DYK? The Viking Diet

I had never heard of this eating plan before receiving a note about it in my RealAge mailing this morning.  Like the famous Mediterranean diet, Viking cuisine also reduces mortality but with foods traditionally consumed in Nordic cultures:  cabbage, rye bread, root vegetables, fish, etc.  A twelve-year inquiry actually verified the positive effects of the diet, quoting from my e-mail message:

In the study, researchers assigned people a score from 0 to 6, depending on how closely they adhered to the traditional Nordic eating style.  For every point earned, mortality dropped by 4 to 6 percent over the course of the 12-year study.  Overall, men with the most points reduced their mortality by 36 percent while top-scoring women lowered their mortality by 25 percent. 

Since the Viking diet contains foods that I enjoy, I am tempted to try it.  However, I do have one nagging question:  how do people with glycemic issues --- diabetes, insulin resistance, and the like --- fare on this plan?  Consumption of bread and root vegetables, no matter how healthy, can often send blood sugar levels swinging for such individuals.  While I research this concern for myself, here are some links that you may want to investigate should you decide to try this new food fad:

Eat Like a Viking to Live Longer
The Viking Diet
The Viking Diet:  How to Lose Weight Successfully and Keep It Off
Introducing:  The Viking Diet

Bon appetit!  Or should I say nyte maten?

No compensation has been received from RealAge.com or any other websites mentioned or linked in this posting.

DYK? A Mutated Fungus

Last Friday, as I was perusing the news online, I came across this article on FoxNews.com. Being an allergy sufferer and someone who occasionally experiences bronchial congestion after the flu or a particularly bad cold, I tend to notice information about airborne “things.” This particular “thing” is Cryptococcus gattii, a type of “encapsulated yeast found primarily in tropical and subtropical climates” (according to Wikipedia). Generally only a problem for immune compromised individuals, the fungus has mutated and is now a threat to healthy individuals as well. It has also begun to spread from its initial discovery point on Vancouver Island, British Columbia to the northwestern United States. Infection can only occur from inhaling fungus spores, so the illness is not transmissible person to person (or animal to person). Symptoms of cryptococcal infection range from a nagging cough to sharp chest pain to delerium-producing fever (for a list, click here). It is considered a rare illness. However, this new strain is particularly virulent, exhibiting a mortality rate of approximately 25%. If you would like to hear more about the spread of Cryptococcus gattii, listen to this podcast from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

DYK? A Tip About Potatoes

One of my recent RealAge mailings had an interesting tip on how to keep more nutrition in your potatoes: boil them whole.

Cubing your potatoes first will slash their potassium content by as much as 50 percent.

Roasting, baking, or microwaving whole potatoes also preserves more iron, zinc, and magnesium. Who knew?

For more information, go to Max Out Your Mashed Potatoes.

DYK? Preparing for Colds & Flu

Note: These are only suggestions and are no guarantee that colds and flu will stay away from your home. Since I got my first cold on Saturday, it appears that I need to be taking my own advice more seriously.

Newsflash! Did you know that cold and flu season is here and that it is possible to navigate this time of year without getting horribly sick or, for that matter, without getting sick at all? Try these strategies from WebMD, as posted on The Weather Channel.

1. Get immunized.

I know this is a controversial/contentious subject for many people; however, being the survivor of an extremely severe case of German measles (contracted when I was sixteen) and being the child of parents who can remember their friends dying from diseases like diphtheria, I fully admit that I am an advocate for vaccination. The recommendation for cold and flu season is to check with your doctor about whether you should consider getting a flu shot, a pneumonia shot, or both. This may also be of interest:

...there is concern now about a resurgence of whooping cough, which is most contagious before the coughing actually starts. The best way to prevent whooping cough is still through vaccinations. The childhood vaccine is called DTaP, and there's also a whooping cough booster vaccine for adolescents and adults ages 19 through 64 called TDaP. The booster not only protects against whooping cough but also against tetanus and diphtheria.

2. Wash your hands.

This has got to be the king (or queen, depending on your perspective) of illness prevention strategies!

According to the CDC, frequent and thorough hand washing is the single most effective way to prevent catching cols, flu, or any contagious disease. Be sure to wash your hands frequently, including the following times:

- Before and after you prepare food
- Before you eat
- After you use the bathroom
- Before and after changing a baby's diaper
- After handling animals or animal waste
- After coughing or sneeze
- When your hands are dirty
- More frequently if someone in your home is sick

To wash hands properly, follow these steps:

- Wet your hands and apply liquid or clean bar soap. Place bar soap on a soap dish that allows it to drain.
- Rub your hands together vigorously, scrubbing all surfaces for 15 to 20 seconds. That's about how long it takes ot hum the song "Happy Birthday to You" twice.
- Rinse well and dry your hands. In a public restroom, use the air dryer or paper towels.
- In the absence of soap and water, use alcohol-based disposable hand wipes or gel sanitizers.

3. Don't touch your eyes, nose, or mouth without washing your hands.

Great advice! Tough to follow.

4. Don't share food, toiletries, towels, or pillows.

From a very young age, we are all taught that sharing is a good thing. Absolutely! But during cold and flu season, we need to be a little more conscientious about what we share. In our effort to be kind, we may give more than we intend.

5. Cover you mouth before coughing and your nose before sneezing.

If tissues are unavailable, cough or sneeze into your crooked elbow. If tissues are available and you use them, dispose of them quickly and (preferably) in the toilet so they can be flushed. If your are sick in bed, don't pile your used tissues on the nightstand or throw them on the floor next to the bed. Place them in a trash receptacle tat can be emptied and disinfected easily...and often.

6. Eat right, drink water, and get plenty of rest to improve your resistance.

Concentrate on foods that contain plenty of beta carotene, vitamin C, zinc, and garlic. Eat chicken soup. Drink the recommended eight glasses of water a day or, as some health professionals suggest, one-half ounce of water for every pound of body weight (in my case, 0.50 x 172 = 86 ounces). Sleep for six to eight hours per night; more if you are ill.

7. Stock up on supplies.

Here is what the WebMD article recommends:

- A thermometer for each family member
- Extra toothbrushes and personal tubes of toothpaste
- Plenty of tissues, toilet paper, and paper towels
- Throat lozenges and anything else that makes the sick person comfortable

My stock up list also includes:

- Expectorant, either liquid or tablet
- Cough suppressant (this is often combined with the expectorant)
- Acid reducer (sinus drainage often gives me heartburn)
- Ginger ale (in case sinus drainage causes nausea)
- Salt cartridge for my inhaler
- Humidifier filters

I also make sure my steamer is in good working order and my humidifier is cleaned and ready to go.

8. Disinfect germ hotspots.

Bacteria and viruses can survive on surfaces for as long as a few days or as short as a few hours. To keep on top of the contagions in your home.

...use a common disinfectant on the following household hotspots.

- Phones
- Remote controls
- Microwave and refrigerator handles
- Door handles and doorknobs
- Toilet seats and handles
- Faucets
- Light switches
- Computer keyboards/mouse
- Video game handheld controls
- Toys

What's the best disinfectant? The CDC recommends inexpensive chlorine bleach, which is effective against viruses. Add one-fourth of a cup of bleach to one gallon of warm water and allow the mixture to sit on the hotspot surface for 10 minutes before rinsing. Whenever disinfecting surfaces, you should wear rubber gloves, ventilate the area, and, if you're sensitive to chemicals, wear a mask. Wash your hand after removing the rubber gloves.

Personally, I use Shaklee Basic-G and wipe down most of the items listed above on a daily basis. It takes a few minutes, but the payoff is worth it fi you don't get sick.

9. Keep up with the laundry.

Containing illness is hard work. When you or a loved one is ill, it's advisable to wash towels, washcloths, pillows, and bedding daily. You may want to wash the stuffed animals that kids cuddle to remove germs.

I would also add heating pad covers to the aforementioned laundry list. Personally I don't wash my pillows. Instead, I cover them with both a vinyl pillow protector and a cloth pillow protector before putting on a pillowcase. Then when I change pillowcases and cloth protectors, all I need to do is spray and wipe the vinyl protector with some Basic-G to sanitize them. I also don't wash my sheets every day unless the severity of the illness dictates. Twice a week has proved sufficient in my home. I would be exhausted just from doing laundry if I washed sheets every day!

10. Know your enemies

Familiarize yourself with the "bugs" you could encounter during the season. Know the symptoms of each and their recommended care protocols, especially those symptoms that should trigger timely medical intervention. To learn more about the following diseases, visit this WebMD cold & flu information page. These are some of the illnesses you should be watching for:

- Common cold
- Acute bronchitis
- Strep throat
- Flu
- Chickenpox
- Stomach flu (viral gastroenteritis)
- Whooping cough

DYK? ASBO

I must admit I did not know that ASBO stands for Anti-Social Behavior Order. It is a civil legal order that operates in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland. The following groups can apply for one:

- police
- local authorities (councils)
- transport police
- registered social landlords
- housing action trusts

Evidence, beyond a reasonable doubt, must be presented in court to support the request for an ASBO. A magistrate makes the final determination for issuance. If issued, the ASBO lasts for a minimum of two years.

Behaviors considered anti-social and, therefore, within the purview of an ASBO: anything that causes harassment, alarm, or distress to one or more people who do not live with the person being considered for an order, or a pattern of behavior that affects so many people that it needs to be addressed by the community. Here is a sample of suspect behaviors from an extensive list on AntiSocialBehaviour.org.uk:

- abusive verbal behavior
- arson
- assault
- begging
- boom-box cars/vehicles (noisy car stereos)
- bullies and bullying
- criminal behavior
- criminal damage
- damage to property
- domestic violence
- drug and alcohol misuse/abuse
- harassment/harassing passers-by or local residents
- homophobic behavior
- prostitution
- neighbor intimidation
- nuisance animals
- overgrown, unkempt gardens
- racist behavior/racial harassment
- running a business from home
- stalking
- use of inappropriate places for sport/activities
- vandalism, graffiti

Well, I would probably be in trouble because of the slow progress on my exterior home remodeling projects and, possibly, because of my non-immaculate yard in the summer. Then again, I could be in trouble because I homeschool!

That aside, what drew my attention to this in the first place was the use of an ASBO against an eight-year-old boy, Michael Brachter, who was ordered not to go outside his home with a hammer, saw, screwdriver, nails, chisels, knives, scissors, or secateurs (pruning shears). Apparently, young Michael likes to use these tools to play Bob the Builder games in his neighborhood, an activity that residents of his housing trust felt was out of hand. To read a more complete article about that, click here.

Personally, I think there is more to this situation than meets the eye because children younger than ten are not supposed to be subject to an ASBO, and because the mother in this situation is also banned from several activities, among them allowing cannabis in her home, playing loud music, and having more than three visitors a day at her residence.

One final piece of information: if you break an ASBO, you could get up to five years in prison.

I am so glad I live in the United States.

Note: Please know that I do not condone anti-social behavior. I just don’t think the ASBO is the best way to deal with it.

DYK? Green Tea Booster

The antioxidants in green tea, known as catechins, lose their punch once they enter your intestine. In fact, according to my weekly Real Age tip, close to 80% of the catechins in green tea are left by the wayside. To boost the absorption of these helpful substances, researchers suggest flavoring your tea with freshly squeezed lemon, orange, lime, or grapefruit juice (lemon is best). Apparently, the vitamin C from the citrus increases the acidity of your small intestine, thereby increasing the absorption of catechins. Good thing my homeschooling friend gave me a bag of lemons last night!

Also from my weekly message:

More green tea news:

- it may help you lose weight
- it may help keep your knees young and strong
- it can help your skin look great
- it can help you stay sharp

For more Real Age tips, click here.

DYK? Anti-Inflammatory Diet Suggestions

According to the American Dietetic Association, March is Nutrition Month.  Who would have guessed? As part of this recognition, Dr. Weil has been doing an e-mail series of “kitchen makeover” tips that focus on improving the quality of food in America’s pantries. Part 1 dealt with cleaning all the unhealthy food out of my cabinets. I was supposed to ditch anything that was refined, presweetened, or made with white flour and replace it with an organic, high-fiber, whole-grain alternative. He also suggested I remove all instant soups, rice/noodle mixes, and instant drink mixes. The soups were to be replaced with natural, whole-grain soup ingredients like brown rice, dried beans, lentils, and peas; the drink mixes with green, white, or oolong tea. So far, so good. I followed most of those recommendations fifteen years ago when my husband was a cancer patient. The good doctor also suggested including some anti-inflammatory spices in my pantry like sage, basil, thyme, and rosemary. No problem there, either.

Part 2 of the “kitchen makeover” series came today. It recommended that I pay close attention to nutrition labels the next time I go to the supermarket so that I steer clear of these ingredients (listed below), which promote inflammation and, consequently, work against healthy aging. Are you ready for this list? Be prepared to look at a bare cupboard if you are new to the health food scene. Also, say goodbye to most of that Easter candy you bought for the kids. It is usually laced with palm kernel oil.

Animal fat (such as lard)
Artificial sweeteners or non-nutritive sweeteners
Coconut oil
Corn oil
Cottonseed oil
Fractionated oil
High fructose corn syrup
Hydrogenated oil or vegetable shortening
Margarine
Palm or palm kernel oil
Partially hydrogenated oil (source of trans-fat)
Blended vegetable oils
Safflower oil
Soybean oil
Sunflower oil

I don’t have much of this stuff in my pantry. I will occasionally purchase margarine when baking cookies from my “vintage” cookbooks but, for the most part, I have avoided most of these ingredients for a while now.

So, what is a mother to do in the face of such recommendations? Mostly, do as the doctor ordered: pay attention to nutrition labels and begin switching to healthier choices. If your local supermarket looks pretty dismal after this exercise, hunt up a health food grocery store, or find a natural foods cooperative to order from. That’s what I did. In fact, I have to pick up my order this afternoon. Bon appétit!

DYK? Flu Smarts

Do you know how to keep yourself from getting sick with the stomach flu when the virus knocks down your entire family? Here are some ideas from Dr. Weil.com. This advice comes from the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology:

1. Wash your hands often or use hand sanitizers containing at least 60% alcohol.

2. Disinfect surfaces (like doorknobs, light switches, and faucet handles) with a cleanser containing bleach.*

3. Wash raw food before eating; don’t eat food prepared by someone who has been sick until they have been symptom-free for 2-3 days.

4. Wash laundry in hot water and dry on high setting.

5. Quarantine sick family members; disinfect what they use.

6. Keep your house clean; disinfect surfaces regularly.

*I use this Shaklee product instead of one containing bleach, even though such use is contrary to the above recommendations. Please note: there is no evidence that a non-bleach product kills the norovirus that causes stomach flu. To be certain that the virus is eliminated, a product containing bleach is preferred.

DYK? Super Oatmeal

How’s this for math:

Oatmeal + Orange Juice = Superfood

Apparently, oatmeal and orange juice have a synergistic relationship. From RealAge.com:

The phenols in oatmeal and the vitamin C in OJ both help make LDL more stable --- and that’s a good thing, because the more stable LDL is, the less likely it is to rupture, stick to artery walls, and cause [a heart attack]. But consume the phenols and vitamin C together and they’ll stabilize LDL at twice the level expected from adding their effects together.

A shameless plug from the Plush Duck: if you would like healthy tips like this delivered to your e-mail account, check out the Real Age website for yourself.

Sorry, I couldn’t help myself.

DYK? Sleep and Nutrition

Have trouble getting to sleep or, worse yet, have trouble with heartburn as soon as you lie down to go to sleep? Well, here is some interesting information that may explain why. From Dr. Weil.com:

1. It is more difficult to digest food when lying down. Our digestive tracts work best when we are upright --- sitting, standing or even walking. When you lie down after a meal, gravity can disrupt proper digestion. This can lead to acid reflux, or heartburn, which can hinder sleep.

2. Digesting food requires the body to expend energy. This can interfere with the relaxed metabolic state required for sleep. Your best bet: eat large meals earlier in the day, when the body will best use the energy the food provides, and limit any late-evening eating to small, healthful snacks.

Sleep tight…and eat right.

DYK? Nasal Irrigation

I have used this treatment for years (on myself and on my daughter) and, I must say, it definitely works. In fact, the years that I slacked off or outright abandoned the practice, I fell ill with serious, long-lasting upper respiratory infections. You know the kind: they hang on for months and usually require the assistance of inhalers and antibiotics.

Well, now a study out of the Czech Republic confirms what I have known all along: nasal irrigation with a saline solution may clear up cold symptoms faster than medication alone, at least in children, and may prevent such symptoms from returning. Quoting from an article on Medpage Today:

[The] prospective, parallel-group, open-label study included 401 children ages six to [ten] seen for uncomplicated cold or flu in eight pediatric outpatient clinics.

Participants were randomized to treatment with standard medication, which could include antipyretics, nasal decongestants, mucolytics, and antibiotics, alone or in combination with nasal wash, and then observed over 12 weeks.

And here are some of the results:

- At the 12-week follow-up in the subsequent prevention phase, symptoms of dry cough, nasal secretion, and nasal breathing were less common or less severe among children in the nasal irrigation group than in the control group.

- Long-term saline irrigation also was associated with better parent-reported health status, fewer reported days of illness, fewer absences from school, and fewer complications.

- At the first visit, the saline nasal wash group reported less use of nasal decongestants (15.9% versus 35.6%), and mucolytics (17.3% versus 31.7%).

- At the follow-up visit at about week eight, medication use was lower in the nasal irrigation group for antipyretics (9.4% versus 32.7%), mucolytics (9.7% versus 36.6%), nasal decongestants (9.7% versus 46.5%), and systemic antibiotics (5.6% versus 20.8%).

So, the next time your kids fall ill with a cold, give nasal irrigation a try. Who knows, you may end up with a shorter course of illness and healthier children.

For the complete article from Medpage Today, click here.

DYK? Twelve Days of Christmas

The other day, I saw this advertisement in a local newspaper:

NEX Celebrating 12 Days of Christmas

Navy Exchange New London is celebrating the 12 days of Christmas beginning Dec. 13 and running through Christmas Eve. NEX will offer incredible one-day specials. Visit your NEX each day to view unbelievable price cuts just in time for last minute shopping. Don’t miss out!

This reference to/explanation of the Twelve Days of Christmas couldn’t be more incorrect. The Twelve Days of Christmas DO NOT count the days BEFORE the holiday; they count the days AFTER the holiday. Christmas Day, December 25th, is Day 1 and Epiphany Eve, January 5th, is Day 12. January 6th, then, is Epiphany when the Church calendar commemorates the arrival of the Wise Men to greet the Christ child and give Him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

So, the Christmas season actually extends from the first Sunday in Advent (a date that changes annually) until Epiphany in early January. Who says the celebration needs to end on December 26th?

Merry Christmas!

DYK? Aluminum Trees

In keeping with my Christmas tree “advice” theme of late: yesterday, I saw this in our SUBASE newspaper, The Dolphin:

Aluminum Christmas trees are making a retro-comeback of sorts. Never put any kind of electrical lights, or wiring of any kind, on an aluminum tree. All lighting should be a spotlight type appliance so that there is no possibility of direct electrical contact with the tree. Being constructed of metal, these aluminum trees are extremely conductive and will cause an electrocution if there is a short in the wiring.

I don’t know about you, but being killed by a Christmas tree is not my idea of a happy holiday. Be safe this Christmas: use your lights wisely.

DYK? Ice Citations

Wow! Apparently, I am a lawbreaker. Last weekend, I drove with some snow and ice on the hood of my car, only to see it fly over the roof of my automobile and onto the roadway behind me. Thankfully, no one was driving back there at the time, so the “ice missle” broke apart on the roadway. If someone had been travelling behind my car, that individual may have had an eye-opening experience, like this woman who was discussed in a recent news story on WTNH Channel 8:

Mary Jacques of Wolcott was driving on I-691 when a piece of ice shattered her windshield, “I heard a loud crack and realized my whole windshield was shattered, realized it was a hunk of ice that hit my car, not snow,” she said.

A piece of ice that launched off an oil truck hit Mary’s windshield like a rock, even pushing shards of glass into her SUV.

Automobile drivers are not the only victims of flying ice. Truck drivers can succumb to these “missles” too. From the same article on Channel 8:

Dominic Simeone of Lombard Motors towed a big rig Tuesday after ice from a truck slid off and severed its air brakes. His company has been busy towing cars and trucks wounded by ice and he’s even been a victim himself.

- snip –

“Last year I was on my way to a call on Middletown Avenue and a sheet of ice came off a car the opposite way and it took my mirror off one of the wreckers.”

I don’t know about you, but I must confess I didn’t think much about flying ice doing that much damage, which is rather strange given that I am a native Minnesotan and my elementary school custodian was killed by ice that fell off a building. I was only thinking about my hurried holiday schedule and the fact that I didn’t want to risk scratching the paint on my car by chipping away at the ice on the hood.

Did you forget to finish cleaning the top of your car last weekend? Is it still displaying patches of snow and ice on the hood and roof? If so, watch out for those state troopers. The fine for an ice citation is more than $100.00.

DYK? Orange Pulp

Every once in a while, I receive a “Tip of the Day” from the RealAge.com website. This morning, it was about oranges. More specifically, the message opened with this question:

Orange peel, pulp, or juice: which one has the most vitamin C?

My husband guessed the peel. My daughter went with pulp. The winner was...my daughter! Quoting from the e-message:

Orange pulp wins, according to the authors of the book SuperFoods HealthStyle. The pulp has twice as much vitamin C as the peel and 10 times as much as the juice. And here’s what all that nutrition means to your body.

- snip -

Each orange packs over 60 flavonoids, 170 phytochemicals, and a healthy dose of vitamin C.

- snip -

And all that healthy stuff in oranges may help prevent a host of health conditions, including arthritis, asthma, high blood pressure, blood clots, colds, and even cancer.

Years ago, when my husband was a cancer patient, I used to make homemade orange juice in my juicer every morning. Maybe I should restart that habit. Who knows, I just may avoid a cold or two.

DYK? MRSA

Did you know that MRSA stands for Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus? According to Wikipedia, it was discovered in 1961 and is now widespread in hospital settings. It is known by several different acronyms:

MRSA may also be known as oxacillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (ORSA) and multiple-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. Strains of S. aureus that are non-resistant to methicillin are sometimes called methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA) if an explicit distinction must be made.

Although MRSA has traditionally been seen as a hospital-associated infection, community-acquired MRSA strains have appeared in recent years, notably in the U.S and Australia. The abbreviations CA-MRSA (community-acquired MRSA) and HA-MRSA (hospital-acquired MRSA) are now commonly seen in medical literature.

So why ask the question? Because I am concerned about the recent outbreak of MRSA in schools on the east coast, most notably Virginia, where a teen recently died from the infection. From an Associated Press article:

Ashton Bonds, 17, a senior at Staunton River High School, died Monday after being diagnosed with Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus, or MRSA, his mother said.

- snip –

Ashton went to Bedford Memorial Hospital on Oct. 4 after complaining of a pain in his side, his mother said. He was sent home after doctors ruled out appendicitis, but was readmitted three days later and transported to Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital.

Last week doctors diagnosed Ashton with a MRSA infection that had spread to his kidneys, liver, lungs and the muscles around his heart.

Early Thursday morning, Ashton had to be sedated and put on a ventilator. He was about to undergo surgery to drain the infection from his lungs when doctors detected a blood clot near his heart. [His mother] said the clot was inoperable.

So what can you do to keep MRSA out of your environment? Try these top ten tips from MRSA Notes. They are listed in reverse order.

10. Use disposable razors.

9. Regularly clean the surfaces of your home, and don’t forget your bathtubs and showers.

8. Reduce your use of antibacterial products around your house. The best way to get rid of bacteria is to wash it down the sink, not partially kill it with chemicals.

7. Learn about antibiotics and when they are appropriate to use. Consider changing your lifestyle and letting your body deal with illness as much as it can rather than taking an antibiotic for everything that ails you.

6. Do not pressure your doctor to prescribe antibiotics.

5. Bathe very regularly.

4. Do not share towels.

3. Change your dishwashing rag/sponge every day. If you don’t want to throw out your sponges every day, try a microfiber washcloth and use a new one (and a new dishtowel) every day. By the time they start to stink, they are already riddled with bacteria.

2. Avoid any elective surgery.

1. Wash your hands well, and frequently. Obsessively, even.

Well, I don’t know about you, but I will be shopping today for some disposable razors and some non-antibacterial soap. I will also be cleaning my bathroom. Stay healthy!

DYK? Bifidis Regularis

Did you know that the term “Bifidis Regularis” is nothing more than a trade name for Bifidobacterium animalis, a strain of anaerobic rod-shaped bacteria that is found in the intestines of most mammals (including humans). The term was created by the Dannon Company in order to make ActiviaTM, their yogurt product, look and sound more scientific. Other trade names that are used to describe this specific strain of Bifidobacterium animalis: Bifidis Digestivum (UK), Bifidobacterium Lactis (Canada) and Bifidus Activo (Spain). The bacteria is a well-studied, well-documented, and effective probiotic that is used worldwide to help improve intestinal health. To read more about Bifidus Regularis, check out this article on Wikipedia.

DYK? Shingles & Depression

Did you know (DYK) that the pain that accompanies shingles, known in medical circles as post herpetic neuralgia (PHN), is the leading cause of suicide amongst the elderly? I heard this statement on a news broadcast last night while I was waiting to have tea and tiramisu with a homeschool friend who, ironically, has suffered from shingles a number of times. For a more detailed discussion of this phenomenon, click here.

Also, did you know that exercise can help alleviate depression? Quoting from Dr. Weil.com:

A Duke University study found that a 16-week exercise program worked s well as antidepressant drugs on adults with symptoms of major depression. The study included 202 men and women divided into four groups: one took antidepressants; a second took a supervised exercise class three times a week; a third group worked out at home. The fourth one took a placebo. At the end of the study, 47 percent of the patients on the antidepressants and 45 percent of those in the exercise class were no longer depressed. The group that exercised at home did well, too --- 40 percent had overcome their symptoms. Of those who took the placebo, only 31 percent improved. Exercise may have the same beneficial effect on the brain chemicals involved in depression as the drugs that target these substances.

For readers who would like to read the full text of this study, check the September 2007 issue of Psychosomatic Medicine. Article title: “Exercise and Pharmacotherapy in the Treatment of Major Depressive Disorder.”