Shaw's Eco-Logic

This HND piece examines the all-too-common problem of chronic halitosis, going way back in time to find that the first breath mints were produced by the ancient Egyptians. And, that is just one of the interesting historical anecdotes we uncover.

We then move into a discussion of the science behind bad breath. It turns out the the main cause is volatile sulfur compounds (VSC) produced by anaerobic bacteria living on the tongue and nearby areas. So, those early commercials about killing the germs that cause bad breath were correct.

Then, we segue into a discussion of the Halimeter^®, the world’s most trusted and widely used instrument for the analysis and treatment of chronic halitosis, manufactured by Interscan Corporation. The company has just launched its all-new Halimeter^® PLUS, featuring brand new electronics, a real time graphic display, and an SD memory function. With this memory, the practitioner can store all patient readings, and export the data to Excel for further study.

Read the complete article.

This HND piece provides plenty of documentation on the efficacy of honey—especially for its antibacterial properties. Before delving into those details, we discuss how honey is produced in the first place. While the antibacterial properties are perhaps the most important, we list several other health benefits of this viscous liquid food.

Then, we discuss the even greater benefits of Manuka honey, and how to make sure that what you purchase is the real deal--since this premium product is often mislabeled.

Read the complete article.

This HND piece offers plenty of tips on how to keep your family safe, culled from a variety of good sources. We include a number of interesting links. You might like the examples of old and new "shock" safe driving productions.

Then we get into the matter of emergency communications, and how GPS trackers can keep you informed of the whereabouts and welfare of your loved ones in critical times. To this end, we introduce a new product that needs no other network to cover a range of six miles, with off-grid texting included.

Read the complete article.

This HND piece begins by exploring our love/hate relationship with Big Pharma. On the one hand, Pharma is THE most hated industry in the US, but on the other hand, millions of people enjoy better and longer lives by taking pharmaceutical drugs.

We give the example of FDR, who was relegated to being a walking dead man, enduring extreme hypertension—which eventually killed him— in an era in which today's common blood pressure meds did not exist. Likewise, type 2 diabetes sufferers decades ago had only insulin as a therapy, and no easy way to determine an accurate blood glucose level.

We then spotlight a product designed to prevent you for misplacing or losing your meds, when on-the-go.

Read the complete article.

This HND piece does a quick history of oral hygiene, going way back to the Sumerians in 5000 BC. It may come as a surprise that ancient people had pretty good teeh--assuming that they did not lose them to periodontal disease. All that nasty tooth decay didn't really come in until sugar became a popular item in the diet.

But, if teeth were lost, dentures were available in Roman times, although even the best of them were not too good. Take George Washington, who had a few expensive sets (not made from wood), but even those looked terrible. We then get into toothbrush design, and spotlight a truly unique product in this space.

Read the complete article.

This HND piece starts off with a listing of the terrible complications of diabetes, nearly all of which are caused by hyperglycemia creating conditions where blood vessel walls can be damaged. This effect seems to be a result of the glucose content affecting cooperation between the enzymes fatty acid synthase and nitric oxide synthase. We then focus on the nasty problems inherent to diabetic foot.

Foot or toe amputation can be the end result if wounds in those areas heal poorly and become infected. Both, unfortunately are quite possible in diabetics. We conclude with a spotlight on MOTUS Smart, a special boot that allows physicians to monitor the healing progress of their patients foot ulcers.

Read the complete article.

This HND piece starts off by reminding you that you DO have the power...to discover all sorts of health information on the Internet. The challenge is to separate the good stuff from the nonsense. One way to do this is—and maybe the best way—is to consult multiple sources.

We do note that the information mandarin class still enjoys putting on its airs about what "real" news sources are, compared to that sketchy info you might pick up from alternative sources on the Web. Only, there was that little matter of the outrageously fraudulent 1998 Wakefield paper, that appeared in The Lancet, supposedly the most prestigious medical journal in the English language. Despite the huge outcry against the paper, it was not officially withdrawn until...2010.

Then, we get into mHealth, and the world of portable power banks—including an exciting new product with some great features.

Read the complete article.

This HND piece takes up where the earlier one left off. In this entry, we offer more interesting statistics and include a few offbeat methods for quitting.

One of the "offbeat" categories involves herbal preparations, which leads us into introducing a new product that combines certain herbs, vitamins, and minerals—designed to ease your journey through the cessation process.

Read the complete article.

This HND piece examines the problem of bloodstream infections—especially those affecting pediatric leukemia patients. Generally regarded as the most dangerous type of healthcare-associated infection, bloodstream infections are far too common, and have a disturbingly high fatality rate.

Pediatric leukemia patients, already immunocompromised by virtue of chemotherapy and their youth in many cases, are unfortunately prone to serious bloodstream infections. If only these could be diagnosed earlier.

We report on a pilot study that shows the efficacy of a new diagnostic approach, using next-generation DNA sequencing. The test can identify the DNA of more than 1000 pathogens, long before their infections would become symptomatic. Prophylactic antibiotics can then be administered, and this can save lives. Great stuff.

Read the complete article.

This HND piece starts with the physiological mechanism of snoring, and offers a number of easy, natural suggestions to combat the problem.  From there, we offer a few counter-measures from Yoga, and even show how playing a particular musical instruments is good therapy against snoring.

We conclude with a brand new anti-snoring product that looks quite promising.

Read the complete article.