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What one person…

What one person receives without working for, another person must work for without receiving.

 – Jerry Pournelle (?)

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Just because yo…

Just because you do not take an interest in politics doesn’t mean politics won’t take an interest in you!

— Pericles (430 B.C.)

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If you think he…

If you think health care is expensive now, wait until you see what it costs when it’s free!

— P. J. O’Rourke

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I contend that …

I contend that for a nation to try to tax itself into prosperity is like a man standing in a bucket and trying to lift himself up by the handle.

 –Winston Churchill

Male Fertility Problem? May Be Too Much TV

“Men who watch more than 20 hours of television a week risk halving their sperm count, researchers warn.

A sedentary lifestyle can have a major impact on a man’s ability to reproduce, the research found.

And while regular, vigorous exercise was shown to boost sperm count, excessive television-watching can counteract the positive effects of physical activity.”

Read the rest at The Independent.

Higher Potassium Consumption May Prevent Chronic Disease

From the World Health Organization:

“Low potassium intake has been associated with a number of non-communicable diseases, including hypertension, cardiovascular disease, chronic kidney stone formation and low bone-mineral density. An increased potassium intake may reduce blood pressure, decrease risk of cardiovascular disease, have beneficial effects on bone-mineral density, and mitigate the negative consequences of high sodium consumption.”

The Linus Pauling Institute says fruits and vegetables are the best sources of potassium.  Beans are also good.  WHO recommends similar natural sources, and against simple supplementation.

 

Men, Is Your Calcium Supplement Hurting Your Heart?

Men taking calcium supplements may be at risk for premature cardiac death, according to an article in MedPageToday.  But what if those men have lower cancer and infection rates and end up living longer than non-supplementers?  The article doesn’t address that.

A study a couple years ago looked at women taking calcium supplements.  As long as they also took a vitamin D supplement, they had no adverse mortality or cardiac effects.  

Recommended: Whitecoat’s Healthcare Update

He does it almost every week.  It’s brief and funny.  All aspects of healthcare are fair game.

Endangered SilverLobster Needs Your Help

My 14-year-old son is a budding artist.  His work is viewable and for sale at DeviantArt.  You can order prints of various sizes and quality, along with his art on cups and refrigerator magnets.  Thanks for taking a look.  Paul will get a kick out of the bump in page views whether you buy or not!

Some samples:

Wink!

Deadmau5 copy

Soaring eagle

Impressionist snake

REEEAOGH

Low Glycemic Index Diets Reduce Total and LDL Cholesterol

…according to a recent report in Nutrition, Metabolism & Cardiovascular Disease. LDL cholesterol is the type we think contributes to coronary artery disease and other forms of atherosclerosis.

Learn about glycemic index at NutritionData.

My Low-Carb Mediterranean and Ketogenic Mediterranean Diets are undoubtedly “low glycemic index.”  The Advanced Mediterranean Diet would also be significantly lower GI than the standard American diet.