health Archivi - Keep Calm and Drink Coffee

SILENT DEATHS

Jan 23, 2021 | ENVIRONMENT

I have already talked about PM2.5 because frankly it is a topic that is very close to my heart and I find it absolutely important, despite continuing to pass more or less in silence.

The effects on health are hidden and manifest over time, there are no obvious infections or symptoms, but when the disease is noticed in many cases it is late.

The death tolls are terrible and yet they are rarely mentioned.

I find the latest publication from The Lancet Planetary Health absolutely frightening which indicates Brescia and Bergamo in first and second place among the European cities for mortality rate due to these damned particles.

And not only that: they are followed by Vicenza in fourth place and Saronno in eighth, meaning that out of ten cities, four are Italian, concentrated in the northern area, mainly in Lombardy.

But many other inhabited centers also have chilling levels of pollutants, available here.

As if that were not enough, it should also be considered that despite everything there is also a hidden share: air pollution is a leading environmental cause of mortality around the world. Cities are generally hot spots for air pollution and disease. However, the exact extent of the health effects of city-wide air pollution is still largely unknown.

I have the hope of shaking some conscience, in the small, so that this theme is given an adequate echo, even if my voice falls into the same silence of all voices dull in the suffering among the indifference of most.

#WORLDPASTADAY WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE RECIPE?

Oct 25, 2020 | ITALY, WHO CARES

In addition to coffee, of course we are regular consumers of pasta, so why not celebrate it today too?

What’s your favorite pasta?
And how do you like to cook it?

In recent days there is a lot of talk about Senatore Cappelli wheat following the complaint of all the farmers’ associations against the SIS Società Italiana Sementi which was fined by the antitrust for the unjustified increase in the price and above all for the constraint of the supply chain.

Because? What’s special about it?

It is a stronger and more suitable wheat for the production of pasta selected over 100 years ago by Nazareno Strampelli, a famous geneticist agronomist, who dedicated the discovery to Senator Raffaele Cappelli, promoter of agrarian reform in the early 1900s.

It is a durum wheat that has fought hunger in times of war, and over time its purity has been protected by preventing contamination and keeping the supply chain controlled and certified.

But this time, rather than antitrust, I would like to talk about health: pasta produced with Senatore Cappelli wheat, thanks to its better properties and nutritional value, can bring benefits to those suffering from gastrointestinal problems.

The Report transmission broadcast an interview with Dr. Maria Cristina Mele of the Digestive System Disease Center Gemelli Catholic University of the Sacred Heart who stated how much follows:

We gave Senatore Cappelli pasta for four weeks, then we did another litmus test, that is, we made a cross. Those who initially ate Senatore Cappelli pasta, after two weeks of abstention, again followed a gluten-free diet, because we had to clean up any symptoms: we crossed the types of pasta.
Symptoms have greatly reduced.
When we say that it is a statistically significant result, it means that the reduction of symptoms in this case is not related to chance, that is, it is not a coincidence.
We were impressed because we didn’t honestly expect it. And all of them have had benefits.
All those who ate Senatore Cappelli pasta compared to patients who ate the other type of pasta, had a benefit during the Senatore Cappelli course.
We can say that this event took place, but it is clear, we need to confirm the data to enlarge the population.

So we decided to try to eat Senatore Cappelli pasta for a period after which we can tell if we felt any difference.

Maybe you can participate by recommending some delicious and possibly easy recipes since I’m not a great cook what do you think?

VOLTAIRE USED TO DRINK 40 CUPS OF COFFEE A DAY

Aug 29, 2020 | WHO CARES

Voltaire used to drink 40 cups of coffee a day.

And it seems that in response to those who contested the abuse he declared: “I drink 40 coffees a day to be well awake and think about how to keep tyrants and imbeciles at bay” then adding “yes, it is a remarkably slow poison. I have been drinking it every day for more than seventy years and, so far, I have never experienced its sad effects on my health … “
Given the current trend … was he right?
Considering also the fact that his coffees were a kind of blend with chocolate … I miss a lot of them …

PM 2.5

Jun 6, 2020 | ENVIRONMENT, ITALY, SCIENCE

PM comes from Particulate Matter: and consists of airborne particulate matter, more precisely, according to the definition of the Ministry of the Environment it represents the set of solid and liquid atmospheric particles suspended in ambient air. The term PM_2.5 identifies particles with a diameter of less than or equal to 2.5 µm … from here on, however, I dissociate from the description: these particles are too easily incorporated into the PM10 values, especially in the detection ratios, when instead the difference it is substantial.
Why?
I always quote verbatim from the Essia i.e. Effects on the Health of Air Pollution project: in particular, the smallest particles manage to penetrate deeper into the respiratory system. Hence, it is important to understand which and how many particles are able to penetrate the human body, how deep they manage to reach and what type of substances they can carry. For example, the toxicity of particulate matter, and therefore its ability to generate damage to health, can be amplified by the ability to absorb gaseous substances such as PAHs (Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons) and heavy metals, some of which are powerful carcinogens.
The significant relief of environmental pollution in relation to the onset of tumors is also the subject of the open letter published by Isde the increase in tumor incidence and chronic degenerative diseases that occur in the most polluted areas and at an increasingly early age affecting children, adolescents and young adults is the most striking aspect of the link between environment and health.
I disagree with the choice of the adjective: I find this aspect rather terrifying than striking.
Even the OMS declares that in the European Union only the finest particulate matter causes a loss of life expectancy of about 8,6 months.
In light of all this, it would be natural to think that given the high danger, strict monitoring is applied on the emissions of this fine particulate.
Unfortunately, on the other hand, in many cases it is not even distinguished from the PM10 and is very smoky, forgive the play on words, reporting the data of the relief that has a daily index: which oscillates between 9 and 8 while I’m writing, when the term of comparison is according to Ispra is an annual limit of 25 µm, among other things with a reference to 2010: it is difficult even to find updated information, I wonder why.
Personally I consider this topic of the utmost importance and I care about Lomellina: a land battered between mud and waste-to-energy plants, where livability is compromised.
In Italy there are 51 waste-to-energy plants, of which 29 only in northern Italy are reported by the Civil Protection specifying that the fumes generated are treated and purified.
Among other things, the results of a 2017 Inemar study indicates non-industrial combustion as the main responsible for the PM_2.5 emission in Lombardy.
What does it consist of in practice? According to the classification “trade, residential, agriculture.”
To put it mildly: “Are we getting too hot?”
It would look just like this: in fact the concentrations are significantly higher in the winter months as visibly demonstrated in the EEA European Environment Agency graphs.
So waste-to-energy plants are innocent?
No, although over the years the incinerators have covered this “enhancement” with control and purification systems that have certainly reduced the percentage of incidence, a quantity of pollutants is still discharged into the atmosphere. The notorious nano-particles are as capable of easily entering our body and reaching blood, tissues and organs as they are partially able to escape the filtering or disposal systems, here you find an analysis about it.
And if you can solve the calculation of the daily / annual thresholds, you deserve a coffee!

CIGARETTES AND COFFEE … NEVER AGAIN?

Jan 25, 2020 | ITALY

The Swedish model keep going on to seem an example to follow and the mayor of Milan drew inspiration from it by proposing to extend the ban on smoking even in open spaces: at bus stops and for those who are queuing for the use of public services, for reach by 2030 a total ban in any open place.
This announcement, followed by an inevitable aftermath of controversy, comes precisely in the occasion of the fifteenth birthday of the Sirchia law, named after the Minister of Health who proposed it, i.e. the ban on smoking in closed public places, which entered into force on 10 January 2005.
The Higher Institute of Health, taking stock of the statistics originating from that date, reports the following data:
During these fifteen years of application of the anti-smoking law, sales of traditional cigarettes have gone from about 92,822 tons in 2005 to about 67,460 tons in 2018, with a decrease of 27.3%. On the other hand, there was an important surge in sales of shredded tobacco (including pipe tobacco), which in the same period recorded an increase of over 500%.
Beyond the statistics, I am particularly interested in knowing your opinion since, for those who smoke, the cigarette is notoriously consequential to coffee.
As far as I’m concerned, the behaviors of smokers that I observe already contemplate respect: no cigarettes in the presence of children, no cigarettes in the car in the presence of other people, no cigarettes in the homes of others etc.
In the meantime, the new budget law has further raised the amount of minimum excise duties (already increased with the 2019’s budget law) by raising the basic rate of cigarettes to 59.8%, a good bit of a deterrent I would say.
… so, the back and forth through my mind of Seven Nation Army is intended to be no longer behind a cigarette?