Once a remedy, snake oil became shorthand for fraud. Explore the surprising story behind the term and the salesman who made it infamous. By Stuart M. Caplen, MD  “Snake oil” and “snake oil salesmen” are terms now used for fake cures and the con men who sell them.  Just how did snake oil become linked to grifters and fakery?   The Original Snake Oil  In the 1800s, hundreds of thousands of Chinese laborers entered the U.S., many of whom worked on building the transcontinental railroad. These immigrants brought various medicines with them, including omega-3-rich oil from the Chinese water snake ( Laticauda semifasciata  or black-banded sea krait), which had been used for centuries as an anti-inflammatory agent to treat arthritis, bursitis, and other joint pains.  Chinese workers would rub the oil on sore joints after a day’s work.  Americans working alongside them asked to try it, and found it helpful. The Rise of American Snake Oil As the popularity of snake oil rose, American businessmen wanted to cash in on it.  Since they did not have access to Chinese water snakes, they used, or purported to use, rattlesnake oil in various products.  Chinese water snakes contain much more of the anti-inflammatory omega-3 fatty acid EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid), than American rattlesnakes do.  This theoretically might have made rattlesnake oil a much less effective anti-inflammatory agent than Chinese water snake oil.   In the latter half of the 19 th  century, a whole industry arose selling “patent medicines,” which were frequently advertised in the back pages of newspapers. These tonics and salves claimed to cure all sorts of ailments. Clark Stanley, “The Rattlesnake King” One of the most prominent snake oil salesmen was Clark Stanley, better known as “The Rattlesnake King”.  According to a pamphlet he wrote, Stanley was a cowboy in the 1870s who learned the secret of snake oil from the Hopi Indians.  At the 1893 World’s Exposition in Chicago, Stanley performed an unusual ritual to sell Stanley’s Snake Oil Liniment.  He would pull a snake out of a bag, slit it open, throw it in boiling water, then skim the fat that rose to the top, and claim it was part of his snake oil liniment.  In 1906, the Pure Food and Drug Act was passed, and the government started cracking down on patent medicines.  In 1916, based on a complaint, the Bureau of Chemistry analyzed Clark Stanley’s Snake Oil Liniment and reported it was a mixture of mineral oil, 1% beef fat, capsicum, and traces of camphor and turpentine.  He was found guilty in court of fraudulently claiming his liniment was “a remedy for all pain and lameness, for rheumatism, neuralgia, sciatica, sprains, bunions, sore throat, for bites of animals and reptiles, for all pains and aches in flesh, muscles and joints, as a relief for tic douloureux (facial pain), and as a cure for partial paralysis of the arms and lower limbs, and effective to reduce large joints to their natural size.”  Stanley entered a plea of nolo contendere (no contest) and was fined $20 (about $590 today). The Term “Snake Oil” Becomes an American Idiom After that trial, the terms “snake oil” and “snake oil salesmen” started commonly being used for medicines that had no value and to describe the charlatans who sold those products to unsuspecting customers. You may also like reading about Mesmerism, a medical treatment that Benjamin Franklin proved had no value in the article Benjamin Franklin, Mesmerism, and the First Use of Placebos in Science. Other history of medicine articles that you may find interesting: The History of the “Whale Cure” for Rheumatism The Dancing Plague of 1518 The History of Leeches in Medicine and the Era of the “Leech Mania” “Gentlemen this is no humbug” - The First Use of General Anesthesia in Surgery and the Battle for Recognition that Ensued The History of the Coney Island Incubator Babies The History of the Electrocardiogram (EKG/ECG) The History of Heroin, the “Non-addictive” Substitute for Morphine References Gandhi l. A History Of 'Snake Oil Salesmen'. NPR. August 26, 2013. Retrieved from: https://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2013/08/26/215761377/a-history-of-snake-oil-salesmen Haynes A. The history of snake oil. The Pharmaceutical Journal. 23 January 2015. Retrieved from: https://pharmaceutical-journal.com/article/opinion/the-history-of-snake-oil Person RA. Misbranding of Clark Stanley’s Sanke Oil Liniment.  Bureau of Chemistry. Page 592. Retrieved from: https://books.google.com/books?id=-Og7AAAAYAAJ&pg=PA592&dq=%22snake+oil%22&hl=en&ei=BLyeTtmEFero0QHfi52gCQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CDYQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=%22snake%20oil%22&f=false Kunin RA. Snake Oil. Western Journal of Medicine. West J Med. 1989 Aug;151(2):208. Retrieved from: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC1026931/?page=1

New study finds trace metals in tampons, raising health concerns. Medical News A study published online in July 2024 reported for the first time on metal substances found in tampons.  30 tampons were tested for arsenic, barium, calcium, cadmium, cobalt, chromium, copper, iron, manganese, mercury, nickel, lead, selenium, strontium, vanadium, and zinc using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry, which can test for traces of elements.  The researchers found evidence of all of the elements at varying concentrations in the 30 samples.  Arsenic was in 95% of the samples, lead and cadmium in 100%.  Mercury was found in 8.3% but at very minimal levels.  Calcium and zinc were the two highest concentration metals found.  The researchers found no difference in metal concentrations between tampons with or without plastic applicators.  Non-organic tampons had higher levels of lead, and organic tampons had higher levels of arsenic. Metals can enter the tampons via raw materials like cotton or rayon by atmospheric deposition or if in the water supply.  They can also be contaminants from the manufacturing process or be purposely added by the manufacturer.  Calcium, cobalt, chromium, copper, nickel, and zinc may be added for their antimicrobial properties, and those plus iron and manganese may be added for odor control.  Calcium, strontium, and zinc may be added as lubricants to aid insertion. Comments: The problematic metals, lead, arsenic, and cadmium are all associated with potentially serious adverse systemic health effects.  A previous rat experiment with arsenic vaginal douches or vaginal immersion in an arsenic solution, containing hundreds of times more arsenic than the mean levels found in tampons, found the arsenic solutions caused oxidative stress and triggered inflammation of uterine and ovarian tissue. The vaginal walls are able to absorb substances and the question is whether women who frequently use tampons are absorbing these substances in high enough levels to cause health problems.  Reassuringly, the metals found in tampons were in very low concentration and since tampons are designed to remove fluids, whether any of these metals are actually absorbed vaginally is unknown.  More research is needed to find out if in fact there is or is not actually a health problem using tampons with trace metal concentrations over a lifetime. If you found this article interesting, you may also want to read The Effects of Plastics on Human Health   References Shearston JA et al. Tampons as a source of exposure to metal(loid)s. Environment International. Volume 190, August 2024. Retrieved from: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0160412024004355#b0165 Smith DG and Katie Mogg  K.  Concerned About Metals in Tampons? Here’s What to Know. The New York Times. July 11, 2024. Retrieved from: https://www.nytimes.com/2024/07/11/well/tampons-arsenic-lead-heavy-metals-toxic.html Irnawati, I et al. The Effect and Activity of Free Radical Enzymes Due to Arsenic Exposure Through the Vulva and Vagina. Open Access Maced J Med Sci 2022, 10, 2279-2285. Retrieved from: https://oamjms.eu/index.php/mjms/article/view/10306

Lifesaving Innovation: The Story of the Iron Lung Discover the compelling history of the iron lung, from its 1928 invention to its role in combating polio and revolutionizing respiratory care. Infant in an Iron Lung By Stuart M. Caplen, MD Polio has probably been around for millennia, but was not formally recognized as a disease condition until 1840.  In the early 1900s to the 1950s, American parents lived in perpetual fear that their child might develop polio during an epidemic.  Polio’s more scientific name is poliomyelitis, and it was previously also known as infantile paralysis.  Polio, caused by the poliovirus, is a disease that can lead to various clinical outcomes.  It can be mild with only flu-like symptoms, cause paralysis or weakness in one limb, or cause diffuse paralysis.  In its most serious form, patients can develop diffuse muscle paralysis, including involvement of the respiratory muscles, which can lead to an inability to breathe. The disease peaked in the U.S. in 1952 with over 57,000 cases and over three thousand deaths that year.  The iron lung was a major medical advance that allowed individuals with neuromuscular diseases such as polio to breathe.  The First Iron Lung The iron lung was first invented by Philip Drinker and Louis Agassiz Shaw at the Harvard School of Public Health.  It was essentially an airtight metal box that, by creating negative and positive pressure within it, could expand and contract a patient’s chest wall and lungs when that person could not breathe on their own (a process known as external negative pressure ventilation).  The original version was powered by two electric vacuum cleaner motors that moved a bellows back and forth, creating negative and positive pressures in the apparatus.  It was initially called the Drinker and Shaw respirator.  The only thing protruding out of the box was the patient’s head, with a rubber collar around the neck to  provide an airtight seal.  Drinker and Shaw’s Patent Application for The Iron Lung. The First Patients After some initial testing on cats, the first patient an iron lung was ever used on was an 8-year-old girl, Bertha Richard, at Children’s Hospital in Boston in October 1928.  She had been sick with polio for three days and was having difficulty breathing.  Her respiratory diaphragm, the muscle that helps expand and contract the lungs, was affected.  Her pediatrician contacted Drinker and Shaw to see if she could be helped.  While in the hospital, she struggled to breathe, and her fingertips and lips turned blue from lack of oxygen.  She was placed in the iron lung, and the pressure created by the machine varied from a negative 30 cm of water to expand the chest wall and lungs, followed by a positive pressure of 15 cm of water to contract the chest wall and the lungs during exhalation.  Fifteen minutes after entering the Drinker and Shaw respirator, she was significantly improved and asked for ice cream.  However, despite the respiratory assistance, she died of pneumonia five days later.  The experiment was still considered a success, as her breathing had dramatically improved, and she was kept alive for five days.  It was pneumonia that had caused her death, not polio. One of the next patients, Barrett Hoyt, was a Harvard University student who had contracted polio. He was admitted, gasping for air, to Peter Bent Brigham Hospital on September 13, 1929.  Within a short time after entering the iron lung, he gratefully said, “I breathe.”  He later went on to fully recover.  This event, and other polio survivors helped by the iron lung (as it was now called) caught the public’s attention, as respiratory failure from polio was no longer a guaranteed death sentence.  Upgraded Models The initial models were loud and cumbersome. To bathe a patient, a team of six people had to work quickly.  The patient was slid out of the apparatus and washed while they were not breathing, and then put back in before turning blue from lack of oxygen.  In 1931, John Haven Emerson improved the design and added portholes on the side to allow access to the patient’s body without losing air pressure.  He also made the bed slide out of the machine, which allowed easier patient entrance and egress.  Emerson was sued by Drinker and Harvard for patent violation.  In the litigation, a judge ruled that all of the technology used by Drinker and Shaw was already in existence before their invention, and Emerson won the case when the judge ruled that all the patents were invalid.   Both Respirator In 1937, during an Australian polio epidemic, the cost of shipping and buying a Drinker Respirator from America was so high that the health department asked a bioengineer,  Edward Both, to come up with a less expensive alternative.  He devised the Both Respirator, which was constructed of plywood rather than metal and still functioned properly.  Length of Iron Lung Therapy A patient might require weeks or months of being in an iron lung until the polio symptoms resolved.  For some, their respiratory muscles never recovered, and they required lifelong iron lung therapy.  Patients recovering from polio would spend some time out of the iron lung to help build up their respiratory muscles and then be put back in when they tired.  Later in their recovery, they just might be in the apparatus overnight until they fully recovered. Child with Polio in an Iron Lung Portable Iron Lungs Over time, portable iron lungs were invented, which consisted of a metal or plastic apparatus that covered only the chest.  By changing the air pressure from positive to negative around the chest, this equipment could help patients to breathe.  It permitted the rest of the body to be uncontained and was a major improvement over the original iron lung.   Decreased Use of the Iron Lung In the 1950s, the need for iron lung therapy markedly decreased.  In 1955, the Salk polio vaccine was released and approved for use.  By 1961, the vaccine was so successful there were only 161 new polio cases in the U.S.  In 1957, the first modern respirator, the Bird Mark 7, was invented by Forrest Bird, which helped revolutionize the way people with respiratory paralysis could be managed.  Paul Alexander, the Longest Surviving Iron Lung Patient The Guinness World Records has recognized Paul Alexander as the longest-living iron lung patient in history.  He had been paralyzed by polio at age six and used an iron lung until he died in 2024 at the age of 78.  He had learned a process called glossopharyngeal breathing, where, using his throat muscles, he swallowed air one mouthful at a time and then pushed the air down his throat into his lungs.  Paul could eventually leave the iron lung for hours at a time until he got too tired or needed to sleep.  He attended college, using his iron lung in his dormitory room and going by wheelchair to attend classes while using his breathing technique.  Paul was able to achieve both a college and a law degree and did actively practice law, sometimes seeing clients while in an iron lung in his office.    ______________________________________________________________________________________ You may also be interested in reading the fascinating story of the Coney Island Amusement Park Incubator Babies or The History of the Electrocardiogram (EKG/ECG) . ______________________________________________________________________________________ References The Iron Lung. 14 October 2018. Science Museum. Retrieved from: https://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/objects-and-stories/medicine/iron-lung Wunsch H. Book Excerpt: How the Iron Lung Transformed Polio Care. Undark. 23 May 2023. Retrieved from: https://undark.org/2023/05/19/book-excerpt-how-the-iron-lung-transformed-polio-care/   from Wunsch H. The Autumn Ghost: How the Battle Against a Polio Epidemic Revolutionized Modern Medical Care. May 9, 2023. https://www.amazon.com/Autumn-Ghost-Against-Epidemic-Revolutionized/dp/1771649453/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr= Rizzo J. Flashback: Iron Lung. Pfizer. https://www.pfizer.com/news/articles/flashback_iron_lung History of the Polio Vaccine. WHO. Retrieved from: https://www.who.int/news-room/spotlight/history-of-vaccination/history-of-polio-vaccination Westhorpe RN, Ball C.  Anaesthesia and Intensive Care, Vol. 40, No. 4, July 2012.Retrieved from:  https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/0310057X1204000401 Falcon J, Miles JD, Mugavero A.  Paul Alexander, 78-year-old Dallas man who lived in an iron lung for most of his life, dies. CBS News Texas. Updated on: March 13, 2024. https://www.cbsnews.com/texas/news/paul-alexander-78-year-old-dallas-man-who-lived-in-iron-lung-for-most-of-his-life-dies/ Snowdon C. The man in the iron lung: How Paul Alexander lived life to the full. BBC News. 23 March 2024. Retrieved from: https://www.bbc.com/news/health-68627630 Pilastro E. Longest surviving iron lung patient was kept alive by a machine for 70 years. 21 March 2023. Guinness World Records. Retrieved from: https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/news/2023/3/meet-longest-surviving-iron-lung-patient-kept-alive-by-a-machine-for-70-years-741881 Photos Iron lungs for polio victims, 1930s-1950s. Rare Historical Photos. Updated on: November 16, 2021. https://rarehistoricalphotos.com/iron-lungs-polio-1930s-1950s/ Healey J. The Both Brothers and the "Iron Lung”. South Australian Medical Heritage Society Inc. 1998. Retrieved from: https://www.samhs.org.au/Virtual%20Museum/Medicine/Bothurinlung/bothironlung-netley.html

Uncover the truth about apple cider vinegar benefits and risks. From weight loss to diabetes management, explore the scientific evidence behind its claims and learn why caution is advised before embracing it as a cure-all solution. by Zachary A. Knecht, PhD and Mary B Grosvenor, MS, RD The potential health benefits of consuming apple cider vinegar have received a lot of attention. Depending on whom you ask, this apparently innocuous kitchen staple either is a tasty addition to salad dressing or has powers ranging from helping with weight loss to preventing heart disease and managing diabetes. So, does apple cider vinegar really represent “one simple trick” to promote better health? The truth is more complicated than reported in most health blogs. Like wine, vinegar (from the French vin aigre , meaning “sour wine”) is made by fermenting a source of carbohydrate, such as grain, honey, or fruit, in this case apples. It contains acetic acid, a byproduct of this fermentation that provides vinegar’s sharp flavor, smell, acidity, and small amounts of amino acids, vitamins, and minerals. The acidity of apple cider vinegar makes it useful in tenderizing meat, pickling vegetables, and as a natural sanitizer and household cleaning agent. It has shown to be effective at killing many microbes that cause food borne illness.[1]  These antimicrobial properties have also made apple cider vinegar a popular home remedy for treating wounds and skin infections. While this topical treatment can be effective in some cases, the concentrations needed to inhibit the growth of bacteria and fungi can also harm skin cells, cause pain, and possibly result in chemical burns.[2] Although apple cider vinegar is said to be helpful for treating lice infestation, it actually is less effective than are other home remedies (e.g., mayonnaise, petroleum jelly). As an Amazon Associate FibonacciMD earns from qualifying purchases. Vintage Floral Pitcher Vase , French Farmhouse Style. [ https://amzn.to/3Mw0tuW ] Godinger 46oz Beverage Pitcher [ https://amzn.to/4j2fZuC ] Shop Now on Amazon! Can apple cider vinegar help weight loss, diabetes management and heart disease risk? Most of the health benefits associated with apple cider vinegar were based on studies in rodents. Although laboratory results from the study of mice and rats can reflect how a substance might affect humans, differences in metabolic and nutritional requirements raise many questions about whether the benefits in rodents would also apply to humans. However, recent studies in humans have verified some benefits.[3] In a randomized clinical trial published in 2018, Khezri and others discussed how use of an apple cider vinegar dietary supplement affected weight loss in overweight and obese humans.[4] The researchers found that consuming apple cider vinegar decreased body weight, body mass index (BMI), and even appetite. However, participants in this study were fed a highly controlled, restricted-calorie diet along with doses of apple cider vinegar, so the benefits seen may have been affected by careful dietary control as well as the supplemental doses of apple cider vinegar. Apple cider vinegar may also reduce blood glucose levels in people with diabetes by improving insulin sensitivity. A small study by White and Johnston found that swallowing two tablespoons of apple cider vinegar before bedtime daily for 3 days reduced morning fasting blood sugar levels by 4%.[5]    A more comprehensive study that supplemented apple cider vinegar daily for 8 weeks found a reduction in fasting blood glucose as well as hemoglobin A1C, a measure which estimates average daily blood sugar. This study also found an improvement in heart disease risk factors; levels of unhealthy LDL cholesterol were reduced with apple cider vinegar while health promoting HDL cholesterol levels increased.[6] Although the health benefits of apple cider vinegar are not a myth, neither does this substance represent a cure-all. Researchers continue to delve into its possible benefits and the biological mechanisms that underlie these positive health effects. Currently, even the most promising medical reports present apple cider vinegar not as a miracle cure but as a helpful supplement to other tools for managing weight, diabetes and cholesterol levels including good eating habits and exercise. Anyone who decides to try apple cider vinegar to improve their health should be very cautious. Apple cider vinegar is an acidic compound and its use has been associated with damage to the esophagus, erosion of tooth enamel, and even acute pancreatitis.[7] It would be wise to consult with a physician before moving that bottle of apple cider vinegar from your pantry to your medicine cabinet. Culinary Medicine Recipes that use Apple Cider Vinegar: Strawberry Spinach Salad Recipe Marinated Cucumber and Tomato Salad Recipe References Ousaaid D, Laaroussi H, Bakour M, Ennaji H, Lyoussi B, El Arabi I. Antifungal and Antibacterial Activities of Apple Vinegar of Different Cultivars.  International Journal of Microbiology . 2021;2021:e6087671. doi: https://doi.org/10.1155/2021/6087671 Elhage KG, St. Claire K, Daveluy S. Acetic acid and the skin: a review of vinegar in dermatology.  International Journal of Dermatology . Published online August 5, 2021. doi: https://doi.org/10.1111/ijd.15804 Hadi A, Pourmasoumi M, Najafgholizadeh A, Clark CCT, Esmaillzadeh A. The effect of apple cider vinegar on lipid profiles and glycemic parameters: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials.  BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies . 2021;21(1). doi: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12906-021-03351-w Khezri SS, Saidpour A, Hosseinzadeh N, Amiri Z. Beneficial effects of apple cider vinegar on weight management, visceral adiposity index and lipid profile in overweight or obese subjects receiving restricted calorie diet: a randomized clinical trial. J Funct Foods.  2018;43: 95–102. White AM, Johnston CS. Vinegar ingestion at bedtime moderates waking glucose concentrations in adults with well controlled type 2 diabetes. Diabetes Care. 2007;30:2814-2815 Jafarirad S, Elahi M, Mansoori A, Khanzadeh A, Haghighizadeh M. The improvement effect of apple cider vinegar as a functional food on anthropometric indices, blood glucose and lipid profile in diabetic patients: a randomized controlled clinical trial.  Frontiers in clinical diabetes and healthcare . 2023;4. doi: https://doi.org/10.3389/fcdhc.2023.1288786 Alvarez L, Colaco LB, Ali S, et al. Unveiling a Sour Truth: Acute Pancreatitis Linked to Apple Cider Vinegar Supplement.  ACG Case Reports Journal . 2024;11(9):e01482-e01482. doi: https://doi.org/10.14309/crj.0000000000001482 Updated from Nov 2019 , Oct 2024, Dec 2025

Sweet potatoes are so much more than just a holiday side dish! Sweet potatoes are a year-round nutritional powerhouse packed with more than 100% of your daily Vitamin A and plenty of gut-healthy fiber. Culinary Medicine by Mary B Grosvenor, MS, RD and Lori A Smolin, PhD   Sweet potatoes can add vibrant orange color to an otherwise monochromatic Thanksgiving dinner, but did you know that they are also a nutritional powerhouse? Some say they are the healthiest part of your holiday meal. Sweet potatoes are a staple in many cultures around the world and have grown in popularity in the United States as consumers learn more about their versatility and nutritional benefits.   [1,2] The Roots of Sweet Potatoes Sweet potatoes are native to Central and South America, where they have been cultivated for more than 5,000 years. They were brought to Europe by Spanish explorers and then spread across the globe. Like white potatoes they are a root vegetable, but botanically the two are not related. Sweet potatoes are colorful; their smooth skin can be tan, light purple, or red and the flesh may be creamy white, yellow, orange, or even purple.[3]  Sweet potatoes are classified as either soft or firm. The soft variety becomes soft and moist when cooked and works well for mashed potatoes and soups.  Firm sweet potatoes are better for boiling or frying because they hold their shape. Most of the sweet potatoes available in U.S. grocery stores are of the soft Beauregard variety; they have a coppery, red-colored skin and bright orange flesh. They are sweeter than the “firm” varieties, which have yellow or white flesh.[4] Sweet potatoes are usually harvested in early fall and are then cured before distribution. The curing process involves storing them in warm, humid conditions for a few weeks; it improves their shelf life by allowing the skin to toughen and cuts and bruises that occurred during harvest to heal. Curing also activates enzymes that break down some of the starch into sugar, giving the potatoes their characteristic sweetness.[5] Mary Recommends As an Amazon Associate FibonacciMD earns from qualifying purchases. Make healthy "Sweet Potato Noodles" for soups and low-carb pasta alternatives with the powerful Brieftons 5-Blade Vegetable Spiralizer . [ https://amzn.to/49977jl ] Sweet Potatoes or Yams? While often confused, sweet potatoes and yams are distinct vegetables; they are botanically and nutritionally different. Yams are native to Africa, where 95% of this crop is grown. They have a dark, thick, scaly skin and are not nearly as sweet as sweet potatoes. Nutritionally they are higher in calories and potassium but lower in vitamin A than sweet potatoes.[6] You are unlikely to encounter a real yam in a US grocery store; most of what we call yams are actually sweet potatoes. This name confusion is thought to have started in the southern U.S. when slave populations began calling sweet potatoes yams because of their familiarity with the actual yams they had consumed in Africa.[6] Today, the USDA allows sweet potatoes to be labelled as yams as long as they also include ‘sweet potatoes’ on the packaging. True yams are not usually found in your grocery store but can be purchased in international or Caribbean markets.[6] Nutritional and Health Benefits  Sweet potatoes are a starchy vegetable that provides many nutritional pluses. An average sweet potato has about 110 Calories, 26 grams of carbohydrate, 2 grams of protein, and almost no fat.  Despite their name, a sweet potato has only about 5 grams of naturally occurring sugar.  They are high in fiber – a serving provides 4 grams of fiber. Including this high fiber vegetable in our diet helps maintain a healthy gut microbiome.[7] Fiber also slows the digestion of the sugars in sweet potatoes, preventing spikes in blood glucose levels, making them helpful in managing diabetes. [8] Sweet potatoes are also a reliable source of vitamin B 6  and the minerals potassium and magnesium, which tend to be low in the modern diet. The most significant nutritional contribution of sweet potatoes is vitamin A; one sweet potato provides more than 100% of a day’s recommended intake. Vitamin A is essential for healthy vision and immune function. The vitamin A in sweet potatoes comes from beta-carotene. Beta-carotene is a yellow orange pigment that gives the potatoes their signature color and can be converted to vitamin A in the body. The brighter the orange color, the more beta-carotene in your sweet potato. Beta-carotene is also a phytochemical that has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Purple sweet potatoes are a source of another group of antioxidant phytochemicals, anthocyanins. These have been found to slow the growth of certain types of cancer cells as well as support the growth of heathy bacteria in the gut microbiome.[9,10] Savor Some Sweet Potatoes Sweet potatoes are a versatile vegetable. They can be roasted, boiled, fried, or baked. They make a sophisticated side dish roasted with olive oil and rosemary, or a hearty breakfast in a hash made with peppers and eggs. If you prefer a sweeter dish, mash them and add some cinnamon. Diced, roasted sweet potatoes can be made ahead of time and added to soups, smoothies, salads, or grain bowls. They feature prominently in traditional dishes from the southern United States, such as candied “yams,” sweet potato casserole, and sweet potato pie. Sweet potatoes are a nutrient-rich choice that can be a healthy, wholesome addition to meals year-round. Check out this great recipe with sweet potatoes: Sweet Potato Grain Bowl Recipe References [1] Zhu M. The unique importance of sweet potato: Insights focusing on genetic improvements of salt and drought tolerance. Scientia Horticulturae. 2024;339:113848. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scienta.2024.113848 [2] Sweet Potatoes | Agricultural Marketing Resource Center. Agmrc.org . Published 2016. https://www.agmrc.org/commodities-products/vegetables/sweet-potatoes [3] Sweet Potatoes. FoodPrint. https://foodprint.org/real-food/sweet-potatoes/ [4]  Hill S. How to Shop for the Best Sweet Potatoes | America’s Test Kitchen. Americastestkitchen.com . Published November 12, 2021. Accessed November 16, 2025. https://www.americastestkitchen.com/articles/4022-how-to-shop-for-the-best-sweet-potatoes [5] Harvesting and Curing Sweet Potatoes. Alabama Cooperative Extension System. https://www.aces.edu/blog/topics/lawn-garden/harvesting-and-curing-sweet-potatoes/ ‌[6] What is the difference between sweet potatoes and yams? Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. 20540 USA. https://www.loc.gov/everyday-mysteries/agriculture/item/what-is-the-difference-between-sweet-potatoes-and-yams/ [7] Sun H, Zhang P, Zhu Y, Lou Q, He S. Antioxidant and prebiotic activity of five peonidin-based anthocyanins extracted from purple sweet potato (Ipomoea batatasL. Lam) Scientific Reports. 2018;8(1). doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-018-23397-0 [8]  Arisanti CIS, Wirasuta IMAG, Musfiroh I, Ikram EHK, Muchtaridi M. Mechanism of Anti-Diabetic Activity from Sweet Potato (Ipomoea batatas): A Systematic Review. Foods. 2023;12(14):2810-2810. doi: https://doi.org/10.3390/foods12142810 ‌[9] Sugata M, Lin CY, Shih YC. Anti-Inflammatory and Anticancer Activities of Taiwanese Purple-Fleshed Sweet Potatoes (Ipomoea batatasL. Lam) Extracts. BioMed Research International. 2015;2015:1-10. doi: https://doi.org/10.1155/2015/768093 [10] Zhang X, Yang Y, Wu Z, Weng P. The Modulatory Effect of Anthocyanins from Purple Sweet Potato on Human Intestinal Microbiota in Vitro. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. 2016;64(12):2582-2590. doi: https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jafc.6b00586 ‌

by Stuart M. Caplen, MD   Nitroglycerin the Explosive An Italian chemist named Ascanio Sobrero, while synthesizing substances such as guncotton, a smokeless gunpowder, created the explosive nitroglycerin (NTG) by adding glycerol to a mixture of concentrated nitric and sulfuric acids. In 1847, he gave a lecture at the Accademia delle Scienze di Torino where he discussed his discovery and detonated a small amount of material. He also apparently tasted the new substance which he described as sweet, pungent, and aromatic and advised precaution, as a very small amount he put on his tongue to taste produced a severe headache lasting several hours. Alfred Nobel was a Swedish chemist who recognized the potential of nitroglycerin and started experimenting with it. The issue with nitroglycerin was that it was unstable and could explode unexpectedly. In 1862, Nobel built a factory to produce nitroglycerin. In 1863, he developed a detonator which contained black powder which when ignited could detonate the nitroglycerin. In 1864, a nitroglycerin explosion in Noble’s factory killed his younger brother and several others. In 1865, Nobel created the blasting cap , an improved detonator, which was a metal cap containing mercury fulminate that can be ignited by either electric current, spark, or flame.  By chance Nobel discovered that mixing nitroglycerin with kieselguhr stabilized the nitroglycerin in a paste and made it much safer to use. Kieselguhr is a soft sedimentary rock composed mostly of silica ( SiO2 ). He called his new discovery dynamite, from the Greek word dunamis , meaning power. After patenting dynamite and due to its extensive use in construction, Alfred Noble became a very wealthy man. When he died, he left the bulk of his fortune to reward people who had used their intellect to benefit humanity and created the Nobel Prize.  Medical Use of Nitroglycerin In 1849, a homeopathic physician, Constantin Hering, tried to duplicate Ascanio Sobrero’s experience of tasting nitroglycerin and gave it to volunteers, all of whom developed headaches. He thought that a substance that could cause headaches so consistently must be medically important. He renamed it glonoine, as it contained gl(ycerol),o(xygen),n(itrogen), and o(xides), and started including it in some homeopathic remedies.  It had been noted that workers who produced NTG were subject to various diseases. One was called “Monday disease.”  When new workers began work in a NTG factory, they were subject to headaches and dizziness, which ended after a short period as they developed tolerance to the NTG.  However, as the tolerance was short-lived, after a weekend off, on Monday when they returned to work, some developed symptoms again. It was not uncommon for workers to take some NTG home or rub it on their clothing to continue to get exposure over the weekend to prevent “Monday disease.”  There was also the “Sunday heart attack”, which occurred in some NTG factory workers. Withdrawal of NTG exposure over a weekend occasionally resulted in a rebound phenomenon where arteries, chronically dilated from the NTG, went into spasm and caused reduced blood flow to the heart due to acute NTG withdrawal. Finally, NTG workers with angina pectoris (chest pain or constriction from lack of sufficient blood flow to the heart) were noted to have improved symptoms during the week, which might get worse on weekends. However, it was not until 1858 that the medical profession started showing interest in NTG, when a British physician, Alfred Field, reported he had used nitroglycerin in a 68-year-old woman with chest pain. In 1867, Thomas Lauder Brunton, a Scottish-born physician, experimented with substances to treat angina patients and wrote in the journal The Lancet of the successful use of amyl nitrite as a treatment for angina. In 1876, realizing that NTG had a similar action to amyl nitrite, he took it himself and developed such a bad headache he hesitated to give it to his patients. William Murrell, a London physician, was the first to use NTG as a regular treatment for angina in 1878. It was already known that amyl nitrite could reduce anginal symptoms and Murell observed that amyl nitrite only provided a few seconds of relief from anginal chest pain while with NTG, relief lasted nearly an hour. He noted that patients with angina given NTG improved, and it could also cut short an attack. Within four years after Murrell started using NTG, it was widely hailed in the medical community as an effective treatment for angina pectoris. As the NTG used at the time was a liquid and somewhat inconvenient to use, Murrell had a chemist synthesize a dose of NTG in a small amount of chocolate that could be carried around and dosed by taking little nibbles of the chocolate-NTG mixture until symptoms improved. The very small amounts of nitroglycerin used in medications were not an explosion hazard.  It was known that NTG could decrease blood pressure due to its vasodilatory effect, but it was not until later on that it was learned that it also caused coronary vasodilation and improved blood flow to the heart. NTG works by being converted to nitric oxide, which simulates receptors that lead to arterial vasodilatation. Ironically, in 1998, the Nobel prize for medicine or physiology was given to scientists for work on “Nitric Oxide as a Signaling Molecule in the Cardiovascular System”.  In another twist of fate, later in life Alfred Nobel was himself prescribed NTG for a heart condition. He wrote “Isn’t it the irony of fate that I have been prescribed NG1 [nitroglycerin] to be taken internally! They call it Trinitrin, so as not to scare the chemist and the public.”  NTG ointment has also been used to treat anal fissures, as nitric oxide can cause relaxation of the internal anal muscle sphincter. Comments: The discovery of NTG led to the creation of dynamite, which was used to help build roads, tunnels, railways, and canals, among other construction projects. Money made from selling dynamite allowed Alfred Nobel to create the Nobel Prize, which today is still one of the most prestigious awards in the world.  Fortuitously, NTG was also found to be an effective immediate treatment for myocardial ischemia causing angina pectoris, and it is still used by patients and in hospitals to this day for that purpose. If you enjoyed this article, click here to read, Gentlemen this is no humbug” - The First Use of General Anesthesia in Surgery and the Battle for Recognition that Ensued.   You may also find these other articles interesting: Click to read The History of the Iron Lung Click to read The History of the Coney Island Incubator Babies Click to read The History of Heroin, the “Non-addictive” Substitute for Morphine. Click to read The History of Leeches in Medicine and the Era of the “Leech Mania” Click to read  The Story of the Most “Kissed” Face in the World Click to read Benjamin Franklin, Mesmerism, and the First Use of Placebos in Science Clink to read The Dancing Plague of 1518 Click to read The History of Antiseptic Surgery References:  Marsh N, Marsha A. Short History of Nitroglycerine and Nitric Oxide In Pharmacology and Physiology. Clinical and Experimental Pharmacology and Physiology (2000) 27, 313–319. Retrieved from: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10779131/ Alfred Nobel. Britannica. Last Updated: Mar 28, 2025. Retrieved from: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Alfred-Nobel Ignarro LJ. After 130 years, the molecular mechanism of action of nitroglycerin is revealed. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2002;99(12):7816-7817. Retrieved from: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC122975/ Gorfine SR. Topical Nitroglycerin Therapy for Anal Fissures and Ulcers. New England Journal of Medicine. 10/26/1995,Retrieved from: https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJM199510263331718

From ancient rituals to modern medicine, this historical overview traces the fascinating journey of a powerful stimulant once hailed as a medical marvel. By Stuart M. Caplen, MD Cocaine is an addictive stimulant derived from the coca plant, named Erythroxylum  coca.  It is thought to have been used for centuries in South America, as chewing the leaves was known to increase energy and produce a feeling of exhilaration.  Its use was incorporated into Inca religious and cultural ceremonies.  The coca leaf is believed to have reached Europe in the 1500s.  In 1860, Albert Niemann, a German chemist, isolated the alkaloid we now call cocaine from coca leaves.  He noted that tasting it made his tongue feel numb, and in fact cocaine does have local anesthetic properties. Cocaine can cause the immediate effects of euphoria and increased energy.  The psychological effects are short-lived, from about 5 to 30 minutes, but the physiological effects, such as a rapid heart rate and increased blood pressure, last longer.  Long-term use can lead to addiction, irritability, paranoia, cognitive impairment, and even psychosis.  Heart attacks, seizures, and strokes are among the other adverse events that can occur with cocaine.  A withdrawal syndrome may occur when addicted individuals stop using cocaine abruptly. Cocaine in Wine In the 1860s, Angelo Mariani, a French chemist, created a tonic containing Bordeaux wine and coca leaves.  He then marketed and sold it as Vin Mariani, which was endorsed by Pope Leo XIII. Local Anesthetic In 1884, Carl Koller, an Austrian ophthalmologist, experimented with cocaine as a local anesthetic for cataract surgery and found it completely numbed the eye’s surface.  The anesthetics ether and chloroform could not be used, as they could cause vomiting, which was not acceptable while performing eye surgery.  Prior to Koller’s discovery, cataract surgery was a painful procedure done without anesthesia.  Soon after, pharmaceutical companies started marketing cocaine, but a problem soon became apparent when some patients died from cocaine overdose during surgery.  Sigmund Freud In 1884, Sigmund Freud wrote an article about cocaine called  “Über Coca,” which he described as saying it was a “song of praise to this magical substance.”  He believed its use might be a fertile area for medical research.  He himself later became addicted to cocaine which he had used to treat his own depressive symptoms. Patent Medicines By the late 1890s, cocaine, due to its energizing effects and local anesthetic properties, could be found in many patent medicines, including toothache drops.  The most famous of the health tonics created at that time was Coca-Cola, which was invented by American pharmacist John Stith Pemberton and contained cocaine and a sugar-filled syrup.  Cocaine was eventually removed from Coca-Cola around 1903, when they started to use de-cocainized coca leaves in the formulation. Cocaine Becomes a Problem In the late 1800s, the medical literature was filled with articles about cocaine, and in addition to its inclusion in patent medicines, physicians were prescribing it for various maladies.  From 1900 to 1907, U.S. coca leaf imports tripled, and it was estimated that by 1902, there were an estimated 200,000 cocaine addicts in the U.S.  In 1906, The Pure Food and Drug Act became federal law and required the presence and amount of 11 dangerous ingredients, including cocaine, heroin, and alcohol, to be properly labeled on consumer products.  It did not, however, ban these substances.  The Harrison Narcotics Tax Act, passed in 1914, was in response to growing concerns about narcotic and cocaine use in the U.S.  It regulated and taxed the production, importation, and distribution of opiates and coca products and essentially banned the nonmedical use of those substances. Crack Cocaine Crack Cocaine Cocaine that is injected or smoked has a quicker onset of action and produces a more pronounced high than cocaine that is inhaled through the nose or taken orally. This is due to direct introduction of the drug into the bloodstream or its absorption by the lungs. Snorting cocaine powder or allowing it to dissolve in the mouth causes constriction of blood vessels and limits systemic uptake.  In the late 1970s, “crack” cocaine was created, by solidifying cocaine powder with a mixture of ammonia or sodium bicarbonate and water. The resulting substance was then broken into small chunks that could be smoked or sprinkled on a cigarette.  It is called crack due to the crackling sound it makes as it is heated.  The price of cocaine decreased dramatically and in the 1980s an epidemic of cocaine abuse followed. Cocaine usage peaked in the United States in the early 1980s with an estimated 10.4 million users. In the 1970s, freebasing also became popular, which involved adding ether to cocaine powder and heating it to produce very pure cocaine.  Ether is flammable, and in combination with an open flame it could cause burns or explosions. Cocaine on Money In 1996, researchers examined U.S. dollar bills from 14 cities and found traces of cocaine on 79% of them (0.1 micrograms) and in higher amounts (1 microgram) on 54%.  The authors felt that this indicated widespread use of cocaine in the country.  However, contamination of so much currency was thought to be too great to only be from those involved in the drug trade.  It was postulated that circulation of cocaine-laden bills contaminated ATMs and money-counting machines in banks and businesses, which then spread cocaine to other currency. Medical Cocaine Today While medical cocaine is still available, it is rarely used.  This is due to its addictive potential, the availability of other medicines that can be used as topical anesthetics and vasoconstrictors, and the finding that even therapeutic amounts can cause coronary artery vasoconstriction, which could potentially precipitate a heart attack.    Editor’s Note - In my opinion, the heartache I have witnessed after patients present with stroke or heart attack after cocaine use makes the use of recreational cocaine just not worth the risk. You may also be interested in reading about The History of Heroin, the “Non-addictive” Substitute for Morphine. You may also find these other articles interesting: Click to read The History of Nitroglycerin, an Explosive with Medical Benefits Click to read The Story of the Most “Kissed” Face in the World Click to read “Gentlemen this is no humbug” - The First Use of General Anesthesia in Surgery and the Battle for Recognition that Ensued Click to read Benjamin Franklin, Mesmerism, and the First Use of Placebos in Science Clink to read The Dancing Plague of 1518 Click to read The History of Leeches in Medicine and the Era of the “Leech Mania” Rich's Picks As an Amazon Associate FibonacciMedicine earns from qualifying purchases. For a deep dive into the historical figures, medical missteps, and cartels that defined the modern era of the drug, we highly recommend reading Cocaine: An Unauthorized Biography by Dominic Streatfeild https://amzn.to/4nZ3r83 If the complicated relationship between pharmaceutical marketing and addiction in the past interests you, you'll find the story of the modern opioid crisis just as riveting… read this New York Times Bestseller Empire of Pain: The Secret History of the Sackler Dynasty by Patrick Radden Keefe https://amzn.to/4i4SxMG References HISTORY.com Editors. Cocaine. Last Updated: May 28, 2025. Retrieved from: https://www.history.com/articles/history-of-cocaine Cocaine. NIH. March 2024. Retrieved from: https://nida.nih.gov/research-topics/cocaine Small D. An Undulating Thrill. Aeon Media Group Ltd. 4 October 2024. Retrieved from: https://aeon.co/essays/cocaine-a-cultural-history-from-medical-wonder-to-illicit-drug A Social History of America's Most Popular Drugs. Frontline. PBS. https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/drugs/buyers/socialhistory.html#fnB7 Nazaryan A. Europeans Used Cocaine Much Earlier Than Previously Thought, Study Finds. The New York Times. Published Sept. 11, 2024Updated Sept. 13, 2024. Retrieved from: https://www.nytimes.com/2024/09/11/science/early-european-cocaine-use.html Coca. DEA museum. 2021. Retrieved from: https://museum.dea.gov/exhibits/online-exhibits/cannabis-coca-and-poppy-natures-addictive-plants/coca Swann JP. How Chemists Pushed for Consumer Protection: The Food and Drugs Act of 1906. FDA. Originally published in Chemical Heritage 24, no. 2 (Summer 2006): 6-11.  Retrieved from: https://www.fda.gov/files/about%20fda/published/How-Chemists-Pushed-for-Consumer-Protection--The-Food-and-Drugs-Act-of-1906.pdf Oyler J, Darwin WD, & Cone EJ.  Cocaine Contamination of United States Paper Currency. Retrieved from: https://analyticalchem.community.uaf.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/313/2013/04/Oyler-1996-cocaine.pdf Lange RA et al. Cocaine-Induced Coronary-Artery Vasoconstriction. NEJM. Vol. 321 No. 23. December 7, 1989. https://www.nejm.org/doi/abs/10.1056/NEJM198912073212301 Photo - Crack Cocaine. DEA. Retrieved from: https://www.dea.gov/factsheets/cocaine

The history and health benefits of pumpkin and pumpkin pie spice. Celebrate autumn with this nutrient-rich gourd and seasonal spice! Culinary Medicine by Mary B Grosvenor, MS, RD   and Lori A Smolin, PhD The first signs of fall – crisp morning air, turning leaves, shortening days, apple picking, and pumpkin spice lattes. Twenty years ago, Starbucks introduced the pumpkin spice latte, and the craze was born; over 600 million have been sold. The pumpkin spice trend has spread to cookies, cereals, coffee creamers, and a host of other products. Pumpkin spice is a mixture of cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, ginger, and sometimes allspice that has been used since the 1890s to flavor baked goods. A premixed pumpkin pie spice was introduced in the 1930s to flavor pumpkin pie. Pumpkin itself, on the other hand, is a nutrient-rich vegetable. Pumpkin, like zucchini, cucumbers, and watermelon, is a member of the squash family. Pumpkin originated in the Americas and is believed to be one of the oldest cultivated crops, with archeological evidence dating back to 3500 BC. [1] It was an important food source for Native Americans who ate roasted strips of pumpkin. Early colonists baked pumpkins filled with milk, honey, and spices – perhaps the original pumpkin pie. While it is believed that Columbus took pumpkin seeds back to Europe, they require a long hot growing season, so they were difficult to grow in Europe and never became popular. Today the US is the largest pumpkin grower in the world. The Nutritional Benefits of Pumpkin Pumpkins are harvested in September and October. Americans carve them into jack-o-lanterns on Halloween and bake them into pumpkin pie on Thanksgiving. But this nutrient-dense gourd is also served as a vegetable and used to make soups and chilis. Pureed pumpkin is baked into muffins, cookies, cakes, and breads. And we munch on the seeds as a snack. Pumpkin is low in calories and high in a variety of nutrients and phytochemicals. A half cup of cooked pumpkin provides about 25 Calories; the same amount of cooked potatoes has almost 70 Calories. Pumpkin is high in beta-carotene, which can be converted into vitamin A and acts as an antioxidant. Antioxidants neutralize free radicals, which damage DNA and in the long term can contribute to cancer, heart disease, and dementia. Pumpkin is also high in lutein, a phytochemical that protects the eyes. Pumpkin flesh has no fat, cholesterol, or sodium and is a good source of fiber and potassium, while pumpkin seeds provide protein, minerals, fiber, and healthy fats. So, pumpkin and its seeds are good for our eyes, our hearts, our digestive tracts, and our overall health. The Nutritional Benefits of Pumpkin Spice Although your pumpkin spice latte may not have any pumpkin in it, the pumpkin spice itself may also have some health pluses. The cinnamon may help control blood sugar levels and ginger has been shown to ease nausea. [2,3] Nutmeg is an antioxidant that has been studied for pain relief and is used in traditional medicine to promote sleep. Cloves, as well as cinnamon and ginger, contain the phytochemical eugenolin, which has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. [4] Pumpkin, An Autumnal Seasonal Delight So cut yourself a slice of pumpkin pie on Thanksgiving. It may be among the healthiest of holiday desserts – lower in calories, sugar, and fat than apple pie and rich in nutrients and phytochemicals from both the pumpkin itself and the pumpkin pie spices. Pumpkin spice lattes are also a seasonal delight. Be aware however, that a Starbucks Grande pumpkin spice latte has about 32 grams of added sugar, which is more than half the amount recommended for an entire day. Enjoy a few while they are available, but also consider ways to add some actual pumpkin to your diet. Like pumpkin? Check out our Pumpkin Spice Waffles recipe Mary Recommends: As an Amazon Associate FibonacciMD earns from qualifying purchases. Ready to celebrate autumn? Elevate your baking (and coffee!) with The Spice Way Pumpkin Pie Spice  blend. This generous 8 oz seasoning combines five perfect spices—Cinnamon, Ginger, Nutmeg, Cloves, and Allspice—to bring the warmth and health benefits of the season right to your kitchen. [ https://amzn.to/4acqDfM ] Sources [1] Division of Plant Sciences Pumpkin: A Brief History // Missouri Environment and Garden News Article // Integrated Pest Management, University of Missouri. October 13, 2013. Accessed October 8, 2023. https://ipm.missouri.edu/meg/2013/10/Pumpkin-A-Brief-History/. [2] Cinnamon. National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. Accessed October 8, 2023. https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/cinnamon. [3] Five spices with healthy benefits. Johns Hopkins Medicine. November 4, 2021. Accessed October 8, 2023. https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/5-spices-with-healthy-benefits. [4] Smeriglio A, Nisar M, Khadim M, Rafiq M, Chen J, et al. Pharmacological Properties and Health Benefits of Eugenol: A Comprehensive Review. Oxidative Medicine and Cellular Longevity https://doi.org/10.1155/2021/2497354 Initially posted 10/2023

Our Registered Dietitian’s go-to savory tart for easy, healthier hosting. This Simple Savory Tart, crafted by our Registered Dietitian, shows how easy it is to elevate any occasion with a health-conscious appetizer. Creative Cooking for the Health-Conscious Gourmet FibonacciRECIPES  | Culinary Medicine   Low-Fat | Low-Carb | Low-Cholesterol Mary B Grosvenor, MS, RD Medically Reviewed by FibonacciMD editors. This tart makes a beautiful appetizer for any occasion. Using frozen puff pastry as the base makes it easy to prepare. While this recipe calls for peppers and asparagus, you can substitute almost any vegetables that you have available. Get creative when arranging the veggies to add an aesthetic flourish. Ingredients 1 sheet (~250 g) frozen puff pastry* 2 ounces herb garlic cheese* ¼ cup gruyere cheese, shredded 12-15 asparagus spears 1 shallot* 3 sweet red mini peppers 1 tsp butter ¼ tsp salt ¼ tsp black pepper Instructions Thaw 1 sheet of puff pasty at room temperature for about 30 minutes. Remove cheese from refrigerator and allow to come to room temperature. Trim hard ends off asparagus. Slice shallot and peppers.  Preheat the oven to 400°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  Once thawed, unfold the puff pastry sheet on a lightly floured surface and smooth with a rolling pin.  Using a sharp knife, make a shallow cut along each side of the pastry square to create a ½-inch wide border. Prick the interior with a fork every inch or so (This helps prevent the center from rising too much).  Place the pastry on the prepared baking sheet and bake 10-12 minutes, until the edges are golden. Remove from oven and cool slightly. If the center of the pastry is puffed, press it down slightly with the back of a large spoon.  Place asparagus in a fry plan with a few ounces of water and simmer for about 5 minutes. Drain water and add the butter, shallots, and red mini peppers. Sauté for about 3 minutes until vegetables start to soften. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Gently spread the herb garlic cheese onto the puff pastry. Sprinkle with the shredded gruyere. Arrange the asparagus, peppers and shallot onto the cheese-covered pastry. Return to oven on the baking sheet and cook for 10-12 minutes until edges are lightly browned. Serve warm or at room temperature. Makes 12 appetizer-size servings Nutrition Information per serving Calories 100, Fat 6.8g, Saturated fat 3.5g, Cholesterol 20mg, Carbohydrate 14g, Fiber 0.5g, Protein 2g, Sodium 130mg, Potassium 70mg * Notes  If you don’t have shallots, scallions or finely diced onions also work well. I used Boursin garlic and fine herbs cheese in this recipe  I used Pepperidge Farms Puff pastry sheets because they are lower in saturated fat than many other brands Editor’s comment - This recipe is relatively low in saturated fats, carbs and cholesterol. Mary Recommends: As an Amazon Associate FibonacciMD earns from qualifying purchases. Stop using a fork to manually prick your puff pastry! This 2-Piece Dough Roller and Docker Set  is the perfect upgrade for this recipe. The pro-grade dough docker ’s 100+ pins keep your crust flat and bubble-free, while the wood rolling pin makes smoothing and shaping effortless. Save time and get bakery-quality results every time. [ https://amzn.to/48dUL7V ] Further Elevate Your Holiday Serving:  Make your Simple Savory Tart a festive centerpiece! This 10.5-inch Spode Christmas Tree Cake Server  features a durable stainless steel blade perfect for cleanly slicing quiches and savory tarts, while the classic porcelain handle adds elegant, nostalgic charm to your holiday appetizer table. [ https://amzn.to/49Bx8bX ] Another health-conscious tart recipes: Winter Berry Tart Recipe

Navigating Food Labels, Claims, and Apps to Build a Healthful Eating Pattern Learn how to navigate food labels, government claims, and apps to choose the best packaged foods for a healthy, whole-food diet. Culinary Medicine   by Lori A Smolin, PhD    and Mary B Grosvenor, MS, RD   A healthy diet is based on healthy foods. These are whole or minimally processed foods, such as a fresh tomato, an egg, or a bowl of oatmeal. Most of us want to choose healthy foods, but unless you can spend most of your day preparing meals, you probably also include some packaged processed foods. Determining which packaged foods are the best choices and how to incorporate them into a healthy diet can be a challenge. Are peaches still healthy when they are canned in heavy syrup, or baked into a pie? What about tomatoes in a jar of spaghetti sauce that has added salt and sugar?  What Determines if a Food is Healthy?  While there is no black and white definition, a healthy food is one that helps maximize your intake of essential nutrients while minimizing components that increase your health risks. Whole foods are likely to meet this definition because processing causes the loss of some nutrients and frequently adds sugars, saturated fat, and sodium, which are not considered healthy because excesses of these contribute to obesity, heart disease, diabetes, and high blood pressure, the chronic diseases that plague our modern world. So, when choosing a healthy food, look for ones that are good sources of essential nutrients and contain limited amounts of added sugars, saturated fat, and sodium.   There are also individual considerations when choosing healthy foods. What is healthy for you is impacted by your family history, medical history, and ideological concerns.  For example, if your family history puts you at risk for heart disease, you may be particularly focused on your limiting your saturated fat intake. If you are allergic to peanuts, foods that contain them are not healthy for you. If you are concerned about the environmental impact of raising cattle, you won’t choose beef. If you prefer to avoid genetically modified (GM) foods and those containing additives, you will exclude these from your healthy choices. Finding Healthy Foods   When sorting out healthy packaged foods, food labels are a good place to start. Most packaged foods are required to provide a Nutrition Facts panel on the back or side of the package. This is helpful if you are looking for information on specific nutrients. For example, if you are trying to limit your sodium intake or increase the calcium in your diet, you can find information about the amounts of these nutrients in the Nutrition Facts. Food packages also include an Ingredient List, which presents the contents of the product in order of their prominence by weight. This information is important if you are trying to limit additives or if you have a food allergy. Despite how helpful food labels are in finding specific nutrients or ingredients, they do not provide the full picture of the healthfulness of a food in a readily accessible format.  Unlock Your Personalized "Healthy Diet" As an Amazon Associate FibonacciMD earns from qualifying purchases. Stop guessing—start understanding your body’s unique needs! This comprehensive tracker helps you: ✅ Track everything:  meals, portions, water, sleep, and exercise. ✅ Pinpoint issues:  log symptoms, reactions, and digestion. ✅ Personalize your plan:  perfect for IBS, Low FODMAP, Keto, Paleo, and more. Take control of your health—click below to begin your personalized healthy diet journey! ➡️ [ https://amzn.to/3LzNVC3 ] The word “healthy” on the front of a food package provides an easy way to identify it as a good choice. The FDA allows the healthy claim on foods that contribute a significant amount from at least one food group, such as dairy or vegetables, and do not contain too much saturated fat, sodium, or added sugars.[1] For example, a 2/3-cup serving of plain, low-fat yogurt can carry the “healthy” claim because it provides a serving from the dairy group and is low in the nutrients we need to limit. While “healthy” on the package can be helpful, this claim is voluntary, so not all healthy foods will have it.   To make finding healthy foods easier, the FDA is considering adding a simple symbol on the label of products that meet the definition of “healthy.”  Similar types of symbols are already used on food labels in many other countries to help identify healthy foods. For example, in Canada, packaged foods have a graphic indicating whether the food is high in saturated fat, added sugars, or sodium.[2] And in the United Kingdom, the amounts of calories, fat, saturated fat, sugar, and salt are presented in color-coded boxes.[3] If the box is green, the food is low in a nutrient we should limit. An amber box shows that the food is moderate in a nutrient of concern and red indicates that the food is higher than recommended.[4] So, a food that has all or mostly green boxes on the label is a healthier choice than one with red or amber boxes. This traffic light approach has been shown to improve consumer’s ability to recognize healthy foods, although whether they are effective in promoting healthy eating is less clear.[4] In addition to government efforts to make food labeling more helpful, there are also several commercial apps available to help consumers identify healthy foods. These apps allow you to scan a product label to see how it rates nutritionally. While different apps consider slightly different aspects of the food, they generally evaluate the amounts of calories, sodium, sugar, and saturated fat the food contains; some also assess the degree of processing, the contributions from different food groups, and the use of additives.[5,6]  These are helpful for those who have a smart phone and are willing to scan foods before purchasing or consuming them. Although food scanner apps provide consumers with more information, they have not been shown to improve eating habits.[7,8] Food Guides for Planning a Healthy Diet  Food labels, the “healthy” claim, and apps can be helpful in determining whether a food is healthy, but they do not tell you how to assemble a healthy diet. For example, fresh tomatoes are a healthy food, but eating only tomatoes would not result in a healthy diet because you would be lacking in nutrients such as protein and vitamin B 12  and, most likely, in calories as well. A healthy diet includes the right combinations and proportions of a variety of foods.  Food guides are tools designed to help us choose combinations of foods that make up a nutritionally sound diet. In general, food guides divide foods into food groups and recommend a certain number of servings from each of these groups. For example, to assemble a diet that provides 2200 calories, you would include 2 servings of fruit, 3 of vegetables, 3 of dairy, 7 of grains, and 6 of protein foods. There are a number of food guides that can be used to choose a healthy diet, including the DASH diet, the Mediterranean diet, and MyPlate. And there are apps for these too – a quick internet search will take you there. Food guides tell you the number of servings from each food group that makes up a healthy dietary pattern, but it is up to you to choose healthy foods from within each group. Brown rice and donuts are both in the grains group, but they are not equivalently healthy choices. This does not mean you can never have a donut. No one food makes or breaks a healthy diet; you can still eat a healthy diet if you choose the donut as an occasional treat.  Because no one food provides everything we need, variety is key to a healthy dietary pattern. Aim for a variety of food groups as well as a variety of foods within each group. Balance and moderation are also important; less healthy choices need to be offset by healthier ones, so the overall dietary pattern provides all the nutrients you need and does not increase your health risks. When perusing your refrigerator, grocery store, or restaurant options you may not always choose the healthiest food, but you can usually find a healthier option. For example, for a serving of dairy and fruit, plain nonfat yogurt topped with fresh strawberries provides a heathy option, but this choice takes some effort to prepare.  A container of strawberry yogurt is more convenient but is higher in added sugar. However, the container of yogurt is a healthier choice than strawberry ice cream, which is higher in saturated fat and calories. Likewise, when you are rushing to make dinner, pasta served with sauce that came from a jar and meatballs you bought frozen is an easy meal that provides choices from the protein, grains, and vegetable groups. It may not be as healthy as the same meal made from scratch, but it is a healthier choice than stopping for a fast-food burger and fries. You could make this meal even healthier by using whole-grain or legume pasta and adding some vegetables or a fruit salad; the produce does not have to be fresh; frozen is also a heathy option.  Putting it All Together A healthy diet is a pattern of eating that provides the energy and nutrients we need in the right proportion to promote health, while limiting nutrients and other substances that increase risks. To assemble a healthy diet, focus on fresh, minimally processed foods and use food labels, the “healthy” claim, and/or apps to find the best choices when selecting packaged foods. While including healthy foods in the right proportions from each of the food groups is ideal, do not panic if you do not always meet this goal. It is your average intake over a period of days or weeks that determines if your overall diet is healthy. With a little planning, you can achieve this with a balance of fresh and processed foods and not spend all your time in the kitchen or break the bank. References [1] U.S. Food and Drug Administration. A Fresh Take on What “Healthy” Means on Food Packages. Updated February 24, 2025.  https://www.fda.gov/consumers/consumer-updates/fresh-take-what-healthy-means-food-packages‌ [2] Government of Canada. Nutrition Labelling: Front of Package labelling. Updated September 3, 2025. https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/food-nutrition/nutrition-labelling/front-package.html [3] NHS. Food Labels. Updated September 16, 2022.   https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/eat-well/food-guidelines-and-food-labels/how-to-read-food-labels/ [4] Kunz S, Haasova S, Rieß J, Florack A. Beyond Healthiness: The Impact of Traffic Light Labels on Taste Expectations and Purchase Intentions.  Foods . 2020;9(2):134. doi: https://doi.org/10.3390/foods9020134 [5] GoCoCo. GoCoCo Scoring. The science behind how healthy your food is. Gococo.app . Published 2025. Accessed October 19, 2025. https://www.gococo.app/gococo-scoring [6] Marks Purnode M. Healthy New You: the Yuka app – review. World Cancer Research Fund. Published January 26, 2024. https://www.wcrf.org/about-us/news-and-blogs/healthy-new-you-the-yuka-app-review/‌ [7] Werle COC, Gauthier C, Yamim AP, Bally F. How a food scanner app influences healthy food choice.  Appetite. 2024;200:107571-107571. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appet.2024.107571‌ [8] Cornudet C, Laporte M-E, Berger‐Remy F, Parguel B, Richet J-L. When food scanner apps outperform front‐of‐pack nutrition labels: a conditional process model to foster healthier food choices in times of growing distrust. Psychology and Marketing. Published online March 26, 2025. doi: https://doi.org/10.1002/mar.22214 .

A health-conscious take on a classic comfort: portion-controlled, cinnamon-infused coffee cake muffins. Creative Cooking for the Health-Conscious Gourmet FibonacciRECIPES  | Culinary Medicine   Lacto-Ovo-Vegetarian | Moderate-Carb Nutrition Chef Authors: Mary B Grosvenor, MS, RD Medically Reviewed by FibonacciMD editors. Served warm alongside a cup of coffee, this cinnamon-infused recipe might bring back memories of your grandmother’s kitchen.  Adapting this old-fashioned coffee cake recipe to muffins offers a delicious way to help keep your portions under control.  Ingredients 1 cup flour ½ tsp baking powder 1/4 tsp salt 3/8 cup butter, softened ½ cup white sugar 1 egg 1 tsp vanilla ½ cup buttermilk 2 tbsp cup chopped walnuts 1 + ½ tsp cinnamon 2 tbsp brown sugar Instructions Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Prepare muffin tin with cupcake liners or cooking spray Mix together walnuts, brown sugar and ½ tsp cinnamon, set aside Combine flour, salt, baking powder and 1 tsp cinnamon, set aside In large bowl, mix butter and white sugar until fluffy Add egg and vanilla to the butter and white sugar batter and mix until combined Add the flour mixture and the buttermilk to the batter mix until smooth  Spoon batter into each muffin cup to 1/3 full Using ½ of the walnut mixture, sprinkle a small amount onto each muffin Add remaining batter to muffin cups, then top with the other half of walnut mixture Bake in preheated oven for 20-25 minutes, until tops are golden Cool for at least 10 minutes before serving. Notes: This recipe can be made without an electric mixer by melting the butter first If you don’t have a muffin tin, you can make this in a greased 8x8 pan, bake for 25-30 minutes, until toothpick inserted 1 inch from edge comes out clean. Cut into 8 pieces Editor’s Note- moderate carbohydrates and not low fat.  Appropriate for lacto-ovo-vegetarian dietary regimen. Permission granted, eat guilt-free. Makes 8 muffins servings Nutrition information per muffin  Calories 230, Fat 12g, Saturated fat 6g, Cholesterol 45mg, Carbohydrate 28g, Fiber 1.1g,  Protein 3.6g, Sodium 440mg, Potassium 76mg Mary Recommends: As an Amazon Associate FibonacciMD earns from qualifying purchases. Unbleached Natural Tulip Baking Cups (200 Pcs) [ https://amzn.to/4hTilLW ] As a Registered Dietitian, I love these tulip liners because they help with mindful eating  and clean baking . Elevate Portions:  The elegant shape makes a single muffin feel gourmet and satisfying, supporting portion control  without sacrificing experience. Clean & Natural:  Made with unbleached parchment , they eliminate the need for extra grease or cooking spray in your tin. Perfect Presentation:  They ensure a clean release  every time and beautifully showcase the cinnamon topping for a rustic, artisan look. read Coffee: More Than Just a Morning Cup while munching on these coffee cake muffins and sipping coffee. more health-conscious recipes: Winter Berry Tart Yogurt Parfait Oven Pancake with Roasted Cherries and more on Culinary Medicine Recipes

Why the Bright Green Powder of Matcha is Suddenly Everywhere and What it Does for Your Health Culinary Medicine by Mary B Grosvenor, MS, RD photo by Mary B. Grosvenor You are a coffee person. Why then is your barista offering you matcha green tea powder? Matcha may seem like an odd thing to have with, or instead of, your coffee, but the green powder is a growing trend among coffee shop offerings. Sales are projected to reach over 3 billion dollars this year.[1] Matcha is known for both its vibrant green color and its potential health benefits. Are you willing to give it a try? Matcha is not just green tea All matcha is green tea, but not all green tea is matcha. Matcha is a finely ground powder made from a specific plant grown in a specific way.  Most green tea is sun-grown and prepared by steeping the leaves in hot water. Matcha is made only from Camellia sinensis  plants grown in the shade for most of their growing period and then ground into a fine powder. [2,3]  Instead of steeping, the matcha powder is whisked into water to produce a smooth, frothy beverage. The process produces a unique and much less bitter product with an iconic green color. [2] photo by Mary B. Grosvenor This specialized form of green tea is part of the traditional chanoyu Japanese tea ceremony, based on principles of harmony, respect, purity, and tranquility. [4]  The process of making matcha also enhances the development of biologically active compounds that provide benefits to physical and mental health. [2,5,6]  Health Benefits of Matcha Matcha powder is consumed in small amounts - the typical serving is about 1 gram - so it does not contribute significant amounts of calories or nutrients. However, it does provide a variety of health promoting substances, including antioxidants, caffeine, and the amino acid, theanine.  Catechins are a type of antioxidant found in matcha that have been shown to reduce LDL cholesterol and blood pressure. [7] Rutin and quercetin are two other antioxidants in matcha; rutin has anti-inflammatory properties and quercetin helps regulate blood glucose and reduces the risks associated with diabetes.[2] Matcha also contains caffeine. Caffeine is a stimulant that gives us a brief boost in cognition and memory; its effects peak in about 30 minutes after consuming it. In moderate doses caffeine has health benefits including potentially reducing the risks of dementia, Parkinson’s disease, diabetes, kidney disease, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, and some types of cancer. [8]  In high doses, caffeine can also cause negative side effects like nervousness and anxiety. The effect of caffeine consumed in matcha however is modulated by theanine, which alleviates anxiety. The combination of caffeine and theanine may enhance concentration more than either compound alone.[2,6] Adding matcha to your day There are many ways to use matcha powder. You can choose it as a refreshing iced beverage on a balmy day or sip it warm on a rainy afternoon, just sift about a teaspoon of matcha powder into 2 to 4 ounces of water or milk.  If you miss the coffee flavor, you can just blend the powder into your coffee latte. You can also add it into your smoothie, sprinkle it on your cereal or yogurt, stir it into salad dressing, or shake some onto your donut or popcorn. Do not forget that it contains caffeine, about the amount in half a cup of coffee. And keep your intake at no more than 1 to 3 grams a day as any more than this can interfere with iron absorption and increase your potential exposure to contaminants such as pesticides.   [9,10]  No matter how you enjoy it, beautiful green matcha will be a healthy boost to your day. Mary Recommends: As an Amazon Associate FibonacciMD earns from qualifying purchases. Love the Matcha Buzz? Try the Best! Mary's article highlights matcha's focus and health power , so get the authentic experience with Jade Leaf Matcha - Ceremonial Grade Powder , a USDA Organic  product sourced from Uji, Japan , that uses natural L-Theanine and caffeine  for smooth, sustained energy with no jitters  and is packed with EGCG  for its antioxidant power.    https://amzn.to/46WUBCK References [1] More A. Matcha Market Report: USD 5.8 Bn by 2034 at 6.1% CAGR. Market.us News. Published May 28, 2025. https://www.news.market.us/matcha-market-news/ ‌ [2] Kochman J, Jakubczyk K, Antoniewicz J, Mruk H, Janda K. Health Benefits and Chemical Composition of Matcha Green Tea: A Review. Molecules. 2020;26(1):85. doi: https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules26010085 ‌ [3] International Organization for Standardization Matcha tea — Definition and characteristics Published   April 2022 https://www.iso.org/standard/80777.html [4] Japanese Tea Ceremony a Complete Guide. Nio Teas. Published April 8, 2022. https://nioteas.com/blogs/japanese-tea/japanese-tea-ceremony-guide ‌ [5] Matcha — Even More Powerful Than Regular Green Tea? Healthline. Published February 22, 2019. https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/matcha-green-tea#what-it-is ‌ [6] Wang L, Brennan M, Li S, Zhao H, Lange KW, Brennan C. How does the tea L-theanine buffer stress and anxiety. Food Science and Human Wellness. 2022;11(3):467-475. doi:https://  doi.org/10.1016/j.fshw.2021.12.004