That's Fit

Although I will expand on Randy Pausch, I imagine you're already well aware of who he is. He's the unstoppable man, who has inspired millions and millions of people around the world by his passion for life while he fights an almost impossible battle with pancreatic cancer. I learned of Dr. Pausch many months ago as Diane Sawyer interviewed him on ABC. He blew me away with his humor, dedication to his family, and outrageous courage.

His journey since his diagnosis put him on stage at the University he was a professor at, Carnegie Mellon, for his Last Lecture. This Last Lecture made it to YouTube (embedded below) and then became a best selling book, The Last Lecture. His outlook on life and stories of his childhood and career have inspired other cancer patients to fight harder and regular people to just be better. Although he's truly only concerned with getting his message across to his three young children, he's positively affected millions of others as a side effect.

Recently, President Bush was compelled to write to Randy Pausch. This can't change Randy's fate with cancer, but as a representative of the American people ... it was a fantastic way to show our appreciation for Randy setting a new standard for 'goodness' and dedicating his life to teaching others.

Picking a doctor isn't just as simple as thumbing through the yellow pages. You want to make sure that your doctor is well qualified to meet your medical needs and that he or she has a personality that suits yours. If you're the type of person who has a lot of medical questions, you'll want to make sure you find a doctor who spends a little more time with patients and is willing to field Q & A sessions.

I know that I've had doctors in the past who were distressing for one reason or another. I've also had doctors who were wonderful and I knew, with complete confidence, that either my or my son's medical needs were being met with thoughtful, educated, wise, and caring decisions.

To start your search, check with your insurance company to see what physicians in your area carry your insurance. Also, check with friends, family, and/or neighbors for personal references -- but be sure to take their personal experiences with a grain of salt. Then, follow these tips from Good Housekeeping for selecting a great doctor:

The U.S. National Institutes of Health has announced a new research program designed to solve the medical cases that are stumping doctors. The Undiagnosed Diseases Program will tackle difficult cases that are referred to the center by doctors across the country.

Just imagine the frustration doctors must feel when faced with a patient who's exhibiting symptoms that don't correspond with known illnesses (not to mention the frustration the patients feel.) The development of this research team pulls together a highly trained staff with state-of-the-art equipment -- diagnosticians that spend their whole days solving the unsolvable.

Necessarily, the program will be very selective about which cases it takes on. The case must have first exhausted all standard diagnostic procedures. The program will work with approximately 100 patients per year.

For many people, visiting a doctor can be intimidating. There's the whole authority issue, plus the anxiety that comes with having to deal with a physical exam or possible bad news about a health condition. But according to CNN, women especially can be at risk for a less-than-helpful doctor's visit if they aren't careful.

Some helpful tips:

• Ask questions, or bring someone with you who will.
• Go ahead and research your condition, but don't become overwhelmed by it.
• Recognize gender bias when it happens, and choose a different physician.
• Just the facts, ma'am! Don't interpret your symptoms for you doc, just describe them factually.
• Always trust your intuition.

I've found that if I have specific issues I want to discuss, I must write them down. Otherwise, I nearly always forget to bring them up during the five to 10 minutes I'm actually with the doctor. How do you get the most out of your doctor's appointments?

I'm not exactly sure what the deal is with us guys, but we're awfully pig-headed when it comes to going to the doctor. Maybe it's because we want to be all Charles Bronson about our ailments and see if we can tough them out. Problem is, sometimes an issue that could have been dealt with easily turns into an even bigger issue if it goes untreated.

A 2007 survey, conducted for the American Academy of Family Physicians, revealed what some guys' reasons are for not seeing a doctor. This is where I'd like to insert some fancy pie chart, but since I can't, I'll stick to bullet points.

• 36% of men only go to the doctor when they are extremely sick
• 23% of men say they are healthy and don't need to see a doctor
• 11% of men say lack of insurance prevents them from seeing a doctor
• 8% of men say they don't like doctors
• 7% of men don't go to the doctor because they are afraid of finding out that something is wrong with them

Look guys, if you're not feeling well, go see a doctor. Even if you're feeling fine and it's simply time you had an annual check-up, go see the damn doctor, will you? If your car is making a strange rattling noise or even driving the slightest bit off, you'd have it looked at, wouldn't you? Afford your body the same respect and care.

If it's been so long that you don't even know where to find one, check the American Medical Association website (www.ama-assn.org) for a comprehensive listing of board-certified internists.

If your wrists tend to hurt, it may be for one of several reasons. Leaving out arthritis and other conditions that require specialized medical treatment, wrist pain is frequently attributable to weakness in the forearm muscles and wrist joints themselves. To help remedy this discomfort, regularly perform an exercise known as wrist curls.

Start by sitting on a bench or any stable surface and hold a barbell in your hands (two dumbbells would also work) with your palms facing the ceiling. Place your elbows on your thighs, which should be spread just about shoulder-width apart, and allow your hands to hang freely as they hold the bar. Next, curl up your wrists and hold at the top of the movement for one to two seconds before slowly lowering the weight. That completes one full repetition. Shoot for at least 12 reps, using a weight you can manage comfortably.

If you're unsure as to whether or not you should perform wrist curls to help ease your wrist pain, it may be wise to first check with your physician and/or specialist.

Have fitness questions? Fitz has your answer. Our ThatsFit.com fitness expert -- and now your own virtual personal trainer -- will help you get fit, increase your overall health and do it in a fun way. Drop your questions here in the Comments section below and we'll choose two per week to publish on That's Fit! Learn more about Fitz here.

Q. Hi Fitz, I'm 56, run three to four miles, five or so days a week. Lately, as I'm walking to cool down, the back part of my right knee tightens up and bending it becomes very painful as I do post-run stretching. No pain when running. Anyone familiar with this condition? Dave

A Hey Dave. I get soooo many questions about knees. In fact, I had knee surgery long ago, so some people think I'm some sort of knee expert. I'm not. In fact, I don't think anyone who isn't a physician or physical therapist and hasn't seen you in person should give you advice on your condition. Not helpful, right? Wrong.

Like most women I know, I schedule my annual and semi-annual exams when it works with my schedule. I know that a midday appointment at the dentist's office will always start late, so I make those appointments early in the day. And, I don't want to see the gynocologist on the morning of my anniversary, you know?

But, according to I'm Not Obsessed, there are certain times of the day (or month) that are best for certain appointments. For example:

• Mammograms should be done during your period or the week after.
  
  
• Schedule your colonoscopy first thing in the morning.
  
  
• See your dentist for a cleaning two weeks after your period.

Wondering why? Find out here.

FitSpirit explores the mind-body connection and the intangible benefits we gain from our efforts to stay physically fit.

The internet is our key to the unknown. Need a definition for a tough word? Forget the trusty dictionary sitting on the bookshelf. The internet is quicker, easier, and so much more convenient. Need a quick recipe for chicken, potatoes, or say, cookies? No need for a visit to that old recipe box or cookbook. A quick search of the internet can score bunches of tried and true blueprints for the cravings that consume us. And when it comes to our health? Heck, who doesn't self-diagnose by way of the keyboard?

At times, we all share the same doctor. Austin Fit Magazine calls our collective physician Dr. Google and while many of us might highly recommend the good doctor, it's possible we're relying on this seemingly trusty source of medical information a bit too much.

Surveys reveal that nearly 40 percent of web-using adults have gone online to research a medical condition. Some use sites like Web MD. Some simply type a symptom like "ankle pain" or "sore throat" into a search box. Such investigation can be helpful but it can also lead to panic, anxiety, and plain old misinformation. Without an actual person who can offer comfort and explanation, online searches can be downright dangerous.

As with everything, using the internet for medical pursuits is all about balance. Too much information from this source can undermine the real patient-physician relationship. On the other hand, knowing our stuff before we head into an exam room isn't such a bad idea.

Whether you call it empowerment, useless wandering, or something in between, perusing the internet requires an open mind and a whole lot of common sense too. The bottom line is this: Use Dr. Google's free-flowing information as you will. But remember that medicine was never intended to become a do-it-yourself project.

Every so often, we hear news reports about accidental deaths or overdoses due to over-prescribed, often unnecessary drugs or surgery. But these seems to be rare, right? We'd like to think so, anyway. I recently read some alarming statistics on deaths in the US:

• 12,000 were caused by unnecessary surgery
• 7,000 were caused by medication errors in hospitals
• 20,000 were caused by other errors in hospitals
• 80,000 were caused by infections in hospitals
• 106,000 were caused by non-error, negative effects of drugs.

That's right -- in one of the most medically-advanced countries in the world, hundreds of thousands of people are dying at the hands of medical professionals by errors, unnecessary measures and other preventable causes. Does this seem odd to anyone else? I think its time we began questioning the motivations behind the 'remedies' we're being offered.

Did your dermatologist ever tell you that chocolate causes acne or that vitamin E helps wounds heal? If so, your doc was wrong. Dr. Debra Wattenberg clears up these two myths -- and highlights four other skin tips -- for MSNBC.com. Here's what she reveals.

Chocolate doesn't cause acne, but milk might
There are very few studies linking food and acne. It's not chocolate or greasy foods that clog pores. It's skin cells and bacteria that do the damage. Milk might be damaging too -- recent studies show that milk and other dairy products may stimulate the glands causing acne. Dr. Wattenberg recommends limiting but not eliminating dairy.

Vitamin E prevents wounds from healing
Most people think vitamin E heals wounds. It doesn't. It's an antioxidant that will help prevent oxidative damage to the skin, but it may actually slow healing.

Antiperspirants are more effective if applied at night
Apply your antiperspirant to a dry underarm just before heading to bed and then again in the morning and they may work better during the day.

Flat moles can be skin cancer
Raised moles are not the only moles you should worry about. Flat moles can be cancerous too. Consider the ABCD's of skin cancer for all moles -- determine if your lesions are Asymmetrical (one half doesn't match the other), have an irregular Border or irregular Color, or have a Diameter greater than the size of a pencil eraser (5 mm).

Acne medications should be applied to the entire face, not just to pimples
Most medications are designed to prevent tomorrow's breakout, not just dry up today's pimple. Apply to the whole face, not just the stubborn spot.

Covered wounds heal faster than open ones
Don't uncover your wound to "let it dry out." Studies show that wound healing is more effective in a moist environment. Apply an antibiotic ointment like Bacitracin or Neosporin and keep it covered with a Band-Aid until it is completely healed.

Wouldn't it be convenient to head to the grocery store to pick up weekly supplies, and while you're there get a doctor checkup during the same trip? A British supermarket chain called Sainsbury will be rolling out a pilot store with this exact program where shoppers can visit doctors right there in the grocery.

Now we're not talking about a physician located in frozen food aisle. A full-blown consultation room will be available, which is called "Doctors in Store." This seems like the perfect combination of practicality and convenience. So how is this different than a traditional doctor's office?

Well, it's not just a change in venue: shoppers will be given a pager so that when a doctor is ready to see them, they'll know when to go! While this a Manchester-exclusive project right now, I'm sure many people would like to see something similar in the United States before too long. After all, some Wal-Marts feature Vision Centers where customers can get eyeglasses. How long until we're able to get a general checkup too?

So, fess up. You've done it, haven't you? When you have a niggling little headache or sore muscles or a bad case of the sniffles, you've turned to Dr. Google before heading in to see your own doc. I know I have. Somehow my sore throats, coughs, and muscle aches always turn in to cancer when I've been Internet searching too long and too hard. But it turns out that being an involved and informed patient doesn't always translate into better health.

In a study of 189 adults with high blood pressure, those who were the most informed tended to have the highest blood pressure and cholesterol levels. Why? The study doesn't really say. Perhaps the more involved patients were "at odds" with their doctors and it's well known that a good patient-physician relationship leads to the best health care. Or, it's possible that the more involved patients became that way because they didn't feel they were getting proper care.

Have you ever wanted to sit down with a doctor and just shoot the breeze? It's not like we get the chance to do this when we actually go visit them, but here's a very interesting article doing just that! They sat down with five doctors of different backgrounds to get candid answers relating to the field of medicine.

The doctors were anonymous, of course, but included a general practitioner, a pediatrician, an oncologist (that's cancer), a gynecologist, and a psychiatrist. One of the questions they asked them was "Do you ever worry about catching diseases and infections off your patients?" This is something that I have always wondered.

It undoubtedly varies from person to person, but the gynecologist admitted he or she was terrified of contracting hepatitis C. "Dr Child" (the pediatrician) says no, and that the risk can actually go the other way. Infecting a patient with a weak immune system, for example, can be dangerous. Ever wondered if doctors smoke or drink? Each of the five admitted to drinking, but none smoke (though two had in the past). Read on for more confessions -- there are a bunch of insights to be learned!

Heart disease is the number one killer of women here in the U.S., and in many cases it's due to high cholesterol. Making matters worse, most times women don't realize that they even have high cholesterol, especially women who live healthy lifestyles.

There are certain things you must know about cholesterol, according to WebMD, to help protect yourself from complications. Clicking on any of the following links will take you to more in-depth descriptions of what is stated in the heading.

1. High Cholesterol is Surprisingly Common

2. Your Doctor May Miss the Problem

3. Your Numbers May Trick You

4. You May Need an "Inflammation" Test

5. These Foods are Your Best Friend

6. Good Cholesterol May Have a Bad Side

7. Your Heart Loves Long Walks

After reading through some of the descriptions, what's your takeaway from all this?