Wednesday, September 18, 2024
Subscribe to Dr. Mirkin's free FITNESS & HEALTH NEWSLETTER      

Nitrates: One Reason to Eat Lots of Vegetables

Nitrates from the foods you eat can be converted in your body to nitric oxide, which widens blood vessels to increase blood flow throughout your body, to improve exercise tolerance and to help prevent heart disease and to lower high blood pressure

Aretha Franklin, the Queen of Soul

As one of the most versatile American singers of all time, Aretha Franklin was best known for singing soul music and popular and gospel songs, but with less than two hours’ notice, she was able to use her powerful mezzo-soprano voice to sing a great opera aria when she stepped in to replace Luciano Pavaroti at the 1998 Grammy Awards.

Inflammatory Diet Associated with Earlier Death in Osteoarthritis Patients

More than half of North American adults over 65 years of age suffer from osteoarthritis, and recent studies show that inflammation is involved. An inflammatory diet can increase joint damage as well as diabetes and premature death. A study of 3804 patients with osteoarthritis found that patients who ate a high-inflammatory diet died at a significantly younger age than those who ate an anti-inflammatory diet.

Parnelli Jones and Parkinson’s Disease

The oldest living winner of the Indianapolis 500 auto race, Parnelli Jones, died at age 90 on June 4, 2024 after suffering for several years with Parkinson's disease. He was an American professional racing-car driver who later became a racing team owner and a very successful businessman. He won races in sports cars, IndyCars, sprint cars, midget cars, off-road vehicles, and stock cars.

Gas Stoves Worsen Symptoms in People Who Suffer from Lung Diseases

About 40 percent of U.S. households cook with gas stoves. A recent study reported that “12.7 percent of current childhood asthma in the US is attributable to gas stove use." However, the authors did not show that gas stoves cause asthma. They presented evidence that gas stoves emit gases such as nitrogen dioxide, that can worsen symptoms in people who have asthma. Any air pollutant can cause an asthmatic to cough, wheeze and become short of breath. These authors have not demonstrated cause-and-effect, they only found an association between gas stoves and asthmatic symptoms.

Bill Walton’s Multiple Injuries: Why RICE May Not Work

Bill Walton was a professional basketball player and television sportscaster who was:one of the best college basketball players ever in spite of suffering uncountable injuries requiring 38 significant surgeries. He was elected to the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame in 2006 and won three consecutive national college player of the year awards (1972–1974) while leading UCLA to NCAA championships in 1972 and 1973 during an 88-game winning streak. In spite of his injuries, in his senior year he won the James E. Sullivan Award as the top amateur athlete in the United States.

Dry, Cracked Skin on Heels (Fissures)

Dry skin on any part of the body can be annoying and can cause flaking and cracking, redness due to scratching, and unsightly patches of thick or hard skin. When dry skin occurs on the feet, the symptoms are magnified due to wearing shoes, the stretching of the skin on the feet with every step . . .

Study to Find Out if Diabetes Drug, Metformin, Will Prolong Lives of Healthy People

Many studies have shown that metformin helps to treat the life-shortening diseases that are the leading causes of death in North America today — diabetes, heart disease, several types of cancers, kidney disease, liver disease, obesity and others (Front Endocrinol, August 4, 2021;12). A review of 53 studies found that metformin is associated with a reduction of the death rate from these diseases, but at this time, metformin cannot be prescribed to slow aging because we do not have studies to show that metformin helps to prevent aging, not just symptoms of specific diseases. The TAME trial wants to change this by investigating whether metformin can delay aging overall, instead of just treating specific age-related diseases individually.

Duane Eddy, Rock-n-Roll Guitar God

Duane Eddy was known as 'The first “rock-n-roll guitar god” because he was the most commercially-successful instrumental-only artist in the history of rock 'n' roll. His style influenced the Shadows, the Beatles and Bruce Springsteen. His recordings sold more than 100 million records worldwide and had 27 Billboards Hot Hundred Top 40 hits. He won a Grammy for best rock instrumental in 1986, was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994 and the Musicians Hall of Fame in 2008, and received a Rockwalk in 1997.

Heat Stroke

Heat stroke during exercise is a rapid uncontrolled rise in body temperature that can cause you to pass out and can even kill you. It is a medical emergency that can cause permanent organ damage, kidney failure and seizures.  It should never happen to you because your body sends you plenty of warning signals as your temperature rises.