Health

🌱 The Importance of the Gut Microbiome: The gut microbiome is a complex community of trillions of microorganisms influencing hormonal health, brain function, and immune system performance. Understanding its spatial organization and unique “niches” provides insights into its essential functions. 🧪 Role of Fermented Foods and Fiber: Fermented foods (e.g., yogurt, kimchi, sauerkraut) and fiber-rich diets were highlighted as critical for a thriving microbiome. Fermented foods introduce live probiotics, while dietary fiber sustains these microbes. ...

Since I live in the woods I get to forest bathe everyday! I do feel completely different living in a forest than I did living in a city. There’s something to be said about this. Forest bathing involves none of those things. “Just be with the trees,” as Ephrat Livni describes the practice, “no hiking, no counting steps on a Fitbit. You can sit or meander, but the point is to relax rather than accomplish anything.” You don’t have to hug the trees if you don’t want to, but at least sit under one for a spell. Even if you don’t attain enlightenment, you very well may reduce stress and boost immune function, according to several Japanese studies conducted between 2004 and 2012. ...

Neat infographic on where you can drink tap water in the world. This is handy when you travel because I almost made the mistake of drinking from the tap in Macau. Source: Reddit

After 5 weeks of self isolation I’ve finally gotten a chance to think about a post Covid19 world. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to realize that our lives, work, and society will change after this. The question is, will it be for better or worse? What follows is my stream of consciousness. Some things will be for the better. Companies that used to not support remote work will amend or change their policies. More workers will move to remote which will have the benefit of cutting commuting costs. A good side effect will be a reduction of greenhouse gases. Of course, this will affect car sales and consumption of fossil fuels but I don’t care. They had a good run, go green. ...

I hope that this blog post finds all of my readers happy and healthy. It feels really strange having to write that because of all the death that’s descending upon us. Covid19 is really hitting my state (New Jersey) really hard. If you’ve been reading my newsletter, you’d know that we’ve been self-isolating for several weeks. It’s downright scary. There are some small silver linings to all this, I’ve heard from many friends that I haven’t heard from over the years. We’ve been catching up via Zoom video calls. My kids have been doing virtual schooling and I started taking an online class in Go Language. As a family we’ve been working outside in the garden (as weather permits) and I’ve been baking up a storm. I’m also spending more time studying Karate and working on my Kata. ...

The world right now is awash in Predictive Analytics, the mystery of Big Data, and the rise of the glorious and magical Data Scientist. Most of the time we hear these buzz words in relation to some marketing campaign, election, or credit score application process, but what about applying these tools and people to a project that can benefit the welfare of humanity? Well, one group of data scientists and a healthcare provider in Washington State are doing just that. ...

I stopped taking Resveratrol per my Doctor’s orders. About a two weeks ago I noticed my ankles were starting to swell slightly and they went crazy over the Christmas holiday. I finally had to go to the ER this past Wednesday (12/26) because my ankles looked like Grapefruits. I couldn’t walk and it hurt to stand for more than a few seconds. The initial blood test results show that my kidneys are spilling proteins into my urine and my Doctor is referring me to a kidney specialist. ...

I went long $XLV in mid January 2007 for one of my personal IRA accounts. Its had its share of ups and downs but it doesn’t take a rocket scientist, or a fancy neural net, to figure out that health care is a long term bet. If you don’t believe me, look around for all the graying baby-boomers who want to desperately hold onto their youth. This time I’m holding XLV for a very long time and won’t be shaken out of it. ...