Travel to Health

Go get the Shopper's Guide to Pesticides in Produce from Environmental Working Group. Here I list the top 14 (i.e., worst) and bottom 14 (i.e., safer) from the list (note that ranking varies each year and the list was accessed more than 10 years ago). For the top 14, buy organic to lower your exposure to pesticides. If you cannot afford organics, you can take a look at which produce is the safest to buy conventionally. To get the updated list, check out here . Rank Fruit or Vegetable 1 (worst) Peaches 2 Apples 3 Sweet Bell Peppers 4 Celery 5 Nectarines 6 Strawberrie...

U.S. FDA Import Refusal Reports from OASIS ( 2024–Present ) FDA enforces import regulations on foods entering the United States, including seafood. When a shipment fails risk‑based screening, sampling, testing, or document review, the agency can refuse entry. A refusal is the final action—products cannot enter U.S. commerce and must be destroyed, re‑exported, or otherwise disposed of. Common reasons for refusal include: Contaminants: heavy metals, pathogens, or chemical residues. Adulteration: unsafe or unfit products, including short‑weighting or undeclared ingredients. Mislabeling: incorrect species, misleading claims, improper net weight, or missing allergen information. Other issues: filth, decomposition, unsafe additives, or poor manufacturing practices. FDA Refusal Statistics Overview   The FDA tracks import refusals by “entry lines” in its  OASIS  system and reports them through the Import Refusals Report and related dashboards. For human foods, annual ref...

These are approximate averages for people on typical day/night schedules—your personal rhythm may vary based on chronotype, age, lifestyle, or health conditions Research increasingly shows that sleep duration and —more importantly— regularity are vital predictors of longevity . In fact, erratic sleep habits can elevate mortality risk as significantly as smoking, hypertension, or physical inactivity. While adults typically require 7–9 hours of sleep , consistency is key. A 2025 meta-analysis confirmed a "U-shaped" risk curve: consistently sleeping five hours or less, or significantly exceeding the recommended range, correlates with a 14–34% increase in mortality. However, total hours are only half the story. Emerging evidence suggests that a steady schedule is an even more potent predictor of health than duration alone . Disrupting this internal clock has severe consequences; night-shift workers, for instance, face much higher rates of chronic disease and cancer due to prol...

Typical Human Sleep Hypnogram: Progression of Sleep Stages Across Five Cycles (Light Sleep, Deep Sleep, and Increasing REM) What Insomnia Is Insomnia is a common sleep disorder marked by ongoing difficulty sleeping despite having enough time and opportunity. Symptoms fall into two groups: nighttime sleep problems and daytime consequences. Nighttime Symptoms Trouble falling asleep (taking >20–30 minutes). Trouble staying asleep with frequent awakenings. Waking too early and unable to return to sleep. Sleep that feels unrefreshing or poor‑quality. For a formal diagnosis, symptoms occur ≥3 nights/week for ≥3 months and cause distress or impairment. Daytime Symptoms Fatigue, low energy, or sleepiness. Difficulty concentrating, memory lapses, slower thinking, or more mistakes. Irritability, anxiety, low mood, or frustration about sleep. Reduced motivation, productivity, or performance; higher accident risk. Physical discomforts like headaches, tension, stomach issues, or feeling unwell. ...

Disclaimer: This article has been revised to incorporate recent scientific developments, including ongoing controversies and practical, inclusive consumer strategies. Pesticide risks are dose-dependent, and eating fruits/vegetables remains essential for health. Pesticides are substances designed to control pests, with nearly 11,000 products approved by the EPA for use in everything from agriculture to personal care. [1-4]  While these chemicals protect crops by poisoning target organisms, [25]   their widespread use has significantly impacted biodiversity, often stripping ecosystems of beneficial wildlife. “ Recent reporting warns that our pest ‑ control success has come at a steep ecological cost: in some Iowa cornfields, only cornstalks remain —no bees, no insects, nothing else. [5-7,40]  Other analyses show that widely used pesticides are driving steep declines in U.S. bird populations, accelerating a biodiversity loss that has been unfolding for more than fifty years...