Origin of Phrases, 5

1.   The whole nine yards: American fighter planes in WW2 had machine guns that were fed by a belt of cartridges. The average plane held belts that were 27 feet (9 yards) long. If the pilot used up all his ammo he was said to have given it the whole nine yards. 

2.   Buying the farm: This is synonymous with dying. During WW1 soldiers were given life insurance policies worth $5,000. This was about the price of an average farm so if you died you ‘bought the farm’ for your survivors. 

3.   Passing the Buck / the buck stops here: Most men in the early west carried a jack knife made by the Buck knife company. When playing poker it was common to place one of these Buck knives in front of the dealer so that everyone knew who he was. When it was time for a new dealer the deck of cards and the knife were given to the new dealer. If this person didn't want to deal he would ‘pass the buck’ to the next player. If that player accepted then ‘the buck stopped there.’

Brain-Immune Link, 2

The discovery of Immune System lymphatic vessels in the brain—by researchers at the University of Virginia School of Medicine—raises questions that now need answers, both about the workings of the brain, the diseases that plague it, and the link between the brain and the immune system. Jonathan Kipnis, professor in the Department of Neuroscience and director of the Center for Brain Immunology and Glia at the University of Virginia, said, “In Alzheimer’s, there are accumulations of big protein chunks in the brain. We think they may be accumulating in the brain because they’re not being efficiently removed by these vessels.” And there is an array of other neurological diseases, from autism to multiple sclerosis to be reconsidered in light of the presence of something science did not know about or even believe existed. Watch for more discoveries about PNI (psychoneuroimmunology) and the close brain-body connection.

https://news.virginia.edu/content/researchers-find-textbook-altering-link-between-brain-immune-system

Brain-Immune Link Discovered

In what has been termed a “stunning discovery that overturns decades of textbook teaching,” researchers at the University of Virginia School of Medicine have found that the brain is directly connected to the immune system by lymphatic vessels previously thought not to exist. According to Jonathan Kipnis, a professor in the Department of Neuroscience and director of the Center for Brain Immunology and Glia, “It changes entirely the way we perceive the neuro-immune interaction. . .We believe that for every neurological disease that has an immune component to it, these vessels may play a major role.” The discovery was made possible by the work of Antoine Louveau, a postdoctoral fellow in Kipnis’ lab. More tomorrow.

Zika and the Brain, 2

How do you get Zika? This viral disease is caused by the Zika virus that is transmitted by Aedes mosquitoes that typically lay eggs in and near standing water in things like buckets, bowls, animal dishes, flower pots and vases. Besides standing water, rodents, birds and small mammals, may act as reservoirs. These mosquitoes are aggressive daytime biters. They can also bite at night. Reportedly they prefer to bite people, and live indoors and outdoors near people. Mosquitoes become infected when they feed on a person already infected with the virus and they then can spread the virus to other people through bites. A mother can pass the Zika virus to her unborn child (although there are no reports to date of transmission through breast milk). And there have been reports of infected males passing the Zika virus to sexual partners through infected semen. Much more information is available through the CDC Zika site.

http://www.cdc.gov/zika/transmission/index.html

Zika and the Brain

Perhaps recalling that I was once the Supervising PHN and then acting director of a county health department and an Infection Control Preventionist for several acute hospitals, I have been asked (among other questions), “What do you think of mosquitoes?” My answer? I think mosquitoes are the ultimate in bioterrorism, causing damage and death to millions the world over. They spread any number of viruses and parasites and who knows what else, causing diseases such as Malaria, Yellow Fever, Dengue, Zika, and Chikungunya. Zika is related to Dengue, Yellow Fever, Japanese encephalitis, and West Nile viruses. Some recent studies are linking the Zika virus to microcephaly (a smaller-than usual sized head in the fetus of a pregnant woman who has the Zika virus). Thus, the suggestion that women in areas where these mosquitos live should avoid getting pregnant because of the risk of microcephaly and/or other birth defects to the developing fetus.

http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/zika/en/

Origin of Phrases, 4

1.      Log-book: An early way to measure a ship’s progress was by casting overboard a wooden board known as ‘the log’ with a string attached to it. The rate at which the string was played out as the ship moved away from the stationary log was measured by counting how long it took between knots in the string, and a 'knot' came to used as the unit of speed at sea. These measurements were transcribed into a ‘log-book.’

2.      Barge in: Heavy freight was moved along the Mississippi in large barges pushed by steamboats. These were hard to control and would sometimes swing into piers or other boats. People would say they ‘barged in.’

3.      A shot of whiskey: In the old west a .45 cartridge for a six-gun cost 12 cents, so did a glass of whiskey. If a cowhand was low on cash he would often give the bartender a cartridge in exchange for a drink. This became known as a ‘shot’ of whiskey.

Heart Em Energy, 2

Speaking of Em energy, you know I enjoy quotations, and this one by William Blake is no exception. “Man’s perceptions are not bounded by organs of perception. He perceives far more than sense (though ever so acute) can discover.” So Blake must have been aware, at least at some level, of the Em energy that we as human beings are always generating, releasing, and picking up from others in the environment. In The HeartMath Solution Doc Childre and Howard Martin pointed out that the heart has its own independent nervous system with at least 40,000 neurons (as many as are found in various subcortical sections of the brain) and there is a 2-way nervous system relay between the brain and the heart. There are a few people in my life that I love to spend time with because my brain and my heart ‘feel good around them.’ Marvelous!