Weekly Wellness

Eating Out: Most of us realize that fast food is not typically low calorie and is sometimes ridiculously high in fat. The same can be said of fine dining establishments as recently highlighted by R. Sokolov in the WSJ. Chef’s generally cook with out consideration of the obesity epidemic and expect instead, that the diner will limit the amount they eat. Ah not so. We eat with the same reckless abandon with which they cook. That is ok – sometimes. It is also okay to request your food be prepared a little lighter. In the end, you live with the body you feed. You age and die with it too.

Dieing Too Soon: Speaking of lifestyle. A website related to tobacco use and cessation named smokingdeaths.com has a statement that is very much representative of why I write this newsletter and have the passion I have about your being sagacious and salubrious. No author is listed for the statement, which is thus: “Dieing in old age is inevitable, but dieing before old age is not.”

Cancer and Lifestyle: The American Cancer Society released some global cancer numbers this week which they projected by using WHO resources. Differences in type, incidence, and survivability are seen between developing and developed countries with some overlap. Researchers are seeing changes in developing countries. There is less death and disability from infectious disease and there is less child mortality. That is the good change, the bad is that there is more of death and disability related to cancer. The cancers are associated with a rise or continuance of tobacco use (I make that distinction because in many developed countries smoking bans as well as prevention and cessation services are in place which have reduced tobacco use) as well as “fattier diets, “ says ACS epidemiologist Ahmedin Jemal.

1 in 3: One in three children and adolescents are overweight and obese. That is a rather staggering number. Two studies regarding the effect of this phenomenon were part of a Medscape CME activity I completed this week. Most importantly, these children will have risk factors for coronary heart disease, CHD, such as HTN and high cholesterol before they reach adulthood and will have CHD in their 30s and 40s. That, as my coworker likes to say, “Is Crazy.” It was also noted by the scientists that the drugs available to treat some of the conditions are first, intended for adults and secondly, untested for long term effects. I.E. we must get ahead of this with prevention.

Drugs: Everyday it seems there is something in the press about a prescription drug. Drugs changing formulas, drugs used off label, drugs losing patents, drugs causing unacceptable side effects, drugs not being approved, drugs having block buster sales… People rely on so many pills and drug companies depend on that. Especially interesting to me this week was information on a vaccine that will compete with Merck and Sanofi-Aventis’ Gardasil. The drug (vaccine) is from GSK and called Cervarix (geez these names). It is in use in some 45 countries but our FDA has requested additional information on it. The drug is supposed to protect people from the 2 HPV strains (there are 14+) that cause most of the cervical cancer cases. Gardasil does offer protection against four strains, two of which are often related to genital warts. I want to emphasize or reiterate something I have said before, the vaccines may protect against the virus, they do not necessarily stop the spread of the warts and they do not prevent cervical cancer directly. These vaccines do NOT obviate condoms and pap smears. Pap smears prevent cervical cancer.

Wishing you wellness and joy!