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Fracking in North Dakota

The government of the state of North Dakota has taken a cooperative tactic with the hydraulic fracturing industry. However the environmental impact has been significant and the rate of spills has escalated over the years rather than improving which suggests that the more stringent regulations or fines used in other states may be more protective than expecting cooperation from the drilling companies.

“Over all, more than 18.4 million gallons of oils and chemicals spilled, leaked or misted into the air, soil and waters of North Dakota from 2006 through early October 2014. (In addition, the oil industry reported spilling 5.2 million gallons of nontoxic substances, mostly fresh water, which can alter the environment and carry contaminants.)” [link]

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PTSD resources for veterans, their families, and for the general public

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) can occur in people who experienced a fearful event or who lived with daily trauma. The condition may occur in veterans after their return to civilian life. If symptoms occur for more than three months without improvement than getting outside help is recommended.

The following short video illustrates the most common symptoms that may occur with PTSD: [upworthy.com]

Common symptoms include:

  1. 1) re-experiencing the traumatic events as unwanted memories or nightmares;
  2. 2) avoidance of reminders of the trauma;
  3. 3) feeling worse about yourself or the world; and
  4. 4) hyper-arousal, feeling constantly on alert or experiencing sudden rushes of anger or irritability after being startled or hearing a loud noise.  [upworthy.com]

Services for veterans and their families coping with PTSD are available at the Veteran’s Affairs website and the site also has self help resources and referral information available for the general public: [ptsd.va.gov] [PTSD treatment can help]

A previous post about talking to children about traumatic events that includes a list of resources about EMDR, a type of therapy that may be helpful for PTSD treatment. [link]

/Disclaimer: This information is provided for educational purposes within the guidelines of fair use. While I am a Registered Dietitian this information is not intended to provide individual health guidance. Please see a health professional for individual health care purposes./

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Flavanols found helpful at reducing age related memory loss

A small patient based study found that flavanols concentrated from cocoa beans helped improve age related memory loss. The concentrated flavanol extract was prepared by Mars Inc., the company sponsoring the research. The study followed 37 healthy volunteers between the ages of 50 to 69 for three months. Participants in the experimental group consumed 900 mg of the flavanol extract and participants in the control group consumed 10 mg of the concentrated flavanol cocoa drink. Participants were given brain scans at the beginning and end of the study. The brain scans were being monitored for any changes to the dentate gyrus region of the brain which is suspected to be involved in age related memory loss. A twenty minute memory test using pattern recognition questions was also used to assess any memory changes in the study participants. At the end of the study participants on the high-flavanol diet scored significantly higher on the memory test than participants on the low-flavanol diet.

This is a preliminary research study that used a concentrated extract of flavanols. The dose used in the study would not be available from regular chocolate products. There are many plant sources for flavanols in addition to cocoa beans. More research is needed. [link]

In the mean time eating five to nine servings of fruits and vegetables per day may help reduce cancer risk while providing some healthy flavanols and flavanoids. Blackberries, apricots and apples with the skin are sources of flavanols. And green tea, black tea, and red wine are good sources of flavanols in addition to cocoa beans. [link] Increasing use of green leafy herbs may also be helpful to health. Oregano, rosemary, sage and summer savory may be good sources of a variety of antioxidants including the flavonol quercitin and the flavanoid rosmarinic acid. [link] [link]

Available as a downloadable pdf: Phenols, proanthocyanidins, flavones and flavonols in some plant materials and their antioxidant activities / by M. Skerget et. al. / 2003

/Disclaimer: Opinions are my own and  the information is provided for educational purposes within the guidelines of fair use. While I am a Registered Dietitian this information is not intended to provide individual health guidance. Please see a health professional for individual health care purposes./

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Bias is a part of life that can be difficult to exclude or even to recognize

Words can mean different things to people of different backgrounds. Many words have a variety of meanings or have slightly different meanings depending on how the word is used in conversation. Research teams may seek feedback from a focus group of the target population before proceeding with a planned research study or survey.

The most traditional forms of social science try rigorously to weed out bias. But when studies are consistently designed by one population to use
on a very different population, all the conditions of research become biased. The very words chosen to question people may have quite different meanings to researchers and to people living in extreme poverty.

-Diane Farjour Skelton, p 80, Artisans for Overcoming Poverty [link]

The word bias is also a sewing term used to describe fabric sewn on the bias, or at an angle to the crisscrossing weave of the threads. Fabric sewn on the bias allows for a little more freedom of movement or natural stretch along the seam without the use of elastic. [1] A biased opinion has less freedom of movement, it is skewed by our personal history. Bias reflects our life long expectations of what life is like and it is based on our life experiences. Reading and experiencing a wider variety of things may help combat our tendency to expect everyone to think and react the same as ourselves.

Burlap fabric showing the criss crossing weave of the thread.
Burlap fabric showing the crisscrossing weave of the thread. A typical seam follows the lines of the thread, a seam sewn on the bias is sewn at an angle to the weave.

Disclaimer: This information is provided for educational purposes within the guidelines of Fair Use.