I had a friend with a similar issue, but it was Dr. Pepper.
It helped him to find multiple other hydration methods that he liked ok or could choke down and then work to make them more convenient than the soda. He first committed to only keeping one can cold at a time. Stocked some fizzy waters and kept a container of lemon or lime to add to plain water. Most teas will last a few days in the fridge. Eventually he just stopped keeping any Dr. Pepper in the house. He also treated a full glass of water in the morning and with dinner like medicine. Just gulped it down.
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If she’s a sweet tea sorta lady, my friend from way down in the sweet tea part of the US has found Mugicha hits a lot of the same spots when cold.
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That looks worth a try. Thank you!
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The New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services on Monday linked the outbreak of the bacterial pneumonia – which is caused by inhaling water droplets contaminated with Legionella bacteria – to a cooling tower behind the RiverWalk Resort in downtown Lincoln.
“Anybody who has visited the area near the contaminated cooling tower should monitor themselves for symptoms,” Dr. Benjamin Chan, New Hampshire state epidemiologist, said in a DHHS statement.
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Turning 60 in a few months. Not listening to this! Blah, blah, blah i can’t hear you!
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So many thoughts and feelings about this. I’ve suspected for a long time that some percentage of people who are not obviously responsive are actually aware. These findings are both amazing in the possibility of identifying these people and terrifying given the realities of medical care in the US.
How many hospitals will have the time and resources to do these tests?
What insurance company is going to pay for the testing for hidden consciousness, much less the ongoing care? Hell, my supposedly good insurance won’t approve physical therapy for my frozen shoulder because sometime over the course of the next months/years it will (probably) resolve (mostly) on its own.
I keep thinking about someone helplessly hearing the discussions about when and whether to “let them go”.
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In an eye, the worms can cause mild symptoms, like redness and watering, but also severe problems, such as crusty lesions, corneal ulcers, and even blindness. While it’s mainly an infection seen in animals, in countries where the parasite is more established, it’s also seen in humans, mainly children and older people in low economic settings.
Sigh. Chalk up another “I have never even heard of that!” thing I need to brush up on. We are just south of PA, and as rapidly as this thig is spreading, I expect to start seeing it shortly. Sigh…
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Hopefully not, um, especially up close. 
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But there was another, more grave issue. Part of the reason that AMIE and most other medical AIs are not publicly available is what they do when they are wrong. And what they do is exactly what ChatGPT does: They try to con you into thinking they’re right.
AI-as-Dr.-House is a loser’s bet, and should be avoided. But we in the profession are getting bombarded with shit saying that it would decrease our risk because “if things go wrong, you are less likely to get sued if there was an AI in the diagnostic loop.” This is bullshit, and I am very glad that I will probably be retired before this becomes the norm.
The conclusion of the article I fully endorse:
“I would strongly advise against the general public using ChatGPT for medical advice at this time. There are some things that it does pretty well, but I think people should still be checking with their health care providers before making any health-related decisions based on ChatGPT,” Kirpalani said.
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So this is probably both a PSA and a BSA:
While de la Torre was living a lavish lifestyle, Steward hospitals faced dire situations—as they had for years. An investigation by the Senate HELP committee noted that Steward had shut down several hospitals in Massachusetts, Ohio, Arizona, and Texas between 2014 and this year, laying off thousands of health care workers and leaving communities in the lurch. It closed several pediatric wards in Massachusetts and Texas; in Florida, it closed neonatal units and eliminated maternity services. In Louisiana, Steward patients faced “immediate jeopardy.”
This asshole has been on a multi-state mission to destroy healthcare. I am not at all shocked that he seems to particularly target my specialty for elimination.
In 2021, while the COVID-19 pandemic strained hospitals, Steward distributed $111 million to shareholders. With de la Torre owning 73 percent of the company at the time, his share would have been around $81 million, the WSJ reported. That year, de la Torre bought a 190-foot yacht for $40 million. He also owns a $15 million custom-made luxury fishing boat called Jaruco . The Senate Help Committee, meanwhile, notes that a Steward affiliate owned two jets, one valued at $62 million and a second “backup” jet valued at $33 million.
But hey, profit!! So I guess it’s all OK, right!?!?
Private equity in action, folks. It kills everything it touches.
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I wonder how this compares to the average age at which kids, then grandkids, reach peak teenage-hood… or perhaps teenagers, then when grandkids arrive… 
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Side-effects PSA…
Chronic deja vu!
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The report did not try to quantify exactly how many IQ points might be lost at different levels of fluoride exposure. But some of the studies reviewed in the report suggested IQ was 2 to 5 points lower in children who’d had higher exposures.
But more and more studies have increasingly pointed to a different problem, suggesting a link between higher levels of fluoride and brain development. Researchers wondered about the impact on developing fetuses and very young children who might ingest water with baby formula. Studies in animals showed fluoride could impact neurochemistry cell function in brain regions responsible for learning, memory, executive function and behavior.
There is a very common mindset in this country that “if a little bit is good, then a more must be better.” This is almost never true, and once again, this study suggests it’s not true with fluoride. Does not mean that we should avoid fluoride, but does suggest that about 0.7 mg/L is the right range. But I guarantee that there will be lots of posts now about avoiding fluoride entirely, which is also a bad idea.
ETA: There are areas where the level of fluoride in ground water exceeds the recommended level, and y’all need to be aware of this if you have a well or spring as your water source. Municipal supplementation is monitored and (barring technical failures) should not be a concern. In my area, we have effectively 0 naturally occurring fluoride, but a colleague who practiced in GA told me he had a lot of kids with fluorosis because of this. Just an FYI, ba aware of the source of your water.
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Did somebody just mention … fluoridation?
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