Mind over matter: Not for cancer?

With illness, we've all heard that if you stay positive and optimistic, that the mind can do powerful things. "Mind Over Matter" is the mantra (image credit). Each of us knows someone or has a story of someone who seemed to "beat the odds," by staying positive and optimistic.

Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania released data today about patients with head and neck cancer. Contrary to what is currently believed, the data showed that people who are depressed about their cancer are no more likely to die than people who keep a positive outlook. (Reuters)

The analysis showed that emotional status was not associated with survival rate. A person's emotions were not associated with survival even after taking into account other factors, such as gender, tumor site or disease stage, Coyne and colleagues report in the journal Cancer.

Now don't get me wrong, being optimistic and having a positive attitude has many benefits - particularly for cancer patients. However, unfortunately, given this data, I can no longer give the opinion that I think that antidepressants and psychotherapy have a chance of improving survival or even extending life. Hopefully, further research on this topic will prove otherwise.

The Dashing MD Interview

I'd like to thank the Dashing MD for joining me on Doctor Anonymous Show #10 this evening. He has a great podcast that started during his surgery residency and now he is completing a research fellowship. Following the fellowship, his goal is to become a pediatric surgeon. We also talked briefly talked about the hot topic of MRSA in the news currently, how it was to be in a movie, and his recent trip to New Orleans.

No, that's not the Dashing MD's picture, but thought it may get your attention - Did it? I encourage you to check out his podcast. Don't forget later this week on Thursday, October 25, 2007 at 10pm eastern time. Our guest will be Mimi Lenox and she'll be talking about her Blogblast For Peace. Thanks so much for supporting the show. I really appreciate it!

Epilogue: Dr. A Live #9

The live chat room is really the show within the show. For some reason, the chat room was focused on the Halloween theme - with psychiatrists, no doubt. Pretty funny. Thanks to those of you who made the chat room so much fun! You can either listen to the show via my sidebar, or you can click here to listen through my Dr. A show site.

Thanks so much for all three shrinks from the Shrink Rap blog and My Three Shrinks podcast for calling into the show. That was a pleasant surprise. Clink is even at South Beach right now at a conference and she called us from her hotel balcony (at least that's what she said).

Thanks also to Ladyk73 and Turnbaby for calling into the show. According to the stats, this show had the most live listeners of all the shows that I have done so far. I really appreciate the support that so many people have given the show. Tell your friends; tell your neighbors; tell everybody about the show!

Sunday night, October 21st at 9pm eastern time, there will be a special Sunday edition of the show. Our guest? It will be the one and only Dashing MD from the Dashing MD podcast.

Then in the usual Thursday night timeslot at 10pm eastern - on October 26th - will be Mimi Lenox. The Blogblast for Peace is quickly approaching. We'll be talking about that and other stuff. Have a great weekend, everybody!

Tonight! Dr. A LIVE

Thursday, October 18, 2007 at 10:00pm Eastern Time

Show Link - Chat Room Link - Archive Link

I'm happy to welcome Roy from the My Three Shrinks podcast and the Shrink Rap blog to Doctor Anonymous Live tonight. Read here for more information.

I'm going to try things a little different tonight for the show. I've actually blocked off 60 minutes, so we'll see how that goes. Roy and I will chat for a bit and then I will welcome your phone calls - for questions for Roy, or to talk about anything you like.

The chat room is always "the show within the show." I'll also be distracted by the Indians/Red Sox game tonight. Will I be able to focus? Will the technical problems be able to stay away for this show? How will the sleep deprivation affect me tonight? You'll have to tune in to find out.

Forget stretching

Finally! A study whose results I can get behind. I hate streching. Stretching is for the birds. I hate those people in their ivory exercise towers who preach to me that for a proper workout, one needs to stretch before and after a session.

That's rubbish! And, now there is data to prove this. Researchers at the University of Sydney reviewed ten studies that tried to answer this question. The results have just been published in the prestigious Cochrane database. (WebMD)

The Australian researchers focused only on the ability of stretching to reduce soreness. And if your only reason to stretch is to avoid soreness, [researcher] de Noronha says the review proves "you don't need to go through the hassle because it does not actually work."

All right, I'm going to the gym and telling all those annoyingly perfectly physically fit people out there that I do not need to stretch to avoid soreness. Pshaw! Another myth exposed. But, to really avoid soreness, I just don't exercise? But, if I don't exercise, won't that lead to obesity? Apparently not! Read here.....

We overestimate our sleep

Think fast! How much sleep did you get last night? Six hours? Eight hours? Ten hours? More? Less? (Why do many questions? Hm....) This post is so apropos, because I'm writing this on call, and I have no idea how much sleep I'll get tonight.

Anyway, a new study from the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine finds that Americans overestimate the amount of sleep they get. (abcnews) They studied about two thousand people and the subjects were over forty years old.

"As we have progressed, people are losing sleep time," explained [lead author Graciela] Silva, who is concerned that a sleep deficiency may affect daily functioning. "Physicians should take into account that people overestimate their sleep time," Silva said.

[Phyllis] Zee [director of a sleep center] agrees, and added that doctors often rely on subjective reports. "So, doctors need to be cognizant that older adults may be overestimating, and if they are actually getting less sleep, [it] may be associated with increased risk for cardiovascular, metabolic conditions that have been associated with short sleep duration."

Now, if I told you I have gotten three hours of sleep while on call this evening, what would you say? Do I need help? Do I have a problem? I thought the paradigm in medical school training is that people tend to underestimate when giving numbers -- like alcoholic drinks, cigarettes smoked, etc. Shouldn't that apply here as well :-)

Thanks so much!

I appreciate everyone who visited my blog today. Thanks for making this the best day in the past month for this blog. I'm humbled by all the hits today. You're the best!

Obesity inevitable in modern world

No, Mr. Peace Prize winner (image credit) didn't say this. That punch line comes later. Now, before people start throwing things at me, I did not say this either.

According to today's report from Reuters, a UK government think-tank states that obesity is a consequence of modern life, and not due to over-eating and lack of exercise. Huh? What's up with that?

It found in a report that the technological revolution of the 20th century has led to weight gain becoming unavoidable for most people because our bodies and biological make-up are out of step with our surroundings.

"Stocking up on food was key to survival in prehistoric times, but now with energy-dense, cheap foods, labour-saving devices, motorised transport and sedentary work, obesity is rapidly becoming a consequence of modern life," said Sir David King, the government's chief scientific adviser and head of the Foresight programme.

The article goes on to say that it may take three decades to reverse the "so-called epidemic." What needs to happen, according to the study's authors, is a change in the entire society, because this problem is too complicated to leave to personal responsibility. Here is my favorite paragraph of the entire thing.

Tackling obesity, like tackling climate change, requires a range of changes in society, from increasing everyday activity through urban design and transport systems to shifting the drivers of the food chain and consumer purchasing patterns to favour healthier options.

Comparing obesity to global warming? (Apparently now, climate change is now code-speak for global warming.) If that's the case, then Mr. Nobel Peace Prize winner should make a musical out of it - An Inconvenient Fast Food Nation! He can then win the Tony in addition to his Nobel, Oscar, Emmy and Webby. LOL

Largest Medical School Class Ever

Who says that no one wants to be a physician? The Association of American Medical Colleges announced that there will be a record 17,800 (approximate) first year medical students this year - a 2.3 percent increase verses last year. There was also an 8.2 percent increase in applicants. Approximately 42,300 individuals applied for medical school in 2006. (Newswise)

The article also says that a handful of schools (image credit) also increased their entering class size verses 2006. I think this is good news for medicine and for the public. Now, to burst this bubble, there is no mention of how many people wash out in the first year and how many actually finish med school after previous record numbers of first year students. Now, those would be interesting numbers to see.

Dr. A Show: The Shrink Interview

On Thursday at 10pm eastern time, The Doctor Anonymous Live welcomes Roy from MyThreeShrinks and the Shrink Rap blog. I'm very excited about this interview. I was on the My Three Shrinks podcast about a month ago, and I had a great time. I encourage you to take a listen before Thursday's show.

Over the past couple of weeks, Roy has had some very informative posts on various topics like postpartum depression, the Virginia Tech findings report, panic attacks, mental illness awareness week, topamax used in chronic alcohol consumption patients, and a post called "Sunday Brain Soup," that you'll have to check out. Click here to read these over before the show.

Or, we might just take the discussion in an entirely different direction. You have to be sure to listen live, join the live chat room, and/or call in to harrass, er, ask us a question about the above topics or anything else that comes to mind. Write it down! Thursday night at 10pm eastern time. Roy, me, you, and Doctor Anonymous Live - Don't miss it!