Category: Health (Page 2 of 7)

Science says that chocolate is good for you.

September 28, 2025 / Richard Nestoff / 0 Comments

Effect of cocoa flavanol supplementation for the prevention of cardiovascular disease events,

I’ve been buying this nutritional supplement from Aldi for years.

Cocoa extract supplementation did not significantly reduce total cardiovascular events among older adults but reduced CVD death by 27%.

Finally, nutritional science has some good news. The study looks legit.

The study was conducted by Brigham and Women’s Hospital. There were 12,666 women over 65 years old, and 8776 men over 60 years old in a double-blind, placebo controlled study. A 27% reduction in death by cardiovascular disease is substantial.

Physics Class, September 11th.

September 11, 2025 / Richard Nestoff / 0 Comments

Whatever can happen, will happen, if you wait long enough.

That is an operating principle in modern physics. There is a 1 in 6000 chance that a nickel dropped on to a table top, will rest on the edge of the coin. If you dropped a nickel every 10 seconds, within 17 hours, you’d expect a nickel to land on the edge. It’s a very unlikely event, but it will happen.

Vaccines should not be controversial.

September 5, 2025 / Richard Nestoff / 0 Comments

The Florida GOP ending vaccine mandates is playing with fire

Why is this controversial? Parents can get their children vaccinated. By not making vaccinations mandatory, pharmaceutical companies and the medical community will have to be honest and transparent about the benefits and risks. It’s shady when the government assumes that they care more than parents do.

Men don’t go to the doctor.

September 3, 2025 / Richard Nestoff / 0 Comments

NYT: What Does It Take to Get Men to See a Doctor?

The Cutler Center is one of the few clinical spaces trying to tackle the stubborn problem of men’s lack of engagement with America’s health care system.

Right now, men in the United States, whether infants or elders, are more likely to die at younger ages than their female counterparts. Male life expectancy at birth is currently 75.8 years — 5.3 years less than it is for women.

Weak men make hard times.

August 25, 2025 / Richard Nestoff / 0 Comments

It’s embarrassing that the next mayor of New York City can’t lift 135 lbs, while a retired teacher in Ohio can bench 180 lbs. My brother and I are doing two sets of 12, at 140 lbs.

More embarrassing for Mamdani is that he made the attempt without knowing for certain that he can lift the weight. Not a good look.

Sparky goes to Apple Hill

August 25, 2025 / Richard Nestoff / 0 Comments

Sparky had his annual physical exam last week at Apple Hill Animal Hospital. Dr. Grossman was more meticulous and engaged than my doctor. She is more understanding as well. She said that he was a little overweight, but he’s pretty active for his age so we shouldn’t worry about it.

His teeth aren’t great and he has a little cyst on his belly, so next week, Sparky is going in to get his teeth cleaned up and the cyst removed. Doc isn’t too concerned, but she wants to get it tested.

The doc called this morning with the results of his blood work. He’s good on everything.

Sparky didn’t mean to do it.

August 6, 2025 / Richard Nestoff / 1 Comment

Sparky likes to chase rabbits into the brush. I like to see Sparky so excited. When we go in, Sparky gets on my lap to tell me about his hunt, and I catch a wicked case of poison ivy from the urushiol oil on his fur.

Ubiquitous lawn spiders.

July 30, 2025 / Richard Nestoff / 0 Comments

When I took Sparky out this morning at 8 am, there were little spider webs all over the place. They are probably always there, but the dew made them easy to spot.

Magic always has a cost.

July 20, 2025 / Richard Nestoff / 0 Comments

This post is about fluoridated water and dental health. Sparky doesn’t have much to do with it, but I will get to him at the end.

RFK, Jr. Protects The Nation’s Precious Bodily Fluids

Chemistry can seem like magic, so know the cost. In engineering terms, “everything is a trade off.” This substack article addresses RFK’s interest in fluoride.

The battle over fluoride has been raging for longer than I have been alive, dating as far back as the 1930s. While the scientific basis for opposing fluoridization may have changed, the arguments to a large degree remain unchanged.

Sparky is having a rough morning.

July 18, 2025 / Richard Nestoff / 4 Comments

While I was on the computer this morning, Sparky came by. I thought he wanted to come up and chat, but he had something else in mind.