Archive for October, 2009

The Potassium Deficiency Myth

Submitted by Fitness & Health with Dr. Gabe Mirkin
Sports drink promoters have convinced many athletes that they need special drinks to replace potassium during exercise. A recent study of female soccer players confirms that this is a myth (International Journal of Sports Medicine, June 2009). When body levels of potassium are low, the kidneys and [...]

Preventing Muscle Cramps

Submitted by Fitness & Health with Dr. Gabe Mirkin
Most older textbooks explain that muscle cramps are caused by lack of water (dehydration) and lack of salt. However, studies on endurance athletes show that athletes who cramp do not have less body water or sodium than those who do not cramp (British Journal of Sports Medicine, [...]

New Rules for Sunscreens

Submitted by Fitness & Health with Dr. Gabe Mirkin
If you use sunscreens, be sure to reapply them frequently. Many sunscreens contain the filters octylmethoxycinnamate, benzophenone-3 or octocrylene, which reflect ultra violet rays away from your skin to protect it only when they are on the surface of the skin. However, when these sunscreens are absorbed [...]

Large Thighs are Good

Submitted by Fitness & Health with Dr. Gabe Mirkin
Large thighs appear to confer health benefits, not risks. A study reported this month shows that people who have small thigh muscles, independent of how much fat they have in their bellies, are at increased risk for premature death, particularly from heart attacks (British Medical Journal, September [...]

CRP Better Predictor of Heart Attacks than Cholesterol

Submitted by Fitness & Health with Dr. Gabe Mirkin
Blood tests for cholesterol and C-reactive protein (CRP) both help to measure heart attack risk, but CRP may be more important. CRP measures inflammation which indicates an overactive immunity, while cholesterol measures a type of fat in your blood. Having a high CRP blood test increases your [...]

Osteoarthritis: Treat with Exercise

Submitted by Fitness & Health with Dr. Gabe Mirkin
A review article from the University of British Columbia in Vancouver shows that exercise does not increase the rate of knee damage in people with osteoarthritis, and usually reduces knee pain and disability (Canadian Family Physician, September 2009).
If you develop pain in your knee that was not [...]