July
2007
Sugar Still Bad; Remembering a Little Thing Called Silence
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News links worth noting today:
Dietary Sugar and Macular Degeneration
Starchy, sugary fare that rates high on the glycemic index increases your risk for macular degeneration (our leading cause of vision loss). Aside from reducing - or eliminating - your refined carbohydrate intake, focus on prevention as well. For example, antioxidants can help keep your eyes healthy as you age. Think green and red vegetables, fruit, fish, nuts, eggs, and a fish oil supplement. Nix the sugar, folks.
Noise Pollution
Remember silence? Yeah, me either. Even in remote locales like the beaches of Thailand or my own exurb backyard, noise from jets is an ever-present disturbance. In London, it’s apparently so bad, that city’s residents are calling it a threat to mental health. Constant loud engines, honks, alarms and sirens: certainly not something with which our ancestors had to deal. I’m sure someone’s going to tell the Brits they’re being pansies. But I’m inclined to think that persistent, low-level stress of this sort is more serious than we know.
Further reading:
The Definitive Guide to Insulin, Blood Sugar and Type 2 Diabetes
Boost Your Serotonin Naturally
Technorati Tags: glycemic index, macular degeneration, health news, noise pollution
I live about 100 feet from an interstate. My community has a tight housing market, and it was the only affordable apartment in a safe neighborhood, so I signed the lease. After a couple weeks of fitful sleep, I started tuning out the traffic noise with a small fan set to low. The soft, steady hum does not completely block the roaring semis, but it does distract my attention and lull me to sleep.
I use the “white noise” from a fan to help me sleep wherever I am. I judge hotel rooms not by the quality of the bed or decor, but by how well I can adjust the room fan to tune out the hallway noises or street sounds. Could be that our ancestors were lulled to sleep by leaves rustling in the breeze, water trickling in a stream, waves on the beach or any number of other natural sounds.