Opsathon is a special weekend retreat which we use to brainstorm on projects that can change the world of healthcare, bond over Wilson Phillips, and plot to kill each other in a (mostly) friendly game of Mafia or Kick the Can.

The first Opsathon of 2012 began with some very well-planned coverage of the OR (Operations Room – get it?). While most of us stayed in the New York office to cover phones and email service for the first part of the day, a small part of the team scouted the territory ahead. They prepared our rented house by setting up wireless internet coverage and phone forwarding, so that when the rest of the team left the New York office, phones and emails could be re-routed to the “Mobile Ops” team in the Hamptons. This way, not a single call was dropped and we were able to provide consistent service to the doctors and patients who need us!

Once everyone arrived, we had our usual Friday Night Activations Party during which we research, verify, and qualify all the doctors who are joining our service. (Whoever qualifies the most doctors gets to wear the coveted ZocDoc super hero cape!) Once every doctor was qualified and every patient was put first, the Ops Associates began a round of Mafia, whereby the once-unified family unraveled into a mire of alliances, accusations, and assassinations!

In the morning, once recharged and breakfasted, the team dove into some very creative projects that we wouldn’t normally have the opportunity to do during the busy workweek. Some of us discussed how ZocDoc can maintain our level of excellent customer service and quirky internal culture as we grow and expand. Some of us delved into the more technical side of improving ZocDoc’s features and workflows.

The afternoon was then spent on self-reflection with a Meyers Briggs personality exam. This was a great way for us to assess how we work together as a team, and how we can better relate to each other and to patients and doctors. We then made cases for the strengths and pitfalls of all personality types – and once again, alliances, accusations, and near assassinations ensued. (Kidding!)

From the tasty hamburgers and gooey brownies to the wild games and special projects, this weekend was all about enriching and developing our team into stronger employees – and eventually future leaders. Look out, world!

Amanda works in Operations because she loves helping people. She has a soft spot for the elderly, so she is a pen pal and does lunch delivery for home-bound seniors through Citymeals on Wheels. She thinks the funniest people in the world are her pun-prone fiancé, her grandfather, and her ZocDoc teammates. If you love having fun and helping people, maybe you should work here too!

Researchers at Ontario’s McMaster University examined the effects of massage on sore muscles by performing biopsies on tissue from the quadriceps of eleven men. After pedaling to exhaustion on exercise bicycles, the men received ten minutes of massage on only one of their thighs. Muscle samples were extracted three times: once prior to the workout, again directly following the massage, and finally two and a half hours afterwards. Upon examination, the tissue provided evidence as to why massaging sore muscles feels so good.

Massage lessened muscle inflammation by reducing cytokines, a protein that causes tissue torn during exercise to swell. Less swelling equals less pain. But what about popping a couple post-workout aspirin for the same reason?

Senior study author Dr. Mark A. Tarnopolsky explains, “There’s some theoretical concern that there is a maladaptive response in the long run if you’re constantly suppressing inflammation with drugs. With massage, you can have your cake and eat it too – massage can suppress inflammation and actually enhance cell recovery.”

Massage enhances cell recovery by spurring on the creation of mitochondria, i.e. the trademark of toned bodies. Dr. Tarnopolsky explains to WebMD, “If someone starts an endurance exercise training program, after two or four months of training, depending on the intensity, you essentially double the volume of mitochondria in muscle. Mitochondria help the cell to take up and use oxygen. The muscles’ ability to extract oxygen is proportional to the amount of mitochondria that are there. Exercise plus massage seems to enhance that pathway.”

So whether you’re seeing a massage therapist or just using the buddy system, a quality rubdown may be the solution to easing soreness while getting the most out of your workout.

Image: Couple’s Massage, a Creative Commons Attribution (2.0) image from FoundryParkInn’s photostream.

In a recent study at Stanford University, researchers used MRI scans to identify how humor affects children’s minds. Watching funny videos garnered reactions in two still-developing areas of their brains: the mesolimbic region and the temporal-occipital-parietal junction. (That crazy junction! Always causing trouble.) The former interprets “rewards,” while the latter processes incongruities. Surprising juxtapositions that don’t quite go together, say a kitten riding a turtle, provide the spark for much of what we perceive as humorous.

By better analyzing this process, researchers have paved the way for more in-depth studies on humor, and how it fosters developmental well-being. “Humor is a very important component of emotional health, maintaining relationships, developing cognitive function, and perhaps even medical health,” explains Dr. Allan Reiss. “In particular, we think a balanced and consistent sense of humor may help children negotiate the difficult period of pre-adolescence and adolescence.”

So there you have it – a well-honed funny bone can be invaluable while navigating young adulthood. How will you make sure your child develops an appreciation for the finer comedic delicacies of life? (A healthy supply of scrap paper may help.)

Image: Neighborhood kids, a Creative Commons Attribution (2.0) image from Don Fulano’s photostream.

UTIs are common among adult females, and many women have recurrent UTIs that affect them several times a year. While antibiotics are effective at treating UTIs when they occur, regular antibiotic use for women with recurrent UTIs is not ideal. As a prophylaxis, low-dose antibiotics reduce incidence of UTI but also increase the risk of antibiotic resistance and potentially more dangerous infections.

The scientific literature makes an important distinction between treatment and prevention. In women with recurrent UTIs, cranberry is effective at lowering incidence but not eliminating infection. As mentioned above, however, cranberries may still be preferable to antibiotics for UTI prevention because they do not increase the risk of antibiotic resistance. Unfortunately, however, there has been a high dropout rate in the trials because of people complaining of intestinal upset when taking high-doses of cranberry prophylactically.

What about the treatment of existing UTIs? Surprisingly, no well-designed studies have been conducted on the effectiveness of cranberry for treating UTI. As a result, cranberries are currently not recommended for UTI treatment. However, that does not mean they are not effective, it just means their effectiveness is still unknown.

Anecdotally, most of the friends I know who are susceptible to UTIs swear by cranberry for treatment, particularly if they catch the infection early. Though this is not sufficient evidence to prove effectiveness, it indicates that cranberry likely works for at least some people.

A mechanism has also been proposed describing how cranberry might work. Historically it was thought that cranberry helped treat infection by raising the acidity of urine, however recent evidence suggests that compounds called proanthocyanidins prevent specific kinds of bacteria from adhering to tissue - one of the earliest stages in the infection process.

To summarize, cranberry juice and extract is a safe and moderately effective way to prevent UTIs and may be useful in treatment, especially if administered early in the infection process. However, in more serious cases, antibiotics are still the most effective treatment.

When it comes to the science of wellness, distinguishing the facts from the urban legends can be tough. That’s why we’ve enlisted Darya Pino – a scientist, foodie, and self-proclaimed geek girl. Check out the ZocDoc Blog every Tuesday to see her bust the biggest myths in health.

Image: Cranberries in a Bowl, a Creative Commons Attribution (2.0) image from TheDeliciousLife’s photostream.

Super Bowl XLVI marks a special moment for ZocDoc. This is the first Super Bowl in which both teams are located in cities that ZocDoc serves! To celebrate, we sat down with our resident Giants fanatic, Katie P., and head Patriots honcho Drew W. for a briefing on recent football antics around the office.

You two are known as super fans all around the office – what gives?

Katie, Recruiting: I grew up in New Jersey, in a family that cheers for the Giants, so I’ve loved them my whole life. Now I live in NYC and just can’t help but love them. They’ve got an awesome QB – Eli Manning. He has led the Giants to victory against the Patriots a few times, most importantly in 2007!

They’ve also got JPP who can do 13 back flips in a row, which is pretty impressive. That’s three and half fewer sacks than he had this season! I’m ready for the big win!

Drew, Sales: My family is from South Boston, and I played football through high school, so I was basically inundated with Patriots apparel at every holiday and birthday.

Then, a few years ago, the Patriots brought on a quarterback who could basically be a male model. Tom Brady led the Patriots to three Super Bowl victories and married a supermodel. I don’t think a 29 year old guy can have a better role model than Tom Brady.

I am ready to reclaim victory. The demons of ‘07 keep me up at night. I’ve gotten over ex-girlfriends faster than I got over that game!

What’s been going on around ZocDoc HQ?

Drew: We collect football helmets from every city we serve, and the Giants and Patriots helmets have been proudly on display at the front desk all week! Jason in sales organized a box pool for everyone and Netta, our CFO, drew the numbers.

Katie: Yeah, but they haven’t announced our numbers yet! I’m so anxious to find out!

Does ZocDoc seem to have more Giants fans or Patriots fans?

Drew: Our office is located in New York, so it definitely seems like ZocDoc leans towards the Giants.

Katie: Giants fans get a little bit of flack, though.

Drew: Yeah, from me.

How would you get someone who’s not into football psyched up about the Super Bowl?

Drew: Ask them who has the prettiest uniform.

Katie: It’s easy here, especially in the office! You’re in this city and Sunday’s going to be an amazing day with real passionate fans.

Where will you be watching the game this weekend?

Katie: At a bar on the Upper East Side. Originally I had tickets, but I wanted Drew to have the privilege of watching his team lose in person.

Drew: Yeah right! Fortunately, I wouldn’t be able to use them, anyway. I’m flying to Bangkok, Thailand, with a few friends and will be watching the Super Bowl at 6:00 AM. I emailed the owner of a sports bar to make sure they’re going to show it, and sure thing! I’ll be getting to the bar at 5 AM and enjoying beers that cost 80 Thai Baht… that’s less than $3! (If you live in NYC, that is a really exciting price for a beer. -Ed.)

Have any healthy snacks you can recommend?

Drew: White wine has fewer calories than beer – I’m a wine guy, so that’s my recommendation!

Katie: Pretzels and dip – maybe a veggie platter. But who eats healthy for the Super Bowl?

This is the first time two ZocDoc cities are matched up in the Super Bowl! How does that make you feel?

Katie: I’m really excited to be at ZocDoc for this monumental moment. It’s going to be cool to see a few years down the road when other teams who aren’t in ZocDoc cities now are in the Super Bowl. It’s such a great way to see how much we’re growing, and it makes me really excited about the future of our company.

Drew: What she just said, can you put that as me?

Sure thing, Drew.

Do you have a healthy recipe for Drew and Katie? Share a picture of your healthy Super Bowl snack on our Facebook page by Wednesday, February 8^th at 5:00 EST for your chance to win a $50 Amazon Gift Card!

A recent study has found that frying food isn’t linked with heart disease in the Mediterranean. Researchers in Spain monitored the fried food consumption of more than 40,000 people over the course of 11 years. Fried food intake ranged from 1.6 to 8.8 ounces per day, and made up about seven percent of the participants’ diets on average. As the years passed and researchers documented the varying health issues that subjects dealt with, no link could be drawn between a deep fried diet and heart disease.

But a word of caution – scientists haven’t exactly signed off on funnel cakes, corn dogs, and the sundry nosh of state fairs. Dr. Pilar Guallar-Castillon explains,”We should emphasize that our results were obtained within the context of a healthy diet, the Mediterranean one, and may not be replicated with other types of diets.” The researchers stress that their participants were mostly using healthy fats, like olive and sunflower oil.

Eager to get your heart-healthy-fry on? Check this NYT recipe for delicious, pakora-esque fried vegetables, and consider swapping out the canola for sunflower oil. (Eat them quickly or they’ll get soggy. Do you really need that kind of tip?)

Image: Deep-fried Heart Attack, a Creative Commons Attribution (2.0) image from meggle?s photostream.

A recent study at the Australian Griffith University illustrates how regular high heel use changes the way our muscles function, in and out of the fancy footwear. By recording the gait of ten heel-enthusiasts and ten abstainers, researchers observed that the rate of muscle strain was multiplied by six in those with a penchant for the platformed pumps.

“This represents a potential injury risk, and may partly explain the fact that high-heeled shoes are often associated with discomfort and muscle fatigue,” explains Dr. Neil Cronin in the Journal of Applied Physiology.

High heels force us to walk in unnaturally brief, powerful strides. This requires more muscle power, forgoing the combination of tendon and muscle that shapes our natural gait. And the fact that heels force our toes into a perpetually pointed position not only strains our legs but shortens our calf muscles. These effects seem to continue after our bodies have adapted to walking in heels - even when we’re barefoot.

So what is the fashion-conscious club-goer to do? We heartily encourage you to rock the ‘barefoot’ look. But if those sultry spikes really make your outfit, you may want to check in with a podiatrist. We’d hate to see you trade in pumps for a cast or boot under doctor’s orders!

Image: H is for High Heels, a Creative Commons Attribution (2.0) image from wenzday01′s photostream.

Natural cane sugar, table sugar, and most of the sugars you’d find in your kitchen are common names for the same molecule: sucrose. Sucrose is a disaccharide, meaning it is a larger molecule made up from two smaller sugar molecules, glucose and fructose.

When you eat sucrose, enzymes in your intestine quickly break the molecules apart, and equal amounts of glucose and fructose are absorbed into your bloodstream.

Corn syrup is a sweetener created from corn starch. Initially, the syrup is almost entirely glucose, but it is subjected to enzymatic processes that convert much of the glucose to fructose. The resulting product is HFCS. The most commonly used kind of HFCS is HFCS 55, meaning it is comprised of 55 percent fructose and 42 percent glucose (the rest is water).

Chemically, the difference between sucrose and HFCS 55 is very small, since sucrose is 50 percent fructose and HFCS is 55 percent. Consequently it has been difficult to detect many physiological differences in people who consume the same amount of sucrose compared to HFCS.

That said, there are substantial differences between how humans metabolize fructose and glucose, the single sugars that are absorbed after eating both sucrose and HFCS, and even small differences in the percent of fructose could theoretically impact health when consumed in large enough quantities.

Some studies have suggested that HFCS significantly impacts the eating habits of rodents, but these results have not been replicated in human experiments and most of the data suggests HFCS is similar to sucrose in its effect on health and body weight. While consumption of both sucrose and HFCS is considered dangerous in large quantities, better designed studies are needed comparing the health effects of HFCS to other caloric sweeteners in both large and small dosages.

To summarize, HFCS is similar both molecularly and physiologically to cane sugar, but more studies are need to confirm its long-term safety.

When it comes to the science of wellness, distinguishing the facts from the urban legends can be tough. That’s why we’ve enlisted Darya Pino – a scientist, foodie, and self-proclaimed geek girl. Check out the ZocDoc Blog every Tuesday to see her bust the biggest myths in health.

Image: two-color corn, a Creative Commons Attribution (2.0) image from Zanastardust’s photostream.

We’re thrilled to begin improving healthcare in San Diego, and to move into our 15th city. (That makes three for California! Are other states getting jealous?)

But seriously, ZocDoc is enormously thankful to the wonderful people of San Diego for rolling out the red carpet. Thousands of San Diegans voted to bring ZocDoc to their town, and we’re honored to oblige. As of today, we’re offering tens of thousands of appointments with primary care doctors, dermatologists, and OBGYNs across the city.

Now go book the easiest doctor appointment of your life. You have no idea how happy it makes us to help you get the great care you deserve. And if you really want to spread the love, don’t forget to let everybody know!

Operations.

That’s a big job description. What does it mean, exactly? A lot of things! We help patients understand ZocDoc, we train doctors and office staff to use our service, we cook up new ideas for the website, and so much more. We’re also the people who answer ZocDoc’s phones and respond to emails, so customer service is a very important part of what we do.

At heart, Operations at ZocDoc is all about empowering patients and building a better healthcare system. Healthcare is huge, complicated, and can be tough to navigate. Can you imagine a world in which it’s simple, charming, and friendly? We can. We’re striving to change the way service is viewed in healthcare (and everywhere else, for that matter), and learning every day from the people we serve. Oh, and we’re having a blast while we do it! (No, seriously. Having. A. Blast.)

So check back on this blog again, and soon! We’re excited to start giving you regular updates on all the cool things happening at ZocDoc HQ, and to offer some insight into the people that make this an incredible place to work. We also want to relate our best practices, to start conversations, and to learn and share our learning with others – so we can make even more of a difference.

All this should give you a pretty good sense of what we look for in an Operations person. Are you extremely smart, utterly driven, and crazily friendly? If so, we hope you join us! Changing the world isn’t easy, and we need all the help we can get. But don’t take my word for it – check out this video our team made: