Cougar Cry
5
3 MEDICAL CUCH^
Here’s an oft repeated health myth that de
serves debunking, if only to tell your
mother she was wrong: cracking knuckles
and popping joints does not cause arthritis,
enlarged joints or any other problem.
The University of California Berkeley
Wellness Newsletter offers this explanation
as to what causes the sound: Joints contain
fluid. When gas forms in the joint fluid, it
can create a bubble. As you bend the joint
you collapse the bubble, releasing gas and
producing the harmless popping noise.
“Feed a cold, starve a fever” is another fa
mous health dictum that needs discrediting.
In fact, whether you have a cold or a fever,
starvation shouldn’t be on your list of reme
dies. You need plenty of fluids for both ail
ments, and you should eat when you feel
hungry.
Finally, whoever coined the term “ no pain,
no gain” was obviously not a fitness expert.
Studies have proven that those who go from
sedentary to moderately active achieve
greater health benefits than those who are
already moderately active and become very
active. In other words, the gain levels off.
So it is more prudent to work out moder
ately, thereby reaping the cardiovascular
benefits of exercise while keeping the risk
of injury low.
—adapted from Cooking Light and South
west Airlines’ Spirit
SOBEBING NEW'S ABOUT OBESITY
By: Doug Horne
Believe it or not, spring is just around the
corner. As the weather grows warmer, our
thoughts once again turn to the great out
doors. Or do they? According to results of
the 1999-2000 National Health and Nutri
tion Examination Survey, 64% of ^ adults
between the ages of 20 and 74 are overweight
and 31% are considered obese. This is a very
significant increase in the last 20 years. In 1980,
an estimated 47% of the adult population was
overweight and 15% were considered obese. If
these figures don’t disturb you, then perhaps
they should. Once an individual is considered
obese, their chances of suffering health problems
increase dramatically. Being overweight puts
additional stress on your body to say the least.
According to the Institutes of Health, you are
overweight if your body mass index is between
25 and 29.9 percent. You are considered obese if
your body mass index is greater than 30 percent.
The body mass index is the most effective way
to calculate body fat. You can determine your
body mass index by dividing your weight (in
pounds) by your height (in inches) and then di
viding that number by your height again, then
multiply that number by 703.
The main factors that are contributing to this
epidemic probably won’t surprise you. Inactivity
and a significant increase in our average calorie
intake are the primary reasons behind the prob
lem. The “Super-size” fast food craze and won
derful inventions like the Playstation have col
laborated to create this pitifully out-of-shape
country we call home. We should pay serious
attention to this situation, for it has the ability to
reverse all the advancements that have been
made in cardio-pulmonary health as well as
other areas. The problem of obesity isn’t con
fined to adults. It is estimated that 15% of young
people ages 6 to 19 are overweight.
Most experts contend that this problem can be
combated by simple exercise and sensible eating
habits. This is the type of problem that can
slowly undermine a country even as strong as
our own if it isn’t dealt with. As spring ap
proaches, take a few moments to evaluate your
health. Don’t do it for the sake of how you look
necessarily, but do it for the sake of feeling bet
ter and living healthier.