Physicians as a group are leaner, fitter and live longer than average Americans

From the WSJ:

Physicians as a group are leaner, fitter and live longer than average Americans. Male physicians keep their cholesterol and blood pressure lower.

However, doctors are less likely to have their own primary care physician—and more apt to abuse prescription drugs.

Lifestyle habits

Exercise: Many physicians say they "embed" it into their lives, making it a non-negotiable part of their daily routine, often early in the morning before demands pile on. One doctor says he gets up at 4:45 a.m. virtually every morning to train for marathons he runs. "But by 8:30 at night, I have the IQ of a zucchini," he says.

Smoking: Only 2% to 4% of physicians smoke cigarettes, compared to roughly 24% of the U.S. population.

Stress: For all their good habits, it's no secret that doctors are under enormous pressure.

References:
What Patients Can Learn from the Ways Physicians Take Care of Themselves. WSJ.

Image source: OpenClipart.org, public domain.

Good and Bad Health Habits in U.S.: drinkers outnumber exercisers

The CDC study shows that six in 10 American adults were regular drinkers in 2005-2007, but only about three in 10 regularly exercised.

Since 1997, rates of cigarette smoking have declined by several percentage points, rates of obesity have climbed, and rates of alcohol use, exercise, and sleep have remained relatively unchanged.

Men were more likely than women to be drinkers (68% vs. 55%).

The more educated people were, the more likely they were to drink. 74% of people who have a graduate degree were drinkers, compared with 44% of people with a high school diploma.

Adults with higher levels of education were less likely to be smokers, be physically inactive, and be obese and to sleep six hours or less per night.

Twitter comments:

@kcb704: "The more educated people were, the more likely they were to drink." http://goo.gl/JDv1 // work hard, play hard..

@BrettLinda: Hold on... good or bad? RT @DrVes Good and Bad Health Habits in U.S.: drinkers outnumber exercisers http://goo.gl/JDv1

References:
Good and Bad Health Habits in U.S. WebMD.

Images source: Wikipedia, Free Documentation License.

Can You Tell Your Life Story In 6 Words?

Larry Smith and Rachel Fershleiser talk to NPR about the fun and the challenge of capturing real-life stories in six little words.

Some examples related to medicine:

Alzheimer's: meeting new people every day.
Phil Skversky

After cancer, I became a semicolon.
Anthony R. Cardno

Normal person becomes psychotic on Twitter.
Robin Slick

Yale at 16, downhill from there.
Anita Kawatra

References:
Can You Tell Your Life Story In Exactly Six Words? NPR, 2010.

Fish out of pills - Pharmaceuticals in drinking water

Fish out of pills - Pharmaceuticals in drinking water, NationalGeographic, April 01, 2010. Design Editor Oliver Uberti shows what went into the making of an information graphic about pharmaceuticals that make their way into our watersheds and end up in fish. Click here to see the full-size illustration.

A vast array of pharmaceuticals — including antibiotics, anti-convulsants, mood stabilizers and sex hormones — have been found in the drinking water supplies of at least 41 million Americans. The concentrations of these pharmaceuticals are tiny, far below the levels of a medical dose but the long-term consequences to human health are unknown.

The pharmaceutical industry points out the amount of medication in the water supply is the equivalent of a single pill in an Olympic-size swimming pool. Still, if you a have glass of water in Philadelphia, you are drinking tiny amounts of at least 56 medications.

References:

Antibiotics, anticonvulsants, antidepressants and sex hormones in drinking water of 41 million Americans http://goo.gl/HiXa

AP Probe Finds Drugs in Drinking Water. Associated Press.

Drugs in water causing troubling problems to fish, wildlife. CNN.
In U.S., bottled water lacks drug safeguards. CNN.

Pollution: Fish Pharm. NGM Blog Central.

Related reading:
Fish Pharm: Pharmaceutical Waste and the Environment. BitingTheDust, 2010.

Fishing For Answers: How To Choose Fish and Seafood | Summer Tomato http://goo.gl/0OBf

Updated: 05/02/2010

Jamie Oliver at TED: Teach every child about food

Sharing powerful stories from his anti-obesity project in Huntington, W. Va., TED Prize winner Jamie Oliver makes the case for an all-out assault on our ignorance of food.

How to Exercise WHILE Blogging or Doing Other Computer Work

The exercises below have been adapted from a ProBlogger post. Most of the names have been modeled after popular social media services such as Twitter, RSS, Blogger, etc.

1. Cyber Squats. Set your chair aside for a few minutes and instead move to a semi-squat position with thighs parallel to the floor. Hold for 1 minute.

2. RSS Raises. As you’re sitting at your desk, straighten your knees and lift your legs out in front of you.

3. Ten Minute "Move it!" Break. Alternate jogging in place with jumping jacks – do a minute of each and repeat 5 times.

4. Twitter Tummy Tone. Tighten your abdominal muscles for 30 seconds and then release.

5. Social Squeezes. Tighten your gluteal muscles for 30 seconds and then release.

6. Ten Minute "Move it!" Break. Grab a step stool and climb up and down.

7. Inbox Incline. While you’re sitting with your feet on the floor, raise your heels so you are on the balls of your feet and lower them.

8. Ten Minute "Move it!" Break. Do walking lunges around the house. You can add some weights and do bicep curls at the same time.

9. Blogger Breather. Close your eyes and focus on your breath. Count to 10 as you slowly inhale through your nose, thinking positive thoughts. Exhale through your mouth, again counting to 10. Release all the tension and stress out of your body.

10. Sign Off Stretches. Shoulder shrugs – with your head at your chest, shrug your shoulders up and down. Neck Rolls – relax your shoulders and let your head roll forward. Slowly rotate your head in a circle. Repeat five times.

How to stay healthy while traveling: This is a mnemonic for exercises that can be done with just body weight: PLSS

P ushups
S itups
L unges
S quats


Exercises that can be done with just body weight: PLSS.

Exercise slows telomere shortening (and aging). Telomeres are the chromosome tips which shorten each time a cell divides, making them a possible marker of aging. A study of 2400 twins showed that physically active people had longer telomeres than sedentary people. According to the authors, this provides a powerful message that could be used by clinicians to promote the potentially antiaging effect of regular exercise.


Human chromosomes (grey) capped by telomeres (white). Image source: Wikipedia, public

domain.

If you need any more convincing, please see this "health promotion" video that clearly shows the benefits of exercise:

"Health Promotion" video: Benefits of exercise.

References:
10 Ways to get Fit WHILE Blogging. ProBlogger, 2009.
How to stay healthy while traveling

How to live to be 100 - The Secret of the "Blue Zones"

"To find the path to long life and health, Dan Buettner and team study the world's "Blue Zones," communities whose elders live with vim and vigor to record-setting age. At TEDxTC, he shares the 9 common diet and lifestyle habits that keep them spry past age 100."

A Blue Zone is a region of the world where people commonly live active lives past the age of 100 years.

Five Blue Zones have been identified by Buettner:

- Sardinia, Italy
- The islands of Okinawa, Japan
- Loma Linda, California
- Nicoya Peninsula, Costa Rica
- Icaria, Greece

Venn Diagram of longevity clues from Okinawa, Sardinia, and Loma Linda. Image source: Wikipedia, public domain.

References:
Dan Buettner: How to live to be 100+
Blue Zone. Wikipedia.
Uncovering secrets to a longer life. CNN.

Maps:


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4 Healthy Habits Sharply Reduce Risk of Serious Disease

From WebMD:

People Who Follow 4 Simple Habits Sharply Reduce Risk of Serious Disease.

What are those 4 habits? Here they are:

1. Never smoke.
2. Exercise at least 3.5 hours per week.
3. Maintain a body mass index (BMI) under 30.
4. Follow a diet high in fruits, vegetables, and whole-grain breads, and limited in meats.

This is a mnemonic for exercises that can be done with just body weight: PLSS

P ushups
S itups
L unges
S quats


Exercises that can be done with just body weight: PLSS.

References:
4 Healthy Habits That Cut Disease Risk. WebMD, 2009.
Pessimism and Cynicism Appear to Increase Risk of Heart Disease and Death http://bit.ly/synPO
Healthy Living Is the Best Revenge: Adhering to 4 simple healthy lifestyle factors prevents chronic diseases http://bit.ly/564PR
How to stay healthy while traveling

Pessimism and Cynicism May Increase Risk of Heart Disease and Death

From WebMD and Circulation:

Pessimism and Cynicism Appear to Increase Risk of Heart Disease and Death.

Women who scored highest for optimism had a 9% lower risk for developing heart disease and a 14% lower risk of dying.

Optimists were more likely to:

- be younger
- live in the western U.S.
- have higher education
- have higher income levels
- have a job
- have health insurance
- attend church

MOTORS of Your Life

Studies describe a set of wellbeing practices that are correlated with the feeling of happiness (BMJ, WJM). I tried to summarize them in the mnemonic MOTORS because the pursuit of happiness, in its altruistic sense, can be the motor of your life.

“MOTORS” stands for:

Meaning --> find a meaning in what you do for a living but don't forget to set limits around it
Outlook --> have a positive outlook on life. Be philosophical but also focused on success
Time --> spend quality time with F&F (Family & Friends)
Out of of yuppie values --> don't focus on chasing money or prestige
Religious / spiritual practices
Self care practices, like sports or meditation

All these 6 features are correlated with feeling happier, and some of them even with living longer.

References:
Pessimism, Cynicism Can Hurt Your Heart. WebMD.
The American Heart Association journal Circulation, Aug 25, 2009.
Six Tips for Happiness by a Harvard Teacher
Image source: OpenClipArt.org, public domain.

Diabetic Patients on Low-Carbohydrate Mediterranean Diet Avoided Medication, Lost More Weight, and Decreased Coronary Risk Factors

From the Annals of Internal Medicine:

In this trial, the authors compared the effects of a Mediterranean diet versus a typical low-fat diet for diabetes management.

Researchers randomly assigned 215 patients to follow either a low carbohydrate, Mediterranean-style diet or a low-fat diet for four years.

After four years, 44% of patients in the Mediterranean-style diet group required antihyperglycemic drug therapy compared to 70% in the low-fat diet group.

Patients in the Mediterranean diet group also experienced greater weight loss and an improvement in some coronary risk factors.


Video.

Related:
Effects of a Mediterranean-Style Diet on the Need for Antihyperglycemic Drug Therapy in Patients With Newly Diagnosed Type 2 Diabetes. Katherine Esposito, MD, PhD; Maria Ida Maiorino, MD; Miryam Ciotola, MD; Carmen Di Palo, MD; Paola Scognamiglio, MD; Maurizio Gicchino, MD; Michela Petrizzo, MD; Franco Saccomanno, MD; Flora Beneduce, MD; Antonio Ceriello, MD; and Dario Giugliano, MD, PhD. Ann Int Med, 1 September 2009 | Volume 151 Issue 5 | Pages 306-314.
Mediterranean Diet Seems to Improve Cardiovascular Risk Factors After Just 3 Months
Mediterranean diet can protect children from asthma
Mediterranean Diet May Decrease Diabetes Risk

Why to Eat Like a Greek http://goo.gl/Chpwf - Mediterranean diet improves heart risk factors http://goo.gl/DkPhF
Image source: Olive oil, Wikipedia.

5 healthy habits for your children

From Consumer Reports Health Blog: As your tots, tweens, and teens head back to school, you won’t be there to watch their every move—but you can still send them off to the classroom or dorm with some good habits:

1. Eat your veggies.
2. Get some Zzzz’s.
3. Use sunscreen.
4. Drink more milk.
5. Wash your hands.


Video: Children and Sedentary Lifestyle, by the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.

Men Who Followed 6 Healthy Lifestyle Habits Cut Their Risk of Heart Failure in Half

From WebMD: The six healthy lifestyle factors associated with a lower risk of heart failure were:

1. Normal body weight
2. Never smoking
3. Regular exercise
4. Moderate alcohol use
5. Diet that includes eating breakfast cereals regularly
6. Diet rich in fruits and vegetables

The lifetime risk for heart failure was approximately 1 in 5 (21.2%) in men adhering to none of the desirable lifestyle factors, compared to 1 in 10 (10.1%) in those adhering to four or more healthy lifestyle factors.

Image source: OpenClipArt.org, public domain.