The Weekly Dose - Episode 53

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!If you enjoy interesting conversations and podcast, check out my brand new podcast "The Referral With Dr Karan"!**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.**

Female Hunter-Gatherers...

Sex (gender) has frequently distorted our view of ancient humans. For example, the popularised notion that hunter-gatherers of the past were men...is being challenged.Using data from a wide body of literature that investigated peoples and cultures of the past, it found that evidence supports archaeological finds that date back as far as the Holocene, which instead paint women as proficient hunters. 

Numerous studies looking into burial sites thousands of years old have shown there have been a significant number of female found with hunting projectiles and tools, suggesting they were involved in hunting big game. 

Additionally, evidence also points to the fact that these ancient women were hunting animals of all sizes rather than focusing on the smaller species.  

This data is not to say that in these foraging societies, women were exclusively hunters or didn't play other roles in these early societies but simply opposes the common belief that women exclusively gather while men exclusively hunt.The beauty of science is that it constantly evolves and updates...even our analysis of the past. I mean it wasn't long ago that we assumed neanderthals were hunchbacks because the first skeleton of a neanderthal was one with an arthritic spine! 

Ketchup Belongs In The Fridge...Or Does It?

It’s a debate as old as, well, ketchup.Even Heinz HQ have weighed in on this saucy debate and have said “Because of its natural acidity, Heinz Ketchup is shelf-stable. However, its stability after opening can be affected by storage conditions. We recommend that this product be refrigerated after opening.”Ultimately, it really all comes down to your ketchup’s quality and personal preference. Refrigerating ketchup (and pretty much anything) will extend its shelf-life.If unopened, ketchup will last in your cupboard shelf for a year (depending on the brand) but once it’s been opened and unavoidably exposed to air, its quality will start deteriorating if it isn’t refrigerated. If chilled, however, an opened bottle of ketchup can last for up to 6 months but its quality may begin to deteriorate within the first four weeks of being opened.From a safety standpoint, there’s no desperate need to refrigerate ketchup. Tomatoes and vinegar, the main components in ketchup, help preserve the condiment at room temperature due to their natural acidity. Warm ketchup won’t make you sick and won’t necessarily spoil, but you may notice changes in colour and some taste changes thanks to oxidation.  

It’s important to note that these rules apply to good quality ketchup. Low quality sauce or home-made sauce may not have the preservatives (natural or otherwise) to hold its own in a room-temperature pantry. If you made your own, play it safe by storing it in the fridge!

How To Be Happy With 5 Truths...

1. You don't need to always be right, just be less wrong. Forget your 'brilliance" and focus on your ignorance. Simply winning an argument does not automatically make you the winner, just more persistent.2. Passion is not pre-ordained or pre-determined. It is a result of trial and error and tinkering. You don't have to "aim" at something, rather follow your curiosity and see where it takes you. That is how I'm here on social media, writing this missive to you.3. Tackle subjects outside your comfort zone. A mathematician who only studies mathematics or a doctor who just studies medicine will be incomplete. Don't be afraid to lean into views and learn things which fall outside your intellectual comfort zone. The more I learn, the more I realise I don't know and the more it fills me with joy that there is continually more knowledge out there to obtain.4. I'm sad to say it took me close to 30 years to realise this but nothing is ever too late. I enjoy my work as a doctor but what brings me real joy is far simpler than material items and things attached to numbers. My time with family, my dog, my toilet, my bed, my downtime making social media videos or lazing on the sofa. A simple life is surprisingly complex to build but easy to ignore. 

What You Need To Watch...

"Muscles & Mayhemt" - NetflixGrowing up as a 90s kid, I used to love getting my fix of "Gladiators" (the UK version with Ulrika Johnson and John Fashanu) - that was wild and I don't know if i enjoyed the actual show or just looking at all these good looking people who were built like demi-gods.I stumbled upon a documentary about the original American Gladiators on Netflix and the behind the scenes truths unmasked are wild.Sex, drugs and rock'n'roll and huge muscles. Give it a watch for a dose of nostalgia.

Why You Never Hear About Heart Cancer...

Cancer can leave it's footprint in every single organ in the body but you hardly ever hear about this affliction affecting the heart...Despite the lack of notoriety for heart cancer, it is possible for people to develop primary cancer of the heart – but thankfully, it is very rare.  

Primary heart tumours are so uncommon that statistics are few and far between, some estimates report they occur in between 0.0017 percent and 0.028 percent of people. Even then, not all of these tumours are malignant.  

Just like any other part of the body, a person can have non-malignant (non-cancerous, or benign) tumours of the heart - often these are atrial myxomas. Despite their "benign" tag, they can cause pretty serious effects on the body if they block the flow of blood....Less common but insidious are the malignant cardiac tumours. Most cardiologists that you've ever come across have likely seen just 1 or 2 in their entire careers. The most common malignant heart tumour is the cardiac sarcoma. When one gets this, it is practically a death sentence. But I'm stalling here...back to the main question you're probably asking...why is cancer so rare in the heart compared to other organs?One proposed theory is that the cardiac myocytes, the cells of the heart, are terminally differentiated..i.e they've reached their final evolution. Since cancer usually occurs due to errors in cell division which then results in this abnormal cell proliferating uncontrollably, the heart muscle cells are somewhat resistant to tumours since they don't divide in later life like cells from other organs like the skin or colon.

This makes the heart less than ideal are repairing itself when it suffers damage after a heart attack...but it does give it some anti-cancer resistance!Life, as it often is, is a compromise between two evils.  

My Weird Dream...

I had a really interesting chat with a guest for an upcoming podcast episode on Inflammatory bowel disease, invisible conditions and stomas and it made me reflect on a recent dream/nightmare I had.I dreamt that I was diagnosed with a bowel cancer and was undergoing surgery. I almost felt that I had a bird's eye view on everything and simultaneously experiencing the surgery happening to my corporeal form too. Strange. An out of body experience, within the dream itself.It made me introspect about my interactions with patients and how despite having compassion for them in difficult diagnoses and when talking to them...we will never be able to empathise 100% with someone unless you have lived their experience and even then everyone's experiences are different. 100% empathy, no matter how much you strive to achieve it, is impossible.Whilst I back myself as an empathetic doctor, my dream/nightmare/torture simulation did lead me into thinking about different ways I can show empathy and left me with thoughts about taking my own health more seriously.Work, social media and the general micro-stresses of life sometimes leaves you distracted from focussing on personal health. On that note..I'm off to the gym

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