Futurelawyer

Spend Some Time In Nature - Your Mental Health Is At Stake.

How Much Time Should I Spend Outside?  Spending a long weekend in the RV is one way that we get our time in nature. Today, we will be visiting the Mineral Springs Park here in NorthPort, and later swim in the Gulf of Mexico. This article in Men's Health Magazine outlines the benefits of getting outside for at least 20 minutes a few times a week. Cognition, memory, and feelings of well being all are improved. The Park has more minerals than any spring fed sink hole in the world, and has long been known for its healing properties. It has been claimed to be the original Fountain of Youth sought by Ponce De Leon, and he was killed on a search for it while anchored off of Charlotte Harbor. Maybe it will take a few years off of this old man. But, I will settle for spending some time in nature in Old Florida.

Let Kids Play In The Dirt. They'll Thank You Later.

Unlocking The "Gut Microbiome". This Guardian article was sent to me by good friend, Arent Lievens, a Belgian lawyer (http://www.ll2.be/), after he read my post about Life being about risk taking, and our modern tendency to be too risk averse. Scientists are just beginning to learn about the gut microbiome and its effect on our immune system and general health. While broad spectrum antibiotics and the risk of their overuse have been know for decades, and we all are familiar with the need for probiotics, the science really isn't there yet. In fact, a combination of factors is making our kids sicker, and many of us are unable to fight bad microbes. The author suggests several ways to fight back:

"Eat more fibre Most of us eat only half the recommended 30g a day. But start slowly – our guts don’t like rapid change

Eat the rainbow Choose colourful fruits and vegetables and try to eat
30 different plants, nuts and seeds every week

Eat foods rich in polyphenols These include dark chocolate and red wine

Eat fermented foods Tim Spector favours kombucha, kefir and kimchi, as well as unpasteurised cheeses

Eat more omega 3 New research suggests a relationship between gut microbes, omega 3 and brain health

Let kids play with dirt and dogs Jack Gilbert’s research has shown that since the gut’s population is seeded in early life, allowing small children to dig in soil and play with domestic animals can undo a lot of the damage modern lifestyles do to our microbiomes

Avoid processed foods Cut back on salt and sugar, both of which seem to affect microbial diversity in the gut."

I can get behind any dietary recommendation that suggests eating more dark chocolate and red wine. Fiber and fiber supplements is a no brainer. As is eating fewer processed foods, and sugar. But, the money quote is that we need to let our kids play in the dirt. May you live long and prosper.

 

The Galaxy Watch 4 Will Tell Me What?

Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 Could Tell Your Body's Composition. Okay, Samsung, now you've gone too far. I learned to live with the fact that my Smartwatches could tell my how fast my heart was beating, and deliver a medical grade ECG, and measure my blood pressure, along with counting my steps, and other fitness measurements. But, now, the Galaxy Watch 4 is threatening to tell me my BMI. The Body Mass Index measures, basically, how fat you are. I so do not need someone or something else telling me that. It is the classic case of TMI (too much info). I realize that I will have to click the app to do it. But, the mere fact it is there will remind me of the ugly truth. I think I will pass on this modern tech that knows too much about me already. Samsung, you already know too much about me. You don't need to rub my face in it. Jeez.

#TBT - A Modest Proposal For Rat And His Doctor.

Rat's Doctor thinks that doing unpleasant things every day will help Rat to live to 100. Of course, it wouldn't be much of a life. We live a life every day. We only die once. So, I have a compromise. Let's not do the broccoli and running every day thing. Let's have an occasional cigar and an occasional Scotch. Let's smile a lot, and do fun things. Moderation is the key. I don't need to live until 100. But, I do need to live a little.

Not All Cardiologists Recommend Exercise To Strengthen The Heart.

I never could understand why Doctors said that the heart muscle needed to be exercised strenuously to stay healthy. Mine, notwithstanding a triple bypass a few years ago, has lasted 73 years and is still going strong. Certainly, moderate exercise might help; but, there are no marathons in my future.

Blood Pressure Meds May Be A Weapon Against Covid 19?

Blood Pressure Meds Point The Way To Possible Covid19 Treatment. I have been on an ACE 2 inhibitor for blood pressure since my heart attack and resultant surgery in 2014. It has become a twice a day habit in my life, and I have had no serious side effects. However, when Covid 19 hit a year ago, I was very concerned about the reports that my heart disease was a serious factor in making any Covid 19 infection much more serious. Now, when watching a Covid 19 video, a description of the way that the infection starts showed an image of the spike protein connecting to ACE 2 receptors on lung cells. Say what? If that is true, then wouldn't an ACE 2 inhibitor create a buffer that prevented infection? Or, at least limited the severity of the disease? Could my blood pressure meds be helping me avoid infection? After doing some research, I discovered this article from April of last year. Then, in October, 2020 Heart Journal published a study that states: "ACE inhibitors and ARBs are associated with reduced risks of COVID-19 disease after adjusting for a wide range of variables. Neither ACE inhibitors nor ARBs are associated with significantly increased risks of receiving ICU care. Variations between different ethnic groups raise the possibility of ethnic-specific effects of ACE inhibitors/ARBs on COVID-19 disease susceptibility and severity which deserves further study." Of course, a heart condition is still a serious co-morbidity problem once you have the disease; but, the study suggests the severity is lessened if you get it. So, the Stoics may be right. Hey, I had a heart attack and a triple bypass, and I will be taking blood pressure meds for the rest of my life. Is that a good thing or a bad thing? Well, the blood pressure meds may help prevent Covid 19 infection. Good thing or bad thing? Neither, of course. Next, we may find out that blood pressure meds cause some other tragedy. Jeez.

Toto, We're Not In Kansas Anymore - This Toilet Wants To Analyze My Poop.

Toto's Wellness Toilet Will Analyze Your Poop. I get it. We all use our Smartphones on the toilet. I actually dropped mine into the toilet bowl once. But, no S***, I really don't need my toilet bowl to talk to me about the composition of my poop while I am sitting on it. I know that fecal matter is sometimes used for medical diagnoses. But, a toilet that claims to analyze poop? I don't think so.

Galaxy Watch 3, Normal Sinus Rhythm, Blood Oxygen Level In Normal Range, And Normal Resting Heart Rate.

Galaxy Watch 3 Enhances Blood Oxygen Measurements. I have saved myself another trip to the Doctor today. I ran an ECG, tested my blood oxygen levels, and did a resting heart rate measurement without leaving my chair.  I predicted that Smartwatches would be the StarTrek Tricorders of the future, and the science is catching up. Multiple sensors in the watch can sense changes in heart rate, blood oxygen levels, and more. Someday, we will be able to monitor many more bodily functions by strapping a watch to our wrists. Next up, blood pressure readings without a cuff.

Are There Limits To What We Want To Know?

Monitoring Health With A SmartWatch.

I have long opined that wearable computing devices are the future of medicine. Just as the devices on Star Trek monitored the health of the Enterprise crew, modern sensor enabled wearable devices, like Smartwatches attached to the wearer's wrist, can act as health monitors, and do continuous readings of heart rhythm, blood oxygen, and blood pressure, among other things. My currrent SmartWatch measures my blood oxygen level with a touch of the dial, measures my standing heart rate with another touch, and conducts a single lead ECG with a touch of my index finger to the watch button. While I also have a six lead device that works with my Smartphone to do a more comprehensive ECG, the watch keeps me up to date on whether I have a normal sinus rhythm. Soon, the watch will be able to do a blood pressure reading in the same way. BP is only available right now in South Korea; but, it should come soon to the U.S. Galaxy Watch 3. It's like having a Doctor or Nurse on your wrist.