Weekly Wellness

Children: That I’ve been able to sit on this all week is a shock even to me. In fact, as it occurred, I had to call a friend to vent as I was so flabbergasted. Later in the week when an article regarding 2 studies reported in JAMA on children’s expected disease outcomes was published, I was anything but surprised. Children, people, hell, animals, don’t generally gain weight without a significant energy imbalance. Something causes weight gain and as the studies suggest, that weight gain can causes disease and that disease can significantly decrease one’s life expectancy. (In rare situations weight is related to genetics and disease processes more than EIEO). How do children end up so heavy? Here is a real life example. A family came to the pool; mom, grandma and two young boys. One boy may have been two and the other four. The four year old was a chubby fellow. None the less, I was excited by the idea of kids coming to swim and be active. Both boys got right in. They were not speaking English so I don’t have audio with this case history. Anyways. Mother calls repeatedly to the chubby kid who has begun splashing around in the pool. He goes to her finally and she gives him hard CANDY to eat. Oh yeah, it is a choking hazard but geez he was playing not asking for sweets! So a ½ hour later I leave the pool and by all I hold dear, I kid you not, the children were sitting in the pool on the steps eating fast food burgers. I SAW the bag. And that is why there is such a thing as an obesity program at Children’s Hospital of Boston and why it is far from the only children’s hospital that treats obesity.

Lies: More stunning behavior. A pharmaceutical company was highlighted in a little WSJ article this past week. The company, Sirtris, is developing a drug that might mimic a protein in our bodies called sirtuin enzyme one. People who eat low calorie diets seem to make more of this protein (enzyme) and Sirt1 seems to be protective of disease. Another compound that seems to activate the release of sirtuin is resveratrol, which is found in small, ineffective, quantities in red wine. This company and some others are working to create a chemical or pill out of resveratrol or one that acts like resveratrol but has none that will reduce disease by generating more sirtuin in the body. Still with me? They are trying to make a pill that does what the body will do on its own if one eats a low (probably reasonably low) caloric diet. That bothers me for all the reasons you already know, but it isn’t the lie. Here is the lie: In the WSJ, K. Winstein writes that the company Sirtris is doing this to make a drug to prevent diseases of aging such as: diabetes, Alzheimer’s and cancer. The FDA won’t call aging a disease so I guess the company can’t sell a drug that “treats” aging. Hear me now: diabetes, Alzheimer’s and cancer have all been repeatedly found to be most often caused by these things: overweight, too few fruits and vegetables, too little physical activity, too much inactivity, as well as genetics and environmental toxins. The above diseases are not caused by getting older! Damn it.

Heart Attack: There are more heart attacks and more fatalities related to them this time of year. The holiday months. In the past I have reiterated this at Thanksgiving. This year I did not. I read a long time ago that eating large meals, a lot at one time, could increase the risk of heart attacks. It is one of those things that I never forgot. This week a reminder comes from several cardiologists, including a past president from the American Heart Association. I trust you will believe them. Heart attacks are more common for several reasons. They are more fatal at this time because people are more reluctant to seek assistance when experiencing the symptoms of a heart attack during a holiday family time. There may be less medical staff on hand as well. You can certainly make a commitment to seek help if you experience the symptoms of a heart attack. Here are some other things that you have control over. Taking your meds if you are prescribed them, continue your exercise program and watch the fat, calorie and salt content of each meal. Seriously. I am not saying to diet at Christmas, hell, diets don’t work ever, but surely not at this time of year. From L. Neergaard of the AP, I quote, “a heavy meal stresses the heart AS it is digested, salt causes immediate fluid retention which means the heart has to pump harder, same with excess alcohol”. High fat meals may actually affect the lining of arteries and many Americans have clogged arteries which already have poor blood flow. Eat wisely, now and always. You can always eat that great meal in two sittings!

Fosomax: A class action lawsuit is pending as some users of this bone drug have had jaw bone degeneration. Isn’t that odd. A pill that is supposed to prevent further bone loss causing jaw bone to die. I think about the people who have osteonecrosis of their jaw with some sympathy and angst. I was on fosomax a year or so until I told my doc, the same one who gave me Vioxx, (and I really liked that doc better than any I’ve ever had), that I didn’t want to take something indefinitely which may or may not prevent a fracture if I happened to fall down sometime in the future. Especially because, I told him, we don’t know what the long term side effects may be. He said ok. I am so NOT the girl drug companies market to with their TV commercials, i.e. I ask my doctor if I can NOT take a pill.

CTs: Computed Tomography. Hmm, well, it’s a scan that docs use that can help them diagnosis internal problems and it exposes the patient to radiation. This is often an unnecessary risk and I know we talked about it last year. The practice of ordering CTs too quickly continues unabated. Researches supports that these scans could increase the lifetime risk of cancer by 2%, remember that several other things we do or are exposed to also increase that risk. If you think 2% is ok you probably haven’t been diagnosed with cancer. Still, this second study confirming the risk ends with encouragement for doctors or other health care providers to try alternative diagnostics when possible.

Wishing you wellness.