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Thursday, December 6, 2012

Watching Dr Oz 12/6/12: Nate Berkus Heath and Design, Mistakes That Can Age Us Too Fast


The Dr. Oz Show
Airdate: December 6, 2012
Dr. Oz: Nate Berkus: Things That Matter



  • Designer Nate Berkus talks about his health scare
  • Learn quick and easy weekend decorating strategies from Nate Berkus
  • Could mistakes be making you age too fast?

Celebrity designer Nate Berkus opens up about his health scare and shares decorating tips to help get you organized in just a weekend. Could you be making mistakes everyday that are causing you to age too fast?

Photo credit: FreeDigitalPhotos.net


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Dr. Oz: Nate Berkus: Things That Matter

Nate Berkus, celebrity designer and author, his latest book is Things That Matter, a new type of design book that also speaks about his personal life and shares how design can help us all live a better by decluttering and creating functional spaces that are also beautiful. He sits down with Dr. Oz, his close personal friend, to talk about a subject he really hasn't discussed before in public, his health.

Mr. Berkus became interested in design in his hometown in Minnesota. He knew he was different, at an early age he understood that most kids weren't interested in design. As a kid he spent his allowance on decorative boxes he found at garage sales. He understands how a beautiful space can support us in our lives, a home that can rise and greet us everyday can give rise to a positive life.

In 2004 he was faced with a painful loss. Mr. Berkus and his partner were visiting Sri Lanka when the tsunami hit. His partner died in the cataclysm. After returning to the US, he hid in his home.

How did he cope with the physical stress after the tsunami?
After the tsunami and the loss of his partner, Mr. Berkus stayed at home for four months eating only chocolate chip cookies and smoking and not sleeping. It was a dark time. A grief counselor helped him crawl out of that dark space and learn to enjoy life again.

Today he's very active, not only in his work but he's also physically active with running and spin classes which helps him to stay focus.

His talk show, though nominated for an Emmy, only lasted two years. Mr. Berkus said he had to come to terms with the fact that he's not really a talk show host. It was a challenge that he wanted to take on and try. After two years he says he didn't feel grounded, he didn't feel healthy, he didn't feel right doing the show. When he heard that the show was canceled, he saw it as a relief and a gift.

What were/are Mr. Berkus' bad habits?
For two years, he took a sleeping pill every night and couldn't get off them. While on vacation in Italy, he saw that he was free from stress and chose to try to sleep without the pills. He thought that if he could be at peace in such a beautiful land then he could give up the pills and still be content if he didn't sleep because he was surrounded by beauty. On that trip, he was able to sleep without the pills and let go of his dependance.

His new book, Things That Matter, makes a connection between physical health and low stress and that connection can be strengthened with an organized and peaceful home.

Dr. Oz: Nate Berkus' Simple Method for a Healthy Home

Nate Berkus' took the Dr. Oz Show camera crew on a tour of his beautifully designed home. The key to having a peaceful home is to fill it with good memories that make us happy.

In his family room, he loves comfort. Two old, cracked leather chairs are his favorite seat in the house. He loves the character that the chairs bring to his home and the reminder that we're not perfect but can still be beautiful.

His dining room features a larve woven picture made by his partner Fernando, who died in 2004. Mr. Berkus' says it's not only a beautiful piece of art but it also reminds him that he can live with the memory of losing his partner and still go on with life. The weaving reminds him of the good memories and helps him to be hopeful.

In the kitchen, Mr. Berkus even brings design into his refrigerator. When he buys eggs, he likes to take the eggs out of the cardboard container and place them into a bowl. It just looks nicer, he says. A clean and organized refrigerator reminds him that he's taking care of his health.

Dr. Oz: Healthy Design = Healthy Body and Mind

How impactful is design on health? It's huge, says Mr. Berkus. Organizing and cleaning your house will allow you to live gracefully. A dirty, messy house that is not functional is going to contribute to stress and being unhealthy.

Dr. Oz: Nate Berkus Design to End Anxiety
Make sure you have a comfortable ottoman or table to put your feet up. Most of us weren't allowed to put our feet on the furniture when we were growing up but putting your feet up at the end of the day can help you feel at peace. Dr. Oz said his father, also a surgeon, said at a late age he understood the importance of putting your feet up to support circulation and reduce edema.

Dr. Oz: Nate Berkus Design to Regain Control
Clean the clutter from your house to help regain control. A mess in the home doesn't allow for feeling calm. Decorative boxes can be a great way to hold the clutter. If you have a pile of stuff that needs to stay on the counter for daily use, look for a decorative box that can hold the clutter but still keep it close at hand for easy use. 

Dr. Oz: Nate Berkus' Design Organization Help

For a perfect night's sleep, create a bedroom design that encourages sleep.

Dr. Oz: Nate Berkus Bedroom Design - Pillows
The right pillow can help create a comfortable and restful night's sleep. Side sleepers should use a laytex pillow to give the proper support and reduce the chances of developing wrinkles on the face.

Back sleepers should look to a down/feather pillow and, says Mr. Berkus, scrunch it so most of the pillow is under neck to give the best support.

Stomach sleepers need a thin cotton or wool pillow that can help take the strain off the back.

Replace your pillow at least every 2 years or when it begins to lose it's shape. [A few years ago on Oprah, they talked about germs in the home and recommended changing out pillows every year.]

Dr. Oz: Nate Berkus Bedroom Design - Comforter
Mr. Berkus recommends a silk or cotton comforter which can wick away moisture and heat. He even has his own line of bedding that features, you guessed it, cotton comforters. The secret to bedding that encourages a good night's sleep is thread count. Contrary to the belief perpetuated by bedding companies selling expensive high thread count products, a higher tread count has a tighter weave that doesn't breath and can lead to overheating.

In Europe, linen sheets are popular and they have a weave so loose that you can see through the sheets. Mr. Berkus says save some money and buy sheets with a lower thread count and you just might sleep a little better.

Comforters should be washed once a week, says Mr. Berkus, and can they can last 8-10 years.

Dr. Oz: Nate Berkus Bedroom Design – Blackout Curtains
One major ager in the bedroom is too much light which can lead to less sleep. People who sleep less may develop wrinkles sooner, will most likely have dark circles, and will very likely experience puffy eyes. Blackout curtains or shades block out all light from the window and encourage a better night's sleep.

Dr. Oz: Mistakes That Age

Dr. Oz showed this little riddle on the show and asked: can you find the error in the following?

“Can you find the
the mistake?
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

Well? Did you find it? Most people look at the numbers to see if there is a mistake. The color often throws people off. “The” is repeated.

Dr. Oz explained that we could be making little mistakes everyday that are aging us too fast and that accelerated aging could be zapping our brain power. Learning these little “mistakes” can help slow down the aging process.

Dr. Oz Everyday Mistakes That Age #1: Warm Tap Water
Warm tap water may be contributing to aging too fast? When you reach for the tap to get water for drinking or cooking, most of us reach for warm water. Warm water contains more lead than any other temperature of water. Lead contamination can play a role in memory loss over time. Neurones and nerve cells can dry up and become damaged due to lead exposure.

If the faucet hasn't been used for six hours or more, run cold water through the pipes for a minute to flush out the lead before you fill your glass.

Dr. Oz Everyday Mistakes That Age #2: Energy Drinks
Energy drinks could be yellowing your teeth and causing you to age too fast and to appear older. Those power-packed drinks wear out and wear down the enamel on the teeth. New studies have shown that energy drinks may be wearing away dental enamel at a rate eight times higher than plain cola.

[Did you do the soda experiment in school where a tooth was placed in a bottle of soda? In about a week, the tooth disappears because the soda ate away the tooth. Imagine that energy drinks could eat up that tooth eight times faster! YIKES!]

If you must have that energy drink, using a straw will lessen the damage to dental enamel.

Dr. Oz Everyday Mistakes That Age #3: Texting
How many texts do you send a day? The fan on the stage said she texts at least 50 times a day. [I don't text more than 50 times in a month!] The average human head weighs about 10 pounds. Imagine holding a 10 pound bowling ball with one hand with the arm fully extended. How long could you hold that 10 pound ball?

Texting with the head down is the equivalent to holding that 10 pound bowling ball with an extended arm. When texting, people lean their head forward straining joints and muscles in the neck, shoulders, and back.

Hold your phone up higher, closer to eye level, to lessen the strain. Dr. Oz said he uses a voice recognition app to compose most of his texts and he can hold the phone near his mouth without any straining.

Dr. Oz: The Cooking Mistakes That Age

Dr. Oz Everyday Mistakes That Age #4: Licking the PB Knife
When making a tasty peanut butter sandwich for yourself and/or your family, what happens to the peanut butter left on the knife? Most people lick off that peanut butter contributing to as much as 80 calories. If you lick that peanut butter knife everyday then one year you could gain eight pounds!

Wipe the knife sideways on the edge of the jar to remove the peanut or other nut butter or apply the nut butter on one slice of bread and wipe the knife on the other slice.

Dr. Oz Everyday Mistakes That Age #5: Eating Broken Chips
The little pieces of chips left at the bottom of the bag or bowl may seem innocuous however it could lead to consuming as much as 70 extra calories. That doesn't seem like much but if it's a regular habit than the cumulative calories over a year of nibbling the broken chips twice a week could tally two extra, and unwanted, pounds. Just don't do it! Step away from the chips!

Dr. Oz Everyday Mistakes That Age #6: Sneaking Bits From The Dish
If the kids don't finish off all their mac and cheese, where does it go? Well, it's not a riddle. Typically the parents will finish off those tid-bits of food but those extra calories here and there could be responsible for an extra two, or more, pounds that creeps up us. Take those leftovers and put them in the refrigerator for a later meal.

Add up all of these little calories sneaks and in a year you could 12 more pounds!

Dr. Oz: Anti-Aging Mistakes Made In The Morning

Dr. Oz Everyday Mistakes That Age #7: Washing The Face Too Often
It's important to cleanse the face but could you be over doing it? Washing the face once daily is enough to remove dirt, oils, and make-up but anymore than that could be causing the skin on the face to age too fast. Washing the face in the morning is a big aging mistake. Natural oils on the face are removed when cleansing and can contribute to aging. Wash your face only at night to remove make-up and the dirt and sweat from the day.

Dr. Oz Everyday Mistakes That Age #8: Not Moisturizing Your Neck
When applying moisturizer to the face, where do you stop? Most women will stop at the jaw line but, wait! What about the neck? Why is the neck skipped over and then is one of the first areas to receive our disdain when it begins to show it's age with wrinkles? The skin on the neck is thinner the rest of the face and that skin needs to be moisturized just as the face does. Apply moisturizer to the neck as part of your daily beauty routine. Use a face cream on the neck and look for SPF 15 or 30. There are products labeled as “neck cream” but Dr. Oz says it's not necessary to get a separate product.

Dr. Oz Everyday Mistakes That Age #9: Brushing Wet Hair
When the hair is wet, it can break much easier than when it's dry. Brushing wet hair causes a higher amount of hair to be broken or pulled out. Dry hair before brushing. Using a wide-toothed comb to ease out tangles and will not result in as much hair breakage or hair loss.

Dr. Oz: Fans Give Health Testimonials

Dr. Oz Testimonial: Green Drink and 50 Pound Weight Loss
Pebbles [yes, that's her name – is her husband Bam! Bam!] loves Dr. Oz and was drawn to the Dr. Oz Green Drink. She drinks it every morning before working out and has lost 50 pounds since she began her green drink-workout routine. Click here for the Green Drink recipe from DoctorOz.com.

Dr. Oz Testimonial: Neti Pot for Sinus Health
The next fan started using a neti pot after seeing it on the Dr. Oz Show. She has frequent sinus issues and has found that the neti pot has helped her reduce the amount of infections she gets. Her family saw her using the neti pot and wanted to try it too. Now her kids do a neti pot flush before bed and say that it helps them sleep better!

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