Catch Zs and vitamin D to deter pain

Once referred to as “The Greatest Strike Partnership in Football,” the duo of soccer strikers Andy Cole and Dwight Yorke scored 53 goals for Manchester United in its 1998-99 season. The two were said to have a scary telepathy on the field.

Just as this duo was formidable on the pitch, there’s an emerging twosome in medicine that’s being shown to make a great team against chronic pain: sleep and vitamin D.

First, both lack of sleep and vitamin D deficiency have independently been linked to worsening of chronic pain, such as that associated with fibromyalgia. And second, sufficient vitamin D may reduce inflammation and may be associated not only with less pain, but longer and better quality sleep, making the duo of D plus Zs even more powerful.

So if you suffer from fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis or another condition that causes you chronic pain, make sure you’re snoozing seven to nine hours a night.

Amateur hour for performance enhancers

One of the most remarkable things about the great golfer Bobby Jones was that he never played golf as a professional. He was a lawyer by trade and won all of his 13 major championships as an amateur.

Now, nobody today is expected to walk out from behind an office desk and qualify for the U.S. Open golf championship — which theoretically can be done — or get an expensive new bicycle and take on the Tour de France. But a lot of weekend warriors and college kids in intramural sports are trying to look like they could do just that, with disastrous results.

Medical researchers recently held a press conference to sound the alarm about amateur athletes’ use of performance-enhancing drugs, such as dietary supplements, anabolic steroids and weight-loss products.

PEDS directly alter the myocardium, blood vessels and metabolism of your cardiovascular system. You’re risking exercise-induced abnormal heart rhythm, as well as cardiovascular, psychiatric, metabolic, endocrine, neurologic, infectious, hepatic, renal and musculoskeletal disorders.

The Taylor Hooton Foundation (named after Taylor Hooton, who died in 2003 after anabolic steroid use), urges YOU to “Think beyond sports.” We agree. If you want to get stronger, faster and healthier, your formula should be 7-9 servings of fresh produce daily and plenty of sleep, in addition to 60 to 90 minutes of aerobic activity most days and two to three days of strength building a week.

Email questions for Mehmet Oz and Mike Roizen to youdocsdaily@sharecare. com.