Category: Food, Drink & Health

“It may be hard for most people to think of chewing gum as a remedy for anything other than a case of bad breath. But several studies in recent years have shown that it can in fact help alleviate the symptoms of gastroesophageal reflux disease, better known to most people as GERD or heartburn.”

Remedies: Chewing Gum for Heartburn – NYTimes.com

From the Consumer Reports Health Blog:

A study published online in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives provides more reasons to be wary of triclosan, found in many antibacterial soaps, and bisphenol A (BPA), used in some polycarbonate plastics and canned foods. 

The study looked at 3,728 people nationwide and found that children and adolescents with higher levels of triclosan were more likely to be diagnosed with allergies or hay fever, both of which are caused by a malfunctioning immune system. The researchers suggest that the hygiene hypothesis—which posits that some exposure to bacteria helps train the immune system—might help explain the finding.

After 35 years of wearing glasses and never once trying contacts, I decided yesterday to see how they’d be. I’d gotten an eye exam and the doctor was encouraging, so I had him put them in. Because I wear progressive lenses, he put a distance contact lens in the right eye and an intermediate vision lens in the left.

They seemed pretty good. One bothered me just a bit, but all-in-all i was pleased with how they felt. I didn’t think my vision was a sharp as it is with glasses, but maybe I’d get used to it I thought. Progressive lenses were not easy to adjust to at first either. It was great fun to walk around the Costco next door and then drive home without glasses (also without sunglasses as my only pair is prescription).

I was distressed later though, when I tried to read my iPhone and found it nearly impossible. The doctor had mentioned I might want to get a close lens instead of the intermediate one in my left eye, or wear reading glasses. Despite my age, I don’t need glasses to read or even to use the computers; I wear glasses to watch TV or drive. And I read more than I watch TV or drive, so I’d prefer not to need glasses to read. I began to question the whole decision to get contacts, but I knew it was too soon to make up my mind. I could try another prescription.

When it came time to take the lenses out for the night — as I was told to do during the first week — the left contact came out without too much trouble. But, to make a long story short, the right contact is still in my eye some 19 hours and many, many tries later.

I just can’t seem to get it. My mother must have taught me not to let people poke me in the eye, because I have a reflex that closes the eye even though I swear I am holding it open. (I can see that the lens is still there.)

Now my eye is irritated by all the activity and I want that damn thing out of there. And I can’t see clearly at any distance and any typos are because of that.

The percentage of adult Americans diagnosed with diabetes has risen steadily for the past 20 years, up to 8 percent of the population in 2008. In some regions of the country, however, the rate is nearly twice that. Since 2004, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have released estimates for each county, and mapping that data reveals that there are clusters in states like Alabama and Mississippi, where around one in seven adults is diabetic.

Slate Labs: An interactive map. Move the scrollbar to see the changes 2004-2008.

So susceptibility to cold symptoms is not a sign of a weakened immune system, but quite the opposite. And if you’re looking to quell those symptoms, strengthening your immune system may be counterproductive. It could aggravate the symptoms by amplifying the very inflammatory agents that cause them.

In any case, the supplements, remedies and cereals that claim to strengthen immunity (and thereby protect you from colds) do no such thing. It would be one thing if by some magic they made your body produce antibodies to any particular virus. But they don’t. And though some of these products contain ingredients that have been shown in studies to affect elements of the immune system, there’s scant evidence that they bolster protection against infection by cold viruses. No one knows which immune agents — other than antibodies — accomplish that.

How Not to Fight Colds – NYTimes.com

Ten years of education in Catholic schools has left its mark on me. I find myself blushing just posting this information — which is from the friggin’ Scientific American after all — but post it I must.

Because it is simply fascinating — and not for the suggestive connotations. But how truly remarkable is evolution when we discover its finer points. To wit:

Now, medical professionals have known for a very long time that the vagina is an ideal route for drug delivery. The reason for this is that the vagina is surrounded by an impressive vascular network. Arteries, blood vessels, and lymphatic vessels abound, and—unlike some other routes of drug administration—chemicals that are absorbed through the vaginal walls have an almost direct line to the body’s peripheral circulation system.
. . .

Perhaps the most striking of these compounds is the bundle of mood-enhancing chemicals in semen. There is good in this goo. Such anxiolytic chemicals include, but are by no means limited to, cortisol (known to increase affection), estrone (which elevates mood), prolactin (a natural antidepressant), oxytocin (also elevates mood), thyrotropin-releasing hormone (another antidepressant), melatonin (a sleep-inducing agent) and even serotonin (perhaps the most well-known antidepressant neurotransmitter).

In other words, “a sort of natural Prozac.” Women having sex without condoms have “significantly fewer depressive symptoms” than those who use condoms or abstain. The chemistry may also explain certain unprotected homosexual male practices.

This from the Scientific American blog Bering in Mind and posted just the other day. Read the article for the details. If I continue, some unhappy nun will smack me with a ruler.

I like salmon — had it for dinner last night in fact. But there’s a big difference in which salmon you should get. Consumer Reports Health Blog has more details, but here’s the summary (based on the assumption that you should always buy Alaskan salmon if possible, it’s much healthier and environmentally sustainable):

Here are some shopping tips:

• If you can’t find Alaskan wild salmon locally, order it online at websites like VitalChoice.
• If you don’t see a label on salmon, assume it’s farmed.
• Don’t pay more for “organic” salmon. There are no standards for that label on fish in the U.S.
• If you buy farmed salmon, eat it in moderation; grill, bake, or broil it so that the fat drips off while cooking; and remove any skin to help cut your exposure to contaminants.

Let’s just suppose someone buys a cake from a bakery — and let’s just suppose it’s a pineapple upside down cake. And let’s further suppose that the person buying the pineapple upside down cake lives by himself, and expects no company this week or next.

Then (1) what portion of the cake would be appropriate for me — I mean that person — to eat? And (2) what time frame would be acceptable for eating that portion?

The Consumerist

I know. I just ate a nectarine.

“Filthy conditions at henhouses linked to the egg recall include infestations by rodents, flies, maggots, and wild birds, FDA inspectors report.

“Some of the egg-producing hens were caged above manure pits four to eight feet deep.”

FDA: Filthy Conditions at Egg Recall Farms via WebMD

Permission granted: You can officially stop feeling guilty about those little “bad-for-you” habits you can’t seem to break. Turns out, many of life’s greatest indulgences bring big health benefits — helping you stay slim, fight off the blues, and kick disease to the curb.

And we’ve got the 10 best right here, conveniently ranked by Health magazine’s expert panelists. Start at the top of the list to get the most bang for your healthy buck, and keep moving on down to learn how to boost your well-being in the most decadent ways possible.

Here’s the 10 and here’s the link to learn more about the benefits of each.

Pleasure No. 1: Getting your zzz’s

Pleasure No. 2: Playing hooky

Pleasure No. 3: Sexual healing

Pleasure No. 4: A daily chocolate fix

Pleasure No. 5: Girls’ nights out

Pleasure No. 6: Full-fat dressing

Pleasure No. 7: Your morning java

Pleasure No. 8: Getting a rubdown

Pleasure No. 9: Basking in the sun

Pleasure No. 10: Wine with dinner

[T]he voters at the Zagat Guide recently chose Five Guys as the best burger in the country.

In a survey of 6,500 fast food fans, Five Guys beat out all other burger chains for top honors, followed by In-N-Out — last year’s winner — in second place. Rounding out the top five were, in order, Wendy’s, Burger King then McDonald’s.

Among full-service chain restaurants, Red Robin reigned supreme. The rest of the top five were Stake ‘n Shake, Cheesecake Factory, Ruby Tuesday and Chili’s.

The Consumerist

I believe it is Steak ‘n Shake, but no matter. Eat enough of the burgers at any of these places and you might as well drive a stake through your heart.

“The CDC has identified salsa and guacamole as two significant sources of food-borne illnesses, according to a new report released today.”

WebMD

What we don’t know may kill us. Sunscreens may be worse than no sunscreen. They’re not as good as they are in Europe. They may cause cancer. They are mislabeled. They may damage the skin.

Hats and long-sleeve shirts anyone?

What We Still Don’t Know About Sunscreens

In popular culture, the Fourth of July connotes hot dogs, hamburgers and cold beer. But the country has changed, and while burgers and hot dogs are still a distinct possibility, so are mofongo and arroz con pollo, or kimchi and kalbi. Cold beer, though, remains universal, and for that we might consider taking a moment to thank the founding fathers of the craft-beer revolution.

A mere 35 years ago, the domestic beer choices on Independence Day weekend were a dismal lot: bland, flavorless mega-brews, with perhaps a few equally uninspiring beers from dying regional breweries. Today, the American beer world is completely different, thanks to some farsighted brewers who envisioned a better future.

The panel tasted 20 American pale ales. …

1. FLYING DOG Flying Dog Doggie Style Classic Pale Ale
2. LONG TRAIL
3. STOUDT’S
4. SLY FOX
5. OTTER CREEK
6. TWO BROTHERS
7. SAMUEL ADAMS
8. DOGFISH HEAD
9. OSKAR BLUES
10. LAGUNITAS

Beers of The Times has the details.

I wanted to buy a six-pack of beer in cans yesterday, to drink and throw the empties at the TV if UCLA beat Arizona in softball (as they did).

I find it is increasingly difficult to buy a six-pack; 12-packs are all the rage. And bottles outnumber cans by a large margin. I just wanted a six-pack of cans, but I ended up thinking the best deal was 12 Stella Artois in bottles.

I bring it home, put the case in the refrigerator with a couple in the freezer to speed up the chill. I’m an American; I like my beer cold (even if I bought a Belgian beer).

But I decide to have a Margarita instead.

Later I remember to get the two bottles out of the freezer. That’s when I notice they are not 12 ounces, which is the amount Moses brought down from Mount Sinai as the proper portable package for beer.

No, they are 11.2 ounces.

Eleven. Point. Two.

WTF is this? You can make the OJ containers smaller. You can make the jam jars smaller. You can mess with almost anything.

But you don’t mess with beer.

“WASHINGTON (May 24) — Almost half of the 500 most popular sunscreen products may actually increase the speed at which malignant cells develop and spread skin cancer because they contain vitamin A or its derivatives, according to an evaluation of those products released today. ”

AOL News reporting on study by researchers at Environmental Working Group.

“[O]nly 39 of the 500 products they examined were considered safe and effective to use.”

“may actually increase the speed at which malignant cells develop”

George Johnson – Slate Magazine reports on wireless and the brain. He begins:

Not many people drive all the way to the top of Sandia Crest, 10,678 feet, to hang out by the Steel Forest—the thick stand of blinking broadcast and microwave antennas that serves as a communications hub for New Mexico and the Southwest. But I went there on a dare. For the past few months, I’ve been trying to understand the thinking of some anti-wireless activists who have turned my town, Santa Fe, N.M., into a hotbed for people who believe that microwaves from cell phones and Wi-Fi are causing everything from insomnia, nausea, and absent-mindedness to brain cancer.

“Spend an hour or two in front of the antennas,” I was advised by Bill Bruno, a Los Alamos National Laboratory physicist and self-diagnosed “electrosensitive” who sometimes attends public hearings wearing a chain-mail-like head dress to protect his brain. “See if aspirin cures the headache you’ll probably get, and see if you can sleep that night without medication.”

“It turns out that, at least for smart restaurateurs, making the dining experience ridiculously noisy is good for business: people buy more drinks per hour, and they finish eating and leave sooner.”

The Consumerist has a few more details.