Flip-flops ‘Bad for your feet and legs’

An Auburn University study shows wearing flip-flops alters one’s stride, “which can result in problems and pain from the foot up into the hips and lower back,” according to a NY Times report.

This doesn’t mean you should toss your flips, it’s just that they’re “best worn for short periods of time.”

Isn’t that what they’re for anyhow? We at Pound360 don’t understand how people wear flips nonstop, everyday for months at a time.

In fact, we don’t understand is the whole leisure clothing thing. We see people in sweat pants, pajama pants and of course flip-flops all the flippin’ time, especially since this operation is run out of Southern California.

Look, we’re not saying people should wear suit jackets and cuff links. In fact, we don’t even tuck in our shirts. But we do wear normal pants (sometimes with holes in the knees), closed-toe shoes or boots and occasionally a button-up shirt.

Why? Seinfeld summed it up best when George showed up in a pair of sweatpants: "You know the message you're sending out to the world with these sweatpants? You're telling the world, 'I give up. I can't compete in normal society. I'm miserable, so I might as well be comfortable.'"

Worms, Parasites 'Draining' 10 mil. Americans

At least 10 million Americans are suffering from worm or parasite infections that do not kill, but drain health and energy, reports Reuters.

Although mortality rates for the infections are zero, "they impact on child development, intellectual development, hearing and sometimes even heart disease," according to one expert.

"It's amazing what we tolerate," said George Washington University's Dr. Peter Hotez. "Occurring among voiceless people… It's an unintended form of racism in a sense."

It makes sense to Pound360 to spend on a problem like this. But we're pretty sure Washington could care less. Perhaps we need to put it in terms they can appreciate.

Dear congressman: Aside from the simple fact that it's the right thing to do for our fellow countrymen, to grant a life free of worms and other parasites, think of the gains in productivity.

Anybody listening?

Have They Figured Out What the Appendix is For Yet?

In short: no. But they are getting closer, reports the NY Times.

Here's what we (are pretty sure we) know it's not. It's not a leftover of some organ that served our ancestors since other mammals don't have much of an appendix (if any) to speak of.

The leading theory is that it's a backup drive for helpful bacteria. As the Times article suggests, in case the bacteria in your gut is wiped out, say, by a diarrheal infection, the good bacteria in your system could be repopulated by the appendix.

Previously, Pound360 has been fascinated by the many (potential) benefits that bacteria in your intestines can bring.

Pound360 also blogged on similar efforts to explain the mystery of the appendix earlier this year.

How Living Cells are Like Tiny Cities

Forgot how the cells in your body work? Don't you care? We at Pound360 really, really care. We're each made up of trillions of these things, so understanding how these things work is important to us.

Courtesy of Scientific American, here's an easy way to understand how they work. Basically, a cell is a tiny city:

• Mitochondria are the power plants
• Lysosomes are the trash dumps
• The nucleus is the local government
• DNA represents the legal charter

Why is a publication as sophisticated as Scientific American wasting their time with a 7th grade science lesson? (The better question is why are the science dropouts at Pound360 reading SciAM?) Of course, it's part of a much more advanced story about how Harvard Medical Researchers are on the verge of recreating what could be the first protocell that may have appeared in Earth's (or some other planet's) primeval ocean.

Unlike modern cells, protocells would have been "like a purse that carried instructions," reports SciAm, "consisting of just a membrane with genetic information inside."

Science Debunks Popular Napoleon Murder Theory

Legend holds Napoleon was poisoned while in exile by a lethal dose of arsenic. Supporters of the tale pointed to evidence in his hair samples. But recent analysis of Napoleon's hair from four stages in his life show the arsenic level in his body was no higher at the time of death than any other period, reports the NY Times.

As it turns out, Napoleon carried 100-times the amount of arsenic in his body as modern people do. That's probably because the geniuses back then figured arsenic was "a general tonic," "a popular cure-all." Brilliant. The poison was also added to paints, tapestries, medicine and food preservatives.

Arsenic can stimulate metabolism, and it's not so deadly if small doses are ingested regularly. But if you plan on using arsenic to shed a few pounds (do not do this), beware arsenic poisoning can lead to "violent stomach pains," vomiting blood, burning pain in the urinary organs as well as "red and sparkling" eyes (of course!), reads the Wikipedia entry on arsenic poisoning.

How did Napoleon die? Stomach cancer, most likely, according to Wikipedia.

Sick Co-Worker? They're Probably Not Contagious

You've probably heard before that you can't get sick once a cold has already started. And that's partly true according to a recent Quirks & Quarks podcast.

Typically you're most contagious before cold symptoms (coughing, sniffling and sneezing) begin, when your body is flush with viruses, but the body's immune responses have not yet kicked in. Once the body starts fighting a cold, that's when symptoms appear. And the symptoms can linger for days and days after the virus is completely wiped out. It's your body's way of being sure it cleans up the whole mess.

So, basically, your body is slow to respond to illness and it's late to stop responding. So most likely, if a co-worker is coughing and sneezing, they're not really contagious.

Your Body is a Bacteria Circus, and That's a Good Thing

Bacteria play such a critical role in our body that some microbiologists recommend humans should be classified as "superorganisms," reports the NY Times.

From breaking down food in our guts to creating oil that keeps our skin soft, bacteria do a lot to keep us healthy. And there are a lot of them in and on us. According to the Times report, bacterial cells outnumber human cells 10-to-1 in the body.

Take a look at your inner elbow. Right there you've got at least six species of bacteria with a population density of one million per square centimeter. Quite a party.

LA Looks at Recycling Sewage for Tap Water

Los Angeles mayor Antonio Villaraigosa is working on a water conservation plan that includes “cleansing sewage for drinking water,” reports the LA Times. This isn’t going to be easy to get by the voters in LA. A similar plan was killed in the 90s.

Pound360, based in LA, could care less if water coming out of the tap is recycled sewage. Isn’t all water sewage if you go back far enough?

One reason people go crazy over issues like this is (the press) printing stuff like “cleansing sewage for drinking water.” We understand they have papers to sell. But come on. Drinking water? How many people actually drink tap water anymore? How many in LA?

Besides, according to a chart at drinktap.org, 20 percent of tap water is used for showers/baths, 22 percent is used for washing clothes, and the plurality of it (27 percent) is used by toilets. In the end, just 16 percent is used by “faucets.” And how much of that is washing hands, washing dishes or something else other than drinking? In the end, we’d bet around 2 percent of tap water is actually drank. Does anyone have a chart on that?

PoundRant: Tired of Being Tired? Go to Bed.

At CNN.com the other day, Pound360 saw an ad which asked, "Tired of Being Tired?" Below that line was a picture of Lance Armstrong jogging and a bottle of some energy drink superimposed next to him.

Look, if you're tired of being tired -- if you're tired so often that you're sick of it -- there's only one real solution: sleep more. An energy drink isn't much help. Try this instead. Sit down, prioritize the things in your life (from food to sport, movies to sleep), and figure out what means most to you, okay?

Sleep affects pretty much everything, so it should be high on your list (probably in front of eating).

Look, energy drinks as a solution to chronic fatigue makes about as much sense as buying a bigger belt because you're tired of being fat. That's not a solution. That's madness.

Better Living through Dreaming

If you've read up at all on sleep studies, you're probably confused about what you're supposed to do. Last year, Pound360 posted on how sleeping in on the weekends (disrupting your regular sleep patterns) can make you feel jet lagged on Monday when you return to normal.

But a recent article at Scientific American seems to contradict this.

First, why sleep at all? According to the SciAm piece, a lack of sleep can lead to "a foggy brain, worsened vision, impaired driving, and trouble remembering." Prolonged sleeplessness (years of it) can lead to obesity and heart disease. Unfortunately, "most Americans suffer from chronic deprivation."

What to do when you're falling behind on sleep? Don't try to earn it all back in one "extended snooze marathon." Instead, try "tacking on an extra hour or two of sleep a night" until you're refreshed. Be patient. It can take "months" to get back to normal.

Normal is basically going to sleep when you're tired and waking up without an alarm clock, reports Scientific American.

That's so funny. Oh. So terribly funny. But we at Pound360 are too tired to laugh. We live in a world with schedules and tons of obligations. It sucks. We're prepared to die an early death because of it. Or at lease suffer a life of brain fog, fuzzy vision, impaired driving and poor memory.

Anyway, here's another interesting takeaway from the SciAm piece. "A 2003 study in the journal Sleep found that the more tired we get, the less tired we feel."

BBC Sticking to Finger Re-Growth Story

Recently, Pound360 blogged on the strange story of a hobby store worker who managed to grow back a finger after it was severed by the propeller of a model plane. The hobby store guy, Lee Spievak, said he used "pixie dust" (actually an experimental substance from his brother who conveniently works for a company in the "field of regenerative medicine) to grow back the finger.

The London Times cried foul as the "claims had not been substantiated by any kind of scientific publication." Pound360 for one agrees. Mr. Spievak is either lying or dreadfully confused.

But the BBC is sticking with this. In the most recent report on the matter, the BBC is framing this as a "'natural' miracle." Come on people. Let it go.

If you check out the video of this story at the BBC, you'll notice Mr. Spievak is a seemingly kind, trustworthy old man. But his story falls apart when he describes the accident. Referring to the severed finger part he says, "we don't know where the piece went." Hm. It's not like he dropped a penny, right? How could you lose it?

Pound360 suspects the man suffered a very, very minor injury (if any at all). And for any of a thousand reasons, he simply has exaggerated the truth.

Controversy Erupts Over Miraculous 'Pixie Dust'

When someone loses an arm, leg, ear or finger, it's supposed to be gone forever. But the BBC reported a hobby store worker, Lee Spievak, was able to regrow his finger tip after it was severed in a model plane accident.

Spievak claims to have used "pixie dust" sent to him by his brother, Alan, who "was working in the field of regenerative medicine," read the BBC article. Thanks to the dust, Spievak's finger was miraculously restored completely, including full sensation and finger prints.

The pixie dust is actually an "extra cellular matrix" culled from the bladder of pigs. It sounds like something out of a witch's recipe book, doesn't it?

Well that may be exactly where it belongs.

According to the London Times, the BBC is "backtracking" on the story. As it turns out, "the claims had not been substantiated by any kind of scientific publication." Not only that, the injury Spievak suffered were superficial. "Such injuries are renowned for self-healing," reported the Times. The icing on the cake, Lee Spievak's brother Stephen is the "chief scientist" for Acell, a biotech company.

A final suspicious element of the story, "exactly the same claims had been published in American media outlets in February 2007 - again featuring Lee Spievak."

Public relations stunt or medical breakthrough? Pound360 suspects the former.

American Obesity is Costing us 487 Billion Dollars

If each American suddenly slimmed down to a healthy weight, the country would be $487 billion richer, reports MSN Money. Among other gains, we could save $5 billion in fuel costs (airlines would be profitable); $10 billion on plus-size clothing; $81 billion from the extra food we need to maintain our massive weight; $141 billion on health care; and $257 billion in lost productivity.

Obesity also costs us in the form of bigger doorways, wider seats and stronger furniture according to the MSN report.

Obesity even damages the environment. The fuel, food and other costs noted above lead to carbon emissions, fertilizing the land and other practices that aren't so good for nature (at least in the quantity and frequency we apply them).

On top of all that, slimmer people tend to be paid more, have better jobs, sleep better and have better sex.

My fellow Americans, let's loose weight, okay? Tons of it.

Why Super-Spicy Food Burns, and Burns… and Burns

The molecule in spicy food responsible for that delightful burning, capsaicin, happens to be a greasy little bugger that digs in and grapples to heat receptors on your tongue. Pound360 heard it the other day on NPR.

A glass of water won't help. Capsaicin actually is greasy, thus fat soluble (as opposed to water soluble). So drink all the water you want, the capsaicin won't budge. Instead, try drinking a beer, wine, a gin/tonic or shot of whisky (depending on how bad your mouth is burning). The alcohol acts as a solvent, prying capsaicin away from battered heat receptors in your mouth.

Wow: US Life Expectancy Drops in Some Regions

Anyone left disputing the US is not crashing from its post as the world's superpower, take note. Life expectancies are falling. Not in a country fraught with civil war, food shortages or an exotic disease, but right here in the United States. According to Reuters, life expectancy is "declining in many poor counties, especially among women."

Could we now have the first generation in this country that will not live longer than its parents? If that's not a true sign that the American Era in world history has come to a close, Pound360 doesn't know what is.

According to one expert, "Life expectancy decline is something that has traditionally been considered a sign that the health and social systems have failed."

Overall, US life expectancy is up to 78 years from 76 in 1995 and 70 in 1955. However, the US ranks 42nd in global life expectancy.

In US populations where life expectancy is declining, the usual suspects are to blame: smoking, obesity and cancer. But some particularly troubling factors are mentioned in the Reuters piece: homicide and AIDS.

America’s Misguided Cancer Crusade

It seems like each week the evening news is reporting a new link between some common product and cancer. For example, the pesticides on that apple you just ate, the cosmetics your mom uses or the cell phone you place next to your head every hour. That’s not to mention power lines, asbestos and other unnatural environmental dangers. Sure, these things can cause cancer, but a recent column at Slate explains America’s focus on this “worry candy” is distracting us from more notorious mass-murderers: natural carcinogens.

From Slate: “Somewhat insidiously, we're starting to believe that cancer mostly is prevented by informing individuals to change their consumption habits—not by proactive, broad-based public-health measures like widespread vaccination or agricultural reform.”

(By the way, Pound360 is as big a sucker for the worry candy as everybody else.)

Some of the most brutal killers are diseases that leave us vulnerable to cancer like human pilloma virus (HPV, which opens the door to cervical cancer), hepatitis B (can lead to liver cancer) and Helicobacter pylori (a major cause of stomach cancers). To prevent deaths, we should be vaccinating ourselves (in the case of HPV and hepatitis B) or working on developing a vaccine (for Helicobacter pylori).

Aflotoxin exposure is also a killer. This stuff comes from the mold that grows on peanuts, grains and milk when they’re stored for distribution. According to Slate, five billion people are at risk for aflotoxin exposure, but “regular food testing, could save thousands upon thousands of lives.”

This Cancer Study Funded by… A Cigarette Company?

A 2006 Cornell study published in the New England Journal of Medicine found lung cancer deaths could be slashed 80 percent by CT scans. Such probes scan for tiny tumors before they grow into big problems. Makes sense. But what the study didn't mention is that the study was underwritten by a tobacco company, reports TIME magazine.

So who cares? Science is science, right? Kind of. Sometimes, when corporate donations fund a study, "the companies have input into how the trial is designed, and what clinical endpoint it will measure --a huge factor in the trial's outcome."

Whether or not tobacco money tainted the Cornell study results is being put to the test. At present, a National Cancer Institute study is examining whether or not regular CT scans can reduce the risk of lung cancer. Study results are due in 2010.

No matter what the outcome, "editors may have to begin asking for records detailing how a study was funded," suggests TIME. "In the end, that may be just as important as analyzing the study itself."

Cell Phones More Dangerous than Smoking?

A study by "award-winning cancer expert" Dr. Vini Khurana suggests " there is a growing body of evidence that using handsets for 10 years or more can double the risk of brain cancer," reports Fox News.

Over at the Independent UK, it's reported Khurana's team reviewed more than 100 studies on the effects of cell phones to draw their conclusion that, "this danger has far broader public health ramifications than asbestos and smoking."

At present, 3 billion people use cell phones worldwide, compared to 1 billion that smoke.

So who is Dr. Vini Khurana? He's a "top neurosurgeon" who's received 14 awards over 16 years and published dozens of scientific papers.

A terrific writeup on the Khurana-Cell-Cancer story can be found at ZDNet Healthcare. There we learn cell phone manufacturers could mitigate risks by "shielding the antenna" of cell phones. If they don't do something, says Khurana, "resulting lawsuits will bankrupt the industry."

Possible Reason for Appendix Uncovered

One of the many mysteries of the human body is the appendix. We've know about it for centuries, of course. But we've never figured out why this "little wiggly worm" is attached near the beginning of our intestines.

According to a new post at DiscoverMagazine.com, it seems we're closer to establishing what the appendix is for. And it ties in to some of the most fascinating health news Pound360 has been following for he last couple of years: the connection between bacteria and good health.

"The shape of the appendix is perfectly suited as a sanctuary for bacteria: Its narrow opening prevents an influx of the intestinal contents, and it’s situated inaccessibly outside the main flow of the fecal stream," reports Discover Magazine.

The 'Tainted' Water Cover Up

This drugs-in-the-drinking water story is huge. I recall CNN had it listed as its top story yesterday morning (which is very, very unusual for a health or science story). "Prescription drugs found in drinking water across U.S.," read the headline. Also, look up "drugs drinking water" at Google News, and the first block of hits is 850 deep. The second is 306.

The story has struck such a chord that Capitol Hill has been stirred into action. The AP (which originally broke the story) reports today the Senate is organizing hearings around the matter.

In case you've been living under a rock, "a vast array of pharmaceuticals -- including antibiotics, anti-convulsants, mood stabilizers and sex hormones -- have been found in the drinking water supplies of at least 41 million Americans," according to CNN.

At first glance, Pound360 shrugged, "who cares?" There are no toxic substances, only toxic amounts, right?

We're still pretty much indifferent to the story, but a feature at MSNBC suggests even "scant amounts" of pharmaceuticals diluted in water can slow some cell growth (in lab tests) by up to a third. In other tests, tainted water sped up growth of cancer cells.

Of course a lab test is, well, a lab test. So it's tough to say what effect drugs in tap water will have on actual people. But now that the cat's officially out of the bag on this, we're sure a whole string of tests, reports and public shock will ensue.

Actually, Pound360 recalls hearing this same story reported last year. But try and track it down, we did. You'll notice it's impossible to cut through the latest coverage.

However, coverage of the latest scare at MSNBC suggests this story is nothing new. In fact, it seems, public utilities have been covering up the fact that there are drugs in our drinking water for a while out of "concerns about national security, fears of panic, a feeling that the public will not understand -- even confidentiality agreements."

Let's see. "Fears of panic?" Of course. "A feeling that the public will not understand?" Yes, unless it's described on Entertainment Tonight by the latest American Idol. But what's this business about confidentiality agreements and national security?

As far as confidentiality, it seems that's the only way to get some public utilities to open their doors to testing. According to MSNBC, "Utilities generally only allow scientists to test their water if they ensure confidentiality." Makes sense, in a very dark, sleazy way.

Regarding national security, there are no answers; dark, sleazy or otherwise. Take the case of Emporia, Kansas water treatment plant supervisor Ron Rhodes. This is pretty depressing. When asked about drugs in the water coming into or out of his plant, he declined to answer and, of course, blamed Bin Laden. "Well, it’s because of 9/11. We want everybody to guess." When asked what one had to do with the other, he responded, "We’re not putting out more information than we have to put out… how about that?”

How about Emporia, Kansas find a new water treatment plant supervisor?