ppp 07-14-08

Quote of the day: Exercise ferments the humors, casts them into their proper channels,

throws off redundancies, and helps nature in those secret distributions,

without which the body cannot subsist in its vigor, nor the soul act with cheerfulness.

Joseph Addison (1672 - 1719), The Spectator, July 12, 1711

This weekend I participated in the Lifetime Fitness Triathlon… as a spectator. My family and I were up at the crack of dawn (actually before the dawn had any cracks in it) to offer moral support for Rob, a friend of one of my children. The participants started (by category) with the professional/elites crashing into the water at 7:00am for the first leg of the 3 part race. Swimmers were visible from shore of Lake Nokomis as they completed the 0.9 mile horseshoe shaped course marked by buoys, The first swimmer left the water in less than 18 minutes.

The next leg was a 24.8 mile bike ride. These bikes were not your father’s Schwinn but titanium forged friction-free rockets. The course wound through the area lakes and included hills, potholes, and wind. Drafting (a’la Tour de France) was prohibited. All bikers were required to dismount prior to a set line or they were penalized 2 minutes if any part of the bike crossed the line while the rider was still on it. The final leg consisted of a mere 6.2 mile run.

The unofficial FOURTH event was called “transition”; the time (on the clock) when participants removed wet suits, put on bike wear and shoes or stow their bikes and change to running shoes. Unless rehearsed and planned triathletes could lose precious minutes during transition.

We positioned ourselves to cheer at the start, when Rob emerged from the water, at the end of his ride, halfway through his run and at the finish line. While it was also fun to watch the 10 Olympic athletes attacking the course we did find others to cheer as well. There was a blind woman who was paced by a sighted person for the swim and run who rode a tandem bike. One man recovering from a crushed pelvis and broken leg from a previous accident hopped into the water, swam and hopped out to his bike which he rode powered by his good leg and finished the run on crutches. There was even an 80 year old woman who had run her first Triathlon when she was 70! All of these “special” athletes have inspired (or shamed) me into a resolve to either participate myself next year or at least to get myself into better shape. While I may not actually run, I can start training as if I would participate. Without any preparation I would have to settle on being a spectator again… not a bad alternative for as much fun as I had but one that burns a lot fewer calories and offers no bragging rights.

The Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association new guidelines will take effect in January so expect a plethora of pens as reps empty their trunks and garages. Taking physicians out to eat will be banned and money for CE and conferences will be distributed by a department other than marketing. Guidelines are voluntary and each company will decide for itself. I suspect that most will sign up.

Parents are pressuring research into whether chelation therapy can benefit autistic children. This whole approach is based on the mistaken belief that minute amounts of mercury in old formulations of common vaccines causes autism. In theory, chelation, which binds heavy metals and makes it possible for the body to eliminate, will cure these children. The practice is not without risks of its own. Pretty shaky but I understand the desperation of these parents.

The potential effect on connective tissues such as tendons has been known for years. The FDA is flexing its muscle on this issue.

The link below will take you to a list of drugs which may contribute to falls in the elderly. Many are psychoactive drugs for depression or anxiety or pain meds (narctics). This is not the be-all/end –all … it leaves out antihistamines, blood pressure meds and laxatives (many fall when presented with an bowel “urgency”). It does represent a good place to start.

The threat of a BLACK BOX warning on anticonvulsants appears to have been over blown because the FDA Advisory Panel could not find strong enough evidence to urge the dreaded BLACK BOX WARNING on the drugs. The FDA is still free to do what it wants but seldom goes against panel advice.

The age old system of “APPROVABLE” status vs “NON-APPROVABLE” letters in favor of a more complete response to applications.

Former Wall Streeter loses $millions and blames his compulsive gambling on the drug. "Wanna bet" he doesn’t receive his money back in response to this law suit?

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