Chocolate milk is more beneficial than sports drinks after a work out

This article in the New York Times health section explains why drinking chocolate milk at the end of a workout, whether it's running or weightlifting, will give you less body fat and a greater, overall physiological response to exercise than those who recovered with water or a sports drink.

During the hour after a workout, muscles are “primed” to slurp blood sugar out of the bloodstream to more readily replenishing fuel stores lost during the workout. If the food or drink also includes protein, the muscle priming is prolonged. Chocolate milk has both protein and an easily digestible source of sugar. But beware, if your exercise session is shorter than 45 minutes, you will likely ingest more calories than you have burned.

Recent studies have also found that eating easily digestible carbohydrates an hour before exercising generally enables athletes to work out longer. This is in contrast to the long held belief of not eating one hour before races or exercising because of blood sugar fluctuations. These blood sugar fluctuations, rebound hypoglycemia, are general short lived and of little significance.

Read the full article for more information:

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/08/26/ask-well-eating-before-exercise/?_r=0

The importance of Saliva

This New York Times article explains the importance of saliva, our important first line of defense against tooth decay and saliva's little known, yet all important role in preventing decay and the "soft teeth syndrome."

Soft teeth are really due to poor quality saliva and can be cured and money saved.

This article accurately describes the scientific basis I use to effectively stop decay in people who have been suffering with  chronic tooth decay problems.

The Mouth’s Guard

www.nytimes.com

Every day, humans generate two to three pints of saliva, which comes in two varieties, with heroic attributes

There is more about this on my web Site:

http://drcharleshand.com/

Charles Hand D.D.S.: Extra Calcium as a supplement can harm the heart

Charles Hand D.D.S.: Extra Calcium as a supplement can harm the heart: I found it interesting that calcium ingested from supplements and not natural foods can cause problems. For more details after reading my ...

Extra Calcium as a supplement can harm the heart

I found it interesting that calcium ingested from supplements and not natural foods can cause problems.

For more details after reading my summary, click on the link below.

From The New York Times Health section:

Calcium supplements, as opposed to the natural calcium found in food, may be bad for the heart, a large new study confirms.
The study found that taking extra calcium may raise the risk of a heart attack. People who got their calcium almost exclusively from supplements were more than twice as likely to have a heart attack compared with those who took no supplements.

The researchers speculated that taking calcium in supplement form causes blood levels of the mineral to quickly spike to harmful levels, whereas getting it from food may be less dangerous because the calcium is absorbed in smaller amounts at various points throughout the day.

 http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/05/24/taking-calcium-may-pose-heart-risks/?ref=health

Some acidic foods and drinks, especially sodas, temporary make the outer most layer of enamel weaker for about 30 minutes. Brushing during that time can brake off pieces of this weakened enamel. After 30 minutes, our enamel is back to its previous state in most people and can safely be brushed.

see the complete at
http//www.http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/05/21/really-never-brush-your-teeth-immediately-after-a-meal/

Dr. Hand, Why Does Orange Juice Taste So Bad After Brushing Your Teeth?

The culprit for this offensive reaction is Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, the foaming agent found in almost all toothpastes. Sodium Lauryl Sulfate suppresses your sweet taste receptors on your tongue. Since sweetness blocks bitter and sour flavors, its absence enhances the bitterness and sourness of orange juice.

Additionally, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate destroys Phospholipids. These fatty compounds act as inhibitors on your bitter taste receptors.

By inhibiting sweet receptors and destroying Phospholipids, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate dulls the sweetness and promotes the bitter taste in orange juice.

Now that you know the science behind this offensive taste, comment on the  the strategies  you use to avoid this.

Best Pill for Dental Pain

Q.  Dr Hand, what is the best drug for pain relief?


A.  One Motrin and one extra strength Tylenol is the optimal combination for best pain relief after minor surgery and for tooth aches.

For a variety of reasons, a combination of products is generally more effective then only one medication by itself.

Many dentists have recently been suggesting this Motrin & Tylenol combination for our patients instead narcotics as it is safer, works better and has less side effects.

An analysis by researchers at Oxford University appeared in the September issue of The Cochrane Library and reported in the New York Times Health Section investigated the effectiveness of oral pain medications after surgery.  

These researchers found the optimal combination was 200 milligrams of ibuprofen and 500 of Tylenol because 74 % of the time this combination lessened the pain at least by 50%. This was better then a low dosage of Tylenol or even Codeine alone.