First, the bad news. An academic review of 23 seemingly authoritative studies of back pain relief found that most of them, which involved education or orthotics, did almost nothing to reduce the likelihood of another bout of pain. But as Gretchen Reynolds reports in the New York Times, exercise did […]
Author: Art Jahnke
The Fittest Fitness Trackers
The Wall Street Journal offers its opinion of four popular fitness trackers with particular focus on which is good for what. For versatility, the Journal likes the Misfit Shine 2, which tracks steps, calories, distance traveled and sleep quality, and has an app that can log specific activities such as […]
What Patients Like About Doctors
Most people like their doctors. We know this because a recent Harris Poll of over 3,000 people found that 88 percent of those who visited a doctor’s office in the past year were satisfied with their last visit, and 69 percent of people 70 or older were very satisfied. But […]
Taking The 10-20-30 Workout To The Pool
Gretchen Reynolds, writing in the New York Times, answers a reader’s question about the practicality of taking a runners’ 10-20-30 workout to the water. First a reminder: in the 10-20-30 program, she writes, “runners jog at a leisurely pace for 30 seconds, accelerate to a moderate speed for 20 seconds, […]
Do You Really Need A Physical Every Year?
What do you think? Do you really need a physical exam every year? The Wall Street Journal, in a great many words, has this to say: no. The Journal reports that three years ago the Society of General Internal Medicine recommended against performing routine physicals for asymptomatic adults, noting that […]
Traveler’s Constipation. What’s Up With That?
Why is it that when people travel, they often find it hard to have a bowel movement? The New York Times comes to our rescue, with three answers that make sense. Answer number one, from Dr. Brooke Gurland, a colorectal surgeon at the Cleveland Clinic, suggests that we are creatures […]
Berries May Boost Sexual Health, For Men
It could be true–for men anyway. Researchers at Harvard’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health are claiming that men who consume just three or four weekly portions of foods and drinks containing flavonoidsâ€â€which include berries, citrus fruits, and red wineâ€â€may reduce their risk of erectile dysfunction. The suggestion follows a […]
What You Eat Influences How You Sleep
What you eat and how you sleep are no longer considered unrelated processes. Researchers at the Institute of Human Nutrition at Columbia University Medical Center have found that eating less fiber, more saturated fat and more sugar is associated with lighter, less restorative, and more disrupted sleep. A news release […]
Fat Waiters Get Fat Orders
It’s true, maybe. The fatter your waiter, the more likely you are to order lots of food, and yes, drink. In fact, researchers at the Cornell University Food and Brand Lab have determined that diners who ordered their dinner from heavier wait staff were four times more likely to order dessert, […]
To Lose Weight, First Learn To Relax
Want to know the first step toward losing weight? Relax. Stress, it turns out, actually helps your body retain fat. A University of Florida news release reports that researchers at that school have discovered that chronic stress stimulates the production of betatrophin, a protein that can inhibit an enzyme involved in […]