Odds and Ends

Step Class "oh no!" I have said so many times that lifting weights should be an activity in and of itself and not done simultaneously with any other activity. I have noted times when I have seen people walking or RUNNING with weights in their hands or on their ankles and even considered putting up PSA flyers at local parks to discourage this behavior. WHY? Because it does not work the muscle correctly and because it puts the person at very high risk of overuse injury, especially of the shoulder. Now if you are trying to save time and get a cardio and strength training workout in the same hour, then by all means, in between weight lifting, jog, jump rope, cycle etc - but NOT at the same time. And so this week I watched a woman take an entire step aerobics class with two, three to five pounds weights in her hands. So she stressed her shoulders but didn't challenge her muscles. NUTS! or lack of information - but you cannot claim ignorance, because you just read this post.

Testing, testing, testing So we are having too many diagnostic tests. DUH. I am glad anyway to see some popular news sources note that the Xrays, CTs and even blood work have gotten out of hand. I was speaking with a physician this week after that story made the headlines and he agreed with my thought, which is this - before having a "test" one should know the answer to this question, "How will that Xray, Blood Test, Ultrasound, etc - change the treatment ?" If it isn't going to change what the doctor would do, then it is an unnecessary test. Remember, some of those imaging complexes are actually OWNED by the doctor's who send you there. BTW, my aunt and I were talking today about mammograms - and though she is a breast cancer survivor - she too thinks they are over used.

Bone Loss Drugs This week a study and an FDA warning were released in regards to long term use of drugs that are meant to slow or reverse bone loss - Fosomax and Actonel are popular examples. The drugs already carry an unusual warning of esophageal damage and jaw bone problems, now there is concern that FRACTURES can occur in the thigh bone of people on these drugs longer than five years. Here again, an example of a drug causing what it is supposed to prevent. The FDA is looking into this matter and persons on the drug are to discuss long term use with their physician. I wrote about the issue of prescribing a medication to prevent a condition that can lead to another condition, some time ago and this is exactly the kind of thing one must worry about. If the medication is given to 30 or 40 year old women because they are at risk for getting osteoporosis which would then mean that they are at risk for getting a fracture (hip and spine) - they will be on the drug for 20-40 years!!! Read more about the osteopenia debate here.

Without the Calories??? I almost did a post about the crazy things I heard people say or saw people do this week. Here is one. I was at another doctor's office (this is work related, I am NOT sick :)) and as I waited for the doctor, his office manager, nurse was talking with me. She offered me some cracker like chips out of a large bag( kept on her desk). I think they were some kind of Ritz baked something or another - she said that they were just like chips without the calories !! What? Too funny that she would say that to ME. I had already said, thanks but no I just had my lunch, blah blah blah, when she said that about the calories - to which I had to respond, "Well, I wouldn't quite say that!"

Treadmill Grip Hmm, If the incline is so high that you have to hold on to the treadmill for dear life - you are not really working your legs. Additionally, if you run and hold on to the treadmill, well, I don't know - how do you run without your arms? Is it too fast - is it painful? I don't know, but it just can't be right.

Weight Machine Mistakes As I said, I saw a lot of quizzical things this week. This one was a lady sitting at a machine where you hold a long bar over your head and out wide, you pull the bar down towards your chest and then release. This is a lateral pull down. Form is so very important in weight training. If you cannot do the exercise while keeping your form, the weight is TOO heavy. This is a mistake most often committed by men, but this woman was all over the place with her body, nearly rocking back and forth hard enough to catapult herself off a runway. So um, that is not effective.

Smoker's Say the Darndest Things I am the first person to frown on the use of medication for almost anything, however, it is my job to educate people on the 7 FDA approved medications that are effective in helping people to quit smoking. This week I was discussing one of them called Zyban (wellbutrin/bupropion) and one of the persons in the group said that the medicine had made her hair fallout. Well - everyone else in the room, ALL smokers, gasped and declared that they would NEVER take that pill. (that really isn't one of the reported side effects, but anyways). Cigarette smoking causes lung cancer, heart disease, stroke, insulin resistance, emphysema, wrinkles, SIDS , impotence, infertility, oral cancer - and more and more - which apparently isn't near as scary as hair loss.

Do Not Add Salt I am 100% in favor of banning trans fats and of reducing the amount of sodium in processed foods. I am an advocate for getting nutrient content information on every product and dish, store or restaurant, I think that sugary drinks should be taxed to the max, but now I think NYC might have gone too far. Some politician has proposed making it illegal for restaurants to add salt during cooking. Then again, I don't add any when I cook - but seriously, the biggest problem we have is eating too many calories - and though salt can add to blood pressure problems, is it really the cause of most?