Edison and Vaccination

Hundreds of years of scientific thought and the lives of some of the worlds most intelligent laureates have been dedicated to prolonging human life. Vaccines were a milestone in this effort. Like Thomas Edison’s creation of the light bulb – just as we are not lighting candles and moping around in the dark, we are also not dying of measles, mumps, rubella, smallpox, chickenpox anymore.

Vaccines have everything to do with this achievement. In fact, the smallpox vaccine worked so well that it doesn’t exist anymore. Unfortunately, we still contend with many other diseases. Honestly… we really do. Have you ever seen someone afflicted by Polio? In the last five years I’ve met two adults who survived Polio with lifelong consequences. A few countries in Africa and the Middle East remain Polio endemic. 

If enough people refuse vaccines we will begin to see outbreaks of some of these preventable disease right here in the USA. Oh… wait. We already have. Think measles aren’t a big deal? Well, it still kills about 1,000,000 children each year in developing countries. A million. It’s also the leading cause of blindness in children in Africa. And recent outbreaks due to vaccine refusal include other illness too: Pertussis (particularly in California), Mumps, Hepatitis A, B… it goes on.

Think you’re safe via herd immunity? Some people assume that since everyone else is vaccinated, they are safe from the disease. Well, that’s just irresponsible – both socially and for the individual. Until a communicable disease has been completely eradicated, it remains a threat. Keep in mind that outbreaks primarily affect those who cannot be vaccinated (newborns and the immune compromised) and those with declining immune systems (elderly).

Despite all of the lives saved, vaccines are constantly facing controversy and criticism;

coconut water for hydration

Full disclosure: I hate coconut water. I hate any beverage that is mildly sour. My husband and mother love to mix a few drops of juice into a bottle of water to, ‘add a little flavor’ and I find it vile. I still remember the day in the fifth grade when I reached into my lunch bag and found that my mom had snuck a few drops of orange juice into my bottle of water. It, literally, ruined my day. When she picked my up that afternoon I yelled, I cried, “how could you do this to me!?!” My poor mother, she received the majority (let’s be real, all) of my adolescent melodrama.

Unsweetened coconut water, if you have not tried it, tastes like mildly sour water. It is the clear-ish water in the center of a coconut; this different from coconut milk, which is made from its flesh. Fans and manufacturers claim that it is more efficient at rehydrating you than water and less sugary than sports drinks. A 2002 article in the Journal of Physiological Anthropology and Applied Human Science compared the effects of rehydrating with coconut water vs plain water and carbohydrate-electrolyte beverages (aka sports drinks). They found no difference in serum sodium and chlorine, serum osmolality, and net fluid balance. They did find that coconut water was significantly sweeter, caused less nausea, fullness and no stomach upset and was easier to consume in larger quantities compared with plain water and sports drinks. Although it should be noted that a different article, which also found no difference in the rehydration ability of these beverages, found that coconut water caused more bloating than water.

In English? Coconut water is good for you, but it isn’t going to replenish your electrolytes any more efficiently than plain water; do not rely on it as a nutritional supplement. Just like any beverage, too much is actually bad for you because it will imbalance your body’s electrolytes (everything in moderation). And if you’re still not sure what you should be drinking then remember: plain water is free.

arsenic in rice

Consumer Reports recently published a comprehensive article that finds potentially toxic levels of arsenic in rice. They are trying to push the EPA to set limits for how much arsenic can be found in rice and to set guidelines for how much arsenic a person can consume before it reaches toxic levels. I always remind myself that the EPA, while it is supposed to protect the consumer, also answers to the producers; so whatever limits they set are probably a little higher than I would feel comfortable with. As for the producers? I don’t trust them at all.

My overall recommendation, if you want to skip the rest of this, is this: limit adult consumption of rice to about half a cup of cooked rice a few days a week, limit children’s consumption of rice to less than that, and limit infant consumption of rice cereal to one serving several times a week. The recommendations that follow are from the Consumer Reports article and a list of rice products and the arsenic levels found in them can be found in the first link listed in resource (it’s the consumer reports link).

Keep in mind that I have no idea how much rice-product your infant normally eats, or how much rice you are used to eating at home. If it is going to overly burden you to find other healthy foods to eat, then just reduce your intake a little. The truth is that you can’t avoid every toxin and we don’t know that the foods you choose to substitute rice with aren’t also contaminated with something.