Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorders Associated with Streptococcal Infections or PANDAS.
A controversial, not fully accepted diagnosis by some in the medical field. Would love to hear from an expert or hear your take on this diagnosis and treatments. And maybe why it's not fully embraced by some medical professionals. As a parent this makes navigating treatment options for their child very difficult. Thanks!
At what frequency do changes in body composition take place (if it's a "frequency" at all), and what does that imply for weekday dieting with weekend cheating?
If over the course of a full week, a person's total calories in are roughly equivalent to their total calories out, is it still possible for that person to have lost weight by the end of that week? (See below for specific case information and caveats.) If for example 5 consecutive days are spent in a ~250-calorie deficit, and then 2 consecutive days are spent in an unknown (but potentially catastrophic) calorie surplus, is it possible that the 5 consecutive "good" days could cumulatively amount to more weight lost than the 2 consecutive "bad" days amount to weight gained? Perhaps something to the effect of daily changes (in pounds) of: -0.2, -0.2, -0.2, -0.2, -0.2, +0.3, and +0.3 for a -0.4 net loss on the week. Do the daily totals count for anything or is it more about the weekly total? (Hence the reference "frequency" in the title of the post. Part of me suspects our bodies are *constantly* churning when it comes to calorie burning, so the concept of a "frequency" might not fit, but then again there *are* other processes that take place in our bodies that are very much periodic and do have "frequencies" of sorts, so I'm wondering if body composition changes might somehow fall into that category.) Hope this makes sense. Any insight would help resolve a good natured debate among friends (see below for the additional backstory). And in case you do end up reading this, I would be remiss if I didn't mention how much I appreciate the positive impact your podcasts have had on my overall health and wellbeing. I do believe we'd all be better off if more people took an interest in content like yours. -- Backstory and longer lead-up to the question: My friend and I are in a spirited debate about how it would be possible for me to lose fat and maintain muscle under the following conditions: 1) Maintaining a *weekday* calorie deficit of approximately 250 calories (trusting published nutritional info for calories in and whoop for calories out) 2) Achieving said deficit while eating 1g of protein per pound of bodyweight, and getting 15g of fiber per 1,000 calories 3) Doing about 3 full-body, compound movement, resistance/hypertrophy training sessions per week (deadlift, front squat, bench press, overhead press, and chin or pull ups -- 3 sets of 6ish reps each exercise) 4) (And finally, the kicker) Staying generally active on weekends but eating and drinking to such excess that the total weekly deficit is likely closer to 0 and maybe not a deficit at all. I was very consistent with this routine between DEXA scans on 11/17/22 and 3/3/23. According to the DEXA measurements I lost 6.4 pounds of fat and gained 2.7 pounds of muscle between those dates. So on average, I lost 0.4 pounds of fat per week. Understanding the caveat that one's changes in body composition are highly situation dependent (eg body composition starting point, strength training experience level, metabolism, etc.), these results sparked the following debate with a friend: Friend: "5 days of a 250-calorie deficit is a 1,250-calorie deficit going into the weekend. We can't say for sure since you weren't tracking calories on weekends, but knowing how much you can eat and drink, 1 (or sometimes 2) pizza- and beer-fueled binges per weekend all but guarantee that your weekly deficit was much closer to 0 or not a deficit at all." (Let's assume he's right about this.) Me: "You're not wrong, but then how do we explain the DEXA results?" Friend: "Your weekday deficit must have actually been far more than 250 for you to have cheated so heavily on weekends and still lost 0.4 pounds of fat per week. Maybe the nutrition labels were inaccurate for measuring calories in, and/or whoop was inaccurate measuring calories out. But your deficit going into the weekend would have needed to be far greater for you to eat and drink like a pig for those two nights and still be in a weekly deficit that would yield 0.4 pounds of fat loss" Me: "Maybe changes in body composition take place on a daily cycle instead of weekly? Is it possible that 5 consecutive days in a 250-calorie deficit represent 5 days in a row of losing 0.2 pounds of fat each, and on the two days of surplus I only gained back 0.3 pounds each?
Sports Psychology related to team sports
I LOVE watching sports: NBA, MLB, NFL for starters. And even tennis and golf. I can get absorbed watching almost any sport. I am fascinated by the powerful feelings that fans, including myself, have about their sports teams. I live in Cleveland and the feeling of watching the Cleveland Cavaliers win the 2016 NBA Championship is a highlight in my life I will never forget. Now our Cleveland Browns are a contender for advancement in the playoffs. I would love to learn more about the psychology of the fans connect to the team sports. But I would also love to learn more about what it is like to be an athlete who plays these sports. They are elite and talented. They work hard. I cringe when they are injured which can happen with such physically demanding play. Watching these sports is part entertainment but it also can so meaningful for the fans. I guess this would be a difficult topic maybe broken in two: one part fan question and one part athlete. It would be great if you can find a way to weave science and psychology into this topic. I would be interested in any way you approach it. And there are so many other sports: the Olympics, college sports, Nascar racing, I love your podcast--I am a member and regular listener. I have learned and applied a lot of what you and your guests present. Thank you for all of your content.
A question about cerebral ataxia and parallel processes
My mom (age 64) started experiencing vertigo and slurred speech about a year and a half ago, and was eventually diagnosed with paraneoplastic cerebellar degeneration resulting from an immune response to stage 4 ovarian cancer. Basically, the cancer triggered an immune response that caused her immune system to attack neurons in her cerebellum, resulting in irreversible damage to the cerebellum, in particular the Purkinje cells within it. This is a rare condition affecting about .008% of the population that has caused her to lose much of her ability to walk, speak, and move normally and she requires 24 hour care for everyday living. She was receiving speech and physical therapy but insurance will soon no longer cover these services. Her cancer has been treated and she's received various immunosuppressant therapies, which is I think I remember you mentioning on the podcast (and forgive me if this is wrong) that almost every function governed by one part of the brain has a parallel process in another part, or something like that. My question is this: What, if any, are the parallel areas to the cerebellum that overlap with functions such as speech and movement? And if so, are there any protocols that can strengthen and/or enhance neuroplasticity in these areas enough that it might help improve my mom's quality of life? Hopefully that makes sense and has some relevance to helping listeners understand the function of the cerebellum and how parallel processes work in the brain. Thanks for everything you do! - Corey