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Healthy Living

In the Prime (Courier Journal) post up…

Last evening, on a ride, I asked Staci, my wife, what was a good example of being in the middle of something and not being able to see it. She came through beautifully. I was thinking about healthcare. Here we are in the midst of all this fury, seeing people through acute illnesses with wizard-like […]

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Healthy Living Uncategorized

How large a role should the ‘community’ play in health?

In Louisville, each Labor Day and Memorial Day, our government embraces health. The Mayor’s Hike, Bike and Paddle turns our Southeastern city into something, well…something that looks a little Euro. Riding with thousands of Kentuckians just days after returning from Munich Germany got me thinking about stuff. Things like walking places, riding bikes safely, public […]

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Atrial fibrillation Healthy Living

Cycling Wed: Alcohol and the risk of arrhythmia. New post up at theHeart.org

Greetings from Munich Germany. Today was the last day of the European Society of Cardiology Congress. I had a great time, learned a ton and met an amazing group of medical journalists from theHeart.org. On the last day, I decided to attend a bit ‘softer’ session. Provocatively titled, A drinker, rather than a smoker, is […]

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Cycling Wed Cyclocross Exercise Healthy Living

Cycling Wed: It’s Cyclocross Time–Thanks Body!

(Sorry folks, I published this post last night but with the wrong date. As we say in the EP lab: “rookie mistake.”) For many bike racers, the end of summer marks the beginning of cyclocross season. So it was tonight, an unusually perfect August evening, that the Louisville (KY) cycling community enjoyed its first cyclocross […]

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Cycling Wed Healthy Living Nutrition

Cycling Wed: Does eating chocolate make you healthy?

This was a huge week for basic health news. My colleagues over at theHeart.org covered a number of interesting studies. If you haven’t already, I’d take a look at their “prevention” tab. There is a provocative story challenging the use of drugs for mild high blood pressure; another that relates (ABO) blood type and the […]

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Cycling Stuff Healthy Living inflammation

Cycling Wed: Shame at the Tour, Diet Pills and The Greatist

It’s going to have to be brief tonight. The data from today: 7 bottles, 4 water stops, 110 degrees and 2200+ calories. (Strava proof.) Needless to say, as I type, my legs are on the brink of locking up. My brain feels as if it’s shrunk down in my head. Even this Retina screen looks […]

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Healthy Living inflammation

Fat cells as Inflammation Factories

The headline called it “the new” science behind America’s deadliest diseases. WSJ reporter Laura Landro was talking about inflammation and its role in causing human disease. Now, you all know my reaction when a prestigious newspaper features a founding principle of this blog. Well, let’s just say it felt awfully nice. A brief Mandrola review […]

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Cycling Wed Healthy Living

CW: The AHA and ADA drop the ball on Artificial Sweeteners

To be fair, most of the health messages coming from the American Heart Association and American Diabetes Association are spot on. Yet, nobody is perfect. The statement came from a “writing committee” of the AHA and ADA—two of the world’s leading health organizations. The writers hailed from places like Harvard, Stanford, Purdue and Northwestern. These […]

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Cycling Stuff Cycling Wed Healthy Living

Cycling Wed: It’s really dangerous out there…Be careful

You make promises to yourself, right? I made a big one when starting this blog. It was a promise not to post Pollyanna-ish health advice. People can read about the importance of wearing sunscreen and getting basic vaccines anywhere–and everywhere. But tonight is different. I’m taking the risk. (Give me a chance; I’ll do my […]

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Cycling Stuff Cycling Wed Exercise Healthy Living inflammation Uncategorized

CW: It’s settled–Long-term extreme endurance exercise is not heart healthy

My inbox lit up this week with links to mainstream media reports that extreme exercise causes heart damage. Sure enough, a group of US researchers published an exhaustively complete review article on the Potential Adverse Cardiovascular Effects from Excessive Endurance Exercise. (Full text available.) Though published in the modestly circulated journal, Mayo Clinic Proceedings, this […]

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Cycling Wed Exercise Healthy Living

CW: Did you hear any real world messages from the Biggest Loser science?

There are a few things that endurance sports enthusiasts understand well: the importance of hard work, dedication and the need to push through discomfort. In fact, I would submit that these requirements act not as deterrents but as draws. Take triathlon as a case and point: if it was easy and safe, and perhaps less […]