The Weekly Dose - Episode 39

The Weekly Dose...

... the latest from Dr Karan

  Here is your weekly dose...  

Hi all!Here is your weekly dose of the Sunday Six! A few things I found interesting this week. If you enjoy this please feel free to forward this to friends. families and enemies alike!If you've enjoyed any of my content over the years, I know you will enjoy my new book "This Book May Save Your Life", available to pre-order here: My First Ever Book!**You'll find more in depth analysis of some of these subjects on my social platforms in the links just below, including Dr Karan Investigates! for deep dives into interesting topics on my YouTube channel.**

The Mystery Of Beethoven's Death...

Ludwig Van Beethoven, the man behind the "viral" hits Symphony No.5 and Symphony No.3 to name but a few, had a fair bit of mystery surrounding his death...However, scientists have now sequenced his entire genome from a lock of hair, *shedding* further light as to what might have contributed to his demise (sorry couldn't resist).The analysis revealed a number of genetic risk factors for liver disease as well as an infection with hepatitis B virus which likely contributed to his death which contradicts the widely held belief that he died from lead poisoning.Beethoven was quite open about various health problems he suffered with in life; we know he suffered from severe gastrointestinal issues and at least two attacks of jaundice (yellowing of the skin) in his life.This latest research suggests that his proclivity for copious alcohol consumption when compounded with a hepatitis B infection (which affects the liver) in addition to his genetic predisposition to liver disease points to liver failure as the most likely cause of his demise.   

What You Should Watch...

This is the second time I've seen this film and it went even better than the first time.When a book is adapted into a live-action offering, it often fails to live up to expectations but this took the book to a different level. If you enjoyed Slum Dog Millionaire, you will enjoy The White Tiger. Not only does it capture the nuances of Indian culture but it's actually a really clever and enjoyable plot.If you have the chance, I'd recommend reading the book which has its own charm too.  

Anti-Daylight Savings...

We all know by now (or at least we should), that daylight savings is an inherently awful idea."Standard" time is more in alignment with natural light and thus our circadian rhythms allowing for better sleep and functioning. Daylight savings accordingly promotes circadian misalignment; a mismatch in timing between our biological rhythms and the outside world. In other words, the timing of daily work, school or sleep routines is based on the clock, rather than on the sun’s rise and set. There is plenty of evidence suggesting that even the loss of one hour sleep can cause a spike in rates of mental health issues, cardiovascular events and stress related issues so the biggest surprise is how lawmakers allow this farce to continue.Thankfully today was a weekend so the timing didn't bother me too much but when it happens whilst I'm due to be in at work it sets me up for an awful day. You do not want your hospital staff sleep deprived and grumpy!Here's a fanciful idea: next year lets all just ignore daylight savings and continue on standard time. 

  Weight Loss Jabs... 

When weight loss surgeries first came into existence, there was furore and controversy about it. But it saved lives. It reversed diabetes in many cases, it reversed other chronic metabolic conditions and gave people a better quality of life.The next evolution from this and clearly far less invasive is the weight loss jab, aka GLP1 agonists.I've said it time and time again, weight loss injections are NOT for someone who wants to lose a few kilograms or get lean before their wedding in 6 weeks or someone looking to get that elusive 6 pack they've been chasing. It is for a select cohort of patients who are severely impacted by their weight and/or a chronic metabolic conditions and at risk of cardiovascular events. Furthermore it is not intended as a stand alone solution, it is just not feasible. If taken under medical supervision it is simply an adjunct to sustainable dietary changes & the initiation of an exercise regime.Without the last two, upon cessation of the injection, any weight loss will likely pile back on.The reason the weight loss injection is not suitable for someone at a healthy bodyweight or *just* above is that the lean muscle mass lost in comparison to fat loss is not a favourable trade off.It is potentially favourable in those group of patients with excessive amounts of weight that they stand to lose or who have those chronic metabolic conditions that put them in a higher risk category of health complications.  

How The Media Tricks You...

"Female contraception increases your breast cancer risk by X%!!"Scary headlines get clicks.When you are given a fear-mongering headlines with loosely thrown around statistics, you aren't given the whole picture.You are deprived of the real truth and instead sold misrepresentation.Let me give you an example.Say 2 in 100,000 people get a certain type of cancer.Now say a medication that is taken by millions of people is show to cause the incidence of that cancer to go up to 3 in 100,000 people. Technically it's gone up by 50%!Cue headline "Drug increases cancer risk by 50%!"The headline gives you a form of the truth, it shows you the RELATIVE RISK.But if you look at the ABSOLUTE RISK; 2 in 100,000 vs 3 in 100,000, the absolute risk is still small.Statistics can be easily massaged to fit narratives. Stay alert! 

Pillars Of Health...

Sometimes I get asked "What are the most important supplements we should be taking".I think this is worth a longer video on its own on YouTube but honestly before supplements people should be focusing on core pillars of health first.This is how I view health as a whole:Think of it like a house.The roof is mental health.This is supported by the pillars of sleep, nutrition and movement.There are lots of little support structures which help of course; social contacts, finances etc but purely from a mental & physical perspective the above is key.If any one of mental health, sleep, nutrition and movement are affected it can be deleterious to overall health. Each one of these factors can skew the others and throw the entire equilibrium off kilter.Simplify things down to those 4 things before worrying about supplements or anything too fancy. 

As always, please give me feedback on Twitter. Which of this weeks Sunday six is your favourite? Is there something you want more, or less of? I'm open to any suggestions so please let me know! Just send a  tweet to @drkaranrajan and use the hashtag #theweeklydose at the end so I can find it!

Have a wonderful week, all.

Much love,

Karan