Light weights not a hazard to innards
Dear Dr. Gott: I am a 68-year-old male who has exercised, physically and mentally, for the majority of my life. I compete in several 5K races and at least one 10K race during the year. However, my favorite sport is tennis, singles only, thank you; doubles is for wimps. I play in several tournaments throughout the year.
I participate in these activities for health reasons; also I relish competition, challenges and the comradeship of my fellow man.
When I jog, I wear a fabric-fastener belt around my waist, and when I do sit-ups I place a 20-pound weight on my stomach. Do you think wearing the belt or the weight can cause internal damage?
Dear Reader: A fabric-fastener belt and light-weight workouts will not endanger your internal workings. Continue to exercise as you have in the past.
Dear Dr. Gott: I was told that blueberries might be a good therapeutic option for Alzheimer’s disease. Is this true?
Dear Reader: Not to my knowledge. Blueberries do have positive health benefits but are not an effective therapy for Alzheimer’s disease.
To give you related information, I am sending you a copy of my Health Report “Alzheimer’s Disease.” Other readers who would like a copy should send a long, self-addressed, stamped envelope and $2 to Newsletter, P.O. Box 167, Wickliffe, OH 44092. Be sure to mention the title.
Dear Dr. Gott: I am middle-aged and, other than allergies, I’m a very healthy Wisconsin woman of Scandinavian descent. All my life, I have been unable to tolerate hot weather. As a child, I would play outside in the winter at recess when no other children would go out because of the cold; it never bothered me. I was miserable all summer long, except for when swimming in a lake because being in water was the only time I felt really good. As an adult, I have always felt healthiest, most invigorated and happiest during the winter. I feel lethargic and generally unwell during the summer if it is a warm/hot summer. Unseasonably cold summers are a blessing to me. Why is this? My husband simply does not understand that I actually suffer in hot weather. (Middle age is not a factor here: My intolerance of heat has always been this high.)
Dear Reader: For reasons that are unclear to me, you seem to have a robust metabolism that appears to make you immune to the effects of cold weather – or, put another way, makes you highly sensitive to climatic heat.
Although you should have a blood test to check for a hyperactive thyroid gland, there may be no obvious or definable cause for your heat-intolerance. Wisconsin is probably a good state for you. Or maybe even Alaska would be a good choice. I urge you not to move south.