Category Archives: Health and Wellness

Dr. McConnell gives his expert opinion on new lawsuit against Vibram FiveFingers shoes in Post & Courier article

Posted on April 12, 2012 by heather

(POST & COURIER) Local runners, docs weigh in on lawsuit against popular Vibram FiveFingers shoes Local runners and fitness buffs weren’t happy to hear about a class-action lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court claiming that Vibram USA Inc. and Vibram …

Posted in Health and Wellness, The Science of Better Living | Comments Off

A Shorter Road to Recovery for Athletes: Post & Courier highlights Charleston Sports Medicine’s PRP and interviews Dr. McConnell

Posted on April 12, 2012 by erica

(POST & COURIER) For CofC Pitcher, New Treatment Worked In the summer of 2010, Nick Osterman was pitching for the Forest City Owls of the Coastal Plains League. With two out in the eighth inning of a baseball game against …

Posted in Health and Wellness, Orthobiologics, The Science of Better Living, Uncategorized | Comments Off

Personalize Diet, Nutrition and Exercise with Genomics

Posted on February 28, 2012 by sarah

Dr Bright McConnell of FitMed Partners has always taken a custom approach to diet and exercise. Now, with genetic testing, he is able to take personalized health planning and disease prevention to a whole new level. Dr McConnell is one …

Posted in Age Management, Fitness, Health and Wellness, Nutrition, Osteoporosis prevention, Prevention, Weight Loss | Comments Off

Inherited Health: FitMed Unlocks Your Genetic Code

Posted on February 28, 2012 by admin

With genetic testing, FitMed is able to take personalized health planning and disease prevention to a whole new level.

Posted in Health and Wellness | Comments Off

Thanksgiving Tips

Posted on November 22, 2011 by erica

Thanksgiving tends to pack on the pounds, while also leading to a slide in eating and exercising habits that persists all the way to New Years. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Americans spent 1.2 hours eating and drinking, …

Posted in Fitness, Health and Wellness, Nutrition | Comments Off

Your Key to Understanding the Glycemic Index

Posted on October 21, 2011 by sarah

The Glycemic Index is a numerical Index that ranks carbohydrates based on their rate of glycemic response (i.e. their conversion to glucose within the human body). Glycemic Index uses a scale of 0 to 100, with higher values given to …

Posted in Health and Wellness, Nutrition, Weight Loss | Comments Off

Feast or Fit? Why Not Both?

Posted on October 13, 2011 by sarah

Rich in antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals, both the flesh and seeds of the pumpkin provide many health-boosting nutrients. Pumpkin is low in fat and calories and rich in disease-fighting nutrients such as: Alpha-carotene Beta-carotene Fiber Vitamins C and E Potassium …

Posted in Health and Wellness, Nutrition, Recipes | Tagged Nutrition, recipes, vitamins | Comments Off

Hip fracture risk rises after women stop hormones: research

Posted on September 2, 2011 by admin

By Megan Brooks NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – When postmenopausal women discontinue hormone therapy, their bone mineral density drops and their risk of a hip fracture climbs, new research suggests. Among nearly 81,000 postmenopausal women followed for six and a …

Posted in Age Management, Health and Wellness, Hormone Therapy | Comments Off

Eat the Rainbow for Good Health

Posted on March 22, 2011 by admin

As part of National Nutritional Month, FitMed Partners wants to remind our patients that good nutrition starts with the smart food choices at the grocery store. Dr. McConnell gives patients key tips to remember when filling up your cart. He states, “Eat the …

Posted in Health and Wellness, Press Releases | Leave a comment

An Apple A Day Isn’t Enough Anymore

Posted on March 10, 2011 by admin

Did you know that a recent study showed that almost 90% of Americans are nutrient deficient!? In celebration of National Nutrition Month, FitMed Partners wants to take a moment to educate you on the importance of nutrition and the effects of nutrient depletion. As an …

Posted in Health and Wellness, Prevention | Tagged Health, Vitamin D | Leave a comment

Dr. McConnell makes national news in Golf Swing story

Local doctor provides inside info: PGA Tour golfers get chance to have body scans for data
(Post and Courier) When Jim Furyk tees off today in the PGA Tour’s The Barclays tournament, he will do so armed with inside information provided by Dr. Bright McConnell, a local orthopedist.

McConnell has been performing body scans this week on PGA Tour golf pros, giving them a detailed look from the inside-out on what exactly is going on inside their bodies.

“It actually shows you what you are made of,” said McConnell, who scanned 14 golfers on-site Wednesday in Edison, N.J.

McConnell, of Charleston Sports Medicine & Orthopaedic Center, uses an X-ray body scanner made by GE Healthcare — the machine, known as the iDXA system, costs up to $100,000 — to give golfers specific data on body composition, such as percent body fat and lean muscle mass.

The information, delivered in a detailed five-page report along with a high-resolution image, can help golfers adjust their swings, alter their nutrition or training habits, and even lengthen their careers.

The body scans are part of a partnership between GE and the PGA Tour announced earlier this year. Sean O’Hair was one of the first golfers to use the technology at the Arnold Palmer Invitational in Orlando, Fla., last spring.

“I think it’s a huge tool to help you be better,” O’Hair told reporters then.

McConnell said body scans are the next step in the evolution of studying body composition.

“For so long in this country, we’ve looked at body-mass index, height and weight tables, and it’s just not accurate,” McConnell said. “The whole concept of body composition, whether it’s in golfers or other athletes, is to look at lean body mass, percent body fat and the distribution of body fat — not only how much, but where exactly is it?”

The PGA Tour includes all sorts of body types, from the buff Tiger Woods to the lumpy John Daly, and everything in between. Some golfers will be intrigued by the data McConnell can provide; some won’t want to know, he said.

“There really is no one ideal form,” McConnell said. “You have bigger guys and smaller guys who have success. But we are seeing some differences and concern with where body fat and muscle mass is located in the left side of the body versus the right. Is there really a left versus right dominance in terms of swing mechanics?”

Furyk said that’s an issue he discussed with his trainers for years.

“Now we can actually measure it,” he told the New York Times. “I think there’s going to be quite a few guys out here who are going to see a big imbalance. They’ll realize it, get a tool to manage it and maybe prolong their career.”

Said McConnell: “They can take this information and work with their trainers. Maybe they learn that they need to be working on their left quad or their left upper body for their turn. Without this information, they may not see the difference.”

To get a body scan, a golfer lies down on a table beneath a curved arm that travels the length of the body, sending out bursts of low-dose X-rays. The whole process takes six to eight minutes.

“It’s very low-dose radiation,” McConnell said, “so you can get multiple scans without any concern.”

In a sport where athletes are constantly tweaking their swings, their clubs and balls, and firing their caddies — all in search of the slightest of advantages — body composition is one more area that can provide an edge.

“At this level of the sport,” McConnell said, “even a two or three percent difference in performance is huge.”