HOLIDAY MEDTIPS

The recipe for Santa Claus: large portions of kindness, warmth and jolliness wrapped in a red suit. Shoot those ingredients through the sky powered by eight tiny reindeer and you have an ageless super hero. That from the whimsical cookbook of Morris Green, M.D., professor of pediatrics at IU School of Medicine and director of the Pediatric Child Development Center at Riley Hospital.

You can't overdose on kindness, says Morris Green, M.D., professor of pediatrics at IU School of Medicine and director of the Pediatric Child Development Center at Riley Hospital. Dr. Green says parents should not be concerned about promoting the myth of Santa Claus to their children. The kindly Ol' Saint Nick is the embodiment of qualities every child needs to believe in and a little fantasy is healthy for children because it promotes creativity, according to Dr. Green. And, don't worry about the time your children begin to question the existence of Santa - children are very good at rationalizing incongruities. In his 40 years at Riley Hospital, Dr. Green says he has never seen a child who has been emotionally scarred by believing in Santa.

Santa Claus is a symbolic figure the world over, which just points out that children of all nationalities and all faiths have the same basic needs, says Morris Green, M.D., professor of pediatrics at IU School of Medicine and director of the Pediatric Child Development Center at Riley Hospital. Those needs include joy, hope, love, fantasy and kindness - all the qualities that Santa represents. Dr. Green said it is important for parents to nurture these qualities in their children and a little fantasizing is healthy for children because it is the root of creativity.

There is no nap as satisfying as the one taken after a traditional Thanksgiving dinner. And turkey eaters should know they have two things working against them if they want to stay alert, says Sara Blackburn, DCS, R.D., associate professor of nutrition and dietetics at the IU School of Medicine. First, there is the large quantity of food recently ingested that slows down the metabolism and makes one sluggish. Second, there really is a substance in turkey that makes people sleepy. It is called tryptophan, an essential amino acid used as a building block for proteins.

If you want to talk turkey, then don't mention stuffing - at least not inside the bird. Generations of Americans have grown up eating turkey stuffed with dressing on Thanksgiving, but they should be aware it is a health risk, says Sara Blackburn, DCS, R.D., associate professor of nutrition and dietetics at the IU School of Medicine. Salmonella poisoning is just as great a risk with turkey as it is with other poultry. The cooking of turkey or dishes with turkey broth should be done according to directions. Those who cook dressing inside the great bird run the risk of not getting the dressing hot enough to kill bacteria.

Thanksgiving dinner can be a feast complete with all the calories of nearly a day's worth of food, says Sara Blackburn, DCS, R.D., associate professor of nutrition and dietetics at the IU School of Medicine. A person easily can consume 1,600 calories during one trip to the holiday table. Tips to avoid over-eating include eat slowly and watch your portion sizes. Too much of a good thing can haunt you and your waistline throughout the holidays.

Approach the holidays and its cornucopia of food with realistic expectations and plan ahead, says David Creel, R.D., an exercise physiologist at the Indiana University Center for Weight Management. Don't center your good times around food, he advises. Instead of eating your way through the holidays, focus on activities with family, friends, and the spirit of the season. Set attainable goals and stay active. Physical activity can be as simple as walking, shopping or shooting baskets with a friend. Activities will keep you busy, replace the urge to munch and make you feel better and be healthier.

Mistletoe, poinsettias and holly are pretty to look at, but that's just about as far as it goes. All three traditional holiday plants are poisonous, says Henry Besch, Jr., Ph.D., chairman of pharmacology and toxicology at IU School of Medicine. In fact, Dr. Besch says, only about 30 percent of plants are safe for human consumption. Eating mistletoe, particularly the berries, can cause vomiting, diarrhea and produce a slowed or irregular heart beat. Poinsettias when eaten can cause an upset stomach and the plant's sap when left on the skin can cause blistering. Eating holly leaves or berries can cause vomiting, diarrhea and it also has a sedative effect.

Holidays can be the most stressful time of the year for a lot of people says psychiatrist Anantha Shekhar, M.D., Ph.D., of the IU School of Medicine. Almost everyone is faced with difficult personal relationships. Many also must deal with financial constraints. "Holiday gatherings and gift-giving magnify the intensity of existing problems and produce anxiety which can result in difficulty in sleeping, irritability and edginess," he says. He recommends planning ahead and setting realistic goals to reduce the level of anxiety during the holidays.

Don't treat yourself as a failure if your holiday plans don't work out. "Reassess what you did and didn't do and make more realistic plans for next year," says pychiatrist Anantha Shekhar, M.D., Ph.D., of the IU School of Medicine, who notes that holidays are a highly emotional time of the year. Gifts should not be considered a symbol of the value the giver places upon the recipient, he advises. The less anxious we are, the more we will enjoy the festivities.

As we become elderly we often relinquish our family leadership roles, producing a loss of identity which causes depression in many, says pychiatrist Anantha Shekhar, M.D., Ph.D., of the IU School of Medicine. This loss of control is especially evident to the elderly during the holiday season, when they become guests at functions they formerly hosted. And due to the break-up of the nuclear family, as well as death or impairment of spouse and siblings, many older Americans find themselves alone at holiday time. Dr. Shekhar recommends that younger family members try to involve their elders in holiday preparations and make them feel a part of the entire holiday season, not just of a single family gathering.

As the winter equinox approaches and the number of daylight hours decrease, those who suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) may feel depressed and withdrawn. Psychiatrist Anantha Shekhar, M.D., Ph.D., of the IU School of Medicine, recommends that people sensitive to the seasonal change plan ahead to deal with the apprehension that the increased darkness brings. Enrolling in a class or exercising routinely through the late fall and winter or planning a spring or summer trip may decrease anxiety. Commercially available lights or, in more severe cases, antidepressants may allow an individual to function during the shorter days of the year.

Many of us make New Year's resolutions that are unrealistic. David Creel, R.D., an exercise physiologist at the Indiana University Center for Weight Management, suggests making goals which are behavior-oriented rather than geared to a specific outcome. Resolve to walk three times a week or cut back on desserts rather than vowing to lose 50 pounds. Pledge to diminish consumption of a favorite food rather than to give it up entirely. Try to increase exercise gradually rather than overdoing it initially and losing interest. "The more enjoyable we can make our goals, the more likely we are to make a permanent lifestyle change," says Creel. Reward yourself with a new bicycle or new clothes as you reach goals and enjoy better health.

Spread out your holiday alcohol consumption by sipping your drink and eating before or while drinking to avoid impairment, says James Kaunig, Ph.D., professor of pharmacology and toxicology at the IU School of Medicine. The more food in your stomach, the lower the concentration of alcohol in your blood and the less likely you are to become intoxicated. "The best advise, of course, is to not drink and drive, but if you are going to drink, do so conservatively, limiting yourself to one or two drinks interspersed with nonalcoholic beverages," he says.

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