Welcome to the 2/17/17 edition of 5-Shot Friday.
1. Top Videos of the Year
In the vein of laughter being the best medicine.
First, Dad of The Year:
Cool as he is, Da is gonna lose the fight with that little one.
Next…
You’re welcome.
2. On Running…and Natural (read “Functional”) Movement
The MovNat folks (read: Natural Movement) take their cues from French fitness pioneer Georges Hebert, and emphasize a wide variety of functional, natural movements that most modern humans have forgotten. Think Tarzan: climbing, crawling, throwing, heavy lifting, self-defending, swimming, keeping balanced…and walking/running.
Walking and running are still popular forms of exercise, but running is problematic: roughly half the running population each year gets injured in the pursuit of fitness, probably more. Something about how we approach running ends up sidelining way too many of us, and according to MovNat master instructor Danny Clark, it’s actually a comprehensive problem with our modern lack of mobility:
"What I’m going to do today is change your perspective about running. Actually, I have an even loftier goal: I’m going to change your perspective about movement in general. Because once I changed mine, “magical” new doors opened for myself and my students…"
"…let me reiterate a point I’ve made many times now: the root biological purpose of all movement is to be able to complete practical tasks in complex environments…Therefore, it’s logical to deduce that gait patterns-chiefly crawling, walking, and running-have a very real and meaningful purpose for human beings from an evolutionary perspective…all of these gait patterns are essential for our health and well-being."
"The inverse statement is even more potent: In the absence of our ability to practice a variety of basic gait patterns such as crawling, walking, and running, our wellness and overall health will suffer."
3. Stem Cells And Blown Out Knees
"A ‘living bandage’ made from stem cells, which could revolutionise the treatment and prognosis of a common sporting knee injury, has been trialled in humans for the first time by scientists at the Universities of Liverpool and Bristol."
Not an ACE bandage type bandage (perhaps someday). But a membrane seeded with a patient’s own stem cells, which can then differentiate into cartilage cells to replace the damaged meniscal tears common to traumatic knee injuries.
For decades, replacing or regrowing knee cartilage has been the Holy Grail of orthopedic medicine. The vast majority of knee cartilage (meniscal) tears cannot fix themselves: torn menisci stay torn, and after surgical removal of the torn fragment, a weaker filler cartilage grows that is not nearly as robust as the original. Early arthritis and ongoing knee pain and instability can result.
“The procedure involved taking stem cells, harvested from the patient’s own bone marrow, which were then grown for two weeks before being seeded onto a membrane scaffold that helps to deliver the cells into the injured site. The manufactured Cell Bandage was then surgically implanted into the middle of the tear and the cartilage was sewn up around the bandage to keep it in place.
“All five patients had an intact meniscus 12 months post implantation. By 24 months, three of the five patients retained an intact meniscus and had returned to normal knee functionality whilst the other two patients required surgical removal of the damaged meniscus due to a new tear or return of symptoms.
“Professor Anthony Hollander, Chair of Stem Cell Biology at the University of Liverpool and Founder and Chief Scientific Officer of Azellon, said: “The Cell Bandage trial results are very encouraging and offer a potential alternative to surgical removal that will repair the damaged tissue and restore full knee function.”
This article from the New York Times by Lisa Feldman Barrett, a psychology professor at Northwestern University, debunks two of the most commonly held myths about the brain: 1) that we have a triune, or “3-part” brain with “lizard,” emotional, and rational parts, and 2) that sharp seniors have super well-developed cognitive brain centers.
While it’s useful to talk about different aspects of behavior and recommending mental gymnastics as we age to prevent Alzheimer’s, neuroscientists have known for some time that “everything is connected” – functions we call “lizard,” emotional, and rational are shared between different parts of the brain. And the spry and sharp senior brains?
“Our lab used functional magnetic resonance imaging to scan and compare the brains of 17 superagers with those of other people of similar age. We succeeded in identifying a set of brain regions that distinguished the two groups. These regions were thinner for regular agers, a result of age-related atrophy, but in superagers they were indistinguishable from those of young adults, seemingly untouched by the ravages of time.”
“What are these crucial brain regions? If you asked most scientists to guess, they might nominate regions that are thought of as “cognitive” or dedicated to thinking, such as the lateral prefrontal cortex. However, that’s not what we found. Nearly all the action was in “emotional” regions, such as the midcingulate cortex and the anterior insula.
“Brain areas…considered emotional, such as the regions of the “limbic system,” are now known to be major hubs for general communication throughout the brain. They’re important for many functions besides emotion, such as language, stress, regulation of internal organs, and even the coordination of the five senses into a cohesive experience.
“And now, our research demonstrates that these major hub regions play a meaningful role in superaging. The thicker these regions of cortex are, the better a person’s performance on tests of memory and attention…”
And how do you become a superager? Not by crosswords or Sudoku:
“We’re still studying this question, but our best answer at the moment is: work hard at something...these brain regions have another intriguing property: When they increase in activity, you tend to feel pretty bad — tired, stymied, frustrated…the discomfort of exertion means you’re building muscle and discipline. Superagers are like Marines: They excel at pushing past the temporary unpleasantness of intense effort. Studies suggest that the result is a more youthful brain that helps maintain a sharper memory and a greater ability to pay attention.”
5. Nom Nom Pressure Cooker Chicken And Gravy
From @nomnompaleo, another winner winner (chicken dinner).
4 lbs. of chicken plus assorteds, a pressure cooker, and 20 minutes later, voila.
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Dr. Bunten is originally from Huntington Beach, CA. He attended high school in Tokyo, Japan, went to college at UC San Diego and then to medical school in the Midwest. He returned home to California for residency training in Family Medicine at Long Beach Memorial Medical Center. His immediate family all reside in Huntington Beach.
Dr Fishbein has been in the practice of family medicine for over 35 years in Irvine. He received his undergraduate degree from Southern Illinois University, medical degree from Chicago Medical School, and completed his family medicine residency at Memorial Hospital of Long Beach.
Dr. Kim is the Medical Director of Family Care Centers, Chair of the Department of Family Medicine at Hoag Hospital, and a recipient of the Physicians of Excellence award from the Orange County Medical Association. He is Board Certified in Family Medicine, and has been practicing in our community for over 20 years.
Dr. Memon is a board certified Family Medicine physician and recently completed her fellowship in Geriatrics at the University of California, Irvine Medical Center. She attended Saint George’s University, School of Medicine and completed her residency at Arrowhead Regional Medical Center. Her interest in medicine started at an early age and has since evolved into a passionate career.
Dr. Gina Nguyen obtained her Bachelor of Science degree in Biology at UC Irvine where she graduated Suma Cum Laude. She went to USC Keck School of Medicine, and returned to UC Irvine for a Family Medicine Residency. Since 2005, she worked at Kaiser Permanente, VNCOC, and Family Care Center Urgent Care.
Dr. Williams is Board Certified in Family Medicine and Sports Medicine. He is a native to Orange County and returned home after completing his medical degree at the University of New Mexico, Albuquerque. After completing his residency in family practice he successfully completed a fellowship in sports medicine.
Dr. Hye Lee is a board-certified Family Practice Physician, affiliated with the American Osteopathic Association and the American College of Osteopathic Family Practice.She obtained her Bachelor of Science degree in Biology at UC Riverside and earned her medical degree from Des Moines University Osteopathic Medical Center. Afterward, she did her internship at Downey Regional Medical Center in California and has been a primary care physician since 2005.
Dr. Coyne is a board certified family practice physician and a California native. He completed his undergraduate degree at UCLA before earning his medical degree at George Washington University in Washington, D.C. Dr Coyne spent 6 years in the US Air Force at Andrews and Luke Air Force bases, eventually separating as a Major. He enjoys working with patients of all ages.”
Dr. Jay Friehling is a Family Practice physician who has worked in Orange County since 1981. Born in Florida, he received his undergraduate degree from Cornell University and then earned a Medical Degree at the New York Medical College.” His healthcare interests include Diabetes, Geriatric Care, and Hospice Care.
Dr. Jennifer Shoquist is board certified in Family Medicine. Her special interest is woman’s health and her practice accepts patients from 6 years old to seniors. Dr. Shoquist received her M.D. degree at The University of Texas Medical School at Houston in Houston, Texas, and did her residency with Memorial Family Practice at memorial Southwest Hospital in Houston, Texas.
Dr. Tom is a board certified family medicine physician and native Californian. He received his bachelors of science with great distinction in biochemistry and honors in chemistry. Dr. Tom was awarded a Regents Scholarship to attend medical school at UC Irvine.
Dr. Yan attended Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine and completed her Family Practice residency at Kern Medical Center in Bakersfield, California. She joined Family Care Center in 2001. She chose Family Practice because she enjoys working with a wide variety of people and because it provides a unique opportunity for continuing care.
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