All Your Questions Answered (2007)
• Breast Cancer: Early Detection (DVD) (2007)
• Breast Cancer: Real Questions, Real Answers (2006)
• Dancing With Fear: Tips & wisdom from breast cancer survivors (2005)
• The Breast Cancer Update (2007)
• Why I Wore Lipstick to My Mastectomy (2004)