Archive for June, 2009

Hip Fracture Usually Requires Hip Replacement

Submitted by Fitness & Health with Dr. Gabe Mirkin
The most-feared injury among serious bicyclists is a broken hip. The femur hip bone is shaped like a shepherd’s crook. The blood supply to the ball at the top of the hip bone comes in through the neck just below the ball. If the neck or ball [...]

The Hygeine Hypothesis: Hot Debate

Submitted by Fitness & Health with Dr. Gabe Mirkin
The Hygiene Hypothesis proposes that you need to have certain infections to have a healthy immune system. If you are not infected with various common germs, your immunity does not have the chance to practice killing germs and learning the difference between invading organisms and your own [...]

Surgery for Blocked Arteries Questioned

Submitted by Fitness & Health with Dr. Gabe Mirkin
What should you do if your doctor tells you that you have blocked coronary arteries? A recent study shows that in people who have blocked arteries and diabetes, the chances of dying or having a major heart attack are the same whether they undergo surgical procedures (bypass [...]

What should you do if your doctor tells you that you have blocked coronary arteries?

Submitted by Fitness & Health with Dr. Gabe Mirkin
What should you do if your doctor tells you that you have blocked coronary arteries? A recent study shows that in people who have blocked arteries and diabetes, the chances of dying or having a major heart attack are the same whether they undergo surgical procedures (bypass [...]

Burning During Exercise Differs from Muscle Pain After Exercise

Submitted by Fitness & Health with Dr. Gabe Mirkin
The burning you feel in muscles during intense exercise is different from the burning and pain you feel after exercising. Burning during intense exercise is caused by the acidity from accumulation of lactic acid. When your muscles cannot get all the oxygen they need to convert food [...]

Which Blood Pressure Number is More Important?

Submitted by Fitness & Health with Dr. Gabe Mirkin
The higher number (systolic) measures pressure when your heart contracts, and the lower (diastolic) reading measures the pressure when your heart relaxes. A recent study followed people with high blood pressure to see which people developed heart attacks (Hypertension, May 26, 2009). The authors found that the [...]

Older People Need More Sunshine

Submitted by Fitness & Health with Dr. Gabe Mirkin
A study from the University of Warwick in England shows that more time in the sun can help older people avoid diabetes and heart attacks (Diabetes Care, July 2009). They evaluated 3,262 people aged 50-70 years old in Beijing and Shanghai, China, and found that 94 percent [...]