Beep boop - this is a robot. A new show has been posted to TWiT…
What are your thoughts about today’s show? We’d love to hear from you!
Beep boop - this is a robot. A new show has been posted to TWiT…
What are your thoughts about today’s show? We’d love to hear from you!
Re: Mikah’s comment about the risks tick season: I completely agree. About 5 years ago, we got some clothing from Insect Shield; we’ve been very happy with it. This company treats clothing with permethrin. It’s a close chemical cousin to permethrum, a natural insecticide produced by chrysanthemums. Permethrin-treated clothing is used by a variety of workers who regularly work in the brush.
Insect Shield treats clothing for a variety of outdoor vendors like LL Bean; they use that trade name so people can identify their product. Insect Shield also sells their own stuff: clothing for humans and a small number of products for dogs. Finally, Insect Shield will treat your own clothing at their facility in Greensboro, NC. They’ll do single items of clothing or will do prepaid packages you stuff into a FedEx envelope. I’ve never used their clothing treatment service, but I’m guessing it works as well as new clothing treatments. I have no feedback for their pet treatments. The treatment lasts for ~70 washes; you should use treated clothing only when needed. Sorry, @RosemaryOrchard, I have no idea what permethrin clothing or treatments are available outside of the US.
There was also a comment about using sunblock when going outside; that picture is more complicated than it seems. One mystery is why cancers (including skin cancer) have become more prevalent in the last 30 or so years – while we are also spending far less time outdoors. Recently, science has provided a possible explanation: about half the energy from the sun is in the infrared (IR) frequency range, and IR light is used by our mitochondria (!!!) to produce the antioxidant melatonin. In short, cancers may be increased because we are not getting enough good (i.e., IR) sunlight. This new science is discussed in a MedCram video: Sunlight: Optimize Health and Immunity (Light Therapy and Melatonin) - YouTube . The Zimmerman science paper discussed in that video is available at Melatonin and the Optics of the Human Body | Melatonin Research . Findings noted in the video and referenced documents:
The big take-aways are decidedly low-tech:
One semi-related item to the IR story: UV-A radiation does nothing good for our bodies, but [a particular frequency] of UV-B radiation produces Vitamin D in our skin. When the sun is low in the sky, none of the sun’s UV-B will get to the surface of the earth. “If your shadow is longer than you are, your shadow will get UV-B – but you won’t.” Apps like DMINDER note the daily and seasonal geometry of the sun to note when sufficient UV-B is available. The UK gets essentially zero UV-B for a large part of the year. In short, most of us need to supplement with Vitamin D3 ensure abundant amounts. Further, the US RDA for Vitamin D3 (600 IU) is woefully inadequate. This paper notes that 5000 - 10000 IU (125mcg - 250mcg) of Vitamin D3 per day is both safe and necessary for most to get up to optimal blood serum levels of 50 ng/mL – and please talk with your doctor.