Innovation When The Motivation = Lives Saved

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clean water, health, innovation, world

Well, well, well, good on you, NY Times… they seem to be doing a series of articles called “Small Fixes,” which cover innovative ideas that–so far–are working really well around the world to save lives. Most of these life-saving inventions revolve around things we here in the developed world take for granted. For example:

Clean Water: I myself have fantastic spring water at my house; I’ve even had friends bring their water bottles over and stock up on its fantasticness. Not so much in developing countries, but a Swiss company called LifeStraw is changing things. Read about it here and how it purifies water for individuals and families that don’t have access to clean water.

Lower Risk of Cervical Cancer: This particular treatment used by medical practitioners in Thailand sounds strangely like a home remedy; it involves simple household vinegar to detect the presence of cervical cancer in women. Used purely as a proactive solution, I love it.

There are a few more inventions and ideas that Times is talking about in their science section. You can find them in the left hand column if you click on the links to these articles. Hurray for smart and generous people!

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Coffee’s Terrible Reputation – Redeemed!

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coffee, health

Coffee has always been bashed for being supposedly unhealthy. At my local health food store, I can find scores of coffee alternatives and substitutes for those weaning themselves off the black stuff. When I make coffee in the morning, my partner jokingly refers to this process of cooking up my drugs. But it seems that critics might be too quick to call out the drink that is the most traded liquid after water and oil.

Undoubtedly caffeine can be an addictive substance, but more and more research is suggesting that coffee is actually good for you.

Take this recent article from BBC, for example. It seems we’ve discovered that coffee could, in fact, help prevent depression. Or this one from The Times which suggests that espresso in combination with an active lifestyle could help prevent skin cancer. Even Harvard has some good things to say.

Everything in moderation, of course. Though it’s redundant to say “too much coffee is bad for you.” (“Well of course too much is bad for you. Too much of anything is bad for you, you blithering twat – that’s what too much means. Too much water would be bad for you. Obviously, too much is precisely that quantity which is excessive – that’s what it means!” – so says Stephen Fry) But I don’t think it should come as any great surprise that a drink that has been drunk for hundreds, near thousands of years is a-okay.

Me, as I type, I have my second cup this morning next to me, now going cold. My great-grandmother, who lived to be nearly 101, drank a pot of coffee before going to bed.