A new month as we work our way to the mid point of the year. So much news that is not what one would call ‘important’ but it still needs to see the light of day…..and that is why I am here.
Locally–Nothing much happening local….just the usual Summertime activities like festivals and concerts….some recent elections….I will have to wait another week to learn the results of my latest scan.
Personal–I had another appointment this time in was with the radiologist to get the result of last week’s scan….which was rescheduled for the doctor was out of town.
To my rotten luck after all the time waiting I was informed that the scanner was down and that I need another reschedule. Oh goody more ‘hurry up and wait’ for next week.
Let’s start where most of us start our day with a cup of coffee….There are many myths around coffee….like it dehydrates you or it causes heart disease….so let’s debunk a few…..
I love a cup (or four cups) of coffee in the morning. I enjoy the taste, I enjoy the ritual of grinding beans, and, yes, I enjoy the kick I get from the caffeine. It’s just a nice way to start the day.
But, as with all nice things, coffee is sometimes misunderstood. This offends me—both as a coffee drinker and as a fan of science—so I thought I’d look into a few common coffee myths and dig up some actual science.
https://www.popsci.com/health/coffee-myths/
Does coffee interfere with your meds?
For many of us, the day doesn’t start until we’ve had our first cup of coffee. It’s comforting, energising, and one of the most widely consumed beverages in the world. But while your morning brew might feel harmless, it can interact with certain medicines in ways that reduce their effectiveness – or increase the risk of side-effects.
From common cold tablets to antidepressants, caffeine’s impact on the body goes far beyond a quick energy boost. Tea also contains caffeine but not in the same concentrations as coffee, and doesn’t seem to affect people in the same way. Here’s what you should know about how coffee can interfere with your medications – and how to stay safe.
Is there a killer that is not well known?
This story sounds like an excellent scifi film in the making….
Amoebas don’t usually make headlines. But Entamoeba histolytica, a single-celled killer with a taste for human cells, may deserve the spotlight.
This microscopic parasite infects up to 50 million people annually, mostly in the Global South, and kills nearly 70,000. For many, it causes only mild diarrhea. But in others, it leaves a trail of biological destruction: ulcers in the colon, liquefied livers, even invasion into the brain and lungs. Its name, histolytica, means “tissue-dissolving,” and it lives up to the label.
“It can kill anything you throw at it, any kind of human cell,” said Katherine Ralston, a microbiologist at UC Davis.
Now, in a new review published in Trends in Parasitology, Ralston and her colleagues Maura Ruyechan and Wesley Huang are revealing how E. histolytica might be pulling off its deadliest tricks — and it’s almost too wild to be true.
As long as we are on the health subject….can farts be dangerous?
A woman has claimed that she’s been battling an infection for seven years, which was brought on by her ex-boyfriend letting one rip in her face.
Christine Connell is a travel influencer that shares many of her adventurous snaps with her 78,000 followers on Instagram, going anywhere from hot sandy beaches to snowy mountains that she’s climbed.
A lot of people would kill to have those same experiences, but it turns out that throughout all her journeys, she’s been battling a number of health issues.
The American online personality thinks it all goes back to a passing action that took place in a hotel room seven years ago.
Speaking in a TikTok, Christine spoke about her ex-boyfriend and how he got the ultimate ‘breakup revenge’ on her.
Immobile and laying in bed, her boyfriend at the time ‘farted terribly’ to the point where she ‘couldn’t breathe’ as a result of the stink.
While it was something gross to experience, she didn’t see it having a long-term effect on her life, until a culture sample was taken from her nose.
She said that she was also dealing with thick green snot and a fever, with her symptoms prompting her to have a number of tests and scans in an attempt to figure it out.
Numerous medical professionals couldn’t work out the cause of her infection, but she finally announced the results of the culture tests in a video on TikTok: “It’s E.coli.”
The dangers of trying to stifle a sneeze……
On an otherwise ordinary day in Dundee, Scotland, a man in his 30s stifled a sneeze while driving—and tore a hole in his throat.
He pinched his nose shut, closed his mouth, and felt a sudden explosion of pain. By the time he arrived at the emergency department at Ninewells Hospital, his neck was swollen, stiff, and radiating discomfort. He couldn’t move it properly. Beneath the skin, doctors could hear a faint, unnerving crackling sound.
Scans soon revealed what few physicians had ever seen before: a spontaneous 2-millimeter tear in his trachea. It’s a rare, potentially life-threatening injury—most often seen after traumatic accidents or invasive surgeries. This time, it came from something as benign as suppressing a sneeze.
https://www.zmescience.com/medicine/this-man-tried-to-stifle-a-sneeze-and-tore-a-hole-in-his-throat/
Now for some more good news for us coffee drinkers….
One more for the “coffee is good for you” camp: An unpublished, not yet peer-reviewed study presented Monday at the annual meeting of the American Society for Nutrition in Orlando suggests caffeinated coffee helps on the path to healthy aging. The study involved more than 47,000 female nurses who answered questions about their diets every few years from the 1970s up to 2016. That year, researchers detected 3,700 of the participants met their criteria for “healthy aging,” meaning they were 70 or older and in good physical and mental health, and had no cognitive impairment or chronic diseases, reports the New York Times.
These women consumed an average of 315mg of caffeine per day, mostly from coffee, per Fox News. After adjusting for diet, exercise, and other factors that affect aging, the researchers realized those who drank the most caffeine (equivalent to almost seven 8-ounce cups of coffee per day) between the ages of 45 and 60 had a 13% higher chance of healthy aging than those who drank the least caffeine (equivalent to less than one cup per day). “We found that moderate caffeinated coffee consumption during midlife was associated with a higher likelihood of healthy aging 30 years later,” lead study author Dr. Sara Mahdavi tells CNN.
Similar intake of decaffeinated coffee or tea didn’t produce the same result, perhaps because the participants consumed low levels of those beverages, while drinking cola was associated with a 20% to 26% reduced chance of healthy aging. Though each additional cup of caffeinated coffee was linked to a 2% to 5% greater chance of healthy aging in this study, that doesn’t mean a person should be drinking seven cups of coffee per day, or even that it’s healthy to do so, Mahdavi cautions, as other research has indicated drinking more than three or four cups per day could have negative effects on health. But it appears coffee does have a particular benefit over other caffeinated beverages, a finding backed by prior research.
I’ll drink to that.
Finally there always seems to be a report on toilet paper….either a shortage or some new idea to do away with it….
It’s difficult to imagine an existence without toilet paper, but it’s possible that in the future, going toilet paperless could be a real option. So, why would humans move away from toilet paper? According to Think Stewartville, “Environmental concerns, health implications, and cultural preferences are driving this change toward more sustainable alternatives.”
According to Cottonelle, the average person uses the toilet five times a day, but anything from four to 10 times is considered “normal.” Also, the average person uses about seven sheets of toilet paper per wipe, “6.41 sheets per toileting occasion for women, and 8.1 sheets per occasion for men,” Cottonelle states. Also, the average American adult uses around one roll of toilet paper every week and 50 rolls in a year.
So, what could replace toilet paper? There are a few options, and some of them have been around for a long time.
https://www.mensjournal.com/news/toilet-paper-could-be-irrelevant-soon-here-its-replacement
That does it for this Saturday….I hope everyone found something informative and/or entertaining…..go out and enjoy this late Spring day and as always….Be well and Be Safe….
I Read, I Write, You Know
“lego ergo scribo”