The Daily HIT

Exercise recommendations for the general population generally go the route of 30-45 minutes a day of moderate aerobic activity, such as brisk walking, riding a bicycle, or other athletic activities. But researchers now report that for the specific purpose of helping sedentary people hold off the development of diabetes, short, intense periods of exercise (as little as [...]

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At least with regard to dementia risk, coffee appears to offer clear benefits. The mechanism remains uncertain but the effect is fairly dramatic. The target zone appears to be 3-5 cups daily. A team of Swedish and Danish researchers tracked coffee consumption in a group of 1,409 middle-age men and women for an average of [...]

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High-fructose corn syrup, present in a myriad of American processed foods, contains the neurotoxin mercury.  HFCS has replaced sugar as the sweetener in many beverages and foods such as breads, cereals, breakfast bars, lunch meats, yogurts, soups and condiments. On average, Americans consume about 12 teaspoons per day of HFCS, but teens and other high [...]

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My editorial on health reform, published in the January 2009 issue of The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, is now online in a full-text version. The topics addressed are coverage for all, prevention and health promotion, chiropractic, and complementary and alternative medicine. It is essential that people concerned about health care (which is just [...]

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Here’s a case where the chiropractor was just the right doctor for the job. From ESPN: Boldin, who with Larry Fitzgerald forms arguably the best receiving tandem in football, said a trip to a Dallas chiropractor has greatly improved his strained left hamstring. The injury kept Boldin out of the Cardinals’ 33-13 victory at Carolina in [...]

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This is a first. The top health official of a major American city is pointing out the adverse health effects of eating meat, touting the benefits of a plant-based diet and seeking to himself become a model of the health behavior he is endorsing.  As part of his campaign to slim down waists and lower [...]

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Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh report that getting enough sleep correlates with better resistance to the common cold. Cohen’s team tested 153 healthy volunteers, locking them in a hotel for five days after infecting them with a cold virus. They had been interviewed daily for the previous two weeks to get details on their [...]

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The regulatory powers of the Food and Drug Administration are substantial, but in many cases remain unutilized when it comes to monitoring conflicts of interest among scientists doing pharmaceutical research. Today’s New York Times has details on this sad story: The Food and Drug Administration does almost nothing to police the financial conflicts of doctors [...]

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This excellent commentary in today’s Christian Science Monitor is strong on both diagnosis and treatment. Here are the top five of author Christopher Cook’s proposals: 1. New public investments targeting sustainable agriculture, defined as organic, small- to mid-sized, diversified farming. 2. New investments in local/regional food networks and foodsheds – to help build up the [...]

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