Sex, chocolate, and rock’n’roll
OK, I LIED about the rock’n’roll! 
Don’t panic – this entry is still rated “G.”
I was really “tossed up” tonight between a article for any of you who believe (foolishly ) the argument given for video surveillance cameras, namely, that they “deter crime.” Sure. Video surveillance cameras do NOT deter crime, but they MAY deter freedom. If videos of the Geezer Bandit were not enough, here is a video of two robbers stealing a $550,000 gold bar from its lexan case, in just a few minutes, from the Mel Fisher Maritime Museum in Key West, Florida. So the next time that someone hangs a video camera, ask them the REAL reason. It COULD be for facial recognition, or it COULD just be their paranoia (and/or voyeurism!), as might be the case with some of my neighbors.
I decided to “talk” about an article on 10 “vices” that are actually GOOD for your health, instead!
Sex and chocolate are on the list, but rock’n’roll is not! (It could have been a mere clerical error…. )
- Sleep – the final frontier. Americans are notoriously sleep-deprived. “Lack of sleep has also been associated with hypertension, glucose intolerance, and belly fat — all risk factors for heart disease,” says Nieca Goldberg, M.D., medical director of the New York University-Langone Women’s Heart Program. If you don’t get enough sleep, you’ll find it hard to make decisions (especially GOOD ones – ask anyone who has worked for American corporations). You will also increase your risk of anxiety and depression (especially if you pay attention to the actions that those in control of your corporation actually TAKE)!
- Playing hooky. Vacations, even short ones, relieve stress and promote creative thinking (not that creative thinking is appreciated in most corporations, either – it “rocks the boat” ).
- Sexual healing. Think oxytocin, endorphins, and immunoglobulin A.
- A daily chocolate fix. Experts say to “Keep to the Dark Side!” Dark chocolate and cocoa may help lower blood pressure, cut the risk of stroke, and its flavonoids (Here’s to Bob Burris and the others who taught me plant biochemistry at the University of Wisconsin, Madison!) may improve the flexibility of blood vessels. Dark chocolate also reduces stress in highly anxious people.
- Girls’ nights out. (This probably works for guys, too.) Friendships are good for you, and experts recommend limiting the time spent with people who are toxic to you (actually, those people are PROBABLY toxic to OTHER people too, including their own families). That’s why getting laid off is sometimes a GOOD thing. Let those toxic people go bother somebody ELSE! Pretty soon, they’ll have nobody left to bother but themselves.
- Full-fat dressing. The article says to shoot for at least 10% of your daily fats to be monounsaturated fats found in vegetables, avocados, nuts, and seeds. And don’t forget the omega-3 unsaturated fatty acids found in fish, flaxseed, and walnuts.
- Your morning java. I know that some people do not drink coffee, for several reasons. Those of us who DO may be delighted to know that it fights heart disease and some cancers, and can help endurance in longer workouts. Moderate coffee drinking in middle age has been associated with decreased risks of dementia and Alzheimer’s. Plus, the article notes a dramatic effect against the possibility of developing type 2 diabetes. (I will always remember Charles Kuralt‘s interview with a 124-year-old African-American woman and her advice for longevity – “Drink coffee!”)
- Getting a rubdown. Massage, by a professional or a partner, is good for you.
- Basking in the sun. Gasp! Somehow, I knew this. 😉 “Sunshine is the ultimate natural antidepressant…” according to the article, cutting melatonin production and leaving us energized. Of course sunshine also triggers the synthesis of vitamin D. Some doctors feel that no amount of unprotected exposure to the sun is safe, so the article recommends sunscreen. (I always wonder about the millions of years of human exposure and the cancer rate before sunscreen was invented. And the trade-offs….) (BTW – Harry Steenbock‘s discovery that UV irradiation of milk increased its vitamin D content both eliminated rickets in the U.S. and provided lots of funding for the University of Wisconsin biochemistry department!)
- Wine with dinner. As I sit here with half a glass of red wine remaining (zinfandel, if you MUST know ), the article states that nobody knows exactly how wine works. (I still don’t understand the rankings of EITHER chocolate OR wine in this list! ) Alcohol boosts HDL (“good-guy”) cholesterol. Wine’s antioxidants may keep blood vessels flexible. The article recommends one 5-ounce glass a day. One “hard liquor” drink or one (just one now) beer will also work. (Note added August 21, 2010: Those who do not, or cannot, drink in moderation will have to focus on the other vices in this list. Sometime our own personal biochemistries or choices aren’t always healthful for us.)
See, life’s not so bad after all. Enjoy YOURS!
-Bill at
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