Not just the infection, but antibiotics are the nuclear weapons of medicine. Remember how obese kids weren’t the norm? It’s easy to point at inactivity and blame that, but what if they’re never getting a chance to grow healthy guts? Look where the obesity problem is at it’s worst: the US, and anywhere else where the staples are cheap US foods. Even Canada isn’t as bad as the US. It’s easy and tempting to blame restaurant portions, but a large part of that could be placing blame on the wrong industry. Antibiotic use is rampant in the US food system.
What we feed our guts plays a factor in maintaining balance, but it’s not helped when we kill off everything. And the “probiotic” courses we have now are essentially “what thrives on dairy products and sugar¹” and not anything based on any understanding of healthy gut flora.
And I admit to some personal bias in wanting this to be true: being able to shut down some of those who insist that fat people are just lazy with no self-control. You’ll still find people who blame us for not feeding our guts right, but at least we won’t be expected to outright starve.
¹This this could also help explain some of the rise in type II diabetes, because we’ve packed our guts full of sugar-eating microbes that encourage us to eat more sugar. It’s a fascinating realm of research that has the potential to be much ado about nothing or change absolutely everything.
Excellent point. That and a higher amount of sugar are the two major differences between US and Canadian processed food. Since of the dinner rolls in the States taste like dessert food to me because I’m not used to the sugar.
And I admit to some personal bias in wanting this to be true: being able to shut down some of those who insist that fat people are just lazy with no self-control.
Lazy = tired and ill – something acceptable for nearly any other kind of physical symptom.
No self-control = not eating like an ascetic. If it’s okay for thin people to eat a lot so long as they don’t get fat (and where exactly is the line between fat and thin?), then it ought to be okay for fat people. So-called gluttony isn’t really the issue though.
Turn VPN on, view from Montreal, that works. 44 minute video.
Well, at least it’s an interesting one. I’d heard bits about it before, but not put together like that. The scientists experimenting on themselves was interesting. That’s how ulcers actually became understood, instead of just being considered the curses of the demons of stress. (Of course, the treatment for them is antibiotics. )
They briefly touched on the bacteria directly affecting the brain via the vagus nerve, and neurotransmitters (some produced by the bacteria) being involved. I’d be curious how they’re researching that and what comes out of it. It’s known that serotonin has a very significant effect on our psychological health, and also that most of our serotonin is in the gut, but IIRC it’s believed that they’re separated and don’t really affect each other. I’m not so sure, and I think there may be more than that there. It’ll be interesting to see what the next generation discovers.
My one about that video was that they first go to some lengths to say that diet doesn’t affect things, then say it’s because of the microbes, not the diet, then say that the way to change the microbes is via diet. I get what they’re saying but I think they’re missing a bit in not tying off those two positions.
The Nature of Things has been a TV show since forever (well, 1960) and hosted by Suzuki since '79. You can make right-wingers eyes twitch by even mentioning David Suzuki. He’s a Canadian institution. The show was meant to make science accessible. It was kind of the Canadian answer to Cosmos, with a heavy focus on environmentalism, thanks in large part to Suzuki. So the length and format are very much the hour-long show, because that’s what it’s always been.
Here’s an update on my hand surgery and the aftermath for those interested in organ recitals (mainly those over say 50).
I still have a small bump on my hand, but it’s healed and not the least bit painful (except it gets a little irritated when I put my hand in my pocket because it gets a lot of friction). The biopsy showed it was a granuloma, probably caused by a dissolving suture (they can take weeks or months to dissolve). A granuloma is just benign inflammation—the body’s way of putting a wall around something foreign. So I imagine both will go away eventually.
“No GPS data is shared with JUUL. The GPS location data used for the device locator feature is only contained on a customer’s smartphone,” the spokesperson told Gizmodo in a statement by email. The company declined to comment further on its “product roadmap” or future features.
Is a smartphone GPS even able to be precise enough to tell me if my binky is in the couch, the kitchen or upstairs? On the other hand, this enormous horse IS a lovely thing, and you’ve brought it all this way…so
I would rather call it not being aware of what’s going on, and/or not wanting to acknowledge what we do know on some level. It takes a lot of work and courage to face reality. Calling such things “lies” is not helpful IMO.
Trying to figure out if an olive oil allergy might be causing my current migraine.
There are an awful lot of sites suggesting olive oil, coconut oil, avacado oil, etc. as healthy oils. Because they are anti-inflammatory. And can’t possibly trigger allergies or migraines. Because they are anti-inflammatory. Except that it’s entirely possible to be allergic to these anti-inflammatory hellpoisons, because I know I am allergic to avacados. And mint. And gum arabic. And have good reason to suspect an allergy to nsaids.
Whatever the food, or drug, it’s likely someone’s allergic to it.
)
about that video was that they first go to some lengths to say that diet doesn’t affect things, then say it’s because of the microbes, not the diet, then say that the way to change the microbes is via diet. I get what they’re saying but I think they’re missing a bit in not tying off those two positions.