Archive for July, 2005
Well, another week is past. One less week of summer here in the Continental US, one less week of Winter for our Aussie friends, and we hope all our readers, wherever they are, are healthier and happier than they were a week ago!
If there is one news item we’re most proud of in the last week, it would certainly be the official opening of our new Apnea Forums, which were in beta for the last 2 months. These forums are special because in addition to offering news and discussion, they also offer user journals. If you suffer Apnea, please come join us. If you know anyone who suffers Apnea, please tell them to come on over…
An interesting side-note. From now on you may notice that certain brand names may appear slightly misspelled on HHDC. We have had a problem with the search engines skewing our results for certain terms. After we last wrote on a c0ke product, we started getting all kinds of Google hits for things like “Nostalgic c0ca-c0la merchandise”, “C0ca-c0la antiques”, etc. Obviously we want to avoid that in the future. Ergo, the deliberate l33t-sp34k. Thanks for your understanding.
Have a great weekend!
-The Eds
July 29th, 2005
The C0ca-C0la corporation is currently developing a diet drink (which they may or may not end up marketing) designed to actually burn 50-100 calories per serving. This would be achieved through thermogenesis, which has been discussed here before.
…how effective is thermogenic fat burning? Thermogenic weight loss is the theory that consuming certain herbs like cayenne pepper, green tea, ephedra, ma huang, et cetera, or chemicals such as Caffeine will temporarily raise your rate of metabolism (thereby burning more calories) and additionally reduce the sensation of hunger. Results are mixed on this, but certainly avoid products containing potentially dangerous ingredients such as ephedra or ma huang.
The new carbonated, caffeinated green tea product is currently going by the name Enviga, though the name may change before going to market. If the product never makes it to market, the name may be changed to Enviga Mortis.
July 29th, 2005
… but so far, only in dead cows. Below see photos showing the lens of a previously-dead calf ’s eye which was subjected to twelve days of microwave radiation for a total exposure of 192 cycles (1.1GHz, 2.22mW). Each cycle lasted 50 minutes and was followed by a 10 minute pause.
The upper-right image is the control. The other images show bubbles formed within the lens.
For more on the Cell-Phone Eye study, read on at the following sites:
Isracast
Roland Piquepaille’s Technology Trends
Engadget
July 29th, 2005
The U.S. Center For Disease Control has put up a page tackling current Urban Legends/Folklore/Mythology [Snopes.com] concerning health issues [cdc.gov].
The among the currently featured hoaxes are:
- report of dioxin carcinogens in plastic bottles and plastic wrap
-
people getting stuck by needles in phone booth coin returns, movie theater seats, gas pump handles, and other places
- Contamination of Commercial Ice Machines
- Report Concerning Tainted C0la S0da Products
- Poisonous Perfume Samples in the Mail
- Tampons and Asbestos, Dioxin
July 27th, 2005
According to Kasia Dawidowska of Prevention magazine, the big three no-nos of taking over-the-counter drugs are:
- Mixing OTC and Rx Drugs
- Taking Too Much Pain Reliever
- Not Knowing Side Effects
For an explanation of why and how to avoid these mistakes, RTFA here.
July 27th, 2005
Over at MedGadget, they have another report on the breakneck-paced evolving story of Nanite development.
It seems researchers at SUNY Buffalo have developed a way to have Nanites insert specific genes into neurons in the brains of living mice.
Impressive, even if a bit creepy. It is hoped that this reseach will lead to the eventual ability to repair human brain cells damaged by disease, trauma or stroke.
Press release.
July 26th, 2005
After two months in beta, Health-Hack.com is proud to announce the official opening of The HHDC Apnea community forums, a place for those with Obstructive Sleep Apnea to journal and share information.
The Forums as of now include:
- Site News (Check here for an intro to the forums and updates on the status and plans for the site as a whole.)
- OSA in the news (News articles that relate to Obstructive Sleep Apnea can be shared and discussed here.)
- Surgical Treatments (Discuss surgical approaches for treatment of OSA.)
- CPAPs, BiPAPs and related paraphenalia (Discuss the ins and outs of using and caring for “sleep masks”)
- User Journals (A place where you are invited to share your thoughts, feelings and experiences pertaining to your Apnea.)
July 26th, 2005
By now, you may have heard of Steve Vaught- the Fat Man Walking. Steve is an ordinary, albeit obese 39 year old man who has chosen to take destiny into his own hands- as we all do when we diet, exercise or take steps to improve our health -but in a spectacular way.
Steve Vaught is currently walking from San Diego, CA to New York City. That’s over 3,000 miles. He is doing this not only to shed pounds, but also to shed light on the problem that obeisity has become.
Judging from his “before” photos, he seems to have started off somewhere between the mid 300-low 400 Lbs range. His progress is being contantly updated on his website, www.thefatmanwalking.com. Stop in and wish him well!
Hat tip to BoingBoing.
July 25th, 2005
Thoracic Outlet Syndrome is a disorder caused by compression between the collarbone and the first rib. In this space there are a variety of tissues including muscle, nerves and blood vessels. Accordingly, the symptoms may vary depending on what becomes compressed.
According to the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons web site:
If the shoulder muscles in your chest are not strong enough to hold the collarbone in place, it can slip down and forward, putting pressure on the nerves and blood vessels that lie under it… Pressure on the blood vessels can reduce the flow of blood to your arms and hands, making them feel cool and tire easily. Pressure on the nerves can leave you with a vague, aching pain in your neck, shoulder, arm or hand. Overhead activities are particularly difficult.
There are a variety of causes for Thoracic Outlet Syndrome (or TOS, as it is known for short) including injury (Repetitive Strain or otherwise), disease or birth defect. Poor posture and obeisity can aggravate the condition.
The South African Tribune’s Sunday magazine offers an autobiographical account of Jani Meyer’s experience with Thoracic Outlet Syndrome.
July 25th, 2005
We’ve had quite a bit of Diet coverage as of late, but we would be remiss if we didn’t offer a link to the Twelve Black Code Monkeys article that takes on criticisms of the PaleoDiet .
These original criticisms were put forth in the (mostly favorable) Creighton University Medical School article referenced here on HHDC last friday. Levi Wallach has offered a response that seems at least as in depth as the critique itself. He makes many telling points, as he always does.
Check it out for some provocative talking points in the ongoing Battle of the Carbohydrates.
July 25th, 2005
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