November 14, 2023 - Fuddy Daddy, Guts, Backup, PBJ
My backward attempts to catch a rabbit to add to my tummy-pleasing PB&J.
Nuggets of Information: Feeling Wascally
On Halloween, I sat in our front yard handing out candy to the children and drinks to the adults. Our neighborhood was hopping – lots of kids, most on the young side. Great to see. The first cold wave of the season showed up with the Trick or Treaters, but I was prepared. I had on a nice flannel shirt, “performance” khaki pants and a cap with ear-flaps that kept my ears warm! Sorry ladies – I'm taken.
As I sat there minding my own damn business a neighbor came up and said, “Oh are you supposed to be Elmer Fudd?” Sigh. My first thought was that he needed to be vewwy vewwy quiet – I don’t want my family hearing that gem. Second was “Great - now I can’t ever wear this outfit again. And I like it. It’s warm!” Maybe it is time to regrow my beard.
Elmer Fudd made his acting debut in 1940’s “Elmer’s Candid Camera.” On the surface, he seems at best to be an incompetent bumbling boob, and at worst a vengeful, murderous antagonist. But there is another side to Fudd. He is earnest, and driven, and at times vulnerable. How he must have felt when he came home to his hungry family, empty-handed, only to confess he spent the day being tricked and defeated by a smart-mouthed bunny rabbit. Oh the ignominy!
After failing at hunting, Fudd reinvented himself as a farmer. Why he thought growing carrots would offer respite from his bunny woes, I’ll never know. He also took turns as a detective and even a capitalist propagandist, but at the end of the day, the bunny always lived free.
If he ever had caught his nemesis, he could have followed this grilled rabbit recipe.
Booher family lore includes the story of when I was a toddler, still in my highchair, and my parents decided to serve rabbit. We all ate it – delicious. I cleared my plate! My Peter Rabbit & Friends kid’s plate. Normally that would traumatize a 2-year-old. But did I mention how delicious that rabbit was? So tender. And I still love rabbit to this day. Lisa just LOVES it whenever I order rabbit, and the server asks how I’d like it. “Wascally!” is always my response. Sorry ladies – still taken!
Enrichment: Gut Feelings
What if the secret to good health was right under your nose the whole time? Like 20 inches below your nose? The role of the gut in overall health is profoundly important. From the obvious conditions like bloating, constipation, heartburn and indigestion, to the less expected, such as Alzheimer's and type 2 diabetes, if your gut isn’t in good condition, the rest of the body is vulnerable.
In this article by Johns Hopkins Medicine, the role of the Brain-Gut connection in overall health is explained. The enteric nervous system (ENS) is two thin layers of more than 100 million nerve cells lining your gastrointestinal tract from esophagus to rectum. According to Dr. Jay Pasricha, M.D., Director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Neurogastroenterology, “Its main role is controlling digestion, from swallowing to the release of enzymes that break down food to the control of blood flow that helps with nutrient absorption to elimination. The enteric nervous system doesn’t seem capable of thought as we know it, but it communicates back and forth with our big brain—with profound results.”
Pasricha goes on to explain that the idea that anxiety and depression contribute to gut health issues may be backward. Issues in the gastrointestinal system may send signals to the central nervous system, which lead to mood changes.
In this article from SciTechDaily, researchers share the results of experiments where they transferred the gut microbiota from people with Alzheimer’s into the guts of healthy test animals, who then went on to exhibit signs of memory impairment.
Researchers at China’s Peking University discovered another link between gut microbiota and illness - a Bacteroides spp. microbial dipeptidyl peptidase 4 (DPP4), an enzyme from the gut microbiota that plays a critical role in the management of type 2 diabetes. According to the findings summarized in this article, “DPP4 can degrade the host’s glucagon and contribute to compromising glucose homeostasis.” This can reduce the efficacy of common diabetes medicines.
How to improve gut health
Diet: Include probiotics in your diet – either through supplements or foods or both. Helpful foods include yogurt, Kefir and fermented or pickled foods such as kimchi, sauerkraut and pickled ginger. Avoid processed foods, opt for fruits, vegetables and whole grains, and cut back on alcohol. If you have the need to take antibiotics, be extra mindful, as their job is to kill bacteria - good and bad, including the helpful little critters in your tummy.
Exercise: Exercise has been shown to improve gut barrier function, which can help to reduce inflammation and prevent the development of chronic diseases. Inflammation is a natural response to injury or infection, but chronic inflammation can lead to a number of health problems, including gut dysbiosis. Exercise can also help to improve metabolism by increasing the production of SCFAs. SCFAs have been shown to improve insulin sensitivity and glucose control, which can help to reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
Sleep: One study found that people who slept less than 7 hours per night had a less diverse gut microbiome than those who slept 7 or more hours per night. One possible connection is related to the circadian rhythm - the body's natural sleep-wake cycle. The circadian rhythm plays a role in regulating many bodily functions, including digestion. When the circadian rhythm is disrupted, it can lead to changes in the gut microbiome. Another possibility is that sleep deprivation can increase inflammation.
Boo’s N.E.W.S. Muse Lisa always says “80% of your health is in the gut.” Two years ago, I had my own experiences with gut issues and spent months downing Tums and Pepto. That just masked the symptoms of a bigger problem. After a scary bout of pancreatitis, I completely changed my diet & lifestyle, and now my gut feeling is great!
Take care of your tummies people!
Workshop: Can You Back That Up?
A frequent topic in Boo’s N.E.W.S. is walking, and now that most of you have used our information to successfully move forward in a linear fashion, it is time for your next lesson: walking backward.
There are numerous physical and mental benefits of walking backward.
Mental Benefits:
Increases body coordination and awareness
Adds variety to your workout
Improves overall mood
Challenges you to step outside your comfort zone
Physical Benefits:
Increases strength in lesser-used leg muscles
Reduces stress on the knees
Improves overall walking technique and form
Enhances balance and agility
A study in the Journal of Biomechanics titled “Patellofemoral joint compression forces in backward and forward running” found that backward running reduced anterior knee pain compared to forward running. That’s also good news for those of you with “patellofemoral” on your Boo’s N.E.W.S. bingo cards.
What are the keys to successfully incorporating backward walking into your routine?
Start slowly and gradually increase your speed as you become more comfortable.
Walk on a flat surface with good traction.
Be aware of your surroundings and watch for obstacles. Especially if you live near volcanoes or cliffs.
Keep your back straight and your head up.
Use your arms to help balance yourself.
Want to bring a pet? Great – as long as it isn’t your pet kangaroo or emu. Kangaroos can’t walk backward. Of course they don’t really walk – they hop – and their tails would make going backward even more difficult. Emus also can’t walk backward, but ostriches can. Hmm. Side note: Emus also are the only bird species that have calf muscles, so you definitely should try to grab that drumstick if you get the chance.
Just how far can one walk backward? Plennie Wingo spent his life trying to answer that question. From April 15, 1931, to October 24, 1932, Wingo walked backward from Santa Monica California to Istanbul Turkey. Check out this YouTube clip from the show Real People that highlights Wingo’s efforts.
Boo’s N.E.W.S. regular Tom “Walkin’ Man” Cutler is a proponent of walking backward and does so regularly. On a trip to Washington D.C. a couple years ago, Tom lost his cellphone, he believes at the Lincoln Memorial. This memorial honors Abraham Lincoln, who famously said, “I walk slowly, but I never walk backward.” Obviously the anti-backward-walking Lincolnists targeted Tom. Decide for yourself, but the logic is irrefutable: Abe didn’t subscribe to my newsletter, didn’t believe in walking backward and only lived to age 56.
Selected Content: What Time Is It?
While today’s youth grew up with heavily produced TikTok videos only a click away, I’m old enough to remember when online videos were all in black and white, and going viral meant a trip to the clinic two towns over.
Yesterday, November 13th, was the 21st anniversary of the mainstream debut of the most culturally significant video production of 2002: Peanut Butter Jelly Time. Originally created as a Flash animation, the simple clip of a banana dancing to The Buckwheat Boyz’ song “Peanut Butter Jelly Time” went viral for all the right reasons.
A full 6 years earlier, in 1996, one of the earliest examples of a trending video was the Dancing Baby, a 3D-rendered baby dancing to “Hooked on a Feeling” by the Swedish rock band Blue Swede, that was shared primarily via email.
Another popular internet video trend is the practice of “Rick Rolling” - where you send a friend an innocent text or email including a link to what is promised to be something interesting or relevant to the recipient. But when they click on the link, Rick Astley’s 1987 music video “Never Gonna Give You Up” plays. Groans and curses ensue! I won’t share that link here, as it is intended to be unexpected, but in this 2017 interview, former MTV VJ Kurt Loder asks Astley about the viral trend. His take on it is positive and refreshing.
What is the secret to a great viral video? In looking at the list of the top YouTube videos of all time, it would seem to be some combination of charismatic male singers, children’s content and animals.
The top five YouTube videos of all time:
Baby Shark Dance – Pink Fong Baby Shark – 13.6 billion
Despacito – Luis Fonsi – 8.31 billion
Johny Johny Yes Papa – LooLoo Kids Nursery Rhymes – 6.84 billion
Bath Song – Cocomelon Nursery Rhymes – 6.49 billion
Shape of You – Ed Sheeran – 6.13 billion
Unrelated announcement: I’ll be releasing my new music video “Hold You Closer in My Pink Octopus Arms” next week.