"Got Milk??"..."Why Yes I Do!!"

From the London restaurant selling “Baby Gaga” (much to Lady Gaga’s chagrin); two scoops of human breast milk ice cream served in a martini glass at $22.00 a pop, to the NYC establishment whose lead chef created various cheese dishes supplied by the breast milk of his lactating wife and ending with the British gentleman, diagnosed with prostate cancer who feels having his daughter’s breast milk with his cornflakes each morning is a step to recovery; adult human breast milk consumption for a trend or for medicinal purposes is a hot yet controversial topic.

There have been no studies to date that show human breast milk consumption by adults have any health benefits however the FDA has reported that the breast milk of humans contain a protein that causes cancerous cells to “self destruct.” This protein reduces the risk of early childhood cancer but is not shown to have the same effect in adults. Researchers are studying this particular protein in order to use its effects in adults with cancer in the future.

The subject of “we are the only mammals to drink another mammal’s milk” is not only poignant but provocative. The milk of all mammals are made of the same things; fat, proteins, lactose, vitamins, minerals, and water. The difference lies in the fact that the proportions of these components vary depending on the species of the young. Cow’s milk is high in protein where as human breast milk is low due to the fact that calves need to double their body weight within 50 days because they will need to find their own food sooner and are weaned earlier. Mother’s milk comes with an enzyme called lipase that helps break down the fat content of the milk (fat is a valuable source of energy for babies and is vital to brain development) so it can be better digested in immature tummies and absorbed into the bloodstream. This enzyme is not the same in cow milk.

Curds and whey are more than the stuff of nursery rhymes. Anyone who has ever left cow’s milk unrefrigerated has seen them. The curd, casein proteins (high in cow’s milk) are the chunky white clots and the whey (higher in human milk) is the liquid portion. Whey is easier to digest ergo…

On a side note, PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) has petitioned Ben and Jerry’s to replace cow milk with human milk. The response was nothing less than “a chilled, rocky road” and thought to be “sprinkled with nuts.”

Image: Picasso "Breast Feeding"

http://abcnews.go.com

http://www.edmontonjournal.com

http://www.askdrears.com

Zombie…Rum, O.J., pineapple and lime juice and ground human bones. sprinkled not stirred!?!

What is all this zombie business? That would depend where you live. If you live in the United States, it may mean no more to you than a cheesy "B movie" or your favorite comic but in other parts of the world, namely Haiti, zombies are believed to be a reality.

The word zombie comes from the Kongo word Nzambi which means "spirit of a dead person." Haitians believe bokors or witch doctors poison their victims using a special compound which strips that person of all memory and free will. The result of the poisoning is a person who in no uncertain terms is "out of it," ready to be swept away to work as a slave. This belief was dismissed as a myth until the well documented case of Clairvius Narcisse was reported.

In 1962, Narcisse (funny this is his name being he was reported to be a selfish and opportunistic person by his neighbors before his misfortune) checked into a hospital suffering from fever, blue/cyanotic lips, tingling sensations throughout his body, digestive problems, pulmonary edema, hypothermia, hypotension, body aches, malaise and coughing up blood. His condition worsened and he was eventually pronounced dead. His body was identified by his sister Marie Claire and he was buried the next day.

Eighteen years later, Marie Claire was shopping in the marketplace as a man approached her claiming to be Clairvius Narcisse. He actually called himself by the childhood name his family gave him. This name was not known to anyone outside the immediate family. Narcisse proclaimed that shortly after being pronounced dead he felt as if his skin was on fire. He was unable to move or speak but was aware of everything going on in his immediate surroundings; his sister crying, being placed in his coffin (lucky for him embalming wasn't practiced back then) and he even showed Marie Claire the scar on his cheek where one of the coffin nails penetrated his face. Later a bokor and some of his men dug up the coffin, removed Narcisse, beat him into submission and took him to the bokor's farm where he worked in a dream-like state, malnourished and ill treated for the next two years. He only managed to escape when another "zombie" found the will to kill the bokor, allowing for escape.

In 1982 this case came to the attention of two researchers who were determined to find out what the zombie poison consisted of. Off to Haiti the researchers went, where they met with several bokors and bought samples of their powders. When analyzed it was found that each compound varied: centipedes, lizards, toads, tree frogs, etc. were found in some but not all mixtures. There were just three components that were consistent in each sample: ground human bones, plants with prickly spines (in some cases, actual tarantula legs) and puffer fish. It is not certain why the bones were used being they are chemically inert but the prickly plant or tarantula legs served as a way to irritate the skin through scratching, causing an abrasion to enable the puffer fish poison, tetrodotoxin, to enter the bloodstream. This would be the reason why each bokor insisted to the researchers that the zombie poison must not be ingested but put in a potential victim's shoe or dropped down their back.

Tetrodotoxin is five hundred times more powerful than cyanide and the cause of all the symptoms Narcisse displayed in the hospital. Puffer fish (fugu) is eaten in Japan. Expert chefs carefully remove the reproductive organs of the fish, where most of the poison is found. Even with the careful considerations of the chefs, some tetrodotoxin mishaps have been reported.

There has been no evidence of "brain eating" or the ability to master Micheal Jackson's choreography by victims of the powder to date.

www.biology-online.org

Top of the Morning to Ya’…Don’t shoot me!!

It was just last night that my roommate and I had decided to relax in front of the television after a long work day. My favorite program was on and I was hyped because I had been looking forward to watching it all day. The time was 9:30 pm; I had just finished dinner, was enjoying a glass of wine and was ready to be entertained. I blinked or so I thought. When my "blink" was over I looked at the clock and it was midnight. What happened?? Where was my show?? Did I fall asleep??? I looked over at my roommate who was wide awake and laughing at the expression on my face. In a few hours when it's morning and time to get up for work, the same scenario will replay but the roles will be reversed. I am a classic morning person and she is a "night owl." What causes these differences? Well it has been shown that the reasons for the "can't get or can't stay up" phenomena all starts in your head.

The truth is that every living thing; plants and animals, have rhythm. Doesn't matter if you dance like someone just threw an ice cube down your back, you still have rhythm; circadian rhythm. Circadian rhythm comes from a special group of aggregated cells in the hypothalamus of the brain. In the hypothalamus, different rhythm's signals govern different body functions such as: blood pressure, body temperature and metabolic processes. These aggregated cells are referred to as the SCN (suprachiasmatic nucleus). Circadian rhythms are cued by the SCN of the hypothalamus. This complex neurological communication is one aspect in what is commonly known as the body's "biological clock."

In short, morning people have a circadian rhythm that causes their body temperature to climb (molecular activity increasing) at awakening, resulting in that person leaping from their bed, alert and ready to start the day. At night, that same person's body temperature has dropped, molecular activity has decreased and it's "lights out." Reverse the process and you have your "night owls" like my roommate.

So, whether you are ready to party as the clock strikes midnight or drooling on your pillow, neither makes you a "head case," but it is a case in your head.

Silverthorn, D.U., "Human Physiology, An Integrated Approach" 4th Ed. 2007

The Male and Female Brain...We do think differently.

While visiting a popular museum exhibit last summer, I noticed a poster stating that there have been scientific studies that attest to the fact that physiological differences in the male and female brain can account for some attributes which are viewed as being "more enhanced" in one gender than in the other. Here are their findings:
Women have more neuron cell bodies in their brains, allowing for more blood flow and greater efficiency at languages, memorizing details and counteracting the effects of old age (senility).

Men have longer neurons in their gray matter which allows for better communication, focusing on specific tasks, spacial orientation and a better performance in math/physics.

What's your opinion??? Any valid points or merely generalizations???

Brain Image: www.harrydschneidermd.com/html/neuroscience/html