Cardiovascular disease (CVD), a term that encompasses a number of conditions comprising any heart or blood vessel disorder, is the leading cause of premature death in the U.S., accounting for 1 in 4 deaths. Despite a growing focus on optimizing and promoting health in American culture, the implementation of policies, initiatives, and guidelines targeting CVD over the last half-century have been insufficient to meet the challenges of the growing burden. Between 2015 and 2018, 49.2% (126.9 million) of American adults had CVD, with direct and indirect costs of the disease reaching $555 billion in 2016 alone. The American Heart Association (AHA) projects annual direct and indirect costs to reach over $1 trillion by 2035.
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Known as “forever chemicals”, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a group of chemicals with strong carbon-fluoride bonds that persist in the environment. They bioaccumulate in the human body over time due to more PFAS being absorbed than excreted. PFAS can be found in materials that have water-, grease- and stain- repellent properties. According to the US Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, common routes of exposure to PFAS include: 1) drinking contaminated municipal water or private well water, 2) eating fish caught from water contaminated by PFAS, 3) accidentally swallowing contaminated soil or dust, 4) eating food that was packaged in materials that contain PFAS, and 5) using consumer products such as non-stick cookware, stain resistant carpeting, and water repellant clothing (Figure 1).
As miserable as it is to get your teeth drilled, we should be thankful for modern technology; ancient humans used to fill their cavities with the same black tar we now use to surface roads! The sticky, smelly tar, also known as Bitumen, is a black mixture of hydrocarbons that was used in conjunction with beeswax, vegetable fibers, and bits of hair to fill cavities in ancient human civilizations.
Resilience In Nature: How Green Spaces Improve Our Health And Happiness During The COVID-19 Pandemic6/17/2021
This year was unique in many ways. The COVID-19 pandemic forced many of us to work from home, immediately shrinking our worlds. Instead of commuting miles from Cambridge to Boston, I found myself spending the majority of my time in the three-block radius around my home. Lucky for me, my daily companion was my one-year-old daughter. A bright spot to an otherwise harrowing pandemic was that we were able to spend hours each day exploring our neighborhood together, watching as spring emerged in New England. My perspective shifted dramatically as I knelt down to point out each budding tulip or held her up to smell a lilac. Although it was a terrifying time in so many ways, it was also one that forced me to be more grounded and present; and to truly appreciate my surroundings and the beautiful natural setting that I am fortunate to live in.
Imagine dropping by the grocery store to buy some milk – but alongside cow’s milk you see human milk from donors too. The cow’s milk costs about $3 per gallon, and there are mountains upon mountains of containers on the shelves. The human donor milk costs more than $500 per gallon and shelves are nearly empty. While dramatized here, this is the situation some neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) and families encounter trying to feed their tiniest babies.
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