I am fascinated by telomeres. Telomeres aren’t some sort of underwater television or talking mirrors. Telomeres are caps on the ends of your DNA, your genes. They shorten with age. Eventually they are gone and so are we. As they shorten we become more vulnerable to disease and generally poor health. With advancing age, our […]
The Wisdom of Effective Annual Health Screening
A recent article in the NY Times caught my eye. I couldn’t have agreed more, and also less. Titled “Let’s (Not) Get Physicals”, it was a reflection on the problems with conventional routine physical exams. http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/03/sunday-review/lets-not-get-physicals.html?pagewanted=all The time-honored tradition has been for a thoughtful patient to see her/his doctor for an annual exam. The article […]
Running and Longevity
Newly released data, collected over nearly 40 years, indicate that runners live 5-6 years longer than other people. I like this but also have some doubts. I began running as a 12 year old, and after a few more months of surgical recovery, hope to resume this life-long habit. I love it. My work […]