The first of May and the news just keeps getting bad out of Foggy Bottom and the media keeps pushing a lot of the information to the back page and that is why I am here….to bring light to those stories.

Locally–the Corps of engineers is thinking of opening the Bonnet Carre Spillway to relieve the rising waters of the Mississippi River….if that happens because of our offshore islands all that fresh water will be held in the Mississippi Sound which will kill any oyster harvest and mess with marine breeding areas…the seafood business will suffer greatly.

Finally got some good rain….but if things hold true to course this may be the last substantial rain until late June.

Personal–I had my last treatment for my prostrate cancer now I must be re-evaluated in 3 months to determine what comes next…that will mean more scans and more lab work….something to look forward to.

Let’s begin where the MSM has left off….

As a person fighting through a double cancer diagnosis I am always looking for reports to share….many of us go through as CT scan and that could not be such a good idea….

Each year, about 93 million CT scans are performed on 62 million patients across the US as a vital diagnostic tool of modern medicine. However, CBS News reports there could be a troubling side effect: a potential long-term cancer risk linked to radiation exposure. In a new study at JAMA Internal Medicine, researchers estimate that CT scans performed in 2023 alone could ultimately lead to around 103,000 cases of radiation-induced cancer over the lifetimes of the patients exposed. The study’s authors wrote, “If current practices persist, CT-related cancer could eventually account for 5% of all new cancer diagnoses annually.”

And the projected cancer risks aren’t distributed evenly. While children and adolescents are more vulnerable to radiation, adults undergo CT scans more frequently, so they account for the majority of the projected cases. The scans most commonly linked to future cancers were abdominal and pelvic CTs, followed by chest scans. The most frequent resulting cancers included lung, colon, leukemia, and bladder cancers, with breast cancer ranking second among female patients. And the study stresses that CT technology is essential, but that it must be used judiciously—with a growing need to weigh the benefits of fast, accurate imaging against potential long-term harm.

This isn’t the first time radiation from CT scans has been scrutinized. A Consumer Reports investigation in 2015 found that up to a third of all CT scans could be medically unnecessary, while experts warn it could be difficult to limit CT imaging because its speed and relative affordability have made it ubiquitous. Still, the study’s editors say the new projections should be taken seriously, likening CT-induced cancer risk to other established risk factors like alcohol consumption and obesity. As part of the solution, they recommend using radiation-free imaging alternatives when possible, lowering radiation doses in CT protocols, and educating clinicians to avoid unnecessary scans.

Please if a CT scan is ordered for you talk with your doctor if you have any concerns….believe me a cancer diagnosis and treatment is not something I would wish on anyone.

Do you suffer from acid reflux?  If so then you may want to read this

Keeping with the health stuff…..Diet is next….

Remember the days when red meat was bad and chicken became the in meat to eat?

There is a new scientific study out of Italy which found that consuming just 300 grams of chicken breast each week was associated with a 27% increase in death from all causes. Future studies are needed to explore the nature of the association, to be sure, but it is an alarming correlation given how much white meat from chicken is consumed globally.

Chicken breast is globally considered to be a super food. The white meat from chicken breast offer just about the best Protein-to-Fat ratio of any food in the game with around 30 grams of protein to 3 grams of fat in just 85 grams of chicken breast. Body builders know this. Dieters know this. Athletes live by this.

A common rule of thumb for anyone looking to gain muscle at a healthy weight is 1 gram of protein per 1 pound of body weight. But this new study published in the MDPI journal Nutrients calls into question whether the ‘God Tier’ macros of chicken breast are worth it because it found just 300 grams of white meat from chicken each week was associated with the 27% increase risk of death from all causes.

New Study Finds Eating Just 300g Of Chicken A Week Is Associated With 27% Increase In Risk Of Dying

Now we go to plant-based…..

In a blind taste test, thousands of self-professed “omnivores and flexitarians” were given meat substitutes alongside the real thing and asked to rate which was better — and their responses were pretty telling.

As Vox reports, new results from a survey conducted by NECTAR, a nonprofit that researches “alternative protein” products, suggest that preferences for real or fake meat may be more in our minds than in our taste buds.

When averaging out the results in sum, NECTAR found that their 2,684 subjects far preferred the animal “benchmark” products they were fed alongside fake meat products ranging from imitation bratwurst and burgers to ersatz pulled pork and deli slices.

But accounting for the massive disparities in quality between brands — which anyone who suffered through the vegan pizza craze of the early 2010s can attest to — paints a very different picture.  When given unbreaded “chicken” cutlets from Impossible Foods, for instance, 60 percent of the survey’s participants said it tasted as good or better than real chicken from Purdue — a wild finding for foods from an industry that has taken hit after hit in recent years amid meat industry disinformation campaigns.

https://futurism.com/neoscope/blind-taste-test-fake-meat

It is good to see that some people still have working taste buds.

Enough with the food thingy….

Americans are turning to the Magic ‘Shroom…..

According to a new study, the use of psilocybin has surged nationwide in recent years. Researchers from the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus and Rocky Mountain Poison and Drug Safety combed through five major national datasets and found that more Americans than ever are turning to psilocybin, particularly those struggling with depression, anxiety, and chronic pain.

Psilocybin is a Schedule I drug, classified as having no accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse. But mounting research, much of it from respected institutions like Johns Hopkins and Imperial College London, is putting this designation into question.

Studies have shown that psilocybin, under carefully controlled conditions, may help people with treatment-resistant depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, or substance use disorders. Enthusiasts like Michael Pollan, whose bestselling book How to Change Your Mind familiarized Americans with psychedelic science, have helped normalize the idea that mushrooms could have medical properties.

https://www.zmescience.com/science/news-science/magic-mushroom-use-is-soaring-in-the-u-s-with-more-americans-turning-to-psilocybin-than-cocaine-or-meth/

All about those food prices….I applaud the efforts here but will it be successful?

One of North America’s largest supermarket chains has bluntly told its suppliers they will not accept increased prices related to Trump-imposed tariffs.

Albertsons, which operates more than 2,200 supermarkets and is the second-biggest grocery chain in the continent, drew a hard line with it suppliers last month.

The Idaho-based company – which also runs stores including Balducci’s, Kings and Safeway – sternly declared they will not tolerate any unauthorized price spikes.

‘To maintain transparency and ensure consistency across our supply chain, we are writing to clarify our Company’s policy regarding how these tariffs should be handled in our ongoing partnership, Albertsons wrote in a letter obtained by BIG.

‘Our customers rely on us for our competitive pricing and quality products, and we are committed to maintaining the value proposition our customers expect.’

Albertsons acknowledged that hiked-up foreign taxes may put pressure on many businesses, but suppliers are not to include tariff-related fees in their invoices without the chain’s approval.

‘Therefore, with few exceptions, we are not accepting cost increases due to tariffs,’ the message reads.

The company explained that if a supplier absolutely must increase their costs, they have to provide at least 90 days notice before billing Albertsons any differently.

(dailymail.uk.com)

Have you heard this on the evening news?  I had not….but I do not watch them all….

Enough stuff for now…..go out and enjoy your month of May and as always….and if you start your Cinco de Mayo celebration a couple of days early then please party responsibly (I know that is very close to an oxymoron)….and as always….Be Well and Be Safe….

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”