It’s been a while since I’ve done a book review, and having just finished the collection by Timothy Zahn - Cobra Trilogy, the time seems ripe.

The Cobra Trilogy

I received Cobra Trilogy as a Christmas gift.  Having read the first two books in the trilogy many moons ago, getting the trilogy gave me a chance to finish off the series (or so I though, anyway).

The trilogy tells the story of the Moreau family, starting with Johnny Moreau.  Set in a future where Man has branched out to explore the Universe, our race now inhabits many planets, which are ruled collectively by the Dominion of Man.  Faced with an invading race, known as Trofts, the Dominion accepts volunteers for a newly formed military unit, called the Cobras.  Johnny Moreau is accepted to the unit, and undergoes a grueling surgical procedure, to find himself a living weapon.  With nearly unbreakable, laminated bones, servo motors in his joints, and an arsenal to rival a small military unit, he is the perfect guerilla warrior.  Indistinguishable from the general populace, he has a nano-computer implanted at the base of his brain that takes control and assesses threats, allowing him to respond faster than human thought.

Book 1 deals with Johnny’s entry into the war, and the exodus of the Trofts.  One would think with such a hero, designed for action sequences, that would be the thrust of the book.  However, the true thrust of the story isn’t the combat ability of the Cobras, but their re-integration into society.  Having successfully put a halt to the threat posed by the Trofts, how can the Dominion now deal with the warriors?  How can a government stay balanced, when an elite group possesses an exponentially greater amount of power than the general populace?

Book 2, Cobra Strike, examines the solution to that problem.  The Moreau family has moved on, with Johnny entering politics as a leader of the Cobras, and his son following in his footsteps.  Taking a leadership position among the Cobra elite, Justin Moreau steps to the forefront in assessing a new threat.  Not Trofts, but humans.  Having forgotten their roots, a world of humans that offers an insane paranoia and perfect cooperation poses a threat of unimaginable proportions, should they ever manage to re-discover interstellar travel and be in a position to threaten the Cobra worlds.  While many favor sending an overwhelming Cobra force to eliminate the threat entirely, Justin develops an alternative plan.  One he hopes will save the people of Quasama, and the Cobra forces.

Book 3, Cobra Bargain, deals with Jin Moreau’s desire to become the first woman to enter into the Cobra academy.  When her uncle places his governorship on the line to make that a reality, she becomes the cornerstone of a new mission to assess an unknown threat on Quasama.

In Cobra Trilogy, Timothy Zahn gets us to consider the social impact of our choices.  Although the Cobra forces are interesting in combat, that is by no means the thrust of this storyline.  If you enjoy this genre of science fiction, its a well written series, and recommended.

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Book Review: Timothy Zahn’s Cobra Trilogy

A friend recently sent me an article about the relationship between aspirin and hearing loss. In fact, all NSAIDs, and even tylenol, were implicated. The authors use the term ototoxicity, which was a new one to me, as well.  Pretty scary stuff if you’re a regular user of pain relievers for even minor aches and pains.

Tylenol, Aspirin And Hearing Loss

The use of over-the-counter medications for pain relief has become commonplace in society today.  In fact, there are many people who take Tylenol (acetaminophen), Motrin (naproxen), or aspirin for pain relief and inflammation.  I would hazard to guess that about every seasoned fitness nut has had their days taking one or more of these medications.  Most of us tend to think of them as being pretty benign.

According to the Merck Manual of Health & Aging, more than a quarter of adults will experience significant hearing loss by age 65.  Hearing loss, of course, reduces our ability to understand conversations, and can even present a safety hazard.  In some situations, those limitations eventually lead to feelings of isolation and depression.

Imagine my surprise when I encountered the term “ototoxicity” in relationship to tylenol and aspirin.  Ototoxic substances are damaging to the ear, resulting in significant hearing loss.  Some of the most frequently cited substances are drugs, including antibiotics like gentamycin, and certain heavy metals.  Many over-the-counter pain NSAIDs, such as aspirin, are included in this list, as well.

Researchers at Harvard decided to take a look at the exact ototoxic effects of some of these OTC drugs in men.  While the influence of NSAIDs has been suggested, and aspirin has apparently been well documented, the ototoxic effects of Tylenol were less clearly defined.

Their results were striking.  In men under age 60, regular users of aspirin were 33% more likely to suffer hearing loss than non-users.  In the case of other NSAIDs, regular users under the age of 50 were 61% more likely to suffer hearing loss, whereas that number dropped to 32% for users between 50-59 years of age, and 16% for users over the age of 60.  Users of acetaminophen older than age 50 were at similar risk of hearing loss to those of NSAIDs.  However, acetaminophen users under age 50 were 99% more likely to suffer hearing loss than non-users.

These are striking results.

Considering that these drugs are among the most heavily used analgesics in the world, the results have substantial implications.  Some studies suggest the results are reversible, if you stop taking the drug.  But considering some of the recommendations for NSAID use, and even low dose aspirin for heart health, these results shouldn’t be dismissed.

I know I’ll think twice before I start popping these daily.

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The Open Secret About Tylenol, Aspirin And Hearing Loss

When you’re trying to get started with weight loss, junk food cravings are the worst.  At least they were for me.  Even worse is the fact that frequently, after some success, they return with a vengeance, only to destroy our progress.  But science offers insight into why and how food cravings might be tamed.

How To Resist Junk Food Cravings

To address the question of how to resist junk food cravings, first we must understand ourselves.  One tidbit lies in the better understanding of how we deal with temptation.  For that, we can turn to some recent work unearthed by psychologists at Northwestern University.

The experiment researchers conducted was to gather a group of smokers.  They gave participants a test as a pretense to divide them randomly into two groups, telling one group they had tested as having “high” willpower, and the other they tested as “low” willpower.  This was all faked.  They then offered them a cash reward for holding an unlit cigarette while watching the movie Coffee and Cigarettes.  Holding the cigarette in your mouth yielded more cash than in your hand, on a nearby desk, or for the lowest reward, in a different room.  Light the cigarette and you lose the money.

Simple, right?

The group labeled as having “high” willpower was far more likely to try holding the cigarette in their mouth.  They were also three times more likely to fail.  By contrast, the group that was told they have “low” willpower took the conservative approach, choosing to avoid the temptation.

It’s called restraint bias.

It’s the belief that we’re able to control our impulse to give in to our cravings, and it helps explain why its so common to have some measure of success at kicking a habit, only to backslide.  For instance, why dieters tend to regain their lost weight.  A little success leads us to believe we’ve tamed our inner devils, and its safe to be around them again.

I’m guilty of this.

Back in 1996, I left school and started working.  I took up running and started the Atkins Diet.  Over a 9 month period, I lost a great deal of weight, it took about a year to gain it all back.  Its actually a pretty common phenomenon amongst dieters.

So what’s the solution?  How do you gain control of those food cravings?

The truth is — you don’t.  The best way to resist junk food cravings, or other cravings as well, is to avoid them entirely.  Most people who have had some measure of success at weight loss have done so by avoidance.  That is – not placing ourselves in a position to overeat.  Whether its avoiding the business luncheons or keeping junk food out of the house, we’ve reduced our exposure to the temptation to overeat, thereby reducing our calorie intake.

We fall back into poor eating habits after gaining some success, and thinking to ourselves, “…now, I’ll have just one.”  The first time, it will be just one, but the second, third, and fourth time, we’re eroding our ability to say “No.”

So, after you’ve tossed out the junk food, started skipping lunch with the guys, and swapped the mid-morning Snickers for a handful of almonds, you’ll start to lose weight.  You’ll be fitter and feel better.  That’s when those insidious cravings will start to creep in, and you’ll start to believe you can have “Just one.”  Your best bet?  Avoidance.  Don’t give yourself the opportunity to cave into those cravings.

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Why You Just Can’t Resist Those Junk Food Cravings