Posted by: syncro
Posted by: RAHrider
Sorry you don't like my personal (as a cyclist) non-medical profeasional opinion on the invention of a motor assisted bicycle. I think it's silly that the throttle is in the pedals. My personal opinion. If you want to know my medical opinion on ebikes, I can give you that as well but this is a cycling website. The fact that you bring into question my medical care of patients because I think the particular engineering of an ebike is silly, I find perplexing. I don't draw into question your ability to do your job because of your opinions on bicycles (and you have some strong ones). I don't mind you explaining why you think a throttle in the pedals is the greatest idea ever and I'll listen but please don't try and tell me I am a poor doctor because I don't agree.
Good response, and thanks.
I'll be honest and say I waffled about adding that second part, so I made sure to phrase it as an "if" question as I didn't want to directly accuse you. Sorry if it came off that way. Even though this is a mtb'ing website, the connection between riding and health/fitness is a fairly common concept that runs through many of the cycling specific threads here, including this one on ebikes in particular. You've made it clear that you're a physician, so I found it concerning that someone who has a responsibility to advocate for physical activity as means of improving health and wellness to their patients would make the statement of losing the motor if exercise is the goal. Maybe you wouldn't say that to a patient, but combining your comments above with the knowledge that you're a physician left me with a pretty serious (IMHO) question. Does that help give some better context to my thoughts?
Further, over the years I've worked with people who have gotten little to no advice from their physicians when it comes to physical activity. However, I know that aspect of the field is changing. Still, I would hope that any physician these days would recognize that the barriers to exercise are many and can be complex, so much so that an ebike could very well be an excellent choice for someone needing to improve their health and wellness. IMO a physicians primary concern should be the overall health and wellness of their patients and then any specific ailments the patient may see them for. For example, the idea of prescribing medication for say CVD and not providing a prescription for exercise and following up on the patient with it strikes me as irresponsible. I'm not saying this is you in any way and I recognize that this probably seems way outside my area of expertise, but there have been more than a few occasions where I've been surprised and disappointed with the advice given to a client in the gym from their physician.
WRT a throttle in the pedals being the greatest idea ever I don't think that at all. I've made it clear in a number of these threads that I personally have no interest in ebikes. However, I do believe that ebikes have their place and that for some people they are a great option. On the same hand I would also argue that beyond a low to moderate fitness level (say 1-5 on a scale of 0-10), the notion that ebikes are better at improving fitness than regular bikes is fairly weak. Whether they are good or not comes down to the individual, their situation and their goals.
Hopefully that clears things up, as yes I know I can be strongly opinionated depending on the topic. Feel free to rant at me if you want to, I'll still respect your input and opinions here.
You seem to have a pretty low opinion of the care provided to patients by physicians in general. I really didn't want to come on here and defend my personal practice but I will say that what you describe in no way resembles my own practice. Every person I treat for a heart attack I personally follow up, prescribe exercise, diet and smoking cessation (if needed) in addition to drugs that aid cardiac healing and prevent future heart attacks. My office waiting room has healthy cookbooks for patients to peruse. I even have a library that patients can borrow books from on meditation, stress reduction and better ways to deal with stress and anxiety (often the reason they smoke).
Have I found ebikes particularly effective for cardiac rehabilitation after a myocardial infarction (a heart attack), not really. Do some of my patients enjoy riding them - absolutely! Do I consider what they do on their ebike exercise - not usually. Most of what they do on an ebike I classify as movement, which can be good for joints, mobility and mental health but really isn't any more exercise than a trip to Costco.
Again, I'm happy people like riding e bikes. I have loved bikes for decades. I ride one every day (just about). For me attaching a motor to a bike only takes away from my enjoyment. Cutting my commute by 15 minutes only means 15 less minutes riding my bike. I think the idea of a motorized vehicle with the throttle in the pedals is kind of a silly invention, but if it does it for some, good on them. I'm certainly not going to sit around and praise ebikes for getting my patients out doing the bare minimum activity. After they tell me about their great bike ride, I ask them how hard they were breathing and then tell them that it's great they are getting outside and breathing fresh air but then remind them that they need to dedicate some time to getting their heart rate up and working up a sweat.
If people would like to rant about their shitty health care, go ahead. I'll read the whole thing and learn from your experiences. It's hard to know where our system let's people down without listening to their bad experiences.
