If we, humans, pulled by our noses by unconscionable scientists, hadn’t been so busy chemical-coating and irradiating natural fruits and vegetables (and at this point and the current growing methods, I use the term “natural” loosely) after growing them in mineral-depleted soil or confining them to artificially-lit greenhouses, fruits and vegetables today would taste fabulous (the way they used to…even before I was born), and it goes without saying that they would be far more healthy for the human body.

Perhaps it would be more advantageous for every living thing on the planet, if scientists would just come up with a way for industrialized human beings to be “tricked” into feeling satiated and satisfied with the naturally diverse and abundant cornucopia that is health, itself, within their reach every day in the industrialized world. Maybe they could just be “zapped” so that they would once again love the smell of roses, appreciate the taste of broccoli, and savor the taste of strawberries to such a degree that the overfed and over-pampered classes wouldn’t continue to crave more and more. Instead of the recurrent chant “give me something I don’t have,” (like a rose that smells like rootbeer!) there would appear a quiet contentment. Then scientists and researchers could focus on  those things that have transformative power, ways to assist the rest of the world’s people who every moment are lacking even the basic necessities of life.

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As the story goes, after “The Catcher in the Rye” sold millions, with Salinger’s picture (such an intriguing, seductive face) looking out from each dust jacket, Salinger became “sick of seeing” himself and demanded that his photo be removed from future editions. I guess you could say that the vivid face he left us with, instead, was not his, but that of Holden Caulfield. No doubt, that teen-aged face is etched differently in the mind of each of us, but even through the veil of diverse gray matter, we’d all recognize him still.

It is strange that we feel such a collective loss of someone whose face we haven’t seen in over half a century. But, I suppose it is because we know that along with the loss of his vivid face, we’ve forever lost his vivid mind as well.

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A new study by Damaris Rohsenow of Brown University and colleagues reported in an upcoming issue of Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research indicated that bourbon gave drinkers a more severe hangover than vodka, bourbon drinkers rating higher on scales that measured the severity of hangover malaise, including headache, nausea, loss of appetite and thirst. However, both bourbon and vodka drinkers’ sleep suffered equally, as did their performance on tasks requiring attention and quick responses. Rohsenow advised that understanding the lingering effects of alcohol after a night of heavy drinking is important for people who engage in safety-sensitive tasks, such as driving, while hung over.

Overall, bourbon drinkers reported feeling worse than vodka drinkers.  Let’s face it, drinking too much alcohol, no matter what the color, is just not good for anyone’s health. Moderation in all things is a good philosophy when it comes to a healthy lifestyle.  But, if there is a moral here, the may be it: Next time, sip a martini!

Technorati Tags: bourbon, hangover, health, vodka

What is sphagnum moss? It is a moss that grow in the northern lakes of Minnesota and keeps the lake waters clear. Spagnum moss grows other places and is used for other purposes, but keep pool water clean is a first. The technology was developed by Creative Water Solutions, which is based out of Plymouth, Minnesota. According to founder and CEO, David Knighton, the moss acts to inhibit the growth of microbes in the pool. The moss readily absorbs heavy metals, including iron, which often encourages microbial growth. Without any iron in the water, microbes can’t grow. But, more importantly, Knighton says, the moss also prevents the growth of biofilm, mats of bacteria that stick to pool surfaces and coat the inside of pipes, causing corrosion.

For more on this new development, go to discovery.com

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Achieving that vital healing environment of peace,  both internally and externally, is not always easy, especially in the world as it is today. It does seem that the world, particularly in the past eight or nine years, has become ever more divisive, chaotic, and violent. And, until recently, the United States, which had for so many years held an honorable place on the world stage, had joined in the fray — pointing fingers at “otherness” and enemies, giving outline and substance to an axis of evil, and isolating our country in arrogance and xenophobia.

And so, today, I want to celebrate along with you the awe-inspiring significance that our President, Barack Obama, has won the Nobel Peace Prize. It fills me with hope that the coming years will bring a more readily achievable external peace and a more easily experienced peace within.  Let the healing begin. Cheers!

Technorati Tags: alternative health, Barack Obama, chiropractic, doctors of chiropractic, healing, holistic practitioners, Nobel Peace Prize, peace

Researchers found that when they exposed 32 adults to a moderately painful stimulus (a heat-producing probe placed on the skin), that women were, in fact, initially more sensitive to the pain than men. But after the first 20 seconds, women reported a decline in both the intensity of the pain and their “annoyance” with it. Men, in contrast, showed no similar adaptation.

The sex disparity was also seen when the study participants were exposed to the heat a second and third time. The women felt less pain and annoyance than their male counterparts throughout.
Perhaps the next test between the sexes should be which sex realizes first that exposure to heat hurts and that, therefore, they should avoid a second and third exposure!

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Alyssa Dufour of the Institute of Aging research, Hebrew SeniorLife in Boston, and her colleges, performed a large population-based study of foot pain and shoe style. The results, reported in the October issue of Arthritis Care & Research, revealed that a “certain type” of foot pain was directly related to the wearing of high heels. The finding applied only to women (Hmmm.) and only to one type of foot pain, pain in the heel. Dufour and her colleges found that women who wore “good” shoes were 67 percent less likely to develop “hindfoot pain” than those who wore “average” shoes.

“Hindfoot pain” is also known as Plantar Fascitis. One cause of this condition is short, tight calf muscles. When calf muscles get short and tight they exert a strong pull on the back of the heel bone, producing undue stress on the smaller and weaker plantar muscles and fascia. What can make calf muscles get short and tight? You guessed it: The wearing of high heels is often the reason. So, as doctor of chiropractic who has treated hundreds of women suffering from Plantar Fascitis, or heel pain, I must disagree with the conclusion reached by Dufour and her colleges. From my experience I have to say that the only “good” high heel is a flat heel!

Technorati Tags: heel pain, high heels, plantar fascitis

A study of mice conducted by researchers at Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis researcher, suggests that lack of sleep may play a role in the development of Alzheimer’s disease, U.S. researchers said on Thursday.

Though researchers have found for years that many treatments that have shown promise in mice have had little effect on humans with Alzheimer’s, a study of the levels of amyloid beta (a protein that accumulates in the brain of people with Alzheimer’s) seems to hold promise.

Sleep — getting enough is such a wonderful, natural, curative solution to so many health issues!

For more on this interesting study and its possibilities, go to: reuters.com

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I believe that it is time for all of us in this country to take a deep breath, close our eyes, quiet our minds, and just let go. Really. Just let go it all go — all the anger, all the thoughts of “those others,” all the thoughts of our needing to be right, and just let it all go, and be… be still… be quiet… just be.  It would be like a collective “time out.” And, just for a moment, our childish tantrums would cease. And, who knows what inner clarity might occur in that moment; what answers might arise? After all, when the king in the old fable scoured the earth to find the  “loudest sound in the world” as a birthday gift for his daughter, did he not ultimately find that it was silence?

Technorati Tags: inner clarity, meditate, meditation, silence