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.
Celebrate Your Independence
Tomorrow we celebrate Independence Day in the U. S. with parades, picnics, and fireworks. We will eat our favorite grilled foods—burgers and dogs or smoked slow-cooked ribs and corn on the cob and on and on. The problem is that while we celebrate our nation’s Independence, we are giving up our own independence. Based on […]
Toddler Health Tip: No More
“No more!” Those are the words Riley says when he doesn’t want any more milk, food, or anything else we feed him. When he says “no more,” that’s really it—he’s done. At dinner last week, Paula said, “That pasta was great and I could eat more, but I think I’ll be like Riley: no more.” […]
Common-Sense Health: Pillow Talk
Sometimes the smallest mechanical changes can make a big difference. Here’s an example. When I lived in Indiana, a member of my running club had developed chronic hip pain. He spent over a year trying one thing after another with no real relief: new shoes, different types of shoes, orthotics, stretching the iliotibial band that […]
Common-Sense Health: Where Is Your Wallet?
Keeping things balanced is important, and I try to do that in the Memos I write. Usually I tackle issues that are serious with significant health implications, but life is to be enjoyed so this week, we’ll lighten up before a holiday by talking about a guy’s wallet. And this is also about balance. When […]
The Bottom Line on Essential Amino Acids
Essential amino acids are becoming more prevalent in the sport nutrition supplement offerings. Yet there are still questions that remain, and we don’t have a total picture of who will benefit from EAA use. Let’s take a look. Questions Even with this new research, there’s so much we still don’t know about EAAs. Is there […]
Essential Amino Acids for Older Adults
One of the issues we all face as we get older is the loss of muscle mass; the technical term is sarcopenia. While some of the loss can be attributed to declining hormone levels as well as the decline in physical activity, we tend to eat less protein as we get older. Less protein intake […]
Essential Amino Acids: The Basics
I’ve been getting many questions about essential amino acids lately. What are they? Why do I need them? Are they only for athletes? What can they do for me? In addition, I came across an interesting study that supports the use of EAAs in a specific population. The EAAs include the amino acids phenylalanine, threonine, […]
Triathlon Observations: Prepare to Compete
Let me be clear: I think that the single most important thing that you can do to be healthy is to exercise regularly. Whether walking, swimming, or one of the hundreds of other types of exercise, talking with your physician about it may be all that’s required for you to get started. Moving from exercise […]
Triathlon Observations: Heavy and Healthy?
The major observation I had as I volunteered at the Grand Rapids Triathlon was that the body weight distribution of the people participating in the triathlon mimicked the population of the U.S. We’re a fat nation; 70% of the population is overweight and half of those are obese. Those percentages also seemed to apply to […]
Triathlon Observations: The People
The Grand Rapids Triathlon was held this past weekend, and I volunteered to work at an aid station. The station happened to be at the transition area where everything is happening; I couldn’t have picked a better spot. People lined up to head to the river for the swim, coming back from the swim to […]
