Monthly Archives: July 2022

Thinking of giving your kid melatonin? Here are some tips – The Philadelphia Inquirer

Posted: July 27, 2022 at 12:05 pm

Melatonin supplements are an increasingly popular way to help children get to sleep.

But now sold over-the-counter, fruit-flavored gummies may be a little too appealing to young children. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, pediatric ingestions of melatonin reported to poison control shot up 530% between 2012 and 2020.

Research has shown the supplement can improve sleep, but pediatricians urge caution when giving it to kids. Heres what to know:

Melatonin is a hormone naturally produced by our bodies in response to darkness, created to help regulate our internal clocks. At night, melatonin increases, telling us we need to go to sleep; it decreases in the morning, as our brain signals that its time to rise.

Melatonin is also sold over the counter as a dietary supplement to aid in sleep. That means it is not regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration as a medication and is available without a prescription. Melatonin supplements are sold as pills, capsules, liquids, and gummies.

If you are experiencing temporary sleep disturbances, such as jet lag or anxiety about an upcoming surgery, melatonin may be able to help you get a better nights rest. The supplement is not meant to treat long-term sleep problems, such as chronic insomnia.

Yes, if used properly. Melatonin is considered safe for children, so long as it is taken in the appropriate dose; children will need a much smaller dose than adults.

It should not be used as a fix for chronic sleep problems.

Talk to your pediatrician before giving your child melatonin. Your doctor can talk to you about whether there are other approaches to improving sleep that you should try first and, if melatonin is a good option, what dose is appropriate.

Easy, unsecured access to melatonin is among the most significant risks to children.

A majority of ingestions reported to the CDC were among children under age 5. Pediatricians say the supplements candy-like form and taste make it appealing to young children. And because its not a prescription medication, parents often dont keep it secured as safely. In the vast majority of cases reported to the CDC, children had mild symptoms, such as fatigue and nausea, and recovered at home.

Consider the dose, other ingredients, and brand.

Because melatonin is not regulated as a medication by the FDA, there is much greater variation in ingredients and the amount of melatonin, depending on the brand you choose. No melatonin supplements are approved by the FDA. But you can check whether the supplement youre considering passes muster with the USP Dietary Supplement Verification Program, a globally recognized nonprofit that promotes standards in medicines and supplements.

Supplements with the USP seal of approval have gone through rigorous testing and auditing, and been evaluated by USP for quality, purity, potency, performance, and consistency, according to the organizations website. If your pediatrician recommends melatonin for your child, ask for recommendations of specific supplements.

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CBD market could jump by billions of dollars with FDA approval – Food Business News

Posted: at 12:05 pm

CHICAGO The hemp-derived cannabidiol (CBD) market in the United States could more than double by 2027, provided the US Food and Drug Administration approves its use in food, beverages and dietary supplements, according to a mid-year report from the Brightfield Group.

The Chicago-based Brightfield Group, a research firm that covers the CBD market, developed two forecasts, one with FDA approval and one without. With FDA approval, the US CBD market would shoot up to $11 billion in retail sales in 2027 from an expected $5 billion in 2022. Without FDA approval, the market would increase to over $6 billion.

With FDA approval, the Brightfield Group foresees compound annual growth rates of over 40% for CBD products in mass merchandisers/club stores and grocery stores. Without FDA approval, the CAGR for both categories would be under 10%.

The Brightfield Group expects topicals to make up nearly 42% of CBD grocery store sales in 2022, followed by tinctures at 19%.

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What Does Probiotics Do? – The Island Now

Posted: at 12:05 pm

You must have heard or read the word probiotics on some occasions. They are primarily a benefit of yogurt consumption. But probably youre wondering: what are probiotics? And most importantly, what do probiotics do?

There are so many probiotics that you can find either in food or in dietary supplements. They help you with many health issues, from digestion to even bad breath. But which one is the one that fits you better? You can several kinds of Probiotic supplements.

With different supplements on the market, it is not easy to find the right one. Therefore, we did the research on everything you need to know about probiotics. And well also explain how they work in your body.

Probiotics are living organisms supposed to bring a benefit to your body when consumed. However, medical science has argued about the benefits of taking probiotics for years.

The community of microorganisms in your gut ends up in the gut flora. Furthermore, that bacteria is also referred to as gut microbiota or microbiome.

The gut microbiota includes bacteria, viruses, fungi, archaea, and helminths. The human body is a complex ecosystem that hosts near to 500 different types of microorganisms, and the vast majority of them are bacteria.

An important fact is that the gut flora acts the same way that an organ does. This flora also performs many vital functions, such as manufacturing vitamins. It also helps turn fibers into short-chain fats, which feed the gut walls and help perform metabolic functions.

These helpful bacteria are mostly known for being good for your health, but probiotics are not only bacteria. Some other microorganisms can work as probiotics when consumed. They studied some types of yeast, viruses, and fungi to see how much they help digest food and other health benefits.

Since probiotics are microorganisms such as bacteria, many people question their consumption. Your body has both good and bad bacteria; probiotics are known for being non-prejudicial for you and to benefit instead.

Probiotic is known as good bacteria because they help keep your gut healthy and functioning. Also, doctors recommend you consume probiotics if needed, mainly in case of recent diarrhea episodes or when having bad digestion.

The gut flora is also known to be very sensitive to dietary routines. An unbalanced diet can result in an unbalanced intestinal flora, which results in numerous diseases. These diseases can be obesity, type-2 diabetes, heart disease, different types of cancer, and even depression.

The main idea of consuming probiotics is because of the effect they have on the gut, and this effect is to fight other bacteria. Probiotics will fight harmful bacteria when you have too much of them, helping you boost your immune system. There are also probiotics for women.

When ingested, the good bacteria will try to compete with the potentially pathogenic microbes in your gut and try to gain some space to live. The way that good microorganisms do this is by overcrowding your gut, so bad bacteria wont have room to reproduce.

Because of the increase in probiotic popularity, you may find many supplements on the market, from probiotics for women to probiotics for men. But the question you must be asking is: which supplement fits me best?

To answer this question, you must consider the effect of each probiotic associated with your general health. For example, the most popular probiotics for men are those that promote prostate health and raise testosterone levels. And the most popular probiotics for women are those that help the vaginal microbiome to protect against urinary tract infections. There are also probiotics for UTI if you would like to know more.

Probiotics can contain a great variety of microorganisms. The most common are bacteria that belong to two groups known as bifidobacterial and lactobacillus. There are other bacteria used as a probiotic, such as saccharomyces boulardii.

Besides the genera division, probiotics are classified into subtypes known are species. Each of these probiotic species has different effects on your body. The names of these microorganisms have the genera starting letter and the name of the subtype.

Most consumed probiotics are species that belong to two different genera. Also, medical science focuses mainly on these two because of their benefits to the human body. So before taking any probiotic supplement, it is highly recommended that you consult your doctor first.

This is a species of bacteria commonly used in foods and supplements. They are good for supporting the immune system and limiting the growth of prejudicial microorganisms in the gut. They also help break down lactose nutrients so the body can feed on them.

In the Bifidobacterium group, we can find:

This may be the most common of all probiotics. This bacterium is well known for its ability to break down lactose. This probiotic is also responsible for lactic acid, which helps to control the bacteria population in the GI tract. Lactobacillus exists mostly in the mouth and the small intestine.

Lactic acid can create an acidic environment in your digestive system, which can prevent the growth of different pathogens associated with food and digestion. It also will help you to absorb minerals like iron and zinc.

Some lactobacilli are:

Streptococcus has more strains than those that contain the disease-causing bacteria. Streptococcus has bacteria that help produce lactic acid and also help prevent disease.

Many Streptococcus strains can be found in your mucus and even in your skin. Some of the Streptococcus species work as pesticides and growth additives for plants.

Some of the streptococcus subspecies are:

Its important not to confuse prebiotics and probiotics, even though both can be found as supplements and even in the food itself.

Prebiotics are plant-based organisms, and you can see them as a fertilizer that helps grow healthy bacteria in the gut. Most fruits and vegetables contain prebiotics, especially those that contain complex carbohydrates. Since these types of carbs are not digestible by your body, they pass through directly to your intestine and become food for bacteria.

Probiotics, on the other hand, contain live organisms. They usually contain different strains of microorganisms that are added directly to the population in your gut. Probiotic supplements also contain living organisms. A single dose may include a single strain or a blend of different microbes.

You should also keep in mind that there exist many types and brands of supplements, and they carry many types of microorganisms. For example, the most commonly used bacterium is lactobacillus, but there are around 120 species of it. At the same time, about 12 species of microorganisms are used as probiotics.

Before taking any supplement, whether prebiotic or probiotic, you should always talk to your doctor first.

Not all probiotics are the same, and of course, they do not all do the same functions in your organism. Some probiotics even help you get rid of oral microorganisms that can cause cavities.

There are a few others that will help you have better digestion and others with different benefits.

Some digestive specialists recommend the use of probiotics to fight off disorders such as irritable bowel syndrome. Since the 90s, different clinical studies have proven that the use of probiotics can help treat gastrointestinal ills. They can also prevent vaginal and urinal infections in women and even delay the development of allergies in children.

Some of the conditions that probiotics can treat are:

Some of the studies results are inconclusive, but there is a lot of research that boosts the idea that probiotics can help relieve the effects of irritable bowel syndrome.

Probiotics may help maintain remission of some digestive problems. Inflammatory bowel disease, Crohns disease, and ulcerative colitis are some of them.

Lactobacillus GG is a bacterium that helps greatly in reducing the course of infectious diarrhea in children, but this case is not the same in adults, where it can have few to no effects.

Probiotics can also help strengthen the skin, allowing it to resist better any case of infection and allergies.

Just like the intestinal tract, the vagina is also a very delicate and balanced ecosystem. Lactobacillus strains that are dominant in the vagina make it too acidic for almost any other bacteria to survive. But some factors can throw the vagina system out of balance. These include birth control pills, antibiotics, and spermicides. However, probiotic treatments prove beneficial to the restoration of the vaginas microflora.

Helicobacter Pylori is the major cause of gastritis and peptic ulcer. Not only that but also this microorganism is mostly antibiotic-resistant. Because of that, many professionals tend to recommend the use of some probiotic supplements before trying any modern medicine to treat these diseases.

There is limited evidence on how probiotics can help reduce the recurrence of bladder cancer. However, research supports the fact that they help to fight urinal tract infections and some other bladder infections, such as bladder inflammation. But certain probiotics appear to improve the bodys response to bladder tumors.

Some probiotics help fight oral pathogens, such as those responsible for cavities and teeth loss.

In 2019, a study on probiotics set out to establish the connection between the effect that gut flora has on the immune system and how it helped prevent Covid-19 symptoms.

Some Covid-19 patients reported having different gastrointestinal symptoms, such as diarrhea, vomiting, and appetite loss. Also, imbalances of the gut flora are commonly related to lung disease and respiratory tract infections.

Research theorizes that keeping the intestinal flora balanced can improve lung health. These results lead to think that it might help guard the respiratory system against pathogens like SARS-CoV-2.

Some recent studies link gut health to good mood and mental health. Also, these studies show a link between probiotic supplements and the improvement of some mental health disorders.

Some researchers have demonstrated the link between taking probiotic supplements with Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus and the improvement of anxiety, depression, and others.

Certain bacteria may help reduce cholesterol by breaking down bile in the gut. This function, at the same time, helps reduce bad cholesterol and lowers blood pressure.

Bile is made almost entirely of cholesterol, and bacteria prevent it from getting back into the blood strain by breaking it down. Also, some studies show that regularly eating probiotic yogurt helps reduce up to 5% cholesterol in the blood.

This fact can be one of the most exciting features for most people. Many mechanisms help probiotics bring about weight loss. For example, some probiotics prevent your gut from absorbing dietary fat.

Since probiotics help increase the number of some hormones, such as GLP-1, they can make you feel full for longer. Also, this hormone causes the organism to burn more calories and store less fat than usual.

But it is always important to keep in mind that not every probiotic helps with fat loss. On the other hand, probiotics such as Lactobacillus acidophilus can even lead you to gain more weight.

There might be many reasons why youre considering using probiotics in your daily diet. Poor diet, lack of exercise, and the abuse of antibiotics can cause you to lose your natural bacteria. At the same time, the loss of intestinal bacteria can lead to infection and inflammation.

Of course, adding probiotic supplements or consuming probiotic foods regularly can prevent inflammation and other digestion-related issues.

There are many ways to add probiotics to your daily basis. The best way for you to get the benefits of probiotics can depend much on your criteria.

There are tons of supplements and thousands of customer reviews on the internet. You can get probiotics from tablets, capsules, and even powders that contain bacteria in the dried form.

You can also get probiotics from a wide variety of foods. In many fermented products, you can find live probiotics. Foods like pickles, miso, kefir, kimchi, and soy products are rich in lactic acid bacteria.

Medical research has proven probiotics to be beneficial for most common gastrointestinal issues, like irritable bowel disease. Furthermore, probiotic bacteria also help manage other aspects of human health. The benefits of probiotics have been known for years, but its also important to keep in mind that there could be health risks due to their consumption. Being aware of this will ensure that youre safe when it comes to taking a supplement.

We made a list of possible side-effects of probiotics for you:

The local drug department regulates most probiotics, and they hit the market as food ingredients. In most countries, the law regulates dietary fiber supplements. But in some cases, supplements do not require approval before their marketing.

Dietary supplement regulations vary from one country to another, so maybe buying online is a choice you should think twice about. Always look for companies that follow practices such as third-party testing. And dont forget to read the customer review section if buying online.

Maybe the safest choice for consuming probiotics is to acquire them directly from your healthcare provider or at least have suggestions.

Having a healthy gut and a good digestion process will always be a benefit for your general health. But in the search for good health, you may also get exposed to issues mentioned earlier. Thats why it is so important to be aware of the possible side effects.

A probiotic organism is a living organism that can help you maintain healthy health when ingested and applied to the body. These can appear in fermented dairy products like yogurt, and other fermented foods, nutritional supplements and beauty items. Nonetheless, some people view bacteria as being harmful, although many actually help. Various bacteria can help in digesting nutrient-rich substances or in the production of vitamins. Most bacteria and viruses found in probiotics are the same or similar to bacteria that exist naturally inside your body.

Having good health, a healthy intestine, and good digestion is a little bit more than just adding probiotics to your diet. Daily exercise and a good diet are just as important as adding supplements to your daily basis.

But on the other hand, probiotics supplements offer you a wide range of health benefits at the same time that side effects are minimal or rare to occur. You can get answers to several questions like, how to improve gut health?

You must remember that there are many types of good bacteria, and many of them are available on the market. So, keep in mind that you must have an expert opinion before taking any new dietary supplement.

And as a final note, always read the label before acquiring any supplement or medicine. Make sure that youre not allergic to any component in the formula and that there are medical studies to back it up. The benefits of probiotics usually outweigh any possible side effects, but prevention is the key to safety.

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Need vitamins? Soon you can roll up your sleeve in Morristown – Morristown Green

Posted: at 12:05 pm

In Morristown, you can get waxed and massaged, manicured and pedicured, slimmed and trimmed, Botoxed and blow-dried.

Soon, you may be able to roll up your sleeve and get vitamined, too.

The town has ruled that intravenous vitamin drips are permitted in the downtown business zone. A Bedminster couple intends to rent a former fitness therapy storefront at 22 Speedwell Ave., next to the vacant Century 21 department store, to open The IV Vitamin Lounge.

Its envisioned as a spa-like lounge where certified nurses deliver intravenous fluids containing a blend of saline, vitamins, and supplements that are specially tailored to meet (patrons) individual needs, according to a zoning appeal by The Walsh Company.

Such hydration stations have popped up in Hoboken, Palm Beach in California, Miami and Delray Beach in Florida, and Nashville, Tenn.

Morristowns zoning department initially said no thanks, deeming this a medical use. The town core zone requires an active ground floor use, and medical doesnt qualify.

Ed and Lynn Walsh appealed the decision to the zoning board last month, arguing their venture is not a medical use, but rather a personal service, akin to a barbershop, salon or a recently approved cannabis shop.

The board agreed, memorializing its 6-1 vote in a resolution last week. Chairman Steve Pylypchuk was the lone dissenter.

It generates medical waste, its injected directly into the bloodstream, it requires licensed medical practitioners to perform it, which suggests the IV Vitamin Lounge is a medical operation, Pylypchuk said prior to his vote at Junes virtual zoning board meeting.

In October 2021, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration raised concerns about how such vitamin mixes are formulated, saying that sterile compounding activities being performed by business entities such as IV hydration clinics present risk and require continued evaluation.

The regulatory agency cited the case of a 50-year-old woman hospitalized for suspected septic shock and multi-organ failure after receiving an I.V. vitamin infusion at home. The FDA found numerous unsanitary conditions at a Santa Barbara, CA, medical clinic that prepared the vitamin mix.

The Walshes told the Morristown zoning board they will comply with state requirements for IV doses to be administered by licensed medical professionalsin this case, nurses. Formulations will meet industry standards, they said.

Its just another way to deliver vitamins, Vitolo said.

The board heard testimony portraying intravenous cocktails as antidotes to hangovers and jet lag, and a rejuvenation technique popular in Hollywood.

Ed Walsh, who runs a construction business, and his wife, a registered nurse, described their mission as enhancing wellness for walk-ins and regular clients, who will sit for intravenous sessions lasting 20 to 45 minutes. They plan to have one nurse practitioner and at least three registered nurses on staff. Their daughter also is an R.N.

In his cross-country travels over the last five years, Ed Walsh said, he has availed himself of such services for relief from migraines. Pro golfers use these services to ward off dehydration, he said, adding his frustration at having to drive to Clifton for the nearest hydration station.

The Walshes attorney, Frank Vitolo, compared intravenous treatments to chewable vitamins, in far superior form.

Theyre not curing, theyre not diagnosing, theyre not providing therapeutics to treat any disease or any ailments. Theyre simply providing hydration and vitamins in hopes of improving wellness, Vitolo said of his clients.

Such a personal service business is healthier than the sale of alcohol, cigarettes, fast food and marijuana, all permitted within this Morristown zone, the lawyer said.

Hollywood has known about this for decades, testified the Walshes prospective landlord, Doug Greenberger, asserting the IV Vitamin Lounge would be a boon to executives who needed to be fresh after red-eye flights home.

The pitch resonated with board member Anthony Murphy.

These new therapies are kind of cool, and Hollywood has known about these for a very long time. I saw something when I was in Thailand where you stick your feet in, and little fish eat the calluses on your feet.

Board member Noelle Nish supported the use, even though I cant stand needles.

Questions were raised about whether customer information required the same privacy protections as patient records. The applicants said such information would be treated with the same confidentiality one would expect from a salon.

While noting he was troubled by some medical aspects of the application, board member James Bednarz said its not strong enough for me to say this is a medical office.

After the favorable vote, Vitolo thanked the board on behalf of The I.V. Vitamin Lounge:

Hopefully, Ill see you in there on one of those big recliners, getting a post-hangover fix, he said.

This story has been updated with information from the FDA. Morristown Green has reached out to state health officials and medical experts for additional comments.

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Taurine supplements could be the key to reversing the aging process – Study Finds

Posted: at 12:05 pm

SO PAULO, Brazil A specific nutrient could be the secret ingredient in a new anti-aging therapy. Researchers from the University of So Paulo have discovered that the amino acid taurine can help to combat the aging process.

The human body produces potentially toxic byproducts called free radicals when cells process oxygen and food. Even though some of these molecules carry out functions essential to the body, too many free radicals can damage the cells internal structures, stopping the cells from functioning properly and possibly leading to chronic diseases. This cellular problem is known as oxidative stress.

When we get older, the control mechanisms that help maintain an appropriate reactive oxygen species balance become less efficient. This is where dieting and taurine come into play.

Taurine is a nutrient people can find in certain foods, including fish, shellfish, chicken, turkey, and beef. It is also a naturally occurring substance in some tissues of the human body, especially the liver. Taurine is also important for the health of the central nervous system, immunity, eyesight, and fertility, according to researchers.

For the study, study authors divided 24 women between the ages of 55 and 70 into two groups. One group took three 500-milligram capsules of taurine daily for 16 weeks, while the other group took a placebo.

Researchers analyzed oxidative stress markers in blood samples collected before and at the end of the study. They found a nearly 20-percent increase of the antioxidant enzyme superoxide dismutase (SOD) in the taurine group. Meanwhile, the placebo group saw a decrease of 3.5 percent. Researchers explain that SOD protects cells against harmful reactions of free radicals. Antioxidants, in general, keep free radicals in check and lower oxidative stress.

Preventing the buildup of free radicals that naturally occurs with aging probably prevents cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and high blood pressure, among other chronic conditions, says co-principal investigator Ellen de Freitas, a professor at the Ribeirao Preto School of Physical Education and Sports, in a media release.

Freitas says there are few studies which examine the effects of taurine in the context of aging.

This study was a first step, aimed at investigating the ideal dose and possible side effects, none of which was observed in any of the participants, notes Freitas.

Freitas group has studied taurines antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects for more than 10 years, first in high-performance athletes and then in obese people.

The results showed that oxidative stress in these individuals could be controlled when their diet was supplemented with this amino acid. We then decided to test the strategy in the context of aging. This was very novel, so we began with a very low safety dose, explains Freitas.

The study initially set out to investigate the effect of taurine supplementation combined with exercise, but the COVID-19 pandemic scuttled that approach, so researchers only continued with the nutritional part of the study, since they could monitor it remotely.

Researchers analyzed two other oxidative stress markers outside SOD: the antioxidant enzyme glutathione reductase, which decreased drastically in both groups, and malondialdehyde, which increased by 23 percent in the control group and decreased by four percent in the taurine group.

These results were modest, but we believe a higher dose of taurine could produce stronger evidence for its benefits, says Freitas.

Gabriela Abud, the studys first author and a PhD candidate at the Ribeirao Preto Medical School, says changes in the volunteers diet in the early months of the COVID-19 lockdown may have affected the biochemical analysis results.

In addition to markers of oxidative stress, we analyzed levels of minerals such as selenium, zinc, magnesium and calcium, which are important to the functioning of these enzymes, says Abud. Selenium, for example, is a co-factor for glutathione peroxidase [which indirectly helps eliminate hydrogen peroxide from the organism] and was reduced in both groups.

Freitas called the taurine supplementation the cherry on the cake to combat the aging process, but people still need to have a healthy diet and exercise.

A healthy lifestyle with a balanced diet and regular exercise is fundamental for the anti-aging effect to occur, says Freitas.

The study is published in the journal Nutrition.

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The #1 Best Supplement for Diabetes, Says Dietitian Eat This Not That – Eat This, Not That

Posted: at 12:05 pm

There are four major areas that influence your diabetesnutrition, exercise, medications, and stress. Without paying attention to these four areas, it may be really challenging to effectively manage blood sugar levels long term.

However, if you are already paying good attention to these, and you want that extra leg-up in blood sugar management, there may be supplements that can help.

One supplement in particular that has been shown to be helpful in the treatment of type 2 diabetes isinositol.

Read on, and for more tips on managing diabetes, check out 5 Worst Breads to Eat for Blood Sugar, Says Dietitian.

There is evidence to suggest that inositol helps insulin work more effectivelyincreasing insulin sensitivity. Many doctors prescribe it for insulin resistant conditions like PCOS, diabetes, and metabolic syndrome.

Some call it a B vitamin, but it is technically not a vitamin at all. It's a type of carbohydrate that can be found in foods like whole grains, beans, nuts, and some fruits. The supplement helps you effectively take a larger dose at once than you may be able to find in your daily meals.

Inositol has been associated with improved insulin resistance. Insulin resistance is a phenomenon that occurs when the body has produced too much of this hormone, and our cells stop responding to insulin as quickly.6254a4d1642c605c54bf1cab17d50f1e

Typically, after eating carbohydrates, our body produces insulin in response to the natural rise in blood glucose. However, if blood sugar has been consistently elevated, the body will produce more and more insulin to help bring blood sugar down.

Insulin works at the cellular level to let glucose into our cells and aids in using glucose for fuel. This is good news! We need insulin to survive, to feel energized, and use our food for fuel each day.

However, in the case of insulin resistance, the cells stop responding to insulin because it is always around. Thus, blood sugar cannot enter the cell or be used for energy. We end up with more blood glucose and insulin in our bloodstream as a result.

This is the mechanism in which inositol assists blood sugar management in type 2 diabetes. Inositol decreases glucose absorption in the intestines, which lowers blood sugar. It has been shown to decrease the amount of insulin in the bloodstream, effectively decreasing insulin resistance and improving insulin sensitivity.

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Inositol supplementation is not recommended for all types of diabetes. It has primarily been studied in individuals with type 2 diabetes and gestational diabetes.

As always, discuss medication interactions and side effects with your doctor before beginning a new supplement. Some cases of overuse have experienced low blood sugar; you may be advised against this supplement if that is the case.

Caroline Thomason, RDN

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Psychologist Jordan Peterson Says Society Is Harming Boys, and the Church Must Save Them: ‘That’s Your Holy Duty’ – CBN.com

Posted: at 12:04 pm

Renowned Canadian psychologist Dr. Jordan Peterson says young people, especially boys, are facing a "demoralization" in the world and he's urging the Christian church to become more involved in reaching the next generation.

In a recent YouTube video titled "Messages to Christian Churches," Peterson explained that when he took a "psychological approach" while talking about the Bible, the majority of his listeners turned out to be young men.

"That is not a phenomenon that can be easily accounted for, but let me try," Dr. Peterson said. "Now in the West, because of the weight of historical guilt that is upon us, a variant of the sense of original sin in a very real sense, and because of a very real attempt by those possessed by what might be described as unhelpful ideas to weaponize that guilt, our young people face a demoralization that is perhaps unparalleled."

"This is particularly true of young men, although anything that devastates young men will eventually do the same to young women," he added while referring to anti-natalism and nihilism.

Quick Start Podcast: The Facts on the Alleged Alzheimers Research Fraud

Peterson continued, "When they are children, boys are hectored for their toy preferences, which often include toy weapons, such as guns, and their more boisterous playing style, as boys require active rough and tumble play even more than girls, for whom it is also a necessity. When in grade school, boys are admonished, shamed and controlled in a very similar manner by those who think that play is unnecessary, particularly if it's competitive, and who value a docile, harmless obedience above all."

He said the indoctrination of such an "extremely damaging ideology" is accomplished with three accusations.

"Number one: human culture, particularly in the West, is best construed as an oppressive patriarchy motivated by the desire, willingness and the ability to use power to attain what are purely selfish and self-serving ends," he explained.

"Accusation number two: human activity, particularly that undertaken in the West, is fundamentally a planet despoiling enterprise. The human race is a threat to the ecological utopia that existed before us and could hypothetically exist after in our absence."

"Accusation number three: the prime contributor both to the tyranny that makes up the oppressive patriarchy and structures all of our social interactions past and present and the unforgivable despoiling of our beloved mother Earth is damnable male ambition, competitive and dominating, power-mad, selfish, exploitative, raping and pillaging," he said.The psychologist explained that people in the West are facing "an all-out assault at the deepest levels."He said young men who are "deeply conscientious, capable of guilt and regret," consider that "in pain, every deep impulse that moves them out into the world for the adventure of their life, even that impulse drawing them to women, is nothing but the manifestation of the spirit that is essentially satanic in nature."

This belief is not only wrong "theologically, morally, psychologically, practically and scientifically," but it is also "anti-true," he noted.

Peterson also pointed out that the Christian church is "there to remind people, especially young men, that they have a woman to find, a garden to walk in, a family to nurture, an ark to build, a land to conquer, a ladder to Heaven to build, and the utter terrible catastrophe of life, to face stalwartly in truth, devoted to love and without fear."

He continued, "Invite the young men back, say, literally, to those young men, 'You are welcome here. If no one else wants what you have to offer, we do. We want to call you to the highest purpose of your life. We want your time and energy and effort and your will and your goodwill. We want to work with you to make things better, to produce life more abundant for you, and for your wife and children and for your community, and your country, and the world.'"

Dr. Peterson then pointed out the problems within the Christian church.

"We are more abundant, sometimes, far too often, corrupt, and sometimes deeply so," he said. "We're outdated, as are all institutions with their roots in the dead but still often wise past."

He shifted attention towards Protestant churches, saying, "You're the worst at the moment." Catholic and Orthodox should also invite young men, Peterson said.

"Put up a billboard saying 'young men are welcome here.' Tell those who have never been in a church exactly what to do, how to dress, when to show up, who to contact and, most importantly, what they can do. Ask more, not less of those you are inviting. Ask more of them than anyone ever has. Remind them who they are in the deepest sense, and help them become that."

Peterson concluded the message by saying, "You're churches for God's sake. Quit fighting for social justice. Quit saving the bloody planet. Attend to some souls. That's what you're supposed to do. That's your holy duty. Do it now, before it's too late. The hour is nigh."

Thousands of viewers commented on the video and some even said they were motivated to go back to church.

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The Gray Man Is the Nadir of Netflix’s B-Movie Model – Paste Magazine

Posted: at 12:04 pm

There are movies like Top Gun: Maverick so good that you only think about the insidious cultural forces that birthed them if you are an asshole like me. Then there are movies like The Gray Man, which are so boring that you cant help but see every weird drone shot and flat line of dialogue as a bellwether for where were at in the unfolding history of content creation, in all the worst ways. Pastes Jacob Oller hated The Gray Man a good deal more than I did. The movie manages a level of competence and craft that is the bare minimum for 2022 and certainly the bare minimum from the absurd amount of talent on offer: Besides headliners Ryan Gosling, Chris Evans and Ana de Armas, Jessica Henwick shows up alongside freaking Billy Bob Thornton and Alfre Woodard. Its directed by the guys whove brought you most of the biggest Marvel movies. And yet a few decent moments from Gosling and Evans are about all we get for the two hours of our time.

Theres some inventiveness and color to the action scenes, but its hard to figure out what the hell is going on when the camera is cutting in the middle of every single beat in the fight. The actors arent great at selling their gnarly wounds. The gunfights want to be stylishand one that caps the movies second act is clearly trying to evoke the nihilism of a Grand Theft Auto rampage. It never quite gets there, just as nothing else in the filmits sentimental flashback, its gruesome torture scene, its aerial skydive combatquite gets to wherever it is its supposedly going, emotionally or dramatically.

Why did this thing get made? is a stupid question to ask of a studio film, because the answer is to make money. How the studio perceives it is making money is really the questionand in the case of The Gray Man, or Red Notice, or any of the other recent star-studded-but-undercooked offerings in Netflixs original film catalog, thats the most interesting thing about it by far.

B movie didnt used to mean a bad or shoddily made film, nor even one cranked out for a quick buck. It was fairly academic: Theaters used to sell a lot of double features, and the B movie was the feature meant to occupy the other half of the ticket opposite the more obvious draw. Back when talkies had hit theaters but television hadnt yet infiltrated every single American household, it made financial sense for studios to shell out for lower-budget movies. After all, every movie couldnt be The Wizard of Oz or Gone with the Wind, and the cheaper you made a movie, the sooner it made its budget back. All those actors and crew indentured to the old studio systems truly draconian contracts needed work to keep them busy, anyhow. It made sense to crank out B movies, and it gave the world some of its most incredible stars and directors. Some are even still very much alive and kicking.

It also gave the world a lot of forgettable junk, cynical sequels or truly bad cinema, and theres a reason the original model collapsed. That isnt because a dearth of artistic merit has ever had consequences, mind you: It was really because TV became ubiquitous in the 1950s, and suddenly moving images were no longer a thing you needed to pay a ticket to go to a theater to see. Suddenly, people werent as willing to throw their pocket money at B movies in theaters, so much of the studio infrastructure and talent that was brought to bear on them simply repurposed their craft for television productionswitness the migration of the Western from movie theaters to television shows (until the point the genre, once an uncontroversial B movie staple, became so overexposed that international directors were inspired to hijack the genre to create syncretic antiheros and bizarre subgenres.

The rise of the studio system during Hollywoods Golden Age created the conditions for those B movies, and it took a paradigm shift as earthshaking as the advent of TV (and, really, the downfall of the old studio system in the face of a growing labor movement and antitrust regulations) to change the nature of B movies. Looking at The Gray Man, which absolutely arises from some of the same motivations as those old features, I find myself wondering at the perverse incentives of the Streaming Wars that have gotten us here and pondering just what will inevitably bring an end to it.

Like the old studio system, streaming services are drowning in cash and interested in making sure their distribution models are as vertical as possible: The same Walt Disney who created the Buena Vista Film Distribution Company in part because RKO Pictures had pissed him off would have salivated at the idea of TV that only shows Disney productions that you need to pay monthly to watch. Netflix, a company that itself shook the pillars of the entertainment world with its streaming service, now finds itself flailing as its competitors have become the studios whose movies it used to exhibit. Every major production company has now leased its own massive server farms so that it can hoard its intellectual property and sell it back to us at $10 a month. It benefits Netflix (and Warner Brothers, and Disney, and Paramount, and on and on) to keep cranking out some content, any content, in the hopes itll make you and I watch a little longer and reconsider dropping our subscription so we can afford another half a gallon of gas or eighth of an insulin hypo this month.

Different paradigms in cinema history dont perfectly map onto each other, of course: Superhero movies kind of fill the role of big studio Westerns or musicals of yesteryear, but they also differ from them significantly. And these high-profile, star-studded movies that land lazily on Netflix in a bid to keep you from dropping the service certainly arent exactly the same as B movies during that other Golden Age. Those older movies were a place where younger players and behind the scenes talent or journeyman directors could get their start: These appear to be a place for well-established stars and crew to rest their laurels. Those older movies, cheaply made as they often were, could have flashes of gonzo inspiration or even define new subgenres. Stuff like The Gray Man is not serving up any new ideas.

The Gray Man ends with a credits sequence in which scenes of the movie are recreated with CGI sculptures of the individual characters that have the appearance of gray metalthey look like cheap pewter. It surely wasnt an intentional reminder that there wasnt a lot going on in this movie, which came out of its mold looking the right shape but utterly drab.

Kenneth Lowe is a regular contributor to Paste Magazine. You can follow him on Twitter and read more at his blog.

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The Gray Man Is the Nadir of Netflix's B-Movie Model - Paste Magazine

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Everything Everywhere All At Once And How to Survive Being Very Online – Film School Rejects

Posted: at 12:04 pm

A24

Welcome to The Queue your daily distraction of curated video content sourced from across the web. Today, were watching a video essay that looks at how the Daniels latest film, Everything Everywhere All At Once tackles the feeling of being Very Online all the time.

Rather fittingly, Everything Everywhere All At Oncemeans a lot of things to a lot of different people. Ive seen video essays from Asian creators that discuss how the film speaks to everything from the immigrant experience to the role of nihilism in Buddhism. The films co-directors Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheiner, known collectively as Daniels have confirmed that the film resonating with the experience of having ADHD is no accident (Kwan was diagnosed during the making of the film).

And, if you are Very Online, you might have noticed something familiar about the chaos and exhausting maximalism of Evelyns multiverses. If you havent seenEverything Everywhere All At Onceyet, please do. Its easily one of the best films of 2022, and seeing it on the biggest screen possible is highly recommended. (Theres a good chance its still playing in theaters this babys got box office legs for days).

In any case, without giving too much away (not that such a thing is possible), the film follows Evelyn (Michelle Yeoh), an overworked woman whose marriage, business, and relationship with her daughter are fraying at the seams. Then she learns that she is actually the only one who can save the Multiverse.

The internet is a place of endless curiosity and community. But its also overwhelming to be bombarded with a constant stream of information, political causes, and entertainment. The internet is silly, stupid, anarchic, tragic, and meaningful. And not all of it can matter equally to you. Our little monkey brains werent built for that. And part of whatDaniels film is saying, as the video essay below underlines, is that determining what does and doesnt matterto youin an attention economy is a life-saving step for surviving in the world post-Internet.

This video essay on why the DanielsEverything Everywhere All At Once is all about the overwhelming chaos of the internet isby Virginia-based filmmaker and video editorThomas Flight. He runs a YouTube channel under the same name. You can follow Thomas Flight and check out his back catalog of video essays on YouTubehere. You can follow him on Twitterhere.

Related Topics: Daniels, Everything Everywhere All at Once, The Queue

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Hengqin to develop ‘Metaverse’ testing ground together with Chimelong Group – Macau Business

Posted: at 12:01 pm

Hengqin authorities have announced plans to develop aMetaverse Super Testing Groundthat will include a 3,000-square meters technology exhibition hall.

The project will focus on the study of real-life applications of the concept and will be developed together with the group responsible for Chimelong Group Co., Ltd,the group responsible for the ChimelongOcean Kingdom in Hengqin.

Themetaversecan be defined as a simulated digital environment that uses augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), and blockchain, along with concepts from social media.The Metaverse Super Testing Ground to be built in Hengqin willput itsfocus on the development ofsome majorindustries,including cultural tourism, exhibitions, high-end manufacturing, and smart cities, Nie Xinping, Deputy Director of the Executive Committee of the Guangdong-Macau In-depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin indicated yesterday (Tuesday).Concrete construction plans, technical approaches and timetables for the testing grounds developmentwillbeformulated soon,with the aim to becreatingaMeta-Hengqinand makingthe possibilities of future life and technologyto be applied in reality, the deputy director said at the Hengqin Metaverse Discovery Road High-level Expert Seminar.In the early incubation stages of the metaverse industry, Hengqin will cooperate with the Chimelong Group Co., Ltd to create the Metaverse Super Testing Ground.The Chimelong Group owns and operates theme parks in mainland China, with its tourism resorts located at Hengqin District in Zhuhai, Guangzhou and Qingyuan.

The testing is to be constructed into a technology exchange platform with support provided by the government and no participation restrictions while adopting a market-based approach to verify the technical feasibility of the metaverse products and generate large-scale replication and promotion of commercial models.The Chimelong Group also plans to build a Metaverse technology exhibition hall of no less than 3,000 square meters, for the display and integration of Metaverseproducts.A Special Office on Promoting the Development of the Metaverse Industry in the Cooperation Zone has been jointly established by the Economic Development Bureau, Legal Affairs Bureau, Financial Development Bureau, Commercial Service Bureau, and Livelihood Affairs Bureau of Hengqin.In the future, the cooperation zone will launchaThree-Year Action Plan for the Development of Metaverse Industries, while studying and implementingtheSeveral Measures to Promote the Development of Metaverse Industries,so as toprovide institutional protection for the development of the metaverse industries.The acting director of the Economic Development Bureauof Hengqin, Li Ziwei, expressed that the cross-border development characteristics of Metaverse are highly compatible with the development direction of the four major industries high-tech manufacturingandscientific research, Macau-branded industries, tourism and exhibition services, and modern finance in the cooperation zone, and themetaverse industry can promote the construction of Hengqin as an internet industry cluster and international digital trade hub port.At the same time, Zhu Jiaming, chairman of the Academic and Technical Committee of the Hengqin Digital Finance Research Institute, noted that Hengqin can share the international scientific research resources and cultural tourism market in Macau, and the digital economy and high-tech resources of the Greater Bay Area.Hengqin can choose its own advantages and characteristics to develop related industries, attract high-quality corporate resources, to build a regional or even international metaverse base,the scholar added.

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