The Dr. Oz Show
Airdate: October 10, 2012
Dr. Oz: Rick Springfield's Secret
Health Battle
- Rick Springfield talks about battling depression with sex, drugs, and rock and roll
- Are OTC pain medications dangerous?
- Dr. Oz gives dose recommendations for OTC pain meds
- Symptoms of hearing loss
Rock superstar Rick Springfield joins
Dr. Oz to talk openly about his struggle with depress, suicide
attempt, and his journey back to being healthy and feeling joy again.
I missed the first 5 minutes of today's
Dr. Oz Show due to a news break concerning the Jessica Ridgeway
disappearance case. Click
here for the Facebook page dedicated to getting her back home safely.
Photo credit:
FreeDigitalPhotos.net
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Dr. Oz: Rick Springfield's Secret
Health Battle
Sex, drugs, and alcohol are all a part of Rick
Springfield's life and he speaks candidly with Dr. Oz and with
readers in his book Late,
Late At Night [released
in January, 2010].
Watching the video the Dr. Oz staff put together of his life [I
missed that], Mr. Springfield said he saw a depressed 7 year old.
Like most people, his life is a series of ups and downs but because
the ups can be so high the other side of that is the downs are deep,
deep pits for him.
In the middle of all his success - hit songs, movies, television,
great family – he went into a deep depression and had to leave the
music industry to save himself.
Rick Springfield shared his story about his suicide attempt. Battling
demons for most of his life he says he continues to suffer from
self-loathing and depression. He was committed to ending his life by
hanging but the rope untied as he was losing consciousness.
Mr. Springfield discussed his sex addition in the book. Sex has been
a coping mechanism for him and he's used it to stay level. In his
first band at age 15, he learned about sex from his older band mates
– a bit of a warped picture of sex.
“Have no greed for followers,” is a Buddhist saying that Mr.
Springfield said has resonated with him and it's an idea that he has
been working on for years which is helping him with his depression
and sex addiction.
Mr. Springfield said he feels easily overwhelmed in life and
unfortunately he has turned to drugs and sex to deal with that
feeling. Feeling unhappy when he isn't writing, not happy when he was
writing, he gets overwhelmed when he's not busy and overwhelmed when
he's got too much going on. Depression has ruled most of his life.
He married his long-time girlfriend in 1985 and he says the strength
of his wife has kept them together. He's always felt unattractive and
got lost in cheating on his wife. Wiping tears from his eyes he says
his cheating has caused him to nearly lose his wife, more than once.
A few years ago at a show in Las Vegas he said he was wrapped up in
the scene and away from home and made a huge mistake. He doesn't like
talking about it because he knows he almost lost his wife.
To show what happens when someone is in a state of depression, Dr. Oz
showed a brain scan of a happy person yellow and orange most of brain
showing happy thoughts and feelings. A brain scan of a person during
depression shows only light and dark blue. Mr. Springfield says the
dark areas of the brain is where the songs come from.
When his depression gets really bad, Mr. Springfield says he does
take prescription medications. The best way for him to cope with his
depression is through mediation and orgasm, he admitted. These are
the two times when there's no room for depression in his brain.
Mr. Springfield said he would like to see a scan of his brain when
he's writing because that's when he puts those dark areas in his
brain to good use.
Dr. Oz showed a video clip from the new documentary Affair of the
Heart chronicling Rick Springfield and his fans, one super fan
attended a book signing to give Mr. Springfield a letter thanking him
for talking about his depression and bringing awareness to the
subject. A year and one day before the clip was filmed her mom took
her own life. Her mother took her to her first Rick Springfield show
in 1983 and she just wants to thank him for all he's done for her
through music over the years.
Dr. Oz Has A Surprise for Rick
Springfield
Springfield said
once he realized the celebrity and admiration of his fans isn't all
about him, it's about the music he has come to appreciate his fans
much more.
Two super fans
featured in Affair of the Heart, shared that they have become
great friends. Their common interest was their love of Rick
Springfield music then they discovered they had kids of the same age
so they set up play dates. Their husbands get along, their families
get along and they now have forever concert buddies.
Dr. Oz surprised
the two ladies by sending Mr. Springfield to meet them in, of all
places, their hotel room. It was an emotional moment for the women
who were silenced only by their tears of joy. Despite their request,
Mr. Springfield only jumped on their beds and turned down their bed
covers.
Dr. Oz: Are
OTC Medications Dangerous?
Most people have
been taking pain relievers for years, decades. Dr. Oz said there is
new information regarding the safety of over-the-counter pain
relievers. Over 36 million American's take them every day for pain
relief. But could those little pills be damaging your health?
In the
biggest study done to date, researchers from Brigham and
Women's Hospital showed that 62,000
women between the ages of 31 and 48 who were taking multiple OTC pain
relievers each week experienced a 24% increased risk of hearing loss.
For those who took OTC's 4-5 times week, saw a 21% increase in
hearing loss risks. And those who took OTC's 2-3 times a week saw a
12% increase in hearing loss risks.
Most of the
audience raised their hands indicating they use OTC pain medications
multiple times a week and several of those kept their hands up
indicating they do experience some hearing loss.
Bonnie, for the
audience, said she takes OTC pain meds almost daily for headaches and
thinks that her hearing may be effected. Dr. Oz said when talking
about hearing loss it's best to talk to the family because they are
the ones who experience the greatest impacts of hearing loss.
Bonnie's daughter said yes her mom is losing her hearing..
Dr. Sharon Curhan, MD, Brigham and
Women's Hospital, was the lead researcher on the study said that OTC
pain relievers are toxic to the kidneys and meds that effect the
kidneys also effect hearing.
Dr. Oz demonstrated how these OTC's
meds strip away the protective layers shielding the cochlea, the
inner ear, from sound damage. Pillows represented the cochlea. Each
time an OTC is taken one of those pillows is stripped away leaving
the the cochlea susceptible. Then along comes a loud sound that can
then damage the cochlea and thus begins hearing loss.
Dr. Craig Kasper, Au.D., audiologist,
said hearing loss is not an old age syndrome. Younger and younger
patients are experiencing hearing loss. How do you know if your
hearing is going?
Dr. Oz Symptoms of hearing Loss
- Losing clarity of sounds;
- Difficulty hearing in a crowded space;
- Need to turn up the TV and radio;
- Ringing in ears;
- Difficulty hearing phone calls.
Dr. Oz's
Recommended OTC Dose
How much ibuprofen
and acetaminophen is too much? How much aspirin is too much? Dr. Oz
gives his dosage recommendations for OTC pain relievers.
Most ibuprofen
and acetaminophen bottles say not to exceed 10 pills a day but
that recommendation is not based on protecting hearing. Dr. Curhan
recommends taking OTC medications as little as possible, no more than
once per week based on results of this study. If you find you need to
take OTC pain relievers more than once a week, Dr. Curhan says to
talk to your doctor.
Dr. Oz added to that once per week
recommendation to say that no more than 3 times per week is optimum.
He said he can understand that during PMS women may need to take more
pain relievers but to then reduce the amount taken the rest of the
month.
Dr. Curhan said the study showed no
association between aspirin use and hearing loss.
Dr. Kasper said the research didn't
show that supplements can help protect hearing but that a healthy
diet is certainly helpful and that antioxidants may play a role in
supporting the body when taking OTC pain relievers.
For the two most common reasons for
taking OTC pain relievers are headaches and joint pain. Dr. Oz said
there are alternatives to seek out before reaching for OTC pain
relievers.
Dr. Oz Alternative for Headache
For a headache, Dr. Oz recommended
drinking water then wait 30 minutes. Yes, it's simple. [I've heard
that the majority of headaches can be attributed dehydration. So
drinking that glass of water may be just the thing.] If after the
glass of water and 30 minutes the headache is still there then
consider taking the OTC medication.
Another alternative for headaches,
recommended Dr. Oz, is feverfew which can support healhty
inflammation and prevent the muscle spasms associated with headaches.
Dr. Oz Alternative for Joint Pains
Dr. Oz said for the common ailment of
joint pains that drinking tart cherry juice can prove to be helpful.
Bonnie shared she was surprised that
ringing in the ears is a symptom of hearing loss. The next step after
determining potential hearing loss, recommended Dr. Kasper, is to
contact your doctor and ask to see an audiologist as well.
A doctor can rule out any medical
causes for any hearing loss such as wax in the ear. An audiologist
can look at the hearing pathways and determine possible damage,
causes of damage, and assist in treatment and therapy.
Dr. Kasper conducted a quick exam
Bonnie and stated that she does not have a wax issue. Alexis, from
the audience, had a large blockage of wax in her ears that was not
causing an issue with her possible hearing loss but over time if that
wax is not removed it could affect her hearing.
Sadly, Dr. Kasper said most hearing
loss is irreversible. Knowing the causes of hearing risks, getting
regular hearing checks, and protecting our ears in noisy environments
are great ways to reduce the risks and limit the risks of hearing
loss. Wearing sound canceling earphones with an mp3 player so that
the music isn't competing with the ambient sound can play a role in
reducing hearing loss risks. Eating a healthy diet and exercising
regularly plays a role in supporting hearing as well.
Dr. Oz Couch Exercises
Tanya and Rachel shared the stage with
Dr. Oz to demonstrate his new couch exercises. With busy lives filled
with work, kids, kids activities they don't have much time for
exercise. Dr. Oz says not to worry, you can exercise on the couch.
[Have we come to this? When we are so tired and yet so determined to
exercise that we will settle for exercising on the couch?]
Donovon Green created a no excuse work
out series that can be completed on the couch. The video is available
for free on DoctorOz.com. Click
here for Donovan Green's free Couch Potato Workout from DoctorOz.com.
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