Stupid Exerciser Spot: I think I should start a regular column here to note the people I see doing a good thing in a dumb way. It is obvious that I love running and runners. I still want people to be sensible. The last time I mentioned this it was the pretty overweight out of shape guy at Siesta Key, this time it was a regular weight guy in Sarasota. He was running down the sidewalk, also in the hottest mid day sun. I emphasize side walk , but it should really read, unshaded sidewalk. His stupidness was that he was dressed all in black and had no hydration evident. The thing is the t shirt. It was not a singlet or a dry fit shirt, but a regular beefy man T-shirt. Crazy.
Hydration: To reiterate. Hyponatremia(very low sodium) is possible if too much water is consumed. Usually hydration is needed when workouts approach or exceed the hour mark. It is good to gauge your hydration by the color of your urine with pale yellow being ideal. Experts, exercise physiologists, will recommend that a person weighs himself before and after the strenuous workout to determine how many ounces of fluid has been lost. My concern is that the only way to do that accurately is to not hydrate during the workout, in my case a long run. That is not healthy in my opinion. If you are able to do it however, you would drink as many ounces as pounds, i.e 1 pound is 16 ounces.
Cell Phones: This is another issue (like plastic, Teflon and aspartame) that gains life and momentum through the internet only to be quelled with FDA repudiation or a quick search on Snopes.com until the whole process starts anew. So to recap, previous studies have found no conclusive evidence of cancer risk related to cell phone use and radiation, nor have they concluded that there is no risk. This latest study suggests that there is a problem and though it cannot be duplicated by a clinical trial or experiment (that would be unethical) it is still an issue that should be addressed with alerts and precautions. On the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute website this week and on NPR and in other print, a researcher and an expert panel have recommended at least 10 things one should do or not do with regards to cell phones. I found the information important. I learned that there is a legal limit on the Specific Absorption Rate and that my cell phone was in the top ten of the worst ones, practically at the limit of 1.6. I have upgraded my phone because of this, the day that I read this, so yesterday. You can read the report, get info about SAR and check your phone here:
http://www.upci.upmc.edu/news/upci_news/2008/072308_celladvisory.html
http://reviews.cnet.com/Cell_phone_radiation/4520-6602_7-5020355-1.html
Childhood Obesity Reccs: Oh my gosh. I read the AMA expert panel recommendations on Medscape.com this week as part of a CME activity and was just stunned. Though only suggestions that may take years to become standard care, I was surprised by the extent and seriousness of the attention. The panel is recommending that physicians not only address weight but gauge the readiness of change in the child and or parents. They are referring to the Stages of Change or Transtheroetical Model of behavior change, pre contemplation, contemplation, action, maintenance and termination. The panel recommends that docs tell parents to limit TV, to push 60 minutes of exercise a day, avoid eating out and to increase consumption of fruits and vegetables while limiting sweetened drinks. Treatment for children aged 2-19 is encouraged any time the BMI is at the 85th percentile or above. In other words if your child weighs more than 85% of other children that age.
Fast Food: If one takes the AMA seriously, then Los Angeles’ idea regarding fast food restaurants might not seem so radical. A council member is proposing a ban on new fast food restaurants in a certain geographical area where there are already 40 such restaurants. It is specifically based on the type of food they sell, not the building being an eyesore or anything like that. They are also looking into calorie content law similar to that of NYC. The restaurant industry is up in arms(and court) about these calorie laws. This makes me think we must need them even more.
Oh. I’ve got a Pill for that: The only problem with drugs that are gender specific is that they are gender specific and THUS, the sale potential is limited. So what would a drug company need to do ? Well, find a way to make the drug work for the opposite sex of course. Think Gardisil and Viagra for example. The maker ofViagra (pfizer)is on it. They have been running clinical trials to see if women who take Viagra, the erectile dysfunction drug for men, will have increased libido. No luck so far, except….. a certain class of women. Women who are clinically depressed and taking antidepressants are having a response to t he Viagra. BTW, psychotropics are rife with side effect warnings. Anyway, what is one more pill. Remember however, ED is about blood flow and blood flow is effected by diabetes and hypertension and those illnesses are effected by>>>>>>>>>>>>>> all together now, diet and exercise!
Lastly, a WSJ style article tells us that slips are no longer being worn by women. In fact, an office poll found that the only member who wore one was over 40. In honor of this, I sit here now in a skirt without a slip! Do NOT tell my mom.
Wishing You Wellness
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