SAJSM vol 18 No.1 2006 3 While I was training in the gym last week I counted 23 out of the 49 people in the gym at that time with earphones and music devices. The people using these devices ranged from young, bodyconscious teenagers, to older folk, old enough to be their grand- parents. Whatever they were listening to remained a mys- tery but a safe bet would be anything from classical to golden oldies to hip-hop. There is no doubt that this new exercise-associated behaviour is here to stay. There were a few false starts in the 1980s and 1990s with appearance of the popular Sony walkmans, but they were too bulky and were not widely used during exercise. Fur- thermore, it was mostly the younger generation that used these music players in public. The development of iPods in 2001 marked the beginning of the music and exercise ‘fashion’. Fashion is probably an inappropriate term because iPods have stood the test of time and outlasted many other exercise-associated fads. Since the development of the first batch of iPods,110 million have been sold worldwide and there are probably double the number of people using portable media players, certainly if the inexpensive, less sophisticated brands of MP3 players and cell phone/MP players are also considered in the estimate. New behaviour leads to new questions and new questions lead to research. Some scientists have already studied the effects of music while exercising. A quick perusal of the literature shows that over 150 studies have been conducted in the last 2 years. The message these studies convey is generally positive, with many studies showing that there may certainly be advantages in listening to music while exercising, particularly where there is a high risk of poor compliance. Studies have also shown that older people with dementia have improved cognitive function if they listen to music while exercising. Furthermore, many of the problems associated with Alzheimer’s disease can sometimes be delayed, retarded, or even reversed with proper exercise. 1 A body of research shows that music with activity brings about the greatest degree of responsiveness in these patients. It might not only be music that people listen to while exercising. As more electronic books become available it is conceivable that many people will choose to listen to their favourite novel while they pedal away the calories. Indeed, there is probably a place in the market for the production of study notes which can be listened to while exercising. If the research on older patients is considered, a case can be made that listening to study notes while exercising might prove to be an efficient way to retain information, even a study enhancer? Not all the studies about music during exercise are supportive – Fligor and cox studied the sound levels generated by a range of headphones and found that certain types of earphones are safer than others. 2 The study showed that the average person listens to music at the same noise level generated by a petrol lawnmower. This behaviour can have long-term effects that impair hearing. They recommended that for ear health one should invest in earphones that block out background noise, set the volume to a comfortable level in a quiet environment, and limit the duration to about 60 minutes. On another note, a fascinating article has just been published in Nature, showing that 20% of scientists polled admitted to using performance-enhancing prescription drugs. 3 The 1 400 respondents were from 60 countries and were asked about their use of 3 drugs: methylphenidate (Ritalin), a stimulant normally used to treat attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, modafinil (Provigil), prescribed to treat sleep disorders, and beta blockers. Ritalin was the most well-used drug (62% of users) followed by modafinil (44%) and beta blockers (15%). Nearly 70% of the respondents said they would be willing to risk mild side-effects to be able to ‘boost your brain power’ by taking cognitive-enhancing drugs. Given these results, if a random sample of academics underwent the same drug test that athletes have to undergo, about 20% would be tested positive – this prevalence ranks high among the sports renowned for competitors who use drugs to boost performance (e.g. cycling, body building). As a community, scientists need to drop the ‘holier than thou attitude’ when an athlete has a positive drug test! could this mean that scientists have to have drug tests before submitting a paper for publication, or before a public presentation? Makes one think! Mike lambert Editor-in-Chief 1. cevasco AM, Grant RE. comparison of different methods for eliciting ex- ercise-to-music for clients with Alzheimer’s disease. J Music Ther 2003; 40(1): 41-56. 2. Fligor BJ, cox Lc. Output levels of commercially available portable com- pact disc players and the potential risk to hearing. Ear Hear 2004; 25(6): 513-27. 3. Maher B. Poll results: look who’s doping. Nature 2008; 452: 674-75. Tune in while you tune out A topic which is receiving much publicity as I write is the banning of 5 skinny models from participating in the Madrid fashion week. Madrid’s regional govern- ment imposed the rules ‘to protect the models as well as teenagers who may develop anorexia as they try to copy underweight catwalk stars’. 1 They used a body mass index of 18 as their cut- off value. The ‘anti-thin’ move has been criticised in Paris and New York, two of the world’s leading fashion centres. However, in Italy the move was supported by the mayor who intimated that she would like to apply the same rulings when the fashion show moves to Milan. The motive for imposing the ban is noble, as the ‘skinny trend’ is not showing signs of abating. A recent report by the British Medical Association identifies a link between the images of ‘abnormally thin’ models that dominate television and magazines, and the increase in cases of anorexia nervosa and bulimia. 2 The incidence of anorexia is at an all-time high with predictions of 0 - 5% of all females having eating disorders. While eating disorders were previously usually regarded as a female syndrome, the situation is changing with a steady increase in the number of men being diagnosed with eating disorders. A recent estimate predicts that of the 60 000 people with eating disorders in the UK, 10% are male. 2 This trend can most likely be explained by the contemporary lean, hungry look of male stars. To get a snapshot view of changing body beautiful images of different eras one only has to compare the ‘hunks’ of the 1960’s movies (i.e. Sean Connery as James Bond) to modern day hunks to see how the masculine image has changed. Marilyn Monroe, with her curvy body shape in the 1950s would probably be regarded as too fat for a leading role 50 years later. While the organisers of the fashion shows should be complimented for taking a bold stand against their skinny, unhealthy-looking models, they can be criticised for the way in which they have gone about it. Using a body mass index of 18 as a cut-off value is inappropriate and may penalise some models who live normal healthy lives. Instead of this approach the organisers should establish a structure that evaluates the health status of the models including their eating, sleeping and substance abuse habits and make decisions accordingly. The information on how to do this is available; it just needs to be applied. This third issue of the journal for 2006 has 4 interesting papers. The first paper by Professor Mars and colleagues examines the cooling of skin, subcutaneous fat and muscle with an icepack, at rest and after short-duration exhaustive exercise. This study produced some interesting results with important clinical applications. The next paper by Ian Cook examines the accuracy of different types of pedometers. It is well known that people who use pedometers are encouraged to be more physically active, so therefore there is great value in making pedometers available to the general public. However, the enthusiasm to make and distribute pedometers has exceeded the concern about their accuracy. This study addresses this point with a comprehensive research design. The results make a valuable contribution to the literature. The third paper, by Dr McHardy and colleagues from Macquarie Injury Management Group, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia, is a clinician’s perspective of the modern and classic golf swing. This paper is relevant to sports physicians, biokineticists and physiotherapists and provides a clear analysis of the different types of golf swing and their possible link to injury, particularly lower back pain. Finally the paper by Dr Draper and her colleagues describes the state of the fitness industry in South Africa. This comprehensive study gathered data from 442 facilities around the country. The data provide an important benchmark for the state of the industry and will make a significant contribution to the development of perceived weaknesses in the industry. Mike Lambert Editor-in-Chief 1. Milan fashionistas fear Spanish skinny model ban. news.yahoo.com/s/ nm/20060914/od_nm/italy_models_dc (accessed 18 September 2006) 2. The changing shape of the model. news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/769460.stm (ac- cessed 18 September 2006) Skinny fashion – a role for sports medicine? SAJSM voL 18 No. 3 2006 57 editoriAL pg57.indd 57 9/21/06 12:15:22 PM ediToriAl SAJSM vol 20 No. 1 2008 3 Editorial Tune in while.indd 3 4/23/08 11:29:42 AM