Dr. Chet’s Health Memos
If it’s in the health news today, I’ll be writing about it as soon as I read the research, both old and new. With my email Health Memos, you’ll know more about making lifestyle choices that will help you get and keep good health. These free, concise updates on health are emailed to subscribers twice a week. Subscribe today and get a free MP3, in English or Spanish, of Dr. Chet’s Top Ten Tips—Small Changes for a Healthier Life.
The Number One Distraction
/in Memos/by Chet ZelaskoAfter reviewing the first two things that irk me, I realized this could go on for a long time. Most things that bother me, and probably you as well, may be attributed to a lack of self-awareness or more likely, complete self-absorption. Things such as walking three-people abreast in a mall or an airport (Hello? Do you realize there are other people around you?) or the line to board a flight stretching all the way across the concourse (You won’t lose your place in line if the line curves—can you tell I’ve been flying . . .
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The Science: Whacked by a Backpack
/in Memos/by Chet ZelaskoThis week I’m addressing why people do some of the things they do that bug me—and probably a whole lot more of you. Today is a very common one that happens mostly on planes but can occur anywhere we come into close contact: Why do people whack you with their backpacks when you’re seated in an airplane, bus, classroom, or restaurant?
This is due to a lack of spatial awareness as well as the lower number of nerve receptors on the back. For the most part, we know where our body is in the space around us . . .
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The Science Behind Left-Laners
/in Memos/by Chet ZelaskoI’ve tackled a lot of serious subjects lately and reviewed a lot of research that gets major headlines. For this week, I’ve decided to look at why people do some of the things that they do—little everyday things that bug me and probably bug most of you as well. We can just dismiss them as people being rude, but I’m going to take it a step further: I’m going to explain the behaviors from a scientific perspective. So let’s start with the thing that bugs me most:
Why do . . .
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The Big Chill: Do You Need a Flu Shot?
/in Memos/by Chet ZelaskoIn this final installment of The Big Chill, I’m going to take a look at flu shots: should you get one or not? Before I do that, a word about echinacea.
Echinacea
Many readers have read that echinacea shouldn’t be used long term or used at all if you have an autoimmune disease such as rheumatoid arthritis. The problem is that there are no studies to support either position and no studies to suggest it’s harmful, either. In that situation, the approach is always to proceed with caution until we know more. The only problem with waiting . . .
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The Big Chill: Immune-Boosting Supplements
/in Memos/by Chet ZelaskoGetting ready for cold and flu season, let’s turn to dietary supplements that may help keep your immune system strong. Dozens of supplements are promoted to strengthen the immune system, but let’s stick to what I know works based on the research and my experience: echinacea, garlic, and vitamin C.
Make sure you read this first before you go to the amounts of each supplement to take below because in this case, close enough is. Don’t obsess about the difference between 200 mg or 250 mg, and if I say 300 mg three times a day, don . . .
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Get Ready for the Big Chill
/in Memos/by Chet ZelaskoIf you live almost anywhere in the continental U.S. and Canada, you’re in for some chilly weather for the next 10 days at least, so it’s time to boost your immune system for the cold and flu season. Let’s start where your immune system starts and that’s your gut. You guessed it—we’re talking about the microbiome, the 100 trillion or so microbial organisms that live in and on our bodies and contribute to our health.
There are three ways to give your microbiome a boost:
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Fat Crash-Test Dummies
/in Memos/by Chet ZelaskoA company made headlines this week, and while I’m never really fond of science by headline, this one is a little different. This week, we’ve found out that we’re fatter than ever and that most of us are storing our fat in our abdominal region (1,2); because of those trends, Humanetics, the company that manufactures crash-test dummies, is designing new dummies that reflect the obesity rates in the U.S. and Canada.
I think it’s a good idea. The old crash-test dummies were based on a body that weighed 167 pounds. That model . . .
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The Problem with Belly Fat
/in Memos/by Chet ZelaskoLet’s take a closer look at abdominal obesity: why it’s worse than having fat more generally distributed, and what could explain the increase (1,2).
There are two types of fat storage: subcutaneous and visceral. Subcutaneous means the fat is stored just under the skin. Though it’s flabby and not great to look at, it’s more a storage location and not metabolically active for the most part. Intra-abdominal fat or visceral fat is more metabolically active. While scientists don’t really know why, conditions such as high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and insulin resistance are . . .
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How Fat Are We?
/in Memos/by Chet ZelaskoSometimes I miss Jay Leno. There were times he would ask a question such as “How fat are we?” and hit one-liner after one-liner. While his jokes were usually outrageous, they were indicative of where we are in the U.S. today. I’m going to review a couple of studies this week and believe me, there are no jokes in the latest research.
To answer Jay’s question, we’re fatter than we’ve ever been (1). Based on statistics from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the percentage of Americans who are overweight is 68.5 . . .
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Taurine and Caffeine
/in Memos/by Chet ZelaskoToday we’re wrapping up our look at the potential benefits of adding more taurine to your diet. One of the topics I get asked about most often is the effect of caffeine and taurine in combination on the heart. The concern is that energy drinks contain both nutrients; would that have negative effects on people with heart issues such as hypertension? Let’s take a look at a recent research review.
The authors of the review paper examined the available research on the potential interactions between caffeine and taurine because of the increase in energy-drink consumption. The effects . . .
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