respublica

Chocolate what doesn't it do?

The first real study of chocolate looking at the benefits and harms of chocolate found that not only does eating chocolate help the heart, blood pressure and glucose levels, but that those who regularly ate chocolate are thinner than those who do not.

Hurray for chocolate. Put those chocolate machines back in our school cafeterias.

If you pooh poohed the idea of death panels...

...in the Health Care Bill, well the attitude of many people over Dick Cheney's heart transplant should disprove that opinion.

No sooner was the news of the former VP's transplant made public than the "he's too old and he should not have been allowed a new heart" opinions started. He's 71. Folks 71 is not that old anymore when so many live into late 80's and 90's. Remember all the outrage over Sarah Palin and others worrying over death panels?  We won't have to worry about gramma, she'll be taken care of, anyone who says age will be a factor in treatment is just plain wrong.

Well, it seems there is a large number of people out there believing it's a good thing to refuse treatment of some people because of age.

Worry over nothing? I don't think so.

Make a donation

14 Concordia Seminary students and staff will be having their heads shaved tonight at 6 in the fieldhouse in order to raise funds for the St. Baldrick's Foundation, an organization working to find cures for childhood cancer.

Dale is one of those having his head shaved and he needs donations badly, he's way behind. If you'd like to help here is the link to donate.

Ferdie and I, along with Christian, Connor, Lizzie and Darren will be there tonight cheering him on, or moaning, as well as taking pictures. We'll update when the event is over.

What does this mean?

A formidable, incomprehensible paragraph from the Cornell University of Bio-Physics.  

We consider the influence of a terahertz field on the breathing dynamics of double-stranded DNA. We model the spontaneous formation of spatially localized openings of a damped and driven DNA chain, and find that linear instabilities lead to dynamic dimerization, while true local strand separations require a threshold amplitude mechanism. Based on our results we argue that a specific terahertz radiation exposure may significantly affect the natural dynamics of DNA, and thereby influence intricate molecular processes involved in gene expression and DNA replication.

In a nutshell what this means is:

Do not use airport Terahertz full body scanners, they mess with your DNA.

A medical story worth taking a good look at

I'm serious, as one of the commenters to this story said, "The prohibition of Earth's most potentially beneficial plant species is a crime against humanity. This heartbreaking anecdote is just one example. "

My mother suffered through the same cancer as the woman in the story, I wish this story had been written two years ago.  If we'd had the nerve to go looking for pot, we'd have tried anything to ease the pain.  Or maybe not.  

It's hard.

Spice up that diet

From CNN Health, 10 spices which aid in weight loss.

These common spices can raise metabolism, boost energy, aid digestion, remove toxins.  And they're all available and good tasting.  

Cinnamon, Ginger, Cayenne Pepper, Cumin, Mustard, Tumeric, Dandelions (ha), Black Pepper, Ginsing, Cardamon.  

Sounds like dinner.  

Red wine continues to amaze

Scientists now believe that drinking red wine will help prevent sunburn.

What can't red wine do?

 

Just asking

Do we really have to go to the dentist twice a year?

 

America's best hospitals

According to US News and World Report Barnes Jewish Hospital in St. Louis is not only the best in the St. Louis metro area, but one of the top 14 hospitals in the country, ranked at number 8.

The list of how local metro hospitals ranked.  Interestingly, Anderson Hospital in Maryville comes in ahead of Barnes Jewish of West County. 

Here comes the science

In Japan, worries over radiation in food have brought out the pocket calculator scientists.

Radioactive milk is only a danger after drinking 58,000 glasses.  That translates into 160 years of one 8 ounce glass of milk a day. And then there is only a 4% chance of cancer. 

Do you think this is a relief to those affected in Japan?

Oh, and, other scientists believe that drinking red wine can protect you from radiation exposure.  Wine.  What can't it do?