#737 - Dr Karan Rajan - Debunking The Internet’s Biggest Health Myths
Jan 27, 2024
auto_awesome
Dr. Karan Rajan, a surgeon and clinical lecturer, debunks health myths surrounding digestion, probiotics, IBS, and more. He explains the importance of not holding in farts and discusses the causes of persistent burping. The podcast also explores a surgeon's daily life, the gut-brain connection, optimal nap duration, eye health, and slowing cognitive decline.
Taking breaks every 20 minutes to rest your eyes can prevent eye strain and myopia.
Explaining the cause of pain and influencing beliefs and expectations can lower pain perception.
Implementing healthy lifestyle habits earlier in life can slow cognitive decline and reduce the risk of Alzheimer's.
Deep dives
The Importance of Taking Breaks from Screens for Eye Health
Constantly looking at screens, such as laptops and mobile phones, can lead to eye strain and fatigue. To optimize eye health, it is recommended to take breaks every 20 minutes and look into the distance, allowing your eyes to defocus and rest. This can help prevent the development of myopia and alleviate eye strain.
Understanding and Managing Pain Perception
Research suggests that understanding the physiological reasons behind pain can help increase the pain threshold and lower the pain perception. Explaining the cause of pain to individuals can help them better cope with pain. Additionally, influencing beliefs and expectations about pain can also influence pain perception. Techniques such as visual distraction and focusing on broader vistas can help downregulate pain perception and activate the parasympathetic nervous system.
Slowing Cognitive Decline and Alzheimer's Disease
Slowing cognitive decline and reducing the risk of developing diseases like Alzheimer's involves implementing healthy lifestyle habits earlier in life. Good sleep habits, regular exercise, a healthy diet, and mental stimulation are crucial factors in maintaining cognitive function. Building these habits early on can contribute to better brain health and potentially slow down cognitive decline later in life.
Individual sleep needs and debunking the eight-hour sleep myth
Contrary to the common belief that everyone needs eight hours of sleep, each person's required amount of sleep is determined by their individual DNA and clock genes. The idea of a one-size-fits-all approach to sleep is incorrect. The majority of the population falls between the range of six to eight and a half hours of sleep. Some individuals may need more or less sleep due to genetic factors. The notion that some people can survive on only a few hours of sleep is extremely rare, akin to being struck by lightning twice.
The impact of napping and its optimal duration
Napping can be beneficial for memory consolidation and overall refreshment. The recommended duration for a nap is 90 minutes as it allows for a complete sleep cycle. This period ensures a more substantial effect on memory and helps avoid sleep inertia, which can cause grogginess and negative mood upon waking up. Napping around noon or early afternoon aligns with our natural energy and temperature dips, making it a favorable and in line with our physiology. However, shorter power naps can also be effective if time constraints make a longer nap impractical.
Dr. Karan Rajan is a surgeon, clinical lecturer at The University of Sunderland and an author
A lot of health advice can be extremely difficult to verify. Does this actually make me healthier? Is it grounded in science, or whimsy? Thankfully there are actual doctors we can ask who can determine science fiction from medical fact.
Expect to learn why you shouldn’t hold in your farts, what Dr Karan wishes more people understood more about digestion, why the best probiotics aren't always found in the supplement section, what a day in the life of a surgeon is like, why IBS is on the rise, whether you can actually die from a broken heart and much more...