Do You Really Need 5G?

The 5G wireless network is rolling out across all the major vendors. Its going to be fast. For example, the current 4G network will allow you to download an average length movie in about 7 minutes. On 5G that same movie will download in about 7 seconds. Gaming, video calls, music and video streaming will all be similarly faster.

Looking out into the future, 5G is expected to begin to enable things such as 3D hologram calling, remote surgery, enhanced virtual reality apps and self driving cars. Cool stuff.

But you get nothing for nothing.

5G networks operate on very high frequencies. For those of you who remember your high school physics, this means, among other things, that things like walls and trees will be much more effective at blocking the signal than for the 4G network we have now. Signal range will be much, much shorter. It is forecast that the US alone will require about 800,000 new wireless antennas and cell towers to support 5G. To give that some perspective, in 2015, the US had a total of about 300,000 towers.

Meanwhile, the UN World Health Organization classifies this type of radiation as a "likely" carcinogen, citing evidence that long term exposure can lead to tumors in the brain. Sprint has already been required by the State of California to remove a 4G antenna erected in a local schoolyard after 4 students and 3 teachers developed a rare brain cancer. The US National Toxicology Program - considered the gold standard for this sort of testing - reports "clear evidence" of rare cancers and genetic damage from prolonged exposure to 2G and 3G radiation. 5G is very similar and far more intense due to the closer proximity to the emitters, making it much more dangerous.

But hey, a few brain tumors among our heavy-wireless-phone-using children is a small price to pay for being able to download a movie faster.

For myself, 85% of the time I am connected to a WiFi network. I can't imagine wasting time watching a movie on a 4" screen. I can get along without 5G perfectly well. But I won't have the choice. Either will you.

Better Burgers

Burgers are never going to make it onto a list of "healthy foods". Yet despite their negative health and environmental impacts (ranging from heart disease to antibiotic resistance to global warming) who doesn't love a burger?

And these days there are plenty of alternatives, from plant-based burger substitutes to laboratory grown meat cells. I've tried several of the plant-based options and I have to admit that some of them are pretty good - portabello mushroom and black bean seem especially tasty substitutes. But the fact is, there is no danger of mistaking them for the real thing.

So what do you do if you are trying to eat right and mind your health, but not ready to part ways with that 4th of July Fresh Off the Grill hamburger? Here are 5 things from Consumer Reports On Health newsletter that you can do to have your burger and make it healthier too.

1. Watch your portions.
    The "large" burgers served at fast food places are usually 1/4 pound of beef. In a restaurant your $12 burger may be two or even tree times that size. Try making your burgers about 1/3 of a pound and not more than 1/2 pound. Its plenty of meat.

2. Mix in some extras.
    Lean ground beef gives you less fat but it can also dry out when cooked on a grill. Mixing in some other ingredients can add flavor and keep your burger juicy without sacrificing anything. Try a puree of mushrooms and onion made in your blender. Or cracked bulgar, a grain with a meaty consistency that will soak up the flavor of the meat. Or find your own add-in. Go ahead, experiement when no one is looking. Replace from 1/4 to 1/3 of the meat with your add-ins and grill as usual.

3. Upgrade the bun.
    Most hamburger buns are made from "enriched white flour". Using a whole grain bun will add fiber and other nutrients to your burger. Also, watch the size of your bun. They can easily add 250 calories or more and you don't really need a giant bun since you've used a smaller burger (see #1).

4. Grill the safe way.
    High temperature cooking like on a grill can cause the formation of compounds in the meat that are known to increase cancer risk. Let the coals burn down a bit or turn down the propane. Avoid flameups. Flip the burgers frequently while cooking. It takes a little longer but they turn out just as well.

5. Make a salad on your burger.
    Pile on the produce. Red onion, sliced tomatoes and leafy green lettuce add flavor, texture and nutrition. Use your imagination. Grilled pineapple slices, sliced avocado, sauerkraut. mushrooms and red, green or even jalapeno peppers all make great toppings. You may find you can even forgo the cheese. Maybe. That's a tough one.

Eating healthy and well is not all about eating rabbit food. How much you eat, how you prepare it and what you have along with it makes a big difference. So go ahead, fire up that grill. Just be more intentional about what you throw on it.

Drugless Diabetes Remssion

The orthodoxy is that diabetes is an inevitably progressive disease. That is, once you are a Type-2 diabetic, you can manage the symptoms but the best you can hope for is that they do not get worse. This is good news if you are selling metformin or other drugs used in treating diabetes. It is also not true.

In March 2019, British researchers presented the results of the Diabetes Remission Clinical Trail (DIRECT), a study of 300 patients aged 20 to 65 who had been diagnosed with diabetes. It is important to note that none were taking insulin when the study began, but were using a variety of other drugs to manage their symptoms.

Study participants were divided into two groups. One group (the control group) followed the standard treatment guidelines (eat better, get some exercise, take your medication and monitor your blood sugar levels). The second group was put on a structured, three part weight loss program that included:

1. A low calorie diet of nutrition shakes and soups providing 850 calories a day for 12 to 20 weeks. Note that this is a very low calorie diet and ought not to be attempted without the supervision of a doctor.

2. Then a gradual, supervised return to eating a DASH-style diet built around fruits, vegetables, low fat dairy, healthy fats and lean meats, poultry and fish over an additional 6 to 8 weeks.

3. Finally, individual monthly monitoring and counseling to ensure that the lost weight was not regained, including an "intervention plan" option of going back on the 850 calorie diet if they regained more than a couple of pounds. (Talk about motivation!)

No drug therapy was used by the second group.

The results? After 2 years, 3% of those in the control group and 36% of those in the second group had blood sugar levels below the diabetic range. The more weight a person lost, the greater the improvement. Weight loss was the key. For those who lost 20+ pounds, 64% no longer showed symptoms of diabetes. For those who lost 10 - 20 pounds or less than 10 pounds, the corresponding numbers were 29% and 5%.

The key factor here is weight loss, not the diet that achieved it. If you suffer from Type-2 diabetes, find a way to drop some weight. The more, the better. But any weight loss will help. If you need the structure or support of a program or other people then get it. It is not true that you inevitably face a lifetime of drug use.

Et tu Coffee?

Coffee lovers have had it good recently. Study after study continue to show that drinking moderate amounts of coffee ( 2  - 3 cups a day) is not only not bad for us, but may actually offer some significant health benefits. So its disappointing to find coffee shops misleading (or is it lying to?) us about the trendy "coffee drinks" that they offer.

Take, for example, Dunkin Doughnuts, long synonymous with coffee. When you order your Dunkin' Frozen Coffee you might expect to get a cold cup of coffee with perhaps some sort of flavorinig and creamer. A reasonable expectation. But Dunkin Doughnuts has a surprise for you!

What you are actually getting is 840 calories, 27 teaspoons of added sugar and 22 grams of fat (a two and a one day supply respectively), in a 32oz cup. That's right. You can now get sugary beverages by the quart. How do they manage to pack so much goodness into the frozen treat? Simple. A blend of water, cane sugar, phosphoric acid, natural coffee flavor (why not just use coffee??), salt (yes, salt), sodium benzoate, potassium sorbate and, of course, everyone's favorite coffee add-in, xantham gum.

Dunkin Doughnuts is far from the only company to be pulling this kind of crap on their customers. Pizza Hut recently unveiled its 1,150 calorie Meaty P'Zone, a calzone-like pocket of cheap white flour stuffed with salt, cheese and processed meats.

The point is, eating out is a mine field for anyone who aspires to spending the rest of their lives not requiring a seat belt extender when they get on an airplane. Restaurants are now required to put calories on their menus, and that's a great start. But the burnden is on each of us to be aware of what we are stuffing ourselves with, and how that might affect our waistlines and our health.

"There is a whole generation of people who have never had the P'Zone," Pizza Hut's Chief Brand Officer told Forbes magazine. That's about to change.