Start Rant
Here’s a burning question for you–at least one that’s burning another hole in my head.
Why does (almost) everyone want the people who brought you the DMV, public schools, potholes, and, now, the farce that is C.A.R.S. (car allowance rebate system)–which ran out of money in 4 (that’s right F-O-U-R) days (although they have more funding for now), to run your medical care system for you?
I’m trying to wrap my head around this, since I’ve never really been able to understand people who think the government has the answer to all their problems, when most of the time it’s the cause.
Now don’t get me wrong, I’ll be the first to admit that the medical care (I refuse to call it health care because it has nothing to do with keeping you healthy) system is a total fucked up mess, and that insurance companies, which have a lot of influence in government, are a big part of the problem, but, I don’t think that making the government your insurance company is the answer. Just look at the medicare/medicaid systems and how screwed up, and abused, they are.
I don’t have a solution, but, I while don’t think that government medicine is the answer, neither do I think that continuing with the status quo is either. It’s time to ‘think outside the box’, and to ‘change the paradigm’, to quote a couple of cliche terms. Medical professionals, and patients need to figure a different way–a health centric way to fix the system.
End Rant.

I passed a kidney stone today, and I’ve got to say that is one of the most painful experiences ever. I don’t ever want to do it again. (Although, since I’ve had one, I’m told I have a greater chance of getting more, bleargh!)
Here’s the culprit:

I’ve passed some more sand size ones since the pic.(The doctor gives you a strainer so you can save them, and the ycan see what kind they are, and figure out how to prevent more–although the greatest factor is hydration.)
The pain is gone now, thank goodness it passed relatively quickly.

A “nonsense mutation” in our junk DNA that is.

A group of scientists led by Nitya Venkataraman and Alexander Colewhether wanted to try a new approach to fighting HIV – one that worked with the body’s own immune system. They knew Old World monkeys had a built-in immunity to HIV: a protein called retrocyclin, which can prevent HIV from entering cell walls and starting an infection. So they began poring over the human genome, looking to see if humans had a latent gene that could manufacture retrocyclin too. It turned out that we did, but a “nonsense mutation” in the gene had turned it off at some point in our evolutionary history.

Nonsense mutations are caused when random DNA code shows up in the middle of a gene, preventing it from beginning the process of manufacturing proteins in the cell. Venkataraman and her team decided to investigate this gene further, doing a series of tests to see if the retrocyclin it produced would keep HIV out of human cells. It did.

At last, they knew that if they could just figure out a way to reawaken the “junk” gene that creates retrocyclin in humans, they might be able to stop HIV infections. The researchers just needed to figure out a way to remove that nonsense mutation and get the target gene to start manufacturing retrocyclin again.

Here’s where things really get interesting. The team found a way to use a compound called aminoglycosides, which itself can cause errors when RNA transcribes information from DNA to make proteins. But this time, the aminoglycoside error would work in their favor: It would cause that RNA to ignore the nonsense mutation in the junk gene, and therefore start making retrocyclin again. In preliminary tests, their scheme worked. The human cells made retrocyclin, fended off HIV, and effectively became AIDS-resistant. And it was done entirely using the latent potential in the so-called junk DNA of the human genome….

is one of my goals in my 1o1 in 1001. Here’s how I’m going to accomplish it:
OneHundredPushups
My initial test was 25 consecutive pushups, which means I fall into category 4 for my age group. The program is supposed to take 6 weeks, and I’ll be starting this Friday.
Take the test, and try this too.

This is an animated gif that shows the change i the prevalence of obesity in the US over 18 20 years.
Amazing, and kinda off-putting.

Prevalence of Obesity in the USA | Incredimazing

What are the underlying reasons for this? Probably many, from video game playing/television babysat kids, to the fact that we, as a nation are getting older (baby-boomers anyone?), to the fact that good food is getting more expensive (why fix a nice healthy meal with expensive veggies, when that box of mac and cheese only costs $.50?)
(There’s a chart I saw somewhere with food prices/obesity rate transposed, I’ll see if I can find it and post it later.)
Here it is:

WTF?
There are several reasons for this, not the least of which is farm subsidies, which pay farmers to not grow food. Imagine that.
Check this out: Food Without Thought(pdf) (It’s a pdf–you’ll need a pdf reader like Adobe Acrobat Reader, or Evince, on Linux.)
Looks like 2008 is going to be even worse on food prices. Time to plant a garden, and grow you own damn chickens, I guess.

…it could be in your genes.

Happiness May Be in the Genes

People tend to be hardwired for happiness, and new genetic research may help explain why. Past studies suggest that while 50% of happiness is due to situational factors like health, relationships, and career, the other 50% is due to genes. The new research identified largely inherited personality traits that researchers say are responsible for much of the genetic influence on happiness.

The findings do not mean that people who don’t inherit happiness traits are destined to lead miserable lives, Bates says.
Bates, Weiss, and Luciano are studying whether adopting the traits associated with happiness can make people happy. Early findings suggest it can.
Since setting and achieving goals is a common trait in conscientious people, and conscientiousness is linked to happiness, study participants were asked to set five achievable goals that could be accomplished in a week.

“As soon as people started working toward these goals their happiness scores went up,” Bates says. “When they were no longer working toward a goal their happiness scores dropped.”
The findings do not mean that people who don’t inherit happiness traits are destined to lead miserable lives, Bates says.

Bates, Weiss, and Luciano are studying whether adopting the traits associated with happiness can make people happy. Early findings suggest it can.

Since setting and achieving goals is a common trait in conscientious people, and conscientiousness is linked to happiness, study participants were asked to set five achievable goals that could be accomplished in a week.

“As soon as people started working toward these goals their happiness scores went up,” Bates says. “When they were no longer working toward a goal their happiness scores dropped.”
So while some people are genetically predisposed to being goal-oriented and others are not, the research suggests that it is the behavior that drives happiness, whether or not it comes naturally.
People who stay physically active and socially connected also tend to be happier, so adopting these traits is important for people who are naturally introverted, Bates says.
So while some people are genetically predisposed to being goal-oriented and others are not, the research suggests that it is the behavior that drives happiness, whether or not it comes naturally.
People who stay physically active and socially connected also tend to be happier, so adopting these traits is important for people who are naturally introverted, Bates says.

Situational factors do matter, Bates says, but they don’t tend to affect happiness long term. Studies consistently show that rich people are not much happier than poor people, and even people with severe physical disabilities tend to find happiness over time, he says. “This is what led to the thinking that certain people must have some reserve that allows them to remain at a fairly stable level of happiness despite their situation,” he adds. The research also suggests that happiness is tied to a sense of responsibility and achievement. “The way to pursue happiness is surprisingly virtuous,” Bates concludes. “A sense of humility, working for the things you want, counting your blessings, being sociable, and staying active all play a part.”

So says a report in the New York Times: Midnight Meals – New York Times

“Eating a big meal just before going to bed has been found in studies to elevate triglyceride levels in the blood for a period of time,” Dr. Aronne said. A higher triglyceride level “has been associated with metabolic syndrome and insulin resistance,” both related to weight gain, he said.
Dr. Aronne suggested a theoretical framework for why late meals may stay with you. “If you ate 500 calories during the day but walked around afterward, your muscles would be competing with your fat cells for the calories and could burn them up as energy for physical activity,” he said. “But if you consume it at bedtime, with no physical activity, the body has no choice but to store the calories away as fat.”