Pathologist Health/Longevity thread

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LADoc00

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I'm fairly convinced that Pathology lowers lifespan through a variety of mechanisms if left unchecked/unaddressed.

In a brainstorming fashion, what are folks out in practice doing to stay healthy?

1.) massive sedentary focus - I started setting a phone alarm to go off every 45 min, I get up and walk 5-10 min. Usually doing laps down the hallway of the hospital. It sucks because you will miss calls during this time, but I dont see another way to address this OTHER than going down the road of an actual desk treadmill system.

2.) posture - this is fairly concerning. I actually began assessing the degree of the kyphotic angle of our pathologists and now very concerned about this. I purchased wearable tech to monitor and signal excessive slouching and I hope this works.

3.) general lack of physical activity - this is heavily dependent on practice location. We have a full service gym literally right next to us. I do 60 min resistance training in the a.m. 5 times a week and al 60 min moderate aerobic session in the p.m. 2-3 times a week before I go home. But, I like the idea of doing actual in office resistance training. But I dont want to make my office look like Venice Beach with free weights everywhere...

4.) food..this is huge. I think the entire lab/pathology environment can be really toxic to trying to eat healthy. Hospitals have carby snacks literally everywhere, from fruit to rolls etc. Ive been rolling through every diet variation from keto/paleo to outright 2-3 day water fast. Every diet though is working around me drinking a crazy amount of coffee to stay awake as I lose energy around 2-3pm makes grossing and reading all the SO'd reports out clearly sometimes a challenge.

Are folks really doing a standing desk/treadmill desk in Pathology?
Do people bring only pre-planned food from home to prevent distraction from hospital food??

Im also doing a multi-vit, 5000 IU Vit D3, high potency B12 and 2000% Vit C but because I have kids, they are all in gummy form. All that is almost 80-100 calories in glucose..
Also doing low dose aromatase inihbitor (anastrozole 5mg, twice a week) with around 1200 units of HCG to support my T level, but the other guys I work with are recommending adding metformin for additional longevity advantage.

I havent read all the data yet, but supposedly metformin for non-diabetic purposes has a better anti-aging effect than $15,000 per year of HGH injection. Anyone doing met? And how much?

Doing rhodolia, CBD and melatonin at night but not religiously (need to clean this up a bit). I actually measure my melatonin level and found it to be quite low, so this should be a given.

Other stuff Im concerned about is organic solvent fume exposure. The research on this is quite clear, this is bad. I need to find out what patient assessments I can do monitor chronic effects.

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I'm fairly convinced that Pathology lowers lifespan through a variety of mechanisms if left unchecked/unaddressed. In a brainstorming fashion, what are folks out in practice doing to stay healthy?

Intermittent fasting (one meal a day), short walks adding up to about 20-25 minutes spread out during the day, 25-30 minutes of moderate exercise (rowing machine, exercise bike, jogging) four or five times a week before or after work. Honestly, I feel worse and worse physically since I hit age 40ish. Losing muscle mass, getting fatter in weird places, back hurts for no reason, joints snap crackle and pop. Circling the drain.

Had a big problem with repetitive strain injury which was totally corrected by using a microscope stage. Tried a standing desk for a few years but gradually stopped using it.

Haven’t tried any pharmacotherapy. Intermittent fasting helps with hospital food. I don’t eat anything at work, ever. Lost 20 pounds when I made this change.
 
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I eat high protein vegetarian/vegan (lentils, beans, nuts) at work, omnivore outside of work. Exercise 3-5x a week at work (gym on campus, I go at lunch time during a typical lull), mix of weights and cardio. Protein shake after the gym, otherwise no vitamins/supplements. Don't believe in them and they seem more like placebo effect than any actual benefit. Definitely slouch too much at the desk and I'm sure I sit on my rear for far too long. Been thinking about the standing desk, but it would require a significant change to my office so I haven't bothered yet.
 
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I eat high protein vegetarian/vegan (lentils, beans, nuts) at work, omnivore outside of work. Exercise 3-5x a week at work (gym on campus, I go at lunch time during a typical lull), mix of weights and cardio. Protein shake after the gym, otherwise no vitamins/supplements. Don't believe in them and they seem more like placebo effect than any actual benefit. Definitely slouch too much at the desk and I'm sure I sit on my rear for far too long. Been thinking about the standing desk, but it would require a significant change to my office so I haven't bothered yet.

Hi protein vegan is interesting, I would 100% be on board if I wasnt allergic to nuts and I dont know how to do that without mad amounts of almonds, cashews etc.

I need to get religious on sticking to IF, which Ive done but around noon Im hitting a soft wall on my willpower. If I could manage until 4-5, I would be better off but I havent been able to do that for more than a week without caffeine pills.

I started doing the "bodypump" thing 1-2x a week, class thing based on Les Mills program, which is whole body in 60min. Wish I could do it more often, but all the classes are daytime hours M-F.
 
Hi protein vegan is interesting, I would 100% be on board if I wasnt allergic to nuts and I dont know how to do that without mad amounts of almonds, cashews etc.

I need to get religious on sticking to IF, which Ive done but around noon Im hitting a soft wall on my willpower. If I could manage until 4-5, I would be better off but I havent been able to do that for more than a week without caffeine pills.

I started doing the "bodypump" thing 1-2x a week, class thing based on Les Mills program, which is whole body in 60min. Wish I could do it more often, but all the classes are daytime hours M-F.

I've run into willpower problems with the intermittent fasting (IF). The health benefits of IF are awesome. I've found that a quick injection of Saxenda® (liraglutide) delivers a solid 18-24 hours of a barely perceptible low grade nausea that can help you eat like Kate Moss. Because Saxenda (liaglutide) is a glucagon-like peptide (GLP-1) agonist, this injectable endocrine treatment is much more appealing than stimulants you alluded to such as Adderall, Ritalin, and caffeine.

In residency, I was friends with some psychiatry peeps who would take Provigil® (modafinil) as a cognitive enhancer and appetite suppressant. What a combo! It's only FDA cleared for narcolepsy right now.
 
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Green juice for breakfast. Fresh and cold pressed. It takes about 15-20 minutes to cut up all the vegetables and juice them but it gives me tons of energy in the morning. Today's was cucumber, broccoli, kale, pear, and cilantro. For snacks I keep nuts in my office but I also keep chocolate for the days I just need a piece of chocolate.

I also run almost every day. I try for 4 to 5 miles fun running outside and then I do intervals for speed for 2 to 3 miles on my treadmill at home. Sometimes I'll do some elliptical too. Overall I prefer to be outside though, it makes a dramatic difference in my mood.

For desk chairs, I went and spoke to office furniture people and told them I wanted to be sitting upright. No leaning back chair. Went through a couple and found one that works for my posture. Other people have sat in it and said it feels terrible to them so I know its working. A standing desk would require a complete rearrangement of my office and I finally have all my crap where I like it.
 
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Stand up desk, running 2-3 miles 3-4 times/week, veggie/nut/berry snacks during the day, no more than 1-2 alcoholic drinks a week. That's all you need. And I play some contact sports despite it being bad for the joints.

I swear by stand up/treadmill desk. Human beings were not meant to sit motionlessly for hours. It's like a torture IMO. If you do that, nothing else will work. No crossfit gym, drugs or vitamins will help.
 
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My goal is to just live long enough so that I can blow all my retirement money on downloading my brain into a cyborg body and live forever...
 
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This is how I know I am doomed.
That's how I used to feel. I thought all the running people were completely insane. I started a year ago and it has helped significantly with my overall well-being. Plus if you run enough you can eat ice cream pretty much whenever you want.
 
Green juice for breakfast. Fresh and cold pressed. It takes about 15-20 minutes to cut up all the vegetables and juice them but it gives me tons of energy in the morning. Today's was cucumber, broccoli, kale, pear, and cilantro. For snacks I keep nuts in my office but I also keep chocolate for the days I just need a piece of chocolate.

I also run almost every day. I try for 4 to 5 miles fun running outside and then I do intervals for speed for 2 to 3 miles on my treadmill at home. Sometimes I'll do some elliptical too. Overall I prefer to be outside though, it makes a dramatic difference in my mood.

For desk chairs, I went and spoke to office furniture people and told them I wanted to be sitting upright. No leaning back chair. Went through a couple and found one that works for my posture. Other people have sat in it and said it feels terrible to them so I know its working. A standing desk would require a complete rearrangement of my office and I finally have all my crap where I like it.

Agree.

Though I'm not buying the standing desk thing...treadmill yes, but that's hard with a scope. There is nothing inherently, biologically or metabolically better about standing than sitting in terms of prolonging your life...it's about inactivity and the things that accompany inactivity in the workplace--namely unnecessary calorie consumption. All the "increased risks" associated with sedentary jobs come from the accompanying lifestyle choices and statistical lack of exercise & good diet. Sure sitting in an 18 wheel'r for 12+ hours/day is probably not good on your cardiovascular system, but the "sitting vs standing" in the workplace thing is just ridiculous.

just exercise when you can; eat vegetables, nuts & berries, and minimal animal fat; and don't drink like you're a 50s ad exec.
If anything pathology usually affords a lifestyle that accommodates more time for exercise, more autonomy for dietary freedom, less stress and burnout, and an undoubtedly better likelihood of normal sleep/circadian rhythm. It's what you do with that time/autonomy.
 
Agree.

Though I'm not buying the standing desk thing...treadmill yes, but that's hard with a scope. There is nothing inherently, biologically or metabolically better about standing than sitting in terms of prolonging your life...it's about inactivity and the things that accompany inactivity in the workplace--namely unnecessary calorie consumption. All the "increased risks" associated with sedentary jobs come from the accompanying lifestyle choices and statistical lack of exercise & good diet. Sure sitting in an 18 wheel'r for 12+ hours/day is probably not good on your cardiovascular system, but the "sitting vs standing" in the workplace thing is just ridiculous.

just exercise when you can; eat vegetables, nuts & berries, and minimal animal fat; and don't drink like you're a 50s ad exec.
If anything pathology usually affords a lifestyle that accommodates more time for exercise, more autonomy for dietary freedom, less stress and burnout, and an undoubtedly better likelihood of normal sleep/circadian rhythm. It's what you do with that time/autonomy.

Yeah I would agree that it probably doesn't affect longevity, but I think it can impact quality of life, namely joint and soft tissue health from postural issues. I'm pretty tall (6' 2") and nothing is made for me. I'm either hunching over or squishing my legs depending on chair height and almost nothing is at the 90 degrees that ergonomics say you need. I'm already putting my old Rosai to good use by boosting my scope but its still not high enough, let alone my monitor. Sitting down a lot also aggravates an old hamstring injury of mine and leads to back pain from tight hips/posture issues. My workplace has already agreed to get an adjustable desk, but it's pending other renovations that keep getting pushed back. Once I get it I can report back.
 
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The research with the new TAME trial is going to be fairly earth shattering IMO.

To get a peek at what they are doing I would watch/listen while you SO cases today Barzilai's TED talk on it:
 
The research with the new TAME trial is going to be fairly earth shattering IMO.

To get a peek at what they are doing I would watch/listen while you SO cases today Barzilai's TED talk on it:


Interesting listen, thanks. I am looking forward to seeing their results. Makes me want to start taking some metformin.
 
TED talks?

Didn't elizabeth holmes speak there?

You want to be healthy, get away from your computer and go outside.

Take warfarin since you are high risk for blood clots due to sitting on your butt pushing glass all day.
 
It's tough to stay healthy, particularly with a heavy travel schedule. Here's what I do:

- limit carbs and red meat as much as I can
- green juice for breakfast most mornings
- standing desk
- run 6-10 miles per week
- get swole 4x per week
- body pump class 1-2x per week, as schedule allows
- supplement with whey after swole sessions
 
Is intermittent fasting complete fasting during the day or do you bring in small snacks, like a handful of nuts here and there. If I don't eat breakfast, I'm starving by 11. The hospital cafeteria food cannot be helping either--it's gone way downhill over the past few years in terms of healthiness and quality. Maybe I could have a small protein rich breakfast and hold out until dinner. What do you recommend?
 
Is intermittent fasting complete fasting during the day or do you bring in small snacks, like a handful of nuts here and there. If I don't eat breakfast, I'm starving by 11. The hospital cafeteria food cannot be helping either--it's gone way downhill over the past few years in terms of healthiness and quality. Maybe I could have a small protein rich breakfast and hold out until dinner. What do you recommend?

Well, there are tons of different permutations of intermittent fasting. Many people do a 16:8 scheme where they fast for 16 hours and eat during an 8 hour window (say, 11 -7 every day). I didn’t lose any weight on 16:8 so I had to get medieval and do one meal a day only (the so-called OMAD diet). I feel hungry each and every day around noon. This is my body telling me it wants to be fat. I ignore it. I don’t know if it’s good for me, but I know without a doubt that being 30 pounds overweight certainly isn’t.....
 
Okay, I'll bite.

I eat a variation of the Paleo diet about 80-90% of the time and do a roughly 16:8 intermittent fast. I never eat breakfast. I don't have any issues digesting dairy, so I will eat full fat cheese, yogurt, etc., and, unless I'm trying to lose a few pounds after serious cheating from a recent vacation, I occasionally eat legumes and higher carb root veggies like sweet potatoes, beets, etc. I haven't felt it necessary to try going keto, but it seems like a legit option if you are in need of more significant weight loss.
Breakfast - coffee with a dash of heavy cream
Lunch and dinner - protein (meat, poultry, fish/seafood or eggs) with at least 2 veggies +/- healthy oils/fats, fruit, nuts, cheese, etc. as accents.
Snacks - rarely; usually only if I am starving when I get home from work but still need to cook dinner or work out - typically one of the following: a handful of macadamia nuts; a hard boiled egg; some raw veggies; handful of pork rinds/chicarrones; couple squares of really high cacao% dark chocolate.
I also supplement with a daily 5,000 IU vitamin D3 and occasionally take magnesium.

From the data I've seen, most of the studies claiming red meat is unhealthy (typically showing increased risk of either colon cancer or cardiovascular disease) didn't account for eating large amounts of processed/cured meats loaded with nitrites and sugar vs. not; or for those eating meat within the framework of a lower carb whole food type diet vs standard American crap (some red meat + epic amounts of processed carbs and sugar in nasty oxidized oils and almost no fiber/veggies). So I'm personally not convinced that red meat or fats from animal sources are inherently unhealthy.

I lift weights once a week and do light cardio - outdoor walks/bike rides or a light jog/inclined walk on the treadmill - for 30 minutes about 4-5 times/week.

I have an adjustable sit/stand desk and I try to alternate a few times a day, standing for at least an hour in the morning and an hour in the afternoon. I have the opposite problem from ScubaV - I am an average-sized woman with a particularly short torso, so, even at its lowest level, most adjustable desks are not quite short enough for me (with the exception of one I bought for myself to use at home from Ikea - which is built to European ergonomic standards instead of American). I have to reach my arms up slightly to reach the scope adjustments, stage, etc. - so I sometimes get rhomboid and/or trapezius pain from that. I also stop and do some dynamic stretches at least twice per day. Typically I do hips, hamstrings and lower back in the morning and shoulders, neck and upper back in the midafternoon.
 
You can train your body to not be hungry. During the week, I eat nothing before 3:00 pm. Before this discipline, I was ready to chew my knuckles off by 10:45 AM.
 
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Yikes people.

I just subscribe to the "everything in moderation" school of thought, and try to be as active as I can. I rarely sit for more than an hour straight without getting up for some reason anyway.
 
1) I wear a fitbit for our health plan and it makes me get up every hour and get at least 250 steps. It helps to form a "workweek hustle" competition between you and some friends (or a pathology forum). I walk to a far away coffee stop twice a day and get only black coffee.

2) Standing desk. I usually sit and look at cases so I can easily double scope with a trainee. I stand for everything else

3) I was working out with the other dads at the local rec from 9-945 pm. It wasn't enough so I signed up for Orange Theory. It's not too hard and not a bad price. I don't think OT alone is enough if you want to maintain muscle mass, but it is great cardio.

4) My wife is a dietitian and an excellent cook. I try to eat whatever she packs and avoid candy sweets. If I eat sweets, it is planned. She has a successful private practice, can easily do online visits, and accepts almost all major insurances (in case anyone is interested). I can post the website here if I am allowed.




I'm fairly convinced that Pathology lowers lifespan through a variety of mechanisms if left unchecked/unaddressed.

In a brainstorming fashion, what are folks out in practice doing to stay healthy?

1.) massive sedentary focus - I started setting a phone alarm to go off every 45 min, I get up and walk 5-10 min. Usually doing laps down the hallway of the hospital. It sucks because you will miss calls during this time, but I dont see another way to address this OTHER than going down the road of an actual desk treadmill system.

2.) posture - this is fairly concerning. I actually began assessing the degree of the kyphotic angle of our pathologists and now very concerned about this. I purchased wearable tech to monitor and signal excessive slouching and I hope this works.

3.) general lack of physical activity - this is heavily dependent on practice location. We have a full service gym literally right next to us. I do 60 min resistance training in the a.m. 5 times a week and al 60 min moderate aerobic session in the p.m. 2-3 times a week before I go home. But, I like the idea of doing actual in office resistance training. But I dont want to make my office look like Venice Beach with free weights everywhere...

4.) food..this is huge. I think the entire lab/pathology environment can be really toxic to trying to eat healthy. Hospitals have carby snacks literally everywhere, from fruit to rolls etc. Ive been rolling through every diet variation from keto/paleo to outright 2-3 day water fast. Every diet though is working around me drinking a crazy amount of coffee to stay awake as I lose energy around 2-3pm makes grossing and reading all the SO'd reports out clearly sometimes a challenge.

Are folks really doing a standing desk/treadmill desk in Pathology?
Do people bring only pre-planned food from home to prevent distraction from hospital food??

Im also doing a multi-vit, 5000 IU Vit D3, high potency B12 and 2000% Vit C but because I have kids, they are all in gummy form. All that is almost 80-100 calories in glucose..
Also doing low dose aromatase inihbitor (anastrozole 5mg, twice a week) with around 1200 units of HCG to support my T level, but the other guys I work with are recommending adding metformin for additional longevity advantage.

I havent read all the data yet, but supposedly metformin for non-diabetic purposes has a better anti-aging effect than $15,000 per year of HGH injection. Anyone doing met? And how much?

Doing rhodolia, CBD and melatonin at night but not religiously (need to clean this up a bit). I actually measure my melatonin level and found it to be quite low, so this should be a given.

Other stuff Im concerned about is organic solvent fume exposure. The research on this is quite clear, this is bad. I need to find out what patient assessments I can do monitor chronic effects.
 
Intermittent fasting (one meal a day), short walks adding up to about 20-25 minutes spread out during the day, 25-30 minutes of moderate exercise (rowing machine, exercise bike, jogging) four or five times a week before or after work. Honestly, I feel worse and worse physically since I hit age 40ish. Losing muscle mass, getting fatter in weird places, back hurts for no reason, joints snap crackle and pop. Circling the drain.

Had a big problem with repetitive strain injury which was totally corrected by using a microscope stage. Tried a standing desk for a few years but gradually stopped using it.

Haven’t tried any pharmacotherapy. Intermittent fasting helps with hospital food. I don’t eat anything at work, ever. Lost 20 pounds when I made this change.

I also do intermittent fasting, standing desk, walks during any breaks, and get up early so I can hit the gym before work. Weekends I am not on call, I go hiking or for long walks.
Also, I forgot to mention, I adopted a dog. She forces me to be more active and is good for my love supply :)
 
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Hit the home gym every day before work. Sometimes when my face is puffy, I'll put an ice pack on before doing crunches. I can do 1000 now. Afternoon exercise is chopping wood and stacking it.

Standing desks are a fad. I built a solid wood bench and do all of my microscope work in a squat position.

I only eat things I grow or hunt on my ranch.
 
Hit the home gym every day before work. Sometimes when my face is puffy, I'll put an ice pack on before doing crunches. I can do 1000 now. Afternoon exercise is chopping wood and stacking it.

Standing desks are a fad. I built a solid wood bench and do all of my microscope work in a squat position.

I only eat things I grow or hunt on my ranch.

giphy.gif
 
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I need to diet down massively, Im so crazy jacked now I had to either my up scrub size or cut my sleeves off because my biceps were so constricted. My hospital CEO even asked me if I want moonlight on the security team...may have gone overboard here..

dr_todd_quinlan.jpg


for my next feat:
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I'm with LoaLoa-had to get ruthless-no sustained results with the 16:8 fasting so I'm doing the single meal daily until goal met. Depressing that it's so much harder now that I approach 62 y/o-BMR seems to have cratered and much harder to maintain lean body mass.
 
Do any of you use a bathroom scale that uses impedance technology to measure body fat percent? I have dropped from 22.6% to 18.2% in six months according to mine. One meal a day and I only drink Mich Ultra. (awful).
 
@Dave CX-I used to use a scale that measured body fat via impedance. I began to question their accuracy when the scale consistently read less than 5% body fat. I am pretty slim, but doubt I was down to 5%. I currently just use a balance scale and do not worry about the body fat percentage.
 
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