Always Brush After Snacks: New Chocolate Tooth Paste Hits Shelves

For all the hopeless Choco-Holics in the world, comes this news item:

If you have been trying to think of a way to get more delicious chocolate in your diet, a new product has hit the market that promises a healthy way to do just that...a toothpaste made from chocolate!

According to research, a substance contained in cocoa beans can actually improve the condition of your teeth and gums. (And your Mom always claimed eating too much chocolate sweets would rot your teeth out!) The new toothpaste called Theodent has recently hit the market that contains the chocolately essence called theobromine, which is believed to strengthen teeth and actually regenerate tooth enamel, which can be stripped from teeth by eating too much sugar or foods containing natural acids. 

The oh-so-yummy toothpaste was initially invented by Dr. Tetsu Nakamoto at research done in his New Orleans laboratory in the late-1980s. After decades of clinical trials, the doctor was awarded a patent for his ingredient, called Rennou. The company marketing the paste claims that Theodent is a non-toxic alternative to the current spate of fluoride toothpastes on the market today. Fluoride, which has been proven to prevent the formation of cavities and tooth decay, can also be potentially toxic if accidentally swallowed in large quantities.

Theodent comes in a minty-chocolate flavor for adults and chocolate for kids, which may be an enticement to get children who are not terribly fond of brushing to start taking better care of their teeth. The product is quite a bit more expensive than regular toothpaste: a 3.4 ounce tube retails for approximately $10 and is available at retailer Whole Foods or at the company's official  website.

Forget Tiger's Blood...Panda Blood Could Be New Superdrug

 

Charlie Sheen may be convinced that Tiger Blood is the secret to "winning" in life, but a group of scientists in China believe that Panda blood may be far better!

It seems the blood of the way-too-cute to be real giant stuffed animals native to China have a powerful antibiotic component in their blood that can shoot down infection-causing bacteria in far less time than traditional antibiotic medications currently in use. In fact, in laboratory tests, the special ingredient in the Panda blood killed the often-deadly bacteria in only one hour, as opposed to six hours with current medications being used as a treatment.

The major problem is that the Giant Panda is one of the most endangered species on the planet: There are less than 1600 of the cuddly beasts in the wild. The animals are also not exactly known for their love of romance and are notoriously lousy at breeding to produce more offspring. Breeding programs in China have been successful at keeping the species alive and reproducing, but the scientists in charge of the research program have been able to decode the genetic sequence in the blood responsible for the bacteria-killing and are working on reproducing the agent in the lab. That way, we won't have to endure countless videos of the cutie-pie symbols of China being poked and prodded for their blood and making us feel guilty because our immune systems suck.

The scientists are hopeful they can isolate and reproduce the agent soon, providing the world with an alternative antiobiotic that will hopefully be a new-weapon against drug-resistant super-bug infections.  

 

The Black Death: Oregon Man Diagnosed with Bubonic Plague

An Oregon man is in critical condition after being diagnosed with the Bubonic Plague. He is the fifth person to be diagnosed with the deadly disease in the state since 1995.

The man, a resident of rural Cook County, contracted the disease after being bitten while trying to rescue a mouse from the clutches of a stray cat on his property. At this point, it is not clear if the man was bitten by the mouse or the cat, but both animals are known carriers of the dreaded disease. The Plague bacteria, Yersinia pestis, is transmitted from the bites of fleas. The bacteria then enters the blood stream, where it infects the lymph nodes of the human body, as the bacteria quickly multiplies throughout the body. Symptoms include abdominal pain, bleeding mouth, nose or rectum and dying skin tissue.

 The cat has died and its body has been sent to the Center for Disease Control for testing. Although very rare now, the Black Death as the Plague is also known was one of the worst pandemic diseases in human history during the Middle Ages, decimating Europe and Asia and reducing the population by up to 60% in some areas of the continents. The disease is now highly treatable through medications, if symptoms of the illness are diagnosed and treatment begins promptly.