April 27, 2012 by Marcia MuellerJust read this post in the New York Times about a study in Neurolgy done on over 700 elderly people without dementia. The subjects were followed for 4 years. In that period 71 people developed Alzheimer's. The researchers found that those who were in the lowest 10% for physical activity had twice the chance of developing Alzheimer's. For some additional reading on this subject you should check out David Snowdon's book "Aging with Grace". This video on the "Nun Study" is very good as well. The moral of the story is to continue to be active both mentally and physically or as Nike once said "Just Do It."
April 24, 2012 by Marcia MuellerEnvironmental Working Group is my go to website for finding the most effective and least toxic sunscreens, but it really is a treasure trove of information. I just discovered that they have a list of the the 12 fruits and vegetables that typically have the highest levels of poisons and a list of the 15 that have the lowest levels - the dirty dozen and clean 15. While it is important to get at least 5 servings of fruit and vegetables per day and even eating produce that has been sprayed is probably not as harmful as having a high fat or processed food at least you can be educated when you’re picking your produce. Check it out. They have an App you can download to your phone so you have it handy when you’re out shopping or you can print this one. Happy shopping.
April 9, 2012 by Marcia MuellerToday there is a very good article in the New York Times by one of my favorite health and fitness writers, Jane Brody, about caregiving from the wife's perspective. One of the key things to remember is that as a caregiver you also have to take care of yourself, otherwise you won't be able to adequately care for your loved one. Easy to say, but surprisingly hard for many to do. The book that is mentioned in the article is "The Caregiving Wife's Handbook" by Diana B. Denholm.
March 30, 2012 by Marcia MuellerI follow Marion Nestle, a nutritionist among other things, on twitter. This March 30th post on her blog is an interesting insite into food politics, which just so happens to also be the title of her latest book.
March 30, 2012 by Marcia MuellerThis morning I read a very thoughtful article by Dr. Danielle Ofri about how emotions can cloud doctors communication with patients, especially when it involves bad news. She concludes that while emotions often impede doctors, they also can help with patient care and communication. The key is to be aware of them. For more info on the study that Dr. Ofri refers to in her article follow this link to the blog page of Health Affairs.
March 18, 2012 by Marcia MuellerRecently I have been thinking I wanted to have a fitness routine I could do at home, that was either a CD or an iPad, iPhone app. I've found that while I tend to be self directed, I'm not motivated enough to do an intense get me sweating type workout on my own. One of my patients (thanks Ilana) mentioned that she was re-enthused about exercise because of an iPhone app. Well I tried it yesterday and judging by how much I sweated and how my muscles feel this morning it worked. What is the app and how much is it you say? It's "Nike Training Club" and it's free!
March 15, 2012 by Marcia MuellerThe Journal BJM has just published a study about sleeping pills that shows an increase in mortality with the use of sleeping pills. Needless to say this is very alarming but some experts have criticized the study. The study did not show that the pills caused death, nor did the study know even what these patients died of. So the message is not to panic if you're taking a sleeping pill, but you might want to consider other things to help with your sleep long term. There have been studies that show that many sleeping pills are no better than placebos in helping insomnia. I've written an article on insomnia that has some good advice and this one from the NY Times also has some good information.
