Bug-Brain-Waistline Forget the screaming headlines and the infomercials – dieting, weight gain and weight loss are not simple matters. Did the faecal transplant received from a daughter make a Rhode Island woman ravenous, rapidly fattening despite liquid diets, exercise and strict medical supervision? Are the supplements sold everywhere as probiotics the answer to irritable bowel […]
Why You Have a 30 Foot Gut (5/5/14)
Is It Time to Eat Your Fruit and Veg? Consider. Humans adults have a 30 foot gut. Within it live 100 trillion bacteria. Dogs have a six foot gut. Why are dogs so foreshortened? The tale lies not in the tail or the untailed. It’s about what you eat. The Omnivore’s Opportunity There’s […]
Is Sleep Apnea Boring? (2/3/14)
Clinical Fascination Boredom can prove very personal. A few weeks ago I sat down in the hospital cafeteria. At my table was a polite, bright pulmonologist. He expressed sympathy for my work: “I find sleep apnea so boring.” For a doctor like him there’s isn’t much to do with sleep apnea. Somebody comes in. They […]
Is ADD a Sleep Disorder? (5/6/13)
The Newest Epidemic ADD is now “epidemic” across America. With 13% of adolescents “diagnosed” in national surveys, people want to know just how big a problem ADD is. A recent article by psychiatrist by Vatsal Thakkar in the NY Times argued much of ADD may be misdiagnosed sleep disorders. Himself once diagnosed as suffering from […]
Less Sleep, More Weight? (3/29/13)
A Weighty Conundrum Americans are obsessed by weight. We weigh too much, we’re told. Obesity will kill many, many of us. The truth about weight is far more complicated. Part of that truth – a person’s weight is controlled by hundreds of different factors. And those are ones we know about: The color of a […]