Drink down!

Back in 1731
(Painting by William Hogarth)

Whereas “Drink up!” used to be a common catchphrase among barroom buddies, “Drink down!” might be more indicative of current American trends.

Gallup recently reported that “only 54% of U.S. adults” are consuming alcohol, the lowest percentage of such that Gallup has ever noted.  Young adults have particularly cut down on alcohol, whereas marijuana consumption has remained largely stable within recent years.

Health warnings linking alcohol to “cancer and heart disease” may be somewhat responsible for this reduction.  “Johns Hopkins University emphasizes that no amount of alcohol consumption is safe, a message that seems to be resonating with the public.”

Resources

https://www.iheart.com/content/2026-08-20-fewer-americans-drinking-alcohol/

Junk in a Monkey's Trunk

Not fit for man or beast...
(Photo by Dietmar Rabich)

Humans aren’t the only ones to stuff the gut with junk food. When monkeys are within easy reach of sugary snacks, they grab onto them by hook or crook.

This can be witnessed firsthand at the fabled Rock of Gibraltar.  While tourists are busy gawking, resident monkeys are snatching a whole bunch of goodie bags. Karma being what it is, this often results in gorilla-sized tummy aches.

Monkeys and humans have both sought ways to offset these gut-wrenching effects. Whereas people generally pay for their over-the-counter remedies, monkeys have it a bit easier. They simply grab a handful of soil and chug it on down. This seems to buffer painful outcomes in ways akin to pharmaceutical antacids.

Or perhaps they could all learn to just say no...

Resources

https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/gibraltars-monkeys-clever-way-avoid-160552659.html

 

 

Six Ways to Skinday

 

Narcissus at the Spring
(Painting by Jan Roos)

“Skin, skin, skin, keeps the insides in…”  Yet youths who are more concerned with the outside than the inside are smothering their covering with toxic ingredients.

Northwestern Medicine reports that many “aged 7 to 18, are using an average of six different products daily [which] often contain ingredients that can lead to skin irritation and allergies…”  The mixing and matching of such potions not only yields health risks, but also financial ones.  These elixirs don’t come cheap, “averaging $168 per month, with some exceeding $500.”

Social media tends to emphasize outer rather than inner beauty, and teens are especially vulnerable to such propaganda.  Bankruptcy doesn’t stop at the bank - it can overrun emotional bulwarks and drown bright futures within a deluge of depression.

Resources

https://www.iheart.com/content/2025-06-10-tiktok-skincare-crazes-loved-by-teens-could-be-harmful/

Best of the Worst

 

(Public Domain)

If French fries are your thing, then your thing (along with the rest of you) might be in grave danger.

Routinely dousing your body with fats, sodium, calories and carcinogens is one way to hasten the inevitable.  Nevertheless, foodies are seeking ever more renditions of this guilty pleasure.

Gabby Romero of Delish.com was apparently bored one day, so he came up with a list of the yummiest French fries.  Checkers/Rally’s won the day, due to its “beer battered… savory, salty spice blend.”  This dubious distinction gave it the one-up as far as taste or tastelessness is concerned.

Resources

https://www.forbes.com/sites/alicegwalton/2017/06/14/the-unfortunate-health-risks-of-french-fries/

https://www.iheart.com/content/2025-06-11-best-fast-food-french-fries-for-2025-revealed/

Drunk without Drink

(Photo by Bernard Spragg)

According to many religions, life as we perceive it can be quite illusory. 

Case in point: Those who appear to be drunk may not have imbibed a single drop of alcohol.  They may instead suffer from a rare condition known as auto-brewery in which the body converts carbohydrates into ethanol.

This can occur when “microorganisms capable of fermenting alcohol outgrow normal gut flora.”  Probiotics plus a low-carb diet have been effective for restoring gut health.

Sometimes a rose is a rose is a rose, but sometimes it’s a horse of a different color.  Investigating before assuming can avoid mistaking manure for perfume.

Resources

https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/doctors-repeatedly-told-this-toronto-woman-she-was-drunk--but-she-never-had-a-sip-of-alcohol-what-is-auto-brewery-syndrome-194746438.html

It isn't what it isn't

 

Blausen.com staff (2014)

“It is what it is” is more often a sigh of resignation than it is a sign of Buddhist equanimity.  This is unfortunately the case when it comes to women’s health care.

Women, especially African-American women, tend to wait longer than men for emergency-room services.  They are often given psychological diagnoses for physical ailments such as endometriosis, fibromyalgia and cardiovascular disease.

Medical professionals might best take a cue from Michelangelo, who famously declared: “Every block of stone has a statue inside it and it is the task of the sculptor to discover it.”  Many female patients have a bodily malfunction and it is the task of the physician to discover it. 

Coming up with quick “it’s all in your head” conclusions may seem easier than whittling away at rote responses, but can ultimately be a lot less effective for all concerned.

Resources

https://news.yahoo.com/america-health-care-system-fails-100000151.html

What's in a name?

(Public Domain)

Sometimes an MMM-MMM-good name becomes MMM-MMM-NOT-so-good over time.  A rose must remain a rose no matter what, but corporations get to loom beyond where they’re planted.

So as Campbells began using their noodles to morph beyond soup, a name change was definitely in order. If you’ve ever munched on cheesy Goldfish or craved Pepperidge Farm sweets, you may now thank a Campbells executive.

Never mind that such snacks are usually not up to the nutritional value of soup.  Never mind that they usually overload the body with sugar, salt and chemicals.  It’s a brave new world when it comes to food conglomerates, and the name says it all.  Campbells is no longer just a meal, it is now a company with a capital C.

Resources

https://www.iheart.com/content/2024-09-11-campbell-soup-company-to-change-its-name/?mid=1349675&rid=98364581&sc=email&pname=newsletter&cid=NATIONAL&keyid=National%20iHeart%20Daily%20NewsTalk&campid=headline6_readmore

 

 

Double Trouble

 

(Public Domain)

The word “double” has long been associated with favorable outcomes.  Back in the day, the Wrigley Company ran commercials that featured attractive twins, along with the slogan “Double your pleasure, double your fun...”

And then there’s that age-old riddle: What’s the best way to double your money?  Fold it in half!

Nowadays, however, warnings have been issued regarding folded dollar bills.  It turns out that drug dealers sometimes stash toxic powders within these folds.  When people, thinking it’s their lucky day, come upon such bills in yards or on sidewalks, they tend to snatch them up.  Poisoning can then occur because drugs such as Fentanyl can seep through the skin.

Exchanging health for wealth more often doubles down on pain and debt than on pleasure and fun. Chew on that before stooping to the “Almighty Dollar.”

Resources

https://www.iheart.com/content/2024-05-10-police-warn-not-to-pick-up-folded-dollar-bills-you-might-find-in-your-yard/?mid=1282886&rid=98364581&sc=email&pname=newsletter&cid=NATIONAL&keyid=National%20iHeart%20Daily%20NewsTalk&campid=headline2_readmore

Eensy Weensy Obelisks

Lincoln's Tomb
(Photo by Joseph Isaac Carroll)

What do Ludwig van Beethoven and Abraham Lincoln have in common?  That’s easy – they both have obelisk tombstones.

Chances are that they even had obelisks while still alive: tiny critters that inhabited their digestive tracts.  As Beethoven was hammering his Fifth and Lincoln was addressing Gettysburg, these rod-shaped viroids were busily transmitting bio-bits.

According to University of Bath Professor Ed Feil, a viroid is “one step down from a virus… just a scrap of genetic RNA that can’t make proteins,” but can wreak havoc in flowering plants. 

Can they also wreak havoc in humans?  That remains to be seen.  Yet these bodily invaders seem to have left Beethoven and Lincoln with most of their extraordinary faculties intact.

Resources

https://news.yahoo.com/lifestyle/obelisk-lifeform-hiding-inside-humans-130000899.html

Wrinkled Roots

Dance of Life
(Public Domain)

We tend to associate aging with such things as wrinkles and sags.  Yet we often confuse outward symptoms with inward causes. 

The tip of the iceberg is merely a signal that something lethal is looming.  Getting at the root of such pointers could not only prolong life considerably, but also lead to a happier longevity.

The “dozen hallmarks of aging that appear capable of nudging life span – and likely health span” have names which read like alphabet soup.  From “dysbiosis” to “disabled macroautophagy,” the list appears daunting to an untrained eye.  These tongue-twister demons interfere with healthy bodily processes such as DNA stability and cellular metabolism.

Correctly identifying microscopic villains is a great first step.  Scientists have already discovered certain ways to combat their insidious effects.  “Drugs called senolytics” have been used to induce suicide within troublesome cells.  Trial runs have suggested that senolytics can improve the eyesight of patients with “diabetic macular edema.”

Resources

https://www.sciencenews.org/article/aging-geroscience-health-span-drugs 

Munch a Bunch of Seaweed

Dulse
Photo by tiny.ian

Farming can be hard work.  Why bother to sow when you can simply reap Neptune’s bounty?

Forget fish, crabs, shrimp, lobsters and the like.  There’s a quick and renewable resource within easier reach, and that delicacy is seaweed.

Having once been a routine part of European diets, this “healthy and sustainable source of protein” remains a staple within “some Asian countries.”  No need to freeze those leftovers - for centuries they’ve been used for “fuel, fertilizer, or to feed livestock.”

Don’t like your seaweed wet and sloppy?  Try munching on some crisp dulse or crinkly nori.  Just steer clear of rotting algae and so-called “stinging seaweed” (the latter of which is actually composed of bacteria). 

Resources

https://news.yahoo.com/back-menu-europeans-once-ate-163149549.html

Shock and Awful

Fair Use

A recent college graduate expressed “shock” regarding the intensity of her first 9-to-5 job.  She lamented that it left little time for “sunlight, exercise, adequate sleep, healthy eating, and forming connections with other people.”

Some who’ve endured decades of commuting to full-time work sites might curtly respond, “Welcome to the real world!”  Yet some might also ask, “Must worldly reality be that way?”  Human biology seems designed for a lifestyle that includes plenty of outdoor activity, rest, friendships and physical nourishment.

Sitting in a vehicle and then at a desk for hours on end precludes much of that.  With just enough breaks for fast-food gulps and bathroom relief, this type of grind seems just what the doctor didn’t order. 

Some are calling upon Gen Z to pave the way toward a more healthful work-life balance.  Others are currently requesting “the option of remote work.”  This quote by Dolly Parton (who famously parodied the 9-to-5 regimen) speaks to all that and more:  “Don’t get so busy making a living that you forget to make a life.”

Resources

https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/college-graduate-just-started-her-185249035.html

Heat wave: Sleeping through it

Ahhh...  Relief at last!
Photo by Martin At-Amant

Although many people would probably love to sleep through an entire heat wave, that's generally not possible.  However, there are a number of helpful ways to sleep peacefully through at least some of it.

MSN Healthy Living reported on some of these ways.  First off, drinking cold water shortly before bedtime can lower your core temperature.  Just don't drink so much of it that you'll be waking up for other reasons.  

Water can also cool you down via a bedtime bath or shower.  Yet if the bathroom abuts the bedroom, overall humidity can surely increase.  Cold socks is another - er, innovative - idea.  Simply pop your (hopefully clean) socks in the fridge a few hours beforehand, and voila!  Cold feet will ensue (caution: don't try this on your honeymoon).

Ready for more?  Try sleeping low to the floor where the air is cooler.  Better yet: String up a hammock in the basement.  Your sweat glands will thank you for the break in their overheated routine.

Just a few suggestions to help get you through those sweltering nights...  If all else fails, try visualizing glaciers.

Resources

http://healthyliving.msn.com/health-wellness/sleep/6-ways-to-sleep-when-its-super-hot#1

Ice cream and religion: A dynamic tension

Photo by Nicolas Ettlin

Although ice cream and religion may appear unrelated, their paths have actually crossed in numerous ways.  These intersections have run the gamut from oppositional to strange bedfellows.

Most people associate Quakers with oatmeal.  Seems like a wholesome combination.  However, the "Quaker Man" on the box was never associated with the Society of Friends.  He was strictly a "Madison Avenue" ploy.

Yet the real Quakers, as well as the real Madisons, have indeed been associated with ice cream.  Dolley Madison, who was raised a Quaker, served ice cream at her husband James Madison's Inaugural Ball.  It is thought that the recipe for ice cream was brought to America by Quakers who enjoyed it back in Europe.  Other stories allege that Dolley discovered ice cream at a Wilmington, Delaware shop, and that it was invented by a former slave named "Aunt" Sallie Shadd.

By 1874, ice cream had met its match: soda.  At least three people claimed credit for the invention of this fizzy wonder.  There was only one problem.  Soda, having been marketed as a miracle cure, was considered to be a substance that needed oversight and control.  By 1890, blue laws were banning its use on Sundays.  Soda shops were therefore up the creek without a straw.

A Unitarian Church minister assisted with a solution to this dilemma.  One fair 1892 Sunday, Reverend John M. Scott and Chester Platt (an Ithaca, New York pharmacy co-owner) created the very first paper-documented ice cream sundae.  They cleverly substituted syrup for soda, thus bypassing the blue laws.  Platt's first newspaper ad called the dish "Cherry Sunday" in honor of the day it was created.  He also advertised "Strawberry Sundays" and "Chocolate Sundays."  When Sabbath adherents objected to the name "Sunday," the y was later changed to an e.

If this seems like a rather unholy alliance, consider today's ambiance.  Ice cream socials have become somewhat commonplace within church circles.  They often double as fundraisers.  Kosher ice cream is also very much in vogue.

As for oats - they too have survived the harsh tests of time and tradition.  Horses love them.

Resources

https://www.thedailybeast.com/an-investigation-into-the-delicious-origins-of-ice-cream

https://www.icecreamsundae.com/

Bagels, Lox and Penicillin

WW II Poster
Public Domain

Leave bagels and lox hanging around long enough, and penicillin might join that party.  Just what did it take to transform a moldy snack into a life-saving drug?

It took the partnering of Sir Ernst Boris Chain, a Nazi survivor, who was instrumental in discovering "penicillin's therapeutic action and its chemical composition."  He, Howard Florey and Sir Alexander Fleming all received the 1945 Nobel Prize for their history-making contributions.  Chain, a devoted Jew, was especially proud of penicillin's ability to save World War II soldiers who had fought so valiantly against the Nazi regime.

"The Little Rabbi" (aka Jonas Salk) felt that, given their longstanding tragic history, "Jews knew better than anyone else about the meaning of pain."  He was therefore highly motivated to ease humanity's suffering in some way.  Salk's development of the polio vaccine ended up reversing a trend that "had killed or disabled at least a million Americans, including a president of the United States."  He, too, became an international hero.

Those who prefer prevention to cure might rely upon Vitamin C to offset the need for penicillin-type measures.  History often neglects to include the Jewish piece of this puzzle.  Although Linus Pauling won the Nobel Prize for his work on the healing effects of Vitamin C, it was Tadeus Reichstein, a Jewish endocrinologist, who first synthesized ascorbic acid in 1933.

If all this isn't impressive enough, Selman Abraham Waksman went on to discover "the wonder drug" that superseded even penicillin.  He coined a new term for it ("antibiotic," sound familiar?) because it so effectively destroyed living microorganisms.  The drug, streptomycin, is estimated to have "saved many more lives since its discovery than were lost in all of the Napoleonic Wars."  Could be why this Jewish doctor won a Nobel Price, an Order of Merit of The Rising Sun, plus induction into the French Legion of Honor...

Resources

The abovementioned information was generally obtained from The Complete Idiot's Guide to Jewish History and Culture, a book by Rabbi Benjamin Blech.  Rabbi Blech, an internationally-acclaimed writer and speaker on Jewish topics, is one of the first rabbis in history to have conferred a blessing upon a pope (John Paul II at the Vatican in 2005).  

Tea for You

 

Oolong Leaves   (Photo by lateasquirrel)

Tea for two can be nice, but drink up even when nobody else is around.

Scientists are hailing the health benefits of “green, black, white and oolong” teas, all of which contain flavonoids.  These antioxidants can boost the immune system, and might even help to protect against cancer and heart disease.

It’s best not to load up your tea with cream and sugar.  Health is far sweeter than such additives.

Resources

https://news.yahoo.com/drinking-beverage-may-cut-risk-171439359.html

Trust your gut, even when wrenched

Scene from 'Gaslight'   (Public Domain)

Medical gaslighting occurs when a health provider is dismissive of a patient’s gut-wrenching symptoms. 

Rather than delving into root causes, the provider resorts to simplistic explanations such as “stress” or “hormones.”  This can be especially prevalent with female and minority patients.

Clients should therefore be proactive when seeking relief.  They can research alternatives while keeping careful track of symptoms.  Second opinions are often in order.  Physicians who are willing to seriously consider patient input can be most helpful. 

Resources

https://news.yahoo.com/maybe-stress-maybe-medical-gaslighting-144723329.html

Copyright April 23, 2022 by Linda Van Slyke   All Rights Reserved

Mutational Signatures

DNA Double Helix   (Image by Zephyris)

Fingerprinting has long been used to discover criminal identities. 

Because cancer can kill innocent victims, DNA “fingerprinting” is now in the works.  Scientists have studied the genetics of 12,000 malignant tumors in order to determine their “mutational signatures.” 

By matching such signatures with specific preventives and treatments, doctors may eventually be able to arrest cancer itself.

Resources

https://news.yahoo.com/dna-study-human-cancers-new-causes-110356799.html

Copyright April 22, 2022 by Linda Van Slyke   All Rights Reserved

Walk Faster, Age Slower

Race Walkers in 1987   (Photo by Rayzwocker) 

A leisurely stroll might feel relaxing, but a brisk walk might help you live longer.

It’s got to do with the length of the telomeres.  Telomeres are protective DNA regions that are located on the end of chromosomes.  Longer telomeres have been associated with longer lives.

So do not go gentle into that good night.  Walk briskly away from the dying of the light.

Resources

https://news.yahoo.com/taking-brisk-walk-may-slow-152405052.html

Copyright April 21, 2022 by Linda Van Slyke   All Rights Reserved

Too much of a good thing could be a bad thing

Noon Nap   (by Vincent van Gogh)

When you’re thirsty, water’s the greatest.  Yet try telling that to someone whose basement is flooding.

Sleep seems so innocent a pastime, but too much of it can create problems.  Researchers are saying that sleep overkill can actually kill.  It can lead to “elevated levels of C-reactive protein,” which is “associated with heart disease.”

So how much is too much?  As is often the case with daily activities, optimum amounts vary from person to person.  The “sweet spot,” however, seems to be approximately “six to seven hours” per night.

If you’re tired during the day, you might not be getting enough sleep.  But if it takes you a long time to fall asleep each night, you might be getting way too much.

Resources

https://news.yahoo.com/too-much-sleep-may-risky-162100607.html