The other day, I went to the grocery store with my little brother. While loading the car, I turned around, shut the trunk, and in a lapse of judgment, took my eyes off of my 4-year-old brother and accidentally hit his head with the trunk of the car. He had leaned his head forward to look inside the trunk and I had not noticed. 

I picked my brother up and put him on the hood of the car as I examined his injury and tried to decide what to do. A store employee had seen the whole thing happen and offered him some ice. I quickly thanked him and took the ice, holding it to my brother’s head as I thought to myself, “Are you even supposed to ice injuries?” I took the ice to appease onlookers, but found myself, as I have with so many things in the past year, wondering if that was, in fact, the right thing to do. The more I learn about health the more I learn that most things I thought I knew were not true.

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After telling my dad about the whole thing, he confirmed that ice was in fact, not necessary or desirable in most cases. So, when should you use ice? 

As far as temporary pain relief, icing an injury is better for your health than taking something like ibuprofen or Tylenol. In some cases, it may be beneficial to ice. For example, when you need to avoid swelling and inflammation for mobility reasons like sports events where one has to continue participating, ice makes sense. A pitcher, for instance, may need to ice their shoulder in order to numb pain and prevent swelling so they have the mobility to continue pitching. However, once the event is over, it’s better off to the body heal naturally without ice.

When we injure ourselves, the body’s response is typically inflammation, swelling, and pain. During inflammation, blood clots form, and vessels constrict to stem the flow of blood from damaged tissue, while healthier vessels signal the body to get to work repairing the damage. Local nerve endings become more sensitive as a way of letting the body know what it should and should not do. 

All these responses are very natural and necessary. However, when we ice injuries, we slow blood flow to the area and prevent inflammation and swelling. In other words, ice can slow down the healing process.

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While many people still learn the “RICE” method in school, today the doctor who wrote the RICE method no longer recommends it. 

When I wrote my best-selling Sportsmedicine Book in 1978, I coined the term RICE (Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation) for the treatment of athletic injuries (Little Brown and Co., page 94). Ice has been a standard treatment for injuries and sore muscles because it helps to relieve pain caused by injured tissue. Coaches have used my “RICE” guideline for decades, but now it appears that both Ice and complete Rest may delay healing, instead of helping.

Why Ice Delays Recovery -Dr.mirkin.com

Additionally, many pro-ice studies are based on anecdotal and/or circumstantial evidence while many other studies have come to inconclusive results on cryogenic therapy. One study done in 2008 by the Emergency Medicine Journal came to the conclusion “There is insufficient evidence to suggest that cryotherapy improves clinical outcome in the management of soft tissue injuries.” Another study done by The Journal of Athletic Training, in 2012 found similar results saying “Insufficient evidence is available from randomized controlled trials to determine the relative effectiveness of RICE therapy for acute ankle sprains in adults.”

Next time you injure yourself, in most situations, you’ll likely be better off letting the body do its thing without the interference of ice.

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Prior to the coronavirus pandemic, the economy was propped up by the Federal Reserve System. The central banks had reinflated the stock market, and while President Trump was boasting about a booming economy we were actually well on our way to an economic crash. It’s highly likely that an economic crash would have happened even without coronavirus, but whether or not it would have been as severe as it is now is debatable. With more people unemployed than during the time of the Great Depression, it is unlikely the economy will be quick to recover even if we do return to “normal”.

Noam Galai, Getty Images

In truth, the economy was a Fed-induced bubble before the pandemic. The central bank has managed to reinflate the stock market bubble despite the economic destruction, but it is nothing but a Fed-induced sugar high. And the economy won’t likely rebound quickly, even after things open up.

Nearly Half of Small Business Owners Expect to Close Down Permanently

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A recent survey conducted by a financial services company shows that nearly half (47%) of small businesses expect to close down permanently, and 41% say that they are looking for full-time work somewhere else. Less than half of small business owners that participated in the survey applied for PPP loans (38%) and 37% of those who did apply said the program was “slow to distribute funds”. Small businesses employ nearly 60 million Americans, accounting for 47% of America’s workforce. There are already several small businesses that have permanently closed leaving many unemployed. It is unlikely that the economy will be quick to recover without small businesses.

We don’t really think about PLU stickers outside of the checkout line at the grocery store and the annoyance of peeling them off fruits and vegetables before we eat them. Even so, PLU stickers have managed to inspire confusion, prevent compost from being all it can be, and stay on top of the produce labeling game in spite of other, much more environmentally friendly options. There may be some things about these little labels that you haven’t thought of yet.

They Are Not Edible

The FDA has categorized both the stickers and the adhesive they use as safe to ingest. That categorization has led several articles saying it’s fine if you get a bite of sticker when you eat your food. But eating the stickers is like eating plastic wrap. In addition, the glues holding the stickers to the fruit are made of turpentine, petroleum, and urea-formaldehyde resins. The stickers won’t kill you if you eat them, but they definitely aren’t good for you.

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Stop Looking for 8s

For a while, there were rumors going around that PLU codes that began with an 8 indicated that the item labeled was a GMO. It turns out that there is a kernel of truth to that rumor…but that particular hack is not helpful for consumers.

Though the ‘8’ prefix (83000-84999) was once reserved for GMO produce items, the prefix was never used at retail.”

Independent Federation for Produce Standards

While this news is disappointing for those of us who were hoping to for an easy way to avoid GMOs, it make sense that most businesses wouldn’t make it that easy.

Composting Facilities Hate Them

PLU stickers are usually made of vinyl or another plastic film. These plastics are not biodegradable, and they’re not affected by the heat of compost piles. The small size of the stickers also enables them to escape most shredders and sifters, allowing the stickers to make it into finished compost. Sometimes facilities will have to purchase specialized equipment or even pay a picker to go through and find PLU stickers. Often times composting facilities will turn away massive loads of stickered, spoiled produce due to contamination issues.

PLU Stickers Are Voluntary

The federal government does not require PLU stickers. PLU sticker usage is driven by businesses. If it was cheaper or more effective to use another, more sustainable labeling system, PLU stickers would likely disappear quickly.

No, the PLU system is voluntary and based on business needs. It is not regulated by a governmental agency. Specifically, no regulatory body requires a PLU sticker on loose produce. Labeling produce with PLU codes are typically required by the retail industry to assist with point-of-sale (POS) identification.”

Independent Federation for Produce Standards

Lasers!

One solution to the problems of produce stickers involves lasering the label into the skin of produce. Laser labeling machines require more upfront investment than purchasing stickers, but once that initial investment is met, the process is actually cheaper. Dutch produce supplier and Swedish supermarket ICA ran a joint program that used laser technology to label avocados and sweet potatoes.

The calculations are that it costs the same, but sustainability for our consumers and ourselves is the biggest gain. I hope it will take off with more products and also non-organic. I can only imagine what a bigger retailer would be able to save. I really hope it spreads.”

Peter Hagg, ICA business unit manager

There is still work to be done on laser labels, as labels etched on citrus fruit are unreadable due to citrus peels’ regenerative qualities.

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Wash it Off

If you’ve ever wanted stickers to wash away, as opposed to cling forever, check out FruitWash. FruitWash is a solution posed by New York City engineer Scott Amron, and it consists of a label sticker that turns into an organic produce wash when washed in water.

Biodegradable and Compostable Options

In considering the issue of PLU stickers, there is the inevitable question…why not make these stickers biodegradable or compostable? Great news! These options already exist. Sinclair International, the largest fruit sticker company in the world offers a compostable option. Other companies also offer eco-friendly stickers. Businesses could eliminate massive quantities of food waste by switching to a biodegradable option, but they haven’t because compostable stickers are more expensive for them.

There are overall cheaper and more environmentally friendly fruit-labeling options than the one we are currently choosing. But these options require a larger initial investment, cost more money overall, or would necessitate the work of adapting a system that’s already in place. As a consumer, I find myself searching for stickerless options and fighting to peel off stickers before I put them in the compost bin while I wait for business to come to the realization that there are better ways to identify fruit.

Sources:

• The Truth about Fruit Stickers – Dirt Mag
• How Produce Stickers Contribute to Climate Change – CBC
• Those Little Produce Stickers? They’re a Big Waste Problem – Modern Farmer

It’s no secret that bee populations are in trouble, and new research from York University examined the history of native bee and plant systems and found that 94% of those networks have been lost. Thirty percent of the networks have been lost permanently, while 64% of networks have been disrupted because native bees no longer visit native plants.

There are several reasons for the losses in the networks. Climate change is likely the biggest driver. We know that over the last 100 years or so annual temperatures have changed by two and a half degrees. This is enough to alter the time when certain native plants bloom…

For a bee that’s out for months on end or is a generalist pollinator, this isn’t such a critical mismatch, but for a bee that’s only out for two weeks of the year and only has a few floral hosts, this could be devastating.”

Sandra Rehan, Study author, University of New Hampshire

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Native bee populations are also under pressure from invasive species. Global ornamental plant trade has been able to easily migrate insects that live in plant stems from one continent to another and displace native populations. In addition to invasive species, neonicotinoids disrupt bee behaviors like flight ability, learning and memory ability, and temperature regulation.

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A new study from the Environmental Working Group found glyphosate, Bayer’s controversial weed-killer, in nearly 90% of non-organic chickpea and hummus samples tested and was also detected in several organic brands as well. The organization tested 37 different conventional samples and 18 organic samples. All but two of the organic samples contained detectable levels of glyphosate.

Beans, peas and lentils are a nutritious, affordable source of protein and an important part of the American diet…These excellent foods would be much better without glyphosate. Toxic weedkiller should never be allowed to contaminate these products, or any other foods, that millions of American families eat every day.”

Olga V. Naidenko, Ph.D., EWG’s vice president for science investigations.

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Of the samples tested, a conventional dry chickpea sample had the highest levels of glyphosate. Whole Foods Market Original Hummus has the highest tested levels among the hummus sample, with over 2,000 parts per billion. Other hummus samples with notable amounts of glyphosate detected were three samples of Sabra Classic Hummus, Sabra Roasted Pine Nut Hummus, two samples of Whole Foods Market Original Hummus, Whole Foods Market organic-label Original Hummus, Cava Traditional Hummus, and two samples of Harris Teeter Fresh Foods Market Traditional Artisan Hummus. The hummus and chickpeas for the study were purchased at a range of grocery stores in Washington D.C., San Francisco, and New York City.

A new study that surveyed more than 72,000 people in 27 different countries has found that elderly people are not more likely to comply with COVID-19 safety measures. In the study, people surveyed in the 60-80 age range were no more likely to self-isolate if advised to do so, and they were also less likely to wear a mask outside the home.

The findings show that the elderly people, i.e. the most vulnerable population, are not systematically more responsive in terms of prospective self-isolation (if they were told to do so) and willingness to isolate. Moreover, they are not more disciplined in terms of compliance with preventive measures, especially with wearing a face mask when outside their home. This behaviour will become especially important when social distancing rules will be loosened.”

Jean-François Daoust

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Older individuals are more likely to be hospitalized or die if they contract coronavirus, and wearing masks, self-isolating, and social distancing have been promoted as ways society can offer them protection.

Scientists have confirmed that minks on two fur farms in the Netherlands contracted SARS-COV-2 and passed the disease back to humans. Farmers in the south of the Netherlands noticed minks exhibiting respiratory symptoms in April and had veterinarians test the animals for SARS-CoV-2, influenza A, adenoviral infection, Escherichia coli, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. All tests came back negative – except for SARS-COV-2. Both farms had had workers that had shown symptoms of coronavirus or had been hospitalized. Wim van der Poel, veterinarian and one of the author’s of the study published in Eurosurveillance, speculates that the disease spread through the air.

The animals are in cages with wire tops and closed walls between them…So it probably spread through droplet or aerosol transmission, from the top of one cage to another, when an animal is coughing or heavily breathing.”

Wim van der Poel

There is also evidence to suggest that the virus was passed back to humans from minks on the farms.

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At NB2, one worker had been diagnosed with SARS-CoV-2 infection and hospitalised on 31 March (Figure 1). A clinical sample was retrieved, but the viral load was too low for sequencing analysis. At farm NB1, one person who stayed on the farm, showed mild respiratory disease and was diagnosed with SARS-CoV by 28 April. Based on preliminary sequencing results, this person was assumed to have attracted the virus from mink.”

Eurosurveillance

Since the news, the Dutch government has announced that all mink farms in the Netherlands will be screened, and all employees are required to use protective clothing. In addition, more than 500,000 minks have been culled to prevent the potential spread of coronavirus to humans.