pain

my shoulder hurts.
i went climbing on sunday and my shoulder still hurts. what i really want to do is research all of the possible ailments and then self-diagnose. then i will determine the best course of healing and be on my way.
but we aren't to joints and tendons yet.



so i will talk about the foot instead. my feet hurt on sunday because of the silly, miniature, sticky shoes that climbers insist on wearing. i am guilty. i have more confidence on the wall when i have an unbelievably 'too small' shoe on my foot. many women are guilty of a similar, unfortunate foot pain, compromising foot (and total body) comfort for sexy high heels. what a crude invention.

the aching foot.
anytime you wear shoes that are tight or constrict the natural shape of your foot, doctors say it's bound to cause foot pain.

high heels can lead to bunions (bony protrusions that usually pop up at the base of the big toe and distort the shape of the foot), corns and calluses (thickened layers of dead skin usually occuring on the toes or sides of the foot), and "hammertoe" (a condition that causes the bone of the affected toe to curl under, leaving the top to rub against the shoe). also, as we age, we lose some of the fatty deposits that normally protect the ball of the foot. and finally, women who have worn primarily high heels for most of their lives, may experience shrinkage of the achilles tendon (the area that runs from the back of the heel to the calf) which can result in pain when wearing a low-heel shoe or even the inability to walk barefoot.

and what about the climbing shoe? some climbers are affected by toe deformity (claw or hammer toes), splinter hemorrhage under nails (collection of blood under toe nails), bruised toes, cuts, corns, mycosis (fungal infections), nerve compression syndromes, hallux valgus (big toe angled towards other toes), disorders of the traversal arch structure in foot, and bunions. projecting beyond the obvious foot issues, climbers wearing tight fitting shoes essentially force their feet to become a solid unit that cannot absorb the shock of a significant fall in the normal way. this can negatively affect the ankles, knees, hips, and back.

all the above listed conditions occur when regularly wearing any tight or irregularly shaped shoes, including climbing shoes and high heels. resulting pain and deformity can go on to affect gait and even spinal mechanics. shoeless societies do not have such deformities. (if you are a visual person you just had a beautiful vision!)

let's all agree to go barefoot! and maybe wear mocassins in the winter...

cancer of the skin

melanoma has long been a part of my vocabulary. i have always watched my moles for the risk factors associated with the abcd's (the e for elevation is new to me), i always wear sunscreen or long-sleeved shirts, and i regularly visit a dermatologist. this is particularly important for me because my father passed away from melanoma in 1989, just before his 39th birthday and just before my 5th. melanoma has been a very real disease with very real consequences in my life.

the mayo clinic has this picture on their website which i think beautifully illustrates the dichotomy between sexy, romantic sun bathing and it's very serious consequences.




though i have long been convinced of the importance of protecting my skin, there was more to learn about the cellular processes: i was surprised to learn that everyone has the same number of melanocytes because there are so many different skin tones in the world. but i learned that melanocytes are just the beginning... melanocytes produce melanin in response to ultraviolet radiation. melanin is accumulated in melanosomes which are taken up by keratinocytes and accumulate on the superficial side of the keratinocyte nucleus. this forms a shield for the nucleus to avoid further sun damage. thus, the color of our skin is determined by the amount of sun exposure we have (or that our ancestors had). furthermore, and most importantly, the darker color is a defense mechanism to protect our own skin, but the damage has already been done. the idea that a healthy tan will help protect our skin is false.

maybe someday we'll revert to the beauty standard of the victorian era and people will think that voluptuous, pale women are the bees knees...

a spoonful of sugar

i have often wondered about the increase of sugar consumption in our society. we now eat an extraordinary amount of sugar in the forms of sucrose (table sugar), dextrose (corn sugar), and high-fructose corn syrup which are processed into foods such as bread, breakfast cereal, mayonnaise, peanut butter, ketchup, and spaghetti sauce. today, the average american consumes an astounding 2-3 pounds of these highly refined sugars each week!

what is the physiological impact of sugar consumption? one of sugar's major drawbacks is that it raises the insulin level, which inhibits the release of growth hormones, which in turn depresses the immune system. this is not something you want to take place if you want to avoid disease. and yet it is such an ubiquitous part of our daily diet that it is hard to avoid.

even though i have a massive garden and a community supported agriculture (csa) share this year, i still find myself eating foods high in sugar; i enjoy carrots and beets, i use salad dressings and spaghetti sauces from the super market, and i love to finish dinner with a cup of ice cream or a slice of brownie! at what point do the drawbacks outweigh the enjoyment of eating these sweet foods?

here is a list of ways sugar can affect human health:
* sugar can suppress the immune system.
* sugar can upset the body's mineral balance.
* sugar can contribute to hyperactivity, anxiety, depression, concentration difficulties, and crankiness in children.
* sugar can produce a significant rise in triglycerides.
* sugar can cause drowsiness and decreased activity in children.
* sugar can reduce helpful high density cholesterol (HDLs).
* sugar can promote an elevation of harmful cholesterol (LDLs).
* sugar can cause hypoglycemia.
* sugar contributes to a weakened defense against bacterial infection.
* sugar can cause kidney damage.
* sugar can increase the risk of coronary heart disease.
* sugar may lead to chromium deficiency.
* sugar can cause copper deficiency.
* sugar interferes with absorption of calcium and magnesium.
* sugar can increase fasting levels of blood glucose.
* sugar can promote tooth decay.
* sugar can produce an acidic stomach.
* sugar can raise adrenaline levels in children.
* sugar can lead to periodontal disease.
* sugar can speed the aging process, causing wrinkles and grey hair.
* sugar can increase total cholesterol.
* sugar can contribute to weight gain and obesity.
* sugar in high doses increases the risk of crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis.
* sugar can contribute to diabetes.
* sugar can contribute to osteoporosis.
* sugar can cause a decrease in insulin sensitivity.
* sugar leads to decreased glucose tolerance.
* sugar can cause cardiovascular disease.
* sugar can increase systolic blood pressure.
* sugar causes food allergies.
* sugar can cause free radical formation in the bloodstream.
* sugar can cause toxemia during pregnancy.
* sugar can contribute to eczema in children.
* sugar can overstress the pancreas, causing damage.
* sugar can cause atherosclerosis.
* sugar can compromise the lining of the capillaries.
* sugar can cause liver cells to divide, increasing the size of the liver.
* sugar can increase the amount of fat in the liver.
* sugar can increase kidney size and produce pathological changes in the kidney.
* sugar can cause depression.
* sugar can increase the body's fluid retention.
* sugar can cause hormonal imbalance.
* sugar can cause hypertension.
* sugar can cause headaches, including migraines.
* sugar can cause an increase in delta, alpha and theta brain waves, which can alter the mind's ability to think clearly.
* sugar can increase blood platelet adhesiveness which increases risk of blood clots and strokes.
* sugar can increase insulin responses in those consuming high-sugar diets compared to low sugar diets.
* sugar increases bacterial fermentation in the colon.


our nation, as a whole, has a terrible reputation for being gluttonous and fat. how can we, instead, foster a healthy, sustainable relationship with food? in part, it needs to start with a decrease in sugar consumption which has many dramatic health implications and far too few benefits to justify its delectation. it also requires more local and fresh food, more exercise, more relaxation, and more compassion.

off to nurture a better, healthier future, for at least one family. i'm starting with mine!

altitude... at the cellular level

over labor day weekend my beau and i went backpacking in the rawah wilderness. one morning we adventured to the top of clark peak at 12,951 feet. i have never climbed that high before and experienced some abnormal body functions. i was inspired to write about the physiological changes that take place in humans at altitude.

changes in altitude have a profound effect on the human body. the body attempts to maintain a state of homeostasis to ensure the optimal operating environment for its complex chemical systems. any change from this homeostasis is a change away from the optimal operating environment and the body attempts to correct this imbalance.

one such imbalance is the effect of increasing altitude on the body's ability to provide adequate oxygen to be utilized in cellular respiration. with an increase in
elevation, a typical occurrence when climbing mountains, the body is forced to respond in various ways to the changes in external environment. foremost of these changes
is the diminished ability to obtain oxygen from the atmosphere. if the adaptive responses to this stressor are inadequate the performance of body systems may decline dramatically. if prolonged, the results can be serious or even fatal.

if the body is responding properly to the elevation, normal symptoms such as decreased appetite, increased bladder activity, insomnia, slight swelling of hands, feet or knees, temporary breathlessness after exercising will occur. however, the effects on the human body in high altitudes that have not had time to acclimate can range from uncomfortable to life threatening.

life threatening conditions brought on from high altitude are:
* hace - high altitude cerebral edema (fluid build up in the brain)
* hape - high altitude pulmonary edema (high blood pressure in the lungs)
* harh - high altitude retinal hemorrhage (small areas of bleeding in the back of the eye)
* high altitude breathing & sleeping issues (central sleep apnea combined with periods of hyperventilation)
* hypoxemia (low blood oxygen)
* hypothermia (extreme cold where the body’s core temperature cannot be maintained)
* high hemoglobin count (cause stokes, heart attacks and pulmonary embolisms




i spent the majority of today studying and relaxing and was amazed at the ability of my body to perform both under high stress as well as complete relaxation. in both cases i am able to think, eat, sleep, etc. internal homeostasis is something i have surely taken for granted.

mucous, snot, phlegm, boogers

i live with my boyfriend and his son and the little man has been sick consistently since he started attending day care in january. this week i wondered, as i often do, about the amount of snot coming out of his nose. it seems to be an endless flow of sticky boogers. where does this come from? i did some research about mucous, in the nose in particular, and below is what i discovered.


this is how i will explain it to young people:
snot is slimy, gooey stuff that is technically known as mucous. mucous membranes
line the inside of our noses and sinuses and secrete snot to protect our bodies from invaders like germs, pollen and dust. snot traps the tiny particles of junk we breathe in so they don't make their way into our lungs and make us sick. if germs do sneak in, and we get sick, we'll probably get a runny nose because our bodies make extra snot to wash away the germs. boogers, on the other hand, are those hard, crusty globs that stick in our noses when dirty snot dries out.


so why are little kids always snotty-nosed? one possible reason why some children produce so much snot is because they haven't learned how to blow their noses yet. another reason is that young children get sick easier because they can't fight off infection as well. probably, it is some combination of the two.

here's to less snot!