Category Archives: Articles

Doc’s Talk 05-20-2012

Posted on by

Dr. Scaff talked about weight.

The United States is the most obese nation in the world, …but we are rapidly being overtaken by Mexico, and believe it or not, India.  As we get more money we become more leisurely.  A potbelly is the sign of wealth.  Poor people work in the fields; they are the ones with the flat stomachs.

The bottom line is, we can always eat more than we can exercise.

It is very hard to lose weight
There are nearly 3,500 – 4,000 calories in a pound of fat, that’s enough for 15 or 20 miles of running. Continue reading →

Scaffter Thoughts 05-20-2012: Football Injuries and Concussions

Posted on by

As a member of the American College of Sports Medicine, Jack H. Scaff Jr., M.D., F.A.C.S.M., is part of a panel of experts who, from time to time, are consulted by organizations such as the New York Times or the Wall Street Journal on various questions about sports and health.  The members of the American College of Sports Medicine endeavor to set those seeking their input onto the path of accurate information.

Recently, we have been reading a lot in the paper about football injuries and concussions.  What you have to remember is that football is a blood sport and that is why we watch the games.  The same can be said of the Indiana 500, people don’t go to watch the driving, they go for the accidents!  Continue reading →

Blair’s Weekly Update 05-13-2012

Posted on by

Happy Mother’s Day!!

Doc’s Talk by Andrew Laurence

Dr. Scaff called this talk “The Beginners Guide to Injuries”.
The injuries referred to in this article are cumulative injuries, repetitive stress injuries.

First sign of an injury: Feeling good
Why? Because when you feel good you tend to go out too fast or run too much, too often.

Injury Phase 1: Fatigue
Injuries progress in intervals of approximately six weeks.

Injury Phase 2: Soreness

Injury Phase 3: Tenderness
There may be swelling.

Injury Phase 4: Death or tear or rupture of tissue
serious injuries can take up to a year to heal.

The bottom line: Avoid injuries.

NSAIDs
Taking ibuprofen or aspirin you can injure yourself worse because you are numbing the pain. Take NSAIDs only on the days you are not running, never before a run.

Healing
You can do anything during the healing phase that does not hurt, e.g., ride a bike, swim, etc. You should be able to walk without significant pain before you start running again.

Recovery
Go out for a 20-minute run, a bit slower than your training pace. If the pain is worse after 20 minutes, it’s back to rest and relaxation, walking, or riding your bike.

If the injured area does not hurt after running 20 minutes, rest a day, and then add 5 minutes until you are again running for 1 hour, 3 times per week for a month. Then go back to your regular training program. That should take care of the bulk of the injury.

For more information read the various sections on injuries in Your First Marathon – The Last Word In Long Distance Running, by Jack H. Scaff Jr., M.D., F.A.C.S.M., available for purchase at the Honolulu Marathon Clinic on Sundays and online at: http://yourfirstmarathon.net/buy-online-today/

Coming Attractions

Next Sunday Dr. Scaff will talk about weight.

To read full, unabridged summaries of The Honolulu Marathon Clinic’s weekly Doc’s Talks:
1) Go to the Honolulu Marathon Clinic web site (http://honolulumarathonclinic.org/)
2) Look under the “Categories” listing.
3) Click on “Doc’s Talk”.

Table Duty

Thank you Tom for taking the helm; the fruits, cookies, and drinks were fantastic! Continue reading →

Doc’s Talk 05-13-2012

Posted on by

Dr. Scaff called this talk “The Beginners Guide to Injuries”.

When you get an injury you see a doctor, the doctor tells you what to do, and you spend $80 – $90 in the process, …but 90% of the time you can take care of the problems on your own.

The injuries referred to in this article are not injuries like getting hit by a car or falling onto a curb and breaking a leg.  The injuries in question are cumulative injuries, repetitive stress injuries.  It is important to remember that long-distance running is the only sport where we do exactly the same thing 5,000 times per hour.  In other sports you move back, forth, and sideways, crescendo, decrescendo, etc., and thus get different types of injuries.  In running we are taking 5,000 steps per hour, and it is the repetition that leads to injuries. Continue reading →

Blair’s Weekly Update 05-06-2012

Posted on by

Doc’s Talk by Andrew Laurence

Dr. Scaff called today’s talk a “potpourri” of topics.

You may not believe this, but running started here in Hawaii. Not racing, like in the Olympics, but running. Only 167 runners participated in The Honolulu Marathon in 1973. Nobody knew anything back then! Today, the 3 main schools of running, the Honolulu Marathon Clinic, Hal Higdon’s, and Jeff Galloway’s, all evolved from base training as initially done by the Honolulu Marathon Clinic.

You could walk the marathon in two days and never “Hit The Wall”. If you drink enough and your urine is colorless (once a day) and you urinate within 4 hours of your run, you will not overheat. Post-race collapse is something you can take care of. The bottom line is base precedes speed, and that is all you need to do.

The Honolulu Marathon Clinic’s basic approach to training for the marathon is Simple and works: In the first 3 months: Run 1 hour 3 times per week. In the 4th month: 1 hour 4 times per week. In the 5th month increase to 30 miles per week. Maintain 30 miles for 2 months without getting injured, and slow down in the marathon, and you’ll finish. For a better finish time, add miles in the remaining months of training. Be mindful of your pace and stick to the program and you’ll do very well.

Read at least read the sections on rules in Dr. Scaff’s book. (Or read the entire book as it has very good information on running and other topics).

Copies of Your First Marathon – The Last Word In Long Distance Running, by Jack H. Scaff Jr., M.D., F.A.C.S.M., are available for purchase at the Honolulu Marathon Clinic on Sundays and online at: http://yourfirstmarathon.net/buy-online-today/

Next Sunday Dr. Scaff will talk about “The Beginners Guide to Injuries”.

To read full, unabridged summaries of The Honolulu Marathon Clinic’s weekly Doc’s Talks:
1) Go to the Honolulu Marathon Clinic web site (http://honolulumarathonclinic.org/)
2) Look under the “Categories” listing.
3) Click on “Doc’s Talk”.

Sunday’s Picnic

It was well organized and well attended! Thanks to Board member Luanne , her husband, and her committee for doing such a great job at our May Day picnic! Food was plentiful and the atmosphere was joyous – a great combination! Thank you also to all of the volunteers – Burt, Muriel, Dwight, Debbie (thanks for cleaning all of our pots, pans and dishes), Susan, Rachun (with his “magical” Thai curry), Russ’ wife and Muriel’s sister (who shall be nameless ’cause I forgot), Val , Maile, Norm, Peter, Stephen and a host of others – thank you!! Was good!!! Continue reading →