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Published on Leave a comment on Paddling In Schools Still Continues Today
Wooden spanking paddle Credit: Wikipedia

It is surprising that even now 15 states in the US allow corporal punishment (e.g., "paddling") as a form of discipline in schools. For even such minor offenses as being late or not having homework done. Yikes!

Paddling means hitting a child with a long wooden paddle. Mississippi is the number one state in the frequency of hitting (corporal punishment) children in schools - more than 3800 incidents of corporal punishment were reported in 2022-2023. Boys and black children are hit more than others.

So... these states think that hitting or beating a child by a person in authority is the way to "teach" them how to behave? Violence and aggression as a teaching tool? It's no surprise that studies find all sorts of negative outcomes from corporal punishment of children.

Excerpts from Washington Post: In over 15 states, schools can still paddle students as punishment

More than 15 states, mainly in the South, allow paddling or other physical discipline in schools. Among them, Mississippi has long topped the list, relying on the practice more than any other, according to federal data. Most schools in America — more than 90 percent — do not use corporal punishment.

...continue reading "Paddling In Schools Still Continues Today"

Published on Leave a comment on Drinking Soda and Fruit Drinks Daily Linked to Risk of Liver Cancer and Death From Chronic Liver Diseases

Once again research finds that drinking sugar sweetened soft drinks or fruit drinks (not juices) is unhealthy. This time a study found that drinking one or more such beverages daily was linked to a higher rate of liver cancer and death from chronic liver diseases, when compared to those drinking 3 or fewer such drinks per month.

This is an important finding because the majority of adults in the US consume one or more sweetened beverages daily! On the other hand, in this study drinking one or more artificially sweetened soda and drinks daily did not have an increased rate of liver cancer or death from chronic liver disease.

By the way, the researchers kept referring to the sweetener as sugar, but in reality the sweetener in (almost) all such beverages is high fructose corn syrup.

Excerpts from Science Daily: Women who consumed sugar sweetened beverage daily had higher risk of developing liver cancer and chronic liver disease

Approximately 65% of adults in the United States consume sugar sweetened beverages daily. Chronic liver disease is a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide and can result in liver cancer and liver disease-related mortality. ...continue reading "Drinking Soda and Fruit Drinks Daily Linked to Risk of Liver Cancer and Death From Chronic Liver Diseases"

Published on Leave a comment on Scientists Report That July Was the Hottest Month On Record

We knew it was hot in July. Record breaking hot. Europe's climate monitoring organization (Copernicus Climate Change Service) announced this week that July was the Earth's hottest month on record. By a wide margin.

The global average temperature for July was 62.51 degrees F (16.95 degrees C). The record for hottest month prior to this was July 2019. According to experts, July was the hottest month in about 120,000 years!

The global sea surface temperatures for July also broke historic records. The sea ice in the Antarctic broke the July record for below average sea ice. Do you see a pattern? Uh - oh. The world is really warming up...

According to a Climate Central report, more than 6.5 billion people  (or more than 81% of people on Earth) experienced hotter temperatures in July  than they would have without human-caused climate change.

Excerpts from World Meteorological Organization: July 2023 is set to be the hottest month on record

According to ERA5 data from the EU-funded Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S), the first three weeks of July have been the warmest three-week period on record and the month is on track to be the hottest July and the hottest month on record. These temperatures have been related to heatwaves in large parts of North America, Asia and Europe, which along with wildfires in countries including Canada and Greece, have had major impacts on people’s health, the environment and economies. ...continue reading "Scientists Report That July Was the Hottest Month On Record"

Published on Leave a comment on It Turns Out That The Thymus Is Important For Adult Health
Thymus, an organ of the lymphatic system Credit: Wikipedia

It turns out that a body part considered unimportant, and that frequently gets removed during operations - is actually important for adult health. This body part is the thymus. The thymus is frequently (routinely) removed during heart surgery for easier access to the heart and major blood vessels.

The thymus is an organ of the immune system within which T cells mature. For years the medical community regarded the thymus as only important before birth and during childhood, but "nonfunctional" in adults. A recent large study found that this view is wrong - that even in adults the thymus is important for immune and overall health.

Massachusetts General Hospital researchers found that after 5 years a higher risk of death from any cause (all cause mortality), cancer, and even autoimmune diseases among those who had thymus removal (thymectomy) versus those who had similar heart (cardiothoracic) surgery without thymus removal.

In other words, we need all our body parts! Even if the medical community doesn't quite understand (at this time) why we have them.

Excerpts from Medical Xpress: Study reveals unexpected importance of the thymus in adults

The thymus gland—which produces immune T cells before birth and during childhood— is often regarded as nonfunctional in adults, and it's sometimes removed during cardiac surgery for easier access to the heart and major blood vessels. ...continue reading "It Turns Out That The Thymus Is Important For Adult Health"

Published on Leave a comment on Short Bursts of Physical Activity Associated With Lower Cancer Risk

Great news for people who don't have the time or the desire to engage in exercise routines, gym visits, or sports. A recent large study found that several very short bursts of physical activity (each less than a minute or two) during the day are beneficial to health. They lower cancer risk!

Researchers followed 22,398 non-exercising adults (average age 62 years) for 7 years. The participants wore tracking devices (wrist accelerometers) for 1 week at the beginning of the study to measure their activity levels. Starting at year 2 their cancer incidence was looked at.

They found that several short bursts of vigorous physical activity (each lasting less than 1 or 2 minutes) each day was associated with lower rates of cancer. And it was a dose response - the more of these little bursts of physical activity over the day, the lower the rates of cancer, especially physical activity related cancer.

About 3 1/2 minutes a day of vigorous activity was associated with a 17 to 18% reduction in cancer risk, but 4 1/2 minutes a day was associated with a 31% to 32% reduction in physical activity-related cancers (e.g., breast, endometrial, and colon cancers).

Bottom line: Engage in a little huffing and puffing physical activity every day and lower your risk of cancer. Run up those stairs! Dance to a song! Carry those heavy groceries! Every bit counts. This could be because short bursts of physical activity improve cardiorespiratory fitness and lower inflammation.

Excerpts from Science Daily: Short bursts of daily activity linked to reduced cancer risk

Promising new research suggests a total of just 4.5 minutes of vigorous activity that makes you huff and puff during daily tasks could reduce the risk of some cancers by up to 32 percent. ...continue reading "Short Bursts of Physical Activity Associated With Lower Cancer Risk"

Published on Leave a comment on Looking For Bees
Credit: M. Silgailis

Ever since an immediate neighbor started using a mosquito and tick service last year, it is rare to find bees or butterflies in my organic yard and garden. Where I formerly had multitudes of bees, I now rarely see one.

This is because mosquito/tick services use pesticides that are highly toxic to bees and butterflies. The applicators hold pesticide sprayers at waist height that spray insecticides directly out at high volume, and usually walk along a property 's perimeter spraying.

Typically pyrethroid and cypermethrin insecticides (e.g. made by Fendona) are used. These are broad-spectrum (kill many species, including bees), microencapsulated, long-lasting (up to 90 days), and applications are every 3 weeks.

Yup, I observed the applicator walking along the neighbor's yard perimeter applying the insecticides at waist height directly into my hedges (it is obvious to the applicator that they are on my property). As he walked along, I could see the hedges violently shaking from the high volume application.

That is a deliberate non-target application of pesticides, which is against the law in my state. But it's what these companies do with impunity - go look at their web-site photos. By the way, pesticide contamination of adjacent properties will always be a problem in suburban yards with this kind of application.

Bees are pollinators, and unfortunately they are in serious decline in the United States. Pesticides are a big cause. Pesticides, including pyrethroids, also have numerous health effects on humans - none of them good. Especially worrisome is exposure during pregnancy or in young children.

Credit: M. Silgailis

 

A rare bee sighting among the oregano blossoms.

Published on Leave a comment on Large Study Finds That Breastfed Babies Less Likely To Die In Their First Year
Breastfeeding
Credit: Wikimedia Commons/ Anton Nosik

Breast milk is beneficial a number of ways. For example, it provides some micronutrients to the baby that formula doesn't provide. It also transmits hundreds of microbial species from the mother to the baby - thus important for the baby's microbiome.

Additionally, recent research found that breastfed babies are 33% less likely to die in the first year of life. This is a huge difference! The researchers looked at data for nearly 10 million infants born in 2016 to 2018, and who were then followed for 1 year after birth.

Studies also find that breastfeeding protects against sudden infant death syndrome and necrotizing enterocolitis in preterm infants.

Bottom line: Breastfeeding should be supported and encouraged. As the study researchers point out: "breastfeeding confers a protective benefit during the first year of life".

From Science Daily: Breastfeeding is associated with a 33% reduction in first-year post-perinatal infant mortality

Among nearly 10 million US infants born between 2016 and 2018, breastfed babies were 33% less likely to die during the post-perinatal period (day 7-364) than infants who were not breastfed, reports a new study in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, published by Elsevier. The findings build on previous US research with smaller datasets, which documented the association between the initiation of breastfeeding and the reduction of post-perinatal infant mortality by a range of 19% to 26%. ...continue reading "Large Study Finds That Breastfed Babies Less Likely To Die In Their First Year"

Published on Leave a comment on Hammerhead Flatworms Are Creepy and Spreading Up the East Coast
Hammerhead worm Credit: Wikimedia Commons

Another creepy creature is making its way up the eastern seaboard. Invasive hammerhead worms that are about 22 inches long and contain a neurotoxin (poison) are spreading up the southeastern coast (e.g., Florida, Georgia) north to Washington DC, Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, NJ and elsewhere. Yikes!

The flatworms (Bipalium) originally came from Asia. They contain tetrodoxin (TTX), which causes paralysis of the muscle tissue. It's the same toxin found in puffer fish! But what makes the worms ultra-creepy is that if one gets broken up into mutiple pieces, each piece can regenerate to become a fully functioning worm!

Biologists say they are not a danger to humans unless handled (can cause skin irritation) or eaten (many of them). They can be killed by pouring some salt on them, and then dispose by placing into a plastic bag. Don't handle with bare hands - use a stick or wear gloves.

Excerpts from Washington Post: Toxin-secreting hammerhead worms are invading the D.C. area. How to stop them.

The hammerhead worm immediately stops you in your tracks. The striped flatworm slithers like a snake and resembles a piece of whole-wheat spaghetti, led by its mushroom-shaped head. And it also secretes tetrodotoxin, the same debilitating neurotoxin found in puffer fish.

...continue reading "Hammerhead Flatworms Are Creepy and Spreading Up the East Coast"

Published on Leave a comment on Different Ways Extreme Heat Can Kill A Person

This summer has been hot, really hot, and the heat seems to be never-ending. Phoenix Arizona hit 118 degrees F on Saturday, which was the 23rd straight day of over 110 degrees F temperature! This raises the question: What is too hot for humans to tolerate?

Heat kills more people in an average year than tornados, hurricanes, and floods combined. In Texas alone, extreme heat killed at least 306 people last year.

Heat affects people differently, with some groups more at risk than others (e.g., the elderly, the very young, those with health conditions). Those working  or engaging in physical activity outdoors are also more vulnerable.

Our core body temperature is about 98.6 degrees F, which the body tries to maintain through sweating. But...when the outdoor temperature is hotter than that, especially with lots of moisture in the air, the body has difficulty cooling down. Prolonged exposure to high heat can lead to all sorts of health problems (heat stress, heat exhaustion, heat stroke) and even death.

The following article describes 3 main ways extreme heat can kill a person: organ failure, heart attack, or kidney failure. Depending on the conditions, symptoms of heat exhaustion or heat stroke can occur after only a few hours.

Excerpts from NPR: Here's what happens to the body in extreme temperatures — and how heat becomes deadly

Of all extreme weather conditions, heat is the most deadly. It kills more people in the U.S. in an average year than hurricanes, tornadoes and floods combined. The human body has a built-in cooling mechanism – sweat. But that system can only do so much, especially in soaring temperatures with high humidity. ...continue reading "Different Ways Extreme Heat Can Kill A Person"

Published on Leave a comment on Mainly Unhealthy Foods For Sale At Store Checkout Lanes

Most of the foods and drinks for sale at store checkout lanes are unhealthy. This includes supermarkets, grocery stores, dollar stores, drugstores, and specialty food stores. This shouldn't be a surprise to anyone.

University of California researchers found that 70% of foods and drinks displayed in store checkout lanes to be unhealthy. And if the offerings are snack-sized, the number of unhealthy foods rises to 89%. Typical foods displayed at checkout lanes were candy (31%), gum (18%), sweetened beverages, salty snacks, mints, and sweets.

Why? Because food and beverage companies view checkout lanes as prime real estate for their goods, and pay money to the stores to place their products there. They count on people making impulse purchases of their products.

From Medical Xpress: Temptation at the checkout: 70% of food, drinks within arm's reach are unhealthy

We've all been there: waiting in line at a store checkout, surrounded by tempting snacks and drinks. Navigating the checkout lane in search of healthy options could be a challenge, according to researchers at the University of California, Davis, who found that 70% of foods and beverages at checkout are unhealthy.
 ...continue reading "Mainly Unhealthy Foods For Sale At Store Checkout Lanes"