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CNN Saturday Morning News
Weekend House Call
Aired November 22, 2003 - 08:31 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ANDREA KOPPEL, CNN ANCHOR: Weekend House Call with Elizabeth Cohen begins right now.
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning and welcome to Weekend House Call.
Do you have any bad habits? Most of us have at least a couple. Some of them are no big deal, but others can be deadly. Just this week, the American Cancer Society sponsored its Great American Smoke Out to try to get smokers to break the bad habit.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TOSHA WILLIAMS, FORMER SMOKER: I've been quit 60 days, 15 hours, 18 minutes smoke free.
COHEN (voice-over): Tosha Williams is one of millions of Americans who's had the nasty and often deadly habit of smoking.
WILLIAMS: I'm 26 years old and I've smoked since I was 14. I gradually became more addicted to the nicotine and I also found out on September 18th that I have a heart disease. I guess the warnings on the packages are right. I just never thought it could happen to me.
COHEN: According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nearly 80 percent of adult smokers started smoking before the age of 18, just like Tosha, who started smoking five cigarettes a day and was up to a pack and a half per day before she quit. Now she hopes that by quitting she can reverse the damage to her heart.
Each year, according to the most recent government statistics, nearly 440,000 people die and more than eight and a half million Americans suffer from smoke related illness. For example, 87 percent of lung cancer cases are caused by smoking and many people don't realize that smoking also contributes to cancer of the mouth, throat, esophagus, bladder, kidney and many others. Also, those who smoke are twice as likely to die from heart attacks as are non-smokers.
Tosha stopped cold turkey, but she did need help staying stopped. In addition to using leftover nicotine patches given to her by her mom, she also went online.
WILLIAMS: And I just went to the Internet and I started typing.
COHEN: Tosha found a smoking cessation Web site called QuitNet.
WILLIAMS: It was free to join so I joined and I started reading about everybody else going through the same thing. And it's just amazing the feedback I got. Immediately people said do this, go do this, go drink water, go get some orange juice, start doing jumping jacks, just do something.
COHEN: Tosha decided to quit the smoking habit for her children and her husband. She concedes it's not easy, but it's definitely worth it.
WILLIAMS: You have to want to stop. Your friends have got to help you stop. And if you need help, it's OK to get help medication wise.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COHEN: Smoking is the most deadly habit we'll be talking about today. It's also the most preventable cause of death in our country. Nearly one in four people smoke, with devastating effects. The CDC estimates that adult smokers lose an average of 13 to 14 years off their life.
And we're not just talking about smoking this morning. There are plenty of other bad habits out there -- overeating, nail biting, procrastination and excessive spending are just a few of the choices that we make that can cost us money, our health and damage our relationships.
If you're trying to kick the habit, whatever that habit might be, give us a call at 1-800-807-2620, or e-mail us housecall@cnn.com.
Joining us today to help answer your questions is addictionologist and psychiatrist Dr. Joseph Haraszti.
He's also the medical director of Las Encinas Hospital in Los Angeles, California.
Good morning, doctor and thanks for being with us so early in the morning.
Why don't we get started?
We have a call from Mary in North Carolina, who has a smoking question.
Mary, go right ahead.
MARY: Yes. I would like to ask if there is anything actually on the market that will help a person to stop smoking. I have tried all the patches. None of them work. I continue to smoke over them.
Do you know if there is something that actually works to help a person to stop smoking?
DR. JOSEPH HARASZTI, PSYCHIATRIST: Yes. In addition to the patches and, of course, the nicotine gum, we also have two other agents. Clonidine, which is used in the treatment of opiate addictions, but it's actually found to be quite helpful in smoking cessation, as well -- Clonidine prevents some of the anxiety responses that people experience from trying to withdraw or quit smoking. There's a tremendous sense of withdrawal. Smoking is as addicting or nicotine is as addicting as heroin or cocaine. So Clonidine helps with these cravings.
Also, there's another medication called Buproprion and there are Wellbutrin or Zyban is one of the names that's better known for it.
Studies showed that 28 -- that after 12 weeks, 28 percent of the patients on Zyban were able to quit smoking or stop smoking versus only two percent in the placebo group. So both of these agents are quite helpful in addition to the nicotine patch and, of course, the Nicorette gum.
COHEN: We have an e-mail now from Buck in New York, who wants to know, "I quit smoking cold turkey a year ago" -- good for you, Buck. "My wife continues to smoke around our two children and we are forced to inhale her secondhand smoke on a daily basis. What is the best way to get her to quit?"
Now, Dr. Haraszti, obviously Buck is, as I can understand, sort of frustrated with this situation. Does it help when a spouse or someone close to some -- to a smoker, pesters them and tries to get in there and get them to quit? Or is it better off just letting the person do it on their own time?
HARASZTI: Well, you know, this is similar to many other addictions. It's very difficult to stop a person from stopping smoking, drinking or whatever until they make up their mind.
However, I think it is important for them to understand the effect that this has on their families and help them get to the point where there are -- that they make a decision to stop.
As Tosha mentioned earlier, her -- the family's, her family's response to her smoking was one of the big motivating factors for her. So similarly, you know, Buck certainly needs to let his wife know the impact that she has on their relationship and their children and on their life. But ultimately she has to make that decision for herself.
COHEN: We have a phone call now from Valerie in Florida.
Valerie, go ahead with your question for Dr. Haraszti.
VALERIE: Yes, good morning.
My husband quit smoking about eight weeks ago after 55 years of smoking. He's 67 years old. He has had nothing but trouble since he quit. He's been to every hospital because he's so stressed. He can't sleep. He didn't want to wear the patch or anything, but now they're testing his thyroid and everything to see what is wrong with him.
We wonder what you think.
HARASZTI: Yes, well, again, there are tremendous and severe withdrawal symptoms associated with smoking. People can have a whole gamut of responses, as your husband certainly has. There can be fatigue, tiredness, impaired concentration. There can be all kinds of cardiovascular side effects, increased pulse, increased heart rate and so on.
However, these symptoms diminish over time. My recommendation would be is that if he's having such severe withdrawal is that he probably should have either a patch or one of these other medications that I mentioned, Clonidine or Zyban, to help him with those withdrawals. And, of course, at the same time, he should have a complete medical workup to make sure that he doesn't have some other medical problems that could be contributing to his symptoms.
COHEN: Doctor, why do some people have a relatively easy time quitting smoking -- just go cold turkey and that's it -- and others have such a difficult time, like this caller's husband?
HARASZTI: Well, there are a lot of factors that contribute to smoking and what maintains a behavior. It's not just the addictive potential of nicotine, but a lot of other personality factors. There are a lot of reinforcing factors that a person associates with smoking. It's a pleasant sensation. People smoke when they first got up in the morning, they smoke after meals, they smoke after sex. There's any number of things that maintain and trigger smoking. And it's difficult to give all those things up.
So it really takes a concerted effort and looking at all of these triggers. And a comprehensive approach to smoking cessation involves identifying these triggers and also becoming more aware of what a person feels each time before they smoke. And if it, and if someone is having a tremendous amount of difficulty in quitting, perhaps they can also get professional help or join Smoke Enders or other support groups that will help them with all these symptoms and so on.
COHEN: Well, when we come back, we're going to take a look at another habit that people sometimes go to support groups for, overeating, from too many nightly snacks to a self-destructive eating disorder. Overeating affects millions of people. How can you do battle against the constant need for food?
That's coming up, so give us a call at 1-800-807-2620, or e-mail us at housecall@cnn.com.
Stay with us.
COMMERCIAL
COHEN: Welcome back to Weekend House Call.
We're talking about breaking those bad habits, some of which can be very harmful to your health. For example, overeating. Food tastes good and we often look to comfort foods when we're feeling blue. If your eating becomes compulsive, it could be a sign of an eating disorder.
Here are some hints that you may have a problem. Do you feel your eating is out of control? Do you eat until you're uncomfortably full or eat when you're not really hungry? How about eating alone? Are you embarrassed to eat around others or do you feel guilty after overeating?
When combined, these can be signs that you have something that's a little bit more than a bad habit.
Talking with us today is addictionologist and psychiatrist Dr. Joseph Haraszti.
Doctor, let's get right to our e-mails. We have so many on this topic.
Let's start with our first one from Mona in Minnesota, who wants to know, "How can I stop my constant overeating?"
Doctor, are there some strategies for people who want to break this cycle of overeating?
HARASZTI: Yes, there are. Overeating is really just like any other bad habit, and it also has a lot of overlap with addictive behaviors or addictions. So, again, one needs to identify those situations that tend to trigger it. So becoming more aware of the situations where overeating is triggered and then coming up with different ways or alternatives, competing response to the overeating to reduce one's tension and calm one's nerves, so to speak.
COHEN: Doctor, I think it's fair to say that when most of us, let's say, go to a wedding with great food, that you just keep eating even when you're not hungry. And that's probably not a sign of something serious.
How do you know the difference between just sort of overeating because the food looks good and overeating that's a serious problem?
HARASZTI: Well, I think we all over indulge at times and I think we're all guilty of that. But that doesn't make us have a problem with overeating. I think, you know, moderation is obviously something that we all should have as a goal, but that's not always possible when the food is great and the company is good and so on.
But there's a very big difference between that and someone who overeats on a regular basis each time they are anxious or depressed or blue or have any number of negative emotions.
COHEN: All right, well, we have a question now from Scott in Wisconsin, who says, "Usually at around 9:00 p.m., I get a craving for a nightly snack. How can I break this terrible habit? My snacks include leftover casseroles or dinner that I stored in the fridge for the next day."
Now, doctor is this necessarily a bad habit?
HARASZTI: Well, it can be. If it's something that this person, that Scott indulges in every night, obviously that can also ultimately lead to weight gain and all kinds of unpleasant consequences.
COHEN: We have a call now from Winifred (ph) in Maryland.
Doctor, are you still with us?
HARASZTI: Yes, I am.
COHEN: OK.
Winifred, go ahead with your question for Dr. Haraszti.
WINIFRED: Hello, doctor.
My son is 50. He's very active but he really eats, overeats constantly. He can eat at any time.
HARASZTI: OK.
WINIFRED: And I just wondered how he could break this habit. He drinks a lot of Diet Cokes.
HARASZTI: OK, I'm glad you brought that up. One of the greatest triggers for overrating is a feeling of hypoglycemia. Diet Cokes and soft drinks in general tend to cause a release of insulin, which creates a certain amount of hypoglycemia and that creates a sensation of hunger so we eat as a consequence. So cutting out soft drinks, Diet Cokes, or cutting down on them, I think, is one of the ways to prevent this hypoglycemic response.
Also, the nighttime raiding the refrigerator about 9:00 is, again, I think, to a large extent, caused by hypoglycemia. Our last meal is usually around six and about three or four hours later we tend to have that hypoglycemic response.
So by eating small meals more frequently, cutting down carbohydrates, cutting out sodas or cutting down on sodas, I think you can avoid the sensation of hunger and hypoglycemia and hence will do a lot less overeating.
COHEN: Now, if you think you may be a compulsive overeater, go to www.oa.org. And that's the Web site for Overeaters Anonymous, where you can find more information on causes and treatment.
Coming up next, we're going to talk about nail biting. It's unfortunately not just for kids. Many adults have this bad habit, as well.
We'll be taking your questions on nail biting and much more.
Stay with us.
COMMERCIAL
COHEN: Welcome back to Weekend House Call.
We're talking about how to kick those unwanted habits. Nail biting often starts as a child, but adults can pick up this habit, as well. For adults, nail biting can be caused by anxiety and stress, but some people may start this habit simply to try to fix damaged nails.
We're talking today with Dr. Joseph Haraszti.
Doctor, we're getting lots of calls and e-mails, so let's get on with it, from the first one, with Anna (ph) from New York, who wants to know, "I am worrying about the habit that my son can't get rid of, nail biting. Do you have any suggestions on how to stop this habit?"
Doctor, what can parents do? Often we hear that parents put some kind of lotion that tastes bad on their children's nails. Does that work?
HARASZTI: Yes, well, that's actually one form of stimulus control, which is one of the ways that we try to help people with nail biting. Nail biting is a form of tension management or tension regulation, to alleviate anxiety and stress and so forth. And stimulus control by, for example, using these pungent or noxious type things that you can apply to the fingers or gloves or other things that basically change the environment.
But I think more importantly it is to bring it to the child's attention that they are, in fact, doing this. A lot of times a child doesn't even realize that they're doing it. It becomes almost like an unconscious habit. So making them aware and then also giving them rewards for stopping it, giving them all kinds of things that they enjoy doing if they can stop biting their nails, if they can show that their fingernails are longer, they're not doing those things.
So giving them positive reinforcements and rewards is one way.
COHEN: We have a phone call now from Audrey in Tennessee.
Audrey, welcome to Weekend House Call and go ahead with your question.
AUDREY: Yes, I have a 10-year-old daughter that sucks her finger. And I have tried everything to get her to stop. What can I do?
HARASZTI: OK, well, again, sucking your thumb or finger is, again, a tension regulating device. It's anxiety management. It's a form of self-soothing. And it can be very difficult to break. I've seen adults who are still sucking their thumb as adults. And it's just a habit that they have not been able to break.
So, again, it's a stimulus control that we mentioned earlier with the nail biting, something similar to that can help. And, again, positive reinforcement and rewards and so on.
If it continues, she may need some professional help. Sometimes even certain types of medications might be helpful. But it's a combination of some type of a behavior approach as well as medication that might be helpful here.
COHEN: We have an e-mail on this subject from Brandon in Louisiana, who wants to know, "I've been biting my fingernails and the skin around my nails since I was four years old. I've tried to break the habit several times and have gone as long as a month without biting my nails, but I had to concentrate so hard on not biting them that I barely got anything else done during the day. How can I stop?"
Any advice, Dr. Haraszti?
HARASZTI: Yes. OK, Brandon's situation sounds like this is a bit more serious. Serious nail biting or severe nail biting is really a form of the obsessive compulsive disorder or OCD spectrum disorders. And, again, a number of behavioral approaches have been found to be helpful. Again, the stimulus awareness and competing response approach is one way. And then also there are certain medications which are effective in obsessive compulsive disorder, such as Clomipramin or Enephrenil (ph), is the brand name. Also, the various types of SSRIs have been found to be very helpful in serious, severe nail biting.
Severe nail biting is really thought to be a form of self- injurious behavior where there's a buildup of tension and then the tension is reduced as the person bites their nails, which then becomes very reinforcing. So a person has to find some other ways to control the tension. But first they might need help through the means of medication, because this is something that is just really pervasive and can be very, very difficult.
There have been instances of people actually chewing down their digits, where part of their finger is missing as a result of nail biting. So I mean this can be very serious.
COHEN: Wow, that does certainly sound serious.
We're going to talk about some other bad habits when we come back.
Is procrastination your secret habit? What about overdoing it with credit cards?
We've got some advice for you after the break, so stay with us.
But first, we're going to take a look at some of this week's medical headlines in today's edition of For Your Health.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Lasers may be the answer for treating acne. A new treatment called laser photodynamic therapy uses laser light to kill pimple causing bacteria in the skin. Less than a year old, the treatment begins to work after only one session.
Also, a new study from Johns Hopkins University debunked the old myth that caffeinated coffee causes high blood pressure. The study showed very little impact on blood pressure in patients who drink one to two cups of coffee per day.
For your health, I'm Dr. Sanjay Gupta. (END VIDEOTAPE)
COMMERCIAL
COHEN: For more information on how to stop smoking, go to www.cancer.org. That's the American Cancer Society. And remember to check out cnn.com/health, where you can find all the latest medical stories, plus a medical library and so much more.
Here are some tips to get over some other bad habits, for example, procrastination. Experts say people who put off tasks many times do so out of fear of failure or because they feel overwhelmed, but there are ways to deal with this problem. First, identify what you're afraid of. Next, set short-term goals and make priorities to help you put tasks in order. And finally, break down large jobs into small ones, so things seem more manageable.
If spending too much money is your habit, try this. First, look at your finances now and take action to stop spending money that you don't have. Number two, admit that you have a problem. Don't try to ignore the bills, because they won't go away. And lastly, change the way you go shopping. Instead of viewing it as a way to destress or kill time, see it for what it does to your wallet.
Thanks so much for joining us today on Weekend House Call.
Also, thank you to Dr. Haraszti for being with us so early in the morning. I think it's 6:00 a.m. for you now.
HARASZTI: That's right. It's about, yes, it's about 6:00 a.m. in Los Angeles. Yes.
COHEN: Well, thank you.
Thank you for getting up so early.
HARASZTI: Thank you.
It's been my pleasure.
COHEN: And thanks to our viewers and to everyone who called in and sent us e-mails.
Make sure to watch tomorrow's Weekend House Call, when we talk about taking care of your skin. From acne to rosacea and winterizing your skin, we'll cover it all. That's tomorrow at 8:30 a.m.
Thanks again for watching.
I'm Elizabeth Cohen.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired November 22, 2003 - 08:31 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ANDREA KOPPEL, CNN ANCHOR: Weekend House Call with Elizabeth Cohen begins right now.
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning and welcome to Weekend House Call.
Do you have any bad habits? Most of us have at least a couple. Some of them are no big deal, but others can be deadly. Just this week, the American Cancer Society sponsored its Great American Smoke Out to try to get smokers to break the bad habit.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TOSHA WILLIAMS, FORMER SMOKER: I've been quit 60 days, 15 hours, 18 minutes smoke free.
COHEN (voice-over): Tosha Williams is one of millions of Americans who's had the nasty and often deadly habit of smoking.
WILLIAMS: I'm 26 years old and I've smoked since I was 14. I gradually became more addicted to the nicotine and I also found out on September 18th that I have a heart disease. I guess the warnings on the packages are right. I just never thought it could happen to me.
COHEN: According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nearly 80 percent of adult smokers started smoking before the age of 18, just like Tosha, who started smoking five cigarettes a day and was up to a pack and a half per day before she quit. Now she hopes that by quitting she can reverse the damage to her heart.
Each year, according to the most recent government statistics, nearly 440,000 people die and more than eight and a half million Americans suffer from smoke related illness. For example, 87 percent of lung cancer cases are caused by smoking and many people don't realize that smoking also contributes to cancer of the mouth, throat, esophagus, bladder, kidney and many others. Also, those who smoke are twice as likely to die from heart attacks as are non-smokers.
Tosha stopped cold turkey, but she did need help staying stopped. In addition to using leftover nicotine patches given to her by her mom, she also went online.
WILLIAMS: And I just went to the Internet and I started typing.
COHEN: Tosha found a smoking cessation Web site called QuitNet.
WILLIAMS: It was free to join so I joined and I started reading about everybody else going through the same thing. And it's just amazing the feedback I got. Immediately people said do this, go do this, go drink water, go get some orange juice, start doing jumping jacks, just do something.
COHEN: Tosha decided to quit the smoking habit for her children and her husband. She concedes it's not easy, but it's definitely worth it.
WILLIAMS: You have to want to stop. Your friends have got to help you stop. And if you need help, it's OK to get help medication wise.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COHEN: Smoking is the most deadly habit we'll be talking about today. It's also the most preventable cause of death in our country. Nearly one in four people smoke, with devastating effects. The CDC estimates that adult smokers lose an average of 13 to 14 years off their life.
And we're not just talking about smoking this morning. There are plenty of other bad habits out there -- overeating, nail biting, procrastination and excessive spending are just a few of the choices that we make that can cost us money, our health and damage our relationships.
If you're trying to kick the habit, whatever that habit might be, give us a call at 1-800-807-2620, or e-mail us housecall@cnn.com.
Joining us today to help answer your questions is addictionologist and psychiatrist Dr. Joseph Haraszti.
He's also the medical director of Las Encinas Hospital in Los Angeles, California.
Good morning, doctor and thanks for being with us so early in the morning.
Why don't we get started?
We have a call from Mary in North Carolina, who has a smoking question.
Mary, go right ahead.
MARY: Yes. I would like to ask if there is anything actually on the market that will help a person to stop smoking. I have tried all the patches. None of them work. I continue to smoke over them.
Do you know if there is something that actually works to help a person to stop smoking?
DR. JOSEPH HARASZTI, PSYCHIATRIST: Yes. In addition to the patches and, of course, the nicotine gum, we also have two other agents. Clonidine, which is used in the treatment of opiate addictions, but it's actually found to be quite helpful in smoking cessation, as well -- Clonidine prevents some of the anxiety responses that people experience from trying to withdraw or quit smoking. There's a tremendous sense of withdrawal. Smoking is as addicting or nicotine is as addicting as heroin or cocaine. So Clonidine helps with these cravings.
Also, there's another medication called Buproprion and there are Wellbutrin or Zyban is one of the names that's better known for it.
Studies showed that 28 -- that after 12 weeks, 28 percent of the patients on Zyban were able to quit smoking or stop smoking versus only two percent in the placebo group. So both of these agents are quite helpful in addition to the nicotine patch and, of course, the Nicorette gum.
COHEN: We have an e-mail now from Buck in New York, who wants to know, "I quit smoking cold turkey a year ago" -- good for you, Buck. "My wife continues to smoke around our two children and we are forced to inhale her secondhand smoke on a daily basis. What is the best way to get her to quit?"
Now, Dr. Haraszti, obviously Buck is, as I can understand, sort of frustrated with this situation. Does it help when a spouse or someone close to some -- to a smoker, pesters them and tries to get in there and get them to quit? Or is it better off just letting the person do it on their own time?
HARASZTI: Well, you know, this is similar to many other addictions. It's very difficult to stop a person from stopping smoking, drinking or whatever until they make up their mind.
However, I think it is important for them to understand the effect that this has on their families and help them get to the point where there are -- that they make a decision to stop.
As Tosha mentioned earlier, her -- the family's, her family's response to her smoking was one of the big motivating factors for her. So similarly, you know, Buck certainly needs to let his wife know the impact that she has on their relationship and their children and on their life. But ultimately she has to make that decision for herself.
COHEN: We have a phone call now from Valerie in Florida.
Valerie, go ahead with your question for Dr. Haraszti.
VALERIE: Yes, good morning.
My husband quit smoking about eight weeks ago after 55 years of smoking. He's 67 years old. He has had nothing but trouble since he quit. He's been to every hospital because he's so stressed. He can't sleep. He didn't want to wear the patch or anything, but now they're testing his thyroid and everything to see what is wrong with him.
We wonder what you think.
HARASZTI: Yes, well, again, there are tremendous and severe withdrawal symptoms associated with smoking. People can have a whole gamut of responses, as your husband certainly has. There can be fatigue, tiredness, impaired concentration. There can be all kinds of cardiovascular side effects, increased pulse, increased heart rate and so on.
However, these symptoms diminish over time. My recommendation would be is that if he's having such severe withdrawal is that he probably should have either a patch or one of these other medications that I mentioned, Clonidine or Zyban, to help him with those withdrawals. And, of course, at the same time, he should have a complete medical workup to make sure that he doesn't have some other medical problems that could be contributing to his symptoms.
COHEN: Doctor, why do some people have a relatively easy time quitting smoking -- just go cold turkey and that's it -- and others have such a difficult time, like this caller's husband?
HARASZTI: Well, there are a lot of factors that contribute to smoking and what maintains a behavior. It's not just the addictive potential of nicotine, but a lot of other personality factors. There are a lot of reinforcing factors that a person associates with smoking. It's a pleasant sensation. People smoke when they first got up in the morning, they smoke after meals, they smoke after sex. There's any number of things that maintain and trigger smoking. And it's difficult to give all those things up.
So it really takes a concerted effort and looking at all of these triggers. And a comprehensive approach to smoking cessation involves identifying these triggers and also becoming more aware of what a person feels each time before they smoke. And if it, and if someone is having a tremendous amount of difficulty in quitting, perhaps they can also get professional help or join Smoke Enders or other support groups that will help them with all these symptoms and so on.
COHEN: Well, when we come back, we're going to take a look at another habit that people sometimes go to support groups for, overeating, from too many nightly snacks to a self-destructive eating disorder. Overeating affects millions of people. How can you do battle against the constant need for food?
That's coming up, so give us a call at 1-800-807-2620, or e-mail us at housecall@cnn.com.
Stay with us.
COMMERCIAL
COHEN: Welcome back to Weekend House Call.
We're talking about breaking those bad habits, some of which can be very harmful to your health. For example, overeating. Food tastes good and we often look to comfort foods when we're feeling blue. If your eating becomes compulsive, it could be a sign of an eating disorder.
Here are some hints that you may have a problem. Do you feel your eating is out of control? Do you eat until you're uncomfortably full or eat when you're not really hungry? How about eating alone? Are you embarrassed to eat around others or do you feel guilty after overeating?
When combined, these can be signs that you have something that's a little bit more than a bad habit.
Talking with us today is addictionologist and psychiatrist Dr. Joseph Haraszti.
Doctor, let's get right to our e-mails. We have so many on this topic.
Let's start with our first one from Mona in Minnesota, who wants to know, "How can I stop my constant overeating?"
Doctor, are there some strategies for people who want to break this cycle of overeating?
HARASZTI: Yes, there are. Overeating is really just like any other bad habit, and it also has a lot of overlap with addictive behaviors or addictions. So, again, one needs to identify those situations that tend to trigger it. So becoming more aware of the situations where overeating is triggered and then coming up with different ways or alternatives, competing response to the overeating to reduce one's tension and calm one's nerves, so to speak.
COHEN: Doctor, I think it's fair to say that when most of us, let's say, go to a wedding with great food, that you just keep eating even when you're not hungry. And that's probably not a sign of something serious.
How do you know the difference between just sort of overeating because the food looks good and overeating that's a serious problem?
HARASZTI: Well, I think we all over indulge at times and I think we're all guilty of that. But that doesn't make us have a problem with overeating. I think, you know, moderation is obviously something that we all should have as a goal, but that's not always possible when the food is great and the company is good and so on.
But there's a very big difference between that and someone who overeats on a regular basis each time they are anxious or depressed or blue or have any number of negative emotions.
COHEN: All right, well, we have a question now from Scott in Wisconsin, who says, "Usually at around 9:00 p.m., I get a craving for a nightly snack. How can I break this terrible habit? My snacks include leftover casseroles or dinner that I stored in the fridge for the next day."
Now, doctor is this necessarily a bad habit?
HARASZTI: Well, it can be. If it's something that this person, that Scott indulges in every night, obviously that can also ultimately lead to weight gain and all kinds of unpleasant consequences.
COHEN: We have a call now from Winifred (ph) in Maryland.
Doctor, are you still with us?
HARASZTI: Yes, I am.
COHEN: OK.
Winifred, go ahead with your question for Dr. Haraszti.
WINIFRED: Hello, doctor.
My son is 50. He's very active but he really eats, overeats constantly. He can eat at any time.
HARASZTI: OK.
WINIFRED: And I just wondered how he could break this habit. He drinks a lot of Diet Cokes.
HARASZTI: OK, I'm glad you brought that up. One of the greatest triggers for overrating is a feeling of hypoglycemia. Diet Cokes and soft drinks in general tend to cause a release of insulin, which creates a certain amount of hypoglycemia and that creates a sensation of hunger so we eat as a consequence. So cutting out soft drinks, Diet Cokes, or cutting down on them, I think, is one of the ways to prevent this hypoglycemic response.
Also, the nighttime raiding the refrigerator about 9:00 is, again, I think, to a large extent, caused by hypoglycemia. Our last meal is usually around six and about three or four hours later we tend to have that hypoglycemic response.
So by eating small meals more frequently, cutting down carbohydrates, cutting out sodas or cutting down on sodas, I think you can avoid the sensation of hunger and hypoglycemia and hence will do a lot less overeating.
COHEN: Now, if you think you may be a compulsive overeater, go to www.oa.org. And that's the Web site for Overeaters Anonymous, where you can find more information on causes and treatment.
Coming up next, we're going to talk about nail biting. It's unfortunately not just for kids. Many adults have this bad habit, as well.
We'll be taking your questions on nail biting and much more.
Stay with us.
COMMERCIAL
COHEN: Welcome back to Weekend House Call.
We're talking about how to kick those unwanted habits. Nail biting often starts as a child, but adults can pick up this habit, as well. For adults, nail biting can be caused by anxiety and stress, but some people may start this habit simply to try to fix damaged nails.
We're talking today with Dr. Joseph Haraszti.
Doctor, we're getting lots of calls and e-mails, so let's get on with it, from the first one, with Anna (ph) from New York, who wants to know, "I am worrying about the habit that my son can't get rid of, nail biting. Do you have any suggestions on how to stop this habit?"
Doctor, what can parents do? Often we hear that parents put some kind of lotion that tastes bad on their children's nails. Does that work?
HARASZTI: Yes, well, that's actually one form of stimulus control, which is one of the ways that we try to help people with nail biting. Nail biting is a form of tension management or tension regulation, to alleviate anxiety and stress and so forth. And stimulus control by, for example, using these pungent or noxious type things that you can apply to the fingers or gloves or other things that basically change the environment.
But I think more importantly it is to bring it to the child's attention that they are, in fact, doing this. A lot of times a child doesn't even realize that they're doing it. It becomes almost like an unconscious habit. So making them aware and then also giving them rewards for stopping it, giving them all kinds of things that they enjoy doing if they can stop biting their nails, if they can show that their fingernails are longer, they're not doing those things.
So giving them positive reinforcements and rewards is one way.
COHEN: We have a phone call now from Audrey in Tennessee.
Audrey, welcome to Weekend House Call and go ahead with your question.
AUDREY: Yes, I have a 10-year-old daughter that sucks her finger. And I have tried everything to get her to stop. What can I do?
HARASZTI: OK, well, again, sucking your thumb or finger is, again, a tension regulating device. It's anxiety management. It's a form of self-soothing. And it can be very difficult to break. I've seen adults who are still sucking their thumb as adults. And it's just a habit that they have not been able to break.
So, again, it's a stimulus control that we mentioned earlier with the nail biting, something similar to that can help. And, again, positive reinforcement and rewards and so on.
If it continues, she may need some professional help. Sometimes even certain types of medications might be helpful. But it's a combination of some type of a behavior approach as well as medication that might be helpful here.
COHEN: We have an e-mail on this subject from Brandon in Louisiana, who wants to know, "I've been biting my fingernails and the skin around my nails since I was four years old. I've tried to break the habit several times and have gone as long as a month without biting my nails, but I had to concentrate so hard on not biting them that I barely got anything else done during the day. How can I stop?"
Any advice, Dr. Haraszti?
HARASZTI: Yes. OK, Brandon's situation sounds like this is a bit more serious. Serious nail biting or severe nail biting is really a form of the obsessive compulsive disorder or OCD spectrum disorders. And, again, a number of behavioral approaches have been found to be helpful. Again, the stimulus awareness and competing response approach is one way. And then also there are certain medications which are effective in obsessive compulsive disorder, such as Clomipramin or Enephrenil (ph), is the brand name. Also, the various types of SSRIs have been found to be very helpful in serious, severe nail biting.
Severe nail biting is really thought to be a form of self- injurious behavior where there's a buildup of tension and then the tension is reduced as the person bites their nails, which then becomes very reinforcing. So a person has to find some other ways to control the tension. But first they might need help through the means of medication, because this is something that is just really pervasive and can be very, very difficult.
There have been instances of people actually chewing down their digits, where part of their finger is missing as a result of nail biting. So I mean this can be very serious.
COHEN: Wow, that does certainly sound serious.
We're going to talk about some other bad habits when we come back.
Is procrastination your secret habit? What about overdoing it with credit cards?
We've got some advice for you after the break, so stay with us.
But first, we're going to take a look at some of this week's medical headlines in today's edition of For Your Health.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Lasers may be the answer for treating acne. A new treatment called laser photodynamic therapy uses laser light to kill pimple causing bacteria in the skin. Less than a year old, the treatment begins to work after only one session.
Also, a new study from Johns Hopkins University debunked the old myth that caffeinated coffee causes high blood pressure. The study showed very little impact on blood pressure in patients who drink one to two cups of coffee per day.
For your health, I'm Dr. Sanjay Gupta. (END VIDEOTAPE)
COMMERCIAL
COHEN: For more information on how to stop smoking, go to www.cancer.org. That's the American Cancer Society. And remember to check out cnn.com/health, where you can find all the latest medical stories, plus a medical library and so much more.
Here are some tips to get over some other bad habits, for example, procrastination. Experts say people who put off tasks many times do so out of fear of failure or because they feel overwhelmed, but there are ways to deal with this problem. First, identify what you're afraid of. Next, set short-term goals and make priorities to help you put tasks in order. And finally, break down large jobs into small ones, so things seem more manageable.
If spending too much money is your habit, try this. First, look at your finances now and take action to stop spending money that you don't have. Number two, admit that you have a problem. Don't try to ignore the bills, because they won't go away. And lastly, change the way you go shopping. Instead of viewing it as a way to destress or kill time, see it for what it does to your wallet.
Thanks so much for joining us today on Weekend House Call.
Also, thank you to Dr. Haraszti for being with us so early in the morning. I think it's 6:00 a.m. for you now.
HARASZTI: That's right. It's about, yes, it's about 6:00 a.m. in Los Angeles. Yes.
COHEN: Well, thank you.
Thank you for getting up so early.
HARASZTI: Thank you.
It's been my pleasure.
COHEN: And thanks to our viewers and to everyone who called in and sent us e-mails.
Make sure to watch tomorrow's Weekend House Call, when we talk about taking care of your skin. From acne to rosacea and winterizing your skin, we'll cover it all. That's tomorrow at 8:30 a.m.
Thanks again for watching.
I'm Elizabeth Cohen.
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