That girl is poison [ivy]

I had a recent poison ivy scare, one which thankfully ended up with me not having oozing, fiercely itchy blistery rashes.  It was so scary for several hours though, knowing that my hand could erupt into something only the devil could have conceived.  In my paranoia, I learned a lot of new factoids about the ivy which they call poison.

Firstly, I have to state that I had a traumatic childhood experience with poison ivy.  I had to go to the doctor and everything.  Luckily I can say that it was my sole rumble with the wicked ivy, and I hope it is the only experience I will have with the plant in my lifetime.

I am miserable at identifying any poisonous plant.  I’ve always heard “leaves of three, let it be” but then I tend to think of any three-leaved chlorophyll producer as being toxic.  This is not the case.  So my intense Google Image searches have taught me that poison ivy has notches on its leaves.  Good to know.

Poison oak is not prevalent in the southern United States; it is out there terrorizing the Left Coast.  Whew, one less wicked tree to worry about.

Southerners are not totally out of the woods (ha!) since there is always the delightful poison sumac to consider.  However, I will leave sumac for the time I have a poison sumac scare.

Even if it’s dead, poison ivy can still harm you from its grave.  Darn zombie poison ivy.

Poison ivy can come in vine form; it isn’t just a ground cover-type plant.  The vines are hairy and resemble massive centipedes.

You can’t just burn it and forget about it since the ivy can cause misery if inhaled.  Scary.

Some lucky individuals are immune, but immunity can be lost over time.

If you think you’ve danced with the poisonous plant, the best thing you can do is wash with lots and lots of soap immediately.  I’ve read to use hot water and to use cold water, so I don’t know what’s best.

Don’t fret.  If your pal has it, you can’t get it as poison ivy rashes are not contagious.

The actual agent causing all the skin grief is called urushiol.  The name “urushiol” comes from the Japanese word for a type of lacquer made from the lacquer tree.  Interestingly, urushiol is found in mangoes, cashews, and gingko.

References

• http://waynesword.palomar.edu/ww0802.htm
• http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=tove
• http://www.fda.gov/forconsumers/consumerupdates/ucm049342.htm
• http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000027.htm
• http://www.poison-ivy.org/html/faq.htm

Permission to persimmon

By special request from Greg

I am not the biggest fan of persimmons, but I love fruits in general, so here I am writing about persimmons.  Here is a photograph of a persimmon tree on my family’s property.

I was pondering what could be done with our bounty of a harvest, aside from simply eating the fruits raw.  Checking Allrecipes.com and searching for “persimmon” pulled up some 35 results, with the most reviewed recipe being Persimmon Bread II, with 76 reviews.  Other options included puddings, pies, cakes, cookies, salads, sauces, and even kimchee.

The season for these orange guys is from September to December, with November being the optimal month.  The trees thrive in mild temperate to subtropical environs, with the trees being native to Japan, China, Myanmar, and India.  Interestingly enough, Commodore Matthew Perry (oh, high school history!) was the one who introduced persimmons to the United States in the 1850s.  In the US, California produces the lion’s share of the orange fruits.

There are typically two kinds of persimmons that you can buy at the grocery store, but there are quite a number of varieties that exist.  Persimmons are divided into two categories: astringent and non-astringent.  Hachiyas are the most famous of the astringent kinds, and Fuyus are the most well-known of the non-astringent options.  The astringent properties are due to the presence of tannins.  Hachiyas must completely ripen as to not make your mouth shrivel up.  The persimmons are chock full o’ nutrients such as fiber and vitamins A and C.

For the medically minded, persimmons can cause phytobezoars if consumed in massive quantities.  In the literature, Ha et al (2007) used Coca-Cola to help dissolve a persimmon phytobezoar!  A bezoar is a lump of material that has been swallowed and cannot pass through the GI tract.  Often they are of hair but they can consist of plant material (phytobezoars).

References

• http://www.fruitsandveggiesmatter.gov/month/persimmons.html
• http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/morton/japanese_persimmon.html
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persimmon
• http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0002549
• HA SS, Lee HS, Jung MK, Jeon SW, Cho CM, Kim SK, Choi YH.  2007.  Acute Intestinal Obstruction Caused by a Persimmon Phytobezoar after Dissolution Therapy with Coca-Cola.  Korean J Intern Med 22(4): 300–303.  Accessed at http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2687663/?tool=pubmed

I’m [not] on a boat

Boats, summer, they go hand in hand, right?  Arr, nay.  As a child, I never experienced ocean nausea, but as an adult, choppy waves absolutely wreck me, and I feel like my stomach is going to empty out its contents the wrong way out.  It’s sad because I love the idea of the salty air rumpling my hair, the boat slicing through the topaz waves, and spotting dolphins here and there.  Store-brand Dramamine has been my pal the times I’ve dragged myself onto a seafaring vehicle, thank goodness for that.

Why do people get seasick?

We have the inner ear to blame.  Well, there are other senses and such to blame, but the inner ear is one culprit.  This doodad works to sense the direction of motion.  In the case of sea sickness, the inner ear is detecting wave movements undetectable to your eyes.  Muscles, pressure receptors, and sensory receptors all take in info about your stance and what’s where and if you’re sitting.  Therefore the central nervous system takes in all these inputs, is confused, and then you get sea sick.

Some tips for battling the seasickness monster

• Go to the top deck or to the front or middle part of the boat.
• Nosh on crackers and sip bubbly beverages.
• Prior: no spicy stuff, no grease fests, and no booze.
• Avoid cigarette smoke like you should always.
• Pop dimenhydrinate (Dramamine if you are name brand fancy) 30-60 minutes before going on the fantastic voyage.  There are also prescription meds you can take (scopolamine).
• As you’ve probably heard before, project laser-focus on the horizon.
• Do not read books/magazines/smartphone/what have you.
• Refrain from headbanging or shaking your noggin all around.
• Try shutting your peepers.
• Deeply inhale scents such as mint, lavender, or ginger (you can consume ginger too).

Did you know?

Dimenhydrinate is an antihistamine?  You can also take Benadryl before setting foot on the vessel?

Women are more likely to be prone to seasickness?

I’m not a big fan of the Lonely Island song I referenced in the title, so instead, here’s the catchier “Boats ‘n Hoes” from the cinematic masterpiece, Step Brothers:

References

• http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/yellowbook/2012/chapter-2-the-pre-travel-consultation/motion-sickness.htm
• http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/first-aid-motion-sickness/HQ01099
• http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0000396/
• http://www.umm.edu/altmed/articles/motion-sickness-000110.htm
• http://www.entnet.org/HealthInformation/dizzinessMotionSickness.cfm

Sweaty cat, or lick yourself cool

In honor of the heat wave which has had America in its sweaty fist, I thought I would write about cooling off in the cat population. This was triggered by a conversation with Dave about the fact that dogs pant when they are in need of sweet sweet air conditioning.  Since dogs do not sweat like humans and since they are covered in fur, they cope in this fashion.  Heat leaves through the dog’s food entrance; no sweat glands are found on the tongue.  Panting helps to remove water from the dog’s mouth by assisting with the evaporation process.  Canines actually do have sweat glands, but these are concentrated in their footpads.  Additionally, dogs can dilate blood vessels in their faces and ears so that blood travels closer to the skin.

Much like their canine brethren, felines also possess sweat glands in their footpads, but these are too tiny to accomplish much.  Interestingly enough, cats clean themselves not only to be springtime fresh but also to be cool.  The saliva evaporates off the cat’s fur and takes heat with it.  In this case, the saliva acts sort of like human sweat.

Here is an unrelated Japanese cat commercial.  The businessman cat kills me!

References

• http://www.petplace.com/dogs/how-do-dogs-sweat/page1.aspx
• http://indianapublicmedia.org/amomentofscience/do-cats-overheat
• http://vetblog.co.uk/vetblog/is-it-true-that-cats-do-not-sweat-heat-stroke-in-cats
• http://www.newton.dep.anl.gov/askasci/vet00/vet00002.htm
• http://www.petpublishing.com/catkit/faq.shtml

Duck, duck, goose, liver

This post is for Mike who suggested I write about this topic.

I do love foie gras.  Nowadays, a lot of attention has been given to that fatty fowl liver, primarily practices used to obtain this delicious item.  It is pretty controversial.  But so tasty!

Foie gras impressively enough dates back to the ancient Egyptians and from the land of the pyramids and mummies, spread across Europe.  In modern times, France leads the way in foie gras production (and consumption), cranking out 18,250 tons back in 2005.  Interestingly enough, Hungary made the second place spot five years ago, producting nearly 2,000 tons.  Quite a big diff between first and second, huh?  The US was fourth after Bulgaria.  The species of goose mostly commonly used is the Toulouse goose, and with ducks, it is the Moulard duck.

Duck foie gras is cheaper to produce and therefore more popular in the States.  For that reason, I will focus on the duck as our model organism.  Ducks do not have teeth and swallow their food (plants and animals) whole.  The edibles go into the esophagus and some of it can be stored in a little side part called the crop.  Then the consumables travel along to the stomach’s first compartment called the proventriculus and following that, the ventriculus, aka gizzard which is kind of like a trash disposal, grinding the food into smaller bits.  Then it’s the small intestine, large intestine, rectum, and cloaca (opening for waste and reproduction).  For connections to the reptile kingdom, alligators and crocodiles have gizzards, and the anatomy of the duck’s stomach is quite like that of snakes.

In New York state, foie gras is produced at only one farm, Hudson Valley.  This farm raises Moulard ducks which are crosses between male Muscovy ducks and female Pekin ducks.  Moulards apparently are some of the best tasting ducks; the breast is called Magret (ah, didn’t know that). 

The only other producer of foie gras in the United States is Sonoma out in California.  The website chronicles how the ducks are raised; this includes being free-range and all-natural.  Near the end of the duck’s life, it is fed by oral gavage (tube down esophagus), putting rich corn meal into the creature.  Ducks do not have a gag reflex, how about that?

Foie gras doesn’t have to be liver from plumped up geese and ducks.  This variety goes by the monikers fatty goose liver, humane foie gras, ethical foie gras.  Foie gras is defnitely legally in France as foie gras entier (purest form), bloc de foie gras (>90% pure), and foie gras specialties (mixed with stuff).

Critics argue that force feeding is unnatural and does not mimic the fowl fatty loading or bulking up for migration.  They also claim that condions on farms are cramped and unhealthy.  The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) does not have a stance on the subject; some veterinarians say that foie gras practices are acceptable and some disagree.

Conclusion: foie gras is debatable but delicious. 

References

• http://hudsonvalleyfoiegras.com
• http://www.the-golden-egg.com/dir_aaa/inf_ducks.html
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foie_gras
• http://sonomafoiegras.com/
• http://campus.murraystate.edu/academic/faculty/terry.derting/cva_atlases/canduck/digestsysduck.htm has pictures of a dissected Canvasback duck
• http://www.fleur-de-lys.fr/foie-gras-types.asp
• http://www.nofoiegras.org/faq.html
• http://www.avma.org/onlnews/javma/sep05/050901q.asp
• http://www.avma.org/onlnews/javma/sep07/070901f.asp

And how many bags are you checking today?

This post was inspired by Lily’s Facebook status update sometime in the latter part of 2009.

Bags and dark circles under your peepers automatically make you appear haggard and old.  That’s not desired, considering today’s image-conscious society.  I must confess that I am not heavily affected by this issue, but whenver I see a gal or fella with blackening underneath the ocular orbits, I think, “Someone needs sleep!” 

The causes of undereye darkness vary, but one major cause is your genes and pigment levels.  Sunlight, dermatitis, eczema, wimpy diet, partying until 5am, meds, boozing, ciggies, allergies, even getting old can cause this problem.  Thin skin is no good.  Shrink those vessels!  Looks like dilated blood vessels are to blame as well.

There’s no shortage of undereye circle concealers and creams but the evidence proving they actually do jack is not really there.  The latest trend is injecting fillers such as Restylane® and Juvederm® in the bad spots.  Yeouch!  Be cautious though, these fillers are not approved for this malady; you’re off-label.

Filling you in on fillers: cosmetic fillers are typically used to smooth away folds on the face.  They consist of hyaluronic acid (HA) which is naturally found in your body, with the biggest quantity in your eyes and joints.  HA is either whipped up in the good old lab or extracted from rooster combs (wha?!).  Other uses include eye/corneal surgery and osteoarthritis.

If you don’t want to spend $500 to have derms pop HA into your face, here are some less ouchy ways to combat the undereye gremlins.

1. Cold compresses: cold shrinks vessels.
2. Concealers (makeup) and vitamin creams
3. Pillows: elevating you head reduces the amount of blood in the target areas.
4. Sinus flushing: to reduce congestion
5. Rest!

References:

• http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/12/fashion/12SKIN.html
• http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/dark-circles-under-eyes/MY00346
• http://thedermblog.com/2009/04/26/what-causes-dark-circles-under-your-eyes/
• http://www.restylaneusa.com/about-restylane.html
• http://www.juvederm.com/what_is_juvederm/what_is.aspx
• http://www.webmd.com/vitamins-supplements/ingredientmono-1062-HYALURONIC+ACID.aspx?activeIngredientId=1062&activeIngredientName=HYALURONIC+ACID&source=2

I don’t know it from Adam.

Mike, Douglas, and I were having a discussion about Adam’s apples.  How did that come up?  I can recall where it came up (Cafe Luxembourg) but not exactly how.

If you search for ”Adam’s apple” in Google Images, a lot of pictures of Ann Coulter come up.

The Adam’s apple is medically called the “laryngeal prominence.”  It develops at puberty and is basically a lump of cartilage covering the larynx/voice box.  Guys have these apples, and some girls do and some don’t.  Male cartilage meets at a 90 degree angle which is why it sticks out so much.  Female cartilage meets are more of a 120 degree angle, causing less protrusion.

What does it do?  Nothing.  How useless!

I like the name, a biblical reference.  And apparently the apple bobs around when some guys are nervous.  Iiiiinteresting.

References

•  http://kidshealth.org/kid/talk/qa/adams_apple.html
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laryngeal_prominence
• http://www.livescience.com/mysteries/061102_adams_apple.html
• http://www.goaskalice.columbia.edu/1715.html

She’s gone dental.

My pal The Redhead told me glumly that she had several cavities and had to have them taken care of. Not fun.

Whenever I think of the dental arts, I think of Steve Martin’s sadistic dentist from Little Shop of Horrors. They might be onto something there. Dentistry isn’t exactly a cuddly profession. What strikes fear in the hearts of many? Drills, shots in your gums, headgear, braces, root canals. Yes siree bob.

But The Redhead is rather diligent with teeth care and flosses and brushes regularly and adheres to a health diet. What gives? That got me thinking, is being susceptible to cavities genetic? I have been extremely lucky to not have cavities, but I know I’ll have some mouth torture down the line.

A brush up (har) on cavities is as follows. Your teeth have a coating of plaque on ‘em, plaque basically being a layer of bacteria. Eating carbs not only feeds you but feed the bacteria, and they in turn churn out acids which rot your pearly white chompers, diggin’ holes in them eventually. Curse you, Streptococcus mutans.

The ADA also says that adults also may be prone to cavities because of recessive gums that occur with aging. And being cavity susceptible could possibly be blamed on genetics (not so much data on this?) and tooth morphology. With the latter, if you tend to have deeper grooves in your teeth, you have a harder time keeping those grooves clean, and thus the bacteria have happy parties and make cavities. Some sites suggest chewing sugarfree gum to keep the saliva swirling and bacteria low. Hmm.

For smile health, keep on doing those things you were told to do.

• Brush twice a day
• Floss
• Eat smart
• Visit your friendly local dental professional

References

• http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=why-do-some-people-get-mo
• http://www.ada.org/public/topics/decay_faq.asp
• http://www.nyu.edu/nyutoday/article/530
• http://www.colgateprofessional.com/patienteducation/All-About-Cavities/article

Beta banded memories from the corner of my mind

An article titled “Rooted Sorrow” published in the April 27, 2009 issue of Newsweek captured my attention.  Ironically, a piece about memory is being lodged in my memory.  As Kylie Minogue would say, I just can’t get [it] out of my head, so I figured, I will write about that.

The original findings around which the article orbits is from a researcher named Karim Nader, presently at McGill.  His conclusion, presented at the Society for Neuroscience in 2001 I’m guessing, was that long term memories, when retrieved, can be altered before they return to storage, aka reconsolidation. 

This theory suggests that memories are like bedsheets.  You know, when you can’t get them back into the packaging exactly like how they were before they were opened?  I’m trying to come up with a better analogy, but that will do for the time being.

The tragic issue is that Newsweek completely failed to mention Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, one of the best movies ever.  All right, it’s mentioned in the online photo gallery, but that doesn’t really count because I was reading the paper edition, and it’s still not mentioned in the story.  Shame on Newsweek.  Here’s an article from Forbes on Nader which came out in 2007 and brings up the movie.  Props to Forbes.

Nader’s recent research is focusing on the use of propranolol to treat individuals with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).  When I read about his rat experiments, I was picturing him having a tiny microphone and interviewing the rats on how they felt after trauma.  “So Mr. Sprague, do you feel less upset about recalling me shocking you?  Ms. Dawley, do these memories still bother you?”

As someone with a particularly vivid memory and as someone who has taken a class on memory and as someone who had popped a propranolol or two, I feel as though I am a semi-qualified expert on this matter (or not).

Propranolol, a beta blocker, was developed to help those with high blood pressure.  It works by blocking the beta subtype of adrenergic receptors, thus negating the effects of the hormone epinephrine/adrenaline.  Net results include a slower heartbeat and lowered blood pressure.  Apparently epinephrine works to strengthen emotional memories?  Interesting.  That is why beta blockers are being explored as a viable option, along with painkillers, nausea drugs, and RU-486. 

In these highlighted studies, subjects with PTSD were instructed to write down their trauma in extensive detail, and then for six weeks, these people would pop propranolol before reading the account, with the idea that your body would act calm even though you were reliving a horrible experience.  The results were promising.  I guess it’s hard to really control for these sorts of studies though.  I wonder about using propranolol for years, long term use.  Do these folks have fewer upsetting emotional memories?  Flatter memories?

But hey, anything which can lessen the bad stuff deserves praise.  Though it would be much simpler if lab techs snuck in while you were sleeping and wiped the slate clean.  My brilliant idea is to someday develop a way to excise the unpleasantness, live life, and when ready, have the memory plopped back in if you’d like.  Just like cells frozen in storage.  They’re there if you want ‘em, but they can chill out if you don’t.

References

• http://scienceblogs.com/moleculeoftheday/2009/02/propranolol_adrenalin_armor.php
• http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/beta-blockers/HI00059

Minty fresh bladder. Or, they weren’t kidding with the thin mints name.

I drink herbal mint tea here and there, but it takes a backseat to my passionate love affair with black tea.

But then I was presented with mint black tea. Of course I had to taste and assess.

I’ve noticed this for a long time, casually, always sort of in the back on my mind, though I never thought to look it up until now: after consuming mint in tea form, I’ve found myself wanting, rather needing, to use the restroom soon after. What the heck was going on?

Fears confirmed: mint is a diuretic.  But–mint doesn’t only increase the urge.

Mint members belong to the genus Mentha and include such gum flavors as peppermint (Mentha piperita) and spearmint (Mentha apicata). Other non-gum varieties include curly mint, pennyroyal, water/bog mint, apple mint, and pineapple mint (the last two, paging Orbit?). These herbs actually grow like babies and weeds: very quickly. I can attest to that because back when I actually liked gardening (aka childhood), my mint plant commanded the garden and was out of control. Naughty square-stemmed flora.

According to Roman mythology, underworld ruler Pluto became smitten with a hottie nymph called Minthe. Pluto’s wife Proserpine was understandably not keen on this development and turned Minthe into an unassuming plant. Pluto couldn’t reverse the spell, but he at least made Minthe smell nice when people crushed her with their feet.  Minthe=Mentha.

Wow, mint is so handy. It helps your stomach when you’re sick and helps digestion in general. We use it to enhance foods and drinks. It scents things. Soothes insect bites. And hey, it smells delightful.

If you have a rodent issue, toss mint at them!

Mint is also the herb of hospitality. Note to self: next housewarming party, serve mint juleps and Thin Mints.

References

• http://urbanext.illinois.edu/herbs/mint.html
• http://www.botany.com/mentha.html
• http://www.herbsociety-stu.org/Mint.htm