Philippa Kaur

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    This Is Your Brain on Beer

    It’s a brew lover’s worst nightmare: Just half a beer a day can reduce the volume of your brain and stress cognitive powers, per new research at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and University of Pennsylvania. That flies in the face of the National Institutes of Health recommendation that considers two drinks a day safe for men. What’s more, says study co-author Remi Daviet, Ph.D., the effects of alcohol on the brain rise exponentially with every additional drink.

    “It’s not linear,” according to Daviet. “It gets worse the more you drink.”
    To conduct their study, researchers analyzed brain MRIs for more than 36,000 people and compared them with surveys that participants filled out about their drinking habits. Researchers found that brain volume shrunk with every increasing drink, to the point that four drinks a day was equivalent to aging the brain by 10 years.

    Worried, but not ready to give up your nightcap any time soon? It’s worth noting, says Daviet, that brain changes after just one unit of alcohol are minor—it’s when you start piling cocktail on top of cocktail that the real damage begins. Translation: Pour yourself a cold one and sip slowly. You’ll want to make this brewski last the night.

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    Best Foot Exercises to Ease Pain and Boost Performance

    4. Toe pickupsPlace several small objects on the ground such as marbles, game pieces, Superballs, or golf balls. Using your toes only, pick them up one at a time and drop them into a bowl or box. This improves foot mobility and strength.5. Trigger point release
    From a sitting or standing position with one foot on a small-ish ball (think golf or lacrosse ball), roll the ball back and forth along the arch of your foot. Stop on any sore or stiff spots and focus on that area. Repeat on the other foot. This can be done several times a day, perhaps while watching TV or at your desk. If a lacrosse ball is too hard, try RAD’s Point Release Kit. 6. Big toe stretch
    The big toe takes a beating wedged into tight shoes. This can impact mobility and flexibility if not addressed. While sitting in a chair, rest your right foot across your left thigh. Using your right hand, stretch your big toe up, down, and to both sides, holding for five seconds at each point. Repeat 10 times and switch feet.7. Foam rolling
    This poor man’s massage uses deep compression to roll out muscle spasms. The compression causes the nerves to relax, gets the blood flowing, and helps the body recover from the stresses of the day, including your training regimen. Glide your sore feet over the roller and hold on to tender points for 30 seconds to alleviate soreness.8. Toe wall walks
    Lie on your back with knees and hips bent to 90 degrees, feet flat against a wall, and arms by your sides. While maintaining contact with the wall, walk your feet as far as you can up the wall by curling your toes and pulling your feet up. At the end of your range of motion, walk your feet down the wall by curling your toes and pushing your feet down. Repeat for a set of 10. More

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    Why Fast Food Is Like a Thanos Power Punch to the Brain

    What’s your In-N-Out fix? Animal Style? Double Meat? A belt-busting 4×4? Sad to say you’re doing damage to more than just your pant size. New research from Ohio State University found eating highly processed food (read: fast food) for four weeks caused lab animals to perform measurably worse on memory-related tests compared to those eating healthier fare.

    Why? These foods are like a Thanos power punch to the brain, triggering inflammation.
    The silver lining: Researchers found memory function is almost completely protected by eating high amounts (500 mg per day) of DHA, an omega-3 fatty acid. Load up on the following:
    salmon
    chia seeds
    flax seeds
    eggs
    walnuts
    mackerel
    herring
    hemp seeds
    sardines
    tuna

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    How to Use Cold-Water Immersion to Burn Fat Faster

    Running stark naked into the ocean in winter might seem loopy. But a new Scandinavian study (where else?) found that cold-water immersion followed by hot sauna recovery can give you an advantage when it comes to losing weight.

    In the study, researchers monitored the vitals of a group of young men who had spent at least two years swimming twice a week in cold water and compared them with a non-swimming control group.

    They found those who regularly swam then sat in a sauna burned more calories via brown fat (the type that keeps you warm). In short: Cold-water immersion followed by hot sauna bouts can increase energy expenditure and promote weight loss.

    If you’re thinking of taking the polar bear plunge this year, consider these tips:
    Get naked: Less is more when it comes to clothing. It may keep you toasty on land, but as soon as garments become wet, they cling to skin, making water feel even colder. 
    Plug your ears: If you’re prone to “ice cream headaches,” use earplugs to keep freezing water from entering your ear canal.
    Skip the shot of whiskey: Booze lowers your body temperature, making cold water tougher to handle.
    Practice: Sit in ice baths or take a cold shower for 2-3 minutes in the weeks leading up to the plunge.
    See your doc: If you have heart issues, check with your physician first, as cold water can cause a spike in heart rate and blood pressure.

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    Learn About the Health Effects of Elevated Uric Acid in 'Drop Acid'

    Dr. David Perlmutter writes books that change the way people think about nutrition. Among his five New York Times best-sellers, he’s explored topics such as the effects of carbohydrates (Grain Brain) and intestinal microbes (Brain Maker) on the body. His latest book, Drop Acid, puts a spotlight on uric acid. It’s a waste byproduct that Dr. Perlmutter says can threaten your health if you have too much of it.

    “The most threatening pandemic of our modern times is not a virus,” Dr. Perlmutter wrote in a blog post. “The number one cause of death on our planet are [sic] chronic, metabolic conditions and the multitude of diseases they produce. These include diabetes, overweight and obesity, cardiovascular disease, and even Alzheimer’s. These conditions are by and large not genetic. They are the consequences of our lifestyle choices—especially those related to food.”
    One substance that can lead to many health issues
    Uric acid is created when your body breaks down purines. Purines are produced in the body and found in goods such as anchovies, dried beans and peas, and beer. Dr. Perlmutter says that in addition to purines, uric acid has two more sources: alcohol and fructose. He calls fructose “the gateway for metabolic problems.”
    Elevated levels of uric acid can lead to gout, but Dr. Perlmutter finds it’s much more than that. He claims uric acid plays an important role in “metabolic mayhem” that can be linked to weight gain and elevated blood sugar. He also points to connections with cardiovascular disease, erectile dysfunction, and cognitive decline.
    In Drop Acid, Dr. Perlmutter writes about the science of uric acid, as well as the simple dietary changes that can lower uric acid levels and positively impact your metabolism. He also shows how you can test your own uric acid levels at home, so you can reach your optimal levels.
    Available now on Amazon, Target, and at select book retailers.

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    Enlarged Prostates Are Very Common—and Treatment Has Never Been Easier

    This article was produced in partnership with Lumenis
    You vaguely remember your father complaining about his prostate. But, hey, it’s nothing for you to worry about, right? An enlarged prostate is something that happens to older guys. Except one day peeing doesn’t come as easily as it used to, and you’re heading for the bathroom more times than you can count. Uh-oh.
    It’s not a fun subject, but if you’re dealing with an enlarged prostate, know you’re not alone. In fact, you’re in very good company. The condition, known in medical terms as benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), is surprisingly common. More importantly, treatment options have improved dramatically since when your old man dealt with it. So no more hiding in the bathroom. Let’s bring this into the open and break it down.
    What are the symptoms of an enlarged prostate—or BPH?
    The prostate is a walnut-sized gland that sits below the bladder and surrounds the urethra. Its job is to create ejaculatory fluid. As men age, their prostates often get bigger, and compress the urethra. When this happens, urine doesn’t flow freely out of the bladder—which means the top signs of BPH are the need to urinate frequently with a stream that dribbles out like a leaky faucet. You might also be getting up multiple times during the night to pee. Sometimes, you may be straining during urination. BPH is incredibly common, affecting around half of men in their 50s, and 90 percent of men in their 80s.
    To be clear, we’re not talking about cancer. An enlarged prostate isn’t always dangerous if asymptomatic. You can have an enlarged prostate without it impacting your life. However, if you begin to experience symptoms, they’re unlikely to resolve on their own.
    “In general, it’s progressive, and guys will have gradual worsening symptoms,” says James R. Johannes, M.D., a urologist in the Lehigh Valley Health Network in Allentown, Pennsylvania. Left untreated, BPH can cause major damage to the kidneys and bladder, and require much more extensive treatment.
    How is BPH diagnosed and treated?
    If your general practitioner suspects you have an enlarged prostate, they’ll send you to a urologist for diagnosis and treatment. The doctor will perform a digital rectal exam, a urinalysis, and bloodwork. You may be asked to take a urinary flow and volume test to see if your bladder is emptying, and to track your urination over the course of a couple days.
    For most men, the first-line intervention is medicine. Some prescriptions relax muscles in the bladder and prostate to help with urine flow, while others can help shrink the size of the prostate. Sometimes they’re prescribed together. That’s why you should head to the doc as soon as you suspect something’s not right.
    “In general, the earlier the better,” Dr. Johannes says. “Sometimes we see people when the cat’s already out of the bag, and they have severe problems.”
    At this point, surgery is often a good option. Luckily, we’ve moved past the days when the procedure meant a few nights in the hospital and seeing blood in the urine. Newer laser technology, like MOSES, makes reducing prostatic tissue faster and less invasive. This means less bleeding and often no need for a catheter. Odds are you’ll go home that same day—always a big relief to patients.
    You may hear your doctor refer to it as a HoLEP procedure, which stands for holmium laser enucleation of the prostate. That’s been around for decades. What’s improved drastically is the MOSES laser technology. The minimally invasive HoLEP surgery happens in three parts.
    First, a resectoscope is placed in the urethra and a small camera is threaded to the prostate so the surgeon can visualize the blockage. Next, a laser is threaded through the resectoscope and is used to core out the tissue that’s blocking urine flow. Finally, a cutting tool “chews up” tissue until it’s very small and removes it.
    Throughout the procedure, a laser is used to reduce bleeding. The whole thing takes around 90 minutes and odds are you’ll go home that same day, which is always a relief to patients. Incontinence or urinary leakage risk is very low, as is the risk for erectile dysfunction. And if you’re worried about re-operation—that the surgery didn’t do enough to relieve the BPH—fear not. An 18-year study from McGill University in Montreal found that 98.6 percent of patients did not require another surgery.
    If it’s so easy, why do men avoid it?
    In a prostate-sized nutshell, going to the urologist is a drag. It’s no fun to talk about urination, less so to consider surgery in those parts. No surprise, it’s often a wife or partner who pushes for a prostate check.
    But knowing that BPH is incredibly common—and that treatment is as swift and non-invasive as ever—can help.
    Gary, a retired police officer from Illinois, was one of those people who waited too long. By the time his family forced him to visit the emergency room, he was already in renal failure and had to urinate using a catheter. He teamed up with Dr. Amy Krambeck, a urologist at Northwestern Medicine in Chicago, who used the MOSES technology. “My recovery was not bad at all,” Gary recalls. He experienced a week or two of bleeding, typically with urination. “I am doing great. I feel like I’m about 18 years old again.”
    The other big hurdle is the fear of prostate cancer.
    Here’s some surprising news. “Rarely does prostate cancer cause urinary symptoms,” says Dr. Johannes. The prostate has an inner, fleshy part, called the transitional zone, and an outer area, called the peripheral zone, he explains. Most BPH occurs in the transitional zone, while most cancers are in the peripheral zone.
    Of course, for any prostate-related symptoms, your doctor should do blood work that tests for prostate cancer markers. If you do have a BPH procedure with MOSES, or any surgery to reduce prostate size, your surgeon can send tissue samples for analysis. Prostate cancer can be very treatable and slow-growing, so it’s best not to let any big-C fears prevent you from vital early detection and treatment.
    Back to BPH. While surgery, of course, will always remain a big, informed decision, just know your options for dealing with a very common condition are that much easier these days. The latest technology in prostate care can alleviate the process of undergoing important treatment from start to finish. And that’s no small relief.
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