February 2nd, 2007 by Dr. Val Jones in Opinion
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We had a problem in our pregnancy forum today – there were so many forum posts submitted so quickly that people didn’t get the chance to answer a post before it was buried underneath an avalanche of other questions. This left the people asking the questions quite frustrated.
A few hours later I was peer reviewing an article for the AJNR. I did a Medline search as part of a background check for my review. I found 30 pages of research articles. I was reading through their titles when, glazing over on page 28, I realized that a very similar study had already been conducted… in 1979.
It suddenly occurred to me that good questions (and good answers) can be buried by time. They say that history is doomed to repeat itself… the Internet is beginning to help me understand why that’s so.
What do you think?
This post originally appeared on Dr. Val’s blog at RevolutionHealth.com.
February 1st, 2007 by Dr. Val Jones in Opinion, True Stories
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My dad is 76 years old. He takes one baby aspirin a day and has no medical conditions. He looks about 10 years younger than his age, and his mind is sharp and clear. How does he do it?
I think the secret is the time he spent working on a farm. At age 40 he retired from his consulting firm in Manhattan and bought some land in rural Canada. Without realizing what he was getting himself into, my dad bought some cattle to work the farm. When winter came he had to keep the animals in the barn, and he soon discovered that each steer and cow produced its own weight in manure every 2 weeks (that’s about a half ton for those of you city slickers out there). So all winter long my dad shoveled manure. He did this for 35 years.
My dad now keeps fit with regular sit ups and push ups in the morning and long walks every day. But to me, the secret to his success was the shoveling. Life is full of little ironies – sometimes “crappy work” can result in amazing health benefits.
Although the New York Times wrote a fairly scathing review of my mom’s book about their adventures in shoveling (which ultimately led to a yogurt business) – I think my dad got the last laugh. Healthy and well, he can look forward to a long and enjoyable retirement. I wonder if the folks in Manhattan (who choose to spend their lives shoveling a less physically challenging BS) can say the same?
This post originally appeared on Dr. Val’s blog at RevolutionHealth.com.
January 30th, 2007 by Dr. Val Jones in News
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Yes my friends, I’m afraid it’s true… lack of sleep can pack on the pounds! In 2004 a couple of researchers were analyzing the NHANES database, and noticed that sleep deprivation was an independent risk factor for obesity. Since that observation, more studies have confirmed that sleep debt is associated with weight gain. It’s not completely clear how this works – but one writer summarizes:
“Sleep causes changes in the brain, leading to abnormal secretion of hormones which can result in several body disturbances that include excessive daytime sleepiness, mood changes such as depression or anxiety, altered hunger and eating patterns, and ultimately further sleep disturbances. It’s a vicious cycle!… Throw out the diet bars, and fluff up the pillows.”
I bet my sleep expert colleague, Dr. Steve Poceta, has some further thoughts on this. Let’s ask him!
This post originally appeared on Dr. Val’s blog at RevolutionHealth.com.
January 28th, 2007 by Dr. Val Jones in Opinion
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Well, I always hoped that the rumors were true – that gaining muscle mass would increase one’s resting metabolism. How many times have you heard fitness gurus tell you that if you bulk up with muscle you burn more calories even when you’re sitting around, watching TV?
Unfortunately, the truth is that even the most impressive muscle gains result in only a tiny increase in resting metabolic rate. In one case I recall a man who lost ~40 lbs of fat and gained ~20 lbs of muscle. His metabolism increased by a mere 50 calories/day.
In my experience, metabolism seems to be more a factor of nature rather than nurture. You’re born with a certain internal engine – and not much changes that (at a given body weight). However, exercise burns calories – and that can lead to weight loss, etc. It’s just that the baseline metabolism doesn’t change all that much.
Stay tuned for my next blog entry where I’ll explain why metabolism may be linked to diet failure.
This post originally appeared on Dr. Val’s blog at RevolutionHealth.com.
January 26th, 2007 by Dr. Val Jones in News
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In Britain, the National Health Service used to pay for gastric bypass for individuals with BMIs greater than 35, but a new rule has raised the qualifying BMI to 45 and above. So many people were having gastric bypass, that it was overburdening the system. In response, some people are trying to gain weight to qualify for the surgery!
Here’s what a couple of British folk have to say:
“It’s grossly unfair and incredibly short-sighted. There are hundreds of other people like me who can’t afford private surgery, and the message seems to be pay up or pig out.”
“Instead of surgery and rehabilitation my only option is McDonalds and ice cream”This post originally appeared on Dr. Val’s blog at RevolutionHealth.com.
