Reviews by Cole » health

Emergen-C Berry Blue

Cole — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 11:25:05 +0000

I was feeling kind ridiculous and awful the other day. Having just gone through some drawers, I remembered a few sample packet of Emergen-C and figured to give one a try. I was battling an infection that I hoped wouldn’t get any worse so mixed myself up a glass.

I had received several packets of the Berry Blue flavor, a powder that you mix in with a glass of water to create a “fizzy drink” similar to Alka-Seltzer. The packaging describes the “powerful blend of 24 nutrients, antioxidants and minerals” including 1000MG of vitamin C and all their benefits. Okay, sure. I mixed away and took a drink..

and nearly gagged. I just managed to finish the glass, forcing myself to take big gulps and swallow it all down, without heaving my guts all over the place. Now, this could be due to the fact that it didn’t dissolve very much or maybe it had sat too long or maybe I’m just not a fan of “berry blue.” It tasted like it was trying to be flavored but was still ridiculously medicinal.

And that’s not an improvement over a vitamin or other supplement in pill-form. And, judging from the packaging, that’s the market this company is trying to move in on. But I’d much rather swallow a horse pill and have it over with than go through the prolonged gagging session that Emergen-C caused. Maybe other flavors are better but I’m not so willing to try now.

I didn’t notice any increase in energy but I didn’t feel any worse and my infection soon cleared up. Thanks to Emergen-C? It’s hard to tell. I could tell you if it hadn’t worked and I’d died (or not) but I’ll have to suffer through the next packet when I’m working on a cold to know for sure.

Does a Body Good

Cole — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 21:02:30 +0000

With a little encouragement from Jenn, I decided to pick up some multi-vitamins. I don’t feel any different but they’re good for me and that’s always a plus. It’s funny because I always think multi-vitamins (the regular, not gummy, flavourless type that is) always taste like uncooked pasta. I know, that sounds a bit weird. I actually had wanted to try the gummy ones but they were expensive and seemed hard. Boo. It’s amazing how many different vitamins there are, though. A person could definitely get confused between hair and nail growth vitamins, acne vitamins and even all the sexual health supplements.

Already?

Cole — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 18:15:45 +0000

Despite being young, I am no stranger to waking up with aching and stiff joints, especially in my hands so I can nod along knowingly whenever I see gingerly old folks in commercials for all sorts of supplements intended to relieve joint pain. Unfortunately, my hobbies (ahem, blogging anyone?) have probably contributed and, if my mornings are already difficult, I probably don’t have much to look forward to in the future except popping pills and maybe starring in one of those commercials myself! ;)

“If this is an Emergency, Please Hang up and Dial 911″

Cole — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 03:41:42 +0000

And if you’re stupid enough to be calling the hospital when you think you might, I don’t know, die, then you deserve what’s coming to you. On the other hand, I felt the way I was routed through countless menus and back around to the original menu was pretty damned unfair and annoying. I’ve been trying to call the on base hospital for a girly appointment and had to go through the main menu multiple times because I kept being interrupted (calls, Fedex, cats) but they couldn’t hook me up because of special circumstances. They gave me two numbers to someplace – who knows where – and they couldn’t help me either. In turn, they gave me another number which took me through yet another menu which rerouted me to the first one (well, the second time. The first time it didn’t even do anything after it rang!). Finally, I got ahold of someone who said I cannot call to make my own appointment but I need a referral from my regular doctor so I had to call and make an appointment.. to make my appointment. Yea, okay.

I know there’s not some inbound call center with an endless bank of phones with folks to man them and that nurses and doctors and clerks have shit to do. I get that. I don’t get why everything has to be so difficult, though. Or why I need an appointment to make an appointment.

To Your Health

Cole — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 04:42:00 +0000

There have been a few discussions on Lavish, lately about health and the cost to maintain good health. Naturally, these discussions have included thoughts on insurance – both federally and privately provided and the pros and cons of “the system” – as it were. It really gets you thinking about how you will pay for medical costs (and, in my case, even if I would) so while I may not spend a whole lot of time thinking about term life insurance, it’s something worth considering every now and then.

Unhappy Tummy

Cole — Sat, 04 Apr 2009 04:34:00 +0000

So my stomach hasn’t been really stable since I got home. It sucks. I don’t feel sick but I’m definitely not.. right. Plus, I’m constantly hungry. Needless to say, I don’t have any use for Colonix or anything similar right now. Haha. And, even if I were wanting something like that, I’d probably just stick with Activita or something which seems more natural.

Resolution Time

Cole — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 01:55:00 +0000

New year, new self seems to be the motto every time January rolls around. by February, we start losing steam and by June the words from our mouths are more likely to be along the lines of “Resolutions? What resolutions! I don’t believe in that.” Of course, the idea of resolutions is a little silly but wanting to improve our personal lives, increase happiness and work on health are not. Weight loss and fitness seem to be among the top resolutions so nutrition companies and gyms all see customer spikes in the beginning of the year, even if patronage does dwindle. Of course, if you don’t have the time or effort, there’s always diet pill to consider.

Alternatively

Cole — Sun, 28 Dec 2008 00:20:00 +0000

I wonder how you all feel about alternative medicines? Now, I’m not talking about holistic healers who will ring a gong in your face, rather the types of healing that seem to have evidence in support of their effectiveness. I definitely find things like Acupuncture to be interesting and I would have some done, if I had the chance. I’m not as convinced by some of the homeopathic herbal remedies but I do think their are natural supplements which can really do the body good. I can’t name even as many alternative therapies as I have fingers, but I know there exists a vast array. I think most of these alternative takes on health really can go hand in hand with modern scientific medicine.

One of the positive of modern medicine is that it is ever evolving. As we know more about the body, we can better pinpoint the issue and attempt to deal with it. Unlike some of the natural remedies which don’t seem to look at the actual cause of an issue and have no strong foundation (why does this work, again?), science is tried and true.

And it’s because of science that people like Dr. Amen are able to develop new methods for scanning the brain like SPECT. Analyzing the brain is especially important when it comes to a number of conditions like anxiety, depression and anger issues and Dr. Amen thinks it’s vital to look at the bairn before trying to treat brain related symptoms. He has spearheaded a project known as The Amen Clinics which help to improve overall quality of life. Interestingly enough, sometimes the recommend solution is medication and other times, it’s a more alternative form of healing like meditation.

I think technology like this is really important when it comes to better understand neuroscience and it’s a pretty interesting topic to check out.

Enjoying the cooler weather

Cole — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 05:04:00 +0000

As winter rolls around, we tend to become more sluggish. The cold weather means we stay inside or use our cars rather than walking or biking through the snow and over the ice. Luckily for me, it’s not too cold here which means I will probably spend more time outside during the Texas “winter” than I did during summer because it was simply too hot! Hopefulyl this means I’ll see some pounds shed in a way that is healthier than taking diet pills. Of course, the news issued a “freeze” warning for tonight. LOL They have no idea!

Punch punch kick!

Cole — Sat, 27 Sep 2008 22:29:00 +0000

So, a while ago I considered getting some yoga DVDS to do at home considering how much I dislike exercising and even moreso, in public. I reconsidered the idea lately and thought that maybe, instead of yoga, I might try Tae Bo. I recall doing it in gym class in high school and although it was silly, it got your heart working. I think either idea is better than using a drug like Leptovox. Anyway, I was browsing Amazon and found that they have a lot of workout DVDs for pretty cheap so I think I will invest in a couple once I have some money.

If anyone has any specific DVD or trainer they like, let me know!