MedWorm Tags: chocolate

Greater Variety of Chocolate No More Consumption?

Dr Shock MD PhD — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 14:28:14 +0100

In this study no relationship was found. The variety of these snack food items in local neighborhood supermarkets was not associated with women’s confectionery and chocolate consumption. In this cohort women ate either chocolate or confectionery once a week or less in 75% and 82% cases, only 5% ate chocolate on a daily bases. This could be true but as the authors state, other factors were not included in their analyses. Important possible other factors for snack eating behaviors could be: shelf space occupied by these snacks, promotion of these products, the relative proportion compared to healthy products, product placement, and the presence at check out. Since the biased publications on this blog about the healthy influences of dark chocolate the result at first seemed promising but mo...

Chocoholism – good or bad for health?

Sciencebase Science Blog — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 12:00:56 +0100

Chocoholism – good or bad for health? – For chocoholics there are many fair warnings regarding cholesterol, fat etc., but many have devised their own justifications and there is a growing number of research studies pointing to supposed health benefits and even endowing cocoa beans, from which chocolate is derived, as being a "superfruit". Strictly speaking, cocoa beans are the seeds from the fruit of Theobroma cacao rather than the fruit itself. Intriguingly, however, much of the research currently being touted by public relations companies, rather than academic scientists, has the financial support of well-known chocolate manufacturers behind it. To my mind, that does not bode well for impartiality, regardless of the integrity of the independent scientists involved. ...

Dark Chocolate For the Inattentive Subtype of ADHD ADHDPI

Life With ADHD — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 23:00:00 +0100

A new study published in the Journal Physiology and Behavior has found that visual working memory and reaction time can be improved by a one time consumption of 720 mg of cocoa flavanols. These beneficial working memory effects, were seen 1 week after the cocoa consumption. The symptoms seen in the Inattentive type of ADHD may be primarily related to working memory and reaction time deficits. This recent study points to the ability of dark chocolate to improve these deficits. The study subjects did not have the Inattentive type of ADHD, they were young adults without a history of cognitive problems but this study is important because most studies looking at the benefits of dark chocolate have been performed using older adults with a history of age related cognitive decline. This is the fir...

Expectation Affects Our Food Likes and Dislikes

World of Psychology — Sat, 16 Jul 2011 10:28:53 +0100

What is expectation assimilation? It’s the notion that our taste perceptions are biased by our imagination, and if you expect a food to taste good it will. However, expectation assimilation also works in the opposite direction. If you expect a food to taste unpleasant it will (Wansink, 2006). At a cafeteria in Urbana, Illinois, 175 people were given a free brownie dusted with powdered sugar (Wansink, 2006). They were told the brownie was a new dessert that may be added to the menu. They were asked how they liked the flavor and how much they would pay for it. All of the brownies were the same size and had the same ingredients. However, the brownies were served on a china plate, on a paper plate or on a paper napkin. Those who received the brownie on a china plate said t...

A 3D Chocolate Printer

Dr Shock MD PhD — Thu, 07 Jul 2011 06:06:42 +0100

Buffer I love chocolate and it seems I can now print my name in chocolate, dark chocolate in the near future. A 3D printer that uses chocolate has been developed by University of Exeter researchers – and it prints layers of chocolate instead of ink or plastic. Once the prototype becomes a finished product, it may find a role in the restaurant and food preparation industry. Thanks Geekologie and BBCNews Buffer No related posts. (Source: Dr Shock MD PhD)

Alimation: Edible Animation

Dr Shock MD PhD — Fri, 27 May 2011 06:02:46 +0100

Alimation – Annecy Festival 2011 from Alexandre DUBOSC on Vimeo. Alexandre Dubosc’s short film “Alimation” shows a series of ingenious and extremely appetizing animations made with food Thanks BoingBoing No related posts. (Source: Dr Shock MD PhD)

10 Quick Stress Busters

World of Psychology — Thu, 28 Apr 2011 11:11:39 +0100

Stress is like dark chocolate. A little of it won’t kill you. In fact, small blocks here and there can be good for you, or at least give you a reason to get of bed in the morning. But chronic and severe stress can damage your body and mind, blocking the fluid communication to and from most organs — especially in the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and in the limbic system, the brain’s emotional center. Believe me, you want these two systems–much like the House and Senate — running as smoothly as possible, with low levels of the delinquent stress hormones in your bloodstream. Which is why I have handy some tress busters. I use an average of five a day. Today I’m using all ten. Here they are, and good luck! 1. Simplify. Cut your to-do list in ha...

Food And Migraine Headaches: Triggers Are Hard To Predict

Better Health — Thu, 14 Apr 2011 17:00:29 +0100

At a Harvard Medical School talk on migraine and food, a nutritionist from Harvard-affiliated Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center delivered a message that people in the audience probably didn’t want to hear: “There are no specific dietary recommendations for migraine sufferers,” said Sandra Allonen. But she did have some advice to offer—and she emphasized that the connection between food and migraine is a very individual one. Several foods have been associated with triggering migraine. None of them has been scientifically proven to cause migraines, explained Allonen, but many people report a link between eating these foods and getting a migraine. Possible migraine triggers include: (more…) *This blog post was originally published at Harvard Health Blog* (Source: Be...

The Power of Re-Framing, or, Would a Ranunculus By Another Name Be As Beautiful?

World of Psychology — Wed, 13 Apr 2011 16:36:25 +0100

The other night, it was my turn to host my children’s literature reading group — I’m now in three of these groups! Partly because I am in three of the groups, I keep the bar low, so I served take-out Chinese food and store-bought cookies, as I always do. But I did resolve to take the trouble to buy flowers for the table (though I must confess, I didn’t even go to a proper florist’s shop, but went to the deli around the corner from my house — lower the bar). When I want to get the flowers, I was thrilled to see that one of my very favorite flowers was available. I hadn’t even known the name of this flower until a few years ago, and I’ve always been sorry that it has such an unlovely name: ranunculus. I was moved to post this observation on Twi...

Brownies

white pebble — Sun, 10 Apr 2011 20:59:30 +0100

Going to stuff myself with a brownie and write about my tragic childhood. Was it really tragic? No. I just want the brownie. Filed under: Ephemera Tagged: brownie, chocolate, Chocolate brownie (Source: white pebble)

Easter Bunny’s Burden

Cato-at-liberty — Fri, 01 Apr 2011 19:15:37 +0100

By Chris EdwardsFrom Pennsylvania, bad news for chocolate lovers: The Hershey Company says it is raising wholesale prices by 9.7% on most of its candy products. The maker of Reese's, Kit Kat, Hershey's Kisses and Twizzlers cited increased costs for raw materials, fuel, utilities and transportation. The costs of two key raw materials—sugar and dairy products—are artificially inflated by federal government policies, the effect of which is to harm U.S. consumers and U.S. food producers, such as Hershey. Senator Richard Lugar has introduced legislation to reform U.S. sugar policies. His timing is good, as world food prices are rising and some experts predict that sugar prices will soar in coming years. The best ways to combat rising food prices—which particular harm people with moderate ...

Chronic Pain, Chocolate, and Vicodin

Better Health — Sat, 12 Mar 2011 18:00:18 +0100

Chocolate and vicodin? No, it’s not the latest Ben & Jerry’s flavor. “Chocolate & Vicodin: My Quest For Relief From the Headache That Wouldn’t Go Away” is the latest book by author, blogger, web designer, and busy woman Jennette Fulda. I became acquainted with Jennette’s blog during BlogHer 2008, where I had purchased her first book, “Half-Assed: A Weight-Loss Memoir.” When she asked if I would like a copy of “Chocolate & Vicodin” to review, I jumped at the chance. In “Half-Assed,” Jennette chronicled her journey to a near-200 pound weight loss. Just prior to that book’s release, she began another journey — one whose goal proved elusive. On February 17, 2008, Jennette went to bed with a headache. She still ...

Shelter from the St. Valentine♥s Day Ma$$acre

My journey with AIDS — Wed, 09 Feb 2011 15:36:55 +0100

Having, hopefully, just paid at least the minimum owing on their Christmas credit card bills, gluttonous consumers are now being cajoled into the can’t-win Valentine’s Day debacle. Take heart…PLEASE! First of all, what are we teaching our kids when we buy them Flat Stanley-sized boxes of Valentine’s Day cards, so intimately perforated along the edges, [...] (Source: My journey with AIDS)

Chocolate: A New Secret Weapon for Health Care?

Disruptive Women in Health Care — Mon, 07 Feb 2011 15:48:38 +0100

By Glenna Crooks. This is the week many of us will consider – or finally make – Valentine’s Day purchases. Some of us will consider chocolate. Maybe more of us should. I wondered about that as I saw some disparate bits of data over the weekend. An article on Valentine’s Day spending was informative: couples will spend just under $70 on each other and we’ll spend, on average, $5 on pets, $6 on friends, $5 on teachers and $3.50 on co-workers. What will we be buying? In all, about $12.B in treats for the day: $3.5B on jewelry, $1.6B on clothing, $3.4B on dinner, $1.7B on flowers, $1.5B on candy (of which $285M will be on chocolate) and $1.1B on greeting cards. I get interested in items like this when I hear that we ‘can’t afford health care.’ I’ve noticed over the years how ...

From Cocao Bean to Chocolate

Dr Shock MD PhD — Mon, 31 Jan 2011 06:48:59 +0100

In this video you can see how the Mast Brothers in NYC make their own chocolate. It’s one of the very few places that craft bean-to-bar chocolate. They also have a blog. Be careful what kind of chocolate you buy, let them help you choose the right chocolate bar. If your not keen on very dark chocolate you could end up disappointed as this dude was. No related posts. (Source: Dr Shock MD PhD)

Chocolate and Cardiovascular Health Benefits

Dr Shock MD PhD — Wed, 19 Jan 2011 07:12:51 +0100

Two recent large epidemiological studies again suggest a beneficial effect of chocolate consumption on cardiovascular disease. One study was a prospective study in 1216 women with a follow up of 9,5 years. The frequency of chocolate consumption was categorized in three groups”: < 1 serving per week, 1-6 servings and 7 or more. Outcome was defined as plaque thickness in the carotid artery and hospitalization or death at follow up as clinical outcome. Not only were carotid plaques less prevalent in those women eating more chocolate but also those who ate more chocolate were less frequently hospitalized or death from ischemic heart disease. In a large German study with middle aged participants of both sexes without cardiovascular disease at inclusion also an inverse relationship betwee...

Chocolate is so Good

Recovery Is Sexy.com — Thu, 23 Dec 2010 06:52:00 +0100

Image via WikipediaCan Chocolate Lower Your Risk of Stroke?Eating chocolate may lower your risk of having a stroke, according to an analysis of available research that was released and presented at the American Academy of Neurology’s annual meeting. Another study found that eating chocolate may lower the risk of death after suffering a stroke.The analysis involved reviewing three studies on chocolate and stroke.“More research is needed to determine whether chocolate truly lowers stroke risk, or whether healthier people are simply more likely to eat chocolate than others,” said study author Sarah Sahib.Chocolate is rich in antioxidants called flavonoids, which may have a protective effect against stroke.The first study found that 44,489 people who ate one serving of chocolate per week...

Decadent Chocolate Coconut Candies (Dairy Free, Low Glycemic)

Vibrant Glow — Thu, 23 Dec 2010 03:35:00 +0100

Christmas always brings out the baker in me as well as the chocoholic. Of course, even when I am eating a treat, I want it to have some health benefits for me and my family. So today I whipped up some easy to make, yet seriously decadent chocolate coconut candies. As most of us chocolate lovers know, chocolate is chock full of antioxidants as long as you are consuming the kind with a high cocoa content. This recipe fits the bill, plus it's low glycemic so no sugar spiking, and it contains coconut oil and coconut milk in place of dairy.I basically started with a ganache made with high-quality, unsweetened chocolate that I melted in a double boiler and added a little bit of coconut oil and then some full-fat coconut milk. I didn't shake the coconut milk so I could easily scrap all the cream ...

Dark Chocolate Receptor

Dr Shock MD PhD — Tue, 21 Dec 2010 06:22:06 +0100

They tested the protection of epicatechin on heart infarct size in mice. Epicatechin is a flavinoid and a major component of dark chocolate. It has antioxydant effects associated with a lower risk of stroke and heart failure. Epicatechin can bind to opiod receptors that can induce heart protection, moreover it can induce cardiac protection from ischemia-reperfusion injury with a heart attack. What they did was treat mice with epicatechin and naloxone alone and a combination of both. Naloxone is an opiod antagonist. Infarct size was significantly reduced in the epicatechin group, this effect was attenuated when administered together with naloxone. These data suggest that the protective efect of epicatechin is mediated by the opiod receptor. This is the first demonstration of a receptor-medi...

Chocolate or Vanilla?

white pebble — Sat, 20 Nov 2010 01:36:24 +0100

Graeter’s black raspberry chip Chocolate. Vanilla goes with everything, and therefore is a classic of sorts. But it’s been a classic by default of being only there as some sort of structure to display the banana slices and chocolate sauce upon. Chocolate: it has its own presence. Avoid the chips — they overwhelm. Avoid the nuts — they break your nice new dental veneers. Plain chocolate is enough. And now, I have to go figure out why there is none in the house. Filed under: Ephemera Tagged: chocolate, ice cream, vanilla (Source: white pebble)

---

A Hearty Life — Mon, 08 Nov 2010 22:25:54 +0100

Cardio Cocoa: Eating chocolate could decrease your risk of heart attack — if you’re a woman. (via Yahoo! Health) Post from: BlissTree (Source: A Hearty Life)

Magic Sex Pill Drives Women Wild

Timemaster MD — Mon, 08 Nov 2010 20:00:43 +0100

All it takes for great sex is for her to think she is going to have great sex! Texas researchers studied 200 women ages 35 – 55 over a 12-week period. Fifty of those women, were given a placebo (sugar pill) instead of a drug treatment for low sexual arousal. One third of the women who took a placebo showed an overall improvement! The other 2/3 need to come over to the medical clinic and get their hormones looked at: www.pbpmed.com. Scientists are now using brain scanners to peer into the heads of patients who respond to sugar pills, and have discovered that the placebo effect is not “all in patients’ heads” but rather, in their brains. New research shows that belief in a dummy treatment leads to changes in brain chemistry. Thoughts control actions &#...

Chocolate as Antimalarial Prophylaxis

Dr Shock MD PhD — Tue, 14 Sep 2010 06:37:28 +0100

Although the tropical regions produce 75% of the worlds cocoa production only 4% of the cocoa is consumed by these regions. These regions also suffer the most from malaria. Malaria is one of the top three killers among infectious diseases. There are numerous anecdotal reports and personal subjective observations of reduced episodic malaria in people who daily drink natural unsweetened cocoa beverage. A recent publication in Medical Hypotheses reviewed the literature about possible mechanisms by which cocoa could have an antimalarial effect. Possible mechanisms of cocoa ingredients on malarial parasites and illness: Increased availability of antioxidants in plasma. Evidence exists that higher concentrations of plasma antioxidants coincides with less severe malaria and more rapid clearanc...

The right chocolate dose

Dr Shock MD PhD — Sat, 04 Sep 2010 15:35:23 +0100

In my quest to the right chocolate dose recently discovered a letter in the BMJ about this subject. The authors did a meta analysis. Their results suggest that dark chocolate is superior to placebo in reducing blood pressures of more than 140 mm Hg systolic or more than 80 mm Hg diastolic. Daily flavanol dosages ranged from 30 mg to 1 g (equivalent to 6.3 g to 100 g of milk or dark chocolate), and interventions ran for two to 18 weeks. Data were insufficient to provide confident answers on optimal dosage and time frame. However, they question the practicability as a long term treatment. Can you imagine that? They found that 50 g daily of chocolate was significantly less acceptable to participants as a long term treatment for high blood pressure than one capsule daily of placebo or tomato e...

Recipe for Choc Chip Cookies

Recovery Is Sexy.com — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 17:55:01 +0100

Yummy! Preparation Time: 20 minutes |Cooking Time: 15 minutes Ingredients 180 grams butter 1/3 cup sugar 1/2 cup NESTLÉ Sweetened Condensed Milk 1 1/2 cups self-raising flour 250g packet NESTLÉ Dark CHOC BITS Method Preheat oven to 180oC. Beat butter and sugar until creamy, beat in NESTLÉ Sweetened Condensed Milk. Add flour, stir until combined. Add NESTLÉ Dark Choc Bits, mix well. Roll heaped tablespoonfuls of mixture into balls, place on greased oven trays, press gently with fork. Bake for 15 minutes, until golden. Makes:approx. 12 Switch To Dark chocolate campaign. More information is available under the Switch to Dark website at www.switchtodark.com.au WHY? Because I like them! Share, print or e-mail this articleChocolate Lowers Blood PressureHEALTH BENEFITS OF CHOCOLATE REVEALEDCa...

Brazillian waxing philosophically

Cancer does suck but it is a little funny. — Sat, 14 Aug 2010 16:31:00 +0100

I have heard of people who survived cancer say that if they could go back in time and choose what would happen they would still have had cancer. Perhaps the people samples were on extremely heavy doses of drugs. I don't think I am one of those people. If I had a choice, I would have the easiest life possible- with servants, whom i would be very nice to. OOps, I mean to whom i would be very nice. I forgot Terri Ross reads my blog.But I can see a tiny bit of their rationalization. Having cancer, even very curable stuff like me, changes things. Granted, I could get run over by a truck at any time but you don't have that in the back of your mind generally when you are perfectly healthy. When you are being treated for cancer (cause that's what i am, I no longer have it, I am being treated for i...

Chocolate and Pregnancy

Dr Shock MD PhD — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 07:55:37 +0100

This study at least suggests a correlation between eating chocolate and the prevention of preeclampsia and gestational hypertension, it doesn’t prove causality. More protective studies are needed. Saftlas, A., Triche, E., Beydoun, H., & Bracken, M. (2010). Does Chocolate Intake During Pregnancy Reduce the Risks of Preeclampsia and Gestational Hypertension? Annals of Epidemiology, 20 (8), 584-591 DOI: 10.1016/j.annepidem.2010.05.010 Related posts:Electroconvulsive therapy and pregnancy, a case report ECT and Pregnancy Chocolate as Antihypertensive Drug? (Source: Dr Shock MD PhD)

Why am I awake at 2 AM??????????????

Cancer does suck but it is a little funny. — Sun, 01 Aug 2010 06:36:00 +0100

I love the people I work with. Tonight my friend Colleen, who I have not hung around with since forever, was working a moonlighting job on the same campus I work at and we had a great dinner together. I need to remember that if I want a shift to go by fast, just take a long break in the middle.Then we went out after work where I altered my cancer diet slightly to have a chocolate volcano, which was mostly healthy cancer fighting food except for a few things. And I talked all my young co-workers into having babies without husbands because hey it worked for me.So back to WHY I DO NOT HANG AROUND WITH PEOPLE MY OWN AGE (except for a few people, who live in California, you know who you are.)1. They have those plastic cases of pills and when to take them.2. They talk about their grandchildren i...

The Truffle Strategy: Tempt Your Customers

Neuromarketing — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 12:48:27 +0100

Could eating a chocolate treat make you want to buy a TV or a cruise? The surprising answer is YES! At a mall I used to frequent, there was a candy kiosk that always offered a sample chocolate to each passerby. I wondered about the economics of that practice – it seemed that almost [...] (Source: Neuromarketing)

Treating endometriosis in an infertile woman

The Patient's Doctor — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 08:11:00 +0100

I saw a patient who was at her wit's end. She had already had two laparoscopies for treating endometriosis. Since she was still not pregnant, she had gone to a third gynecologist. He did an ultrasound scan and found that the chocolate cyst had recurred; and was advising her to undergo a third surgery to "fix" the problem.We find this is a very common tragedy which plays out frequently. The diagnosis of endometriosis is often done by the first doctor, while doing a diagnostic laparoscopy. He "treats" the problem by burning off the lesions, and dividing the adhesions. When the woman does not get pregnant after this, she gets a second opinion from an expert. This expert often pooh-poohs the surgical skills of the first doctor, and suggests that he needs to do another laparoscopy, in order to ...

Why infertile couples need to look for solutions - and not worry about problems !!

The Patient's Doctor — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 07:45:00 +0100

Many infertile couples are very confused about how their treatment. Unfortunately, many gynecologists add to their confusion. Thus, if an infertile woman is found to have endometriosis, they will spend a lot of time, money and energy on "treating " the endometriosis with medicines. Similarly, the woman has irregular periods, they will concentrate on trying to "regularise the cycle" !Why are these approaches flawed ?The truth is that we really do not have any effective treatment for endometriosis. This is hardly surprising, when you consider that we do not even know what causes this enigmatic disease ! While we are very good at suppressing this medically ( with GnRH analogs), this suppression is only temporary. Even worse, while these medicines are very effective as suppressing the endometr...

Why infertile couples need to look for solutions !

The Patient's Doctor — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 07:45:00 +0100

Chocolate Lowers Blood Pressure

Recovery Is Sexy.com — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 09:07:35 +0100

Cocoa, but Not Tea, Lowers Blood Pressure People in recovery may suddenly find themselves more aware and willing to take care of their bodies. Here is one helpful hint. More happy justification for chocolate lovers: blood pressure responds favorably to cocoa, but not tea, a new analysis suggests. Authors of the study say that while both products are rich in polyphenols, the study findings suggest that phenols in cocoa may be more active than those in tea. The study appears in the April 9 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine. "Products rich in cocoa may be considered part of a blood pressure lowering diet, provided that the total energy intake does not increase," lead investigator for the study, Dirk Taubert, MD, PhD, from the University Hospital of Cologne in Cologne, Ge...

The Effect of Chocolate on Cholesterol Level.

Dr Shock MD PhD — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 06:23:09 +0100

As you probably may well know, your lipid profile is of importance for cardiovascular disease. Especially a high cholesterol level is considered to be a risk factor for coronary artery disease. The efficacy of cocoa in reducing blood pressure and other positive effects on cardiovascular risk factors have been discussed on this blog for some time now. Also a lot of hypothesis for the working of cocoa and how these positive effect of cocoa come about are frequently posted (Yes I like dark chocolate). Now wouldn’t it be fun if chocolate also reduces the blood cholesterol level. A recent systematic review of 8 trials involving 215 participants revealed that only those with cardiovascular risk factors (e.g. diabetes, high blood pressure) who consumed low doses of chocolate there was a cho...

10 Things We Want to Do This Weekend

Breastfeeding 1-2-3 — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 22:39:48 +0100

After a short week, the weekend came as a pleasant surprise to us here at Blisstree. But that doesn’t mean we don’t have a ton of things we want to fit in over the next few days: Have some chocolate. Even if it’s just a little square, we’ll be having a bite of chocolate this weekend. It was its birthday, we have to. It would be rude not to. Go camping. We’re ready to head out into the great outdoors and rough it for a night or two. But only with our eco-friendly camping supplies, of course. Read some foodie lit. We love reading about food almost as much as we love eating it (okay, maybe not that much). We might even read some good advice about how to eat well without gaining weight. Have a snack. Sometimes you just feel like snacking. We’ll be ...

GABA enriched chocolate against stress?

Dr Shock MD PhD — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 06:10:15 +0100

At first Dr Shock was baffled. Mixing precious chocolate with chemicals? What a waste. Apparently cocoa has about 52 mg of GABA per 100 gram cacao. GABA is the major inhibitory neurotransmitter in the brain and it has been shown to have an acute psychological stress-reducing effect in humans and a tranquilizing effect on sleeplessness, depression and autonomic disorder observed during the menopausal or presenile period. Because cacao is mixed with milk, sugar and some other ingredients the quantity if GABA in chocolate is less than in cacao, possibly reducing the stress reducing effects in human. In a recent study, they enriched chocolate with GABA and did a placebo controlled crossover trial to the effect of GABA enriched chocolate on psychological stress. Stress was induced by a arithmet...

How to Make Fireworks With Marshmallows: Video of the Day

Breastfeeding 1-2-3 — Sun, 04 Jul 2010 16:00:58 +0100

It’s July 4th (woot), so by now you’ve probably stocked up on marshmallows for some summertime S’mores. And while you’ve got those white puffball confections, you may as well make some fireworks, too. Let GrassRootsDIY show you how. Post from: BlissTree How to Make Fireworks With Marshmallows: Video of the Day (Source: Breastfeeding 1-2-3)

What Makes A Conversation “Psychotherapy?”

Better Health — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 17:00:00 +0100

Years ago I had a student who repeatedly asked me how psychotherapy works. “How is it different than a conversation?” When I think of psychotherapy, I think in terms of the talking itself as being the aspect that helps — and yes, of course it can be used in conjunction with medications. I think of it as being structured — in terms of time and place and frequency — and being all about the patient. And whether or not it’s actually discussed, some of what works is about the relationship — most people don’t get better talking to someone they despise, and the warmth, empathy, feeling listened to and cared for, well, they’re all important. And I also think of it as being a process over time. These are all parts of my definition, however, and ...

Dark Chocolate to prevent Hypertension?

Dr Shock MD PhD — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 06:52:07 +0100

As you probably know is Dr Shock completely biased when writing about chocolate especially dark chocolate. He mostly writes about the research with positive results of chocolate on cardiovascular diseases. A recent review included 5 studies of adequate quality for inclusion in a recent meta analysis as well as 8 other peer reviewed studies for the effect of cocoa on blood pressure. In these 13 reports dark chocolate lowered blood pressure in 6 of the 7 open label studies but diastolic blood pressure only in 1 of 6 double blind studies and as you know double blind studies are the one’s with the most scientific conclusions. The inconclusive results of all these 13 studies is suggested to be caused by methodological factors of these studies. the published studies on chocolate and blood...

Artificial Sweeteners vs. Sugar: More Risk Than Reward?

Breastfeeding 1-2-3 — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 21:13:04 +0100

photo: Thinkstock If you check out the candy aisle in any grocery store, chances are you’ll see a growing number of sugar-free sweets. While this may seem like the perfect solution to reconcile a sweet tooth with good nutrition, eating foods that are artificially sweetened may be worse for you than the real thing. First of all, removing sugar from something doesn’t remove any of its other unhealthy substances like fat or refined carbohydrates. And the process of artificially sweetening may actually introduce chemicals into a food, which could lead to upset stomach and diarrhea. Plus, artificial sweeteners also may make you crave more food. We know – pretty confusing. So we’re just going to keep eating a healthy diet with lots of fruits and vegetables, and then when we i...

Money Impedes Our Ability to Enjoy the Little Pleasures in Life

World of Psychology — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 16:25:39 +0100

Researchers remain fascinated by the relationship between money and happiness. Perhaps it’s because of the observation that money alone doesn’t appear to “buy” happiness, unless you give it away or spend it for experiences more than for material things. A new study out last week (Quoidbach et al., 2010) suggests that money’s effects on our well being and happiness may be even more subtle than previously realized. Simply seeing a picture of money — which appears to prime our brains, increasing the concept of money at a level below awareness — seems to impede our ability to enjoy life’s little pleasures. How did the researchers arrive at such a stunning conclusion? The researchers conducted two experiments in order to test their hypotheses abo...

---

Breastfeeding 1-2-3 — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 18:25:28 +0100

Chocolate-y, Healthy, and Free! Don’t forget to enter Blisstree’s Exclusive Better Oats™ Oatmeal Giveaway – Just leave a comment about your favorite way to eat oatmeal by this Sunday at 6 p.m. ET, and you could win a whole case of Better Oats™ Lavish Dark Chocolate Oatmeal! Post from: BlissTree (Source: Breastfeeding 1-2-3)

Dark Chocolate OK by Doctors

Recovery Is Sexy.com — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 15:50:00 +0100

Surprising health benefits of dark chocolate promoted to healthcare professionals – alternate to antioxidants in alcohol. Doctors, dietitians and nutritionists are being promoted the health benefits of dark chocolate in the new Switch to Dark campaign. A Switch To Dark campaign highlighting the health benefits of consuming small portions of dark chocolate has been launched in leading healthcare publications, which include the Australian Doctor and Medical Observer; the Dietitians Association of Australia as well as the "prescriber’s bible", MIMS. Emerging evidence suggests that dark chocolate is a surprisingly rich source of antioxidants which may contribute to some health benefits. "The evidence is there, that dark chocolate is a good alternative to milk choc...

Grateful and Depressed? You Can Be Both

World of Psychology — Mon, 17 May 2010 10:05:47 +0100

In his book “What Happy People Know,” Dan Baker argues that you can’t be in a state of appreciation and fear, or anxiety, at the same time. “During active appreciation,” Baker writes, “the threatening messages from your amygdala [fear center of the brain] and the anxious instincts of your brainstem are cut off, suddenly and surely, from access to your brain’s neocortex, where they can fester, replicate themselves, and turn your stream of thoughts into a cold river of dread. It is a fact of neurology that the brain cannot be in a state of appreciation and a state of fear at the same time. The two states may alternate, but are mutually exclusive.” Other studies have also highlighted how gratitude can buffer you from the blues, promote optimism,...

World Fair Trade Day Is Tomorrow!

Breastfeeding 1-2-3 — Fri, 07 May 2010 19:43:53 +0100

World Fair Trade Day (Saturday, May is a global celebration of Fair Trade, the trading partnership initiative that aims to combat poverty, food crises, and global warming. Tomorrow there will be indoor and outdoor Fair Trade events around the world with food, coffee, music, games, films, shopping, chocolate, ice cream, and lots of other Fair Trade products and activities. Check out the World Fair Trade Day website to find an event near you. Post from: BlissTree World Fair Trade Day Is Tomorrow! (Source: Breastfeeding 1-2-3)

Depression And Chocolate

Better Health — Fri, 07 May 2010 18:00:00 +0100

Depressed people ate about 60 percent more chocolate compared with others, and major depression more than doubled consumption, reported researchers in the usually-more-reliable Archives of Internal Medicine. Now researchers want to further delve into the issue. “Whether there is a causal connection, and if so in which direction, is a matter for future prospective study,” the authors wrote. We wonder if Hershey’s would provide samples for the treatment arm of such studies, and if so, how people can sign up? *This blog post was originally published at ACP Internist* (Source: Better Health)

Happiness Comes Cheap

Recovery Is Sexy.com — Wed, 05 May 2010 16:25:00 +0100

Happiness comes cheap – even for millionaires. Wisdom of the masses. a bar of chocolate, a long soak in the bath, a snooze in the middle of the afternoon, a leisurely stroll in the park. These are the things that make us the most happy, according to new research from The University of Nottingham. In a study commissioned by the British National Lottery, Dr Richard Tunney of the University’s School of Psychology found that it’s the simple things in life that impact most positively on our sense of well being. The study compared the ‘happiness levels’ of lottery jackpot winners with a control group, using a ‘Satisfaction with Life Scale’ developed by the University of Illinois. Respondents were asked how satisfied they were in relation to diffe...

Five Foods to Consider

Diabetes Mine — Wed, 05 May 2010 13:00:32 +0100

I don’t write much about food choices. But believe me, as a person with diabetes (and gluten intolerance), I struggle with them all the time. We PWDs are used to hearing the “generic” nutritional suggestions from our dietitians and CDEs: don’t eat too much sugar, eat lots of veggies, drink water, etc. But what about [...] (Source: Diabetes Mine)

Everything Bad For You is Now Good

Your ER Doc — Sat, 01 May 2010 19:29:19 +0100

News Alert! Everything Bad For You is Now Good Great news! All of my former guilty pleasures have turned out to be health foods. Instead of fearing that my addiction to dark chocolate, coffee and red wine is leading me to premature death, I am in fact increasing my life span, and reducing my chance of many horrible diseases. Yes! Take coffee. I cannot function in the morning until I’ve had a large cup, sometimes two. I’ve always felt bad about this, knowing that I am dependent on the tasty black liquid, and its stimulant effects. My family understands that each morning during the pre-coffee phase, I will be unable to communicate effectively, beyond some basic grunting noises. I shuffle around, scratching and muttering while the beans are grinding and the water is percolating. I...

Please Pass The Chocolate

Shrink Rap — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 23:51:00 +0100

This is for Victor, who sent us the link to a CNN article looking at mood and chocolate consumption: Chocolate and Depression Go Hand and Hand by Denise Mann. So here's the scoop, people eat more chocolate when they are depressed. Mann writes:Although gorging on chocolate and sweets to beat the blues has become a cliché thanks to sitcoms and romantic comedies, there's been "little prior scientific literature linking chocolate and depression," says the lead author of the study, Dr. Beatrice Golomb, a professor of medicine at the University of California at San Diego School of Medicine. The study, she says, provides evidence to support "the popular perception that when people need a pick-me-up, they pick up chocolate." It's unclear, however, whether depressed people eat more chocolate simp...

Quote of the Day: Schultz on Chocolate

Healthbolt — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 11:00:48 +0100

All you need is love. But a little chocolate now and then doesn’t hurt. – Charles M. Schultz Post from: BlissTree Quote of the Day: Schultz on Chocolate (Source: Healthbolt)

Food-Related Terms We Will Not Tolerate

Healthbolt — Fri, 02 Apr 2010 21:12:44 +0100

photo: Thinkstock We respectfully request that you not use the following words in our presence: 1. Veggies 2. Smoothies 3. Apps (meaning appetizers, not iPhone applications) 4. Wraps 5. Death by Chocolate 6. To Die For 7. Sinfully Delicious 8. Decadent 9. Succulent 10. Yummy What food-related idioms do you love to hate? Tell us below. Post from: BlissTree Food-Related Terms We Will Not Tolerate (Source: Healthbolt)

Chocolate as Antihypertensive Drug?

Dr Shock MD PhD — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 08:22:18 +0100

From a systematic review of 10 randomized clinical trials: chocolate has blood pressure lowering capacity. Dark chocolate has a high content of flavanols. Flavonoids are the part of chocolate important for health benefits. They can also be found in high concentrations in certain fruits and vegetables. In the context of human nutrition, certain teas, grape juice, wine, various berries, and especially cocoa represent noteworthy sources. Dark chocolate has the highest content of flavonoids compared to the other sources. Besides lowering the blood pressure chocolate containing flavonols also has other cardioprotective properties. On average over all trials chocolate reduced blood pressure. Systolic blood pressure was reduced with 4.5 mmHg and diastolic blood pressure with 2.5 mmHg. Treatment d...

Chocolate Against Stress

Dr Shock MD PhD — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 07:28:42 +0100

40 grams of dark chocolate per day reduces the urinary excretion of the stress hormone cortisol and it almost normalizes the stress related differences in energy metabolism and gut microbial activities between participants with low and high anxiety traits. You are what you eat, it has been described how dietary preferences is associated with metabolic processes in healthy subjects. How does dark chocolate, by some considered to be a very healthy, affect the human metabolism? A number of studies have shown cardiovascular benefits of eating flavanol rich cocoa. In a recent post I discussed the possible underlying mechanisms of these cardioprotective properties of chocolate. The mechanism of action of chocolate at the molecular level are poorly understood. In this recent study the metabolic c...

Health benefits of chocolate revealed

Recovery Is Sexy.com — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 21:34:22 +0100

A study conducted by researchers at Hull and East Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust (UK) has indicated that eating small amounts of chocolate every day can help to reduce the symptoms of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS). People who took part in the study earlier this year reported feeling significantly less fatigue after eating 45g of specially formulated dark chocolate each day for eight weeks. They also reported feeling more fatigue when they stopped eating the dark chocolate and were receiving a placebo instead. CFS has long been a condition which has challenged the NHS as its causes are still not fully understood. Diagnosing the condition is difficult as many of the symptoms are similar to other illnesses and, since there is currently no known cure, treatment concentrates mainly on managing ...

Pi Day and Chocolate

Dr Shock MD PhD — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 19:23:36 +0100

Last year had a post about Pi day and irrational numbers and about the beauty of pi and chocolate. Ordered a chocolate Pi but couldn’t find one this year, anyone? Why? Watch the video and see if you can resist. No related posts. Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin. (Source: Dr Shock MD PhD)

The Essence of Chocolate

Dr Shock MD PhD — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 07:32:45 +0100

Nutrition had a very nice and comprehensive editorial on the essence of chocolate. It mentions the recently discovered profitable effects of chocolate on the human physiology often mentioned on this blog. In short: Reduction of blood pressure by 6 grams of dark chocolate per day. Probably due to the flavonol epicatechin Reduction of platelet and endothelial cell activation Reduction of inflammatory mediators It can also inhibit oral caries It can cross the blood brain barrier and increase cerebral blood flow in humans Rightly the authors question the effects of chocolate on mood and it’s possible addictive potential. As written before on this blog, chocolate is not an antidepressant and chocolate craving is a difficult concept consisting of different features. The authors explain t...

Caffeine addiction

Recovery Is Sexy.com — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 09:06:56 +0100

Recovering alcoholics and addicts have a long history of drinking large amounts of coffee, tea and cola soft drinks. Coffee, tea, cola drinks, chocolate and many foods contain caffeine. A new range of drinks on the market is a variety of high content caffeine drinks such as Red Bull. Caffeine, a stimulant, is the most widely consumed drug. Caffeine has occasionally been considered a drug of abuse and has the potential for people to become addicted. Signs of caffeine addiction are; Coffee simply stimulates the central nervous system, increases stress hormones in the blood streams, thus making a person feel unnaturally alert. Consequently increased alert state tends to subdue your body’s natural instincts and prevent it from relaxing. This causes undue stress and leads to various kinds...

More Reasons to Eat Chocolate: Reduces Stress and Stroke Risk

Vibrant Glow — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 21:49:00 +0100

My favorite part of Valentine's Day is the excuse to eat chocolate. But who needs an excuse when research continues to come in supporting chocolate as more than a delicious indulgence, but a superfood. The latest studies on chocolate have found that it can calm down emotional stress and lower the risk of having a stroke.One clinical trial found that volunteers, who felt that they were highly stressed, experienced a reduction in stress hormones and other stress imbalances after eating one and half ounces of dark chocolate daily for two weeks. Another study found that when 44,489 people ate one serving of chocolate per week they were 22% less likely to have a stroke than people who didn't indulge.Every chocoholic can eat to those findings! (Source: Vibrant Glow)

Milk or Water?

Diabetes Daily — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 12:00:00 +0100

Tuesday night, I decided to make me a cup of hot chocolate. I grabbed my mug out of the cabinet, poured water inside and placed it in the microwave. I pulled the HOT mug out of the microwave, poured the hot chocolate mix, stirred the mix and water together. I was content. I went to bed. I woke up, my stomach was in pain. I told Scott what was going on. He said, "I am sorry your stomach hurts but you should have used milk to make hot chocolate instead of water." I don't drink hot chocolate a lot but when I do, I go to Starbucks. I know Starbucks uses milk. I can't figure out when I started using water instead of milk. Oh, wait! I stopped using milk to make hot chocolate when I was diagnosed with diabetes, ea...

Video: The Eating Season

World of Psychology — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 10:45:47 +0100

I call the 61 days between Halloween and New Year’s “the eating season,” because the temptation to snack on all kinds of crap is intrusive this time of year, with boxes of Belgian chocolate coming in with every client who has paid his bill, cocktail parties with egg-nog and Yule logs, enough pumpkin pie to make you feel like a pumpkin, and trays of Christmas cookies everywhere you turn. If your brain is as sensitive as mine — sweets turbo charge the brain and then zap it of all its cognitive powers — you, too, have to pull out ever trick of discipline known to man, more even than is used to train those dogs at the airport who can smell pot on a passenger. Remember this during the eating season: Jesus’ period of temptation ended after 40 days. We got 21 ...

Nice but Naughty

Recovery Is Sexy.com — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 14:18:53 +0100

Nice but naughty – our addiction to chocolate Chocolate is the most widely and frequently craved food. People readily admit to being ‘addicted to chocolate’ or willingly label themselves as ‘chocoholics’. A popular explanation for this is that chocolate contains mood-enhancing (psychoactive) ingredients that give it special appeal. Evidence and logic, however, find little support for this. [...] (Source: Recovery Is Sexy.com)

How Much Chocolate Do We Eat?

Dr Shock MD PhD — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 07:59:48 +0100

From the graphic above and down under you can see for each country how much chocolate per person per year (2007) was consumed in kilos. Found this graphic on the site of Alpha Galileo Europe’s site of research news, thanks to David Bradley (@sciencebase). Eighteen EU countries were among the world’s top 26 chocolate confectioneries consumers in 2007, ranking from 11.85 kg eaten per capita in Ireland, to 4.5 kg in France and 1.04 kg in Poland. The EU 27 consumed in total 2.5 million tons of chocolate products that year, which account for around half of the global consumption world-wide The post is also about a new method to analyze fats used in the making of chocolate. This is important because according to the Chocolate Directive (Directive 2000/36/EC) it’s only allowed...

Fair Trade Chocolate and Sinterklaas

Dr Shock MD PhD — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 07:40:30 +0100

Sinterklaas and Saint Nicolas in French, is a holiday tradition in the Netherlands and Belgium, celebrated every year on Saint Nicholas’ eve (December 5) or, in Belgium, on the morning of December 6. The feast celebrates the name day of Saint Nicholas, patron saint of, among other things, children. Special candy is made for this event such as chocolate characters and pepernoten. These chocolate characters come in all varieties and all kinds of chocolate. Dr Shock prefers the dark chocolate type. But he sure likes fair trade dark chocolate, because: Cocoa is an important world commodity, produced and consumed around the globe. However, the fluctuation of the world market price poses real obstacles to earning a decent livelihood for the millions of farmers working to cultivate cocoa on sma...

Dark Chocolate - Benefits During Pregnancy

Happy Nutritionist's Nuggets — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 04:21:00 +0100

This study can be found in this months publication of the "Epidemiology" journal.So, pregnant women, with your doctor's permission of course, you can indulge yourself in your favorite treat and be doing some good for your pregnancy...and Intentional Chocolate would like you to consider their high-quality brand. If you are eating it for health benefits, you want the quality to be exceptional! Click the "live link" in this post for more information.Site Feed (Source: Happy Nutritionist's Nuggets)

Chocolate Craving and the Menstrual Cycle

Dr Shock MD PhD — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 07:29:09 +0100

About chocolate craving: Research suggests that up to 97% of women and 68% of men experience food cravings. Chocolate is the most common one of the craved foods, typically high calorie. A number of situations have been shown to experimentally increase cravings of chocolate consumption. For example,chocolate abstinence, stress and exposure to chocolate cues increase urges to eat chocolate. A 15 min bout of brisk walking, equivalent to ‘fairly light’ intensity exercise, reduces chocolate cravings, with moderate effect sizes, during and for at least 10 min following exercise cessation. Higher intensity or longer bouts of physical activity may lead to compensatory dietary behavior and/or chocolate cravings. Cravings are generally more prevalent in women than men and decrease somewhat with...

Chocolate Capital of the World: Amsterdam

Dr Shock MD PhD — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 07:46:39 +0100

From 7 until 22 November, Amsterdam will be the center for chocoholics. It will be the chocolate capital of the world. Participating restaurants will have menus with chocolate, there will be chocolate workshops, chocolate high tea and much more. Have a look at the website: http://www.choca.nu (in Dutch). Related posts:The Truth About Amsterdam Remember the truth about Pot, Sex and Anarchy in...The Beauty of Pi and Chocolate This is not about the wonderful book, the winner...The Truth about Pot, Anarchy, and Sex in Amsterdam A response to a Fox News Broadcast by someone... Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin. (Source: Dr Shock MD PhD)

The Case for Real Chocolate

Diabetes Mine — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 14:18:24 +0100

Halloween is on its way, and of course, we PWDs are bracing ourselves for all that candy — in your face. It ain’t easy to resist, even if you’re not normally tempted, because suddenly there are the bowls-full of the stuff at home and work, at the mall and at the dentist’s office. Yipes! I noticed some [...] (Source: Diabetes Mine)

5 Healthy and Low Carb Bedtime Snack Ideas

Diabetes Daily — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 12:00:00 +0100

When I was first diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, my dietitian suggested that I eat a bedtime snack. I was on shots at the time, and my blood sugar would drop at nighttime. If I had a snack, it would help my blood sugar stabilize. But what to eat? Some things would cause me to wake up too high, and others were too high in calories and caused me to gain weight. I began asking around in our forums and my brother who is in school to be a dietitian gave me some good ideas as well.Herb roasted turkey breast with Swiss cheese. I'll roll these two up together and snack on them for a protein boost before I head off to bed. Depending on what I ate for dinner that night and what my blood sugar is, I may have it with a small slice of bread, which I bolus for.&...

Five Tips for Halloween

Autism Vox — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 14:32:22 +0100

Halloween is the child’s New Year’s Eve, the mother of a friend of mine observed, and it’s true. A night starry with a number of significant points: unlimited candy, free candy, dressing up, roaming around, staying up late. Some kids spend most of the year anticipating Photo/Jill Cornfield Halloween, but mine don’t. Ned occasionally pipes up with a costume idea in July or wonders in September if it’s almost here, but he doesn’t stay on message for too long. And Alex, of course, ignores the whole thing until it’s time to dress up. It’s a good thing we make our own costumes in this family, because I don’t think Alex (a boy who refuses to wear any trousers but khakis these days, who for about three years would wear any t-shirt as long as ...

Chocolate and Salt

Rebel Doctor Web Log — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 00:59:00 +0100

Lindt has come out with a new chocolate bar... the "A Touch of Sea Salt Bar". It combines two of the things I love- dark chocolate and salt. It tastes great!Much more appetizing than chocolate salty balls (which apparently is a real recipe)... (Source: Rebel Doctor Web Log)

6 Healthy Habits That Can Make You Sick

World of Psychology — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 11:43:58 +0100

I dance the Macarena whenever I come across an article that argues against healthy living. I cautioned you against too much positive thinking a few days ago. I laughed while reading research about dark chocolate firing up the happy brain. And I high fived the doctors who warn folks against too much sunscreen — because it blocks the vitamin D that all of us need. I hate that stuff and was looking long and hard for an excuse not to look like a clown this summer. Thank you! I’ve even performed the opposite of an intervention with one of my friends last week who was foolishly trying to give up alcohol and nicotine at the same time. “No, no, no,” I told her. “You can’t do both of these together and expect to keep friends. Now I suggest you go pour yourself a ...

Share and Share Alike

Whitterer on Autism — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 06:22:00 +0100

We explain important human relationships to the boys, kith and kin, blood ties, legal ties and the thing that is about to happen to change their lives.“So of course you understand that once they’re married things are going to be very different.”“Different?”“Yes. You’ll have one more person to share with in the family.”“More sharing?”“Indubitably. And what is the most important thing that you have to share?”“Computer time?”“Nope.”“Dats o.k. den. We can be sharing everything else.”“Good. I’m glad to hear that you’ll be able to share your chocolate pudding with Mr.B.”“Never!” he howls making a fine impression of wolf.“Well you have to start somewhere. Look around the table.”“Hmm?”“Tell me which person you could start to share with?” ...

Chocolate After Heart Attack = Good Thing

A Hearty Life — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 07:23:06 +0100

This study is by no means definitive as there are many variables that weren’t taken into account, such as mental health. The researchers also didn’t qualify what type of chocolate was eaten and this could be an important factor because milk chocolate and dark chocolate are quite different in properties. ~~~~ Images: PhotoXpress.com Post from: Blisstree Chocolate After Heart Attack = Good Thing (Source: A Hearty Life)

Chocolate Saves Your Teeth

Dr Shock MD PhD — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 06:01:01 +0100

Really, the polyphenolen in cocoa inhibit the growth of bacteria responsible for the creation of plaques. Polyphenolen from cocao significantly reduce biofilm formation and acid production by these bacteria. The acid production from sucrose was significantly inhibited resulting in a reduction of localized demineralization. . Be aware that chocolate not only contains cacao but also fat and sugar each with their own effects on weight and caries. The formation of dental plaque, which plays an important role in the development of caries and periodontal disease in humans, could be initiated by several strains of oral streptococci, a kind of bacteria. There are two roads from carbohydrates to caries pictured in the next figure. The formation of dental plaque leads to localized demineralization d...

Caring and sharing

Whitterer on Autism — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 06:25:00 +0100

On Labour Day afternoon after another nocturnal phase with my older son, we are determined to wear them all out in the pool. It is immediately apparent that the water is one degree cooler than on the previous day. My youngest son, in his wet suit, shrieks as his toe touches. Only 18 lengths to go. I do not know how many breaths the average person takes per minute. I do know that every breath equates to one 50 decibel shriek of agony interspersed with cries of “I gonna freeze into an iceberg.” Despite the protests he persists and doesn’t escape from his watery end, but continues to persevere and decrease his average length time. I’m sure that all of our neighbours also enjoyed the experience of his progress as they certainly couldn’t fail to hear the running commentary.Afterwards ...

Chocolate lowers cardiac mortality after first acute myocardial infarction

Dr Shock MD PhD — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 07:09:41 +0100

Chocolate consumption was associated with lower cardiac mortality in a dose dependent manner in patients free of diabetes surviving their first Acute Myocardial Infarction. In contrast, intake of other sweets was not associated with cardiac or total mortality. Now be aware that Dr Shock is extremely biased when it comes to chocolate but this conclusion is based on a study done in Sweden and recently published in the Journal of Internal Medicine. This was an observational study, in need of confirmation by more scientifically superior designs such as a study with a large scale, long-term, controlled randomized trials. Having said all this what they did was following 1169 patients without diabetes who were hospitalized for a confirmed nonfatal first acute myocardial infarction (”heart ...

Quick Fix

Whitterer on Autism — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 06:19:00 +0100

I somehow thought I would have more time, but I don't. If you, like me, need a quick solution to the ever hungry masses, try re-introducing dessert to the menu, both a filler and a bribe for the very average meal. My difficulty, or one of them, is how to add this whilst we have two diabetics in residence. There are lots of diabetic and other healthy alternatives but if I make two versions of the same thing I can guarantee that no-one will take the diabetic option. [I know, I've already tried that] As I'm still keen to encourage my "little chef" with something mouth watering, we've compromised. Bite sized desserts. These little parcels taste a bit like pain au chocolat, but don't take my word for it, give it a go yourself.You will need:-1 packet of puff pastry thawed to room temperatureSome...

Review: Gluten Free Pantry Scones

Diabetes Daily — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 12:00:00 +0100

I was asked by a reader a while back if I could talk more about gluten free foods. As people with diabetes, gluten-intolerance (celiac disease) is sometimes an unfortunate addition that some have to deal with. So in addition to having problems eating carbohydrates, they cannot eat anything with gluten in it. This can include delicious things like pasta, muffins, cake, pizza, and even your shampoo and chapstick.In the past, having celiac disease meant eating baked goods that tasted like cardboard. I've tasted some of them before! But now, I'm happy to say that it is possible to have gluten free baked goods that taste just as good as the real thing. I'm not even kidding!I was at Whole Foods the other day, and pulled an associate aside to ask them about the...

Chocolate for the brain

Healthbolt — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 10:00:13 +0100

Last month, over 350 medical professionals, computer experts and entrepreneurs gathered for the fifth annual Games for Health Conference in Boston and discussed out topics such as how computer games could boost patients’ health. There were even sessions that specifically focused on the relationship between gaming and cognitive health and whether games can help change behavior and/or improve balance for people with neurodegenerative diseases. Me - I’m all for the idea that games can help maintain cognitive health as well as possibly improve memory. And with that in mind, I’d like to introduce you to my latest find - Chocolatier: Decadence by Design. Seriously, what could be more fun than spending an hour or two pretending that you are a chocolatier building up a chocolate empire f...

A Study I’d Volunteer For

A Hearty Life — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 13:02:57 +0100

I just found a call for a study I’d volunteer for but - alas - I don’t fit the criteria, nor do I don’t live in Norwich, Norfolk in the United Kingdom. Researchers there are looking in to the health effects of dark chocolate and they’re recruiting 40 non-smoking women, 75 years or younger, who are postmenopausal (no menstrual period for at least a year), who have type 2 diabetes, and who have been taking cholesterol-lowering medications. The goal is to find if specially made chocolate, with flavonoid compounds, helps decrease the chances of the women developing heart disease. The trade-off for eating chocolate every day is that the women have to fill out questionnaires about their health, have a scan of their arteries, and have regular urine and blood tests. A simil...

5 Ways to Practice Gratitude

World of Psychology — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 11:32:12 +0100

Today’s interview is with happiness expert Sonja Lyubomirsky, Ph.D., who is Professor of Psychology at the University of California, Riverside and the author of “The How of Happiness.” In 2002, Lyubomirsky was awarded a Templeton Positive Psychology Prize. Currently, she holds a 5-year million-dollar grant (with Ken Sheldon) from the National Institute of Mental Health to conduct research on the possibility of permanently increasing happiness. Her research has been written up in dozens of magazines and newspapers and she has appeared in multiple TV shows, radio shows, and feature documentaries in North America and Europe. Question: I know that gratitude is one key component of happiness, and you mention keeping a gratitude journal, where you regularly write down the thing...

Save a Horse, Ride a Pharmacist

The Angriest Pharmacist — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 22:34:08 +0100

I’ve finally done it. I’ve created my 9th Symphony. This shirt is going to take the pharmacy world by storm. I want every student, every pharmacist, every person on the planet wearing the following shirt. Subscribe to Be Notified of New Posts/T-Shirts/General Awesomeness:Your email: I’m going to add new styles (which will be added to this post) as they are completed. New images will be used, and I have a few other tricks up my sleeve. ENJOY! CLICK HERE TO VISIT THE ANGRIEST STORE! Save A Horse, Ride A Pharmacist — BLACK TEXT/IMAGE! Save A Horse, Ride A Pharmacist — BROWN TEXT/IMAGE! (Source: The Angriest Pharmacist)

Recall Roundup: June 19, 2009

eFoodAlert.com — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 17:28:00 +0100

Here is today's list of food safety recalls, product withdrawals and allergy alerts. The live links will take you directly to the official recall notices and company news releases that contain detailed information for each recall and alert.United StatesAllergy Alert: Smith Dairy Products Company recalls SMITH’S Tea with Lemon in gallon size, lot no. 07/07/09, due to the presence of undeclared milk. The recalled product was distributed only in Ohio.Stolen Insulin Warning: FDA warns that at least some of the stolen 129,000 vials of the injectable insulin product, Levemir – made by Novo Nordisk – have resurfaced and are being sold to US consumers. FDA has received one report of a patient who suffered a dangerous reaction due to poor control of blood glucose as a result of using a vial o...

Cooking lessons with Chicken Little

Whitterer on Autism — Thu, 14 May 2009 06:20:00 +0100

Clearly it’s an exaggeration, but it’s the nearest I can get to convey the abject panic in the kitchen. Kitchen’s are fraught with dangers for the unwary and the ever so slightly paranoid. The motivation is clear and present, the desire to create something yummy but the overwhelming amount of angst that swirls around the kitchen soon have us both heading up the vortex. This is primarily due to my own ability to say the wrong thing at the wrong time and feed the OCD beast within. Throughout this exercise there is the underlying ghost of tactile defensiveness, the abhorrence of dirty hands. I think there may well be a smidge of this phenomenon in many of us. It’s the reaction we feel when the unexpected happens. We stroll along on our own sweet way, when out of nowhere we find someth...

Chocolate and Mood Disorders

World of Psychology — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 16:33:37 +0100

Isn’t it great that we can have something that is not only good for us, but fun to use? I’m talking about chocolate! Yes sir, dark gold, pure happiness! You’ve probably heard the buzz about dark chocolate, and how it’s good for your blood pressure, lowers cholesterol, prevents cancer and can fix nearly anything that is wrong with you, except that expanding waistline. (And for the record — white chocolate is not really chocolate at all. It’s milk solids and fat. No cocoa. Nada.) The basic ingredients of dark chocolate include cacao beans, sugar, soy lecithin (an emulsifier to preserve texture), and flavorings. This yummy treat, which contains fewer milk solids than its more popular cousin, milk chocolate, often is rated by the percentage of cocoa solids in the bar. The ...

Matthaus Passion Concert

The Art of Being Asperger Woman — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 15:51:00 +0100

Yes! This afternoon I went to see one of the most famous Matthaus Passions Concerts in Holland. The Holland Boys Choir conducted by Pieter Jan Leusink. It was marvelous. Been there before. Kind of tradition, this was my second visit.Perhaps due to my autism I can loose myself completely into music.For years I did not dare to go on my own to such events. Now I know it might likely more fun going together, but this is also ok.Waiting for the train, blogging this on the road.Whising you a good evening en see you tomorrow Easter Sunday!Yes I bought chocolate eggs but no golden ;-)Take careA.Bird. (Source: The Art of Being Asperger Woman)

Improve Your Maths by Eating Chocolate?

Healthbolt — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 16:12:32 +0100

It’s a good month for coffee and chocolate. First, there was news about a study that found that caffeine reduces muscle pain caused by exercise and now researchers in England seem to think that mental arithmetic becomes easier when chocolate is involved. But before those of you trying to complete your tax returns go nuts on chocolate, you’d better have a good read of the study because it’s not as clear cut as us chocoholics would like it to be. Yes, it seems that the study participants, after partaking in large amounts of flavanols (the compounds found in chocolate), did do better when asked to count backwards in groups of three from a random number between 800 and 999. But when these same participants were asked to count backwards by sevens, the ingested chocolate was of no help. Ac...

How To: Perfect Cup of Cocoa

Diabetes Daily — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 12:00:00 +0100

There are foods known in the diabetes community as "bolus worthy" and for me, hot cocoa is one of them. I'm not talking about the kind that comes from a mix. No, I hardly call that bolus worthy. What I gladly take an extra dose of insulin for is the hot cocoa that comes from scratch. Full of antioxidants, and if you make it right, low in calories and fat-... (Source: Diabetes Daily)

Easter Chocolate Hurts Autistics

AspieWeb.net — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 06:16:50 +0100

In a marketing campaign Lindt Chocolates has decided it would be a great idea to profit off of harm done to Autistic Children. Lindt Chocolates has announced for every sale of their Gold Bunny they will donate 10 cents to the number 1 organization who promotes hatred of Autistic people… Autism Speaks, saying: “Lindt USA is very [...] (Source: AspieWeb.net)

Valentine For The Heart

A Hearty Life — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 15:58:02 +0100

Dr. Suzanne Steinbaum cardiologist of Lenox Hill Hospital, New York, gave some sweet news for dark chocolate and red wine lovers. In the interview the doctor explains that by eating dark chocolate and drinking red wine you are actually fighting against heart disease. Eating one small square of dark chocolate that contains about 30 calories, will aid in fighting high blood pressure and heart disease. Dark chocolate contains flavonids that act as an antioxidant in your system. When eating dark chocolate be sure to read the label to see that it contains at least 70% of cocoa bean content. Red wine contains the same antioxidant properties as does dark chocolate. How to fight heart disease with dark chocolate and red wine Video thanks to http://www.howdini.com/howdini-video-6657679.html Tags...

Chocolate Cookie Sheet Cake

The Dessert Years . . . (the sequel) — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 20:49:26 +0100

♥ I celebrated a birthday last week. And my pick for a cake is this perfect specimen of a chocolate confection … Chocolate Cookie Sheet Cake ♦ Combine 2 C unbleached flour 2 C white sugar 1/2 t sea salt ♦ Melt in a saucepan 2 sticks unsalted butter 7 T cocoa powder ♦ Then stir in … 1 C boiling water ♦ Bring to [...] (Source: The Dessert Years . . . (the sequel))

Kitchen Mishaps: Crunchy Frosting

Diabetes Daily — Sat, 31 Jan 2009 12:00:00 +0100

It's winter time and with a new baby in the house we don't get out much. I was feeling a little bored last night and decided to try out a Ina Garten's recipe for Chocolate Buttercream Cake in her Barefoot Contessa cookbook. I followed the directions for the cake perfectly, and soon our house smelled like warm and melt-y chocolate. While my delicious cakes were cooling, I made the frosting ... (Source: Diabetes Daily)

Chocolates For Your Love

A Hearty Life — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 15:00:00 +0100

With Valentine’s Day just around the corner you may want to consider giving your love, a heart healthy treat. For those of us with partner’s that have high blood pressure or heart problems that love their sweets, this article is a great find. Dark chocolate may be just what the answer you are looking for. Do you know that cocoa is actually a fruit? We all know that fruits are good for us. Researchers have found a link that shows cocoa and dark chocolate aid in the fight against cardiovascular disease. The studies show reduced risk for blood clots, strokes, and heart attacks. Food scientists at Cornell University found that there are twice the antioxidants in cocoa as were in red wine. The study also stated that there were three times more antioxidants in cocoa than found in green...

The Human Experiment, Part 2

Shrink Rap — Sun, 25 Jan 2009 14:45:00 +0100

Earlier this month, I posted about my own efforts to deal with insomnia, and how I inadvertently threw myself into caffeine withdrawal. I'm following up here.So to summarize my experiment on myself, I manipulated the following variables, all at once, with no control group, and no way of knowing which variable was responsible for any changes I saw.1) I stopped all caffeine. Well, mostly. After the caffeine withdrawal headache and fatigue, I decided there was no real rationale for this, and I've been drinking half a cup of coffee most mornings. In anticipation of the crowds and a purported 1:5000 person: porta-potty ratio at Obama's Inauguration, I did not have any coffee on that morning. I've had no Diet Coke (yes, this is possible) and my efforts to completely stop chocolate have been un...

Chocolate And Smokers Hearts

A Hearty Life — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 17:31:52 +0100

I am not trying to push dark chocolate, but the fact is that we are all trying to improve our health. Our heart is the jewel of our body, when the heart is not functioning properly the whole body suffers. While looking for ways to improve our heart health we all look for everything available on heart. Finding that a small amount of dark chocolate daily is good for the heart, is a great treat. Dark chocolates are fully loaded with many flavaniods. So by simply eating 1.4 ounces of dark chocolate daily we may improve our heart health. A spot on CBS News, told of a research study that included 20 male smokers’ that were divided into two groups. The men were given 1.4 ounces of dark chocolate or white chocolate and then waited for two hours for the results. The men that ate the dark chocola...

Three Hershey Bars. Three Words. Inspired.

The Dessert Years . . . (the sequel) — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 17:46:57 +0100

Yesterday was a cold, colorless, cloudy day here. Blah! Double blah! Just the sort of day that beckons you to curl up with a cozy down comforter and simply nap through the hours. Except even that didn’t even sound appealing! Actually — nothing seemed appealing! So … I did what any women does in the [...] (Source: The Dessert Years . . . (the sequel))

Tree Huggers, it's a gift

Whitterer on Autism — Sat, 20 Dec 2008 07:59:00 +0100

Get the code:-Cut and pastefrom this littleboxy thing below Timing is crucial. I wait until two people stand on the roof to chop down the Christmas tree, one person plays ‘electronics’ and one spins his wheels. I grab the spinner to explain our schedule and specifically, how we shall occupy the next hour. We shall spend the next hour making candy as a gift for other members of the family, "a gift," our first. I say a silent prayer that no-one falls off the roof during the next hour, or that if they do fall off the roof, that they won’t fall past the kitchen window, as that kind of distraction would be very off-putting.My son is unconvinced that the project is doable, or preferable, or possible to complete in under 60 minutes. I share his dubious approach on the inside. I project opti...

And the Winner of the One-Month Supply of Detour Runner Bars is…

Healthbolt — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 22:00:00 +0100

Results were mixed on which would be the best Detour Runner Bar. Chocolate Chip seemed the most popular but the Lemon Yoghurt and Chocolate Peanut Butter were a close second and third. But the winner of the ‘one-month supply of Detour Runner Bars’, according to my trusty random number organizer, is…. Steve who said ‘I just started training for a half-marathon in May. I think the Peanut Butter Chocolate bars would be a good energy boost’. Congratulations Steve. You should be getting an email shortly with directions on how and where to provide your mailing address. And good luck to you with the half-marathon. I’m sure these detour bars will help. As for the rest of the us, there is always a chance to win tomorrow. Tags: detour chocolate chip runner bar, detour chocolate peanut ...

Cookies!

beth's myeloma blog — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 03:05:00 +0100

Matt & Ashley Baker, at the Inn at the Bryant House, were showing me how they make their special chocolate chip cookies. (Source: beth's myeloma blog)

Happy Friday!

The Dessert Years . . . (the sequel) — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 13:43:40 +0100

This has been an extremely hectic week … Said fact became agonizingly apparent when — after listening to the banging and pounding of roofers all day yesterday — I just crashed last night. However, the early morning hours of this day have already proved today will be better! Elements of this day have already included: awakening [...] (Source: The Dessert Years . . . (the sequel))

Speaking of Desserts …

The Dessert Years . . . (the sequel) — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 02:31:10 +0100

We interrupt regularly scheduled blog posts for these tasty treats. I twitter with Robin and we have been twitterin’ kitchen adventures. She shared her cheese-making tips with me (as well as this recipe for Buttermilk Chocolate Chip Cake). I baked the Buttermilk Chocolate Chip Cake for a family dinner and received some “sweet feedback” from my [...] (Source: The Dessert Years . . . (the sequel))

NaNoWriMo 2008

white pebble — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 13:52:31 +0100

Today is the one day I have (because I’ve been a bit lazy) to prepare my whatevers to get ready for this year’s NaNoWriMo, which starts tonight at midnight. I’ve decided that the baggage that comes with midnight on Halloween is a welcome addition to the mix. After all, if you can’t think of anything else to write about, you can write about those Hershey bars (with almonds) that your husband has hidden somewhere in the house. Well, knowing that I’d eat them until I made myself sick, he had a good reason for hiding them. We just have enough for the kids in two of the neighboring houses. Our street is so hidden that we never get any kids other than those. Buck, however, always buys a pile of candy around early October, just to make sure. Just in case. Right. Now ...

The Ghost of Recall Past

eFoodAlert.com — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 12:55:00 +0100

Just in time for Halloween, a two-year old recall of Salmonella-contaminated chocolate has returned to haunt the Greater Toronto Area.The Canadian Food Inspection Agency is warning consumers to be on the lookout for a number of Hershey's chocolate products that were recalled in November 2006 after the company found Salmonella in the environment of its Smith's Falls, Ontario production facility. CFIA issued its advisory after learning that some of the recalled chocolate is being sold in independent retail stores in Etobicoke and North York.According to CBC News, a Toronto recycling depot had been contracted to collect and dispose of the chocolates that were covered by the 2006 recall. Some of the recovered chocolates were stolen from the recycling depot the following year, and that contraba...

That China Milk Scare (IV)

Malaysian Medical Resources — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 04:00:00 +0100

Recently the BBC reported that the Chinese melamine scandal widens and that melamine is probably being routinely added to Chinese animal feed. Goodness knows how much of the food chain in China has been tainted. On a lighter note, it has even spread to Ann Summers stores in the UK. Those of you who are more well read or well travelled, would know that Ann Summers stores cater for the more “mature” shoppers. The products which apparently have been melamine contaminated have names like “Chocolate-flavored Willy spread” and “Chocolate body pen” so you get the drift what people buy these things for I didn’t know chocolate could be used like that but it’s true. Girls really find chocolate irresistible. Guys, wouldn’t you like to have a spra...

Chocolate: It’s Role in Oral Health

Bibby Library News and Tips — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 17:35:40 +0100

Chocolate season has arrived! This treat helps us celebrate from Halloween through Christmas. Nonetheless, concerns about overindulging include weight gain, lower bone density,a rise in serum triglyceride levels, migraine headaches, and increased esophageal acid. On the other hand, research shows that eating chocolate may improve vascular health, blood pressure, cognitive health, blood flow, and [...] (Source: Bibby Library News and Tips)

Someday? Now. — Part 1

The Dessert Years . . . (the sequel) — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 17:54:39 +0100

My son and I drove to Colorado last month. We decided upon a return route that took us back into our great state by way of New Mexico’s state highway 456. If you have never personally traveled the stretch of this highway from Raton, New Mexico into the panhandle of Oklahoma, you have missed an [...] (Source: The Dessert Years . . . (the sequel))

Friendships, Web sites and Chocolate

The Dessert Years . . . (the sequel) — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 15:47:50 +0100

Interesting key words for this post, dontcha think? (Both the title and Wordle … Click on the image if you want a larger view.) This morning I decided to write a bit about what is going on in my neck of the woods. And it all involves the following key words … Friendships After being somewhat of a [...] (Source: The Dessert Years . . . (the sequel))

Friday Random

The KnifeMan — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 08:37:00 +0100

If there's a better way to advertise chocolate, I don't know what it is... (Source: The KnifeMan)

Accountable To Whom?

Shrink Rap — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 22:31:00 +0100

In psychiatry, we talk a lot about the treatment of mental illness. Sometimes we talk about the treatment of disordered behavior, but often that discussion falls into the realm of other specialists such as psychologists, social workers, or lay support people (is that what I should call them?)-- members of self-help groups, personal coaches, and others.Just to be clear, I'm talking about addictions and motivated behaviors-- people who can't stop doing what they're doing and seem to be driven by something other than logic. So the alcoholic who keeps drinking despite horrible repercussions, the smoker, the drug addict who keeps using when he's lost so much, the over-eating overweight person who grabs the next chocolate cupcake, the bulimic, the gambler, the internet sex addict, the pedophile,...

Chocolate for Autism

Autism Vox — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 16:07:29 +0100

Raw chocolate, that is, as someone on Craigslist suggests as an autism treatment; someone else, the mother of two adopted autistic children, writes about a specific product on an autism board. Why raw chocolate? This site lists a few “health benefits”; apparently raw chocolate is an antioxidant and has an ORAC (Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity) superior to that of prunes, blueberries, strawberries and spinach. I know “the other Orac” (over at Respectful Insolence) has had his hands full fending off anti-vaccine woo-mongers and putting the Post-Modernists in their place, but Orac on ORAC: That could be worth a box of See’s Candy. Will sugestions for novel autism treatments ever wane? Share This (Source: Autism Vox)

Can food improve brain health?

SharpBrains — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 16:05:57 +0100

This article was written by Pascale Michelon, Ph. D., for SharpBrains. Dr. Michelon, Copyright 2008. Dr. Michelon has a Ph.D. in Cognitive Psychology and has worked as a Research Scientist at Washington University in Saint Louis, in the Psychology Department. She conducted several research projects to understand how the brain makes use of visual information and memorizes facts. She is now an Adjunct Faculty at Washington University, and teaches Memory Workshops in numerous retirement communities in the St Louis area. More articles on the topic: - A Multi-Pronged Approach to Brain Health - Overview of Nutritional Supplements and Brain Fitness Alzheimers, Alzheimers risk, Antioxidants, berries, brain diet, Brain health, citrus fruits, cocoa, Corrada, Curcumin, dark chocolate, DHA, enhance me...

Processed Food Makers Cut Corners As Prices Rise

Highlight HEALTH — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 02:19:55 +0100

This article was published on Highlight HEALTH. Other Articles You May LikeDid You Eat Your Fruits and Vegetables Today?The Upside of High Food PricesOverweight Kids and TV: An Advertising EpidemicAlternative to DichloroacetatePolyphenols (Source: Highlight HEALTH)

Chocolate Kicks

Autism Vox — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 19:00:06 +0100

Be warned. This post contains a disparate slew of references to martial arts (kind of in a Kung Fu Panda vein); chocolate (M & M’s, even); the use of the r word in Tropic Thunder; Thailand; lots of flies. (And autism, but you knew that.) No, we didn’t once again see Po the Panda executing his moves against an opponent to get that last pad thai noodle or chocolate bar, with insects buzzing in the background. All the items listed in the first paragraph appear in Chocolate, a martial arts movie from Thailand with an autistic heroine who really knows how to kick her way around. From a review on Film School Rejects: [”Tattooed hottie”—that’s a quote, please note—Zin] gives birth to an autistic girl she names Zen, and we’re treated to another monta...

New metastatic liver cancer treatment: chocolate?

Metastatic liver cancer — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 03:09:13 +0100

Eclairs covered with lots of chocolate was father’s new cancer treatment as in …a treat that brought a smile on father’s face! Love is the best medicine! Love doesn’t cure cancer and for sure chocolate is not a treatment for metastatic liver cancer. But love is the best foundation to give the much needed care a terminal cancer patient needs. Parents love their children and devote lots and lots of their time and energy in raising their kids. The same effort will be needed when you are taking care of a loved one with cancer. With kids, parents have a dream that they will end up like this or that… when talking about secondary liver cancer your dreams are on hold. The reality is that non of the metastatic liver cancer stories we gathere...

Climb Every Mountain

Shrink Rap — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 19:51:00 +0100

Subtitle: "Blood On The Bike" I'm back from vacation. Roy's been posting about his camping experience in Maine and by pure coincidence I also planned my summer vacation to Acadia National Park. I called Roy and tried to catch up with him, but for the most part I didn't have cell phone coverage when I was there.Let me start by saying: it was wet. More than wet, it was a deluge that first day. The tent held up with only mild dampness, but I knew I was in trouble when a park ranger stopped me on the way back from my hike to warn me to take shelter. He said there were 60 mile per hour winds predicted, with lightening and hail. Yes, it was wet. There wasn't any hail and the wind wasn't that bad, but we did get three waves of lightening storms through the night. Since it couldn't get any worse, ...

Doing My Part

Von Krankipantzen — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 19:43:00 +0100

I'm off to get a DQ Blizzard as all proceeds go to the Children's Miracle Network.It is a sacrifice I'm willing to make for the kids. (Source: Von Krankipantzen)

Make Me Happy, Sweet Chocolate, and Lower My Blood Pressure.

Healthbolt — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 17:00:57 +0100

Image details: Health Food Junk Food served by picapp.com Is there just anything better than reading about the health benefits of steak, beer or chocolate? Methinks not. So here’s another gem for you: German researchers say that eating a square of dark chocolate every day can reduce your systolic blood pressure (the top number) by 3 points and your diastolic pressure by 2! And you don’t have to worry about breaking the diet bank, either. Each square only totals about 30 calories (calories full of bliss, I might add.) The trick? Natural compounds found in dark chocolate raise your levels of nitric oxide, a known blood-vessel relaxer. So…more chocolate in your life = better health? Man, what great news for a Monday, eh? Bon apetit! Tags: Chocolate for Health, Diet, Health, ...

HEALTH Highlights - July 10th, 2008

Highlight HEALTH — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 13:57:32 +0100

This article was published on Highlight HEALTH. Related articlesHealth Highlights - September 10th, 2007Health Highlights - July 10th, 2007Health Highlights - January 14, 2008Health Highlights - August 9th, 2007Health Highlights - June 16th, 2007 (Source: Highlight HEALTH)

Hmmmm....

Von Krankipantzen — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 04:12:00 +0100

In light of my last post is this merely a coincidence or The Universe providing? Only time will tell.I entered. (Source: Von Krankipantzen)

Liver transplants and Cadbury's Dairy Milk

NHS Blog Doctor — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 21:50:00 +0100

Scott's liverScott Hull has a rare disease called PSC (very long name that won’t mean much unless you are a doctor). Basically, over time the bile ducts leaving his liver are squeezed closed which causes fluids to back up into the liver and evenutally, cirrhosis (liver damage). This is not caused by drugs, alcohol, or anything else he did. Although the symptoms are treatable eventually it will get worse, and the only long term cure is a liver transplant. To make matters worse, there is a 15% increase in the chance of liver cancer - which also goes back to normal with the transplant. (If he does get the cancer, the chances of getting the transplant before it spreads are unlikely). - Martha (Scott’s wife)++++++++++++There is a waiting list for liver transplants. I have a patient who i...

Combinging two of my favorite things - chocolate and genomes

The Tree of Life — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 19:28:00 +0100

Well, the Mars company has really done it now (see Unwrapping the Chocolate Genome -from washingtonpost.com). They are planning to sequence the cacoa genome. Genomes and chocolate. Man are they going to get every bioinformatics person I know to apply to help out with this project ...Some little notes on the project:They plan to release the data for public use: "Mars plans to make the research results free and accessible through the Public Intellectual Property Resource for Agriculture, a group that supports agricultural innovation, as they become available. The intent is to prevent opportunists from patenting the plant's key genes."They are doing this in a collaboration with IBMGood quote by Howard Shapiro: "We have the ability as a private company to take charge of the future," Howard-Yan...

Could cocoa help diabetics fight heart disease?

Diabetes Notes — Sun, 01 Jun 2008 01:11:25 +0100

Here is one for you… and it involves something yummy! For people with diabetes, sipping a mug of steaming, flavorful cocoa may seem a guilty pleasure. But new research suggests that indulging a craving for cocoa can actually help blood vessels to function better and might soon be considered part of a healthy diet for the prevention of cardiovascular disease. It is important to note that the reason for the positive spin on cocoa has to do with natural plant compounds, ie. flavanols. In no way is Dr. Kelm suggesting that diabetes should guzzle cocoa, but dietary flavanols hold promise as a way to prevent heart disease among diabetics. to read more about this chocolate research… Tags: chocolate, cocoa, Diabetes, diet, flavanols, heart-disease, type-2-diabetesShare This (Source:...

NASA Wants You…to stay in bed!

Healthbolt — Tue, 13 May 2008 11:57:20 +0100

So who hasn’t dreamed of spending a day or two in bed? Maybe even a week? But what about lying around in bed for three months and getting paid $5000 a month for doing so? Well, according to Wired Science that’s just what NASA is asking people to volunteer for. NASA is running a ‘Bed Rest Study’ at it’s Human Test Subject Facility at Johnson Space Center to examine the effects of microgravity on the human body. Want to know more - check out this Q&A with a NASA Scientist about the study. It might sound like a dream but it could easily turn into a nightmare… On the other hand, if you combined it with the Getting Paid to Eat Chocolate research, it might just be worth it!!! Tags: bed rest, chocolate, medical research, NASA, research, sleepingShare This ...

The Sunday Monday Sidebar.

Healthbolt — Mon, 05 May 2008 07:36:49 +0100

A day late, but I think it’s worth the wait. Free Viagra Now here’s a politician that really cares about his constituents. Gonzalo Navarette Munoz, mayor of a municipality near the Chilean capital Santiago, wants to improve the quality of life for the older people in the working class suburb of Lo Prado by handing out potency pills. Jailhouse Menu - could this be the next new diet? Do you believe this? An inmate in an Arkansas jail awaiting trial on a murder charge is suing the county jail for weight loss. Apparently he’s lost over 100 pounds in the last eight months because of the food he is being given. Now he only weighs 308 pounds. You’d think he’d be happy with the weight loss. Go figure… Wanted: Women to eat chocolate for a year Personally, I th...

Hearty linky love from stem cells to chocolate bars

A Hearty Life — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 18:15:28 +0100

Here are some Friday links for you… Novel Way to Prevent Cardiac Fibrosis Identified- In a study that points to a new strategy for preventing or possibly reversing fibrosis — the scarring that can lead to organ and tissue damage — researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have determined that a molecule called Epac (Exchange protein activated by cAMP1), plays a key role in integrating the body’s pro- and anti-fibrotic response. Chocolate Bar Shown To Lower Cholesterol- “Eating two CocoaVia dark chocolate bars a day not only lowered cholesterol, it had the unexpected effect of also lowering systolic blood pressure,” said John Erdman, a U. of I. professor of food science and human nutrition. Heart Derived Stem Cells Develop ...

Rabid over rabbits

Whitterer on Autism — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 15:45:00 +0100

Americans would describe my current mood as ‘pissed.’ This actually means that I am drunk. I would say that I am pissed off, which means that I am annoyed, or ever so slightly dejected. As much as I try, I am unable to extract myself and my family from the continuing influence of another family. After the "Easter debacle" we enjoy a trouble free week, as my daughter is unwell and stays at home for a few days. We are resolute, no more shenanigans. On returning home after her first day back at school, I discover that she is in mourning for the loss of her friendship with pal. Pal now enjoys a relationship with a boy, her seventeenth boyfriend. Her date book is now full, with no time left over for my daughter. I sympathise with her loss, whilst secretly enjoying our easy escape. I explain...

The Mind-Body Connection via Intentional Chocolate

Women's Bioethics Blog — Sat, 09 Feb 2008 18:32:14 +0100

If you've ever wondered what makes it your mom's chicken soup so special, this study, brought to you by the Institute of Noetic Sciences, suggests that it is the intentional love that goes into... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]] (Source: Women's Bioethics Blog)

Ummm, chocolate

Blind.Scientist — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 16:50:58 +0100

Apparently is not only in bioinformatics that you can publish Greasemonkey scripts, Excel macros and 40* errors on PubMed entries. BMJ also has some very useful science and with its impact factor higher than 9, I can see a lot of opportunity to publish there. I guess just this short article alone would be able to “provide a rare opportunity for the chocolate industry to become palpably involved in public health promotion”. (Source: Blind.Scientist)

The Scent of the Cookies

Autism Vox — Sun, 13 Jan 2008 05:09:55 +0100

Researchers from Singapore have found that the aroma of chocolate chip cookies prompted splurging on expensive sweaters. Its not a perfect analogy, but who knows that it might not hurt to blow in some chocolate cookie scent into the room where you’re having an IEP meeting. Maybe it’ll prompt those Child Study Team members to agree to “spend a little more” on services…………… Photo courtesy of desertculinary via Flickr. Share This (Source: Autism Vox)