ppp 09-18-06

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

Marathon runners do not simply put down the remote control, set aside their bag of chips, jump up from the couch and run. They know that they must train and condition themselves over a period of time or they simply will not make it. Same thing goes for hunters. One of the reasons to scout the area that you hunt is conditioning. Hiking 5 to 7 miles with gear each day requires more than a few miles of gear-less hiking. Climbing up a tree into a 16 foot high stand takes a different set of muscles. There aren't any gym exercises that work that same set of muscles that I know. One of the consequences of conditioning are the aches and pains. Most of them are "good hurt"…you know you have exercised and can feel yourself getting stronger; just a little sore. Let yourself get dehydrated and you are in for a big hurt. One of the "time-release" pains are cramps in the calf or thigh during the night. The is one quick cure ib addition to stretching the muscles out that works every time….drink about 24 ounces of cold water. I don’t remember all of the physiology involved right now but I know that it works. (Yes I went "scouting" this weekend and, yes, I overdid it and furthermore became dehydrated enough for the leg cramps, drank the water and was "cured"),

Students are doing a different kind of conditioning. For calculus they learn the basics and perform many "reps" with practice problems in order to prove mastery on the tests. The real test will come when they have to ACTUALLY use the principles and techniques in a real-life situation. OK, so not everyone uses calculus but I'm sure that there are many other subjects that you must use in your job that you acquired using the same process. The "leg cramps" that students develop if they study too hard usually are the result of sleep depravation ("brain cramps"?). Sleep actually helps the brain to consolidate the information poured into it into useful memories, at least the information comes in handy around test time. Sleep also kelps keep the immune system healthy. Most colleges now require vaccination against encephalitis due to the number of students who acquired it while run down. If your child's school does not require it be sure to get your kids vaccinated.

Exercise your body and your brain but have a plan for the times you over do it. You'll be prepared for most of life's demands, bumps, and bruises… it's a good hurt.

ps. Best answer this week to the question "How are you?" was "Still buyin'rolls of postage stamps!"

pps. Occasionally, some of the links require FREE registration.... I'm sure you can handle THAT slight inconvenience.

Testing will take place this sason on influenza vaccination in the form of a patch. We have the injected form for most of us who would just as soon get proven protection and the nasal form for the terminally needle-shy….but a patch? What next?…nail polish vaccines?

It's not that men don't listen….they just can't hear…. and the effects of estrogen hormone replacement therapy (HRT) preparations containing progestin causes hearing loss in women. Seems to effect the ear itself and the part of the brain responsible for receiving the signals. Add that to the heart and other bad effects and you might just have to live with the hot flashes.

Noxafil (posaconazole) is an oral drug that must be taken with food to PREVENT serious systemic fungal infections in immunocompromised patients (Bone marrow transplants, acute leukemia, etc).

This slide show gives some interesting facts and figures. 75% say that they are happy and taking drugs that they might have skipped without the plan….

Wealthy seniors to pay more for the Part-D benefit. I am happy to see a t least the semblance of a means test as I called for when the whole benefit was being crafted. Sure I'll pay more when I need the benefit… but at least it is more likely to be there!….

7) Tha…tha…tha…that's All Folks…. potential pill piques Porky's phonetic palate

Pagoclone may help those who stutter. Article in the Indy Star. Any guesses on the potential drug company sponsor? I would have guessed Lilly but nooooooo… it is Indevus Pharmaceuticals, the CEO of which has had trouble with stuttering.

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