
Side Stitch: Belly Pain while Running
When you get a side stitch, stop running and press your hand deep into your liver to raise it up toward your diaphragm. At the same time, purse your lips tightly and blow out. Pushing the liver up stops stretching the ligaments. Breathing against pursed lips retards fully emptying your lungs and doesn’t let your diaphragm rise too high.

Dina Merrill and Dementia
Dina Merrill was an American actress and philanthropist who was the only child of Marjorie Merriweather Post, the Post Cereals heiress who became the richest woman in America, and her second husband, E.F. Hutton, the fabulously-wealthy founder of the financial company that bore his name. Known throughout her life for her high intelligence, drive, fashion and elegance,

Lifestyle Changes Help to Treat Cancer
A seven-year study of 992 patients with colon cancer that had already spread to their bellies had a 42 percent reduction in death rate and a 31 percent reduction in recurrence of their cancer when they avoided overweight, exercised regularly (one hour of walking per day), ate a diet rich in whole grains, vegetables and fruits, and low in red meat and processed meat, and restricted alcohol.

Running and Walking May Be Good for Your Back
People who run or walk regularly have healthier and stronger spinal discs than non-exercisers do (Scientific Reports 7, April 19, 2017). This is very reassuring because some doctors tell patients with back pain not to run because they think that the jarring of the foot striking the ground will damage discs and injure backs,.

Roger Moore’s Many Medical Problems
Roger Moore was an English film and television star who was most famous for having played secret agent James Bond in seven films from 1973 to 1985. In 1991, he was named a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador for his work helping underprivileged children. He was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 2003.

Gut Bacteria Linked to Diabetes
Type II diabetes means that a person is diabetic because his cells do not respond to insulin. Recent research shows type II diabetes is linked to gut bacteria that invade the inner lining of the colon, while the dominant bacteria of most non-diabetics do not try to invade the inner lining of their colon.

Alcohol and Heart Attacks
Moderate drinking does not appear to prevent heart attacks. An analysis of 45 studies of relationships between heart attacks and alcohol consumption reports that the studies that associated moderate drinking with reduced heart attack rates are flawed.

Gregg Allman and Liver Cancer
Gregg Allman was a very famous musician, singer and songwriter who, together with his brother, founded The Allman Brothers Band, one of the top bands in America in the late 1960s and the 1970s. He wrote and played top hit songs including “Midnight Rider,” “Melissa,” “Whipping Post,” “Trouble No More,” “Blue Sky,” “Ramblin’ Man” and “Dreams.”

Competitive Athletes and Doping
An important article in the May 19, 2017 New York Times discusses the latest accusations that some of America’s top athletes are using supplements, both legal and illegal, in the hope that they will improve athletic performance. I will present a brief review of some of the supplements that the accused U.S. athletes are taking and comment on their effectiveness or worthlessness, side effects and potential dangers to their health.

New Data on Meat
Researchers followed 536,000 men and women, ages 50 to 71, for an average 16 years and found that those who ate the most meat from mammals and processed meat had a 26 percent greater risk of dying within the study period than those who ate the least.