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.
Giving Up Those Pointless Battles
Every morning you can hear a “boink” on one of the back windows of the house. Every 15 seconds or so, another one. Then it begins to travel to another window. Boink. Boink. Boink. It’s a female cardinal. Time after time after time. Day after day. Upstairs windows, downstairs windows; the back of our house […]
Your Payment Is Due
Today is Tax Day here in the U.S.—if you owe the government any money, today is the day you have to file your taxes and pay up. There are penalties if you’re late, so you want to be sure you pay up on time. Good health is the same way. The things you do that […]
It’s All in the Dash
In this Memo, we’re going to pretend the survey’s treatment options for high blood pressure are real. The choices were a pill, a cup of tea, exercise, and an injection once a month. If they were real, which one might be the best option for you? To me, it all comes down to The Dash. […]
The Survey’s Most Surprising Results
Before I get into what I found surprising, I want to point out that this was a survey about hypothetical treatment options. It was just a preliminary or pilot project just to see how people would answer; the head researcher said as much. The other factor was that subjects were 45 and younger. If an […]
What Would You Pay for More Time?
What price would you pay if you could gain an extra month of life? How about a year? How about five years? I think the longer you get, the more incentive to pay a higher price. It seems a large group of subjects agree with me according to a study reported this past weekend at […]
Can We Prevent Sarcopenia?
Based on the research presented in Thursday’s Memo, the earlier we address the possibility that sarcopenia will affect us, the more likely we’ll succeed (1). I use fudgy words such as “likely” because we don’t know for sure, but based on the current status of research, here’s what we can do to prevent sarcopenia. Use […]
Research Update on Sarcopenia
We know what sarcopenia is, but what can be done about it? Recent research may give us a clue. Researchers in the United Kingdom examined a variety of variables related to sarcopenia in a group of men. Remember, a motor unit is a nerve and all the muscle fibers to which it attaches. They looked […]
So You Lose a Little Muscle—So What?
Any of my former students who read the Memo should remember the following definition quite well: A motor unit is a nerve and all the muscle fibers to which it attaches. It’s called a unit because both sides of that equation are important. Muscle fibers contract when stimulated by a nerve. Reduce the number of […]
Exercise: It All Counts
Here’s something to ponder the rest of the week: why do you exercise? If you don’t, what would your purpose be if you did? I think there are two primary reasons. First, burning calories helps lose weight. Second, if you exercise regularly, you might live longer. But then you hit those exercise recommendations: 150 minutes […]
Freeze Your Way to Weight Loss?
If you pay any attention to the news, you may have heard about a recent pilot study: researchers exposed the vagus nerve to freezing temperatures—the nerve that controls hunger. They apparently didn’t freeze it solid, but just enough to slow down the transmission of signals. Without any other interventions, the 10 subjects lost an average […]
