HO-HO, OH NO…ON THE WEEK AFTER CHRISTMAS

Holiday Regret

WHOA, OH WHOA, WHERE DID THE DOLLARS GO?

Have yourself a scary little Christmas

See the bills add up

From now on you’ll be paying off those credit cards

For all the Christmas stuff.

You shake, you fret, your head spins, your stomach turns and you can’t sleep. How did this happen? Think back. How could you think it wouldn’t all add up? Over the years, overspending has shot up there as much as overeating and drinking. In one survey, 47% used credit cards, 9% dipped into their emergency funds, and 7% even tapped their retirement accounts. Tis the season for consumerism where gift-buying stampedes translate into bank depleting stress. And pressure. To name a few.

IT CAN DO YOUR HEART BAD

All the pressure coupled with all the over-indulgence can have some serious effects on your health. Diabetics’ sugar levels soar, stomach ulcers intensify and not least, increased blood pressure can actually increase the number of heart-related deaths over the holidays. Crazy, but many people who find themselves suffering on the 25th, actually wait until the 26th to go to the ER for chest pain. They don’t want to spoil the day. Many hospitals say the 26th is the busiest day of the year.

BE YOUR OWN ANGEL

Take a deep breath and know what a beautiful celebration you made of the holiday for so many people. Be proud of all you’ve done. In fact, now is a good time to make a list just for you:

  • Relax
  • Take a breather
  • Nap at will
  • Order pizza
  • Go out for dinner
  • Don’t even think about returns
  • Practice mindfulness (or learn what it is and how it can help on a daily basis)
  • Stay in your pajamas as long as you want
  • Say “no”. Repeatedly.
  • Feel guilty about zip
  • Pamper yourself—mani/pedi…even massage
  • Think back about all the good times
  • Forget vacuuming
  • Thank you notes can wait as long as you get them out before next Thanksgiving
  • Be the star at the top of your own tree.

STOP TOYING AROUND WITH YOUR HEALTH

When you’ve had your fill of more than turkey stuffing, know that all that excess you’re blaming the holidays on, might actually be coming from unbalanced hormones. Hormones are the chemical messengers that move through the body impacting the way your cells and organs function. When unbalanced, they can be real body bullies, disrupting how you feel all over. They can cause stomach pains, bloating, nausea and diarrhea. Give you headaches that feel like nutcrackers have had a field day with your brain, resulting in what’s called “memory fog”, leading to lack of focus and attention. Maybe hormones are where you should put the blame, not on how the holidays have made you feel, which isn’t always so hot. Well, fortunately for you, the gift of health is close by. There are few specialists in the Denver area that are more knowledgeable or experienced in hormone replacement than a very wise man, Dr. Stephen A. Goldstein, Goldstein, MD, FACS hormone health. Seeing him is like getting a gift you never expected. After meeting with him and taking some simple tests, he creates a treatment plan tailored to fit perfectly. Tailored to make you feel a big dose of awe.

Make an appointment now.

And get all you want for Christmas.

HO-HO, OH NO…ON THE WEEK OF CHRISTMAS

Holiday Weight Gain

CAROLS OF COOKING AND CHAOS AND CLEANING

Forget about:

  • 12 Drummers Drumming
  • Eleven Pipers Piping
  • Ten Lords a Leaping
  • Nine Ladies Dancing
  • Eight Maids a Milking
  • Seven Swans a Swimming
  • Six Geese a Laying
  • Five Golden Rings
  • Four Calling Birds
  • Three French Hens
  • Two Turtle Doves
  • and a Partridge in a Pear Tree…

It’s more about what you get planning a memorable Christmas Eve, morning and noon meal:

  • 30 Guests a Coming
  • 90 Recipes a Reading
  • 20 Pies a Baking
  • Gluten-Free a Thinking
  • Hard-Wood Floors a Polishing
  • Unnamed Dishes a Cooking
  • And 100 things in less than 10 Days

You get it….

DASHER, DANCER, PRANCER, VIXEN, COMET, CUPID, DONNER AND BLITZEN.

Oh, and Overeating, Sugar Loads, Hangovers and Fruitcakes, Blood Pressure, Chest Pains, Gut Distress and Weight Gain… (an extra strain on the roof.)

LET YOUR YULE TIDE OVERFLOW

It’s never easy up to this point, and maybe we’ve gone a bit overboard, (although true), but now is time to stop and think what the holiday is really all about: family, love, laughter, togetherness, gratefulness, rejoicing, hope, awe, joy, making memories, yule tide spirit, peace on earth and hundreds of photos, videos and selfies to mark the wonderful moments.

IT’S A GOOD DAY, CHARLIE BROWN…

Other than one helping after another of football, another tradition is to watch Christmas movies. And there are tons of them. Some of the most popular include:

  • A Christmas Carol
  • Scrooge
  • Miracle on 34th Street
  • Gremlins
  • Elf
  • The Bishop’s Wife
  • A Christmas story1941
  • The nightmare before Christmas
  • How the Grinch Stole Christmas
  • Home Alone
  • Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
  • It’s a Wonderful Life
  • Frosty the Snowman
  • The Santa Clause
  • A Christmas story
  • White Christmas
  • Holiday Inn
  • The Muppet Christmas Carol
  • Scrooged
  • Christmas in Connecticut
  • Bad Santa

It’s a really nice thing for the family to do together. On one device.

RETURN THIS

No, not a sweater, not a set of kitchen spoons that look like bizarre zoo creatures…return all the things that are making your body feels like it’s been stuck in the chimney, and return to good health. Some of the things that can wreak havoc on your body, can really be coming because your hormones are out of balance. Hormones are the great communicators, sending messages to the cells throughout our bodies. Because they can fluctuate, they can act like a roller coaster, causing mood swings, sleepless nights and depression. And those are just a few of the symptoms. But there’s help. Dr. Stephen A. Goldstein, Goldstein, MD, FACS at Denver hormone health has years of expertise, experience and advanced training in balancing hormones. You can tell he really cares. After discussing your issues, several simple tests are taken. The results help him pinpoint where the problems are and from there he creates a uniquely tailored treatment plan to help.

Make an appointment now.

Get relief. With all the trimmings.

HO-HO, OH NO…ON THE SECOND WEEK BEFORE CHRISTMAS

Christmas Stress

WRAPPED UP IN KNOTS

All right…so you THINK you got most of what you were looking for, including a fortune in wrapping regalia that has to envy the gifts they enrobe. Great. But now you have to wrap everything, scissors and bows, scraps of unused paper and globs of stuck scotch tape forming a gooey, towering mountain of mess around you.  Oh, and labels…can’t forget labels. There’s another nightmare that can give you a boxful of insomnia and anxiety. 

HAIL THE KIDS

Christmas is really for kids; a lot of people think. You think, “yeah?”, and in another form of guilt, you have to plan on making their holiday the most memorable ever. These days, they text photos of all the gifts they want (no, make that “expect”.) Many of which are devices and games and anything tech. (Read “expensive.)  Their manic sides take over and they are in your ear endlessly, day and night. And cookies. Christmas cookies. There’s a tradition that could drown you in icing and powdered sugar and piles of sprinkles. Sometimes, the kids actually like to be part of it, licking spoons and downing raw dough. But suddenly, as quickly as the cookies disappear, so do they. Still, why is it you are downed with a bad case of BMS– Bad Mother Syndrome?

TREE AND TINSEL TERROR

Then there’s the magical moment of “the tree”. Some have faux (used to be called “fake”) ones, disassembled somewhere, that with gads of distress, dads are forced to put together. Other families trek out for the real thing—lush green, fragrant smelling firs. Here, dad gets his own grief trying to convince his whining, clawing kids why a 20-foot behemoth balsam won’t even get through their door. Once the tree is (supposedly) upright in its stand, the ritual of decorating begins. Christmas lights, (what seems like miles to untangle), old ornaments and new, strands of strung popcorn and tons of glittery tinsel that sticks to everything. And, of course, there’s the tree topper. The lights are lit and a huge “aaaahhh” fills the room making it all worth it.

But in a flash, “aaaaahhh” turns to “oooooo” and “nooooooo”. Dad falls off the ladder…it’s off to the Emergency Room. The tree isn’t settled tightly enough and topples. (Happens more than you think). Then the pets pounce, rolling in the tinsel and ingesting everything they shouldn’t. Which can be deadly if not caught in time. It’s off to the vet Emergency Room. And the bit about “making the season bright” can be a huge hazard when trees are too dry, candles abound and electrical glitches can start fires! How are we doing on the “joy” part so far?

PARTY POOP OUT

The invitations to stop over for eggnog and goodies roll in from everywhere. Family, friends, neighbors, parents of your kids’ school friends…So you slide into your “faking it” smile that belies your body’s aches and pains, and socialize until you’re ready to drop. And if you work, watch out for office holiday parties. Oh, what dangers lurk there. Minefields of mess. Alcoholic excess is magic juice for sometimes making fools of yourselves. Tongues loosen, barriers break down, truths, complaints and grudges are open ground. Going with a significant other might help, but it’s never a guarantee. And the next morning? A remorseful, guilt-filled hangover with a side of upset stomach. What’s to celebrate there?

HARK THE HERALD HEALTH

Feeling heavier and nuttier than a fruitcake about now? Sure, Christmas craziness can make you feel that way, but if your hormones are imbalanced, that could be the real problem. Hormones move all through the body, chemical messengers that impact the way your cells and organs function. They can impair your immune and digestive system, accelerating damage at the cellular lever, even telling cells to die. One way to calm the chaos going on inside your body is to make an appointment to see Dr. Stephen A. Goldstein, MD, FACS at Denver hormone health. At the forefront of hormone replacement therapy, he has expertise and experience hard to match. But what’s more important is that his one goal is to make you feel your absolute best. All over.  When you meet him, you’ll see how much he cares. After an in-depth consultation, and simple tests, he can tell exactly what hormones might be making you feel so messed up. Then he creates a uniquely tailored plan for you, that unlike some gifts you get, fit perfectly!

Make the call now.

Give a little more tenderness and goodwill to yourself.