Pain, Pain, Go Away!

Super-bacteria L. plantarum might be as close as your garden. Zucchini is a good source of the bacteria, and by fermenting it, you can up the benefits like slightly lower blood sugar, improved insulin, improved exercise capacity, improved sleep and mood, and many others. Don't give away that zucchini--ferment it! This recipe has a milder flavor than most fermented foods--it's only slightly tart. And of course it's an alternative to yogurt.  Equipment needed 1 quart jar (or 2 pint jars) with lid(s) Canning funnel (optional) Fermentation device (I use an insulated grocery bag, plastic grocery bag and a heating pad)  Ingredients 2 apples, peeled and cored 1 medium zucchini, unpeeled 4 dates, chopped 1 T cinnamon 1/2 T ground ginger 1 t salt 1/4 t ground cloves 1/4 t nutmeg Filtered water 2 capsules or equivalent of your favorite probiotic that ferments at ~95F (I used Biotiquest Antibiotic Antidote) Shred the apples and zucchini and put them in a large bowl. Add the spices, s...

Preprint Servers Reject CDC Criticism If you're doing your own research on MedRxiv or SSRN, they're rejecting articles critical of CDC policies.  We have had multiple articles removed from SSRN and MedRxiv solely because they are critical of CDC-- which is a broken and failed agency This is concerning censorship https://t.co/iH6GzFzkZO pic.twitter.com/2NRhomAjrp — Vinay Prasad MD MPH (@VPrasadMDMPH) July 27, 2023 In another tweet , Dr. Prasad added, "We analyzed every preprint to come out of my lab at UCSF  @vkprasadlab What it reveals is that the servers routinely reject papers that are critical of CDC and Biden Policy They also rejected our analysis of the servers.  "Odd behavior." The analysis, along with a paper on the re-analysis of the Boston school mask study , is now on a physics server. You can still find at least one of the articles through Google and Google Scholar. And please tell me you're not doing your own  COVID research on Facebook .  Lit...

Lately I've seen people online eager to stick it to The Man by doing the opposite of what they're advised. When the air in New York City was orange with smoke from Canadian forest fires and people were advised to stay inside, some petulantly insisted people should carry on as normal. It's just more climate scare! Or lockdowns, like 2020! After all, you can be inside at school...just don't ask how kids are supposed to get there without going outside.  New York City in June. Photo by  Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office Likewise vaccines. Looking at risk vs. benefit on a case-by-case basis, or whether other countries similar to your own recommend the vaccines you're considering, isn't a bad idea. But rejecting them wholesale because autism  (long debunked) or because COVID is stupid. A major reason many of us were vaccine hesitant with regard to the COVID shots was because they were so different from previous vaccines. Now it's subjecting yourself to ...

"On behalf of the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)," says a memo dated today, "I hereby suspend and propose the debarment of Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences Capital Construction (WIV) from participating in United States Federal Government procurement and nonprocurement programs." Photo from Pexels . "It is important to note that suspension is a temporary action, used where immediate action is necessary to protect the integrity of United States Federal Government procurement and nonprocurement activities." "... there is risk that WIV not only previously violated, but is currently violating, and will continue to violate, protocols of the NIH on biosafety." More at Fox News:  https://www.foxnews.com/politics/biden-administration-suspends-funds-wuhan-lab-failure-provide-covid-related-info

On the theory that popcorn is just a vehicle for fat and salt that's lightly crunchy, I have a great substitute: chard chips. You can even eat them hot! They're full of vitamins and nutrients, too, and don't contain glyphosate (unlike corn). I like this recipe better than others I've tried because pre-drying the leaves makes them crispier and greatly reduces cooking time. Note that Swiss chard is high in oxalates if that's something you have to watch.  Photo from Pexels .  Recipe 1 batch Swiss chard, washed Nutritional yeast (available in the spice aisle) Avocado oil Salt Separate the Swiss chard leaves and hang them out to dry for a few hours until they're wilted.  Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Cut out the center vein and any other large veins in the leaves. Cut the leaves into sections about 3" to 4" square. Place them on a wire rack on a cookie sheet. Brush them on one side with avocado oil. Sprinkle with nutritional yeast and a little bit of s...

Dr. Google--or rather, Dr. YouTube--has come to my rescue again. This morning I was in terrible pain at the base of my skull. I don't know what caused it, but I was miserable and nothing was helping. Finally, I did what I any sensible person should do: google it.  Up came a 10-minute video from a chiropractor promising instant relief. What? Chiropractors normally schedule several visits. Nevertheless, I got a spoon and some lotion and got the promised relief.