I weaned myself off Ibuprofin as a pre-game ritual. Good thing, it turns out, as it looks like it does more harm than good.

Two quick hits in defense of Michael Phelps: What Michael Phelps Should Have Said and Boycott Kellogg’s.

Mmmm.. donuts:

In the experiment, 43 rats were placed in cages with two levers, one of which delivered an intravenous dose of cocaine and the other a sip of highly sweetened water. At the end of the 15-day trial, 40 of the rats consistently chose saccharin instead of cocaine.

Sure, it's rats. Hard to know how much this correlates with human experience. But for me at least (and I know I'm not unique) sugar is a powerful addiction. I haven't had any first-hand experience with other addictions, but I know I've been unable (so far) to kick this one. I've gone for stretches, but never more than a few weeks, and usually never more than a couple days. Binges are rare, but also happen. I'm very well-informed as to how harmful it is, and yet I rationalize, cave, etc. It's an addiction, just like any other. Alcohol, tobacco, sugar, coke, what have you. They all hook you hard, they're all bad for you, and, insidiously, they all (generally) kill you very, very slowly, so you can build a (shortened) lifetime out of saying "just this once...", "I've been good", "I'm depressed", "it's not that bad", etc.

At Pinnacle Fitness, The effect of NSAIDs such as aspirin, ibuprofen, and acetaminophen on muscle growth:

A group in 2001, however, using eccentric contractions in human subjects to induce muscle damage, showed that post-exercise NSAID use drastically reduced the increase in protein synthesis normally seen in response to muscle damage. This study is relevant to real workouts because the researchers used a model for muscle damage that is very similar to what what happens during a normal weight training workout and the doses of NSAIDs used in the study were normal therapeutic doses, not unlike those that most people would take for a headache or after a tough workout for soreness

Also read the piece at Again Faster, via which I found the link above.

Way to mass produce key bird flu drug revealed:

The biggest hope for saving people at the start of a bird flu pandemic, before a vaccine is available, is the antiviral drug Tamiflu - but the drug is hard to make and stocks are limited. That could soon end: a Nobel prize-winning chemist has devised a straightforward method for making Tamiflu, and has not patented it.

Very cool. Of course, the big disasters are never the ones you plan for, so it won't be the bird flu, it'll be an asteroid.

In the drugstore yesterday, Vicky watched the lady behind the counter make some guy provide ID to buy cough medicine. She then recorded his license number, address, etc. Says she's required to do that now because you can "abuse" cough medicine.

The next guy in line bought his four packs of smokes without having to jump through any hoops.