RedScrubs
The Resource for Medical Professionals

Byetta is an injectable drug that has been prescribed mostly for type 2 diabetics with a weight problem. Because it can be taken along with a sulfonylurea or a thiazolidinedione, Byetta can be added to an existing drug regimen as needed. Not only does Byetta regulate insulin and glucose production, but it also slows the emptying of the stomach (so you feel fuller longer), and it reduces your appetite causing you to eat less. People taking Byetta have good luck with weight loss and better blood glucose control.
Unfortunately, there have been many cases of pancreatitis reported with the use of Byetta, as well as reported deaths, and as a result, the FDA is considering a black box warning for its label.
Folks, it looks like this drug is headed for the trash can. Well, overweight type 2 diabetics could always use exercise and a stringent diet to shed those life-sucking pounds. How many times does it need to be said: Proper diet and regular exercise are critical for a long and healthy life. The short-cuts just don’t work.

Do you have good posture? If you answer “no,” you’re not alone. Look around, and you’ll see that I’m right. Most people have a sort of hunched over posture. The head hangs forward and the shoulders are curved to the front. This is the result of years and years of slouching. Chronic slouching allows the pectoral muscles to tighten and the muscles of the upper back to weaken. These changes make it incredible difficult, if not impossible, to stand up straight.

You would think that anyone could have guessed that children who play video games that involve jogging, swinging, and kickboxing would burn more calories than those children who played games while seated. Well, it took a real-life research study to prove that those active video games that require kids to move around help them to exercise and to burn calories.
In this study, lead researcher Alison M. McManus from the University of Hong Kong’s Institute of Human Performance counted the calories burned by kids playing a variety of video games, and found that kids can burn up to 451 percent more calories per minute playing action and running games. That’s a significant amount of calories that would not have been expended had the child sat in front of the television screen. In addition, playing video games while seated also gives children the opportunity to snack on greasy chips and drink sugar-laden soda. That’s hard to do when you’re jumping around.
Despite these findings, parents need to have rules about how many hours a day children can play video games and watch television. Just because you give a kid an active video game set-up, he or she still needs to socialize, to do homework, to read, to go to public events, to eat healthful foods, and to sleep in order to grow into a positive contributor to our society.

New AHA obesity statement forces physicians to think about prevention
At last! The American Heart Association has fessed up! A recent statement on obesity has forced the AHA to think about its motives. It’s time we get past the prescription addiction and realized that exercise and diet can achieve the same benefits that many common prescription medications do.

It never fails. The weekend hits and people try to make up for lost time. Some binge drink, some lose themselves in home improvement projects, and some exercise like they have never exercised before. These weekend warriors are at risk for exercise-related injuries. In fact, the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons says 150,000 people between ages 45 and 64 visit the emergency room each year for treatment of exercise-related injuries.

My cardiac and pulmonary patients often ask me, “How will I know if it’s too hot to exercise outside?”
My answer to someone who is physically compromised in some way is, ”When the sum of the ambient temperature and the relative humidity is greater than 150, it is best to move exercise inside into an air conditioned room or wait until later in the day when those numbers go down.” For example, a noontime temperature of 93 degrees Fahrenheit and relative humidity of 88 percent far exceed this guideline for safe outdoor exercise.
Individuals living with chronic disease, including heart disease, pulmonary disease, diabetes, or cancer, should use extra caution when exercising – especially outdoors. Excess heat and high humidity can tax the heart and lungs and make it difficult for these organs to keep up with the increased demands of exercise. Other outdoor exercise rules also apply: drink more water, wear sunscreen and light, breathable clothing, and modify your routine so that your heart rate remains in your training zone.
If you have a chronic illness, it is best to get your doctor’s clearance before you begin and to consult with an exercise professional to determine safe parameters for your exercise routine, i.e. heart rate, blood pressure, duration, intensity, frequency, and conditions for exercise.

So, researchers have finally done it. They have created a pill you can take instead of doing dreaded exercise.
Well, not so fast; don’t sell your treadmill yet. The newly developed exercise pill speeds the transformation of sugar-burning fast-twitch fibers to fat-burning slow-twitch ones — the same change that occurs in distance runners and cyclists through training – only WITH exercise. So, unless you’re already getting off the couch to exercise, the pill is useless! To boot, the pill has no effect on the muscles of people who already exercise.
So, unless you are a couch potato with your heart set on an Olympic medal , this pill is a waste of money.

I announce it all the time. It has become my slogan for disease prevention, for active aging, and for maintaining a good quality of life: Exercise is not an option!

Everyone must exercise. The frail, the strong, the overweight, the underweight, the rich, and the poor, everyone must exercise. The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) and the American Heart Association (AHA) released updated guidelines for exercise last year. Together, the ACSM and the AHA recommend 30 minutes of moderate exercise 5 days a week or 20 minutes of vigorous exercise 3 days a week to reap the health benefits associated with exercise: lower blood pressure, lower cholesterol levels, weight reduction, better sleep, less depression, and a reduced risk for cardiovascular disease, certain cancers, osteoporosis, and diabetes. And, the list goes on. It is especially important for older individuals to exercise because regular aerobic exercise combined with strength, flexibility, and balance training can help to delay the inevitable declinations associated with aging.

Evaluation of the lipid profile has become routine practice to determine one’s risk for heart disease. Routinely, health professionals generally agree that low overall and LDL-cholesterol readings and high HDL readings along with low serum triglyceride levels reflect a low risk for disease.