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General Health Topics

American College Of Sports Medicine Report – Part 2

We’re back with some more interesting findings that came out of the most recent American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) national conference that I attended in Nashville, TN. Every year sports medicine physicians, athletic trainers, strength coaches, exercise physiologists, and other disciplines related to sports medicine meet to present the latest research, to discuss current treatment guidelines, and to exchange a wealth of information.

Crazy Holiday Nutrition Tricks - Backed Up By Science!

Every year, between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Eve the average American adds about two to three pounds and another inch on his or her belt due to the festivities of the holiday season. Now this isn’t going to be an article saying eat less, don’t have that piece of pie, pass on that glass of eggnog, and have a miserable time. I don’t want to turn into the Grinch. Instead I am going to show everyone some evidence-based ways to trick your body’s metabolism, burn up extra calories, stave off those additional pounds, and enjoy your holiday meals!

Get Out And Play - The Childhood Obesity Epidemic

In this article I want to discuss the disturbing increase in childhood obesity in the United States. There are some frightening numbers being mentioned with regards to the growing number of children who are obese. Fifteen percent of children aged 6 to 19 are obese which means their BMI (Body Mass Index) is above the 95th percentile for their age.1 The Bogalusa Heart study showed that nearly 90% of kids less than eight years old who are overweight become obese adults.2 And as every day passes those figures, like the waistlines of America’s youth get bigger and bigger.

House Of Pain – The Downfall of Vioxx

On September 30th, 2004, the FDA had the drug company Merck withdraw its anti-inflammatory pain medicine vioxx (rofecoxib). When Vioxx was withdrawn from the market, it represented the largest prescription drug removal in history! In this article, we will explain the differences between traditional NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) and the COX-2 inhibitors (like Vioxx), look back at what happened to Vioxx, and examine the evidence behind why it was taken off the market.

Nutrition Q & A – Not All Calories Are Created Equal

“What do you mean not all calories are not the same? Your last e-newsletter discussed how 100 calories from broccoli was different from 100 calories of white bread or chicken. I was totally shocked by this. Can you explain this a little more for me?”

This was just one of many similar questions that I received in response to my last response to a question on counting calories. Here is a little more background on calories and nutrition. The definition of a calorie has nothing to do with the human body. A calorie is defined as the amount of energy needed to raise one cubic centimeter (cc) of water one degree Celsius.

Most people may remember from their nutrition classes that certain fats, carbs, and proteins each provide a set number of calories per gram. Fats provide nine calories per gram, carbohydrates and proteins each provide four, alcohol provides seven, and water provides none. However, once nutrients are in the body everything changes.

Nutrition Question & Answer: Calorie Intake

Here is one question that I was asked this past week.

“It has been stated that women should eat a minimum of 1200 calories per day or else their bodies go into 'starvation mode' and their metabolism starts slowing down.  That said, if you are exercising, do you have to net out at 1200 calories (ex - eat 1600 burn 400) or can you eat 1200 and then burn off calories from there?  What is the optimal mix to exercise and lose weight?  Does it include a high protein diet? “

This is a great question. I have been asked this or similar forms of this question numerous times by my clients over the years. There are many parts to this question, and I will try to address them each individually.

Q & A - Using Bicarbonate To Buffer Lactic Acid In Athletes

“In my reading over the past year I had come across suggestions that maybe taking sodium bicarbonate or sodium citrate could help performance during racing events. I understand that increased intramuscular hydrogen ion concentration can impair performance by messing with ATP production and competing with the calcium ion binding sites messing with contractile process. I also understand from my reading that by boosting the blood buffering capacity could increase time to exhaustion during these high intensity racing sprint intervals. What do you think?”