"doctors" news and stories

I started to feel lousy the day after Thanksgiving (stuffy head, dry throat, tired), and I've been eating a lot of chicken soup (chicken noodle soup, specifically), and I was wondering why we are supposed to eat the stuff when we are sick and why I immediately craved it once I got sick. Does it really have the power to cure you, or is it just an old wive's tale passed down through the decades?

Yahoo! Answers has the, well, answer. Sort of. There is no conclusive proof that chicken soup helps when you're sick, but Dr. Stephen Rennard tested his grandma's recipe and came to the conclusion that the soup inhibits inflammation in the nasal cavity. Drkoop.com and others say it has amino acids that help. Another doc says that it creates mucus that soothes the throat. Mmmmm...think of that the next time you're eating chicken soup. I've also heard that the starch in the noodles helps in some way.

Me? I just think it tastes really good, and really makes me feel good when I'm sick, especially on a chilly, late fall day.

Doctors in India have quelled the hunger of a man known to eat buckets of rice and curry in a single sitting, the Hindustan Times reports. For the 64-year-old man named Rappai, eating hundreds of idlis (steamed lentil biscuits, left) in competitions was no big deal. He was apparently the bane of all-you-can-eat restaurants in Thrissur and Kerala, where he earned the nickname Theeta or "monstrous eater." Digestive problems seem to have eventually caught up with Rappai, however, and his doctors have told him to cool it. He has agreed, much to the joy of the local restaurant community, says the HT.

Though pricey bills are another strong contender, hospital food is the number one complaint from patients and their families during a hospital stay. The meals that are presumably scientifically designed to be low fat, low sodium and necessary for a healthy recovery are also low in flavor and overall appeal. Some medical experts say that, perhaps as a result of cost-cutting over the past two decades, some hospitals make only a minimal attempt to make their food palatable. Instead of generating meals to the specific dietary needs of patients, one meal that is bland and basic enough to serve to the majority of people is provided.

But not for long.

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