Why I’m not a big fan of vitamins and supplements
By Mark Buckawicki via Wikimedia Commons
In 2013, people in the United States spent nearly $35 billion on vitamins and supplements. Something like 1 in 3 people take a multivitamin, and around half of people took some type of supplement in the past 30 days.
So why, on the Healthy Matters radio broadcast the other day, did I say that I am not a big fan of supplements?. They’re supposed to be good for you, right? Are all those people wrong?
No, they’re not all wrong. But I do have opinions on the use of vitamins and supplements, and I do think that for most people, they are a waste of money. Allow me to explain . . .
But first, to hear me pontificate about supplements on the radio broadcast, download the podcast by clicking the logo here and fast-forwarding to 28:54.
(Healthy Matters show #448, August 6, 2017)
Summertime emergencies are no fun
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An insider’s view of the Emergency Department
I have a colleague at Hennepin County Medical Center who is into cool stuff. He does a lot of biking, he does backcountry skiing in British Columbia, he raises bees in his Minneapolis backyard and makes honey from those bees – honey which has won awards at the Minnesota State Fair, no less.
And he tells a good tale. His name is Aaron Rutzick. One time he told me this one about a bike crash he had when in real-time he realized that his helmet was saving him as he hit the pavement with his head . . .
“I was riding down 3rd Ave in south Minneapolis at night, I think I hit a pothole or something in the road because I was going pretty fast and just went over my handle bars. there I was, upside down, and yes … using my helmet. I slid to a stop in front of some hipster bikers drinking beer. They were sympathetic and seemed to have a keen understanding of that moment. I was OK and took off for home before everything started hurting. I’d say in general, I’m a pretty experienced
commuter, riding most days in all seasons to get to work since 2001. Thankfully, no car was involved, but it was a reminder that a bike crash could happen in a split second – so BE CAREFUL. It didn’t keep me from riding, I’m certainly aware that you have to be on your game, especially with cars. The Twin Cities has really developed its bicycle lanes over the last 10-15 years, and is one of the leading cities in the nation for supporting safe biking and bike culture. Great place to live for this.” – Dr. Aaron Rutzick
I especially like the image of Aaron flying over his handlebars in front of “hipster bikers drinking beer.” Sort of sums up Minneapolis life. I wonder if any of the hipsters looked like this:
By Lorena Cupcake [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
