IS INTERMITTENT FASTING THE DIET FOR YOU? I’ve gone through the pros and cons of a number of diets in my past posts including the ketogenic diet, the MIND diet, and three years worth of Best Diet Rankings from U.S. News. This week I’d like to talk about a trendy diet that concentrates on when you eat rather than what you eat. It’s called intermittent fasting. There isn’t a whole lot of research on this diet, but what there is points to extensive health benefits. Intermittent fasting has been especially studied in rodents. If you feed rats just every other...
TOMATOES TODAY? One of the joys of summer is biting into a juicy sun-ripened tomato. It’s not only tasty, but also super good for you. Tomatoes are low-calorie, low-carb and full of disease-fighting nutrients. So, have you had your tomatoes today? Lycopene Tomatoes contain the antioxidant lycopene, which is responsible for their red color. Lycopene has been found to lower the risk of prostate, ovarian, lung and stomach cancers. It also lessens the risk of diabetes, heart disease, stroke and metabolic syndrome. And lycopene and other nutrients in tomatoes also protect against eye conditions including cataracts and macular degeneration. Vitamins...
RUNNER’S KNEE DOESN’T HAVE TO END YOUR JOGGING, BIKING OR SKIING FUN One of the biggest reasons us older adults quit running, jogging or hiking is a condition commonly called runner’s knee. It’s an injury that many experience at some point in their lives and which causes some to give up an activity they once enjoyed. However, by learning more about how to prevent and treat it you may be able in time to return to your sport. Runner’s knee (or patellofemoral pain syndrome or illotibial band syndrome) is often an overuse injury. It can come from attempting too much...
THE LOW-FODMAP DIET COULD CHANGE YOUR LIFE What do apples, mango, garlic, beans, onions, ice cream and honey have in common? These are some of the foods to which you may have a dietary intolerance and can cause irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). And if you have IBS, you could reduce your symptoms by going on the low-FODMAP diet. You may have never heard of FODMAP. It’s an acronym for four types of fermentable carbohydrates. To give you information on how to go about this diet, here are excerpts from a recent (July 30, 2020) Harvard Health Blog article by Emily...
KEEP UP YOUR ENERGY! During this continuing pandemic, it’s easy enough to let slide lifestyle habits that can sap your energy. If your gym is closed you might not be getting in your normal exercise routine. You may be eating more “comfort” food than usual. Or having an extra glass of wine or can of beer in the evening than you did pre-covid. Yet, it’s important to keep up your energy! In addition to hopefully avoiding coranavirus, you’ll also have less chance of getting the flu or pneumonia, having a coronary problem or developing diabetes just by attending to all...
YES, YOU CAN GET LYME DISEASE IN THE WEST A close friend of mine in the Bay Area had Lyme disease. And she had it for years. At first, doctors told her it was impossible she had the disease because “it doesn’t occur in California, only in the Midwest or Northeastern U.S.” Thus she didn’t get the early diagnosis and care she needed to successfully fight it. Though a short course of antibiotics cures most patients at early stages, later on the disease becomes far more difficult to identify and treat and can lead to chronic fatigue, muscle and joint...
TELEMEDICINE HAS ARRIVED The COVID-19 pandemic came upon us suddenly and life changed in just days. We not only had to learn how to—at least temporarily—shelter in place but also how to communicate with doctors through virtual visits or telemedicine. We’ve had the simplest form of telemedicine for quite awhile—the phone call. Now, we’ve added in visual technology—through using our computers and our smartphones. In this time of coronavirus, telemedicine has arrived. Here detailing some of its advantages is Meera Sunder, a primary care physician in Massachusetts, in the July 3, 2020 Harvard Health Blog post Making telemedicine more inclusive....
PROTESTING IN CORONAVIRUS TIME Being an older adult, I’ve wondered about the extra risk of being exposed to coronavirus if I took part in a Black Lives Matter protest. But this week I came upon a Harvard Medical School Health Blog by Monique Tello, MD, MPH that not only suggests the usual precautions but also gives some infection statistics for those joining in protests. Here’s the complete July 1, 2020 post of Protesting in the time of COVID-19: We’ve known for a long time that racism is a deeply ingrained public health issue resulting in real, tangible health disparities. For people...
ACUPUNCTURE—PAIN RELIEF OR QUACKERY Acupuncture is a procedure that involves inserting very thin needles into the skin at precise points on your body. The insertion spots are chosen based on a complex network of energy lines called meridians, which are thought to encircle the body. Acupuncture is a key component of traditional Chinese medicine that clears these energy channels to restore and maintain health. In contrast, Western medicine often considers acupuncture as pseudoscience because its practices are not based on scientific knowledge and is sometimes considered quackery. Scientific evidence has been mixed, partly because it is difficult to devise a...
KEEP YOUR COOL THIS SUMMER Now that summer’s here you’re probably adjusting your outdoor activities. I sure am. For instance, on the days I jog I’m getting up earlier so I can hit the trail before the sun rises much above the horizon. I’m wearing the least amount of clothing, just shorts, a T-shirt (to wipe my brow with) and running shoes. Plus a hat of course to cover my balding head and keep my face shaded. I wear sunscreen year around but apply it extra thick in summer. Stay Hydrated Whether you run, walk, bike or go out and...
