If you have followed my posts you know that I am a firm believer in fitness. For me, my family history forced me to take a hard look at my own personal fitness in my late 20's. My father died at age 64 of heart disease and my mother died at age 64 from breast cancer. My oldest sister died at age 60 of lymphoma cancer. My fraternal grandfather died in his 40's and my maternal grandfather died of heart disease in his 60's. In my late 20's, after losing both my parents, examining the health history of my family line, I decided to be intentional about my health.
Diet, exercise, and stress management are essential to my personal fitness program. Multiple blog posts give evidence to this. Even then, also documented is my struggle with GERD and other health concerns. Some things just happen!
For the last several years I have struggled with an ear problem causing pain and discomfort, especially during sinus drainage events (which, thankfully, I don't have much of). I am blessed NOT to have any struggles with allergies. I find that a good hard run usually clears up many of my sinus problems. However, this persistent ear problem has been a challenge. Finally, after multiple attempts to solve my ear problems my family doctor referred me to an ear, nose, and throat specialist. I am pleased to say that progress is being made. Regrettably, because of the ongoing ear problem, I have lost about 15% of my hearing in that ear.
All of this to say, that during the course of treatment for my ear problems, I was put on the antibiotic Levaquin, a strong drug used to treat pneumonia. Coincidentally, as the weather turned much colder I began to experience muscle pulls in my calf muscles. I thought it was due to the colder temps so I began wearing running tights and used cut-off sock tops to keep my calf muscles warm during my runs. I also did extra pre-run stretching of my calf muscles, which I still do. For over a month I experienced extreme frustration with my calf muscles pulling and getting tight during my nightly runs. After my runs I iced down my calfs on both legs.
Toward the end of this period of calf muscle problems I was referred to the ENT specialist for my ongoing ear problems. My doctor happens to be a runner also. During the exam and while reviewing my medical history he noticed I was currently taking Levaquin. He asked if I was experiencing any muscular problems in my legs regarding my running. Of course, I unloaded telling him about my frustration with pulled calf muscles for the last month. Then he laid a bombshell on me. He said I should limit my running for the next 4 weeks until the Levaquin gets out of my system (I was about to finish the prescription). He said that Levaquin has a known side effect of causing pulled leg muscles, especially Achilles tendon tears! Holy smoke!! He said I was probably lucky I had not ruptured my Achilles and to be very careful.
So, I did curtail my running for a month. I gradually resumed my running regimen 3 weeks ago and have gradually worked my way back up to my normal workout. Thankfully, the problem with muscle pulls in my calf has gone away and I now have confidence that I am not going to rupture my Achilles tendon, at least as a result of Levaquin. I still try to stretch my Achilles properly pre and post-run just to be sure. I am thankful for a doctor who recognized my dangerous situation because he was a runner also. I hope you don't have a similar problem with pulled muscles related to the consumption of antibiotics!
Feb 22, 2011
Feb 20, 2011
glucosamine experiment
After many months of trying to decide whether or not to try the glucosamine regimen for joint therapy I finally decided to start a daily dosage yesterday and continue for 3 months. As a runner I do suffer from some soreness in my knees. It's not very bad and comes and goes. After 30+ years of running, sore knees are to be expected. However, I suspect my sore knees are more a result of football injuries from high school rather than running, per se.
Here is an impressive article on the effectiveness of glucosamine on sports injuries, particularly runners:
http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,7120,s6-241-286-289-8138-0,00.html
My bigger reason for trying glucosamine is for treatment of my elbows. Six years ago I fell while running and broke my left elbow after hitting it on the curb. My right elbow suffers from many years of sports abuse related to being a pitcher in baseball, lots of tennis as a young adult, and softball church league play. On rainy days my elbows get so sore I can hardly touch them. Yes, humid weather bothers my elbow joints.
In researching glucosamine and chondroitin I decided to take glucosamine sulfate without chondroitin. Most articles said to purchase a name brand and try for 90 days to see if it works for you. The evidence is not convincing medically, however, many people, including athletes, testify as to its effectiveness. My own mother-in-law has found it to be very helpful in treating arthritic pain in her hip.
My experiment is very simple and should be easy to judge results. If my elbows improve, I'll be a believer! I'll post results in this column in the future. Hopefully, it will not adversely affect my GERD.
Here is an impressive article on the effectiveness of glucosamine on sports injuries, particularly runners:
http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,7120,s6-241-286-289-8138-0,00.html
My bigger reason for trying glucosamine is for treatment of my elbows. Six years ago I fell while running and broke my left elbow after hitting it on the curb. My right elbow suffers from many years of sports abuse related to being a pitcher in baseball, lots of tennis as a young adult, and softball church league play. On rainy days my elbows get so sore I can hardly touch them. Yes, humid weather bothers my elbow joints.
In researching glucosamine and chondroitin I decided to take glucosamine sulfate without chondroitin. Most articles said to purchase a name brand and try for 90 days to see if it works for you. The evidence is not convincing medically, however, many people, including athletes, testify as to its effectiveness. My own mother-in-law has found it to be very helpful in treating arthritic pain in her hip.
My experiment is very simple and should be easy to judge results. If my elbows improve, I'll be a believer! I'll post results in this column in the future. Hopefully, it will not adversely affect my GERD.
Feb 18, 2011
staying hydrated and running
As a lifelong runner I have had to learn some hard lessons about staying hydrated and being sure I am properly prepared to run 4-5 times per week. I am not a marathon runner. I run for two primary reasons:
1. For exercise, fitness, weight control, and health concerns
2. For emotional health enjoying the "runner's high" and stress management regular running provides
Through the years (31 years of regular running) I have had several harrowing experiences of dehydration. You would think that one would learn the lesson once and not repeat. However, in the pace of everyday life, I sometimes forget to hydrate properly and rush to get my run in before the day ends. Once I got dehydrated so badly that I woke up in the middle of the night shaking violently with symptoms similar to having a high fever, except my body temperature was actually lower than normal. Realizing the problem I immediately consumed water and after about one hour returned to normal health. Several times per month I will have flu-like symptoms about one hour after a run (normally 6 miles, at a 9 minute pace), which are caused by dehydration.
I have noticed that the older I get, the more I have to be careful about this. For me, I have found that I need to consume at least 90 ounces of water during the day to be fully hydrated for an evening run, winter or summer. Of course, I continue to consume up to 90 ounces of water by the end of the work day (plus 16 ounces of coffee at breakfast and water or tea consumed at lunch). Obviously, there are frequent trips to the restroom. However, the water does keep me hydrated and prepares me for my evening run which is usually a distance of about 6 miles lasting one hour. In the winter, hydration is equally as important as running in the hot-humid summer. I tend to overdress with layers in the winter running in evening temperatures of anywhere from 10 degrees to 50 degrees. This causes me to sweat profusely, even in the winter, which is my goal. Sweating is healthy for your immune system and helps expel toxins from your system. Depending on the level of humidity, I sweat through 5 layers of clothing. My layers of clothing consist of:
So, for me, staying hydrated is essential to daily health. It also helps treat the symptoms of GERD by diluting stomach acid (for me)..
1. For exercise, fitness, weight control, and health concerns
2. For emotional health enjoying the "runner's high" and stress management regular running provides
Through the years (31 years of regular running) I have had several harrowing experiences of dehydration. You would think that one would learn the lesson once and not repeat. However, in the pace of everyday life, I sometimes forget to hydrate properly and rush to get my run in before the day ends. Once I got dehydrated so badly that I woke up in the middle of the night shaking violently with symptoms similar to having a high fever, except my body temperature was actually lower than normal. Realizing the problem I immediately consumed water and after about one hour returned to normal health. Several times per month I will have flu-like symptoms about one hour after a run (normally 6 miles, at a 9 minute pace), which are caused by dehydration.
I have noticed that the older I get, the more I have to be careful about this. For me, I have found that I need to consume at least 90 ounces of water during the day to be fully hydrated for an evening run, winter or summer. Of course, I continue to consume up to 90 ounces of water by the end of the work day (plus 16 ounces of coffee at breakfast and water or tea consumed at lunch). Obviously, there are frequent trips to the restroom. However, the water does keep me hydrated and prepares me for my evening run which is usually a distance of about 6 miles lasting one hour. In the winter, hydration is equally as important as running in the hot-humid summer. I tend to overdress with layers in the winter running in evening temperatures of anywhere from 10 degrees to 50 degrees. This causes me to sweat profusely, even in the winter, which is my goal. Sweating is healthy for your immune system and helps expel toxins from your system. Depending on the level of humidity, I sweat through 5 layers of clothing. My layers of clothing consist of:
1. First layer is a Nike thermal mock crew exercise shirt
2. Second layer is a NorthFace short sleeve running shirt
3. Third layer is a cotton turtleneck shirt (also used when snow skiing)
4. Fourth layer is a cotton sweat shirt
5. Fifth layer (if needed) is another cotton sweatshirt hoodie
Feb 16, 2011
ice and ice water
I have read in several articles that ice and ice water help curb esophagus burning. I usually get to my office at about 7:30 every morning. I bring breakfast with me and spend the first 15 minutes of the day catching up on email while eating my breakfast consisting of a sliced Gala apple, a whole grain muffin made by my wife, and 16 ounces of coffee (which is consumed for the caffeine to get me going!). I also have a 32 ounce Nalgene water bottle that I fill with ice and filtered water from home.
When I am finished consuming the coffee, I begin to work on the 32 ounces of ice water. If you have done any research at all on the causes of GERD, you know that caffeine and coffee do promote acid in the stomach. Coffee digests as an acid (as opposed to an alkaline), which in theory, promotes GERD. I have found that consuming the ice water and ice over a period of 3 hours after the overdose of morning coffee dilutes the effects of the acid formation caused by digesting the coffee and helps keep burning to a minimum or non-existent (if I'm having a good day GERD-wise).
For me, ice water does help "cool" the esophagus and stomach and "quiet" the symptoms of GERD. See the next post on my consumption of water and exercise program.
When I am finished consuming the coffee, I begin to work on the 32 ounces of ice water. If you have done any research at all on the causes of GERD, you know that caffeine and coffee do promote acid in the stomach. Coffee digests as an acid (as opposed to an alkaline), which in theory, promotes GERD. I have found that consuming the ice water and ice over a period of 3 hours after the overdose of morning coffee dilutes the effects of the acid formation caused by digesting the coffee and helps keep burning to a minimum or non-existent (if I'm having a good day GERD-wise).
For me, ice water does help "cool" the esophagus and stomach and "quiet" the symptoms of GERD. See the next post on my consumption of water and exercise program.
Feb 14, 2011
GERD gum
I had previously posted an article on the positive effects of chewing gum to treat GERD symptoms. Here is the actual article from Lifehacker ( http://lifehacker.com/#!5733479/kill-heartburn-with-chewing-gum) Since this article I have conducted an unscientific experiment myself using chewing gum as a "self-treatment" routine for GERD relief during the day. After approximately four weeks of experimenting I am convinced that my own experience is one of improvement in the GERD symptoms of a continual burning in the esophagus.
The gum of choice for me is Orbit Wintermint gum, which is sugarfree and available at any supermarket checkout counter. I take a normal piece and break it in half and keep it in my mouth for 1-2 hours, especially during long meetings or tedious tasks. I have found that the wintermint flavor offsets any burning sensation in the esophagus and gives a continual cooling sensation in my throat and mouth. It really does work! I believe that it does effectively help to flush stomach fluids out of the esophagus and replace with excess saliva caused by the gum and the associated flavor. Works for me! The Orbit brand also seems to maintain its flavor longer than other brands I have tried.
So, here's what I do. I keep several pieces of this gum in my pocket. Two pieces usually provide enough to last all day. I break one piece in half and can get about 2 hours out of 1/2 piece. One pack of Orbit gum contains 14 pieces, so using 2 pieces per day could conceivably make the pack last for a week. You can usually pick up a pack at the checkout counter for 75-99 cents, depending on the store.
The gum of choice for me is Orbit Wintermint gum, which is sugarfree and available at any supermarket checkout counter. I take a normal piece and break it in half and keep it in my mouth for 1-2 hours, especially during long meetings or tedious tasks. I have found that the wintermint flavor offsets any burning sensation in the esophagus and gives a continual cooling sensation in my throat and mouth. It really does work! I believe that it does effectively help to flush stomach fluids out of the esophagus and replace with excess saliva caused by the gum and the associated flavor. Works for me! The Orbit brand also seems to maintain its flavor longer than other brands I have tried.
So, here's what I do. I keep several pieces of this gum in my pocket. Two pieces usually provide enough to last all day. I break one piece in half and can get about 2 hours out of 1/2 piece. One pack of Orbit gum contains 14 pieces, so using 2 pieces per day could conceivably make the pack last for a week. You can usually pick up a pack at the checkout counter for 75-99 cents, depending on the store.
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