One issue that commonly arises when I see patients in the office is that of nutritional supplements. A walk through Rite-Aid or GNC would have you believe that there are a multitude of pills, powders, and creams that can alleviate the pain from arthritis or muscle cramps or even transient joint aches, and it’s easy to understand why patients turn to their doctors for answers. In “What You Don’t Know Might Kill You”, published in Sports Illustrated this week, authors David Epstein & George Dohrmann expose some of the hidden realities in the business of performance-enhancing supplements. Unfortunately, many of these truths apply to all supplements, including things like prenatal vitamins. <<More >>

A few weeks ago I got an email from Shannon Bahrke, one the mogul skiers on the U.S. Ski Team. I’ve gotten to know her, and others on the team, over the past few years while traveling with them to training and competition sites as one of the U.S. Ski Team physicians. Shannon was the silver medalist in mogul skiing at the 2002 Olympics in Salt Lake City, and she just recently captured her sixth national championship in dual moguls at Squaw Valley. This was a comeback year for Bahrke, who had surgery to reconstruct a torn ACL in the off-season. She also lost her coach and friend, Clay Beck, in a plane crash this year, and those factors made her sixth title that much more special.

She sent me a link to her new business venture, a coffee roasting company called Silver Bean Coffee (silverbeancoffee.com) out of her current hometown of Salt Lake City. I thought I’d share the link with you, because she used one of my photos on the front page of her website. It’s from a training camp in Chile back in 2007, and that’s Shannon throwing a “cork 7” off of the lower jump.

When you mention “De Ronde” (pronounced more like “day-rawn–da”) in cycling circles, most will think of the legendary one-day spring classic, De Ronde Van Vlaanderen (Tour of Flanders). The race is known primarily for its winding, hilly route, with 17 climbs of up to 25% grade, many over the rough, cobblestoned roads that cyclists call “pavé”. Combined with the typically cold and wet early spring days in Northern Europe, this race has come to symbolize the ultimate test of the heroes of cycling. The climbs and the conditions can be so difficult that many have to walk up the hills; in 1984, only two of the racers managed to ride the entire course.

Portland has a unique combination of steep, winding roads, some with pavement that reminds you of an old European village, and a reliably chilly and wet spring climate. Put a city of truly dedicated cyclists in this environment, and they will eventually pit themselves and each other against the worst roads and the steepest hills, in a bittersweet test of the limits of man and bike. This is how De Ronde Van Oeste Portlandia was born. <<More >>

I just returned to Portland from running the Austin Marathon this past Sunday, in my new personal best marathon time of 2 hours, 55 minutes, and 41 seconds. It was a beautiful day for a race, overcast and around 50 degrees at the 7 a.m. start, becoming sunny and reaching the mid-60s by about 9 o’clock. We fought a slight headwind for miles 3 to 17, but the hilly loop course positioned us to enjoy that wind at our backs down the home stretch. I had a very strong first half, but the wind and the miles started to chip away at me little by little. I still felt good until around mile 22, when my hamstrings started to tighten up. This should have been a fast downhill section, but I simply couldn’t get my legs to turnover fast enough. Knowing there were hills to come in the final 2 miles, I backed off to a more comfortable pace, and suffered through to the final thousand meters. I managed to burst into a closing sprint through the winding downhill final stretch, and crossed the finish line in 36 th place. <<More >>

The snow is here! If you’re like me, our recent storm has created an unavoidable urge to get out the skis or snowboard, and get up to the mountains. My garage holds a nearly-complete quiver of snow-riding implements, from big-mountain snowboards to Nordic racing skate skies, and I’m getting them all ready for action. Snow sports require very specialized and somewhat costly equipment, and keeping that gear in prime working condition will not only help it last longer, but can also go a long way towards injury prevention. <<More >>

A special “Science Times” section was published in the September 29, 2008 issue of New York Times, devoted to helping people navigate the seemingly endless supply of health information (and mis-information). Health information is now readily available on the web, in medical journals, at their doctors’ offices and on their websites. While I do find this special section somewhat ironic, I urge you to check it out. Of particular interest, especially from a doctor’s perspective, is Jane Brody’s article, titled “How a Patient Can Help a Doctor Give the Best Care.” The health information era has long been here and it will empower patients to take control of their own health. However, head this warning- your source of health information must be trustworthy, credible and monitored by legitimate health care professionals.

How a Patient Can Help a Doctor Give the Best Care

By Jane Brody

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/30/health

Yoga & Cycling

April 23, 2008

By Alec Denes, MD Sports Orthopedic Surgeon

Last fall, I managed to recover from a painful episode of iliotibial band syndrome (ITBS) in time to ramp up training for the Portland Marathon. A newfound devotion to stretching was responsible for my recovery, and I had no problems during the race. My time in that race was 3:09:17, a personal record by 13 seconds, but still a bit off of my sub-3-hour goal. The marathon gods were toying with me and this was just another one of their cruel games. But in a convoluted way, it led me to a new realization. <<More >>