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General Science / Does hypoxia trigger neurogenesis?

« on: 22/02/2015 20:32:22 »

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3652689/ leads to a 2013 PUBMED article: "Post ischemia intermittent hypoxia induces hippocampal neurogenesis and synaptic alterations and alleviates long-term memory impairment"

The above study was done on rats, but there are a variety of studies showing that intermittent hypoxia can lead to the growth of new neurons, etc.

My primary exercise is 20 minutes going up and down my single set of stairs, with my knees bent,  lifting up and down a 12 pound weight in the hand not near the bannister, and focusing on holding my breath. I had thought that this was very, very difficult. However, today I tried doing this while taking a breath every three seconds, this after downloading a breath beeper app for my Iphone. Now THAT was very, very demanding and my sweat level was very high.

Sure slowed down my speed on the stairs -- but with bent knees, I don't go too fast anyway. However, after 20 minutes of this, I had a deep tiredness that I haven't had in a long time.

If I had access to a treadmill, I sure would try the same thing, breathing every three minutes or so on an incline, maybe with knees bent.

If I take our grandson on my shoulders and then sing, I get out of breath very, very quickly and it seems the same principle.

Any reactions?

Caleb

2

General Science / Naked Scientist show on bacteria that can scrub CO2 out of the air. Wow!

« on: 15/01/2015 03:52:17 »

I was listening today on my recorder to a previous Naked Scientist show on bacteria that have been modified to extract CO2 out of coal fired power plants. The impact seems huge!

Can this possibly be the start of a world saver? Ponds of this type of bacteria extracting CO2 from the air (and perhaps being only able to live in a certain medium, etc., so it can't escape)?

Very, very impressive story -- as they pretty much all are!

Yours,

Caleb

3

General Science / Is the ability to hold one's breath for a long time a measure of health?

« on: 13/01/2015 04:19:02 »

I am a 65-year-old fat  (218 pounds, about 5'11" in height) white male, and before I went up our stairs tonight for 20 minutes, I was able to exhale and make a noise for 54 seconds. (A fairly high-pitched tone -- in the past, I've discovered that low pitched tones use a lot more wind-- but it went on and on  and my poor wife commented on it to me as well.)

Going up and down my stairs (with bent knees and holding a 12 pound weight), I also held my breath regularly, both going up the stairs and this time, holding my breath also going down the stairs. It took me about 10 minutes before I started perspiring reasonably heavily. About four days ago, I went up and down the stairs and did not bend my knees, but when I did so, I suddenly started perspire heavily, at about   10 minutes.)

I've posted here before on exercising with holding one's breath, and I do believe that this is a very useful form of exercise.

But does anyone know whether being able to breathe out a note for a long time actually means anything important? In terms of health, etc.

Does anyone know the data show on this issue?

Yours,

Caleb

4

General Science / Good balance beam scales in all libraries -- what do you think?

« on: 30/05/2014 17:28:42 »

I bought a balance beam scale for two libraries here in Oregon about 10 years ago -- the only two that responded positively to the offer that the State Librarian sent out via email to all the librarians. Both are in use, and one is just south of me at Wilsonville Library. The other is in Hermiston, Oregon, at Blue Mountain Community College.

My reasoning goes like this:

A lot of people don't have easy access to good scales and this seems to be a very inexpensive way to reach many people, especially those without much money and who can benefit themselves and their family members by weighing themselves. (A local library system said that if people wanted to weigh themselves,they should go to their doctor's offices or to their health clubs. Seemed a ridiculous answer then and seems even worse now about 10 years later. So many of their patrons don't go to health clubs, can't wait for their yearly medical checkup to weigh themselves -- if indeed they can afford yearly checkups.)

A lot of weight problems -- including relapse weight problems -- can be prevented if people weigh themselves regularly. Also, it teaches people that weighing themselves is not that scary or humiliating, etc. (The Wilsonville scale had broken about 5 years ago and I replaced it. As I brought a new scale in, one of the patrons, a slender somewhat elderly woman, cheerfully said, "Good! Now I can weigh  myself again! I think I am still at 127 [or some very healthy number, it seemed to me]," and she was at that number.)

Libraries have a function of being able to provide important information at no cost to the individual and it seems to me that providing weight scales fits within this framework.

Getting in the habit of weighing oneself regularly is a very healthy behavior, one that most of us should engage in. (I have talked to librarians who said that people would be too embarrassed to weigh themselves in public, but many people have enjoyed doing so, and thus the "embarrassment" seems to be greatly overstated. At the same time, teaching people to be less embarrassed about getting on a scale seems a good goal -- better than ignoring the problem until it is uncontrollable and unhealthy -- and no one HAS to weigh themselves anyway.)

On the other hand, there is probably less incentive for scales to be made publicly available -- say, in a shopping mall -- because that may well interfere with sales of food.

Any thoughts about this? Individually, it would cost very, very close to nothing to an individual for their local library to have a good scale, but the health benefits would be significant (especially given the prevalence of diabetes 2, hypertension, etc.).

Yours,

Caleb

5

General Science / Any suggestions about adding preservatives, such as chlorhexedine, to milk?

« on: 18/05/2014 18:24:44 »

Three months ago I added a drop of chlorhexedine (actually a drop of hibiclens) to a gallon of milk and it stayed unspoiled well beyond its expiration date, much longer than other gallons of milk I have had in my fridge.

Does anyone do this kind of thing regularly? I had read that chlorhexidine has been used for decades as a food preservative in Europe for decades.

Any other suggestions for safe food preservatives?

Yours,

Caleb

6

General Science / Is taking the stairs the best form of exercise?

« on: 16/05/2014 15:49:27 »

Does anyone do this as a simple form of exercise? Walking up and down a flight of stairs for 15 min.?

Problem is this--sometimes it's not really a lot of fun to go outside and exercise, to go on to  my little recumbent bike and set the thing up, but I can just get on my pair of shorts, T-shirt, and go up and down my stairs for 20 min., listening to a podcast (Naked Scientists). Also, I go over my bare feet (which helps with traction), it's very close to the shower, etc.

In doing this, I also hold my breath and so, for example, this morning I went up to 8 to 12 steps him quite often without taking a breath. I never get terribly out of breath, but I really do think that this increases the workout that I get. (I have posted on this site before information on how the published literature supports the training effect of breath-holding.)

I sure have my hand along the banister going down the stairs and I don't really go much for speed--nor do I have to, with holding my breath as I come up.

Right now, and counting every flight by bending down a finger starting with the little finger of my left hand. When I reach  10 (reaching the little finger of my right hand), I move a penny on a piece of paper across the line, this to indicate a cycle of 10 times going up and down the stairs. After moving four pennies, I've reached 15 min. I am going to work out to 30 min. a day going up and down the stairs, but I hope to approach it in several months,, this I've had in the past  back problems and a slight difficulty with my right knee. (One of the physical therapists I had for my right knee problem  simply said that I should angle my foot more towards the center and it solve my problem absolutely. As a youngster, I broke my right femur and therefore my right foot since five years of age was splayed out to the right. It was a simple fix for me, and it has ended the problem I had with my right knee.)

Anyway, does anyone do anything like this?

Yours,

Caleb

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Physiology & Medicine / Are people distracted by hairs around their ears, noses, etc.? I sure am.

« on: 23/04/2014 04:56:25 »

I am the most distractible person alive, I think. Noises distract me, and so I like white noise when I work and when I sleep.

And one thing that has consistently bothered me (well, for at least 30 years) is hair impacting the outside of my ears, the inside of my nostrils, etc. Pretty much the setting event for me for getting a haircut is when my hair interferes with my concentration, and so I get it cut maybe once every six months and then I trim it back the rest of the time. (But now I have an electric razor and maybe I don't have to deal with this issue as often.)

But are others as distracted by this as I am? And if so, what are their (your) solutions to this problem?

Any insights would be very, very gratefully received!

Yours,

Caleb

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General Science / Re: Cardio-Exercise -- what's an easy way to make a stair to step on?

« on: 01/02/2014 08:26:28 »

I would like to have a stair-stepper that I can step on and step off for about 20 or 30 minutes a day, between 8 and 12 inches total rise in step, so I can get my heart rate up, perspire, etc., and know that I am exercising enough to contribute to my health.

What's the best way to do this?

I bought a plastic bench from a major chain here in the U.S. yesterday that says it has a 300 pounds lifting capacity, and I am thinking of gluing it at all the joints, and also duct-taping it.

Does anyone have any other ideas on this? I really would like to hear ideas that others have.

Yours,

Caleb

9

General Science / Would legalization of Marijuana increase general health?

« on: 30/01/2014 03:22:06 »

Several general points should be made:

Marijuana does not appear to be toxic.

It may have an impact on younger brains, including those exposed to it before birth (also, a word to emphasize is "may")

As compared with other intoxicants, this seems to be generally quite harmless.

Some people with pain conditions, sleep conditions, muscle disorders, etc., seem to find this approach quite helpful.

Also, in the U.S., people possessing this drug may go to jail/prison for a long time, have a major offense noted against them, etc.

Any thoughts about how to think about this?

Yours,

Caleb

10

General Science / Brushing one's teeth with Hibiclens (chlorhexedine)

« on: 28/01/2014 23:27:14 »

Since 1983 I have brushed my teeth with chlorhexedine gluconate (the active ingredient in Hibiclens antimicrobial skin solution). I had read an article in a medical magazine about how a dentist working with the elderly had suggested that some of his elderly patients put a drop or two of Hibicleans into a dixie cup half filled with water, and then swish it in their mouth for a while before spitting it out. Chlorhexidine is what is known as a "persistent antimicrobial" and it continues to kill bacteria for many hours after it is first applied, much longer than alcohol, etc.

At any rate, I tried brushing my teeth with pure Hibiclens but it turned my teeth gray. I read that this is a harmless side-effect of Hibicleans over-use and a dental cleaning got rid of the problem. Now I put toothpaste on my toothbrush, put several drops of hibiclens on it, wet it a bit, and brush away.

I got used to the soapy taste quite quickly, and another thing I have noticed is that if I don't brush my teeth with Hibiclens twice a day, my mouth tastes bad, and I think this is due to the mouth bacteria returning.

Peridex prescription mouthwash was put on the market in about 1989, I think, and the active ingredient in that is also chlorhexidine. According to my dentist, the slight red staining I have on my teeth is very consistent with the slight red staining from Peridex, and it is also easy to get off with dental cleaning.

I am interested in whether brushing in this fashion will lead to fewer cardiac problems, birth anomalies, etc. Cardiac problems and birth anomalies are more likely with dental infections, etc.

Any thoughts?

Yours,

Caleb

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General Science / Reducing Teen Smoking -- would a spray showing if someone smoked help?

« on: 12/01/2014 02:14:08 »

This is something I’ve thought about for a long time— would a spray which would indicate whether someone had earlier smoked nicotine/tobacco/etc. in the room reduce smoking?

The problem for me now is this— when kids smoke in school bathrooms, oftentimes no one but other youngsters know. When the smoke goes away, there usually is no trace of what happened there. And for many kids, smoking is still a high status activity.

I remember a high school official telling me that no one smoked in a nearby high school bathroom. My daughter begged to differ when I told her that.

If mothers, fathers, members of the PTA group had such a spray (clearly showing whether a cigarette product had been smoked in the school bathrooms), probably by changing into an obvious color, almost certainly this would reduce smoking at that school.

As we know, if youngsters don’t start smoking by the time they are 18, they are not likely to smoke at all. (According to http://www.elon.edu/docs/e-web/academics/communications/research/06SachsEJSpring10.pdf , 80% of people start smoking before they are 18.)

This approach in psychology is looking for a stimulus trace— something that remains once those behaving actually leave the area. (One variant of this is looking at museum floors and seeing which tiles are worn most— this indicating which displays have the most viewers.)

Any suggestions? Feedback?

Yours,

Caleb

12

General Science / Breath-holding and High Intensity exercise -- is Breath Holding important?

« on: 11/01/2014 05:45:13 »

Is Breath-holding while exercising important in terms of improving fitness?

Recently there have been studies showing that High Intensity workouts may be particularly effective. 

My question is this: Could much of the effects of the usefulness of High Intensity workouts be due in part (I would argue in large part) to breath-holding? I would actually bet quite a few pieces of gum that it would be.

For quite a few years, I have modified my walking, biking program, by holding my breath while exercising. This seems to increase the cardiovascular demands and I think I sweat more quickly, my pulse goes higher, etc., simply because I am breathing less while I exercise.

In recently described High Intensity workouts, people almost certainly fairly rapidly become breathless. And I think that becoming breathless while exercising may well be very, very important -- working the cardiovascular system and laying down new capillaries, generally strengthening the heart, etc. Kind of like working at high altitude.

Any thoughts about this?

Yours,

Caleb

13

General Science / Making a sound like steady thunder in my ears.

« on: 29/12/2013 19:51:12 »

I've been able to make a sound like steady thunder in both ears since I was a teenager. It seems to me that I exerting musculature near my inner ear.

When I do it I also hear occasionally crinkly sounds and I think that might be from my Eustachian tubes expanding and returning to normal. The longest I have done it for has been about 30 seconds at a time -- haven't really wanted to do it longer than that.

Does anyone know what the actual process is? Could it be a muscular discharge affecting my inner ear?

Thanks!

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General Science / How do we hear "the sound of a smile" ?

« on: 28/12/2013 18:26:27 »

Situation is this -- we talk to someone on the phone and we are instantly aware they are smiling. The sounds of their pronunciation is clear without any muffling, we can hear the production including the sounds of their voice reflecting off their teeth, etc. (The passages below also indicate that the soft palate is raised and this makes the sound more fluid.)

Being aware that someone is smiling could be very important to us, e.g., in close relationships, in potentially dangerous relationships, etc. Overall I sure would rather deal with someone smiling than someone not smiling. (Maybe similarly dogs dogs also have happy barks, and they sure do have unhappy snarls at times.)

I have thought for a while that analyses of speech sounds might be able detect the vocal qualities of speech produced with a smile. Would be interesting to see how well sounds of a smile correlate with happiness, depression, etc., and also whether changes in voices (due to changes in the smiling responses) are able to measure changes in a person's mood. (Might be useful for suicide hot-lines, psychotherapy, etc.) Psychologist Paul Ekman (see http://www.paulekman.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/Physiological-Effects-Of-The-Smile.pdf for some of his interesting research) has long advised people smile to make themselves happier, and psychologist Richard Wiseman suggested people put a pencil between their teeth for 60 seconds or so (without their lips touching the pencil) as a way to make themselves happy.

If people around us are smiling more, we tend to smile more too, everything else being equal. Unconscious imitation, motor neurons, etc.

Any thoughts about the "sounds of a smile"?

Yours,

Caleb

From http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/improving-your-inflection-on-the-phone.html is this:

"Smiling when you talk on the phone

"One way to positively affect the inflection in your voice is to smile, especially when you first answer the telephone. The reason is not psychological but rather physiological. When you smile, the soft palate at the back of your mouth raises and makes the sound waves more fluid. For those of you who sing in a choir (or in the shower), you know that the wider you open your mouth and the more teeth you show, the better tone you get. The same applies on the telephone. Smiling helps your voice to sound friendly, warm, and receptive.

"Some telemarketing companies are so convinced of the value of smiling when talking on the phone that they install mirrors above telemarketers' desks to remind them to smile. These same people, by the way, call you when you're just sitting down to dinner."

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Physiology & Medicine / Is gum-chewing an arousing response?

« on: 26/12/2013 19:20:18 »

I have had this notion for the past 35 years or so, that gum-chew is a physically arousing response, leading on to another chew.
if I was going to design an organism that could derive nutrition out of materials that were not immediately nutritious, I would want one chew to lead onto another chew, such as a cow having to ingest much grass before giving up the chewing response.
In humans, the chewing response seems to me to me physiologically very similar to suckling milk--that is, the jaw moves up and down in a fashion similar to chewing food. One could think of it as a mild type of energizing behavior which is present in infants as well as adults.
Certainly the prototypic salesperson, as well as basketball players and baseball players, etc., regularly chew gum as they engage in their behaviors which are helped by increased arousal and attention..
We see that people will chew one all kinds of things, including pencils, gone once the sugary taste has left, etc.
Any thoughts?
Yours, Caleb

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General Science / Where should i hold my razor for best effect, handle, or head?

« on: 09/11/2013 06:41:29 »

Several months ago I started shaving differently than before. That is, as a male, I started holding the razor very, very close to the head of the razor.

After washing my face with soap and water and then adding shaving cream, I hold the razor up top towards the head. Then, looking in the mirror i have in the shower, I have been getting a far closer shave than I have ever gotten, along with much fewer nicks. It really seams to me that holding the razor handle further down the handle leads to much greater loss of sensitivity, etc. In this current method, I am much more able to match the counters of my face and not apply either too much or too little pressure and I glide across the skin surface more.

Does anyone else do this"

Yours,

Caleb

17

General Science / If your relative gets a flu, does it change so you're more likely to get it?

« on: 29/10/2013 02:12:24 »

   I've wondered about this for quite a few years -- if my brothers or sisters get a flu, am I more likely to get it because of genetic similarity?
   Also, in a family dynamic (with the flu going back and forth within several relatives), will the flu virus tend to automatically change itself to the point that I am more likely to get it, as compared to strangers?
   If so, then probably local groups, towns, etc., would then also be more susceptible to catching it.
   Yours,
   Caleb

18

General Science / Why does a pillow on my tummy make me sleep better at night?

« on: 26/10/2013 06:42:10 »

I sleep on my back at night with sofa cushions under my knees, following back surgery about 15 years ago. (I am a male, not quite 65.) Recently I have been sleeping with a heavy pillow on my tummy, weighing about 12 pounds or so, and I really sleep better with the pillow. Also, now I do not have the inclination at night to sleep on my side. Somehow this pillow seems to be activating something like a swaddling response, etc.

Any thoughts on this?

Yours, Caleb