August 2007

I decided that working hard on a daily basis is fun but each Friday, a change in pace is required. I do a number of changes in my life from wearing non-formal cloths, sleeping in and just taking the day as it comes for a change. I hope this gives you a glimpse into how interesting and fascinating health actually is!

Banned Commercials

One thing led to another earlier in the week and I found myself on YouTube viewing some banned commercials that I found rather funny regarding various health issues, this blog is about extreme health – I hope the issues brought up in these videos give you both a chuckle and something to think about over the weekend. Feel free to leave a comment regarding what you are about to see!

Banned Good Vibrations Commercial

Why woman sexuality is still a taboo subject is beyond me, this commercial was banned in Korea.

Banned Durex Condom Commercial

This has to be the best video I have ever seen that clearly displays how condoms work in preventing pregnancy.

Learning English Using Fitness

Leave it up to the Japanese to put two completely unrelated things, in this case, a cardiovascular workout session and a hold-up into a very weird commercial that makes little sense. Wait till the 30 second mark and you will see what I mean.

Tennis the way it should be played

I think if all tennis matches ended like this commercial, their male viewership would jump exponentially during the next Wimbledon, I can only hope.

The Bottom Line

I hope you realize through watching these videos how broad the area of health really is.

For older patients who require close monitoring in a home setting, Duo-Cares wristband glucose and blood pressure monitor may be exactly what the doctor ordered.Features

Vital sign monitors run into the thousands of dollars but this wristbands advantage is its small form factor (meaning it can follow the patient anywhere) and relatively non-evasive fit factor. Although it doesn’t rack many other vital signs, most diabetics also suffer from secondary conditions which this will monitor. Additional features include:

• incorporates Fast Tracking Temperature (FTT) technology for accurate blood glucose readings even when the device and blood are two different temperatures
• step deflation on the cuff for blood pressure monitoring within 30 seconds
• advanced oscillometric algorithm (AOA) technology
• requires only a small blood sample (0.5ul) and gives readings in 5 seconds
• one button monitoring of various vital signs
• wristband monitor stores results and allows for easy data transfer to computer for clinical evaluations over time
• uses enzyme based test strips for accurate readings

The Bottom Line

There has never been a better time to be or become a diabetic, but don’t forget a healthy lifestyle incorporating physical activity (including weight training), proper diet and regular monitoring will go a long way towards reducing the likelihood of serious complications.

Buzzvia
http://www.medgadget.com/archives/2007/08/post_12.html

Corporate Site
http://www.duo-care.com/

Americans spend over 40 billion dollars a year on potions, products and programs designed for a singular purpose – to loose weight. Ironically enough, the more Americans spend on loosing weight, the more weight they gain! Frontline has looked into this phenomena in it’s documentary Diet Wars.

Summary

I believe this is worth watching but if you don’t have time, here is a summary of the key points outlined in the documentary:

• January is when most Americans think of shedding the weight
• many obese people realize the damage they are doing to their health but simply cannot change their habits
• heart disease, osteoporosis, diabetes, stroke, high cholesterol and cancer risk factors are all influenced by carrying excess weight
• 2/3rds of Americans are overweight with most living in a state of denial
• Pritikin diet consists of fruits, fish, vegetables, soy milk, beans, it’s basically an ultra-low calorie reduced diet
• Atkins consists of eating all the fat you can while limiting the starches, fruits and cereals
• Atkins contradicts everything the government and scientific community has told the public
• Atkins works by reducing caloric intake, just like all diets that are effective
• the anti-fat (low fat diet) dogma is difficult overcome
• in the 90s, the food industry began removing fat from our foods (to reduce caloric intake and reduce weight of consumers)
• all commercial foods are made up of protein, water, carbohydrates and fats but removing the fat from a product requires the addition of one of the other three (usually carbohydrates) which gives them the same calories as regular “non-low-fat” products
• 3 000 calories of carbohydrates = 3 000 calories of fat
• low fat era of the 90s caused Americans to before fatter then ever with a third being obese by the early 2000s
• eating too much refined sugars (rice, white bread, pasta) cause sugar rushes which then causes the pancreas to over-compensate with insulin which in turn stimulates hunger
• Atkins works by satisfying your hunger due to the high protein and fat content (it’s burned slowly by the body verses carbohydrates which are burned quickly)
• saturated fat and cholesterol help clog up the bodies arteries
• Harvard recorded the lifetime diets of health professionals and after 20 years of research they found out that saturated are animal fats are linked to heart disease and cancer but unsaturated fats from fish and vegetable oils help protect people from these conditions
• unrefined carbohydrates are filling and nutritious while refined carbohydrates have the opposite on the effects on the body
• nuts are very high in fat and protein but also very nutritious
• South Beach Diet outsells Atkins now in the United States
• 80-90% of people who loose weight from specialized diets gain it back within a year due to cravings and returning to old habits
• Weight Watchers keeps the weight off longer then other plans due to the community support lacking from many other diet programs, it isn’t a diet, it’s a lifestyle change
• Weight Watchers uses a buddy system, teamwork, to maintain weight loss
• 65% of Americans are overweight or obese
• Americans live in a dream world compared to our ancestors where food is plentiful and cheap without requiring physical activity to acquire it
• childhood obesity rates are skyrocketing due to improper diet and lack of activity (some 12 year olds already have type 2 diabetes and high cholesterol)
• one child in two within the United States is at risk of developing diabetes over their lifetime
• most school cafeterias are full of junk food which works against their abilities to get a proper education
• children don’t play outside as before, families don’t eat together and the television has become a baby sitters (societal values have changed)
• sedentary lifestyle reduces calorie requirements by the body so even a normal diet can cause obesity
• America On The Move promotes healthy weights by using pedometers, creating fun, goal orientated activities to loose weight
• schools that cut out physical education to save funds are now returning towards physical activity as part of the school curriculum
• food is an important part of American culture, which is why limiting food consumption is a difficult task for most Americans
• all diets are gimics, long term changes are required after the initial weight loss and self-control isn’t a sexy marketing catch-phrase

My Dieting Views

The entire diet industry is made up of a lie, that of money. To be more specific, that you need to spend money to get the body you want… things couldn’t be further from the truth. Instead of giving your power to a third party, save your money and time, invest in yourself instead!

The Bottom Line

Permanent weight loss is easy if you are willing to change your lifestyle.

Buzzvia
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/diet/view/

If you are unlucky enough to require the use of an artificial limb, I hope this gives you hope that the functionality desire may not be that far away.

Dr. Goldfarbs Background

Dr. Goldfarbs is a professor of mechanical engineering at Vanderbilt University who has been fascinated by prosthetic limbs since childhood, and did his masters degree into designing a robotic artificial leg. He later did his doctorate in developing a computer controlled brace that would allow paraplegics to walk with the use of electrical stimulation on their muscles! He’s currently doing research into dramatically improving the usability and functionality of artificial limbs.

Power requirements are the next hurdle

Dr. Goldfarbs realized while doing robotic research that the achiles heel of any powered prosthetics is the inability to function for extended periods of time without having to have the power supplies refreshed (plugged in). As a result, he exchanged motors for special materials that expand and contract based on varying voltage, functioning very much like normal muscle tissue. In 2000, while doing research for DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Project Agency), he developed a fuel source that simply used hydrogen peroxide instead of conventional motors and batteries.

Military needs artificial limbs!

With impressive advances in body armor, the number of casualties that the military suffers from was sharply down but as limbs are still exposed, a record number of limbs where being amputated. Having impressed other researchers, he then set his sights in 2005 towards developing an advanced prosthetic arm ever with 30 million dollar in funds from DARPA.

DARPA Results

The artificial arm developed by Dr. Goldfarbs was radically different then anything currently in the marketplace and has almost the same functionality of a real one! The artificial arm has more dexterity, freedom of movement and power then what is currently available with the added benefit of using a liquid fuel power system which can be refreshed when ever the user desires. Other researchers are also studying implantation of electrodes directly within the central nervous system to control artificial limb movement instead of using current methods.

The Future of Artificial Limbs

Dr. Goldfarbs is now researching the development of an artificial leg using the same technology he developed with DARPA funds for the next generation artificial arm.

Video

I found a video by Dean Karmen, I don’t know if the arm is the same as the one developed by Dr. Goldfarbs but the end of the video is interesting regardless.

The Bottom Line

Follow your strengths and success will surely follow.

Buzzvia
http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/Creating_The_Ultimate_Artificial_Arm_999.html

The entire “wellness” industry has been on its BS binge for quite some time now, although herbs have been used for many millennia to “cure” conditions, it doesn’t mean they are effective beyond a placebo. Sure, there are exceptions but when you pit a pharmaceutical drug vs one sourced from “natural ingredients”, the pharmaceutical version is more often then not far more potent.

What are Herbal Remedies?

I haven’t heard anybody give me a definition for what exactly “Herbal Remedies” actually are? I visit trade shows and it seems everybody has their own self-serving definition of what a Herbal Remedy is and why their product is better then any pharmaceutical grade medications out there. As a result, here is my unbiased definition

Herbal Remedy: product sourced from many natural ingredients whose origins are dubious, it’s effectiveness relies heavily on both the placebo effect and on generational trust (it’s been used for thousands of years, so it must work safely). Often promoted as a supplement in modern times without any double blind clinically based studies to backup incredibly exaggerated marketing claims. Herbal Remedies are sold in a variety of formats, from homemade bags to pharmaceutical looking packaging at various price points that aren’t related to effectiveness nor quality. Some are effective but the vast majority are not, relying on a shotgun approach verses a laser one by the pharmaceuticals.

Natural cures for EVERYTHING!

The “wellness industry” likes to promote the reason why their “natural cures” aren’t widely available is due to pharmaceutical companies trying to protect their turf and corrupt government agencies getting in the way of healthy alternatives. I am sure there is some elements of that but while the pharmaceuticals must spend billions proving their product works before reaching the marketplace, the wellness industry is hell bent on not spending a dime on studies that would prove (more likely disprove) their effectiveness. Instead, they rely on pharmaceutical sounding words, testimonials, slick marketing and promises that they must know are over-the-top. Among the most successful out there is Mannatech but there are many more out there as well.

The Wellness Industry Circumventing a Paradox

I believe the entire “wellness industry” is in sort of a paradox, it cannot prove their product work in a clinical setting yet they cannot gain acceptance by the medical field without proving their product works. How to circumvent this seemingly endless paradox? Well, keep telling people they work, if you say something often enough, the general populous will eventually believe it’s a fact. Open any health magazine (Muscle & Fitness, Cosmopolitan, Runners World, Flex etc… ) and you will see this effort in full force, listen to the radio and you will hear the same, watch television and commercials are pushing useless herbal remedies as well.

Times article about potential dangers of herbal remedies

Dr. Sanjay Gupta wrote an interesting piece for Time which outlines the “wellness industry” in rather stark terms, here is a summary:

• use of herbal supplements by the general public has jumped 83% in the past decade and is now worth 22.3 billion dollars a year!
• most common mistake herbal remedy users make is believing the product actually works
• 19% of herbal remedy users are trying to treat specific conditions, not general wellness and wellbeing
• 2/3 of herbal preparations have never been clinically proven for effectiveness
• 2002, the FDA put out a warning against the dangers of supplements using kava root due to its potential to cause liver damage
• 2004, FDA banned ephedra after it was linked directly to over 100 deaths
• Ayurvedic supplements (Indian and South Asian preparations) may be laced with heavy metals such as mercury and lead
• Saint-John’s-wort has an anti-depressive effect but also interferes with some HIV medications and heart drugs like warfarin and digoxin

What to do?

Well, before you spend another dime on naturally sourced supplements, be sure to visit a doctor and share your concerns. He or she knows far more about health then either of us and can lead you in the right direction. Secondly, tell your doctor each and every medication you are taking, some herbals that do work interfere with pharmaceuticals. Thirdly, if it sounds too good to be true, it most likely is, save your money.

The Bottom Line

Effective herbals may have their place in overall health but should never be taken in replacement or in conjunction with pharmaceuticals unless cleared by your health practitioner.

Buzzvia
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1625175,00.html

Al Jazeera has come out with a fantastic piece of journalism that really puts at heart the issue not only facing Mexico but the entire world. I say the entire world because the abuses being done to the environment in Mexico are nothing compared to what is going on in other parts of the world such as China, Philippines, India and sadly, the list goes on.

Physical vs Mental Labor

Where ever the government does a sorry job of educating its local population, corruption, desperation and poverty are not very far behind. What do you do with such a population? Well, set-up factories where they have to use their bodies instead of their brain to barely earn a living. The nice thing about brain work is that it differentiates individuals, there is at least a possibility to move up while with manual work, the more you work (forced or otherwise), the faster your body breaks down.

Industrial jobs at the cost of the environment

Mexico, like many other third world places, has a lot to offer labor intensive industries such as the textiles in this piece by Al Jazeera. There is a ready source of hard working people willing to work long hours for cheap, lax regulations from pollution to job safety and a government that is eager to make deals. The local populations know what is going on but feel powerless to do anything about it, the government wants to attract jobs even if they come at the cost of the local environment. In this case, what was once pristine water used for various purposes by everybody in the small city of Tahuacan now kills crops planted by farmers and is no longer fit for even animal consumption. The governments answer? We are working on it, it doesn’t take six years to enforce environmental regulations even while a plant is in the works.

Health and Environment

I believe it’s high time that we add to our basic charter of rights the right to live in a pollution free environment! Of all the risk factors that could harm a persons health and those of future generation, growing up in a polluted environment is number one in my opinion. I would far prefer to live in a clean environment under a dictator then a dirty one in a democracy, and I am sure if you thought about this, you would agree.

It isn’t all bad

Before you go to the local store and buy the collective human species a rope, realize that we do have technology, expertise and where there is a will, a way to undo the damage that us humans are doing to the environment. It’s always easier to prevent damage then fixing it after the fact, but as we progress into the future and wise up, drastic improvements in environments of all types is possible. For instance, check out what Jordan and Israel are doing jointly to restore the coral reef in the Red Sea which they both share a border with.

The Bottom Line

You only have one environment that we all have a responsibility to keep clean… why not give it the respect it deserves?

Buzzvia
http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/909667C9-7DC2-4EF1-94F7-3C3BB5FE8CD5.htm

I guess having hearing problems never cost so much! For those of you wish cash to burn and a reputation to keep-up, this $50K US, 24K Solid Gold, Diamond-Encrusted Widex hearing aid should do the trick rather nicely!What do you get?

Well, this hearing aid comes with 220 diamonds which will do wonders for taking off any skin left remaining on your ears. I guess if you opted for one without the diamonds and heavy solid gold, the price would go down by 95% but if you are seriously considering this purchase, money isn’t the least of your worries.

The Bottom Line

Now you know why health insurance rates keep going up!

Buzzvia
http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/now-we.ve-seen-it-all/diamond+encrusted-solid-24k-gold-hearing-aid-say-what-292663.php

I started a little experiment on myself about two weeks ago, it being the peak of summer, I can’t go more then a few hours without being drenched in sweat, I consider air conditioning evil so my only comfort is a fan.

Cold Showers in Summer

About two weeks ago, I shut off the hot water in my place, not only will this save me a bundle in the summer but really, it’s already so damn hot outside, why would I want to take a hot shower on top of that? I usually take about 2-4 short showers throughout the day, I use them to break up my day and refresh my mind.

Cold Shower Experiment Week 1

First week, I can tell you, jumping under a COLD shower wasn’t something I was looking forward to, although it was incredibly refreshing, they where rather short affairs. Cold water running down my back made me short of breath and I was even shivering! My body was, oddly, use to hot showers in a hot environment and switching to chilly water was a complete shock. Suffice it to say, they are a great mechanism to wake a person up in the morning.

Cold Shower Experiment Week 2

Now into my second week and you know what, my body has adapted, the cold shower doesn’t feel so cold anymore, I am able to last a few minutes now and it’s rather enjoyable. I no longer shiver nor feel short of breath, the cooling effect also lasts for a good 20 minutes after the shower is complete as well!

Hot Showers

Think of a cold shower being the equivalent of a steaming hot shower in the dead of winter, well, after a week of adaptation, they are just as great! I will, from now on, take only cold showers in the summer (to cool me down) and hot ones in the winter (to warm me up).

The Bottom Line

Experiments involving your own bodies senses, done safely, can lead to new doors of experiences being opened.

I guess the skies the limit for people who really require a lot of pedicures to make them feel alive! Although the price tag of 14 thousand dollars seems a bit steep, I am sure there are officiatoes who think the Kohler Pedicure Spa is just what their feet requested.

Features

• consists of whirlpool footbath with lounge chair for client and technicians chair and accessories
• materials can be customized to fit any bathroom decore
• footbath consists of cast iron with 3 Flexjets along with a ribbed footpad to make you believe you are enjoying the best spas money can buy
• client lounge chair is made of teak and has a variety of adjustable positions
• technicians chair has wheels and is at an optimal height
• available in white only (so far)
• includes half inch ceramic high-flow valve system, 3 way hand shower wand and deck mounted transfer valve/vacuum breaker

What this product is missing

Closest thing my feet get to a pedicure is touching the floor of my shower but if I had money to burn, I guess I would want this to come with some electronic system to control both the temperature and flow of the water. Fourteen thousand dollars United States Funds is a lot of money, electronics would sure make this decision a lot easier in my opinion. I guess a massage chair instead of a wooden one would have made more sense as well but what do I know about spas!

The Bottom Line

You spend a big portion of your life standing, I guess they need a present sometimes as well!

Buzzvia
http://www.luxist.com/2007/08/23/the-kohler-pedicure-spa/

Corporate Site
http://www.us.kohler.com/onlinecatalog/detail.jsp?item=11944502&prod_num=163

No matter your views on Larry Flint, you got to give him credit for exposing the sexual deprivation that seems to take hold of most people in this world. We are sexual animals, from the moment we hit puberty, we have a deep desire to procreate, to deny this is to deny our heritage.

Larry Flint goes after the two faced

What I respect about Larry Flint is that during election time, he exposes via a million dollar “informer” bounty, how two faced some politicians really are. He is a self-described sexual animal and unlike most of us, very proud of the footprint he has had on American culture. Some professional politicians preach abstinence and religious doctrine while secretly having affairs with people who are sometimes of the same sex. What I find very interesting is that these two faced politicians, once discovered, admit to their sin and ask God for forgiveness (????). Yet, in all likely hood, would have kept doing what they where caught doing otherwise, a forced apology is the most insincere of all. This happens globally by the way, two faced politicians who pass laws condoning their own secretive acts isn’t anything new from China to Italy.

Sex is what we are

A sad reality is that we have all been brainwashed by religious doctrine of various degrees that to express our sexuality is evil, gay or straight, if you decide to enjoy the body had been produced by the love of your parents, your going straight to Hell. The Romans where extremely liberal with their sexuality, with bath houses and even a very open tolerance for diverse sexual behaviors yet our “modern society” is intent on depriving us of what we really are.

I understand fully the predominance of sexually transmitted diseases (including aids and herpes for which there is no cure) but a mix of extreme selectiveness and precautionary weapons can exponentially reduce the risks (though not 100%) of acquiring these true evils. There are HIV Disease test kits available on the market (http://blog.myfoodcount.com/the-60-second-hiv-disease-test/), blood tests and physical protection available just about anywhere. The last thing you want is to regret a few hours of fun for the rest of your life.

Sobering Stats

The one thing that keeps me in check is this fact, 1:250 which represents the ratio of HIV Disease infection and 1:4 which represents the ratio of Herpes infected individuals within the United States. Each country is in various states of denial about their own figures but assuming these ratios represent minimum exposure rates around the world is a very safe bet.

Weapon of Knowledge

What is the point of this article? Well, I want to expose the one weapon that politicians and the religious community are intent on keeping secret, that of knowledge. We need to educate our children, yes, children, from the moment they say their first words about sex. There is NOTHING evil, bad, disgusting or immoral about sex. Knowledge has been shown to give power to those who otherwise would have done regretful behaviors, yet, the powers that be are intent on keeping sexual taboos from being openly discussed. Hiding behind the Quran, Bible, cultural taboos or just plain ignorance is doing our species a great disservice in the long run.

Think of it this way, all the people who tell the great religious lessons of the past where the product of sex, even if you believe in Virgin Births, you cannot deny that the mother of Jesus was the product of sexual behavior. I bet you never thought of sex that way before huh?

The Bottom Line

The sexual behavior of our species needs to be moderated by knowledge, not ignorance in order to stand the test of time.

Buzzvia
http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/07/10/vitter.madam/index.html

Canada, like many of the worlds countries, suffers from a substance abuse problem among a certain subset of its population. The Canadian Journal of Psychiatry recently published a paper based off the research from the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health.

The Results

• About 11% of Canadians have a problem with drug and alcohol abuse, this represents over three million people is equivalent to the entire population of the GTA!
• Substance abuse is more prevalent in mid-sized cities then rural or larger cities
• substances included in this study are alcohol, cannabis, cocaine, crack, speed, ecstasy, hallucinogens, glue, gasoline or solvents, heroin and steroids.
• Study benefited from a 77% response rate for a total sampling size of just under 37 thousand households
• British Columbia, Alberta had a substance abuse rate of about 13%
• Saskatchewan had a substance abuse rate of just over 14%
• Manitoba had a substance abuse rate of 13.5%
• Ontario had a substance abuse rate of just over 10%
• Quebec had a substance abuse rate of just over 9%
• New Brunswick had a substance abuse rate of just over 12%
• Nova Scotia had a substance abuse rate of just under 14%
• PEI (Prince Edward Island) had a substance abuse rate just under 10%
• Newfoundland/Labrador had a substance abuse rate of just under 13%

What does this all mean?

Statistically, considering the sample size, I would say these results are within a +/- range of a few percentage points, which essentially nullifies province by province comparisons. Generally, 11% of us Crazy Canucks enjoy a range of substances from alcohol to heroin to get us through yet another mind numbing day. I have lost both of my sisters to substance abuse and from that experience, I can easily say that those who take drugs are in deep denial to say the least (this includes tobacco users). Put another way, I doubt the foundations of this study if they simply relied on honest answers. You cannot expect an honest answer from a crook relative to how many items they stole anymore then you can expect an honest answer from a drug abuser high on self-denial.

The Bottom Line

Don’t drink, don’t smoke and don’t inject substances not given to you by a medical professional, otherwise, you WILL get more then you bargained for.

Buzzvia
http://www.camh.net/News_events/News_releases_and_media_advisories_and_backgrounders/addiction_geographical_rates.html

Larval (Maggot) Wound Therapy, also known as Maggot Debridement Therapy (MDT), involves using maggots to clean a wound. Maggots aren’t these evil little worms that eat people alive, they actually benefit the victim (and themselves) by feeding off dead flesh. Let me repeat, they only eat what is dead, they have no interest in live tissues… hence their incredible value at cleaning up infections.

History of Maggot Therapy

Maggot therapy isn’t anything new, flies have been directly applying this therapy on just about every living thing since the dawn of time, what is new, is we finally realized the benefits. Sometimes humans are slow to realize that what may seem nauseating to some, is actually mother natures way of helping us get over some battle damage. Using maggots as wound vacuum cleaners all started with anecdotal evidence by field surgeons during war that soldiers who had maggot infestations in their wounds seemed to recover quicker and better then those them. In fact, when antibacterial medicines and other modern techniques fail, maggot infections can help those who otherwise would have had to suffer extreme medical procedures to save their lives.

What are maggots?

Maggots are the larva stage of the regular house fly and is the second of four life cycle stages (after egg, before pupa). Once the fly deposits its eggs, the maggot emerges within a day and it eats until it’s ready to enter the third life cycle stage. After the maggot has eaten it’s fill, it then proceeds to a moist area away from the food source to enter the pupa state, which then leads to the emergence of the fly.

The bad maggots

Although maggots are only interested in dead flesh, they sometimes get under the skin of animals and even humans, changing from a beneficial insect to one that is parasitic. These type of infestations, known as myiasis, are usually caused by direct interactions with maggot infestations, such as putting your hand in rotting garbage. Flies don’t normally deposit eggs on living things unless they have an open sore or wound.

Summary

This is a rather graphic video, so I have posted it at the bottom of this summary:

• Medicinal maggots are our best friends, they are used for improvised debridement purposes in both field and clinical settings
• the periphery of a wound is covered with a tincture of benzoil to both clean up and make the application of a hydro colloid dressing easier
• sterile nylon chiffon mesh is then applied over the wound, trapping the medicinal maggots and the dressing they reside upon in place
• sterile medicinal maggots are removed from a sterile lab container using a tongue depressor and put in the middle of a dressing
• chiffon (with dressing) is then applied directly to the wound with the maggots place in them middle of the dressing
• maggots tend to work their way out from a wound rather quickly
• waterproof neoprene tape is then applied around the entire wound (except the center of the wound to allow aeration), holding the entire dressing assembly together

The Bottom Line

Maggots are our friends, we should be so lucky to get a wound infested with them, as it could save your life if you are far away from medical facilities.

Buzzvia
http://www.ucihs.uci.edu/com/pathology/sherman/home_pg.htm

I find it fascinating at how diverse the human form can be and still be able to live with relatively little health problems, it makes you realize the resilience of our genetic and mental evolution that has made us such a successful species around the world.

Story Summary

ABC News had an extensive article about the extremes of the human form, here is a summary:

• Susie Campbell is 3 foot 10 inches in height, based on birth records, it’s estimated that the United States has over 15 000 people with dwarfism with the most common being achondroplasia, both her parents where of normal height
• in Russia, being born with any type of “deformation” can mean a life to be lived in an orphanage then state hospital or the streets
• Dwarfs suffer from an enlarged skull because fluids produced by the brain to act as an shock absorber has to flow into a smaller spinal column hole, as a result, fluids build up
• at 4 foot 7, Joshua Campbell suffers from hypochondroplasia Dwarfism, which gives him a relatively proportional average adult body but with shorter arms
• most types of Dwarfism are caused by a genetic mutation while for most types of gigantism, they are caused by the release of excess growth hormones by the pituitary gland within the brain
• at 24 years old, Igor Vovkovinskiy is already 7 foot 8 inches high living in a custom built house to make everyday activities easier, he was already 5 feet tall at the age of 3 and is within an inch of the Mongolian herdsman who got married recently who is currently considered the tallest man on Earth
• Sandy Allen recently celebrated her 52nd birthday at the height of 7 foot 7 inches but must stay in a wheelchair as her legs cannot support her 420 lbs frame, she was already 6 foot 3 when she was 10 years old
• people at both extremes of the height scale are incredibly independent due to their experience (negative and positive) from early childhood, they have had to grow up very fast and leaned to rely on themselves more then others

Who wants to be normal?

The more I research and discover about health and fitness, the more I question why anybody would ever want to be normal. Who wants to be normal? Einstein wasn’t normal, he suffered from a host of physical and mental problems throughout his life yet is known the world over for his achievements. If anything, being abnormal, with a physical or mental disability should make other both appreciate what they have and encourage an abnormal person to pursuit their dreams where their extensive abilities are. I was a great fan of the series “little people in a big world” before I moved out of reception range as it showed that even when facing adversity, the human spirit can thrive if allowed to.

The Bottom Line

Life is what you make of it, normal or otherwise.

Buzzvia
http://abcnews.go.com/2020/Story?id=3404733&page=1

I find it interesting how Christian religious doctrine tells us that our species is less than a thousand years old when evolutionary, carbon-dating and physical proof demonstrate otherwise. I believe ignorance must be confronted with facts on an ongoing basis so that our civilizations can improve themselves for the benefit of all. If the foundations of any particular belief or faith are so brittle that lack of education is the only way to keep it alive, then it has no place in the human psyche.

Egyptian Footprints

Footprints found in a desert Oasis called Siwa, within Egypt. The archeologists performed carbon-dating of underlying vegetation in the now petrified (turned to stone) footprints and have come to the conclusion that they are at least two million years old.

We have been walking for millions of years

Well, this isn’t the first time old footprints have been found, suffice it to say, the human species has walked on just about every inch of this blue rock for millions of years. There is far more footprints out there yet to be discovered as a result but the environmental conditions required to maintain said footprints is tantamount to a perfect storm. You need just the perfect consistency of mud, underlying vegetation (strata), cover (once footprints done to protect them from the elements) and finally, the perfect environmental conditions for maximum preservation.

Ramifications

I believe ignoring our evolutionary past and not shedding light on our incredible journey into modern life is really ashame. We have and continue to live with amazing challenges, the fact we are still alive is a testament to our ingenuity and perseverance, not to be ignored but celebrated!

The Bottom Line

You must know your beginnings in order to prepare for your future.

Buzzvia
http://www.cnn.com/2007/TECH/science/08/20/egypt.footprint.reut/index.html

According to a BBC report sourcing a recent World Health Organization study, South African rates of obesity are approaching those in the industrialized world. I was surprised to hear this considering the only things we hear coming out of Africa are starvation, poverty and war.

According to the BBC/WHO:

• WHO estimates 400 million people worldwide are clinically obese
• Obesity crisis caused by fried fatty meat eaten during many meals
• HIV is the focus of many countries within Africa while obesity awareness and education fell off the wayside
• urban black woman have highest incidence of obesity, 67% to 72%!
• ill effect of obesity (morbidity) is being felt throughout society with higher rates of mortality
• in developing countries, where food is perceived to be scarce, being fat is a status symbol of wealth (culturally)
• if you are thin, people assume you have HIV or AIDS
• people fear going on weight loss programs for fear of being labeled HIV Disease positive
• South African government is saying that you cannot legislate peoples behavior

Ironic Twist

What I find incredibly ironic about this entire situation is that one very serious yet preventable disease (HIV Disease) is used as an excuse to create another very serious yet preventable disease (Obesity). South Africans are trading one epidemic for another! The very fact that their society as a whole thinks this is alright is deplorable, the South African government needs to step in to educate people that simply being thin doesn’t mean you have HIV Disease and that being fat isn’t healthy. Being obese leads to a number of major health problems including a shortened lifespan, diabetes, heart attack and the list goes on.

This being South Africa, I don’t expect this to happen anytime soon, with a corrupt government that still believes HIV Disease is caused by poverty, not a virus with no policy towards controlling its spread. This is ironic as well because Nelson Mandela’s own son died of AIDS a few years back (and he wasn’t poor).

The Bottom Line

Obesity shows it’s ugly head where ever ignorance and negligence live.

Buzzvia
Newspod for August 20th, 2007

I like seeing statistics about major events, they tend to summarize the level of engineering (physical and mental) involved to pulling them off. Here are a few from the upcoming 2008 Summer Olympic Games in Beijing.

Key Facts (so far)

• comprise of 28 programs encompassing 302 individual events
• 302 gold medals to be awarded
• almost 11 thousand athletes expected to participate in the games
• 21 880 touch bearers will have run 137 thousand kilometers over 130 days before the opening ceremony
• National Stadium (Bird’s Nest) covers an area of 258 thousand square meters
• highest ticket price is 5 thousand Renminbi (650$US) with the lowest being 200 Renminbi (26$US)
• Attendance is expected to exceed half a million internationally and 2.5 million domestic spectators
• over 800 hotels and 4 thousand hostels are providing 420 thousand rooms
• over 5 thousand IT professionals will help information flowing on over 12 thousand computers and two thousand printers
• Beijing 2008 Environment Construction Command Office is proposing 65 laws under five categories regarding keeping pollution down to a minimum during the games including a possible mandatory vacations for entire cities who don’t directly service the venues
• Beijing will demolish over 3.32 square meters of “illegal construction” to improve the aesthetics around the game venues
• smoking is banned at all venues
• Olympic expressways will open on nine Beijing freeways and five co-hosting cities
• China has launched a special zip code specifically for the Olympics in order to have speedy mail service during the games
• Pigs that will be fed to athletes are on a specific organic diet to ensure they are drug free

The Bottom Line

Sounds like fun… looking forward to watching the highlights on TV.

Buzzvia
http://virtualreview.org/china/zoom/348714/beijing-olympic-games-statistics
http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,135974-c,currentevents/article.html

For 10$US, this special fork, that extends up to 20 inches might just be something to bring to your next camp fire to hold the hot dogs and marshmallows.

Why would you want a telescoping fork?

Well, portability is the main reason why a telescoping cooking utensil would be required but also for safety considerations. There is nothing more frustrating then arriving at a camp site (legal or otherwise) in the middle of the night and trying to find a stick in the forest that is perfect to cooking a quick snack. Having an extensible fork will also save your fingers from burning up when they get too close to the fire flares that come up every so often.

The Bottom Line

Anything that telescopes over a hot fire can’t be bad.

Buzzvia
Telescoping Barbecue Fork

Ever wish you could simply carry a suitcase containing a chair for you to sit on while waiting for tickets to the latest show or going to a party where you know seating will be limited (or required later in the evening)? Well, now you can thanks to this innovative suitcase that transforms into a chair!

The Bottom Line

We spend most of our lives sitting, why not make it more enjoyable?

Buzzvia
http://www.techeblog.com/index.php/tech-gadget/suitcase-doubles-as-chair-doesn-t-make-transforming-robot-noises

According to a new study, yes, it is! HIV apparently has the ability to not only kill off mature brain cells but also prevent the brain from fixing the damage!

Journal Results

In the latest Cell Stem Cell journal, the University of California (San Diego) performed found out after performing experiments on mice that HIV viral load had a direct relationship with the amount of brain damage occurring and the inability of the brain to repair the damage caused. Although it was already known that HIV has a protective protein coating called gp120 which kills normal brain cells by disrupting their internal chemistry, what was discovered is that this same protein also slows the production of new brain cells in the hippocampus. This is bad news as the hippocampus is responsible for processing memory and solidifying learned behavior/materials.

HIV induced dementia

One of the known symptoms of advanced HIV Disease is dementia but until now, the depth of the damage it caused to the brain wasn’t known. Before antiviral drugs where developed, patients suffering from full blown AIDS often had mental illness but as this was segregated to those who where already in a state of waste, it was hard to pinpoint cause and effect. The brain is like many organs in our body, it regenerates itself on a regular basis, optimizes its processes and adapts to new challenges but this process occurs over an extended period of time, HIV is too quick.

Ramifications

Well, although the triple drug cocktail and other medications help keep viral loads down as much as possible, they don’t travel as easily through the brain as other organs due to its complex structures. As a result, even though a patient may live longer, the compound effects of HIV on the brain may still produce dementia in an otherwise relatively healthy individual.

The Bottom Line

HIV Disease is really proving to be one tough cookie to not only crack but understand as well.

Buzzvia
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/6944255.stm

I am an active reader of Testosterone Nation and a few other boards, the world of bodybuilding in general fascinates me, recently they produced a compilation article based on the number one tips seven top coaches give to pack on the muscle.

Tip #1: Focus on Compound Movements

Isolation exercises are great for definition but do very little in the way of building ultimate size and strength. Stick to squats, dead lifts, snatch, chin and presses. Compound movements recruit more of your central nervous system and as a result, more overall muscle stimulation leading to an increase in size. Compound movements give you more bang per time period then isolation movements, so stick to those.

Tip #2: Eat Better!

Nothing is as anabolic as food, give your body the proper nutrition throughout the day without any of the filler or junk and it will give you the body you desire.

Tip #3: Work out everyday!

There is a lot of controversy about working your body out on a daily basis with weights. The major problem is that you are always on the threshold of over training which can quickly make you weaker and smaller then ever before. Professional bodybuilders workout daily but they are also on a lot of pharmaceutical grade boosters, for non-juiced athletes. Unless you are under professional coaching or have years of workouts behind you, working out on a daily basis should be avoided.

Tip #4: Timing

When you eat is as important as what you eat, there use to be a rule that after a good workout, you pig out to give your body all the food it needs to rebuild itself. Now, with the advances in sports supplementation, “eating” (drinking to be more accurate) meals pre, during and post workout are the norm if you want to pack on the size. A new system is being proposed that involves layering different foods/drinks throughout the day so that the body has optimal nutrition when ever it needs it, without ever having cannibalize itself to rebuild muscle. Some of these routines can get quite complicated and hard to follow which is why most fitness enthusiasts simply stick to eating 7-8 times a day instead.

Tip #5: Carbohydrates aren’t scary!

Everybody knows that carbohydrates are the preferred nutrient to fuel our body, so much so that eating too much will pound on the fat in no time. Our body cannot store protein and breaking down fats is a costly venture which is why our bodies love the efficiency carbohydrates provides. Protein ingestion doesn’t need to be so high when you have a diet rich in carbohydrates, amino acids bathed in a rich carbohydrate environment lead to greater rates of protein synthesis.

Tip #6: Blast the Biceps!

Isolating the biceps using a number of exercises is the best way to create strong and powerful arms. Without strong arms, doing other exercises such as bench press or compound movements is that much more difficult as you are only as strong as your weakest point.

Tip #7: Increase Training Frequency

Get yourself on a HFT (High Frequency Training) instead of a HIT (High Intensity Training) program. Your body adapts to the environment it lives within, if you put it into a tough environment where daily effort is required, then it will compensate by building itself up more. Perform up to 10 workouts a week and you will see the benefits within a few weeks.

My views on this advice

I summarized these tips but generally, they are all correct even if there are some contradictory to one antoher. You see, what produces fantastic results for one person may be detrimental to the progress of another. If a training coach sees somebody respond well to a particular set of exercises, then that method will be prescribed for that athlete. Some people respond to minimal exercises using only compound movements while others respond best to extensive routines involving isolation techniques. Nutrition is another area of differentiation, there is no doubt that sports supplementation has made incredible strides in producing perceived optimal body composition but each body responds to supplements in a different way as well.

What works for me

For me, I have had great success with rotating my exercises, along with nutrition and working patterns. Basically, I don’t allow my body to adapt to anything for an extensive period of time, be that supplementation, reps and sets, speed of executed reps or regime length. I am not a huge and ripped 250lbs person but I believe that being heavy, no matter how you wish to define it, isn’t healthy for your joints. Remember, bodybuilders look fantastic when they are on stage but they are on the verge of dying from dehydration, body breakdown and to cope, need to fill themselves with blood thinners to avoid getting a heart attack!

The Bottom Line

Health is a long term goal, if I want to get to 150 years of age, I need to make sure my body or mind are never allowed to enjoy a routine for any extended period of time.

Buzzvia
http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=1683844

You know, those red blood cells that carry oxygen to the bodies cells, the white ones that fight infection and the ones that heal battle damage (platelets)… well, they produce their own waves to get to their required destinations.

Where do cells get their power?

Cells are so beyond our modern technology it’s absolutely mind blowing. Each cell within our bodies is powered by the equivalent of a nuclear reactor, the mitochondria but instead of producing radioactive waste, it simply produces carbon dioxide (along with a few benign chemicals) and is powered by sugar! Now that we have the power plant out of the way, now it’s time to explain the drive system that has only recently been discovered using very high power microscopes.

How are these waves produced?

To greatly simplify the process, think of a shotgun being fired. You have a bullet (Hem-1 protein) in the chamber, the trigger is pulled by the cell leading to a controlled explosion. Right before the bullet leaves the chamber, another one is put into it’s place (right hand side of cell) while the spent cartridge is then discarded but enough of the cartridge is left for regenerating a brand new bullet (recruitment of Hem-1 protein on left hand side). What you end up with is a system of propulsion system that never needs refueling due to being self-generating and works almost anywhere in the body where these proteins are present.

Ramifications

Once you discover how cells within our body propel themselves and more importantly, their driving force, you can develop therapies that either enhance or impede these movements based on the chemical nature of a specific cell type. For instance, a drug could be developed to prevent all cancerous cells within the human body from being able to move or gene therapies that would give helper cells a locomotive boost if, say, somebody was infected with a potent Virus. Although far into the future, once you understand the control mechanisms behind cell movement, radio controlled device could be created to focus cells onto a particular activity such as clearing out blocked arteries or repairing a heart muscles after a heart attack.

The Bottom Line

Knowledge is like a river, winding and ever changing yet always expanding.

Buzzvia
http://www.interndaily.com/reports/Bursts_Of_Waves_Drive_Immune_System_Soldiers_Toward_Invaders_999.html

View the video
http://cvri.ucsf.edu/~weiner

Having used electric, fire and gas in the past to cook a tasty meal… gas is by far the most efficient and cheapest cooking method but Thermador is offering what seems to be a good, though pricey alternative.

Stove tops pluses and negatives

You rarely see a good cook in a kitchen use fire (except for pizza) or electric to prepare a meal, they are simply to slow and not very good at really getting things hot. Maintenance is also an issue, there is nothing simpler then a gas stove top, pipe goes in, distributes the gas and ignite. No moving parts, nothing to break and incredibly flexible. Fire on the other hand is tough to beat when out in the woods but not very practical in modern kitchens, the smoke produced adds flavor but it takes forever to get something going and not being able to control the intensity nor location of the heat source makes cooking anything beyond hot dogs on a stick a very tricky experience. In the middle you have electric, electricity prices are going up (as always) and these traditionally took forever to get to a good temperature and as the flame doesn’t envelope the pans like gas, heat distribution on anything but a flat surface is much to be desired.

The Thermador Experience

Without sounding too much like a commercial, induction heating means the counter top stays relatively cool as only the pan itself gets warm, greatly increasing safety, especially during spills (they happen) and kids running around. As the elements are flat with the surface, cleaning is a breeze and instant temperature changes are possible due to the induction technology. Additionally, these Thermador counter top elements heat-up 50% faster then gas and as the heat is within the pan itself, a far higher efficiency in heat distribution is achieved verses traditional electric or gas.

The Bottom Line

Induction really seems cool but the two thousand dollar price tag is rather steep.

Buzzvia
http://www.thermador.com/product743.html

People suffering from mental health issues use to be housed in psychiatric institutions but now, in the United States, they are increasingly being held in jail. If fact, one out of every 10 patients are now housed behind bars with the general inmate population, which now represents over half a million of those held in detention facilities around the country.

Summary

I urge you to view the video yourself but if you don’t have time, here is a summary:

• prisons have become the new state mental health facilities as they where systematically shutdown due to budget cuts and policy changes
• 50 000 mentally ill stay in state hospitals but 500 000 stay in prison
• 16% of prison inmates in Ohio are mentally ill requiring special services (medication, follow-up… ) that most facilities aren’t built to provide
• 30% of those 16% mentally ill will always require hospitalization and professional services to keep their condition manageable
• patients requiring acute care or constant watch are sent into the prison infirmary
• patients become suicidal, depressed and delusional due to being housed in a prison facility
• prisons are built to provide safety and security for the local population, not mental health services
• most mental health patients are in prison due to minor offenses and not following orders by lower level detention facilities
• Ohio prison system tries to triage those who are mentally ill verses criminal intent regarding disciplinary action
• mentally ill patients require more force then the general prison population because they quickly become out of control
• mentally ill inmates are often cycled between maximum security prison to mental health facilities for stabilization then back again into prison
• once mentally ill inmates return to prison, their conditions quickly degrade
• prison mental health services are often better then those in community based settings as close monitoring and force can be applied
• some inmates believe prison makes their condition better while others say it makes it worse
• isolation makes those who are already mentally ill worse and they fall apart due to lack of intellectual stimulation
• parole is a difficult goal to achieve due to their mental illness which often leads to an extensive rap sheet being produced in addition to their own bias towards wanting to guarantee mental health services in prison for the inmates own good
• some mentally ill inmates fear leaving prison because they fear the complexity of everyday life, they believe they are better off in the confines of a controlled environment
• mentally ill inmates have a high rate of return after parole as they often stop taking their medication, believing they don’t need it anymore and are cured
• two million people are behind bars in the United States, of which 25% have mental problems

The Bottom Line

Mental illness requires close attention by medically educated professionals, not people involved with law enforcement.

Buzzvia
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/asylums/

Sadly, some people just don’t get it and resort to less then honorable means to get some. The spiked drug detector hopes to even the playing field between the predator and his/her prey.

Why is spiking?

Spiking a drink in the traditional sense involves adding a little liquor to an non-alcoholic drink but in the modern sense, spiking refers to adding a date rape drug such as GHB (Gamma Hydroxybutyric Acid) to a drink in order to instantly have your way with a person. Date rape drugs have no smell nor color with little taste.

How would the detector work?

Simply put, the detector would compare the electrical signal produced by different drugs within a drink and give a “present or absent” for the drug in question. Although still in the patent stage, this does hold promise for other applications in the medical and environmental field.

Buzzvia
http://www.medlaunches.com/gadgets/device_to_detect_spike_drinkin.php

Buzzedvia
http://www.newscientist.com/blog/invention/2007/08/spiked-drink-detector.html

I guess some things in the bedroom are an acquired taste but this is just plain scary! Why any guy would allow a person to put this on them is beyond me.

Dream Lover 2000 to the rescue?

If you have a problem in your relationship, shocking your partner isn’t at the top of my list of things to improve the situation. If your partner is that bad that you need to do the equivalent of putting their finger in the socket so they listen to you, time to find a new partner. It offers a number of intensity levels but again, the only intensity level that is of any value is 0
The Bottom Line

Of all the sexual devices I have seen, this has got to be among the worst!

Buzzvia
http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/training-%28your%29-tool/dream-lover-2000-keeps-that-dawg-on-a-shocking-leash-289228.php

Imagine just being able to breath normally for your medical treatments instead of popping pills or stabbing yourself, the NSI Pulmonary Drug Delivery Device promises just that.

Lungs for drug delivery?

Although the lungs have been used for years to deliver steroids to asthmatics during an asthma attack, they are second to none for drug delivery. The blood stream is an effective method used for centuries but it always carried the risk of secondary complications as the main defense (our skin) was breached for nasty critters to cause havoc each time a needle was used. Just about every system within our body has a direct connection to the lungs, from hemoglobin bringing oxygen to each one of our bodies cells to the disposal of cellular waste gases. Although using the bodies digestive system to deliver medication will be with us for a very long time to come, it isn’t an efficient delivery system and has it’s own host of complications. When you think about it, the lungs offer far more potential for non-evasive drug therapy then the current status quo. If you smoke, you are living proof as to the popularity and widespread ease of use that drug treatments using lungs has to offer.

What Next Safety is offering

Using asthmatics for instance, current respiratory technology requires people to deeply inhale for adequate drug delivery but Next Safety’s Pulmonary Drug Delivery System is different. It uses aerosolized drugs and purified air to deliver the drugs deep into the pulmonary system regardless of lung capacity, put another way, it allows you to simply breath normally for drug administration. The advantages of this are great for people suffering from a number of ailments or requiring medications such as antibiotics, anti-emetics, bronchodilators and narcotics.

The Bottom Line

Anything that helps simplify drug delivery is a very positive step towards improved patient recovery.

Buzzvia
http://www.nextsafety.com/pure_air/pulmonary_delivery.html

Paraphrasing what Maya Angelou said during an appearance on the Opera Winfrey show “my breasts seem to be in a race to reach my knees”. It’s no secret, age, gravity and motherhood all take their toll on womans breasts. Well, a company in Israel has had enough and developed a solution that requires relatively minimal surgical intervention.

Replacement for cosmetic breast surgery?

Up until now, breasts where augmented or reduced for optimal perkiness using laborious surgical techniques that involved risks (as all surgeries do) that didn’t always give the desired results once the healing process was complete. The recuperation is painful and only temporary as the race for the knees continues.

What is MIM (Minimally Invasive Mastopexy)

Israel researchers have developed a much simpler technique which essentially holds the breast tissue in a silicon bra cup using the patients own internal architecture as a support. As such, the name of the new technique is MIM or Minimally Invasive Mastopexy and promises better results in a fraction of the recovery time over a far longer extended period of time. Put another way, MIM is essentially an internal bra that feels and acts the same as a normal breast.

Alternatives to ANY surgery

As the breast tissue is mostly composed of fat, there is little that can be done to form them naturally but strong pectoral muscles will go a long way along with a healthy diet if you are out of shape. Although still in the experimental stage, I would expect this to become a standard procedure in a very short period of time.The Bottom Line

All surgeries carry risks, the less a technique requires, the safer it normally is.

Buzzvia
http://crunchgear.com/2007/08/14/technology-marches-forth-better-breasts-on-the-horizon/

Buzzedvia
http://israel21c.org/bin/en.jsp?enDispWho=Articles%5El1738&enPage=BlankPage&enDisplay=view&enDispWhat=object&enVersion=0&enZone=Health&

Pregnancy is a wonderful thing but too many woman take advantage of this situation to excuse excessive eating. A normal pregnancy should lead to about 30 to 35 pounds of additional weight gained and subsequently lost a year or so after childbirth. The problem is many woman are already obese before becoming pregnant, as a result, that additional weight is not necessary and possibly harmful to the baby… these habits sadly persist during the breastfeeding phase as well, compounding the potential problems for both mother and child.

Study Results

The British Journal of Nutrition published on Wednesday a study involving rats with one group of test subjects was given junk food while the other healthy food. Rats that where fed a healthy diet had healthy offspring but those in the other study group gave birth to rats that overate, leading towards obesity.

Ramifications

Although this study was done on rats, which may not necessarily translate into humans, there are some things to learn here. The first is that if you are pregnant or about to become pregnant, you should have a healthy diet nailed down pat so that if you have sugar cravings, you can control them with healthy foods. Sure, homemade carrot muffins aren’t as tasty as a Oh Henry chocolate bar but it’s just as filling and will provide the necessary nutrition for your growing child. Secondly, your child should have priority over your own desires, this includes drinking no alcohol what-so-ever and of course, not smoking… your child deserves this at the very least. Thirdly, the healthy habits developed before and during pregnancy should stick with you during breastfeeding and later in life as well. If you need to, use pregnancy as an excuse to get yourself into shape, join a gym, go for long walks and tell yourself there is no going back if you lived an unhealthy life previously.

The Bottom Line

Excuses can be used in a positive way, use pregnancy as an excuse to become the person you may not have been before.

Buzzvia
http://www.cbc.ca/health/story/2007/08/14/pregnancy-junkfood.html?ref=rss

Apparently MIT Media laps are hard at work creating a robot that will help you loose pounds and presumably keep the weight from coming back.

What ever happened to common sense?

I can see this being fantastic to remind people to take their medication or to help them live a full life but do we really need to waste resources creating a robot that takes the place of common sense? If you are obese or out of shape, this is a choice more often by not, the symptom of a problem far deeper then a simple robot slapping your hand as you eat out of proportion with your goals. Let’s face it, if you are too lazy to educate YOURSELF to YOUR benefit about nutrition, spending a few thousand dollars on a robot will simply give you yet another excuse as to why you aren’t achieving your weight goals. Technology, even the one behind myfoodcount.com is there to help you, the will power to succeed must come from your end.

Real Solutions to Weight Loss

What we need to do is mandate nutritional and exercise classes in all levels of schooling, from elementary to university. I am not talking about “this class is sponsored by Post Cereals” kinda thing neither! I mean teach people what a fat is, what a carbohydrate is, what sodium does to your body, the effects of a couch potato lifestyle etc… health is a wonderful and exciting field, marketing has made it into a dull one because there is more profit in selling gadgets then education. Remember the old saying “give a man a fish, he will eat for a day, show a man how to fish and he will eat forever”? Well, this is the same approach we should integrate for nutrition.

The Bottom Line

You only have one body, one mind and one life… give them the honor they deserve!

Buzzvia
http://crave.cnet.com/8301-1_105-9759643-1.html?part=rss&tag=feed&subj=Crave

You can watch the video of these robots in action here
http://www.media.mit.edu/?p=114

For quite some time, mothers have been told that supplements are just as good if not better then breast-milk but study upon study point out that nothing even comes close to fresh milk produced by the mother for her growing child.

Why do we breastfeed?

Whether you are an evolutionist or believer, you cannot deny that we are a mammal. One of the key tenets of being a mammal is that you actually give birth to live children who then breastfeed for an extended period of time. Unlike birds who essentially eat pre-digested food brought by both parents or reptiles that are born with all the skills needed to catch their first meals, us mammals are born completely defenseless. We generally reproduce slowly over an extended period of time, unlike insects that give birth to thousands of youngsters in one shot. This is where breastfeeding come into place. It’s very taxing on a woman to continue fetal development within the womb and the birth canal is a very narrow road indeed so to have optimal children, mammals continue the process of fetal development outside the womb. Although we aren’t as extreme as Kangaroos, we are about middle of the road compared to say a whale or elephant.

What is breast milk?

Breast milk can be thought of as the original supplement produced by nature, it has all the vitamins, minerals, carbohydrates, fats, proteins and even hormones that a baby needs for optimal health throughout a lifetime. There have been a number of studies published which indicate that the benefits of breast milk over formula continue to pay dividends even when the child progresses to solid food. Unlike formula, it does not rot teeth, it does not produce nauseous surprises in diapers and even helps the child fight immune system invaders when they have none developed yet!

Vital Stats

According to the CDC (Centers for Disease Control), out of the 74% of mothers that try breast feeding, only 30% are still doing it three months later and six months later, the number drops to 11%. This is scary to say the least, I could argue that this is one of the many risk factors leading to future health problems. The more “primitive” the society, the more they tend to breastfeed both in duration and proportion, there is also information indicating these societies have less relative health problems as well (hmmm…).

Breast Feeding Statistics

Being a man, I feel lucky I don’t have the body changes that happen with producing and feeding a child but thanks to CNN, they have given a list of top 5 problems and fixes with feeding the little critters.

Mistake #1: Solitary Confinement

Breastfeeding has become a solitary activity in our modern culture, mothers with problems are left to their own devices to figure out answers. This is ashame as most mothers, well, breastfed and haven gone through a few children, are vast untapped resources as to improving the experience and avoiding problems. Start a support group if none is around, visit the local hospital or ask your doctor if there is one around to attend.

Mistake #2: Not Learning from Success

If you have a friend or family member that recently had children, ask them to help you if with your problems. Your own mother and your extended family may also be great resources, tap them!

Mistake #3: Got MORE Milk?

Babies sometimes enjoy the process of nursing a little too much, they just won’t stop, don’t worry, when the baby is full, he or she will stop and give you a break. Don’t assume you aren’t producing enough milk, hence the reason for excessive nursing but if you have concerns, use a breast pump to measure production or see a doctor to make sure everything is alright.

Mistake #4: Breastfeeding with Strangers

Don’t worry, breasts are breasts… you had your legs open during birth in front of complete strangers so showing your breasts can’t be any worse. Your baby will thank you and there is no reason to be shy.

Mistake #5: Rivers aren’t build in a Day!

When you begin breastfeeding your child, you don’t produce copious amounts of milk equivalent to the neighborhood cow! At first, the production amount is highly concentrated and more colostrum then milk, measured in teaspoons, not the gallon. Keep at it and the river will soon build itself up as your baby develops.

The Bottom Line

Motherhood and breastfeeding should go hand in hand. It’s what is best for you, your baby and ultimately the survival of the human species. We have been breastfeeding our offspring for well over a million years, don’t be so quick to jump to formula if you experience a few issues.

Buzzvia
http://www.cnn.com/2007/HEALTH/08/09/ep.breastfeeding/index.html

There seems to be a day dedicated to just about every condition known to man from Diabetes Day to Aids Day but hey, why not add another… Left-Handed Day! I can’t think of any group of people who have been more systematically suppressed then left handed people throughout history. From simple everyday tools to even religious influences where Christians believed left handedness was the work of the devil while Muslims believe being right-handed is a pillar of their religion. If you where born left-handed, more likely then not, you where going to live an interesting life.

Why does left handedness exist?

As with many medical mysteries, the exact reason as to why there are a few people out there who are left-handed in this predominantly right-handed world is still a hot topic of discussion. Theories as to why left handedness exists include it being a minor genetic fluke, hormonal abnormalities during fetal development and modern electronics interference (though left handed people existed before electricity). As for me, I believe left handedness exists to diversify our species, for instance, maybe every once in a while there was a distinct advantage to being left handed while hunting in the jungles which increased the survival success of those with this trait, leading to it being passed onto the next generation.

Interesting Facts about Left handedness

To add to this pile of mysteries, left handedness is more common in males than females and occurs more often in twins. In addition, those suffering from Down’s Syndrome, Dyslexia and other mental disorders are more often then not, left-handed as well. Although there is a strong genetic component to being left or right handed, environment can modify this as well. For instance, those suffering from an injury to their right hand, forcing them to use their left hand for an extended period of time often keep using their left hand for what use to be right handed tasks even after the injury heals. Another interesting fact is that most traffic flow is right-sided.

Famous People who are Left Handed

myfoodcount.com does have a list already compiled of just about everybody who was ever left handed which we hope to launch in our famous section within the next few months but until then, here is a preview.

George H.W. Bush

Fidel Castro

Julius Caesar

Tom Cruise

Ned Flanders

Benjamin Franklin

Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Ben Stiller

Alexander The Great

The Bottom Line

If you are a left-handed person, be happy that you are alive now, not a few hundred years ago where the suppression would have been far worse then it is today.

Buzzvia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Left-handed

The power of the human body never ceases to amaze me. The more I learn and study, the more impressed I am by the abilities most of us take completely for granted! Here is a video that clearly shows how talented just our hands are and why, I am sure, they are the envy of living organisms around the world.

This kinda makes me jealous of chimps because they have the equivalent of hands for their feet… imagine what we could do if we had this adaptation as well!

If that wasn’t impressive enough, here is another video showing how fluid (controlled) our bodies can be with proper training.

The Bottom Line

The physical abilities most human have from birth are truly remarkable and should never be taken for granted.

As vehicles continue to evolve in the marketplace with airbags and other passive technology to keep everybody safe during a journey, Nissan has decided to launch yet another revolutionary technology aimed squarely at the driver. Using various active and passive sensors around the driver, their new cars will gage whether a person is fit to drive at all! Yes, one day in the very near future, the car you bought might refuse to allow you to drive it because it thinks your sick!

Why is this a good thing?

Well, if somebody is sick or just plain drunk, they shouldn’t be allowed to join the road with the equivalent of a thousand pound missile. Accidents are part of life but this technology (and others like it) will make the road safer for all of us. We have regulators in cars to prevent them from going at excess speeds, we have collision avoidance systems and anti-lock breaks which all make an impact on road deaths… I think the more of these things we have the better.

Who will not like these safety systems?

Well, I can already see the discrimination lawsuits getting ready to take flight. You see, for a 20 year old male, these systems are no problem but for a 90 year old female driver, no matter how much in good shape she is, these systems will certainly lead to the end of their driving career. When a car can decide on it’s own if you are physically and mentally ready to join the road, then those with disabilities or other problems will be relegated to taking the bus or rides with friends. This is not a bad thing, I think the greater good is safe drivers and a machine is about as unbiased a mechanism to decide this… but I am sure the senior and disabilities associations will have problems with the growing control we give to technology to decide our ability to handle them.

The Bottom Line

Safety is as much a communal responsibility as an individual one.

Buzzvia
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/6929931.stm

When I first saw the likes of Baby Einstein-type educational videos coming into the market a few years ago, all I could do was shake my head. What is the educational value of putting a vibrant, energetic infant in front of a static and motionless television? In a world where more is perceived as better, I thought this was just plain misguided, now a study by Time has finally caught up to my way of thinking.

Time Magazine Summary

Two researchers from the University of Washington calculated that for every hour an infant was stuck in front of a television to “learn”, they ended up becoming less educated by half a dozen daily words. When this was done over a period of years, the effects where detrimental, decreasing language skills by up to 10% verses infants who never watched these silly videos. This isn’t the first time these infant videos have been found to have a detrimental impact on childhood development, researchers are also suggesting this over-stimulation is causing hyper-activity later in life… leading to suggestions to not allow infants under two years old to watch television at all.

My Personal Views

I have a very strong feeling that mass media (notably television) is behind the sudden jump in ADD/ADHD epidemic hitting the United States and other countries. I could also easily blame them for the obesity and diabetic pandemic as well, but that is another story. Here is my reasoning (I am not a pediatrician).

Go back 10 thousand years ago, you had a child, it would spend all day looking at grass grow, playing with crickets and looking at the slow progress of nature. Every once in a while there would be some action, an tiger caught an antelope on the Serengeti or a hunter came back from a trip with a huge gash on his arm but otherwise, things moved relatively slowly. Daily life involved waking up, eating, observing the community and nature then going to bed. Changes where as slow as the seasons but steady. We lived this way for hundreds of thousands of years, as such, our brain adapted to this mode of life.

Modern times, a child is born and right away they are thrusted into an exciting, 24 hour lifestyle. Anytime of day or night, the television is available to stimulate and educate, there is no down time, no “learn on your own” time, everything is pushed upon you whether you want to learn it or not. Parents, being stimulation junkies because of growing up on television themselves, think a child should be exposed to just as much stimulation ASAP to become smarter. Hence, these silly infant videos. Our brains cannot adapt at an early age at something “new” happening every 20 seconds for hours at a time without compromising other developmental abilities.

What does television teach?

Well, I believe that 99% of what is watched on television is quickly forgotten once the set is closed, we are deletion creatures and television really gives very little that is worth remembering (passive education is worthless in my opinion). So, television teaches children how to become very efficient at deleting information while over-stimulating the brain in the process. I believe television is an addiction, worse then cigarettes, worse then heroin and worse then alcohol or junk food. Watch television, become over-stimulated, turn television off, boredom and skills that should have been learned are not present. For instance, in classrooms, many children have a lot of trouble just siting down or paying attention, which, oddly, isn’t a problem when they are watching television. I see many children having speech and reading problems because the daily dose of passive television did little to develop their own critical thinking (or hobbies). I see children who simply cannot think for themselves, seriously, ask them a question that isn’t part of a lesson plan and many are absolutely lost. Television has sucked out their critical thinking functions, destroyed their ability to adapt to sudden changes and taken away their ability to pay attention. These tend to dissipate with age but I believe these lessons learned by passive learning present themselves in dysfunctions later in life. Television does not teach spacial organization, exploration nor a sense of self.

Television in Adulthood

Alright, television for infants if bad, I would argue it’s no better for adults neither. Although our brains still act like sponges throughout our lifetimes, they do become more hard-wired, less flexible progressively through the years. I see a lot of adults that have trouble simply being alone for any extended period of time or lacking the ability to learn new skills in an efficient manner. Those decades of wasting but a few hours of their daily lives to television have taken their toll. Many end up at jobs they hate, in relationships that are dysfunctional with their only anchor in life being the television. They might now know the geography of this planet but they sure can quote you a few television show lines or the latest Hollywood gossip. Worthless, unworthy knowledge in my opinion is no better then no knowledge.

Just imagine how our modern civilization would be if, instead of watching television for a few hours a night, we dedicated ourselves towards learning, educating and developing ourselves.

Solution

Well, I have noticed by personal observation from children to adults that there is very little that is positive about watching television. What is the educational value of a show that you don’t remember a few weeks later? What value is a physical sport when you are a passive participant? How do you feel being told what to buy and when? Even children shows tend to speak down to them without any progression or worse, full of violence and unhealthy habits. Well my friends, my solution is throw out the television.

I stopped watching television long ago, I don’t miss it… I challenge you to do the same.

The Bottom Line

I believe television has made slaves of far to many human brains on this planet and I refuse to bow down to any master other then myself.

Buzzvia
http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1650352,00.html?

Let’s face it, AIDS is going to be with us for at least the next half century if not more. The reason that HIV Disease has been such a successful virus around the world is because it exploits all the human weaknesses that make up our various civilizations. Each year, there are new promises made by scientists regarding eradication of this deadly virus but this simply leads to more knowledge being acquired regarding the complexity of this virus.

Summary: Part 1

I encourage you to view this program online but if you don’t have time, here is an extensive summary.

• by the time HIV Disease was diagnosed in the United States, over 250 thousand people where infected, by the time it was diagnosed in Africa, millions where already infected
• the AIDS virus is 150 times smaller than the size of the blood cell it attacks and eventually kills, progressively over several years, the body dies from an infection due to an overwhelmed (now severely compromised) immune system without anymore t-cells to combat infection
• originally, most patients died within a few months upon diagnosis
• June 1981, CDC reports in the MMWR the occurrence of a mysterious disease which will soon be labeled as AIDS
• originally, infections where among healthy gay men who had a number of recreational drugs and sexual partners so the point of infection was very difficult to track down
• infection diagnosis then spread through the Haitian community, the CDC couldn’t figure out the connection between the gay men in large cities and the Haitian Community in Florida
• in Europe, infections began to show up in heterosexual couples who where not from Haitian backgrounds nor homosexual ones
• November 1981, three drug users where diagnosed in New York with AIDS which later lead to an epidemic of AIDS within the drug communities
• diagnosis of AIDS leads to becoming a social outcast within their peers, as this was mostly hitting the gay and drug communities, they where not a priority by the government (they didn’t care)
• government didn’t want public tax dollars going towards helping people who deserved to die based on actions against the Laws of God
• CDC warns that AIDS has entered the blood supply after a child becomes infected with AIDS
• Hemophiliacs are the next group to be infected with AIDS en mass, CDC then realized that AIDS had to be a virus spread through sharing of bodily fluids
• blood banks refuse to admit that AIDS could be spread from blood transfusions, even when faced with evidence by the CDC, it took two years before they began screening procedures, leading to 35 thousand confirmed new AIDS cases
• President Reagan comes into power and institutes a 25% cut in funding to the CDC, leading to two years of stagnation in the AIDS epidemic
• scientists had trouble finding the original source of AIDS, leads lead to the Congo
• once scientists visit the Congo, they realize that woman can also be infected with AIDS, once this is reported to high ranking government officials, they still cannot put two and two together as the gay and drug user biased is systemic throughout the administration
• Haitians where contracted by the now independent Congo once the Belgians left in the 1980s to teach the Congonese population, once they return, they infected many Haitians (the connection is now made)
• many gay men would travel to Haiti for cheap sex, then returning to the United States, leading to further infections within the gay community
• AIDS spread quickly through the closed and impoverished Haiti population
• bathhouses in the gay community became huge points of infection among the population, government officials debated the impact
• 1983, AIDS was a political disease even in the face of overwhelming evidence that it didn’t discriminate against host (sexual orientation, race or background)
• in the summer of 1983, HIV Virus was isolated by the French but scientists in the United States couldn’t wrap their head around more then one retro-virus existing
• HIV is thought to come from Chimpanzees that carried SIV hunted by humans in Central Africa sometime i