Ultimately, it is the consumer who will pay the greatest price if the federal government continues to prevent the local food movement from expanding.
Archive for the 'Health' Category
My Forbidden Fruits (and Vegetables)
Posted by Ted Hopton on April 19, 2008
Posted in Economics, Environment, Health, Politics | No Comments »
Practicing Patients
Posted by Ted Hopton on April 19, 2008
PatientsLikeMe, an Internet start-up, creates information-rich communities for the chronically ill. Is it the next step forward in medical science — or just a MySpace for the afflicted?
Posted in Health, Networking, Science, Technology, Web 2.0 | No Comments »
Yes, Running Can Make You High
Posted by Ted Hopton on April 19, 2008
Maybe I need to re-consider running as an exercise option. Just wish it were not so hard on my knees.
That blissful mood after an intense workout is no coincidence, a study shows.
Posted in Health, Research, Science | No Comments »
Blogging Is Just My Hobby
Posted by Ted Hopton on April 6, 2008
The headline pretty much says it all, “In Web World of 24/7 Stress, Writers Blog Till They Drop,” as the quite young profession of blogging has lately experienced high-profile and early deaths. The bloggers themselves were not so young, but they were not so old, either.
Many professional bloggers are essentially piece-workers, getting paid by the post. And speed is the key to success, since the first blogger who breaks a story gets the glory. Miss out on being first, even if it’s the middle of the night, and the rewards are much smaller. It’s a high-pressure profession, and now professional bloggers are asking whether Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Blogs, Career, Health, Human Interest, Media, Web 2.0 | Tagged: blogging, Blogs, Health, mortality, stress | No Comments »
Neuroscience and Willpower
Posted by Ted Hopton on April 6, 2008
I highly recommend this article, “Tighten Your Belt, Strengthen Your Mind.” It really got me thinking, since I struggle with willpower issues daily and it offers new insight on the subject. (For more, see also, “How to Boost Your Willpower,” in the NYT Health blog.)
The brain has a limited capacity for self-regulation, so exerting willpower in one area often leads to backsliding in others.
Ah, that could explain quite a few things!
The brain’s store of willpower is depleted when people control their thoughts, feelings or impulses, or when they modify their behavior in pursuit of goals. Psychologist Roy Baumeister and others have found that people who successfully accomplish one task requiring self-control are less persistent on a second, seemingly unrelated task.
The starting point for the article is that as the economy tanks and people have to cut back on spending, they may gain weight at the same time, Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Health, Human Interest, Research, Science | Tagged: budget, habits, neuroscience, Research, Science, weight, willpower | 2 Comments »
Lasik Fear Factor
Posted by Ted Hopton on March 17, 2008
I’ve needed glasses since about second grade, and in fifth grade I finally gave in and started wearing them all the time. Seeing things clearly trumped vanity. But as soon as I got old enough to get a job and earn the money to pay for a set of contact lenses, I did so.
Ever since, I have gone back and forth between contact lenses and wearing glasses. Neither is a great solution, especially now that my eyes are betraying me when it comes to reading. That means my contact lenses that correct my near-sightedness make it hard for me to read a restaurant menu. So far I have refused to pack a pair of reading glasses to put on as a second pair of corrective lenses when I wear my contacts. It’s just too much, but I don’t know how long I can keep guessing about what I am ordering to eat.
So, Lasik surgery has long intrigued me as a way to literally cut these issues out of my life. I would love to wake up in the morning and see the world clearly (and not realize that I have left my contacts in overnight by mistake). But I’m rather risk-averse when it comes to my health. I have this fear that Lasik has not been around long enough for us to truly know what the long-term effects of the surgey might be.
But more people I know have gotten it, and my fear has been feeling more paranoid than realistic. Why not go ahead and do this, I’m thinking, and enjoy the great change it would make in my life?
Then I read this article by Abby Ellin in the NYT, and my fear re-doubled its strength: “Lasik Surgery: When the Fine Print Applies to You.” Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Health | Tagged: contacts, corrective lenses, glasses, Health, Lasik, Science, side-effects, vision | 2 Comments »
Weights and Pushups
Posted by Ted Hopton on March 16, 2008
I haven’t blogged as much recently, but I have been noting articles of interest on a daily basis, flagging them for future posts. As I looked over those news items this morning, I found several related to physical fitness, a subject that interests me.
When the weather is cold, it’s hard for me to get motivated to exercise, since my preferred venue for exercise is the outdoors. I know that’s a weak excuse (and I have plenty of indoor exercises I could do), but I am literally a fair-weather exerciser for the most part. Now, as the temperatures creep above 50 degrees farenheit, I am ready to get back into an exercise routine. And my waistline says it is about time!
So, here are some interesting findings about exercise. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Health, Sports | Tagged: fitness, Health, push-ups, Sports, weight-lifting | No Comments »
Costa Rica Journal: Freaky Fireflies
Posted by Ted Hopton on February 29, 2008
On our first night in La Danta Salvaje, the rain forest preserve in Costa Rica, we were fascinated by the exotic fireflies that came by our outdoor kitchen/dining area as we relaxed sipping hot chocolate and rum after a wonderful meal. At first, they seemed to be ordinary fireflies such as we encounter in North America — nothing much remark upon, except that they seemed to be rather larger.
But when one landed on the table, I was startled to see two glowing “eyes” on the top of it — never saw anything like that when I was growing up in New Jersey! The little bug flew off before I could catch it, and as I watched it flitting around, it was eerie to see those tiny glowing eyes zig-zagging through the dark. Sometimes the abdomen would glow, too, like a regular firefly but brighter, and sometimes just the pair of eyes would be circling about.
Here’s a video that lets you see what these glowing click beetles look like when they fly about at night.
David, our host and guide, took a log from the fire and stood at the edge of the railing waving it so the embers glowed and sent off orange sparks in the night. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Costa Rica, Health, Science, Travel | Tagged: Outdoors, Costa Rica, rain forest, mosquitos, insects, La Danta Salvaje, preserve, bioluminescence | No Comments »
Good Thing I Kicked Diet Coke
Posted by Ted Hopton on February 23, 2008
I’m thinking it’s a good thing I kicked my fixation on drinking Caffeine-Free Diet Coke. I used to drink at least one can of it a day, in part just for something to break up the afternoon while I worked. Then I bought a mini coffee maker and started making decaf coffee, instead, and my consumption of diet soda dropped way down. I hardly ever have it anymore.
So, the news widely reported about diet sodas significantly increasing one’s health risks was disturbing, but at least I’ve already taken steps to avoid it: “Symptoms: Metabolic Syndrome Is Tied to Diet Soda.”
Researchers have found a correlation between drinking diet soda and metabolic syndrome — the collection of risk factors for cardiovascular disease and diabetes that include abdominal obesity, high cholesterol and blood glucose levels, and elevated blood pressure.
Not a good thing, for sure. And by “significant” increase in risk, we’re not talking scientific mumbo-jumbo, but big numbers that anyone can grasp: Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Health, Research, Science | Tagged: diet soda, Health, metabolic syndrome, Research, Science | No Comments »
Migraine Misery
Posted by Ted Hopton on February 17, 2008
I’ve had encounters with migraine headaches, but luckily for me, only very rarely. Members of my family have suffered much more often with migraines, and I can tell you it’s an awfully helpless and frustrating feeling when you see your child curled up in so much pain.
So I’ve had experience with these wicked headaches, and I’ve researched them extensively, both on my own and via the doctors I’ve taken my daughter to for treatment. It is, truly, a mysterious ailment that is far from well understood. Folk remedies abound, in part I’m sure from the desperation of migraine sufferers to find relief, and in part because the causes of migraines can be so incredibly varied, and vastly different for different people.
Reading the NYT blog, “Migraine - Perspectives on a Headache,” entry titled “Arms at Rest” brought back many memories about encounters with migraines. Here’s how the post begins:
I am a migraineur. I use the noun with care, because after a lifetime of headaches, I have come to think of migraines as a part of me, not as some force or plague that infects my body. Chronic headaches are my fate, and I have adopted a position of philosophical resignation.
If you or someone you know suffers from migraines, Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Blogs, Health | Tagged: Blogs, headaches, Health, migraine | 2 Comments »
