Looking at most of the evidence, coffee is good for us. One study looked at 480,000 people in to determine if coffee had any effect on the risk of stroke. Compared to non-coffee drinkers there was an 8% reduction in stroke in those who drank one cup a day and a 13% reduction in those who drank 2-6 cups daily.
The research on coffee didn’t differentiate between caffeine-containing coffee and the decaffeinated version. Decaf-coffee used to get a bad reputation because of solvents used to extract the caffeine. Nowadays, the caffeine is removed using a Swiss water process or carbon dioxide extraction. These methods are harmless.
People who are confined to bed or wheelchairs can develop pressure sores than can be very dangerous and hard to treat. A Canadian university has developed an undergarment to help prevent these ulcers. The garment uses electrical stimulation to keep the blood flowing in the ulcer-prone areas of the hips and rear end. It should become available to the public in the near future.
Back in 400 B.C., Hippocrates was relieving labour pain by giving a tea steeped from willow leaves. In the late 18th century, the bark of the willow tree was ground up and given for various aches and pains. Today’s version is synthesized acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) known more commonly as Aspirin®.
New life saving drugs can often have strange and wonderful origins. Our pharmacists subscribe to many journals to keep current on the latest advances. It helps us to serve our customers better.
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