For other curious women who have also wondered about the biological necessity for menstrual cramps, here’s an explanation from the FDA :

… is a result of the normal production of prostaglandins by cells in the lining of the uterus. The lining of the uterus–which has built up and thickened during the early stages of the menstrual cycle–breaks up and is sloughed off at the end of the cycle and releases prostaglandins…
The prostaglandins, in turn, make the uterus contract more strongly than at any other time of the cycle. They can even cause it to contract so much that the blood supply is cut off temporarily, depriving the uterine muscle of oxygen and thus causing pain. Women who suffer painful contractions may be producing excessive amounts of prostaglandins. Or, it may be that some women are just more sensitive to them

Emily Bazilon, writes in Slate, about what we can learn from the recent E.coli outbreak in spinach.

In the wake of the E. coli disaster, food-safety experts have been pushing for more regulation—more money for government inspectors to patrol produce, tighter rules for water quality and workplace sanitation. By all means, clean up the fields. But here’s what I also wish for: a grocery store, within a 10-minute drive of my house (OK, I’d take 15), that sells local produce whenever possible and tells me where the rest of the fruit and vegetables come from so I can decide when to break the eat-local rule. This store would forgo silly luxuries like tasteless strawberries in January. It would sell the staples I need for my kids’ school lunches (soy butter, whole-wheat bread, granola bars, and those kid-sized yogurt containers). It would favor free-range meat and poultry and eggs. Oh, and be home to a great bakery, too.

Technorati Tags: spinach, E.coli, farmer’s market

A number of sunny small towns in California have a zoning ordinance against fast food resturants.  A New York Councilman wants to enact a simialar ordinance. The NY Times article reports the pros and cons on the issue. Resturant representatives rightly claim that obesity stems from nutrition diet and personal responsibility. But wouldn’t you say the same of smoking ? And public bans on smoking went a long way in curbing smoking. Could we do the same with the obesity epidemic ?

When I took the ‘Environment & Population Assement’ class last year, we had an economic professor from Rice University come in and give a guest lecture on the economics of environmental policy-making. To be honest, he went a little too in-depth into economic theories for a public health class. But I did learn about the basic economics that influence decision making. And one of the fundamental difficulties is putting a value to the benefits provided by nature.

Breath in. The air is free. But we’d all agree it’s not worthless. So, what’s the price tag on benefits provided by nature? In 1997, the University of Vermont’s Robert Costanza and his co-authors put the answer at $33 trillion per year in a now-famous paper in the journal Nature. In the decade following, the science of “ecosystem services” has bloomed. This young discipline studies how nature–through climate regulation, soil formation, crop pollination, flood protection, and so on–supports human welfare, and estimates its value in economic terms.

A sizeable grant from the Gordon & Betty Moore Foundation is helping fund a project to “create a set of computer models and tools that will give a sophisticated portrait of the ecosystem dynamics and value for any spot on earth“. If it is successful, it will certainly provide a fast way for policy makers to comprehend the impacts of their decisions.

Technorati Tags: economics, ecosystem services, environment

Here’s a fascinating story on how the parasite Toxoplasma gondii could have influenced (partly) the manner in which people from different parts of the world developed along different cultural lines.

When the parasite infects the brains of rats and mice, it alters their behavior, making them more reckless than normal–reckless enough that they don’t avoid cats the way good sense would dictate. As a result, they’re devoured, at which point the micro-organisms are able to reproduce–something they can only do in felines…

Humans eat toxoplasma too, in such things as unwashed vegetables …

… But while we don’t go running out to find a mountain lion or other big cat to play with, it could well be that humans experience subtler behavioral changes than a rat would–a mild increase in the tendency to be adventurous, say. And because toxoplasma infection is actually quite common in humans, and varies from one region to another–about a third of Americans show antibodies to the parasite, but in Brazil the number rises to nearly 70%, while in South Korea it’s under 5%.

Wierd ! But as the Time writer put it,

… it’s a little horrifying that cultural diversity could be a symptom of parassitic infection.

Technorati Tags: Toxoplasma gondii, culture

Most travelers resort to tackling jet lag with melatonin or sedatives and caffeine pills. But the most useful solutions to jet lag are actually napping and caffeine.

“Using a combination of nap and caffeine is better than using them separately, if you can believe it. It takes 15 to 30 minutes for caffeine to kick in. So you do the two together. All it takes is a cup of coffee — not even a pill. By the time the caffeine is working, your nap is over.”

Technorati Tags: jet lag, caffeine, naps, melatonin, sedatives

Everyone knows that stress is detrimental to health, and new research shows that stress hormones can remodel the brain and also harm the immune system.

A good fix for mental stress is exercise. Now, if only we could find the time and energy !

Technorati Tags: stress, immune system, brain

CNN has an interesting article on social isolation in the US. Despite being a modern country of nearly 300 million that prides itself on its technological connectivity, this nation has an increasing number of lonely people. Chronic loneliness can be a serious condition, and is a major risk factor for depression, high blood pressure, herat diseases, obesity and stroke.

Loneliness is the anxiety that you do not matter at all.

~ Joyce Huggest

Technorati Tags: loneliness, social isolation

Scientists at the National University of Singapore have discovered that curry eating enhances cognitive performance in the elderly. [Via] The compound curcurin found in turmeric (a staple ingredient of curry), is an antioxidant that may inhibit buildup of plaques in people with Alzheimer’s. Hmmm. I have two questions:

Has it been shown Alzheimer’s occurs less frequently in Asian populations ?

Could the boosted brain power in elders have something to do with the traditional respect that these elders elicit in Asian populations ?

Technorati Tags: curry, brain power, elderly, Alzheimer’s

There are two remarkable facts regarding drinking water that I have observed as a newcomer to the US.

One is that tap water is perfectly drinkable. This may seem unremarkable to all Americans, but it is an abolute marvel to folks from developing countries where safe drinking water is a precious commodity. Certainly, all Indian households have some sort of water purifying apparatus – those who can’t afford an aquaguard or a simple filter, fall back on the time-tested tradition of boiling water.

The second remarkable fact is that most Americans like to buy water – bottled water. I think its pretty ironic, but I’ve chalked it up to their obsession with superior quality. So, it was with considerable interest that I read about bottled water not necessarily being better than tap water. Apparently,

… with the exception of a few isolated pockets of truly bad drinking water, most municipal systems and most bottled water sources are fairly equal in terms of contaminants and other health and safety issues.

[Image courtesy Carpe Icthus]

However, bottled water may in fact be better for you if you belong to a vulnerable population.

“Pregnant women, babies, the elderly, people who are
immune-compromised, cancer patients, or those on long-term steroidal use may benefit from choosing certain bottled waters over their particular tap water“

Bottled water also gives you a choice about the ingredients in the H20 you’re chugging down – like fluorides and magnesium, .

And then there’s the taste of bottled water. Why would you want the metallic taste of Houston water, when you could be having the coconut-ty flavor of mineral water. (Is it just me, or do all kinds of bottled water have that coconut flavour ?)

[Image courtesy Tsjeu]

But a major drawback of bottled water is the bottled part. Water is bottled in plastic, which is manufactured in an energy-expensive and polluting manner, could contain toxic chemicals, and often releases toxic chemicals when burnt. Troubling factors when you consider that,

… American’s demand for bottled water requires more than 1.5 million barrels of oil a year — enough to power 100,000 cars … … 86% of plastic water bottles in the United States end up in landfills…

Bottomline ? Think again before reaching for that bottle of water. If you aren’t in a ‘vulnerable’ population group, it may be a better idea to invest in a water purifier for your home, and carry water in a bottle when you’re out.

Technorati Tags: bottled water, tap water, plastic, drinking water