I was beat up last week with chemo so this Saturday may not be up to my usual standards….sorry about that.

Local–a local cardiologists has been arrested for his dealings with juveniles and sexual exploitation.

No rain so far in September our averaged is usually 2.2 inches so it is very dry right now…..but we are having a cooler month than normal.

Personal–I am closing in on Sue’s birthday which will probably not be a good day.

Started back with the cancer stuff yesterday….got juiced with chemo and more poking and prodding is due next week….I am so looking forward to that.

Enough about my woes….Shall we get started?

The best news story in my mind for last week was the word…’enshittifacation’.

This term has been making its rounds on social media and if persists it will become an officially recognized word.

“Enshittifaction” means….a noun meaning when a digital platform is made worse for users to increase profits.

Any ideas on this term?

Next on to health news…..

There is some good news for stroke victims….

Researchers are working on a pill that could allow patients’ brains to recover from a traumatic injury or stroke, defying conventional thinking that the brain cannot regenerate following such a traumatic event.

As the New York Times reports, researchers previously discovered a gene that codes for a receptor called CCR5, which has been found in experiments to suppress lab mice’s ability to learn and remember.

University of California head of neurology Thomas Carmichael and his colleagues found that the receptor flooded the human brain following a stroke or other brain injury, and started to wonder whether it was hindering performance beyond the acute physical damage from a stroke or injury.

https://futurism.com/neoscope/pill-heal-stroke-brain-injury

The ‘Kissing Bug’ makes an entrance….

Chagas’ disease, commonly referred to as “kissing bug” disease, is now officially recognized as endemic in the United States, according to the CDC. This means the disease, long associated with Latin America, is now consistently present in parts of the US, especially the South, per the Washington Post. The illness is spread by the triatomine insect, nicknamed the “kissing bug” because it often bites faces. Humans and animals can contract the disease when the bug’s contaminated feces gets into open wounds, eyes, or mouths.

Less commonly, the sickness can spread from mother to child or through blood transfusions. Dogs and other animals can act as hosts, and there are reports of canine infections in states like Texas and California. Chagas’ disease has two phases. The acute phase, occurring soon after infection, is often symptom-free or showing just mild symptoms like fever, fatigue, or eyelid swelling. If untreated, the disease can progress to a chronic phase, sometimes leading to serious heart or digestive issues years later.

According to experts, the disease is frequently fatal by the time symptoms become severe. Cases not linked to travel have now been identified in at least eight states, including California, Arizona, Texas, Louisiana, Tennessee, Missouri, Mississippi, and Arkansas. Per the Los Angeles Times, California alone has between 70,000 to 100,000 people infected with the disease. The CDC notes these bugs are found in 32 states overall, primarily in the southern half of the country, but there’s limited active monitoring for the illness. USA Today has more on what you should know.

Flesh eaters, brain eaters and now kissing….

Remember the days when many people were walking around with masks on hoping to stave off any Covid symptoms?  And now we are mask free and those have been taken to landfills.

Millions of discarded face masks from the COVID-19 pandemic are now breaking down, creating an environmental hazard that could linger for generations, a study warns. Researchers from Coventry University found that the billions of plastic-based masks used globally, which were meant to protect people from the virus, are now releasing microplastics and chemicals into the environment, per the Guardian. Most of these masks, made from polypropylene and similar plastics, were not recycled. Instead, they ended up in landfills or as litter in urban and natural settings and began to degrade.

Anna Bogush and her colleague Ivan Kourtchev, authors of the study published in Environmental Pollution, tested various mask types by soaking them in purified water for a day. All masks released microplastics, but the highest quantities came from FFP2 and FFP3 masks, considered top-tier for virus protection. The majority of these particles were under 100 micrometers in size, or the width of a human hair, making them easily transportable in the environment, per a release. The masks also released bisphenol B, a chemical known to disrupt hormones in humans and animals. By examining the total production of single-use masks during the pandemic, the researchers estimate that hundreds of pounds of bisphenol B were released each day into the environment.

Great!  Another source of pollution.

Does spicy food help one lose weight?

If you’ve ever seen an episode of Hot Ones, the YouTube series in which guests have to consume increasingly nuclear hot sauces over the course of the interview, you know the drill. As the spice levels rise, sweat starts to bead, faces flush, and answers descend into incoherent yelps.

Capsaicin, a chemical concentrated in the seeds and ribs of chiles, is powerful stuff. While chiles can’t kill you, they can send you to the emergency room, particularly if you’re not accustomed to high levels of heat. Last year, three varieties of instant ramen by South Korean company Samyang were so spicy that Denmark’s national food agency deemed them a public health hazard.

Yet the very substance that reduces some diners to tears also offers some surprising benefits. For one, there’s strong evidence to suggest that consuming spicy food can help you maintain a healthy weight. But eating more chiles isn’t, in isolation, enough to stay out of the doctor’s office.

https://www.popsci.com/health/does-eating-spicy-food-help-lose-weight/

Ever wonder why some people are more attractive to mosquitoes than others?  There may be an answer….

Roughly 500 music fans volunteered to not only answer the survey, but stick their arms into a custom-designed cage buzzing with hungry mosquitos. Importantly, none of the participants were in any danger of covering their arms in itchy welts. Researchers built the apparatus to feature holes that were tiny enough for the insects to smell a person, but not pierce their skin using their needle-sharp proboscis. The team then recorded videos of the mosquito responses compared to responses to a sugar feeder placed on the other side of the cage. After analyzing the accumulated data, the study’s authors noted that their insects often displayed a “clear preference.”

To put it politely: they enjoyed people who enjoyed themselves. Those who drank beer and had sex the night before the experiment were around 1.35 times more attractive to mosquitos than the more sober, abstinent volunteers. Conversely, the pests were less likely to try snacking on an arm if it had been recently washed and/or had sunscreen applied to it.

The researchers’ self-titled “Mosquito Magnet Trial” is the largest study of its kind to date to their knowledge. At the same time, they conceded their experiment took place in a “loosely controlled setting,” with a selection bias towards “science-loving festivalgoers,” and that more investigation is needed before drawing any concrete conclusions. Regardless, they felt confident in asserting that mosquitos “are drawn to those who avoid sunscreen, drink beer, and share their bed.”

(popsci.com)

These last two are pertaining to your health….Sue use to get botox injections  to control her migraines and it work well…..now there is something called “scrotox”…..

Thinking about undergoing ‘scrotox’? A doctor has shared her warning about the cosmetic procedure, and it might make you reconsider.

Sometimes, if people don’t like something about their appearance, there’s an easy (if sometimes expensive) fix.

But while we’ve seen procedures like Botox for the face, chemical peels, derma rolling, salmon sperm injections and whatever else, this new trend might come with a downside that could impact your future.

Scrotox involves injecting Botox (botulinum toxin) into the scrotum, just under the skin.

It’s getting more and more popular for ball-havers to book.

The procedure is quick, and works fast, but mostly, it’s done to help with pains or the way the scrotum looks.

Mike Tee, a senior doctor at the Harley Street Skin Clinic, previously shared that ’80 percent’ of patients are getting it done to either reduce wrinkles, treat hyperhidrosis (sweating of the skin), or temporarily increase scrotal size or sag.

But the dangers may not be worth it.

https://www.ladbible.com/news/health/major-warning-men-scrotox-fertility-danger-787078-20250909

The only thought I had on this was….OUCH!

Finally do you take your phone into the bathroom with you to help pass the time?

Scrolling through your phone during bathroom breaks may be a more significant health risk than you realize, according to a new study. Researchers from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center found that people who brought their smartphones to the toilet spent noticeably longer time there—often over five minutes—compared to non-users. That extra time was linked to a 46% higher risk of developing hemorrhoids. Traditionally, straining has been blamed for hemorrhoids. However, the study published Wednesday in PLOS One, which analyzed 125 patients undergoing colonoscopies, suggests that lingering on the toilet with phone in hand might be a more pressing concern, per the Washington Post.

The logic: sitting for prolonged periods on a standard toilet increases pressure on the rectal veins, which over time can lead to hemorrhoids—swollen veins that can cause pain, discomfort, and occasionally bleeding. The majority of participants weren’t aware their phones were making bathroom visits longer. Given that a 2022 survey found nearly two-thirds of Americans use their phones while on the toilet, the risk could be widespread. Hemorrhoids are common, especially in those over 50, and can be costly to treat; in 2014, 1.4 million US employer-insured patients sought hemorrhoid care costing $770 million.

Experts recommend keeping toilet time under 10 minutes and resisting the urge to bring your phone along. It can be harmful to your health in other ways, too, an expert tells NBC News, noting urine and feces particles are thrown into the air when a toilet is flushed. Other ways to prevent hemorrhoids include staying hydrated, regular physical activity, and eating a fiber-rich diet—something only 5% of Americans manage. Fiber can be found in foods like beans, grains, and leafy greens, which help keep bowel movements regular and reduce pressure on rectal veins.

I read a book.

That is all I have for this Saturday…..go out and have some fun and as always….Be Well and Be Safe….

I Read, I Write, You KNow

“lego ergo scribo”