qotd: Ayn Rand and crazy
So Fresca (Photo credit: existentialism)
Sometimes, when supposedly intelligent people make public statements, I find it impossible that they were ever mistaken as intelligent in the first place. For instance:
I find it to be an offensive irony, a toxic irony, that Lyndon Baines Johnson—the founder of the so-called Great Society, which I consider to be the greatest insult to the individual man since Immanuel Kant first laid out his preposterous theory of the noumenal, that is to say, not objective reality—that I should share with this man, this evil man, the same love of the soft drink Fresca. They say it is a grapefru...
Source: white pebble - August 28, 2013 Category: Cancer Authors: Patti Niehoff Tags: Ephemera Atlas Shrugged Ayn Rand Fresca Immanuel Kant Lyndon B. Johnson Movements Objectivism philosophy Source Type: blogs
The State of the Art in Misrepresenting Longevity Science
When you read about a topic you know a great deal of in the mainstream media, you'll likely notice many errors and misrepresentations. You won't see that in topics you know less of, but those errors and misrepresentations are still there. A decent writer can make anything sound plausible and look good to someone only casually familiar with a field, even while he is omitting vital information or propagating outright falsehoods - either due to insufficient research or underlying agendas. Accuracy in media is fairly low in the list of priorities as a general rule.
Here is a good long-form example of the state of the art in m...
Source: Fight Aging! - August 19, 2013 Category: Health Medicine and Bioethics Commentators Authors: Reason Tags: Daily News Source Type: blogs
Anthony’s Story: Using a Collaborative Community to Increase Patient Compliance
Sitting with my morning coffee yesterday, I came across the same article many of us did about young Anthony Stokes, a teenager in Atlanta, who after being told that he had six months to live, was denied placement on a heart transplant list. His physician cited in a letter to the family, “Anthony is not a transplant candidate due to having a history of noncompliance.” This morning, I was relieved to read that the hospital notified the family that young Anthony was now placed on the transplant list, after a day of media coverage regarding their decision.
Today, however, the quake felt from a health care team making a lif...
Source: Disruptive Women in Health Care - August 14, 2013 Category: Health Medicine and Bioethics Commentators Authors: dw at disruptivewomen.net Tags: Advocacy Children Drug Adherence Health 2.0 Health Reform Patients Patients' Rights Source Type: blogs
Kaia Juicy Bamboo Facial Cleansing Cloth: in the Beauty Brains bathroom
Today I’m sharing my impressions of Kaia Juicy Bamboo facial cleansing cloths.
What’s in it and what’s not in it
According to their website, these cloths are a “natural cleanser, toner, eye makeup remover that doesn’t fry your skin.”
Purest cleansing cloth on the market
Soaked in vitamins B12, C, E
Lifts and dissolves makeup without stinging eyes
It also contains honey and 8 natural plant oils and is free from parabens and sulfates.
Sarah Bellum says…
The bamboo fabric is softer than any non-woven towelette I’ve ever used yet it still has enough texture that it gives a deep ...
Source: thebeautybrains.com - August 2, 2013 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Sarah Bellum Tags: Questions Source Type: blogs
Thayer Rose Petal Witch Hazel Toner: Look at the label
Thayer Rose Petal Witch Hazel Toner is a top selling toner on Amazon.com. Their ingredients are listed in a somewhat unconventional fashion so let’s look at the label to see what they say.
Thayer Rose Petal Witch Hazel Toner ingredients (with their comments in parentheses)
A proprietary blend of…
Witch Hazel extract
Aloe Vera
Vitamin E
Grapefruit Seed Extract
Butylene Glycol ( a natural humectant used to attract moisture)
Methylparaben (a gentle and safe preservative)
Polysorbate 20 (and emulsifier derived from Coconut Oil)
All-natural fragrance
The Beauty Brains comments
The “proprietary” claim ...
Source: thebeautybrains.com - July 23, 2013 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: thebeautybrains Tags: Questions Source Type: blogs
New Line We Love: Gud Red Ruby Groovy Collection
Guys, I'm really, really into the smell of grapefruit. And not only because I heard it makes you look, like, five years younger. I just think it's one of the yummiest, most refreshing scents out there. Thankfully, gud by Burt's Bees just launched a new line of Red Ruby Groovy shower goodness -- and this stuff is seriously amazing. What's also refreshing? The line's spokesperson, the incredibly talented -- and totally groovy -- Carly Rae Jepsen. (PS: Did you see that snap in our July issue from Carly's Instagram?) Little known secret? She's been a fan of Burt's Bees since she was a little girl, and told us at SELF that...
Source: The ND Blog: Notes from the Nutritionista by Monica Reinagel, L.D.N., C.N.S. - July 17, 2013 Category: Nutritionists and Food Scientists Tags: Beauty beauty products celebrity Source Type: blogs
Changing Beauty Standards
I was lunching with a friend who
mentioned having read a biography of Lucrezia Borgia, an Italian femme fatale, which
described the extreme lengths women went to in order to have a ghostly white
complexion, the epitome of beauty back in the 1400 and 1500s. Frankly, they make as much sense as what women do nowadays to be thin.
Here’s the skin beautifying
description that Sarah Bradford provides in LUCREZIA BORGIA—LIFE, LOVE AND
DEATH IN RENAISSANCE ITALY (page 146). “Foreheads were to be kept high, white
and serene by hair removal, by applying a past of mastic overnight. Perhaps the
most revolting beauty...
Source: Normal Eating - July 8, 2013 Category: Eating Disorders Authors: eatnormalnow Source Type: blogs
Dierihurnsisa adverritnen Offityeluntee 3305222
CHOILKCIG jmwangsheng.com/images/index.php?2013/05 ReoftextNom www.karonmd.com/oldsite/index.php?/page/2?hermes-cologne-grapefruit-new-life-style-will-begin-here_html/ marRekaroky (Source: Carin' For Karen)
Source: Carin' For Karen - June 28, 2013 Category: Cancer Authors: Fevepeavina Tags: Life in general Source Type: blogs
Aromatherapy: The Good Smells That Can Make You Happier
We take the power of scent too lightly. To surround self or surroundings with scent, even demurely, has tremendous potential.
Aromatherapy can play a part in wellness, but its applications go way beyond the massage room at the spa.
Some new takes on good smells — even some that you may recognize — follow below. And believe it or not, research backs up a lot of these findings.
For instance, dab a solid-gel flower scent (popularly sold by various makers) on your inner wrist. It can remind you of a behavioral habit you want to transform or bring you to a place of peace amid chaos of the coming day.
If you ...
Source: World of Psychology - June 6, 2013 Category: Psychiatrists and Psychologists Authors: Lisa A. Miles Tags: Brain and Behavior Depression Disorders General Green and Environment Mental Health and Wellness Policy and Advocacy Psychology Research Treatment Anger anxiety Aromatherapy Bipolar Blooms Clove Clove Bud Coping Mechanism Source Type: blogs
Rate Shock in California!––The New Health Insurance Exchange Plans––Comparing Apples to Oranges to Grapefruit
I have to say I was surprised with the press reports last week that there wasn't "rate shock" in California when the California exchange offered preliminary information about their new plans and rates.
At least one prominent health actuarial group had predicted a 30% baseline increase in costs for California's new health insurance exchange plans under the Affordable Care Act (ObamaCare").
As (Source: Health Care Policy and Marketplace Review)
Source: Health Care Policy and Marketplace Review - May 28, 2013 Category: Medical Lawyers and Insurers Authors: ROBERT LASZEWSKI Source Type: blogs
As I sit by my father in the hospital, there is a choice to be made
With gratitude to Doctors Rafael Espada and Michael Madani, for fixing my father’s heart, twice.
When Michael Phelps was interviewed during the Beijing Olympics, the world first learned about the extraordinary amount of food needed to fuel the swimmer with the wingspan of a pterodactyl. He said that he ate 12,000 calories a day, and no one believed him except for me. I believed him because I too was a swimmer in my youth, and a distance swimmer at that. Breakfast consisted of two scrambled eggs with cheddar cheese, a few slices of bacon, buttered toast, and a half grapefruit or cantaloupe. Lunch was a sandwich and chips ...
Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog - May 6, 2013 Category: Family Physicians Tags: Physician Heart Obesity Source Type: blogs
Bees Benefit From Caffeine
Caffeinated plants provide an unforgettable experience.
Honeybees rewarded with caffeine remember the smell of specific flowers longer than bees given only sucrose, according to a study published in Science. “By using a drug to enhance memories of reward,” the study says, “plants secure pollinator fidelity and improve reproductive success.”
Many drugs used by humans come from plants. But what role do the drugs play for the plants themselves? Frequently, they play the role of toxic avenger, providing a chemical defense against attacks by herbivores. But in smaller doses, they often have pharmacological effects on ...
Source: Addiction Inbox - March 7, 2013 Category: Addiction Authors: Dirk Hanson Source Type: blogs
We need to make a switch
I think we, as in my husband and I, should officially switch to the Mediterranean diet. There is more research (because the researchers need to keep busy) showing the benefits of it.Good things in the Mediterranean diet are olive oil, tree nuts and peanuts, fresh fruits, vegetables, fatty fish and seafood, legumes, white meat, and wine with meals. This to avoid are soda, commercial bakery goods, sweets and pastries, spread fats, and red and processed meats.Therein lies the problem. My husband is Mr. Steak and Potatoes.He would happily eat beef every night. I will have to work on this. And the other problem is I'm supposed ...
Source: Caroline's Breast Cancer Blog - February 26, 2013 Category: Cancer Tags: diet health food Source Type: blogs
Healthy again
Kate posted her story describing years and years of suffering at the hands of wheat, only realized when she rid herself of it.
I suspect I may be wheat intolerant. That is, allergic. Something that happened to me recently has “clicked” and I just wish it had not taken me so long to put two and two together.
When I was 15 years old, I had relentlessly gained weight over the previous year’s time. It was 1969. I decided I wasn’t going to put up with it, and with my mother’s endorsement I went on the then-popular “grapefruit” diet. I cut all carbs (and as a result, all wheat) out of my diet except for a half a g...
Source: Wheat Belly Blog - February 24, 2013 Category: Cardiology Authors: Dr. Davis Tags: Uncategorized Source Type: blogs
Eating A Whole Bunch of Random Compounds
Reader Andy Breuninger, from completely outside the biopharma business, sends along what I think is an interesting question, and one that bears on a number of issues:
A question has been bugging me that I hope you might answer.
My understanding is that a lot of your work comes down to taking a seed molecule and exploring a range of derived molecules using various metrics and tests to estimate how likely they are to be useful drugs.
My question is this: if you took a normal seed molecule and a standard set of modifications, generated a set of derived molecules at random, and ate a reasonable dose of each, what would happ...
Source: In the Pipeline - January 23, 2013 Category: Chemists Tags: Drug Assays Source Type: blogs
