I’m a member of a bicycle discussion board. One forum is for those 50 and older. I swear 1/4 of the posts are from people discussing health problems. Not searching out help for bicycling but actually asking for advice about medical conditions…to people on a bicycle forum. I mean…huh?
I guess I just don’t get it.
BBW, Cyclists are going to be people more concerned with their health than most, I was a jogger until my knees start to complain excessively and hung out with the same type of people. Personally I started a little later in life and enjoy bacon-egg-cheese biscuits too much to be a serious dietican. But being concerned and having probably abused their body a little with bumping into thunderbolts and crashing into trees they are now trying to figure how to live well as long as possible. Not really weird, you are approaching the twilight zone (senior citizenhood). Hang out with younger people, just don’t follow them down that trail your crashed on 15 years ago.
My usual response to them is “do you ask your doctor how to fix your bike” ? Some of them get an “ah ha” moment, some just think I’m rude…lol 
Everyone’s looking for the magic bullet that will let them be 18 forever, then you come to an age where you realize that ain’t gonna happen and you start trying to make the best of what you got. Memorial Day weekend I got pseudogout in my knee. Hurt like the dickens. One of my buds advised me to take some extract of black cherry, he swears by it for athritis (not RA). I’m still looking for some. I figure I’ve used up at least 2/3 or my life but want to enjoy the remainder to the max.
I’m thinking that 1/4 of the people on that forum may have health issues, and they worry about how biking may effect their health. With that assumption, they probably just want to connect with others who bike with health issues. I have a Schwinn classic bike, and high blood pressure. I like biking, but 30 minutes wipes me out enough to wonder.
<whipping out cutlass and preparing to board>
Avast ye swabs, stand by and prepare to by hijacked…
Uncle Jesse,
Fresh, dried, and canned cherries are helpful in reducing arthritis pain and inflammation, even for RA.
You can even eat the dried ones while riding a bike, if you’re coordinated. <he typed, trying to drag the thread back on course>
Ed
I was visiting a friend the other day and he said " Isn’t it funny how we use to talk about fishing and hunting and now we talk about our health problems " maybe it is just a sign of the times.
Rocky
Like I said it isn’t health problems that affect biking. It’s other stuff. I guess I just think health problems are a private thing and best left to the advice of someone in the field. Like fishing. I wouldn’t ask my Dr. what presentation works best for catching trout under certain conditions(unless he/she were a fly fisher). I doubt I will ever ask a mechanic about my health problems or burden them with the conversation ;). Plus I hate it when people talk about health problems. Hey, let’s talk about something…FUN!
BBW -
I wonder if those discussions are just part of the “social” or “community” aspect of that board similar to the discussions on the FAOL Bulletin Board regarding personal or family / friend’s medical / health issues, prayer requests, birthday wishes, tragedies in someone’s local news that don’t even involve the poster, etc.
I don’t find those topics / threads interesting or fun and pretty much stay away from them. But a lot of folks do enjoy them and Deanna and Neil endorse them so they are entirely appropriate material for this bulletin board.
John