1. Eat a better breakfast - including protein, good fat, and fiber.
2. Eat healthy snacks: pita and humus, baked chips and salsa, popcorn, and fruit.
3. Eat more vegetarian meals.
4. Eat more soy products.
5. Eat more greens.
6. Use meat as a condiment - it works especially well in stir fries.
7. Eat more fiber - beans, whole grain rye flour, oat bran, whole wheat.
8. Eat more seafood.
9. Eat more plant sources of Omega 3s - flaxseed, walnuts, canola oil, leafy greens.
10. Eat desserts that count.

* Fitness Fair - February 3, 1998 - See Below for details *

Seasonal Affective Disorder:
Fighting the Winter Blues

Do you have a predictable pattern when seasons change from spring/summer to fall/winter? During the winter or fall, do you?

• Find you have less energy than usual?
• Sleep more, but awaken still feeling tired?
• Experience mood changes (Do you generally feel more anxious, irritable, sad, or depressed)?
• Feel less productive or creative?
• Feel you have little control over your appetite or weight?
• Experience more memory and concentration problems?
• Feel you are less outgoing and less social than usual?
• Find you do not cope well with stress?
• Feel less enthusiastic about the future and/or enjoy your life less?

If you answered yes to several of the above questions, you may be one of the many who are affected by Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), a cyclical type of depression usually experienced in fall and winter months, and brought about by insufficient light. As the days shorten and become more cloudy in fall and winter, many people experience an increase in SAD symptoms. The exact cause of SAD has not been determined, but it is known that seasonal changes in light and temperature play a key role. Bright lights cause physiological changes in your body. Increased exposure to light affects the blood levels of the light-sensitive hormone melatonin, which at certain times of the day can be abnormally high. Also, the body has an internal clock that controls the daily rhythms of body temperature, hormone secretions, and sleep patterns. Bright light can delay or jump start this internal clock depending on when you are exposed to light. The prevalence of SAD appears to vary with latitude, age, and sex. Younger women living at higher altitudes are at highest risk. In fact, women comprise 60-90% of persons with SAD.

Treatment

• Discuss symptoms with your physician or a psychologist. An antidepressant may be helpful for some people with SAD.
• Educate yourself on SAD and its treatment.
• Get as much natural light as possible during the fall and winter.
• Exercise daily, preferably outdoors, to take advantage of natural light.
• Work near a window, preferably a south-facing window.
• Stay on a regular sleep/wake cycle.
• Dress warmly.
• Dump the sunglasses in the winter.
• Manage stress effectively.
• If you are able, arrange a winter vacation to a warm, sunny climate.
• Keep active with social and recreational activities, preferably outdoors.
• Don't give in or up to winter, make the best of it and enjoy it!

Fitness Fair Planned for February 3^rd

A Fitness Fair has been scheduled for February 3, 1998 from 4:30 - 6:30 p.m. for all Creighton University medical students. The Fair will take place in Criss II- B4 and will have several stations including blood pressure, body mass index, body fat, girth, and cholesterol. This is a great opportunity for students to get information on their own health status. So, please take advantage of this wonderful opportunity!

Spirituality:

Retreats to Focus on Students' Relationships with God

Several retreats will be offered this Spring for Creighton students, faculty, and spouses. Father James O'Leary and Father Tom Hansen will provide a retreat on January 23 for students interested in focusing on medicine as a vocation from God and on maintaining a relationship with God in the midst of a chaotic schedule. Future retreats are scheduled for January 30 for couples, February 6, February 13, and March 20 for students, April 3 for faculty and staff, and April 17 for students. Each retreat typically offers opportunities for prayer and reflection, reconciliation, and small group discussions. Supper is served for a nominal fee. Feedback from students have been very positive. Please contact Father O'Leary at 280-3189 (jjoleary@cureighton.edu) or Father Hansen at 280-3115 (thansen@creighton.edu) for more information.

"No one can see his/her reflection in running water; it is only in still water that we can see." - Unknown

"It takes courage to stand up and speak; it takes even more courage to sit down and listen." - Unknown

Relationships -
The Ten Commandments of Good Listening

The following suggestions will help you to relate more effectively to others in personal and professional situations.

1. Stop talking! You cannot listen if you are talking.
2. Put the talker at ease. Help him/her feel free to talk. This is known as a "permissive environment."
3. Show him/her that you want to listen. Look and act interested. Listen to understand rather than to reply.
4. Remove distractions. Don't doodle, tap, or shuffle papers- and for gosh sakes, shut the TV off!
5. Empathize with others. Try to put yourself in the speaker's place to see his/her point of view.
6. Be patient. Allow plenty of time and don't interrupt. Also, don't walk away.
7. Hold your temper. An angry man/women gets the wrong meaning from words. Remember: "He (she) who angers you conquers you."
8. Go easy on argument and criticism. This puts the other person on the defensive.
9. Ask questions. This encourages him/her and shows that you are listening.
10. Stop talking! This one bears repeating.

New Year Strategies for Getting in Shape:
What Really Works

It's that time of year when we evaluate our lives and try to make positive changes. Yes, I'm thinking about resolutions. Getting fit is probably one of the most common resolutions, yet it is also one of the first to be scrapped. Why is it so hard to stay on track? Because fitness is often thought of as a short-term goal. Concentrate on incorporating exercise into your life - for life. This attitude will help you get through difficult days, it will give you more energy, and it will allow you to focus your mind on something other than medical school.

How do you get started. The most difficult part about becoming a regular at the gym is getting yourself there. Creighton's Kiewit Physical Fitness Center offers many workout options and it's free and close enough to visit during your lunch break. Here are some ideas on how to get started:

• Work out with a buddy who can offer encouragement.
• Vary your routine. Try different work outs to avoid boredom. If you hate long workouts, switch activities.
• Listen to your walkman. Try listening to your favorite music or check out an audio book. If you save your audio book for gym time only, you will end up looking forward to exercising.
• Utilize the facilities. Reserve a racquetball court, sign out a basketball, or you can set up a time to play indoor tennis (the staff will have the court ready and waiting).
• No time? Take a run around the track. Six times around = 1 mile. This can take only 15 minutes of your day.
• Try swimming laps at the pool. It looks pretty empty at lunch.
• Ask someone who lifts weights to share their workout with you. Then incorporate your favorites into your own routine. Don't be intimidated by asking others for help.
• Try to go as often as possible at first. This will help to make work outs a habit.
• Don't work out at home until you have developed a commitment to exercise. It's easier to stay on track (pun intended) at the gym because the only thing to do there is work out. At home, there are too many distractions.
• Volunteer to coach a youth soccer, basketball, or other sports team. I guarantee that you will get a work out.
• The most important tip. Don't fall into the trap that you must get in shape to be seen at the gym. Nobody really cares what you look like (no offense). Most people come to exercise not to compare bodies. The only way to get fit is to start now. Good luck!

Rich Lichti, Emily Richardson, Reagan Yee, Emile Wakim, Kim King, Amy Kelly, Jen Dunn, Rob Cina

Wellness Committees

Spirituality - Tom Hansen, Christie Michels, Joann Jackson, Emily Banset, Laura Graeff

Exercise/Fitness - Suzy McNulty, Dan Reeves, Derek Gordon, Temple Brannan, Justin Tobias, Michelle Anthony

Nutrition - Katie Campuzano, Brian Williams, Jason Reuter, Dawn Swimm, Justin Kirven, Martin Janout

Mental Health - Jennifer Brown, Lori Borella, David Vasconcellos, Jane McCabe, Kyle Stanosheck, Mike McGurren, Neal Osborn

Relationships - Nancy Koster, John Schrader, Michelle Hunke-Daffer, Lynne McKeown

News and Events

Physician Assisted Suicide - Crime or Compassion

Roundtable

Being a Hero in Healthcare