Do iWant the iWatch?

Big news in the technology world - the Apple Watch was unveiled for the first time, and it's expected to arrive on shelves in 2015.  Of the multitude of fascinating features, one aspect that is getting a lot of attention is the iWatch's ability to track physical activity and provide integrated fitness/activity apps to help guide your progress.   You may find yourself asking - is this something that iWant? that iNeed? Will iBenefit?? Can iTrust it??

While there are many fitness apps out there, here's what catches my attention: the iWatch can measure your heart rate, and your total body movements (via an accelerometer).  It also uses the GPS and wifi in your iPhone to track how far you've moved.  There's a little circular icon that fills up each day as you move - even letting you know how many minutes you have stood during the day.

Pretty nifty that you can now track your activity, heart rate, and personal info all together in one internet-linked system.  I also really like the encouraging nature of the movement icons filling up, with Apple's stated goal to be 'Sit less, move more, and get some exercise by completing each ring each day.'

There are rumblings as well that the iWatch will someday be able to check blood sugar without poking the skin.   (Currently, the closest a diabetic can get to this is with a continuous glucose monitor, which still requires that a sensor is worn under the skin, and it has to be calibrated against the standard finger-poke twice a day.  There is also a brand new technology just approved in Europe early this month, whereby a small round sensor is placed on the skin with a small filament that is inserted just under the skin; a reader is scanned over the sensor to get a glucose result. More on this on drsue.ca soon - stay tuned.)      As testing blood sugars can be painful and frustrating for my diabetic patients, this news not only got me sitting up, but also spiked my own heart rate to well over 100.

With real time, painless monitoring of these parameters, I get carried away into a dream land where patients could be monitored in second-to-second real time with internet data transmission to their family members, caregivers, or health care professionals anywhere in the world... do I dare to dream?? (editorial note: there are a number of established glucose monitor companies working on this for blood glucose monitoring, in various stages of development)

Before we get carried away, though, we need a lot of questions answered.  How have they validated their technology?  How accurate is their accelerometer? How accurate is the heart rate monitor?  Can the heart rate monitor pick up irregularities and notify the patient or caregiver?  If they are going to incorporate a blood glucose monitor, how will this be tested and validated for precision and accuracy?  I suspect these details and information will become available as the iWatch unfolds into the marketplace, but if we as people, patients, and health care professionals are going to trust the data, we need to know that the studies have been done to prove that it is worthy of our trust.

Definitely exciting, though - my eyes will be focussed on these interesting developments in health technology.

Thanks to Glenn for the heads' up, and to Anita Dobson for her input.

Follow me on twitter! @drsuepedersen

www.drsue.ca © 2014

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Dr Oz Swallows A Bitter Pill at the US Senate

It's about time that the crackdown on Dr Oz rises to the next level.  Following publications by several medical journals speaking out against Dr Oz's false health claims, the US Senate is now taking Dr Oz to task on his 'miracle' weight loss solutions that he touts on his TV show.

At a Senate hearing addressing over the counter diet supplements and products which Dr Oz attended as a panel member, he was openly and harshly confronted by Senator Claire McCaskill, a strong advocate for consumer protection.

She says to Dr Oz (and the entire video is well worth watching):

"I am concerned that you are melding medical advice, news, and entertainment, in a way that harms consumers.... I get that you do a lot of good on your show, but I don't get why you need to say this stuff, because you know it's not true."

The 'Dr Oz' effect is known as the most powerful sales pitch in the diet industry - the problem is that most of the products he touts do not have scientific evidence to back them up.  Some, such as the HCG diet, are dangerous.

Dr Oz's shameless promotion of products without scientific evidence of benefit (and some with potential harm) is completely opposite to the appropriate behavior of a medical doctor.  Our job as physicians is to critically assess scientific evidence, and only to recommend a treatment if there is evidence to prove that it is effective, and that the benefits outweigh the risks.

We take the Oath of Hippocrates on the day we become doctors, with two of the primary tenets being to prescribe medicines for the good of our patients, and never to do harm.  Oz needs to take a long, hard look at himself in the mirror, and reflect on this oath that he committed to upholding years ago.

You can read about my thoughts about Dr Oz's 'superfoods' here,  and Dr Oz's claims about Garcinia cambogia here.

Follow me on twitter: @drsuepedersen

www.drsue.ca © 2014

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Help Stop Fat Bullying - Start With Children!

Bullying and stigmatization of people with obesity happens, sadly, at all ages.  One of the most impactful things we can do is teach our children about the harms of bullying, so that this generation grows up understanding that stigmatization of any kind is hurtful and wrong.  
Today's post is dedicated to the children's book project, Pom Pom - A Flightless Bully Tale, by Linnie Von Sky (daughter of Dr Arya Sharma and a key member of the Canadian Obesity Network family).  It's about a slightly rotund penguin called Pomeroy Paulus Jr III.

Like any boy his age he's busy trying to impress 'the birds', namely one bird: Pia. Pomeroy dreams of a pair of orange swim trunks; the ones that Pete, Pucker and Piper own. The same ones Pia said she loved. There's just one little hiccup. The antAmart doesn't carry his size. 

Stay tuned to learn how mom helps Pomeroy get his orange swim trunks, see that Macaroni penguins are not made of mac'n'cheese, and watch Pia save the day when she puts bullies in their place. 

By supporting Linnie's publication dream, Linnie writes:

♥  You'll help us stand up against bullies and lend your voice to someone so big that his voice has become small: Fat jokes are not funny and they hurt!

♥  You'll allow us to produce (illustrate, edit, scan, post produce, book design & print in Canada) every part of Pom Pom - A Flightless Bully Tale 

♥ You'll own a copy of the book you helped us publish (and maybe even your own custom antarctic character)

♥  You'll help fund Rebecca's 2nd year of Art School. By paying Rebecca (21) real market value for her art work we were able to fund her first year of Art School with Our Canadian Love Story (Linnie's 1st book) without her having to bag groceries. How cool is that?

Click here to join Linnie's campaign against fat bullying - she's already a third of the way to her goal!

Follow me on twitter: @drsuepedersen

www.drsue.ca © 2014

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Lose It Right - Book Review!

I've had the great pleasure of reading James Fell's new book, Lose It Right, and let me tell you, it's a great read!

The book is written by James Fell, a Calgarian fitness journalist, MBA, columnist for Chatelaine and the LA Times, amongst a long list of achievements.  He has written a very pragmatic, well researched, and entertaining approach to weight management and leading a healthy life.  He truly walks the walk, enjoying a permanent (and impressive!) healthy lifestyle after struggling with his weight in the past.

The book goes through three Stages:

Stage I: Learning why we as a society, and as individuals, struggle with our weight.  From portion sizes, stress, and external food cues, to understanding the dopamine reward pathway in our brain that reinforces rewarding behaviors, James runs the gamut to help us explore the diverse elements that may be contributing to each individual's weight struggle.


Stage II: Preparation for changing your lifestyle, from changing how you view food, to goal setting, and how to manage practical aspects of lifestyle change.


Stage III is the Doing part of the book - James' actual how-to's of morphing your lifestyle into a healthy one.

You can read an excerpt from his book here.

What I really love is that this book is all about not just doing a lifestyle plan, but becoming that lifestyle.    James' plan has an emphasis on exercise - while exercise is important, it's not for everyone, or at least it is more for some people than for others.  Also, it's important to speak with your doctor before you embark on a new exercise routine, to ensure it is safe for you to do so.

But regardless of the details of how you embark on a healthier lifestyle:

"Losing It Right is about changing who you are.  It is not a list of actions, but rather someone you become."

And finally, my very favorite quote:   "Don't just do this.  BE this."

Follow me on twitter: @drsuepedersen

www.drsue.ca © 2014

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McDonald's or Twinkies for Weight Loss??

The media loves to lather attention on stories of people who lose weight by controversial means.  And who better to draw attention to than those who do it by eating nothing but fast food or junk food?! It's the ultimate sexy paradox.

There's the teacher who has recently been heralded for his 37 pound weight loss eating nothing but McDonald's for three months.  And then there's the nutrition professor who dropped 30 pounds in 8 weeks eating Twinkies.  

Well, I for one am not lovin' it.

I agree that these 'diets' prove the point that weight loss is achieved when calories in is less than calories out.  I also think it is quite cool that the teacher used this opportunity to teach his students about how to read and interpret restaurant nutritional information - this is an important skill in navigating our toxic societal obesity terrain.

However, these headline 'diets' put out a lot of wrong messages as well.  First of all, successful weight management is about permanent lifestyle change, not temporary diets.  How about if we follow these guys up over the next few years and see what happened to their weight after they stopped their temporary diets?

Secondly, weight management is about addressing the underlying contributors to the weight struggle - from the emotional relationship with food, to the home environment, to stress in the work place, and so on.  No discussion of these issues with these guys as far as I can see.

And I don't think I need to say that from a nutritional perspective, neither of these diets are recommended.

So how about we focus on the stories of people who make appropriate, healthy, permanent lifestyle changes and enjoy sustained weight loss as a consequence?  I'd love to hear your stories - send them in!

Follow me on twitter: @drsuepedersen

www.drsue.ca © 2014

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