Bacon, Egg, and Cheese, Please!

I had the most amazing bacon and egg sandwich from a local place this past weekend. I have shied away from it for months since it was an overpriced version of something available in any New York street corner deli. This, however, was not just any sandwich and well worth the $6 + clogged arteries. The bacon from Portage Bay Cafe is worth it on its own; everything else is just a bonus.


Not actual sandwich.

Unfortunately for my psyche, I have also recently started watching the amazing documentary 'Weight of the Nation' put out by the CDC and NIH. The film addresses the obesity epidemic and ill health effects arising in its wake here in the great U.S. of A. The film in its entirety is long, but is nicely broken into 4 parts. It's incredibly informative and well done. Much of the information will not be completely new to most people, but to see it all strung together, to see the data, the numbers, the alarming effects of obesity on our bodies and health, on our children.... it is sure to astonish and floor even the well informed.

The Bogalusa Heart study featured in the film (which went on from 1972-2005) shed light on many aspects of the early development of coronary artery disease and hypertension. One of the most novel conclusions from this study, as the film states, is that the major causes and hallmarks of adult heart disease, (atherosclerosis, coronary heart disease, hypertension, etc) begin in childhood. Documented anatomic changes occur by 5 to 8 years of age.

Translated, this means that a poor diet of fast food as a kid in conjunction with little exercise and other poor health habits WILL harm you later in life. It will, it does, you can see it very clearly presented in this film. The visuals speak for themselves.

Access to affordable healthy foods and education are part of the solution, ensuring that a majority of people in this country can provide a healthier life for themselves and their families. This is obviously a large and multifaceted issue, but ignoring it and not taking measures to make these options a reality is no longer an option. The economic costs alone are mounting and are unsustainable for the country on a whole. We need more conversations and smart, thinking minds coming up with solutions to this far-reaching problem. Start here--Watch it and spread the word!

'Contagion:' Wash Your Hands

"Blogging is not writing. It's graffiti with punctuation." -Dr. Ian Sussman (Contagion)

For a rare night out, C and I went to see 'Contagion' this weekend. The film is frightening because of the subject matter, and jarring in its realism. It's straight-forward almost to the point of dryness, but for most people, uncontrollable viral epidemics are anything but. I loved it. 'Contagion' presents a situation in which a global epidemic occurs due to a series of random and completely plausible events. An unknown virus spreads rapidly through simple contact: touching surfaces on the bus, or sharing a bowl of peanuts at the bar. It's amazing how many things we touch that are in turn touched by millions of people. And then, as Kate Winslet's character points out, we go on to touch our faces some 2,000 times a day(!). Kate's character, as an aside, is sexy because a) she's Kate Winslet and b) because she has an awesome job at the CDC.

What I liked most about the film was its frankness, the reality of it all. There was no ridiculous drama, only understandable reactions of hungry, scared people who were left to fend for themselves due to lack of resources and a shut-down society. Government agencies, like the CDC, are portrayed as practical and even heroic (for once!). The reality of over-worked scientists and the fallible nature of even the most imposing leaders (Fishburne) were highlights in this aspect.


The characters are varied and excellent as well. Jude Law, for instance, plays the conspiracy-theorist, armed with a blog and millions of followers. He is not paranoid. He's smart, but distrustful of science and the government (as many are). His arguments are understandable and shared by many. Unfortunately, with the power of the Internet, he is able to convince people of an effective, alternative treatment for the virus (that's eventually disproved by science), and likely dissuades thousands of people from getting the vaccine. This character exists in real life. They truly believe in what they are saying and doing, and they reach A LOT of people who trust them. Look at what happened with the one misconducted study linking Autism to vaccines (data was forged, sample size was incredibly small, etc.) became popularized. Thankfully, it appears that Jenny McCarthy has since removed her epithets condemning vaccines and the government for requiring them.

For fellow lab rats, 'Contagion' hits all the right spots in its portrayal of lab science. Science is not magic. A vaccine to an unknown entity takes time to be developed. When they first try to make a vaccine in the movie, the virus kills every type of cell they put it in. Trial and error doesn't even begin to describe it. But, the look on the scientist's face when she realizes she does it-- she created a vaccine-- is priceless. It was that remarkable moment when the base-pairs align and your body fills with triumph. She quickly realizes that she needs to test it in humans immediately and, even in emergency situations, some clinical trials would have to be done before approval for mass use. Putting science first (in true devotee fashion) she injects herself with the vaccine. I wanted to cheer for her.

From the origins of the virus to its capacity to spread, the moral of the story was a true testament to the Public Health field: please, remember to wash your hands.