Stealthing: Surveys won’t reveal it, trash might

A recent article in a law journal has drawn considerable attention to ‘stealthing‘: when a man secretly removes his condom and continues having sex. Aside from being a heinous violation of trust and hygiene, stealthing reveals one of the many weaknesses in surveys of condom use in East Africa. In short, people could answer honestly that they used condoms.

One of the many problems with condom-use surveys – aside from the rampant lying – is that they don’t ask how condoms are used.

Vitamin B6 for ME/CFS: Works for me

Recent research suggests that levels of vitamin B6 in the gut distinguish sufferers of ME/CFS (myalgic encephalomyelitis, aka chronic fatigue syndrome) from healthy people. “Good enough!” says I, “I’ll give it a shot.”

First, though, I looked for information on the most effective form and dosage. Here’s what I found:

Their goal is inclusive, so why not the app?

Recently, while searching for a story to report about world-changing, I read a press release about MyGIHealth, which seemed quite promising. As I understood it, people with gastrointestinal problems could use a free app or website to record their symptoms, get meaningful medical feedback, and share a rich record with their physicians. This seemed like a great way to help.

And probably it is for thousands of people. But it works fully only as an iOS app, so large numbers of potential users, including me, are shut out. Surely this results from a mismatch of goals and activities.

Garbology for research on condom use

Recently I completed a systematic review of research explaining patterns of condom use in five East African countries. The most basic conclusion is that researchers failed to answer this vital question. The most informative projects employed ethnographic participant-observation, and future researchers should emphasize this methodology – as opposed to the current focus on surveys, on which people demonstrably lie in large numbers. All of this is detailed in my comprehensive report, which is freely available online.

Nonetheless, participant-observation has its weaknesses, and one of these is in producing stats. Numerical evidence of trends is important for understanding whether a public-health program is working, and it’s something that policymakers and journalists expect. Since asking people directly about their sex lives yields disastrously unreliable answers, less-direct methods are needed.

Hadza agree: do more and live longer

Can the Hadza, a group of hunters and gatherers, help us understand how to maintain cardiovascular health? A recent study claims that the answer is yes, in two ways. First, we can correlate their health to their levels of activity. Second, we can extrapolate from these present-day hunters and gatherers to the thousands of generations in which the common ancestors of all humans lived similarly. That is, we can say that humanity evolved to thrive under certain levels of activity.

Condoms haven’t ended HIV – but reduce it

A recent article in the New York Times included a dangerously misleading passage:

Funding decisions for H.I.V. prevention have long been mired in an ideological battle pitting condoms versus abstinence. But experts note that the conflict is fading: Neither condoms nor abstinence has stopped the AIDS epidemic among gay Americans or heterosexual Africans.

What’s wrong here?

Low cell metabolism plagues ME/CFS sufferers

Myalgic encephalomyelitis, commonly known as chronic fatigue syndrome or ME/CFS, is a disease of many mysteries. Even the most fundamental questions remain unanswered: how does ME/CFS develop, and how can patients recover?

Researchers across the globe are addressing different aspects of this enigma. They seek to uncover a fundamental disruption that underlies the array of symptoms – or at least to identify an exclusive test result, or biomarker, that a general practitioner could use in making a diagnosis. Some labs focus on immune function, others on the gut microbiome, aerobic energy, or brain inflammation, among others.

Promising results are common, but two recent studies of cell metabolism have garnered special attention for their potential in both aiding diagnoses and explaining what goes wrong.

Riding an electric bike with ME/CFS

Recently I rented an electric bicycle and rode it for three hours and twenty-seven miles. That was too much for me, but I’m excited about the bike for shorter rides. I thought I’d share my experience in case others with relatively moderate ME/CFS (myalgic encephalomyelitis, aka chronic fatigue syndrome) are considering buying one.

What it’s like to ride an electric bike

Recently, the Wife and I visited Lancaster County, PA – aka Amish country – and decided to take a self-guided bike tour around the farmland. This was possible, despite my chronic illness, because Intercourse Bike Works rents electric bikes. I rode a Specialized Turbo, taking it up and down rolling hills along smoothly paved country roads. Three hours and twenty-seven miles later, I’m practically an expert.

Does Fitbit One estimate calories accurately?

The basic answer is yes, at least if your main exercise is walking.

Tools of the trade

Recently, after a health issue reduced me to only walking, I purchased a Fitbit One to help me manage my weight. One of the gizmo’s selling points was its much heralded website, where I could keep track of calories consumed as well as those expended. From December 13 to January 21, I meticulously recorded everything I ate (literally counting each peanut) and wore the Fitbit at all times – even on my wrist as I slept. I also recorded my weight each morning before eating. Now I’ve taken this data and crunched some numbers.