October 26th, 2009 11:22am
Mike DeDoncker
“Man, you’ve got to write something about this H1N1 flu panic. It’s crazy,” a doctor I know at the YMCA said from the treadmill he was on.
I encouraged him to tell me what was on his mind, and he cut loose.
“People are coming into our offices and saying they’re afraid of the H1N1 vaccine — and these are otherwise intelligent people. The H1N1 vaccine has been made the same way that all of our flu vaccines have been made for years and years and they are safe.
“But these people are scared and say they’re not going to get their kids vaccinated. And, what, because some TV commentator says it’s dangerous? They’re endangering their kids’ lives.”
His comments fit right in with the message that Winnebago County Health Department Administrator Mike Bacon, Dr. Robert Bales, the Health Department’s medical director, and Dr. Gary Rifkin, an infectious disease clinician and professor at the University of Illinois College of Medicine at Rockford, delivered in an H1N1 update for medical professionals earlier this month.
 I have to admit that, as someone still fairly new to paying a lot of attention to health issues, I’ve been surprised by the number of people with no evident medical credentials who have no qualms about second-guessing the people who do have that training and experience, or for that matter, calling them outright liars.
It’s their right to do so, sure, but that doesn’t make it any less curious.
I’m in an age group that puts me at a low priority to receive an H1N1 vaccination but, when my turn comes around, I’m getting one. I hope you will, too.
September 15th, 2009 11:43am
Mike DeDoncker
I’ve been trying to support our copy editor Sadye Scott-Hainchek with tips from my 28 or so years of running experiences as she prepared for her first half-marathon run.
Her blog reminds me of the weekly columns I wrote 11 or 12 years ago — as in long before anyone thought of blogs — about training for my first marathon. I’ve also been assigned to edit her Get Running (http://blogs.e-rockford.com/getrunning/ ) blog posts for use on our Sunday HealthyRockford.com page so, when she wrote in her description of her finish in the Waterfront 5K that she was passed at the end “by a man who looked almost old enough to be my grandfather” I left that in because it was a nice bit of color.
Besides, we guys who actually are old enough to be grandfathers of young adults have to stick together.
I didn’t think anything more of it until the guy who passed Sadye identified himself to me this morning. It was Ed Clucas, one of my old running buddies. He, of course, was good-natured about the mention but expressed no sympathy for Sadye.
“Hey, competition is competition,” he said.
August 13th, 2009 04:09pm
Mike DeDoncker
Among exercisers’ most common complaints is that their abs workout hurts their back or their neck.
I tend to think it’s because many of them, unconsciously or otherwise, pull their head forward as they move upward from the starting (lying down) position of an abdominal crunch or a sit-up. This creates an unnatural strain on the vertebrae in the neck and, depending on how hard they pull, could also affect the thoracic and lumbar regions.
There are a couple of tricks to remind yourself not to pull on the head — such as forcefully pressing your tongue against the roof of your mouth or pretending you are holding a large apple or potato against your chest with your chin and that you can’t squeeze it — but a better solution would be to switch up the exercises.
An abs bridge — also known as a plank — is a great alternative to always lying on your back and performing an exercise that requires spinal flexion (something not recommended for those with osteopoenia or osteoporosis) every time.
To perform an abs bridge lie prone (down position of a push-up) on a mat with feet together, and place both elbows directly under both shoulders. Lift yourself up until your shoulders, back, hips (no sagging in the middle) and knees and form a straight line angling down to your feet. Â Hold the position as long as possible — 15 seconds would be a good start — and gradually build the amount of time you can hold it.
Enhance your core strength by also performing side bridges. To do this, lie on your right side with legs straight and feet together. Place your right elbow directly under your right shoulder and push yourself up until your torso, hips and knees are in a straight line angling down to your feet. (Once again, no sagging in the middle). Hold as long as you can, then switch and do it on the left side.
Not only will bridges give you an alternative to your crunch or sit-up routines, your abs may feel stronger the next time you crunch.
July 22nd, 2009 01:03pm
Mike DeDoncker
I’m old school.
 I started exercising way back when fitness experts recommended plenty of stretching before and after a workout to maintain flexibility and help muscles recover. I religiously stretched my calf muscles, hamstrings and quadriceps before every running workout or race, convinced that I wouldn’t get 10 steps without pulling something if I forgot.
Sometimes, I pulled something anyway.
Interestingly enough, the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons — in a news release offering exercise tips to Baby Boomers this week — still recommends it, saying, “A little extra stretching before and after exercise, for example, goes a long way.”
This is interesting because much of the recent information on preparation for and recovery from exercise advises against stretching (in some cases, saying it can actually decrease athletic performance by as much as 10 percent) in favor of a light warmup that mimics the intended exercise or athletic movement — for instance, a light jog to get ready for a running race or rotating the trunk to prepare for swinging a golf club.
I’ve recently been trying the light warmup without stretching before heading out for a run and, whaddya know, I didn’t pull anything. Of course, neither did I notice any appreciable difference in the quality of the run.
So, call me old school. I’ll probably stick with stretching, for the most part. I just may not be as religious about it.
June 22nd, 2009 05:38pm
Mike DeDoncker
To paraphrase from the ads for EAS Myoplex, I know when I’m not done yet in my workouts.
I’m not done — no matter how soon I’m supposed to be at work, or home from it – if I haven’t done at least 20 minutes of some kind of weight training. Aging, and I’m getting up there, is associated with the loss of muscle mass and strength which, in even later years, can mean loss of mobility, balance and independence.
Studies have shown that even the very old and frail can benefit from resistance training — that can be training with free weights, resistance bands or machines. The idea doesn’t have to be a big increase in muscle mass because even light weights can be effective.
The idea is improvement in muscle strength and, assuming your doctor clears you for such exercise, that can be a very good idea.
An easy way for an older person — yes, women receive great benefits too — to get started is to choose a light weight that you can easily lift 12 times for whichever exercise you choose, say something simple like a dumbbell curl. After performing the 12 repetitions, rest for a minute or so and then try the next weight up (if your first lift was with a 5-pounder, the next weight up is usually an 8-pounder).
Try to do the same exercise with that weight 8 times. Whether you succeed on the second set of lifts or not, that’s it for the first try.
Take a day off and then come back and try the same lifting routine again. In a few weeks, when both sets become easy to achieve, challenge yourself with the next higher weight (first set with the eight, second set with the next weight up which in most gyms is probably going to be a 10-pounder).
Use the same gradual increase for any exercise you want to try and you can keep your strength for a long, long time.
June 12th, 2009 05:22pm
Mike DeDoncker
I first ran across this exercise five or six years ago during a National Exercise Trainers Association workshop on core strength.
It must be good, because I’ve seen it recommended in literally scores of exercise programs since then. When I’ve used it with my clients, I just call it hand and knee balance, but it also goes by several fancier names. It works for the shoulders, back, abs, obliques and a little muscle under your glutes called the piriformis, no matter what you call it.
 The beginner’s form of the exercise is to start on the floor on your hands and knees, with your abs tight and neck and back in neutral spine (flat). Lift the right hand off the floor and extend it above your head while also lifting the left knee and extending it back with toes pointed. While balancing on left hand and right knee, bring the lifted hand and knee in toward your midsection at the same time. Then return to extended position. Do 12 repetitions, then switch to left hand and right leg up and extended and do 12 more repetitions.
Don’t worry if you wobble a bit. Tighten your abs, glutes and obliques to help keep yourself on balance.
Another note: When you’re starting out, especially, one side is always quite a bit better than the other. You’ll improve.
To increase the intensity of the exercise as you get better, you can hold a weight or weighted ball in the extended hand, put the hand that is on the floor on a ball to de-stabilize yourself, or do both at the same time. You can be even tougher on yourself by trying it while balancing on an exercise bench, but make sure you’re really good before you do.
And, by all means, have fun.
June 1st, 2009 03:57pm
Mike DeDoncker
Several studies have shown that patients with gum disease, known as periodontitis, are also candidates for heart disease.
That has cardiologists and dentists ready to copy parts of each other’s role in health care. For instance,  a cardiologist may examine a patient’s mouth for signs of significant tooth loss, oral inflammation or receding gums and a periodontist might begin asking questions about heart health and family history of heart disease.
The connection between the two is that both are inflammatory diseases, and experts believe managing one disease may reduce the risk for the other.
A paper on the relationship between gum disease and heart disease was recently published in the online versions of the American Journal of Cardiology and the Journal of Periodontology http://www.joponline.org/toc/jop/0/0 . Dr. Kenneth Kornman, editor of the Journal of Periodontology and a co-author of the report, called inflammation a major risk factor for heart disease and said periodontal disease may increase the inflammation level throughout the body.
“Therefore, you will now see cardiologists and periodontists joing forces to help our patients,” he said.
Source: American Academy of Periodontology and PRNewswire-USNewswire                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  Â
June 1st, 2009 06:00am
Mike DeDoncker
The problem with heart problems is that the first sign of trouble is often death. So, before you give yourself a clean bill of heart health, make sure you aren’t operating under misinformation about your chances for a heart attack.
The cardiovascular medicine faculty at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health recently offered up a list of the most common myths they hear from patients.
MYTH: “Nobody in my family has heart disease, so I’m not going to get it.”
Dr. James Stein, director of the Preventive Cardiology Program at the UW Hospital and Clinics in Madison, said only 47 percent of people with heart disease have a family history of the disease. That means the other 53 percent develop it in the absence of an obvious genetic component.
“Risk factors like unhealthy eating habits and a sedentary lifestyle predict heart disease. The presence of any risk factors increases your risk of developing heart disease,” Stein said, “but not having a family history does not protect you.”
MYTH: “I don’t have high blood pressure. My bottom number has always been normal.”
When you’re young, the bottom number of a blood pressure reading is a marker of heart disease and stroke risk. After age 35 or 40, though, the top number of the reading is the one that should have your attention.
“As you age, your arteries get stiffer, and as a result, the top number goes up and the bottom number goes down,” Stein said. “Actually, a low bottom number is very dangerous.”
MYTH: “My angiography showed that I have an artery with 50 percent blockage. We just have to take care of that one spot, right?”
No. Atherosclerosis — maybe better known as hardening of the arteries — isn’t confined to one spot.
“Chances are, if you have blockage that is easy to see, you almost assuredly have blockages elsewhere that are harder to see, said Dr. Jon Keevil, a preventive cardiologist at UW Hospital and Clinics. “Unfortunately, even those can be risky for heart attacks.”
MYTH: “I’m thin and I’m in shape. I don’t have to worry about bad cholesterol.”
Wrong again. Dr. Mary Zasadil, a preventive cardiologist with UW Hospital and Clinics, said obese patients may be more likely to have cholesterol issues but, like heart disease, cholesterol is largely genetic. If your parents or relatives struggled with cholesterol you and your doctor need to play close attention to yours.
MYTH: “I stopped taking my cholesterol medication because my cholesterol improved. I didn’t think I needed it any more.”
Cholesterol medicines, including statins, aren’t like antibiotics, which can be stopped once the infection is resolved and you’ve completed your course. The protective benefits of cholesterol medicines disappear when a patient stops taking them and what went down can quickly shoot back up again.
Source: University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics
May 29th, 2009 11:29am
Mike DeDoncker
I used to joke that if I wanted to kill off Americans, I could do it without firing a single shot or detonating a single car bomb.
I’d just open one fast-food restaurant after another and let them eat themselves to death.
That’s probably oversimplification, but word this week about a study by the Medical University of South Carolina can only be considered bad news for those in the business of keeping people healthy — that is, in the business of keeping them healthy before they need a doctor, anyway.
Maybe somebody beat me to the fast-food idea because the study found the percentage of people ages 40 through 74 with a body mass index of more than 30 (that’s obese in body mass index language) increased from 28 percent to 36 percent between 1994 and 2006. That was aided by a 10 percent decrease in those who are getting some type of physical activity at least three times a week.
I’m not saying it’s all the fault of fast-food restaurants, but I am concerned that, despite all the publicity given to the benefits of healthy lifestyles, Americans still appear to be too unconcerned about their health to take even the smallest steps to take care of themselves.
To borrow a line from the local CHIPÂ program, they’re literally killing themselves with a knife and fork.
If somebody did invade the country with the intent to do harm, we might be too fat to resist.
April 6th, 2009 04:18pm
Mike DeDoncker
I was in Arizona playing really bad golf when I heard about the pistachio recall, but I want to pass on this information I received in an e-mail about a new Web site created to help those who may be concerned about it seek safe sources for the little green nut.
The new site is http://www.pistachiorecall.org/, and is the result of a collaboration between the FDA and California growers/processors.
The site lists specific safe pistachio products and brands not affected by the recall. For additional information or to see the FDA announcement, click on this link http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/04-04-2009/0005000912&EDATE= or go to www.fda.gov/pistachios.
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