by Sheldon S. Zinberg, M.D.

You think you know, but maybe you don’t. Did you know that some of us have higher or lower blood pressure in one arm than in the other? Why is this important? Well, a report in the British Medical Journal in March 2012 says it is.

Studies have shown that a difference of 15 points (15mm Hg) between your right and left arm is associated with a higher incidence of peripheral vascular disease, cardiovascular disease, and all-cause mortality. There may even be a significantly increased risk when the difference is 10 points (10mm Hg) between your arms.

How frequent is this? In one study, 24% of patients had a difference of 10 points and almost 10% had a difference of 15 points or more (mm Hg). So, make sure your health care provider takes your BP in both arms. This is particularly important to any of us who are under treatment for hypertension (high blood pressure).  We have to be certain that our response to medication is being monitored in the same arm each time.

by Sheldon S. Zinberg, M.D.

It’s vitamins…some might be killing us.

So now you might get the idea that taking some vitamin supplements may be doing you no good at all or even doing you some harm. If that’s what you think, there’s a lot of evidence to suggest you’re right. Let’s review what the Medical Letter said in the December 2011 issue about some pretty popular supplements in regard to benefits and risks.

Vitamin E in food can be somewhat different than vitamin E in most supplements. For example, the vitamin E in food is gamma tocopherol. The vitamin E in supplements is mostly alpha tocopherol which can actually block the antioxidant activity of gamma tocopherol (in food). It can also interfere with vitamin K metabolism and your blood clotting mechanism.

by Sheldon S. Zinberg, M.D.

Life expectancy would grow by leaps and bounds if green vegetables smelled as good as bacon.   

     - Doug Larson

A vitamin is a substance that makes you ill if you don’t eat it.    

     - Albert Szent-Gyorgyi

Dietary Supplements

by Sheldon S. Zinberg, M.D.

But…what is DNA and what does it mean? Well, the actual chemical name is deoxyribonucleic acid, but we don’t have to remember that. For better or worse your DNA is the stuff that makes you what you are. It’s inside the nucleus of every cell in your body except the red blood cells {they don’t have a nucleus}. Within our DNA lie our chromosomes that contain all of our genes (our entire genetic code)…the molecular code that is unique to each individual. It’s the code that determines the color of your eyes, your hair, and your propensity to have heart disease or stroke or any one of a number of different kinds of cancer.  Your DNA is not only who you are but also who you could become.

A New Nifty after Fifty Program

(The Best way to Improve Physical Function in Older Adults)

by Sheldon S. Zinberg, M.D.

Many boomers and even older adults enjoy the fitness benefits of strength training exercises. Considering the improvements these exercises can produce in our functionality, almost all of us should be doing it. But there are some questions…Are we doing it right? Are we getting the most we can out of it? Do we understand the important difference between muscle power and muscle strength? Let’s talk about it.

Muscle strength and Muscle power, while closely related, really are different. Check the following: