Auto-Immune Diseases and Gut Bacteria
Lifestyle changes that affect gut bacteria may help to prevent and treat auto-immune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and psoriasis. More than 50 million Americans suffer from autoimmune diseases that look just like a person has an infection because laboratory tests show that a person has an over-active immunity that is trying to kill some germ.
Being Overweight Increases Risk for Many Cancers
Nobody knows exactly why overweight is associated with increased risk for so many types of cancer, but the most likely explanation is that storing fat in your belly means that you store excess fat in your liver. Your liver controls blood sugar levels.
Moses Malone and Darryl Dawkins, NBA Giants
In the past month, two former National Basketball Association giant centers died of heart attacks: Daryl Dawkins on August 27 at age 58 and Moses Malone on September 13 at age 60 . Both were 6' 10" tall, weighed more than 250 pounds, and went directly from high school...
Why Ice Delays Recovery
When I wrote my best-selling Sportsmedicine Book in 1978, I coined the term RICE (Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation) for the treatment of athletic injuries (Little Brown and Co., page 94). Ice has been a standard treatment for injuries and sore muscles because it helps to relieve pain caused by injured tissue. Coaches have used my “RICE” guideline for decades, but now it appears that both Ice and complete Rest may delay healing, instead of helping.
Early Breast Cancers May Be Over-Treated
Each year more than 60,000 women in the United States are diagnosed with a type of early breast cancer called Ductal Carcinoma In Situ (DCIS), which represents 25 percent of all breast cancer cases. Almost all DCIS patients are treated with surgery to remove the lump,...
Statin Side Effects
Statins are widely used to help prevent heart attacks, but a new study shows that the same process that causes this class of drugs to reduce heart attack risk can also increase memory loss, muscle problems, joint pains and diabetes (American Journal of Physiology -...
Oliver Sacks and Melanoma of the Eye
Oliver Sacks died this week at age 82 of a melanoma in his eye that was diagnosed 11 years ago and recently had spread to his liver. He was a neurologist who wrote more than a dozen popular books that sold millions of copies, making him probably the most-read...
Should You Avoid Gluten?
Twenty-one percent of North Americans are trying to avoid gluten, a component of wheat, when fewer than one percent actually need to do so. If following a gluten-free diet causes people to consume fewer foods made with flour — such as bread, muffins, cookies and pasta — they may lose weight and lower their risk for diabetes, even though these benefits have nothing to do with avoiding gluten. However, many people hop on the “gluten-free” bandwagon and consume huge amounts of gluten-free flour products which are just as unhealtful as those made with wheat flour.
The 30-20-10 Plan to Boost Your Exercise Progam
If you hate the idea of intense exercise, try the 30-20-10 Plan developed by Jens Bangsbo at the University of Copenhagen in Denmark. Dr. Bangsbo asked 132 middle-aged recreational runners to replace their casual workouts with his 30-20-10 Plan.
Dave’s Zucchini “Pasta” with Shrimp
3-4 tablespoons olive oil 2 cloves garlic, crushed 4 anchovy filets (optional) 1/2 pound peeled shrimp 1/2 cup chopped onions 1/2 red bell pepper, cut into small pieces 2 medium zucchini, "spiralized" into pasta (see note below) or cut into matchstick strips Fresh...