Breath in. Breath out. We do it automatically, about 22,000 times per day. Until we can’t. For millions of adults and children, taking a deep breath is a struggle; for those who can breathe easily, the power of the breath is often taken for granted. Yet our lungs have [...]
Medscape recently published a short essay of mine, Rx: Exercise Daily — in Nature. Doctor’s Orders. It is also viewable and downloadable here without login, as some people are not signed into Medscape but still want to read it. It is a quick summary of scientific evidence for how [...]
It’s not unusual to blame your shrink-resistant waistline on a slow metabolism. But in many cases that’s not what’s keeping you from reaching your ideal weight. What is Metabolism? Metabolism is your body’s method of converting calories, from the food you eat, into energy [...]
Only one thing clearly emerged from my review of papers and positions about what to eat before and after you work out. Most people do not need to eat anything to complete most workouts. Weekend athletes, casual runners, sports players who are not elite or endurance athletes, or elderly [...]
The Foodbank of Santa Barbara work I’ve been privileged to participate in has taught me a lot: especially that food insecurity is actually an undiagnosed but treatable medical problem. Why haven’t I recognized it as such until recently? Maybe because so much of what clinicians see has [...]
Consumer Reports’ choices for top exercise equipment are getting harder to discern–not just because the type size is now small and hipster, of all things, but also because the actual magazines (one of three I still get hard copy) is buried under a serious mound of partially read New [...]
Is it time for smart watches? My patient who like to track like to use simple pedometers, the Fitbit One or one of its ilk (I list the top tracking devices and apps in REFUEL, and compare them). Consumer Reports has a first look at several devices…some of my patients [...]
You can’t change what you can’t measure. Lots of buzz this year about wearables at #sxsw and Albert Sun of the New York Times concluded that of the dozen tracking devices he wore (4 at a time, sometimes) over 6 months, his choice was…himself. Once he knew his body’s [...]
This is the second of a baker’s dozen of Refuel Minutes I wrote and recorded so that men begin to learn simple tips that work right away, and over time. I’ll try to post one per week, and see if people like them: write questions here, and [...]
Join us and receive Dr John La Puma’s Healthy Bytes Newsletter archives through December 2010 filled with recommended products, services, research tools and tips. Here’s a few bytes… Healthy Bites 2013 [...]