Dr Pepper News: 2008

When having a dinner party, a large aspect of its success is determined by the cocktails that you make available. You can really turn your party into a night to remember if you can expose your guests to some delicious drinks that they'll never forget. In this article, we'll relay some cocktail recipes that can surprise and impress your guests.

A commonly-used twist on a classic drink is known as the "Purple Haze". Based off of the Long Island Iced Tea recipe, the drink gets its name from the famous Jimi Hendrix song since it is purple in color. While the drink shares many of the same ingredients as a Long Island, it features a distinct taste that provides a good dose of alcohol while still tasting delicious. To make a Purple Haze, you're going to need the basic liquors that go into a Long Island - tequila, rum, vodka, and gin. In addition, you're going to need the secret ingredient that gives the Purple Haze it's color - Chambord, which is a raspberry-flavored cordial. You'll also need a lemon-lime flavored soda and sweet and sour mix.

To make a single Purple Haze, mix ½ oz of the four Long Island liquors with ½ oz of Chambord. Add in an ounce of sour mix, and top it off with a splash of lemon-lime soda for a little carbonation. That's all you have to do! The result is a drink that packs a punch while still being very delicious.

Are you looking for an adventurous cocktail that can really add some flair to the evening? The Flaming Dr. Pepper can be a great addition to an evening, especially for a Tiki-themed party. Be forewarned - the drink involves lighting a liquor on fire. The end result will shock you and your guests, however - it tastes almost exactly like Dr. Pepper!

To make a Flaming Dr. Pepper, you're going to need a bottle of 151 proof rum as well as a bottle of amaretto and plenty of light beer. The preparation of the drink can be easily ruined, so take heed for the following directions:

Take a shot glass and fill it ¾ full with amaretto. Top the shot with 151 - it should end up layered on top. Fill a pint glass halfway full with light beer. Now comes the showmanship part - using a lighter, carefully light the top of the shot on fire. The 151 will burn off the top of the shot, and once it's lit, you need to drop it into the pint glass. The concoction will fizz up, and you need to down it as soon as you can. By some act of God, the drink actually tastes amazingly like Dr. Pepper - shocking, considering there isn't a single non-alcoholic ingredient in the mix!

These two drinks can add a delicious and exciting aspect to your next get together. Exercise caution when making the Flaming Dr. Peppers, and be sure to take the keys of anyone who has been drinking too much. Enjoy!

I have written several times about the inability of our scientific community to solve the riddles of the treatment of hypo (low) thyroid function. In the most recent study trying to discover the best way to treat hypothyroidism, defective approaches in my opinion, again defeated the good intentions of researchers. The study “Small changes in thyroxine dosage do not produce measurable changes in hypothyroid symptoms, well-being, or quality of life” was published in the prestigious Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism.

This study was designed to examine the best doses of thyroid medication for treating hypo (low) thyroid function, and came to some startling conclusions. The first conclusion was that when treating patients with hypothyroidism adjusting the dose of thyroid medication does not affect the symptoms that these individuals had. Even more surprising was the conclusion that hypothyroidism (low thyroid levels) was not causing the symptoms the patients were complaining of.

For those who suffer from hypothyroidism and those whose job it is to treat these people, a study like this comes as a jolt of disappointment. Both groups are left wondering what they are to do next. For the treating physician, further doubt is shed on the rightness of continuing to adjust thyroid medication in response to patients’ complaints.

It is far easier to not find something than to find something. That seems like common sense. In a scientific study of disease treatment, it is far easier to not discover benefits of a new treatment than to find something that helps. There are two main reasons for not discovering something. The first reason is that whatever treatment being tested truly has little or no effect. The second reason is that the researcher is using insensitive methods to observe the effect. For example, even a large telescope will not see the brightest objects in the sky if the lens is dirty.

How do medical studies go wrong? Not having enough people in a study is a common reason. Another reason is using tools which are too insensitive to detect the effect of treatment. In studies of treatment of hypothyroidism like this one, it also seems common to produce a negative outcome by setting up the experiment backwards. Let’s look at these defects as they apply to the latest study.

The most disturbing trend in the study of hypothyroid treatment is using the backward approach to the questions. Most of these studies start by denying the existence of an almost universal observation, which is that patients respond to adjustment of thyroid hormone treatments. Instead, like this study, they start by asking, “Is there a response to thyroid hormone adjustment?” The authors of this newest study admit that not all patients treated with thyroxine (thyroid hormone) feel well. Other researchers have admitted that many of these sufferers respond to changes in thyroid hormone treatments. So why not ask a question like, “What are the differences between responders and non-responders in thyroid hormone treatment?” When studies using poor techniques can find no effects of treatment changes they deny the experience of patients and doctors alike. When these results become the medical gospel it causes doctors to be skeptical of their patients’ complaints and to feel that treatment adjustment is useless.

There can be no doubt of the profound effect of publications such as this study on doctor’s treatment perspective. I recently attended a conference of endocrinologists where this study was reviewed by an expert from Harvard University who was totally convinced of the study conclusions. Not one endocrinologist in the audience questioned the statement that adjustment of thyroid hormone treatment has no effect on patient complaints or that hypothyroidism causes symptoms at all. Skepticism of patient experience seems more acceptable than contradicting these experts.

Just a few more words on why I found the present study defective. The number of patients tested was 56 who were taking a wide range of doses of thyroid medication at the start of the study. The average endocrinologist can see two or thee times that number of thyroid patients in a single week. By comparison studies conducted by wealthy pharmaceutical companies can have many thousands of test subjects. Using a small number of very diverse patients to start with almost guarantees confusion in the results.

How reliable were the tools used to judge patient symptoms? The questionnaires used in this study are designed for general use in every clinical situation. It is a very good chance that these questionnaires are too insensitive to analyze the types of experiences that thyroid disease produces.

As I have concluded in the past when reviewing this type of study, the best hope for those suffering with hypothyroidism is to find an open minded endocrinologist who has faith in their own experience and the experience of their patients, and will use good judgment when adjusting thyroid hormone treatment in response to their patient’s history.

Article originally posted at Metabolism.com

You want to pass a kidney stone but you don't want to see the doctor... again! How about scheduling an appointment with Dr. Pepper? The reason why Dr. Pepper might be your next visit is because of the phosphoric acid remedy that is sweeping across the medical community.

First off, Dr. Pepper is simply a soft drink! However, it might be just what the doctor ordered because an acid it contains! Did you know that phosphoric acid could literally help dissolve your kidney stones? Recent research is pointing to the newest remedy to treat kidney stones naturally... acidic remedies!

What the Doctor Ordered

Millions of people want to pass their stones at this moment. Though they are extremely painful, they are surprisingly common in all areas across the globe. It is actually reported that an estimated 10% of people in the United States will have a kidney stone at some point in their lives.

With all this said, they are actually remarkably simple to pass. Most doctors recommend you drink lots of fluids to pass your stone. However, this only works if the stones are small enough. But what if you have multiple stones or they are simply too big?

Maybe it's time you try phosphoric acid and...

Pass a Kidney Stone with Phosphoric Acid

But what if it doesn't pass with drinking lots of water? Maybe you should think about an acid that works by dissolving them. And a common acid could be the answer to pass your stones in days.

Phosphoric acid is an acid that can be used in human consumption because of our digestive system. Our lined stomach has stomach acid that is more acidic than phosphoric acid. However, if this acid reaches the kidneys, you can actually dissolve calcium oxalate stones naturally.

This remedy was discovered after researchers found that sufferers can actually prevent kidney stones by drinking a daily soft drink (an addition to 8 glasses of water per day). Here is how the experiment was conducted.

After doctors found a link between colas and kidney stones, researchers conducted research on over 1000 men who suffered from kidney stones and drank at least 5 ounces of cola per day. During the 3 year experiment, half the men refrained from cola completely while the other half drank regular amounts of their cola of choice (containing phosphoric acid). After the 3 year period, drinkers of the soda were one-third less likely to experience a recurrence of kidney stones. And the men who stopped drinking soda, there was no effect (did not increase or decrease) on the recurrence of kidney stones. Researchers were baffled! Phosphoric Acid caused kidney stones and yet prevented kidney stones?

Pass a Kidney Stone Naturally

How much acid should you drink? After dissolving, how do you flush the broken up stones? What miracle vegetable has also been in the kidney stone news?

You are 24 hours away from being pain-free, worry-free and kidney stone free! If you are serious about naturally passing your kidney stone, please visit our website to see our 100% guaranteed Kidney Stone Remedy Report. We will help you dissolve and pass your kidney stone with a step by step remedy that uses 2 ingredients.

In fact, out of the last 300 kidney stone sufferers, 256 passed them naturally with our proven, researched remedy! To pass a kidney stone by tonight, please visit us today!

Sometimes when we are trying to lose weight, we tend to make the whole process out to be worse than it really needs to be. A lot of this has to do with the negative stereotypes that people have placed on the concept of a diet.

For example, you will often hear people describe dieting as “a struggle” or that it is “tough”. Even the famous cartoon fat cat, Garfield, describes DIET is “Die” with a “T”.

The truth is that losing weight doesn’t have to be a difficult process. What it really all boils down to is organization and creating a schedule of eating the same thing everyday. The keyword here is “planning” and the best part is that when you apply a schedule and plan to eat the same thing everyday, you can eat your favorite foods and still lose weight.

Our weight often fluctuates, increasing and decreasing, because we eat so many different foods at different times of the day. This unorganized way of eating can cause an imbalance and as a result, we fall into this trap of yo-yo dieting.

So by following the procedure below, you can easily see that through just some simple planning, you can lose weight and still eat your favorite foods.

To begin, follow these initial steps.

1. Get out a piece of paper and a pen.

2. Write down all the foods that you love to eat and title this your “Favorite Foods List”.

3. Then write down next to those foods how many calories each of those foods contains.

4. Assign those foods to the three meals of the day (breakfast, lunch, and dinner).

5. Make sure that the calories of you schedule is lower than your daily calorie maintenance level.

Let’s look at an example of my “Favorite Foods List” and their calories.

Snickers Bar = 350

Dr. Pepper = 150

Large Burrito w/sour cream = 700

Fruit Loops Cereal w/milk = 400

Cheeseburger = 500

Now, let’s look at how I have assigned those foods to my three meals of the day.

Breakfast

Fruit Loops Cereal w/milk = 400

Lunch

Cheeseburger = 500

Dr. Pepper = 150

Dinner

Large Burrito w/sour cream = 700

Dr. Pepper = 150

Snack

Snickers Bar = 350

As you can see from my schedule, if you total all the calories, this comes out to 2,250 calories for the total amount of calories that I will have consumed during the entire day.

I have already predetermined that my daily allowance of calories to stay at the same weight is 2500 calories. This is called my “daily calorie maintenance level” and it means that if regardless of what foods I eat, if I consume 2500 calories, I will neither gain, nor lose weight. I will stay at the same exact weight.

So you can see that when applying my eating schedule from above in comparison to my daily calorie maintenance level, I am consuming 250 calories less. The result of this is that I will, in effect, lose weight over an extended period of time.

If my daily calorie maintenance level is 1800 calories, then I could easily remove the Snickers Bar as my snack and replace the Dr. Pepper with Diet Dr. Pepper. This would then reduce my daily calorie intake to 1600 calories each day and I would be 200 calories under my daily maintenance calorie level allowing me to still lose weight.

Now you can see that losing weight doesn’t have to be so difficult. It’s really all about assigning a schedule to your day based on the calories of your favorite foods. By simply adjusting the portion size of your favorite foods, assigning them to the three meals of the day, and then following that schedule everyday, you are well on your way to losing the extra weight.