It’s No Fun to Fight the System “I’m sleeping less than I ever have and that’s gonna make me gain weight? You’re kidding! I have to use more energy to stay awake, so how does that cause weight gain?” I hear similar stories most days. It’s time for people to look at how their bodies […]
Right, left or back – what’s best for good sleep (position matters)? (5/6/11)
Position Matters Position is the thing in life – or so my grandmother would tell me. Position certainly changes how well you sleep. Writing in the NY Times Science section April 19th, Anahad O’Connor looked at some studies, old and new, about where one should sleep in order to rest well. Sleep quality is of […]
Is sugar poison? (5/5/11)
Villain or Hero? We like our villains simple and singular, whether in politics or food. Our brains crave order, but seeing issues as part of larger systems is too complicated, too effortful and time consuming to seem worth it. Besides, it makes for lousy copy. Better to choose a villain. Recently, patients have been coming […]
Is it a food or a drug? (5/3/11)
The Differences Between Food and Medicine Can foods be drugs and drugs foods? A popular definition of food might include these elements: Nourishment Taste Fuel Energy Materials Appetite Similarly, a popular definition of drug might include issues of: Medical Treatment Decreasing Symptoms Changing Risk Factors of Illness These different arenas sound pretty separable – yet […]
Can we evolve to sleep less? (4/11/11)
Can You Really Evolve to Sleep Less? Perhaps – if you’re like a cavefish. Research done at NYU by Professor Richard Borowsky and company, reported last week in Current Biology, looks at a Mexican species of fish that has evolved to live in caves. The cavefish version of Astyanax Mexicanus are also blind. When brought […]