Heart Disease (by DrJohnM)

Heart disease is serious.  It is the most common cause of death. Heart disease is also our most preventable disease. Heart disease is about inflammation.  The same mechanisms that cause the throat to swell from an infection, the skin to redden after an insect bite, and a scar to form after a cut are what […]

DrJohnM on Cycling

Hi all.  Welcome to my Cycling page. Although DrJohnM is primarily a medical blog, each Wednesday, I write on a topic that is–albeit sometimes tangentially–connected to cycling or endurance sports.  I call these features, Cycling Wednesdays. (You can click the link for an archive of my past CW posts.) Random cycling facts about me: When […]

About Me

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Doctoring General Cardiology Health Care Healthy Living

Liquid plumber, Pacman and Heart disease…The Anacetrapib story

It beats 100,000 times per day. It pumps liters of blood per minute. If it stops, you stop, in about six seconds. For the human heart to contract this reliably, without hiccups, it requires a steady stream of nutrients. A healthy heart has clean pipes. There are two ways to keep pipes clear of blockage. […]

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Cycling Wed Healthy Living inflammation Nutrition

Cycling Wed: Losing weight with a Twinkie diet

“Hey…where did those cupcakes go?” Like a never-ending western North Carolina climb where each switchback reveals another uphill, and the finish is shielded by tall pines, the struggle to lose weight and to stay lean is incessant. In wrestling weight gain competitive cyclists share the same mat as ‘regular’ Americans. Like jockeys, all competitive bike […]

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Athletic heart Cycling Stuff General Medicine Healthy Living

Screening seemingly healthy young athletes?

An interesting question came from another sub-specialist–via the comments section of my recent post on the practical difficulties of screening young athletes with routine ECGs. “I’m asked week-in and week-out about screening exams and tests for adult athletes. What do YOU recommend for the seemingly healthy 25-45 year old male non-elite athlete who asks about […]

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Atrial fibrillation General Medicine

Atrial Fibrillation and NSAIDs

Sunday nights in Autumn means one thing for this doctor-cyclocross racer: aches and pains.  Tonight, just as the thought popped into my head: “a few Alleve(s) probably wouldn’t fire up that reflux very much,”  I hear from the computer room… “Hey John, how much alleve were you taking when you had your AF,” asked my […]

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Cycling Stuff Cycling Wed General Medicine

Cycling Wed: Nature vs Nurture…Lessons from down-under

Hey cyclists, You are fit bunch.  Near perfect.  You eat right, exercise bunches and surely do not smoke.  The “side effects” of such a focused lifestyle is good blood pressure, low cholesterol and smooth arteries. Congratulations. Unfortunately, there is one component of health you cannot control–your parents, your DNA. In heart disease and many cancers […]

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Exercise General Cardiology General Medicine Healthy Living Knowledge

Get smart

As if we need more evidence that schools should bring back daily gym class. Researchers at the University of Illinois studied 9-10 year-old children with MRIs (no radiation exposure), VO2 treadmill testing, and memory evaluations. Their findings should spank those in the educational elite who give regular gym class only lip service. “Dr M, you […]

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Atrial fibrillation Cycling Stuff Cycling Wed

Cycling Wed: Rest is best…

Dear Cyclists (or other endurance athletes), Since your heart—a muscle, like any other muscle in your body—is at the crux of cycling performance, I thought a story on a common heart condition might be helpful. The story involves a common cardiac condition called “tachycardia-mediated cardiomyopathy.” Now hold on a minute; don’t click away yet.  Let […]

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Cycling Stuff Cycling Wed inflammation

Cycling Wed: Ironman isn’t that dumb…

It is Wednesday.  Time to write on a cycling topic. My home town, Louisville, KY, on the northern side of America’s obesity belt has shown some flickers of enlightenment these days. Labor day, we had the Mayor’s hike and bike.  This drew 7500 cyclists and walkers. These twice yearly (Memorial and Labor Day) cycling events […]