June 2010

  • Support the ALERT Act for Cancer Patients

    By sarajean on 6/29/10 9:55pm
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    Cancer is an issue that remains prevalent on most of our minds these days. Whether it’s a friend, relative, or even more personal, most people have been affected by cancer. Many have lost loved ones to the dreadful illness, and statistics on the number of women who will be affected by breast cancer alone sometimes in their lives are monumental. 2,000 Americans die every single day from cancer, making it one of the deadliest things we face together as a nation.

    Right now, Senate Bill 717, also known as the ALERT Act, is up for consideration. This act would help raise our current standards used to treat cancer patients, something desperately needed in these modern times. Technological advances, the latest science and innovation, and the most up-to-date medicines are crucial when it comes to saving lives.

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  • Inflammation: The New Health Hoax

    By erika on 6/28/10 12:31pm
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    A new watch word has hit my Snake Oil Radar: "inflammation."  I have noticed a distinct and suspicious trend in things - food especially - being described as "anti-inflammatory."  It's such a broad and sinister term, "inflammation."  And the claim that certain nutrients are anti-inflammatory makes you think, "Well I don't want to be inflamed!"  It can't hurt, right?  To buy the thing someone is advertising as being "anti-inflammatory?"  Only in the sense that it just encourages them.


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  • Parasomnias - The Tragedy of Sleepwalking

    By erika on 6/26/10 3:32pm
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    "Matchbook" By Tobias Wong"Matchbook" By Tobias Wong

    Most people seem to consider sleepwalking to be sort of a joke, a silly thing that happens in cartoons and children's movies.  Even though most people have some sort of sleepwalking experience, they are able to brush it off as a one-time occurrence, or something that used to happen to them when they were young.  Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for adults who suffer from full-blown sleep disorders.  Including Tobias Wong, a promising young designer whose suicide last week may have happened unintentionally, in his sleep.


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  • US Keeper Tim Howard Suffers from Tourette's Syndrome

    By becksta on 6/16/10 11:56am
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    US Keeper Tim Howard Suffers from Tourette's SyndromeUS Keeper Tim Howard Suffers from Tourette's SyndromeIn the opening match for the United States against England in the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, the US was credited with having a strong defense, which was in no small part due to the United States’ goalkeeper Tim Howard, “who made six saves in 90 minutes” . Born and bred in New Jersey, the US national team Goalkeeper stands out in one way from other soccer players and the public at large- Tim Howard suffers from Tourette’s Syndrome.

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  • The Mysterious Breyer Sapphire: Scuttled By Scandal?

    By erika on 6/15/10 3:04pm
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    Breyer was all set to reveal its new portrait model of the famous jumper Sapphire on May 22nd.  Endearingly enough, the big reveal was done during an ice cream social, at the Old Salem Farm Spring Horse Show.  So now that the official reveal was almost a month ago, where's the model?


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  • Earn Money by Taking Your Prescription Medication

    By becksta on 6/14/10 10:38am
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    Money for Taking Your MedicineMoney for Taking Your MedicineI just read an article in the NYT about new incentive programs which pay people in order to take their prescription medication; the reasoning behind the plan is that up to a fourth of Americans who have prescriptions never bother to fill their prescriptions, but would take their medicine if there was a financial incentive involved. A Philadelphia program cited in the article gives patients who fill a prescription for a certain anti-blood clotting medication the chance to win cash for each day they take the medicine.


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  • Skin Cancer Isn't Sexy

    By sarajean on 6/10/10 1:48am
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    No matter how many studies I cite, pictures of melanoma I send, or alternatives I offer, my friends and family who tan—tan on purpose, that is—refuse to cease and desist. I know people who purchase plans to receive weekly—even daily!—tanning sessions. They pay for this UV exposure! I know others who actually own their own tanning beds, either in their homes or places of business.

    Off to those pre-casket lighted beds they dash, eager to darken their skin colors, make themselves more sex-ay, and prepare themselves for their apparent roles in the next Gidget film.

    And, of course, get skin cancer.

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  • Yogurt: Medically Useful, or Marketing Lie?

    By erika on 6/3/10 1:25pm
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    In my experimentation with homemade yogurt (which is going really well, actually) I have been investigating the idea of cultures.  Yogurt, as we all know, is milk which has been partially digested by a collection of bacteria.  Gross, I know, but that's how the world works.  

    We know that having bacteria digest your milk can make it easier to digest.  And tastier, and a much better base for smoothies.  We also know that these same bacteria are found naturally in your digestive system.  If you kill them off with a course of antibiotics, it can be very helpful to eat some yogurt in order to replenish their numbers.

    Beyond that are what I would call "off-label uses."  Some of these uses are more reliable than others.  For example, countless women swear that plain yogurt can cure a yeast infection.  (Although in order to work, it must be applied topically, if you follow me.)  The acidity of the yogurt alone is probably responsible for most of this effect, since yeast infections are frequently caused or exacerbated by a disruption of the natural pH levels.


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  • Raw Honey - Health Benefits?

    By erika on 6/2/10 12:50pm
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    I had never heard of raw honey until this weekend, when I was over at a friend's house for a Memorial Day barbecue.  When he brought out a little jar of honey to glaze the salmon, I was intrigued by its cloudy color and extra-thick texture.

     I picked up the bottle, only to find that it was printed with densely packed text, and rather odd stuff to boot.  One bit says "The last frontier WILDERNESS Fresh, Clean, Friendly, Alive, Bio-Eco System."  It reminded me of a bottle of Dr. Bronner's soap!

    Honey, as I'm sure you know, is bee vomit.  Bees eat the nectar from flowers, then barf it up into their wax honeycombs for storage.  It's not very appealing, but it's the truth.  The bees store the honey against the winter, and for when the weather is too bad to fly.  


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  • Cold Remedies, Reviewed

    By erika on 6/1/10 1:25pm
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    I came down with a big sloppy cold over the holiday weekend.  Fun!  It gave me time to reflect on all the crazy-ass folk remedies people have "prescribed" for me over the years.

    Massive Doses of Vitamin C
    Instructions: Take at least 3,000mg of vitamin C every 24 hours.



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