Not every Friday brings doctoring bliss. Sorry. Some Fridays, the wrongness of our healthcare approach squeezes you like a vice-grip. The medical news of the week can hit you hard. –This highly tweeted report on how Overweight is the new normal speaks to the futility of asking people to help themselves. That our strong, vibrant, […]
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When cyclists find out that I am a heart doctor, they most frequently ask about cholesterol numbers. “…My cholesterol is this…What do you think?†“…My doctor wants me to take a statin…But I read that these drugs might lower my functional threshold power 2.014 watts/40km.” All this focus on numbers saddens me. Remember, I am […]
When I started writing this blog 18 months ago, I did so on a whim. I enjoyed posting race reports on our bike team’s e-group. Writing in race-report vernacular, to an e-group of friends, made me laugh. There was zero pressure. Then, I learned about this thing called blogger. They had a ‘publish’ button, which […]
For competitive cyclists, Sunday morning usually signifies a time for combining spirituality with calorie-burning. Whether we are immersed in the total focus of a hotly-contested bike race or meditating our way through a seemingly endless training ride, it’s a given that most cyclists use Sundays to churn out the kilo-joules. This kind of Sunday-behavior differs […]
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Junk food in a can
It tastes sweet. It’s pleasurably fizzy. And free of calories. What’s more, the FDA says Nutra-sweet is safe. So what’s not to like about diet soft drinks? A bunch. The ongoing debate about the healthiness of diet soft drinks reminds me of the old-adage, if something sounds to be true, it probably is. Artificially-sweetened “diet” […]
This Wednesday, I’d like to talk about how rodents, relationships, and riding relate to intelligence and overall wellness. This idea comes from a nicely written NY Times piece entitled, Does Loneliness Reduce the Benefits of Exercise? Here, Ms Gretchen Reynolds reviews a few intriguing studies about how relationships may affect exercise, stress hormone levels and […]
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He proved his point
“Your health account is your wealth account…Long live living long” –Jack Lalanne Though many triathletes try, few succeed in registering higher on the goofiness scale than the satin-skin-suit-clad fitness guru, Jack Lalanne. I just couldn’t help grinning while I watched tonight’s evening-news recaps of his life; his grin and energy were infectious. Just looking at […]
I am a regular doctor. My job is to take care of people. I see, ablate, and operate on patients every day. I work in the real world, outside of an academic institution or think tank. Sadly, I do not have a foundation. Like most doctors, I take pride in my work.  No quality […]
Heart disease is serious. It is the most common cause of death. Heart disease is also our most preventable disease. Heart disease is about inflammation. The same mechanisms that cause the throat to swell from an infection, the skin to redden after an insect bite, and a scar to form after a cut are what […]
“John…Why are you going out in the cold?” “I need some stuff for work.” “Stuff?” “Pens…those cool felt tip ones that write really dark and bold.” I like it when the ‘Electrophysiology’ note stands out in the chart—like John Hancock’s signature did. Until a few months ago, a pacemaker company used to give out nifty […]
The end of the year marks a time for list-intensive posts. Recently, Larry Husten, from Cardio-Exchange and Cardiobrief, asked for my opinion on the three most important cardiology-related news stories of 2010. Additionally, he also wanted three predictions for 2011. (I assume cardiology predictions.) Here goes… My top three cardiology stories of 2010: —By far, the […]