Archive for the 'Health' Category
Posted by Ted Hopton on July 1, 2008
Can hookworms protect against allergies? In a quest to find out, David Pritchard infected himself.
This article literally makes me queasy. The thought of worms working their way around inside my body makes me want to throw up and completely grosses me out. Yet I have suffered most of my life pretty badly from allergies. I take Claritin all year, and now that I have moved to a farm it appears there are more allergens here than that medicine can overcome. The sneezing fits every morning are getting tiresome.
So, as disgusted as I am at the thought of having hookworms, I still find myself truly intrigued Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Health, Research, Science | No Comments »
Posted by Ted Hopton on June 9, 2008
I love tomatoes, so this news is discouraging. Think I’d better start growing my own.
At least 145 people in 16 states have been sickened by salmonella-tainted tomatoes; not all tomatoes affected, says the FDA.
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Posted in Food, Health | No Comments »
Posted by Ted Hopton on June 7, 2008
I’ve always liked the title of the series of technology help books called “The Missing Manual.” The accurate and perceptive premise is that manufacturers rarely provide as much guidance as you would like for the sophisticated technology they have sold to you. These books, written by a third-party expert, help you get the most out of your purchase, and teach you all kinds of tricks to make it easier to understand and use.
So, this title caught my attention — Your Brain: The Missing Manual. Very clever. I didn’t buy my brain, but it sure is a complex tool that I wish I knew how to use better, and there’s no user’s guide, either. I haven’t read this book, so I can’t comment on it, but I am curious about it and will look into it.
Posted in Health, Human Interest, Learning, Science | No Comments »
Posted by Ted Hopton on June 4, 2008
You know, I have not even had time to read this article because I have to rush out to the liquor store to buy some wine 
Red wine may be much more potent than was thought in extending human lifespan, researchers say in a new report that is likely to give impetus to the rapidly growing search for longevity drugs.
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Posted in Food, Health, Research, Science | No Comments »
Posted by Ted Hopton on May 31, 2008
I got my first detailed, in-depth look at the problems of the industrial farming complex when I read Michael Pollan’s eye-opening book, The Omnivore’s Dilemma (which I highly recommend). This NYT editorial cites two reports, one by the Pew Charitable Trust and one by the Union of Concerned Scientists.
As new reports make it clear, the efficiency of industrial animal production is an illusion, made possible by prisonlike confinement systems.
Not only is the efficiency an illusion, it’s actually a disaster all around. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Animals, Economics, Environment, Ethics, Food, Health, Human Interest, Politics, Research | No Comments »
Posted by Ted Hopton on May 27, 2008
Mindfulness meditation has become perhaps the most popular new psychotherapy technique of the past decade.
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Posted in Health, Spirituality, Trends | No Comments »
Posted by Ted Hopton on May 25, 2008
It doesn’t always seem that my brain is working better the older I get (anecdotal evidence I’ve observed might even suggest the opposite at times . . .), but the NYT says it is: “Older Brain Really May Be a Wiser Brain.”
“If older people are taking in more information from a situation, and they’re then able to combine it with their comparatively greater store of general knowledge, they’re going to have a nice advantage.”
Nice to hear some good news, for a change, about aging brains.
“It may be that distractibility is not, in fact, a bad thing,” said Shelley H. Carson, a psychology researcher at Harvard whose work was cited in the book. “It may increase the amount of information available to the conscious mind.”
So, when things that once seemed to be simple to call to mind no longer are, it’s not Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Health, Human Interest, Research, Science | No Comments »
Posted by Ted Hopton on April 30, 2008
Yet another reminder that it’s best to get up off the couch and get moving!
People with chronic health problems can improve their health and quality of life by learning how to exercise safely.
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Posted in Health, Science, Sports | No Comments »
Posted by Ted Hopton on April 19, 2008
One of the most fascinating talks at the TED conference so far was given by Jill Bolte Taylor, a neuroanatomist, who gave a riveting account of a stroke she experienced in 1996.
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Posted in Ethics, Health, Research, Science | No Comments »
Posted by Ted Hopton on April 19, 2008
Blogging can help you feel less isolated, more connected to a community and more satisfied with your friendships, both online and face-to-face, new research has found.
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Posted in Blogs, Health | No Comments »
