Please help me fight multiple sclerosis!

Every hour of every day, someone is diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. I have a very personal reason for wanting a cure for MS found. Multiple Sclerosis has had a direct impact on my life, and I don't want other families to go through what mine has. My mother passed away in 20002 from Progressive-Relapsing MS.

That's why have I registered for the 2009 Bike MS ride, the Tour de Vine, and that's why I'm asking you to support my fund raising efforts with a tax-deductible donation of any amount, great or small, which helps to make a difference in the lives of people with MS.

Please pledge your support to me today!

Click here to visit my personal page.
I appreciate your support and look forward to letting you know how I do.

From Friday, June 12 through Sunday, June 14, 2009, I will be joining 800+ cyclists who will (hopefully) enjoy various length routes passing through Virginia’s famous wine country and the beautiful landscape of the Blue Ridge Mountains and supported throughout by hundreds of volunteers, in this year's 'Start to Finish MS Bike Ride', better know as The Tour de Vine. Lengths include a 25, 50,75, and 100 mile option for both Saturday and Sunday.

My Goal is to ride the 50 mile route each day.

People living with MS overcome challenges everyday: to walk, to have energy to go to the store, to have the will power not to give up. That is why it is so important to me that I support the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, and I need your help to turn my goal into a reality.I have accepted the challenge to raise funds in the fight against MS and you can help me get there.

Please pledge your support to me today!

Click here to visit my personal page.

If the text above does not appear as a clickable link, you can visit the web address:http://main.nationalmssociety.org/site/TR/Bike/VABBikeEvents?px=6297198&pg=personal&fr_id=10668&s_tafId=104521

If you would like more information about the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, how proceeds from Bike MS are used, or the other ways you can get involved in the fight against MS, please visit nationalmssociety.org

Drinking caffeine before strenuous bike rides reduces muscle pain, a new study suggests.

Reporting in the April edition of the International Journal of Sports Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism, Illinois professor Robert Motl describes how java comes to the rescue. He says caffeine works on a system in the brain and spinal cord called adenosine neuromodulatory that is involved in pain processing.

“Caffeine blocks adenosine from binding so you stop part of the pain receiving process,” he says. “We do not have the data to show how caffeine takes effect, but we do know the physiology of caffeine.” He said one of the next steps for his research team would be to conduct studies with rodents in order to better understand caffeine’s role in reducing pain.

His study involved 25 fit, college-aged males. One group had low to non-existent caffeine intake. The second group routinely drank three to four cups of coffee a day. Everyone was instructed not to drink coffee 24 hours prior to the session. For one session, they were given a caffeine pill, the equivalent of two to three cups of coffee. For the next session, they were given a placebo.
During both exercise sessions, riders were asked to record perceptions of quadricep pain. Motl says the results surprised him. Both habitual and “naive users,” or people who didn’t drink coffee, experienced less pain after taking the pill.

A former competitive cyclist, Motl says he would always meet other cyclists at coffee shops before they would ride so “we could get all loaded up. And wherever you go in Europe, you’ll see cyclists sipping on a shot of espresso or drinking their latte before riding.”

Motl thinks people intuitively know to drink coffee before riding because it makes the exercise less painful and they can push harder.

Photo of Motl with his bike and a cup of coffee by University of Illinois.

--By Janice Lloyd, USA TODAY

Update: WebMD has pretty much the same story

Have you seen Dave Zabriskie’s Nuts yet??!!??

Get your mind out of the gutter. I’m not talking about Dave Zabriskie’s gonads. I’m talking about Dave Zabriskie’s new chamois cream: DZNuts.

If you've been riding more than a few monts, you're no doubt acquainted with the nasty chaffing that can occur during even the easiest ride. DZ-NUTS ($22) is a high viscosity chamois cream that features green tea, evodia and masterwort designed to prevent friction in 'unfortunate places'.

If you know anything at all about Dave Z the you will know that he is quite the jokester, and has a great (or twisted) sense of humor, and he continues with that humor on his products

Dave hits us over the head with the 'taint' gag on the product box:

"Proper MAINTAINTANANCE of the perineal area is essential during high level training and racing. Nothing can ruin stage race success faster than an infected saddle sore."

It’s a good thing he bolded "taint," made it all caps, and put it in red, or I might’ve missed it.

Also listed are the men's "lube 'em or lose 'em" t-shirt or the women's "official applicator" t-shirt

Perineum-crushing bike seats give cycle cops "penile numbness" and erectile dysfunction...

A study by Dr. Steven Schrader of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health in Cincinnati and others concluded that the "nose" of a bicycle seat was implicated in "penile numbness" and erectile dysfunction in bicycle cops.

“For the first time, we have a prospective study of healthy policemen riding bikes on the job, using wider, no-nose bike saddles for 6 months. Not only did their sensation improve, their erectile function also improved. Changing saddles changed physiology. This is a landmark study for our field that that is important for future riders, and modification of lifestyle showing improvement without any active treatment.”

Via ScienceDaily.com

When I first started riding I used a 'standard' saddle, and let me tell you that the "perineal discomfort" of a bike seat was no fun at all, especially on rides over 50 miles. That is why I bought a 'love groove' saddle... Making things much better! I've seen some of those 'noseless saddles', but they all weigh over 2 lbs, and the last thing I need is more weight to drag uphill...

Personal Post...

I am not one to post a lot of 'personal related' information but I have been asked by the 1 or 2 'repeat' visitors why my blog posts have stopped over the last week or so.

I have not been feeling well the last few weeks. After a visit to the ER last week, I have been in a 'drug induced stupor'...

Well today I was diagnosed with a severe case of Viral Meningitis. Sadly there is not any medical treatment available except 'pain management', and my doctors have finally got that part taken care of... Oh the miracles of modern medicine!

So expect me to get back up to speed in the near future, and my normal flurry of posts will soon recommence, starting tonight...

Put the Pedal to the Medical...

Ok, no Flintstones jokes please…this is serious business.

Africans in rural areas often need ways to traverse vast distances to seek immediate medical attention. Most of the time a traditional ambulance or even any motorized vehicle is simply not available.

Designer Benoît Angibaud addresses this issue with his “Jaambaaro” pedal car design. The Jaambaaro is literally a pedal-car with a stretcher, driven by two persons pedaling and assisted by electrical power generated from solar energy.

Made of salvaged materials, and will hopefully fuel the local economy through localized manufacturing, thus making this vehicle not only sustainable but also fun for the kids. Yaabaadaabaadooo!

via Yanko Design

Post-exercise Caffeine Helps Muscles Refuel!

ScienceDaily (July 2, 2008) — Recipe to recover more quickly from exercise: Finish workout, eat pasta, and wash down with five or six cups of strong coffee.





Glycogen, the muscle's primary fuel source during exercise, is replenished more rapidly when athletes ingest both carbohydrate and caffeine following exhaustive exercise, new research shows. Athletes who ingested caffeine with carbohydrate had 66% more glycogen in their muscles four hours after finishing intense, glycogen-depleting exercise, compared to when they consumed carbohydrate alone, according to the study.



American Physiological Society (2008, July 2). Post-exercise Caffeine Helps Muscles Refuel. ScienceDaily. Retrieved July 2, 2008, from http://www.sciencedaily.com­ /releases/2008/07/080701083456.htm

Cyclist killed running red light...

Cyclist killed running red light Herald Sun: "A Cyclist was killed in a car crash on the Gold Coast after running a red light, police say.

The 33-year-old Miami man died at the intersection of the Gold Coast Highway and Dawn Parade, Miami, about 1am (AEST) today.

Police said initial investigations suggested the cyclist turned against a red arrow signal and into the path of a car."

Never, ever ignore posted traffic signals, especially a red light! Is your life worth the few seconds?

Car crashes into bike race; one dead

MONTERREY, Mexico (AP) -- A car plowed into a weekend bike race along a highway near the U.S.-Mexico border, killing one and injuring 10 others, police said.

The 28-year-old driver was apparently drunk and fell asleep when he crashed into the race, said police investigator Jose Alfredo Rodriguez.

A photograph taken by a city official showed bicyclists and equipment being hurled high into the air by the collision.

Rodriguez said Juan Campos was charged with killing Alejandro Alvarez, 37, of Monterrey.

Authorities said the wreck happened 15 minutes into the 34-kilometer (21 mile) race Sunday along a highway between Playa Bagdad and Matamoros, across from Brownsville, Texas.

Campos said he is an American citizen living in Brownsville. The U.S. Consulate could not immediately confirm that.

"We are looking into the incident in terms of whether American citizens were involved," consulate spokesman Todd Huizinga said.

Roll Your Own Homemade Herbal Teas

Lifehacker, tips and downloads for getting things done: "Country Living online details how to make your own herbal teas by mixing and matching ingredients from your herb garden or plants around the house for tasty and healthy results. The article runs down which flowers, herbs, bushes, and weeds are edible and drinkable and suggests a few mixes to get you started. If you've ever dabbled in homebrew teas, share your experience in the comments. Photo by Kanko*.

Homemade Herbal Teas [Country Living via TipNut]

Get Consistent Mental Energy with Smaller, Frequent Caffeine Breaks...

Think the best way to jump-start a project involves a large dark roast with extra shots? Think again, according to Wired magazine. As part of a roundup of mental boosters, one writer suggests that research has shown smaller, regular doses of caffeine—think tea breaks or half-cups of coffee—do more to boost alertness and reduce jitters than a large blast of the stuff:

Test subjects reported that periodic small shots made them feel clearheaded and calm, both of which enhance mental performance. Even better, add a lump of sugar or have a carbohydrate-rich snack at the same time for an extra cognitive kick. It seems that glucose and caffeine together do more to enhance cognition than either does alone.

Hit the Wired link to browse more tips for memorization, mood control and other brain boosters.
Caffeinate With Care: Small Shots Do a Brain Better Than Big Blasts [Wired]

Coffee may help stop the development of Multiple Sclerosis

Article from: AAP
By Tamara McLean

April 08, 2008 06:04pm

COFFEE may help stop the development of multiple sclerosis (MS), experiments on lab mice suggest.
US scientists have found they were able to protect rodents from the animal form of MS by feeding them the equivalent of six to eight cups of coffee a day.

About 15,000 Australians have the disease, caused by immune cells that infiltrate the brain and spinal cord, attacking them and causing damage.

A molecule called adenosine, which is involved in many of the body's biochemical processes, such as energy transfer and the promotion of sleep, is believed to be responsible for this process.

Caffeine is known to block the receptor of the molecule, so the team from Cornell University tested the stimulant on mice.

More >>

Another study that says coffee may be good for you...

Caffeine May Block High Cholesterol Linked to Alzheimer's

WEDNESDAY, April 9 (HealthDay News) -- A little caffeine every day could offer some protection from Alzheimer's disease for people with high cholesterol.

Rabbits given the daily caffeine equivalent of one cup of coffee and fed a cholesterol-rich diet for 12 weeks suffered relatively little damage in their blood-brain barrier (BBB), which protects the central nervous system from the rest of the body's circulation, new research found.

The findings were published in the open-access publication Journal of Neuroinflammation.

More >>

Fight Dementia With Coffee...

Coffee is good for you - why can’t people seem to get that? Though coffee does have its adverse effects, it does have good benefits! Yeah, I am biased, but this new research adds more proof to the concept that coffee can be good for the health.

According to research carried out by scientists from the North Dakota School of Medicine and Health Sciences, a coffee a day keeps dementia away. The findings of the research were published in the Journal of Neuroinflammation and showed that daily doses of caffeine prevents the destructive effects of high cholesterol levels, which have been linked to occurrences of dementia, of which Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form.

The scientists used rabbits in their study and gave the little critters 3 mg of caffeine daily. This is roundabouts a cup of coffee. The rabbits were also given a very rich cholesterol diet during the course of the study. The indicator used was the blood brain barrier – which was more significantly intact in the rabbits that were dosed with caffeine.

According to the report published by the Press Assocation:

Jonathan Geiger, of the University of North Dakota School of Medicine and Health Sciences, said: “For the first time we have shown that chronic ingestion of caffeine protects the blood brain barrier from cholesterol-induced leakage.”
He added: “Caffeine is a safe and readily available drug and its ability to stabilise the blood-brain barrier means it could have an important part to play in therapies against neurological disorders.”
The research confirms earlier studies showing that caffeine intake protects against memory loss in ageing and in Alzheimer’s disease.

I have always thought that coffee was good for my sanity – and I was right all along!

Is caffeine a legal stimulant which can be an endurance aid for activities?

Caffeine is a legal stimulant which can be an endurance aid for activities of > 30 minutes duration. It is a member of a group of compounds called methylxanthines found naturally in coffee beans, tea leaves, chocolate, cocoa beans, guarana, and cola (kola) nuts and similar to the asthma medication theophylline.

During prolonged exercise, the onset of fatigue correlates closely with the depletion of muscle glycogen stores (and is delayed if glycogen is spared). The metabolism of free fatty acids (FFA) as an alternative energy source can lead to decreased use of muscle glycogen. Caffeine can increase blood FFAs, and it is felt that this is its major method of action. In one study, caffeine produced a 50% increase in FFA at 3 to 4 hours. This effect was seen after 300 mg of caffeine (an average 6 ounce cup of brewed coffee contains 100 - 150 mg of caffeine but a Starbuck's 8 oz cup contrains 250 mg!).

There is speculation that some of its benefits may also be related to its central nervous system effect as a stimulant, and a recent study has demonstrated a direct positive effect on the muscle fiber itself via a mobilization of calcium from the sarcoplasmic reticulum with a reported 7% increase in power output over a 6 second cycle exercise task.

In one controlled study, subjects were able to perform for 90 minutes to fatigue as compared to 75 minutes in controls (a 20% increase) after the drinking the equivalent of 3 cups of coffee or 6 caffeinated colas 1 hour before, even though values for heart rate and oxygen uptake were similar in both groups. Another study, looking at performance with acute altitude change (4300 meters), demonstrated a 50% increase in performance with caffeine supplements. How this would help at lesser elevations, riding in the Rocky Mountains for example, is not clear.

The suggested dose of caffeine for the recreational rider is 5 mg per kg of body weight (range 3 - 9 mg/kg) taken 1 hour before the ride although some riders take smaller doses periodically throughout the ride itself. (Source - http://www.cptips.com/caff.htm)