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Thursday, September 29, 2011

Sleep Deprivation: Side Effects and A Therapeutic Benefit

Sleep Deprivation: Side Effects and A Therapeutic Benefit



Sleep Deprivation: Side Effects and A Therapeutic Benefit

Posted: 02 Feb 2011 09:41 PM PST


Syed K.Haque, M.D. Sleep is defined as ” a readily reversible suspension of sensorimotor interaction with the environment, usually associated with recumbency and immobility.” Most people love sleep. This is evident from the fact that one of the top popular facebook fan pages is “I love Sleep“. Yet, there are many among us who deprive...

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Holistic drug rehab

The search for professionals who can help you or someone you know with holistic drug rehab is essential for the process has positive results,offers its clients a unique holistic approach with its Mind Body Spirit component that focuses on empowering each client with the confidence, knowledge and motivation required to make a personal commitment to be healthy, clients explore what it means to address problems with a holisitc approach or a Mind-Body-Spirit connection, learn stress reduction techniques and take a deeper look at their own vision of health and healing. This unique holistic program complements the core rehab programs and provides valuable insights to participating individuals. You are not like anyone else. You possess unique preferences and interests, have certain ways in which you learn best, and face one-of-a-kind challenges. Our exclusive rehab programs honors your individuality. We begin your treatment by developing a plan specifically for you. In contrast to traditional or conventional drug rehabs, holistic drug rehabs treat more than the physical dependency on drugs, which is the focus at conventional treatment centers. Holistic drug rehabs focus on the body, mind, and spirit of the addicted individual in order to better aid their recovery.A major part of holistic drug rehabs is psychological support. Psychological professionals dig into therapeutic issues that underlie the cause of the individual's drug addiction. Therapy sessions are usually provided for the individual, the family, and for the group of patients together. The psychological addiction to drugs is more powerful than the physical addiction, and should not go untreated,dual diagnosis Treatment with a person will solve their problems more quickly and efficiently, without a doubt is the best and safest treatment developed so that people can safely get rid of addiction and having great results.The benefits of a holistic drug rehab over a conventional drug rehab are numerous.

DrMirkin's eZine: How exercise affects brain, enlarged prostates, more . . .

Dr. Gabe Mirkin's Fitness and Health E-Zine
October 2, 2011

Exercise Increases Mitochondria in Brain Cells

Exercise increases the size and number of mitochondria
in the brains of mice (American Journal of Physiology,
September 2011). The mice ran on a treadmill for an hour a
day, six days a week, for eight weeks.
This could explain how exercise improves memory, treats
depression, and makes people feel better and helps them to think
more clearly. Until now, the leading theory to explain how
exercise improves memory and treats depression was that exercise
causes the brain to release endorphins, morphine-like compounds
that can improve mood (Journal of Applied Physiology May 1982).
However, endorphins would not explain the improvement in memory
and brain function associated with a regular exercise program.
Mitochondria are tiny chambers in cells that turn food
into energy more efficiently than any other process in your
body. Scientists have known for years that exercise enlarges
and increases the number of mitochondria in muscle cells, to
increase strength, speed and endurance; but this is the first
research paper to offer a plausible explanation why exercise
improves memory and relieves depression.
The increase in brain mitochondria could also explain
how training for sports increases endurance by making the brain
resistant to fatigue. It also could explain how exercise
treats mental disorders, delays aging, and improves certain
types of nerve damage.

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Reports from DrMirkin.com

Support stockings
http://www.drmirkin.com/fitness/support_stockings.html

Chronic vaginitis
http://www.drmirkin.com/women/7948.htm

Aspirin before exercise
http://www.drmirkin.com/archive/7190.html


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Enlarged Prostate? Saw Palmetto Doesn't Help

The largest and longest trial ever shows that saw palmetto
is no more effective than a placebo in treating men's lower
urinary tract symptoms (JAMA, September 27, 2011). The supplement
did not improve quality of life, nighttime urination, sexual
function or incontinence. Men spend an average of $30/month, totaling
more than $700 million a year for this ineffective supplement.
SYMPTOMS OF ENLARGED PROSTATE: Men with enlargement of
the prostate can suffer from difficulty starting their stream,
dribbling, burning on urination, inability to empty the bladder,
getting up at night frequently to urinate, and burning, pain or
urgency when the bladder is full.
INCIDENCE: Fifty percent of North American men suffer
symptoms of prostate enlargement by age 50, and 75 percent by
age 80.
CAUSE: Nobody really knows what causes a prostate to
enlarge and block urinary flow. The REDUCE trial showed that
inflammation is probably the leading cause (European Urology,
December, 2008). Inflammation means that your immunity, which is
supposed to kill germs, is attacking your own body to cause pain
and swelling. Many doctors feel that a hidden infection causes
prostate enlargement, but nobody has consistently found any
specific germ in the prostates of men with prostate enlargement.
Some men are cured by taking long-term antibiotics, but many men
are not. As of today, many men continue to have symptoms in
spite of having taken the best treatments available today.
TREATMENTS: Muscle relaxants help a little but cure
nothing and lose their effect as soon as the patient stops
taking them. Some men benefit from surgical procedures, but many
men continue to have symptoms after surgery.
A review of 23 studies shows that long-term use of
finasteride (which blocks dihydrotestosterone) improves urinary
tract symptoms associated with benign prostatic hyperplasia, and
reduces further prostate growth (Cochrane Database of Systematic
Reviews, October, 2010). This treatment is based on the theory
that the prostate converts the male hormone, testosterone, to
dihydrotestosterone, which causes the prostate to grow.

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Big Tobacco Hid Cancer Studies

In 1998, a legal settlement forced the release of dozens
of previously unexamined tobacco industry documents that
revealed that the tobacco industry knew of the potential lung
cancer risk from radioactivity from tobacco as early as the late
1950s. This week, a study from UCLA shows that more than forty
years ago, tobacco companies deliberately prevented the release
of findings about radioactivity in tobacco (Nicotine & Tobacco
Research, published online September 27, 2011).
Hrayr S. Karagueuzian, the first author of the study
states: "They knew that the cigarette smoke was radioactive way
back then and that it could potentially result in cancer, and
they deliberately kept that information under wraps,"
Science Daily (September 28, 2011) interviewed the
authors and quoted them as saying: "Radioactive polonium-210 was
found in all commercially available domestic and foreign
cigarette brands. It is absorbed by tobacco leaves through
naturally occurring radon gas in the atmosphere and through
high-phosphate chemical fertilizers used by tobacco growers. The
substance is eventually inhaled by smokers into the lungs. The
estimated radiation absorbed dose by regular smokers over a 20-
or 25-year period equaled 40 to 50 rads, which is equal to 120
to 138 deaths per 1,000 regular smokers over a 25-year period."
"Despite the potential risk of lung cancer, tobacco
companies declined to adopt a technique discovered in 1959 and
then another developed in 1980 that could have helped eliminate
polonium-210 from tobacco, the researchers said. The 1980
technique, known as an acid-wash, was found to be highly
effective in removing the radioisotope from tobacco plants,
where it forms a water-insoluble complex with the sticky, hair-
like structures called trichomes that cover the leaves."
"The industry was concerned that the acid media would
ionize the nicotine, making it more difficult to be absorbed
into the brains of smokers and depriving them of that instant
nicotine rush that fuels their addiction."

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Recipe of the Week:

Red Pepper Stew
http://www.drmirkin.com/recipes/redstew.html

You'll find lots of recipes and helpful tips in
The Good Food Book
http://www.drmirkin.com/goodfood/index.html

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BACK ISSUES of the eZine from 2004-2011 are available at
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use in your own newsletter, company or club publication,
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The e-Zine is provided as a service. Dr.Mirkin's reports and
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diagnose or prescribe. For your specific diagnosis and
treatment, consult your doctor or health care provider.
For more information visit http://www.drmirkin.com

We DO NOT sell, rent or give your e-mail address to anyone.
Copyright 2011 The Sportsmedicine Institute, Inc.
http://www.DrMirkin.com

Gabe Mirkin, M.D.
10901 Connecticut Avenue, Kensington MD 20895, USA

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Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Pregnant Women Who Exercise Protect Their Offspring

Pregnant Women Who Exercise Protect Their Offspring


Pregnant Women Who Exercise Protect Their Offspring

Posted: 26 Sep 2011 06:55 AM PDT


New research in the FASEB Journal suggests that prenatal exercise improves brain plasticity, decreases toxic protein deposits, inflammation and oxidative stress, which wards off Alzheimer’s and other diseases Bethesda, MD—If you are pregnant, here’s another reason to work out: you will reduce the chances of your new baby developing neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s, later...

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Monday, September 26, 2011

Sept. 25: Exercise for your heart, chocolate, more . . .

In this week's issue of Dr. Mirkin's e-Zine:

http://www.drmirkin.com/public/ezine092511.html
Just One Day of Exercise Protects the Heart
Impotent Men Are at High Risk for Heart Attacks
More Benefits from Chocolate

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Reports from DrMirkin.com

Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
http://www.drmirkin.com/morehealth/G115.htm

Prostate supplements
http://www.drmirkin.com/men/1332.html

Does your heart tire during exercise?
http://www.drmirkin.com/fitness/heart_during_exercise.html

Migraine and foods
http://www.drmirkin.com/archive/6760.html

Weight lifting for children
http://www.drmirkin.com/fitness/child_lift_weights.html

Glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate
http://www.drmirkin.com/joints/J209.htm

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Gabe Mirkin, M.D.
10901 Connecticut Avenue, Kensington MD 20895, USA

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Thursday, September 22, 2011

DrMirkin's eZine: Exercise to protect heart, chocolate, more . . .

Dr. Gabe Mirkin's Fitness and Health E-Zine
September 25, 2011

Just One Day of Exercise Protects the Heart

"JUST ONE DAY OF EXERCISE CAN PROTECT THE HEART
AGAINST...(A HEART ATTACK).... and this protection is upheld
with months of exercise, making exercise one of the few
sustainable preconditioning stimuli" (Journal of Applied
Physiology. September 2011). Wow.
HEART ATTACKS OCCUR WHEN A PLAQUE SUDDENLY BREAKS OFF
FROM THE WALLS OF AN ARTERY SUPPLYING BLOOD TO THE HEART. The
plaque travels down the ever-narrowing artery until it completely
blocks the flow of blood to a part of the heart's muscle. The
heart's muscle must receive oxygen from the bloodstream all the
time. When a part of the heart muscle is suddenly deprived of
oxygen, it dies and you suffer a heart attack. The dying heart
muscle usually causes severe pain, in the chest, back or left
arm. Heart attacks are not caused by progressive narrowing of an
artery.
LACK OF OXYGEN IS THE ULTIMATE CAUSE OF HEART MUSCLE
DAMAGE. Anything that increases the ability of the heart muscle
to survive oxygen deprivation or increases oxygen supply to the
heart muscle helps to prevent heart attacks.
Exercise helps to prevent heart attacks, and the more
intensely you exercise, the greater the protection. Researchers
in Norway treated recovering heart attack victims with the same
intense training methods used by competitive athletes (American
Heart Journal, June 2009). They supervised them as they ran on a
treadmill very fast for a few seconds, rested and then repeated
their intense intervals. For example, some of the patients ran
fast for 30 seconds every five minutes. The interval-training
heart attack victims were able to use more oxygen maximally
(VO2max) and had their heart rates return toward normal faster
than other heart attack victims who did slower continuous
training. This advantage persisted for 30 months after the
patients completed their 12-week rehabilitation program.
INTENSE TRAINING IS NOT ACCEPTED AS A TREATMENT FOR
HEART ATTACK VICTIMS, particularly those who have chest pain with
exercise or excessive shortness of breath. Intense exercise can
precipitate heart attacks in people with blocked arteries. The
exercise sessions are usually supervised by trained technicians
using electrocardiograms, at least in the beginning.
INTENSE EXERCISE DOES NOT DAMAGE HEALTHY HEARTS. All
known tests for heart function show no damage from intense
exercise. Post-exercise electrocardiograms and echocardiograms
are normal, as are blood levels of heart-specific enzymes,
creatine kinase and creatine kinase MB, and myoglobin (Medicine
and Science in Sports and Exercise October, 2003).
A WORD OF CAUTION: Before you start a program of
cycling, running, tennis or anything else, realize that
exercising intensely is far more likely to cause injuries and can
cause heart attacks in people with blocked arteries leading to
their hearts. You may want to check with your doctor before you
start. Then get in shape gradually by exercising at an easy pace
three to six days a week for at least six weeks.


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Reports from DrMirkin.com

How exercise strengthens bones
http://www.drmirkin.com/joints/bones_exercise.html

Healthful eating for children
http://www.drmirkin.com/nutrition/N251.html

High blood pressure during exercise
http://www.drmirkin.com/fitness/blood_pressure.html

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Impotent Men Are at High Risk for Heart Attacks

A review of 12 studies on men who are unable to sustain an
erection shows that impotence almost doubles a man's chances of
suffering a heart attack, stroke, and premature death (Journal of
the American College of Cardiology, September, 2011).
Treating risk factors for heart attacks with lifestyle
changes and/or medication helps to prevent heart attacks and
improves impotence (Archives of Internal Medicine, September 12,
2011). More than 50 percent of North American men over 40 are
impotent (JAMA, May 26, 1999).
GET A MEDICAL WORK UP FOR IMPOTENCE: Check your male
hormone, testosterone, and all risk factors for heart attacks.
All conditions and behaviors that damage blood vessels can cause
impotence: *diabetes, *depression, *stomach ulcers,
*high cholesterol, *atherosclerosis, *high blood pressure, *nerve
damage, *cigarette smoking, *taking more than two alcoholic
drinks a day, and so forth.
DRUGS THAT CAN CAUSE IMPOTENCE: diuretics, blood pressure
medications, non steroidals (naproxin), ulcer medications
(cimetidine, omeprazole, metoclopramide, antidepressants
(lithium, SSRIs), recreational drugs (marijuana, cocaine,
heroin), and so forth.
LIFESTYLE CHANGES THAT PREVENT AND TREAT IMPOTENCE:
*Do not smoke or take more than 2 drinks a day
*Avoid red meat, sugared drinks and foods with added sugars
*Eat large amounts of fruits and vegetables
*Exercise (caution: men with impotence are at increased risk for
heart attacks during exercise)
*avoid overweight,
*get enough vitamin D (D3 blood level above 75 nmol/L).

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More Benefits from Chocolate

A few weeks ago I wrote about studies showing that
chocolate can increase endurance
http://www.drmirkin.com/public/ezine080711.html.
This month, a review of seven scientific studies shows that
those who eat chocolate are one-third less likely to suffer
heart attacks, strokes or diabetes (Presented at the European
Society of Cardiology 2011 Congress; BMJ, September 2011).
Chocolate, coffee and tea all contain polyphenols that
increase nitric acid which "leads to improvements in endothelial
function, and reductions in clotting, blood pressure, insulin
resistance, and blood fats".
Food manufacturers hide the bitter-tasting polyphenols
in chocolate by adding large amounts of sugar and fats.
Therefore, the best time to take chocolate should be during or
immediately after exercise when contracting muscles prevent blood
sugar levels from rising too high and damaging your arteries.

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Recipe of the Week:

Green Bean-Potato Curry
http://www.drmirkin.com/recipes/currygreen.html

You'll find lots of recipes and helpful tips in
The Good Food Book
http://www.drmirkin.com/goodfood/index.html

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"Like" us on Facebook
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Dr-Gabe-Mirkin-on-Fitness-Health/200757859968159

Twitter
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BACK ISSUES of the eZine from 2004-2011 are available at
http://www.drmirkin.com/public/EzineList.html

YOU ARE WELCOME TO COPY the e-Zine's contents for
use in your own newsletter, company or club publication,
BLOG or website. Please give proper credit and a link
back to http://www.drmirkin.com

The e-Zine is provided as a service. Dr.Mirkin's reports and
opinions are for information only, and are not intended to
diagnose or prescribe. For your specific diagnosis and
treatment, consult your doctor or health care provider.
For more information visit http://www.drmirkin.com

We DO NOT sell, rent or give your e-mail address to anyone.
Copyright 2011 The Sportsmedicine Institute, Inc.
http://www.DrMirkin.com
Gabe Mirkin, M.D.
10901 Connecticut Avenue, Kensington MD 20895, USA

To unsubscribe or change subscriber options visit:
http://www.aweber.com/z/r/?zAwszEwstCzs7JwcHMystEa0jIyc7JwMHAw=

Monday, September 19, 2011

Sept. 18: High fructose corn syrup, sugar, more . . .

In this week's issue of Dr. Mirkin's e-Zine:

http://www.drmirkin.com/public/ezine091811.html
High Fructose Corn Syrup
When should I take sugar to increase endurance and speed?
Why does sugar cause high triglycerides and low HDL?

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Reports from DrMirkin.com

Why Beethoven was deaf
http://www.drmirkin.com/morehealth/8690.html

How to walk better
http://www.drmirkin.com/archive/6511.html

Bicycle seats
http://www.drmirkin.com/fitness/bicycle_seat.html

Carbohydrates
http://www.drmirkin.com/goodfood/carbohydrates.html

Who is pre-diabetic?
http://www.drmirkin.com/diabetes/1555.html

Support stockings
http://www.drmirkin.com/fitness/support_stockings.html

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Follow us on Facebook
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Dr-Gabe-Mirkin-on-Fitness-Health/200757859968159

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We do not sell, rent or give your email address to anyone.
Thank you,
Gabe Mirkin, M.D.
10901 Connecticut Avenue, Kensington MD 20895, USA

To unsubscribe or change subscriber options visit:
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Thursday, September 15, 2011

DrMirkin's eZine: High fructose corn syrup, sugar, more . . .

Dr. Gabe Mirkin's Fitness and Health E-Zine
September 18, 2011

High Fructose Corn Syrup

A group of sugar farmers and refiners are suing corn
processors and a lobbying group for advertising that High
Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) is as healthful as sugar (Associated
Press, September 13, 2011). The granulated table sugar that you
buy in the store comes from sugar cane or sugar beets. HFCS is
processed from corn and is found in almost all sugared soft
drinks.
As of today, nobody has shown that HFCS is any more
damaging to your health than granulated table sugar. Almost all
studies show that large amounts of granulated table sugar or HFCS
equally increase risk for diabetes, heart attacks, obesity and
premature death.
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN HFCS AND TABLE SUGAR: Table sugar is
primarily sucrose, a double sugar with almost equal parts of two
single sugars called glucose and fructose. HFCS is also glucose
and fructose, but they are single sugars that are not bound
together.
DOES SEPARATE GLUCOSE AND FRUCTOSE CAUSE MORE DISEASE?
It may, but nobody has shown that it does. All sugars can increase
risk for obesity, diabetes, heart attacks and premature death
RATIOS OF GLUCOSE TO FRUCTOSE ARE NEARLY IDENTICAL: Table
sugar has about a 50/50 ratio of glucose to fructose. HFCS has
approximately a 55/42 ratio. Nobody has shown that this
difference in ratio increases risk for disease or premature
death.
THE FRUCTOSE IN HFCS AND TABLE SUGAR ARE THE SAME.
Of the two sugars, glucose is allowed to circulate freely
in your bloodstream and can enter all your cells. However,
fructose is immediately trapped by your liver. It is first sent
into liver cells as a stored sugar called glycogen. When glycogen
stores are full, fructose is converted to a fat called
triglycerides. Triglycerides are the building blocks used to
make the bad LDL cholesterol that causes plaques to form in
arteries. High triglycerides cause high LDL cholesterol.
HOW COULD HFCS BE MORE HARMFUL THAT TABLE SUGAR? When
your blood sugar rises too high, sugar sticks to the outer
surface of cell membranes. Once there, sugar can never get off.
It is converted by a series of chemical reactions first from
glucose to fructose and eventually to sorbitol, a sugar alcohol
that destroys the cell to cause all the side effects of diabetes:
nerve damage such as blindness, deafness, and loss of feeling,
impotency, heart attacks, strokes, dementia, kidney damage, and
so forth.
Theoretically, HFCS could cause a higher rise in blood
sugar, but this has not been proven. HFCS contains single sugars
(glucose and fructose), while table sugar has the two sugars
bound together in a single molecule (sucrose). It takes an extra
chemical reaction to convert sucrose to the single sugars that
are already individual in HFCS. So theoretically, HFCS could
cause a higher rise in blood sugar than table sugar, but, as of
today, we do not have this proof.
WHY CAN ALL SUGARED DRINKS HARM YOU? Sugared drinks
cause much higher rises in blood sugar than sugared foods. The
higher the rise in blood sugar, the greater the cell damage.
When food enters your stomach, the pyloric sphincter at the end
of your stomach closes and no solid food can pass into your
intestines. Only a liquid soup is squeezed into your intestines.
Sugared drinks enter your intestines to be absorbed immediately.
When you eat whole fruit, it can stay in your stomach for up to
five hours before it is squirted into your intestines.
MY RECOMMENDATIONS: When you are not exercising, avoid
any form of added sugars in foods and drinks. Whole fruit is
fine, but avoid fruit juices. When you are exercising, you can
take sugared drinks and foods. Contracting muscles can draw
sugar into their cells without needing insulin. On the other
hand, resting muscles are passive and require insulin to draw
sugar from your bloodstream. Taking sugar when you are not
exercising causes much higher rises in blood sugar.

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Reports from DrMirkin.com

Caveman diets
http://www.drmirkin.com/nutrition/8526.html

Gout
http://www.drmirkin.com/archive/6826.html

How many miles should you run?
http://www.drmirkin.com/fitness/run_miles.html

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Dear Dr. Mirkin: When should I take sugar to increase endurance
and speed during exercise?

Taking sugar DURING exercise prolongs speed and
endurance, but do not take sugar until at least 10 minutes AFTER
YOU START exercising. Taking sugar BEFORE exercise raises
insulin levels that cause lower blood sugar levels over the time
of exercise which decreases endurance (International Journal of
Sports Medicine, May 2011).
During exercise, muscles draw sugar from the bloodstream
into their cells without requiring insulin. This prevents blood
sugar levels from rising too high to cause the pancreas to
release large amounts of insulin, which lowers blood sugar
levels. Since insulin levels can remain high for hours, you
should not take foods that cause a high rise in blood sugar for
three hours before you compete.
On the other hand, when you exercise, contracting
muscles draw sugar so rapidly from the bloodstream that blood
sugar levels do not rise high enough to cause a high rise in
insulin.
LOW BLOOD SUGAR TIRES YOU: Almost 100 percent of the
energy for your brain comes from sugar in your bloodstream.
When you take sugared drinks or food and your muscles are not
contracting, your blood sugar levels rise high, calling out for
your pancreas to release insulin to lower your blood sugar.
Then your exercising muscles also start pulling sugar from your
bloodstream which can cause low blood sugar levels. If blood
sugar levels drop, your brain does not get enough sugar and you
feel tired and have to slow down.

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Dear Dr. Mirkin: Why is sugar the main dietary cause of high
triglycerides and low levels of the good HDL cholesterol?

As I explained in my article on HFCS (above), most
dietary sugar is made up of two single sugars called glucose
and fructose. The glucose is allowed to circulate in your
bloodstream, but fructose is trapped in your liver.
*First, fructose is converted to stored sugar in the liver called
glycogen.
*Any extra fructose is converted to a fat called triglycerides.
*As triglycerides accumulate in your bloodstream, they can cause
clotting and heart attacks, so your body has to do something to
lower blood levels of triglycerides.
* Your good HDL cholesterol is used up in carrying triglycerides
from your bloodstream to the liver where they accumulate in the
liver to form a fatty liver. So your blood levels of the good
HDL cholesterol go down (Current Atherosclerosis Reports,
published online September 8, 2011).
Remember that the good HDL (Healthy) cholesterol helps
to prevent heart attacks, and the bad LDL (Lousy) cholesterol
helps to cause them. Drugs that raise HDL have not consistently
been shown to help prevent heart attacks. The best ways to raise
HDL cholesterol are to:
1) exercise
2) replace dietary carbohydrates with polyunsaturated or
monounsaturated fats
3) drink one or two glasses of wine per day
4) lose weight.

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Recipe of the Week:

Portuguese Potato-Garlic Soup
http://www.drmirkin.com/recipes/portsoup.html

You'll find lots of recipes and helpful tips in
The Good Food Book
http://www.drmirkin.com/goodfood/index.html

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"Like" us on Facebook
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Dr-Gabe-Mirkin-on-Fitness-Health/200757859968159

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BACK ISSUES of the eZine from 2004-2011 are available at
http://www.drmirkin.com/public/EzineList.html

YOU ARE WELCOME TO COPY the e-Zine's contents for
use in your own newsletter, company or club publication,
BLOG or website. Please give proper credit and a link
back to http://www.drmirkin.com

The e-Zine is provided as a service. Dr.Mirkin's reports and
opinions are for information only, and are not intended to
diagnose or prescribe. For your specific diagnosis and
treatment, consult your doctor or health care provider.
For more information visit http://www.drmirkin.com

We DO NOT sell, rent or give your e-mail address to anyone.
Copyright 2011 The Sportsmedicine Institute, Inc.
http://www.DrMirkin.com
Gabe Mirkin, M.D.
10901 Connecticut Avenue, Kensington MD 20895, USA

To unsubscribe or change subscriber options visit:
http://www.aweber.com/z/r/?zAwszEwstCzs7JwcHMystEa0jIycjKwMLJw=

Monday, September 12, 2011

Sept. 11: Vitamins, cortisone for sore joints, more . . .

In this week's issue of Dr. Mirkin's e-Zine:

http://www.drmirkin.com/public/ezine091111.html
Get Vitamins from Food, Not Pills
Should cortisones be injected into painful joints?
Is carbohydrate loading before competition best for endurance?
Reports: Testosterone, dry skin, strength training for speed

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Reports from DrMirkin.com

Arthritis treatments
http://www.drmirkin.com/joints/J106.htm

Helicobacter prevents allergies?
http://www.drmirkin.com/morehealth/2291.html

Diet gimmicks
http://www.drmirkin.com/nutrition/N240.html

How to gain weight if you're too thin
http://www.drmirkin.com/nutrition/n239.html

Skim milk or whole milk?
http://www.drmirkin.com/nutrition/8887.html

Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)
http://www.drmirkin.com/women/8246.html

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***********************************************

We do not sell, rent or give your email address to anyone.
Thank you,
Gabe Mirkin, M.D.
10901 Connecticut Avenue, Kensington MD 20895, USA

To unsubscribe or change subscriber options visit:
http://www.aweber.com/z/r/?zAwszEwstCzs7JwcHMystEa0jIwcTJwcrBw=

Friday, September 9, 2011

CORRECTION: DrMirkin's eZine: Vitamins from food . . .

There was an error in this week's eZine mailed to you
yesterday. The fifth paragraph of my article on vitamins
begins with "Three other B vitamins, folic acid (B9),
cobalamin (B12), and niacin (B3) . . ." It should read
"Three other B vitamins, folic acid (B9), cobalamin (B12),
and PYRIDOXINE (B6) . . ."

Niacin RAISES homocysteine by converting cysteine to
homocysteine. Three other B vitamins -- folic acid (B9),
cobalamin (B12), and pyridoxine (B6) -- LOWER homocysteine.
Folic acid and cobalamin convert homocysteine to cysteine.
Pyridoxine converts homocysteine to methionine.

i apologize for the error and thank the many readers who
brought this to my attention. The corrected version is
reprinted below.

*********************************
Dr. Gabe Mirkin's Fitness and Health E-Zine
September 11, 2011

Get Vitamins from Food, Not Pills

One in three women and one in four men in the United
States take vitamin pills regularly. This month, a study that
followed 182,099 people in California and Hawaii for an average
of 11 years showed that taking multivitamin pills neither
decreased nor increased the death rate for all causes or the rates
of heart attack or cancer (American Journal of Epidemiology,
August, 2011).
A previous review of 67 randomized trials of vitamin pill
effects on life and health found that taking vitamin pills may
shorten life (Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Issue 1,
2008). The authors found an increased death rate of 16 percent
in those taking vitamin A pills, seven percent with beta-
carotene, and seven percent with vitamin E. The Women's Health
Initiative study followed women for eight years and found that
taking multivitamin pills has little or no influence on the risk
of common cancers, heart attacks or death rate in postmenopausal
women (Archives of Internal Medicine, February, 2009). A review
of the world's literature shows that multivitamin use neither
increases nor decreases risk for breast cancer (Annals of
Pharmacotherapy. published online April 2011).
VITAMIN D FROM SUNLIGHT, NOT PILLS: Vitamin D is the only
vitamin that appears consistently in the literature to help
prevent heart attacks and cancers, and that benefit is related
more to the fact that you can get it from sunlight (Cancer
Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, April 2011). The Swedish
Women's Lifestyle and Health cohort study followed women for up
to 15 years and found that women who got sunburned twice or more
per year during adolescence live longer than those who had been
sunburned less than that. Women who went on sunbathing vacations
more than once a year lived longer and suffered fewer heart
attacks.
VITAMIN B PILLS MAY CAUSE HARM: Every chemical reaction in
your body is started by an enzyme. For your body to convert
chemical A to chemical B, you need an enzyme to start that
reaction. All eight B vitamins are parts of enzymes. When you
take large doses of one enzyme, you accumulate end products that
must be balanced by also taking large doses of other enzymes.
For example, NIACIN LOWERS CHOLESTEROL, BUT RAISES HOMOCYSTEINE:
People who take large doses of niacin to lower cholesterol have a
marked elevation of homocysteine, a risk factor for heart
attacks. Here is how it happens: Proteins are made up of
building blocks called amino acids. The B vitamin, Niacin, is
part of the enzyme that converts an amino acid, cysteine, into
homocysteine.
Three other B vitamins, folic acid (B9), cobalamin
(B12), and pyridoxine (B6)} protect you from accumulating too much
homocysteine by breaking down homocysteine and converting it to
cysteine. Therefore, when you take large doses of niacin, you
also have to take large doses of the other three vitamins to
protect you from accumulating homocysteine. Nobody really knows
how to balance large doses of vitamins when you take them in
pills. I think that it is safer to depend on nature to provide
the proper balance of vitamins in foods.
MY RECOMMENDATIONS: I do not believe that taking one
vitamin pill a day is harmful. I do believe that taking large
doses of vitamins can harm you. I also believe that you do not
need to take vitamin pills. Eat a diet rich in fruits,
vegetables, whole grains, beans, seeds and nuts. Some people
need to take vitamins D or B12, but you should be able to get B12
from fish or chicken, and get your vitamin D from sunlight if
possible.

***********************************************

Reports from DrMirkin.com

Testosterone replacement
http://www.drmirkin.com/men/m227.html

Dry skin
http://www.drmirkin.com/women/dry_skin.html

Strength training makes you faster
http://www.drmirkin.com/fitness/8963.html


***********************************************

Dear Dr. Mirkin: Should cortisones (glucocorticoids, steroids) be
injected into painful joints?

We do not know. Orthopedists inject cortisone into joints
because they know that these injections can provide immediate
dramatic relief of pain and swelling in damaged joints whether
from trauma or from inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid
arthritis. However, a major side effect of cortisone is loss of
calcium and weakening of bones. Therefore many doctors recommend
that a person receive only up to three cortisone injections into
a joint during a lifetime.
A recent study from MIT shows that cortisone-type
injections can prevent long-term damage to injured joints
(Arthritis Research & Therapy, September 2011).
Damaged cartilage almost never heals and can eventually
lead to osteoarthritis. Bones come together to form joints, and
the ends of bones are protected by a thick white gristle called
cartilage. When you damage cartilage, the outer surface layer in
the joint breaks down and the ability to form a new outer layer
is markedly reduced, so broken cartilage does not heal. Your
joint produces cytokines (TNF, IL-1, and IL-6) that mobilize your
immune system to kill invading germs. These same cytokines also
attack the broken cartilage to cause even more damage. Cortisone
Injections reduce these cytokines, prevent further joint damage,
and restore the synthesis of new cartilage to normal levels.
Professor Alan Grodzinsky from the MIT Center for
Biomedical Engineering said, "Our results suggest that short-term
glucocorticoid treatment after joint injury may help restore
components of cartilage to pre-injury levels and consequently may
prevent the long term changes which lead to osteoarthritis."

***********************************************

Dear Dr. Mirkin: Is carbohydrate loading before competition more
effective in increasing endurance than taking carbohydrates
during competition?

No! This month a review of eighty-eight randomized
crossover studies in which carbohydrate supplements were
consumed, with or without protein during exercise, showed
conclusively that it increases endurance very significantly, and
the longer the event, the greater the benefit (Sports Medicine
(Auckland, N.Z). September, 2011).
TAKING CARBOHYDRATES HELPS YOU EXERCISE MORE INTENSELY.
The limiting factor in how long you can exercise intensely is the
time it takes to bring oxygen into muscles. Since sugar requires
less oxygen to power your muscles than fat and protein do, taking
extra sugar reduces oxygen needs and allows you to run, ski,
skate, swim, and cycle faster.
CARBOHYDRATE LOADING: Sugar is stored in muscles and
liver. Several years ago, researchers showed that athletes
could increase their sugar stores in muscles by restricting
carbohydrates seven to four days before competition, and then
eating extra carbohydrate-containing foods for the three days
prior to competition. However, all recent research show that
conditioned athletes can maximally store sugar in muscles just by
reducing their amount of prodigious training for four days and
eating a little extra carbohydrate-containing food.
WHY SUGAR DURING COMPETITION IS BETTER: The amount of sugar
that can be stored in muscles is limited. If you exercise long
enough, you will decrease sugar stores and start to burn more
fat, which will increase your need for oxygen and slow you down.
When you take sugar during competition, either in drinks or food,
you increase the percentage of sugar that your muscles use,
decrease your oxygen needs, and go faster longer. During races
lasting more than an hour, we take sugared soft drinks, whole
grain bars, and sugared apricot paste.

***********************************************

Recipe of the Week:

Asparagus-Shrimp Salad
http://www.drmirkin.com/recipes/aspshrimpsalad.html


You'll find lots of recipes and helpful tips in
The Good Food Book
http://www.drmirkin.com/goodfood/index.html

***********************************************

"Like" us on Facebook
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Dr-Gabe-Mirkin-on-Fitness-Health/200757859968159

Twitter
http://twitter.com/DrGabeMirkin

***********************************************

BACK ISSUES of the eZine from 2004-2011 are available at
http://www.drmirkin.com/public/EzineList.html

YOU ARE WELCOME TO COPY the e-Zine's contents for
use in your own newsletter, company or club publication,
BLOG or website. Please give proper credit and a link
back to http://www.drmirkin.com

The e-Zine is provided as a service. Dr.Mirkin's reports and
opinions are for information only, and are not intended to
diagnose or prescribe. For your specific diagnosis and
treatment, consult your doctor or health care provider.
For more information visit http://www.drmirkin.com

We DO NOT sell, rent or give your e-mail address to anyone.
Copyright 2011 The Sportsmedicine Institute, Inc.
http://www.DrMirkin.com


Gabe Mirkin, M.D.
10901 Connecticut Avenue, Kensington MD 20895, USA

To unsubscribe or change subscriber options visit:
http://www.aweber.com/z/r/?zAwszEwstCzs7JwcHMystEa0jIwcjGyMLKw=

Thursday, September 8, 2011

DrMirkin's eZine: Vitamins from food, cortisone shots, more . . .

Dr. Gabe Mirkin's Fitness and Health E-Zine
September 11, 2011

Get Vitamins from Food, Not Pills

One in three women and one in four men in the United
States take vitamin pills regularly. This month, a study that
followed 182,099 people in California and Hawaii for an average
of 11 years showed that taking multivitamin pills neither
decreased nor increased the death rate for all causes or the rates
of heart attack or cancer (American Journal of Epidemiology,
August, 2011).
A previous review of 67 randomized trials of vitamin pill
effects on life and health found that taking vitamin pills may
shorten life (Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Issue 1,
2008). The authors found an increased death rate of 16 percent
in those taking vitamin A pills, seven percent with beta-
carotene, and seven percent with vitamin E. The Women's Health
Initiative study followed women for eight years and found that
taking multivitamin pills has little or no influence on the risk
of common cancers, heart attacks or death rate in postmenopausal
women (Archives of Internal Medicine, February, 2009). A review
of the world's literature shows that multivitamin use neither
increases nor decreases risk for breast cancer (Annals of
Pharmacotherapy. published online April 2011).
VITAMIN D FROM SUNLIGHT, NOT PILLS: Vitamin D is the only
vitamin that appears consistently in the literature to help
prevent heart attacks and cancers, and that benefit is related
more to the fact that you can get it from sunlight (Cancer
Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, April 2011). The Swedish
Women's Lifestyle and Health cohort study followed women for up
to 15 years and found that women who got sunburned twice or more
per year during adolescence live longer than those who had been
sunburned less than that. Women who went on sunbathing vacations
more than once a year lived longer and suffered fewer heart
attacks.
VITAMIN B PILLS MAY CAUSE HARM: Every chemical reaction in
your body is started by an enzyme. For your body to convert
chemical A to chemical B, you need an enzyme to start that
reaction. All eight B vitamins are parts of enzymes. When you
take large doses of one enzyme, you accumulate end products that
must be balanced by also taking large doses of other enzymes.
For example, NIACIN LOWERS CHOLESTEROL, BUT RAISES HOMOCYSTEINE:
People who take large doses of niacin to lower cholesterol have a
marked elevation of homocysteine, a risk factor for heart
attacks. Here is how it happens: Proteins are made up of
building blocks called amino acids. The B vitamin, Niacin, is
part of the enzyme that converts an amino acid, cysteine, into
homocysteine.
Three other B vitamins, folic acid (B9), cobalamin
(B12), and niacin (B3)} protect you from accumulating too much
homocysteine by breaking down homocysteine and converting it to
cysteine. Therefore, when you take large doses of niacin, you
also have to take large doses of the other three vitamins to
protect you from accumulating homocysteine. Nobody really knows
how to balance large doses of vitamins when you take them in
pills. I think that it is safer to depend on nature to provide
the proper balance of vitamins in foods.
MY RECOMMENDATIONS: I do not believe that taking one
vitamin pill a day is harmful. I do believe that taking large
doses of vitamins can harm you. I also believe that you do not
need to take vitamin pills. Eat a diet rich in fruits,
vegetables, whole grains, beans, seeds and nuts. Some people
need to take vitamins D or B12, but you should be able to get B12
from fish or chicken, and get your vitamin D from sunlight if
possible.

***********************************************

Reports from DrMirkin.com

Testosterone replacement
http://www.drmirkin.com/men/m227.html

Dry skin
http://www.drmirkin.com/women/dry_skin.html

Strength training makes you faster
http://www.drmirkin.com/fitness/8963.html


***********************************************

Dear Dr. Mirkin: Should cortisones (glucocorticoids, steroids) be
injected into painful joints?

We do not know. Orthopedists inject cortisone into joints
because they know that these injections can provide immediate
dramatic relief of pain and swelling in damaged joints whether
from trauma or from inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid
arthritis. However, a major side effect of cortisone is loss of
calcium and weakening of bones. Therefore many doctors recommend
that a person receive only up to three cortisone injections into
a joint during a lifetime.
A recent study from MIT shows that cortisone-type
injections can prevent long-term damage to injured joints
(Arthritis Research & Therapy, September 2011).
Damaged cartilage almost never heals and can eventually
lead to osteoarthritis. Bones come together to form joints, and
the ends of bones are protected by a thick white gristle called
cartilage. When you damage cartilage, the outer surface layer in
the joint breaks down and the ability to form a new outer layer
is markedly reduced, so broken cartilage does not heal. Your
joint produces cytokines (TNF, IL-1, and IL-6) that mobilize your
immune system to kill invading germs. These same cytokines also
attack the broken cartilage to cause even more damage. Cortisone
Injections reduce these cytokines, prevent further joint damage,
and restore the synthesis of new cartilage to normal levels.
Professor Alan Grodzinsky from the MIT Center for
Biomedical Engineering said, "Our results suggest that short-term
glucocorticoid treatment after joint injury may help restore
components of cartilage to pre-injury levels and consequently may
prevent the long term changes which lead to osteoarthritis."

***********************************************

Dear Dr. Mirkin: Is carbohydrate loading before competition more
effective in increasing endurance than taking carbohydrates
during competition?

No! This month a review of eighty-eight randomized
crossover studies in which carbohydrate supplements were
consumed, with or without protein during exercise, showed
conclusively that it increases endurance very significantly, and
the longer the event, the greater the benefit (Sports Medicine
(Auckland, N.Z). September, 2011).
TAKING CARBOHYDRATES HELPS YOU EXERCISE MORE INTENSELY.
The limiting factor in how long you can exercise intensely is the
time it takes to bring oxygen into muscles. Since sugar requires
less oxygen to power your muscles than fat and protein do, taking
extra sugar reduces oxygen needs and allows you to run, ski,
skate, swim, and cycle faster.
CARBOHYDRATE LOADING: Sugar is stored in muscles and
liver. Several years ago, researchers showed that athletes
could increase their sugar stores in muscles by restricting
carbohydrates seven to four days before competition, and then
eating extra carbohydrate-containing foods for the three days
prior to competition. However, all recent research show that
conditioned athletes can maximally store sugar in muscles just by
reducing their amount of prodigious training for four days and
eating a little extra carbohydrate-containing food.
WHY SUGAR DURING COMPETITION IS BETTER: The amount of sugar
that can be stored in muscles is limited. If you exercise long
enough, you will decrease sugar stores and start to burn more
fat, which will increase your need for oxygen and slow you down.
When you take sugar during competition, either in drinks or food,
you increase the percentage of sugar that your muscles use,
decrease your oxygen needs, and go faster longer. During races
lasting more than an hour, we take sugared soft drinks, whole
grain bars, and sugared apricot paste.

***********************************************

Recipe of the Week:

Asparagus-Shrimp Salad
http://www.drmirkin.com/recipes/aspshrimpsalad.html


You'll find lots of recipes and helpful tips in
The Good Food Book
http://www.drmirkin.com/goodfood/index.html

***********************************************

"Like" us on Facebook
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Dr-Gabe-Mirkin-on-Fitness-Health/200757859968159

Twitter
http://twitter.com/DrGabeMirkin

***********************************************

BACK ISSUES of the eZine from 2004-2011 are available at
http://www.drmirkin.com/public/EzineList.html

YOU ARE WELCOME TO COPY the e-Zine's contents for
use in your own newsletter, company or club publication,
BLOG or website. Please give proper credit and a link
back to http://www.drmirkin.com

The e-Zine is provided as a service. Dr.Mirkin's reports and
opinions are for information only, and are not intended to
diagnose or prescribe. For your specific diagnosis and
treatment, consult your doctor or health care provider.
For more information visit http://www.drmirkin.com

We DO NOT sell, rent or give your e-mail address to anyone.
Copyright 2011 The Sportsmedicine Institute, Inc.
http://www.DrMirkin.com


Gabe Mirkin, M.D.
10901 Connecticut Avenue, Kensington MD 20895, USA

To unsubscribe or change subscriber options visit:
http://www.aweber.com/z/r/?zAwszEwstCzs7JwcHMystEa0jIwcDAzs7Jw=

Wednesday, September 7, 2011

If logos were honest (18 photos)

If logos were honest (18 photos)

Link to Curious Read

If logos were honest (18 photos)

Posted: 06 Sep 2011 04:11 PM PDT




[[ Click Through for the rest of the post, and other interesting content. ]]

Tuesday, September 6, 2011

Sept. 4: Exercising in hot weather, longevity, more . . .

In this week's issue of Dr. Mirkin's e-Zine:

http://www.drmirkin.com/public/ezine090411.html
Exercising in Hot Weather
Do your genes determine how long you live?
Can taking calcium supplements cause heart attacks?

****************************************

Reports from DrMirkin.com

Scrotal temperature and sterility
http://www.drmirkin.com/archive/7204.html

100 Free Recipes from The Good Food Book
http://www.drmirkin.com/goodfood/recipes.html

Afternoon tiredness
http://www.drmirkin.com/morehealth/9188.html

Intervals for speed
http://www.drmirkin.com/fitness/interval_training.html

Radon
http://www.drmirkin.com/morehealth/9918.html

Massage therapy
http://www.drmirkin.com/fitness/f139.htm

****************************************

Follow us on Facebook
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Dr-Gabe-Mirkin-on-Fitness-Health/200757859968159

Twitter
http://twitter.com/DrGabeMirkin

***********************************************

We do not sell, rent or give your email address to anyone.
Thank you,
Gabe Mirkin, M.D.
10901 Connecticut Avenue, Kensington MD 20895, USA

To unsubscribe or change subscriber options visit:
http://www.aweber.com/z/r/?zAwszEwstCzs7JwcHMystEa0jIzs7MycDEw=

Monday, September 5, 2011

Can Drinking Water Really Help Lose Weight ?

Can Drinking Water Really Help Lose Weight ?


Can Drinking Water Really Help Lose Weight ?

Posted: 04 Sep 2011 11:54 AM PDT


var addthis_product = 'wpp-252'; var addthis_config = {"data_track_clickback":true};Body Mass Index (BMI) is commonly used to determine weight problems in adult. It's calculated by dividing weight in kilogram by height square in meters (weight (kg)/ [height (m)]2). For adults above or equal to 20 years of age, normal BMI values lies between 18.5 to 24.9. Athletes with muscle mass may normally have values...

[[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

Thursday, September 1, 2011

DrMirkin's eZine: Hot-weather exercise, longevity, more . . .

Dr. Gabe Mirkin's Fitness and Health E-Zine
September 4, 2011

Exercising in Hot Weather

With each increase in environmental temperature from 62
to 89 degrees Fahrenheit, cyclists have higher body temperatures,
lose more power and ride slower (International Journal of Sports
Physiology and Performance, June, 2011).
YOU LOSE POWER BEFORE YOUR TEMPERATURE RISES SIGNIFICANTLY:
The loss of power precedes a marked rise in body temperature
(Journal of Sports Science, January 2010). Muscles are made up
of millions of individual nerve fibers. You contract only a few,
never all, muscle fibers at the same time. The greater the
percentage of fibers you contract at the same time, the greater
the force generated and the faster you can go. When you exercise
in hot weather, you lose power, speed and endurance before your
body temperature rises because you contract fewer fibers at the
same time (Pflugers Archiv, July 2004).
MECHANISM: The limiting factor in how fast and long you
can exercise is the time it takes to bring oxygen into muscles.
When you can't keep up with your needs for oxygen, you slow
down. More than 70 percent of the energy supplied to power your
muscles is lost as heat. The faster you go, the more heat your
muscles produce. A rise in muscle temperature makes your muscles
require even more oxygen, so it slows you down.
Your heart pumps oxygen-rich blood to your muscles.
As your temperature rises, your heart has to work harder to pump
the hot blood from your muscles to your skin to dissipate the
heat. This extra blood pumped to your skin reduces the amount of
oxygen-rich blood available to be pumped to your muscles, so you
have to slow down.
TAKING CARBOHYDRATES HELPS YOU RIDE FASTER IN THE HEAT:
Cyclists who take sugar during races do not slow down as early
as those who take placebos (Journal of Applied Physiology,
April, 2008), and they are able to exercise longer
(International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise
Metabolism,. April 2004). Taking sugared drinks during races
helps you ride faster at any environmental temperature, but in
hot weather, it helps you maintain your power and speed even
more. Since sugar requires less oxygen to power your muscles
than fat and protein do, taking extra sugar reduces oxygen needs
and allows you to ride faster.
COLD DRINKS ARE BETTER THAN WARM ONES: Cyclists who
took cold drinks (4 degrees C) every ten minutes had slightly
lower body temperatures, and rode faster and longer than those
who took their drinks at warmer temperatures (Journal of Sports
Science, September 2010). A review of ten studies on the
subject showed that cold drinks lower body temperature and can
improve performance by as much as 10 percent (International
Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism, April 2010).
ACCLIMATIZATION: If you want to race at your best in
hot weather, you have to train in the heat and live in the heat.
You can't just go from a cold climate to a hot one and expect to
be able to tolerate the heat or race effectively. Acclimatization
to hot weather exercise can be accomplished only by exercising
intensely in the heat, not just by living in hot weather.
It takes at least a couple of weeks of exercising intensely in
the heat to acclimatize. The more fit you are, the better you
can tolerate the heat.
CAUTION: Exercising in the heat increases your risk for
heat stroke and heat exhaustion. See
http://www.drmirkin.com/public/ezine052211.html
FOR THE COMPETITIVE ATHLETE: Pre-cooling helps you to
ride faster in the heat. If you lower your temperature and
drink cooled fluids before you start to race, you can ride
faster at the start and during that race. The most effective
way to do this is to: *take a sugared and iced drink before the
race (J Sports Sci. 2007) and *immerse the racer up to his neck
in cold water (Med Sci Sports Exerc, 1997;29(7). The fastest
time trials were accomplished by cyclists who preceded their
time trials by taking large volumes of a sugar-ice drink (up to
one liter ) and by plunging their bodies into cold water for ten
minutes (Med Sci Sports Exerc, Jan, 2011). However I can find
no studies on the safety of pre-cooling. I know that people
with blocked arteries leading to their hearts could suffer
irregular heartbeats and even heart attacks.

***********************************************

Reports from DrMirkin.com

Rest periods between intervals
http://www.drmirkin.com/fitness/rest_between_intervals.html

Omega-3's from plants
http://www.drmirkin.com/nutrition/1708.html

Sunscreens
http://www.drmirkin.com/morehealth/sunscreens.html

***********************************************

Dear Dr. Mirkin: Do your genes determine how long you live?

Genes appear to be more important in determining who will
live beyond 100, but in people who live into their nineties, how
sick you become and how long you live are determined more by
what you do than by your genes.
WHO IS LESS LIKELY TO DIE? Middle-aged people are 63
percent less likely to die within 18 years if they avoid
smoking, eat a low-fat and low-sugar diet, exercise regularly,
and drink alcohol moderately (American Journal of Public Health,
published online August 18, 2011). Compared to those who
followed none of these healthful living habits, those who
followed all four were protected for:
*11.1 years from all-causes of death,
*14.4 years from malignant cancers,
*9.9 years from heart attacks, and
*10.6 years from other causes of death.
Smoking was the strongest risk factor for premature death
WHO IS LESS LIKELY TO SUFFER POOR HEALTH? Middle-aged
people who never smoked, were not overweight, exercised at least
3.5 hours per week, and ate a healthful diet had an 80 percent
decreased risk of chronic diseases. After being followed for
almost eight years, they had:
*93 percent lower risk of diabetes,
*81 percent lower risk of heart attacks,
*50 percent lower risk of strokes, and
*36 percent lower risk of cancers
If you added in taking no more than two drinks a day, the
benefits would have been even greater. Being overweight was
the strongest risk factor for serious disease. Next came
smoking, followed by lack of exercise, and then by a high fat
and sugar diet (Archives of Internal Medicine, August 10/24,
2011).

***********************************************

Dear Dr. Mirkin: Can taking calcium supplements cause heart
attacks?

Possibly. DO NOT TAKE MORE THAN 500 MG/DAY IN CALCIUM
PILLS. Many studies show that taking more than 500 mg/day of
calcium pills is associated with an increased risk for heart
attacks (Endocrine Practice, published online August 19, 2011).
Therefore most medical organizations recommend that you never
take more than 1200 mg/day of calcium from pills plus food
(Journal of Bone and Mineral Research, April 2011).
DO NOT RAISE BLOOD LEVELS OF VITAMIN D ABOVE 125
NMOL/L. Since vitamin D markedly increases the absorption of
calcium, you probably should never take vitamin D pills that
raise blood levels of vitamin D3 beyond 50 ng/mL (125 nmol/L).
A review of the world's literature shows that the upper safe
level of intake for vitamin D is between 4,000 and 10,000
IU/day and for calcium, from food and pills, between
2,000 - 3,000 mg/day.

***********************************************

Recipe of the Week:

Sweet Potato Bisque
http://www.drmirkin.com/recipes/bisque.html


You'll find lots of recipes and helpful tips in
The Good Food Book
http://www.drmirkin.com/goodfood/index.html

***********************************************

"Like" us on Facebook
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Dr-Gabe-Mirkin-on-Fitness-Health/200757859968159

Twitter
http://twitter.com/DrGabeMirkin

***********************************************

BACK ISSUES of the eZine from 2004-2011 are available at
http://www.drmirkin.com/public/EzineList.html

YOU ARE WELCOME TO COPY the e-Zine's contents for
use in your own newsletter, company or club publication,
BLOG or website. Please give proper credit and a link
back to http://www.drmirkin.com

The e-Zine is provided as a service. Dr.Mirkin's reports and
opinions are for information only, and are not intended to
diagnose or prescribe. For your specific diagnosis and
treatment, consult your doctor or health care provider.
For more information visit http://www.drmirkin.com

We DO NOT sell, rent or give your e-mail address to anyone.
Copyright 2011 The Sportsmedicine Institute, Inc.
http://www.DrMirkin.com


Gabe Mirkin, M.D.
10901 Connecticut Avenue, Kensington MD 20895, USA

To unsubscribe or change subscriber options visit:
http://www.aweber.com/z/r/?zAwszEwstCzs7JwcHMystEa0jIzszOysnCw=