Good morning! Hope you are enjoying our Indian summer as much as WWAD HQ.  To capitalize on our incredible weather we've been scheduling all of our meetings outside.  It is a little harder to read the Magic 8-Ball (big decision tie-breaker), but the extra Vitamin D makes it all worth it.   Did you know that Arizona and Florida citizens have some of the lowest Vitamin D levels in the country (sunscreen/wide brim hats)?

This being National Colonoscopy Week (it's not), we wanted to try something entirely new for the newsletter.  As we speak, I am currently in an endoscopy suite and lying on my left hip as I type on my laptop with my backside exposed (apologies for the graphic).  Dr. Ram has already given me 5mg of Versed, 50mg of Demerol, and I'm feeling fun. Or funny? Fun, I'm feeling fun.  Anyway, the WWAD staff wanted to raise awareness for the benefits of exercise in preventing/fighting colon cancer.   So, we contacted HELLLLLLLLLO! WOW! I guess we've started.    Soooo, we contacted Dr. Ram who was...was...was...was willing to help us out today. Thank you Dr. Ram.

If he wasn't currently focused on other things, Dr. Ram would tell you that major studies have been definitive in this area.  They have shown that people who exercise the most are 24% less likely to develop colon cancer than people who exercise the least.  And amazingly, they studied people OH DEAR GOD! YOU LOOKING FOR CHILEAN MINERS?!! excuse me....wow!  Okay, so...they studied people who have had Stage III colon cancer and received surgery and follow up chemotherapy.  Those that walked six hours a week (between 2.0 and 2.9 miles/hr) were almost 50% more likely to be alive and free of cancer than those who were less active. 50%! Are you kidding me?  What's amazing about exercise is there are dozens of other diseases where the benefit can match or surpass these incredible findings. 

Maybe it's the Versed talking, but isn't exercise miracle drug kind of stuff?

"That's it David. Your study is done.  Nurse Seymour is going to help you down from the ceiling and I'll be back in a few minutes."

"Wow.  That wasn't too bad.Thanks Dr. Ram! You mind writing a note for my wife saying that you didn't see my head while you were up there?"