Blog About Health & Medicine

The fourth anthropometric test to help ascertain nutritional status is measurement of mid-arm muscle circumference (MAMC), which estimates skeletal muscle mass. This is also a quick and easy test, in which a measuring tape is used to determine the circumference of the arm, midway between the elbow and the shoulder (where the triceps skin-fold measure was taken). Having measured the mid-arm circumference, the next step is to subtract the fat, which is represented by the triceps skin-fat thickness measurment. What remains represents muscle and lean body tissue. Plug your mid-arm circumference into this formula to derive your mid-arm muscle circumference:

•Summary of the finding of Frisancho, A.R. Am. J. Clin. Nut, 34:2540, 1981.

MAMC (cm) = mid-arm circumference—(TSF [mm] x 0.314) MAMC = mid arm muscle circumference TSF = triceps skin fold cm = centimeter mm = millimeters

Then take your MAMC and rate yourself on the chart below:

Mid-arm muscle circumference (in centimeters)*

A MAMC of 20 percent or more below the numbers on the table above would help support a diagnosis of loss of lean body mass.

These four tests—height, weight, triceps skin fold and mid-arm circumference-are not the only anthropometric measurements that can be taken. But these four are quick and easy to do and provide a good starting point for further investigation.

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A low blood/body level of iron is the most common mineral deficiency in the world. Iron is part of the hemoglobulin molecule that binds oxygen to red blood cells. A lack of iron can result in poor oxygen delivery to the various parts of the body. This can cause all sorts of problems, including immune-system deficits.

In the absence of adequate iron, the thymus and other lymphoid glands may shrink, the number of T- and B-cells in the blood can fall, and the ability of cell “eaters” to ingest and destroy bacteria may be impaired. The ability of the body to respond to antigen challenge is thus diminished.

Years ago, doctors gave iron tonics to patients who suffered from multiple infections. The tonics helped, but today we know that iron shouldn’t automatically be given to patients with low blood levels of iron.

Bacteria need iron to flourish. So, during infections, the body sequesters iron in the bone marrow and other organs to keep it away from the bacteria. That’s pretty smart of the body, hiding the bacteria’s food. For this reason, I advise my patients not to take iron when they’re suffering from an infection.

If you have symptoms of anemia (such as fatigue), don’t self-medicate by taking iron—or anything else, for that matter. The anemia may be caused by a serious medical problem that requires attention. In men, the problem may be cancer of the colon, gastritis, esophagitis or peptic-ulcer disease. Taking iron may make you feel better, but it won’t do anything for the underlying problem. And because you feel better, you may not seek the treatment you need. Women should also be checked out when suffering from symptoms of anemia. This may sound like a very conservative approach, but through the years I’ve seen too many people who treated their anemia by taking iron, not knowing until it was too late that the anemia was caused by a serious medical condition that could have been corrected had it been attended to earlier.

Too much iron can also be a problem, and it may suppress the immune system.

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SARCOIDOSIS: we don’t know what causes it; possibly a virus.

Signs and Symptoms: may be fever; pains in joints; generalized body aches; cough; weight loss. Can have shortness of breath, lumps on the skin; enlarged liver; inflammation of a portion of the eye, which can lead to glaucoma and loss of vision. May get into heart and cause chest pain. Usually gets into lungs, causing shortness of breath. Many times I have made the diagnosis of sarcoidosis from the characteristic appearance of the X-ray, which shows enlarged lymph glands in the chest.

SCLERODERMA (progressive systemic sclerosis): chronic disease with generalized fibrosis (thickening) of the skin, joints and many internal organs.

Signs and Symptoms: joint pains; stomach upsets; heartburn; weight loss; malaise; difficulty in swallowing; shortness of breath. Skin of fingers and face becomes thick. Normal creases on the fingers and face disappear. Fingers become purple and hurt when exposed to cold. Face become thick, like a mask, and blood vessels on face, lips and tongue become prominent. Other symptoms may be esophogitis; (inflamations of the esophagus); pleurisy; pericarditis (inflammation of the sac surrounding the heart); heart irregularities; muscle weakness. Death from pneumonia often occurs.

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ANKYLOSING SPONDYLITIS: a progressive, inflammatory arthritis characterized by fusion of various joints, especially of the spine, that leads to years of suffering. Norman Cousins described his experience with ankylosing spondylitis in his bestselling book, Anatomy of an Illness.

Signs and Symptoms: fatigue; malaise; weight loss; low back pains; sacroiliac pains; sometimes pain down the back of the legs; stiffness of the back, especially in the morning; stiffness and pain spreading up to involve the rest of the back; hips and shoulders ache and feel stiff; in advanced stages there is forward flexion of the spine, forcing the person to walk with his head facing the ground (almost like an exaggerated Groucho Marx walk).

BACTEREMIA: a condition in which bacteria invade the circulating blood. The bacteria can come from a small abcess on the skin, dental drilling or manipulations, infections in the urinary tract or female organs, lung infections, intravenous drug use, indwelling intravenous catheters, urinary catheters, surgical procedures, and almost any other way bacteria can get into your blood.

Signs and Symptoms: fever; fatigue; rapid heart rate; rapid breathing; cool, pale extremities; can lead to confusion or disorientation; shortness of breath.

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