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5 AVOCADO TOAST RECIPES THAT’LL CHANGE THE WAY YOU LOOK AT BREAKFAST

Americans are spending a whopping $900,000 per month on the health world’s latest food craze, avocado toast, according to Square. Based on data from hundreds of Square sellers, the average cost was found to be $6.78, with the cheapest avocado toast going for $2 a pop — the most expensive, $18. The average price was highest in sunny Los Angeles, coming in at $8.50, with the lowest in D.C., for a humble $4.

While some experts have used the trendy toast as a symbol “of millennial irresponsibility and excess,” a sudden spike in recipes from Pinterest to Instagram and beyond proves that the love for this new breakfast favorite isn’t slowing down anytime soon. Here are 5 (affordable) recipes that’ll change the way you look at the first meal of the day.

Vegan, Gluten-Free Avocado Toast

Ingredients

2 slices bread (wheat, whole-grain, seeded, or muesli), toasted ½ ripe avocado (see notes for tips) 1 – 2 tablespoon vegan parmesan Pinch red pepper flake (optional)

Directions

Toast bread in the oven or toaster. Top with ripe avocado and use a fork to smash. Top with vegan parmesan cheese and (optional) red pepper flake. Eat, repeat, enjoy!

My notes: My two-favorite gluten-free breads are Udi’s Whole Grain Bread, and a Portland brand called New Cascadia (which is dairy- and egg-free)! To keep your avocados in perfect ripeness, buy when nearly ripe. When ripened (soft to the touch), slice and use. Then store leftovers in a plastic bag with the pit still intact. It should stay in the refrigerator for 2-4 days! Slice off any brown edges before use.

California Avocado Toast with Fried Egg   

Ingredients

1 slice bread (try thick, crusty artisan breads, sourdough, rye, wheat, multigrain or whatever bread you prefer) ½ ripe, fresh California avocado, peeled, seeded and mashed 1 egg Fresh cracked pepper (optional) Sea salt to taste (optional)

Directions

Toast 1 slice of bread and spread with 1/2 ripe, fresh California avocado (mashed or sliced). Spray a small nonstick skillet with cooking spray and fry one egg as desired. Place cooked egg onto avocado toast, sprinkle with salt and pepper if desired.

Avocado Toast with Pomegranate Seeds, Strawberries, Feta, and Balsamic

Ingredients

Half a ripe avocado Handful of fresh pomegranate seeds Handful of thinly sliced strawberries Handful of crumbled feta Drizzle of balsamic dressing Wholegrain toast

Directions

Dice or mash up avocado and spread generously over toast. Add fresh pomegranate seeds, thinly sliced strawberries and crumbled feta. Finish off with a drizzle of balsamic dressing.

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Turmeric is an herb descended from the ginger spice family and is widely used throughout India, Asia and Central America to enhance the color and flavors of foods. We’ve written about the numerous effects of turmeric before and how it is more powerful than seven over-the-counter drugs.

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Scientists are realizing more ways that coronavirus is being spread. It isn’t just through close contact as many have first proclaimed. The virus can float through the air and be inhaled by someone, even if they’re diligently practicing social distancing.

[blackdoctors]

If you are a person who has asthma, attacks can seem to come out of nowhere. One minute you’re feeling fine, the next you’re wheezing and gasping for breath. If you look closely, however, there’s always a reason for the attack.

[blackdoctors]

Two hepatitis C (HCV) antiviral drugs were found to raise survival rates for people with moderate or severe COVID-19 according to a series of Iranian studies reported at the online International AIDS Conference last week.

[blackdoctors]

From Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg and 2Pac to De La Soul, Kendrick Lamar and Childish Gambino and everyone in between, Parliament-Funkadelic’s George Clinton’s music has been sampled by countless artists. If it was a hit song in the mid-late 90’s, it was probably a funkadelic sample in it somewhere

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TURMERIC AND BLACK PEPPER: THE POWERFUL DISEASE-FIGHTING COMBO

Turmeric is an herb descended from the ginger spice family and is widely used throughout India, Asia and Central America to enhance the color and flavors of foods. We’ve written about the numerous effects of turmeric before and how it is more powerful than seven over-the-counter drugs.

But when combined with another spice, black pepper (yes, regular ol’ black pepper), it becomes an even more powerful anti-inflammatory agent you can use to help your body.

Turmeric’s various medicinal benefits are highly associated with its active ingredient, curcumin. Curcumin is acquired from the stems of the herb and is widely known for its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects. Antioxidant and anti-inflammatory nutrients can play an important role in combatting inflammation, arthritis, and problems of the stomach, skin, liver, gallbladder, or certain cancers. Black pepper helps your body absorb more curcumin, the active ingredient in turmeric that’s known for its health benefits.

Black pepper is made of ground (or whole) peppercorns, which are the small, dried, unripe fruits of the black pepper plant. In addition to flavoring food, you may not have known, but it had been used for centuries as a medicinal agent, a preservative, and in perfumes.

Research has shown that piperine, the main active ingredient in pepper, may reduce inflammation associated with chronic diseases like asthma, arthritis, chronic gastritis, and Alzheimer’s, according to a review published in 2018 in the Journal of Translational Medicine.

A study published in Planta Medica found that pairing 20 milligrams (mg) of piperine with 2 grams (g) of curcumin increased the amount of curcumin that could be absorbed by the body (a concept known as bioavailability) by 2,000 percent. Yes, 2,000 percent! That’s incredible.

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YOUR AIR CONDITIONER MAY BE SPREADING COVID-19

Scientists are realizing more ways that coronavirus is being spread. It isn’t just through close contact as many have first proclaimed. The virus can float through the air and be inhaled by someone, even if they’re diligently practicing social distancing.

During these summer months, as more people head back to work, and doing more group activities, the airborne virus is a concern for many. So scientists have turned their attention to air conditioning.

According to infectious disease expert, Ed Nardell at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, indoor AC units can spread the virus. The units create air currents that can blow the virus around a room. He said that problem was clear in the case of one restaurant in Wuhan, China, where researchers studied why so many people eating there became sick.

“Where apparently someone infected not only people at their own table, but at the next table and the table after that, which happened to be that in the direction of the airflow from a wall unit air conditioner,” he said.

What do we know for sure?

Cases of COVID-19 have risen fast “in some of the hottest and stickiest parts of the country,” according to USA Today.

Engineers and ventilation experts told USA Today this might because residents avoid the heat by heading indoors, which leads them to areas with air conditioning and ventilation systems.

Those systems might spread COVID-19 farther than fresh air.

If you think of bars and restaurants, yes, people are being socially distanced and wearing masks. But the air can filter through the room and infect those sitting inside.

“Airborne transmission of the virus can occur in…

…health care settings where specific medical procedures, called aerosol generating procedures, generate very small droplets called aerosols. Some outbreak reports related to indoor crowded spaces have suggested the possibility of aerosol transmission, combined with droplet transmission, for example, during choir practice, in restaurants or in fitness classes,” according to the World Health Organization.

“Ventilation is the key control point for an airborne virus. Based on multiple studies done by the authors, we believe that optimized ventilation is the way to move forward, removing the virus from the air before people inhale it. We think that’s one of the main ways it’s transmitted,” Dr. Julian Tang, an author of a paper on COVID-19 spread, told USA Today.

Since not everyone has the option to stay outside, the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers is figuring out ways to make indoor spaces safer.

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WATCH OUT FOR YOUR ASTHMA TRIGGERS!

If you are a person who has asthma, attacks can seem to come out of nowhere. One minute you’re feeling fine, the next you’re wheezing and gasping for breath. If you look closely, however, there’s always a reason for the attack.

If you have asthma, your airways are inflamed, which makes them ultrasensitive. Inflammation can cause airways to swell, hampering your breathing. More often than not, your asthma will be more noticeable when something additional disturbs your airways, which are already inflamed.

Unfortunately, triggers — agents that bring on an attack — are all around. Many different things, from viruses and dust mites to exercise and emotional distress, can set off an asthma attack. Even bacterial lung infections can trigger asthma attacks in children. Every case is different, however, and something that causes wheezing in one person may be completely harmless to another. Understanding your personal triggers is a crucial first step toward controlling your disease.

Here’s a look at the most common causes of asthma attacks.

Allergies

Many people with asthma also have allergies to pollen, dust mites, or other things in the air. When they inhale one of these offenders, the allergic reaction can set off an asthma attack. In fact, allergies are the most common cause of asthma attacks in teenagers and children over age two.

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NEW STUDY : HEPATITIS DRUGS COULD SERVE AS CORONAVIRUS TREATMENT

Two hepatitis C (HCV) antiviral drugs were found to raise survival rates for people with moderate or severe COVID-19 according to a series of Iranian studies reported at the online International AIDS Conference last week.

Study co-author Andrew Hill, MD, of Liverpool University said the antiviral drugs sofosbuvir and daclatasvir could offer an affordable and widely accessible treatment option, according to early study findings.

As the global COVID-19 case numbers steadily climb, researchers are testing a plethora of medications used to treat existing conditions as potential treatments for the new coronavirus, now recently coined as SARS-CoV-2.

According to a press release, sofosbuvir and daclatasvir have shown to successfully fight against COVID-19 infection strains. For example, daclatasvir appears to penetrate well into the lungs, which is a major indicator of COVID-19 prevention since it attacks the cardiovascular system.

Findings from the study also pointed to findings from a randomized controlled trial comparing sofosbuvir plus daclatasvir for two weeks versus standard-of-care treatment for adult patients with moderate or severe COVID-19 at four university hospitals in Iran. The study consisted of 66 participants with a fever and restricted breathing who tested positive for  SARS-CoV-2  and COVID-19. The patients also reported having diabetes, hypertension, chronic pulmonary disease and obesity, not hepatitis-c.

Researchers reported that 88% of people who took both sofosbuvir and daclatasvir recovered within two weeks. Additionally, 9% versus 21% required mechanical ventilation and three (9%) versus five (15%) patients died.

The study also outlined that sofosbuvir combined with daclatasvir was associated with faster recovery and improved survival. Continued studies will be conducted to crystallize results

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GEORGE CLINTON: ‘FUNKING’ THE WORLD UP ONE DAY AT A TIME

From Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg and 2Pac to De La Soul, Kendrick Lamar and Childish Gambino and everyone in between, Parliament-Funkadelic’s George Clinton’s music has been sampled by countless artists. If it was a hit song in the mid-late 90’s, it was probably a funkadelic sample in it somewhere. As, the chief architect of funk, Clinton paved the way for G-Funk and without him, we wouldn’t have songs like Warren G’s “Regulate” or Dre’s “Let Me Ride,” De La Soul’s “My, Myself & I”, Tupac’s “Holla if you Hear Me” and numerous other hit records.

Now, the ambassador of funk is slowing down his partying days — a lot. In the past couple of years, he has stopped taking drugs and has officially retired from touring, in the traditional sense. He still may be on tour with the band, but he won’t be performing with them.

All of this change is due to his change in health. In 2018, Clinton had a pacemaker put in to help treat a heart condition. As the mastermind behind Parliament-Funkadelic’s unique sound turns 79 this year, he reflects on his life and all that he’s learned.

This music is historical,” says Clinton. “And, this is not just the records. It’s in The Snoop, Dre, Tupac, right up until today. It all samples this music. The musicians pay for the samples but it doesn’t go to the right people. But, the drugs were a way that these people could get my music and recordings. On drugs, it was a pain in the ass to deal with. I had to clean up just to get respect from people to talk about it.

It was while doing what he loves most, creating music, that he felt something was wrong.

“I thought I had vertigo but it was my body saying, ‘You go. You go sit your ass down,’” he said with a chuckle. “I went and checked, and oh yeah, it was that time. A valve, not in my heart itself, the electrical wires, I had shook them loose. I was funkin’ too hard. They told me I couldn’t raise my left arm too high. So I have to use my right arm to direct the shows now.”

“I have to be cool period,” he continues. “I can direct the band but I can’t go out there and jump up and down. It’s just overwhelming. You know I’m going to try. But you definitely know when it’s time to sit your ass down.”

Even though it was later in life that he decided to stop doing drugs, it was something that he felt needed to be done.

“I was 70 years old when I started trying to clean it up. You ain’t got that much energy and that much time, and the drugs weren’t working no more. They weren’t even…

giving me energy. Matter of fact, it was getting in the way — had been in the way and didn’t know it. Then there’s my wife, and of course she’s going to remind me. But all of that, it just came to a natural [conclusion]. My thought was, if I change up now, ain’t nobody going to notice it. They won’t be able to stop me because they won’t think I’m doing it.”

“If I was able to do it while on drugs, I might still be doing it. But, you can fool yourself when you get high. You say ‘I’m doing what I want to do.’ But, I wasn’t really doing what I wanted to do. Now, I’m able to control the situation. Because this music is history.”

“I feel lucky and blessed that I got away with the things that I did do. But there’s got to be an easier way to do that. I guess people have to go through whatever their time requires them to go through and if they can see it as inspiration, you know, fine. But I’m not taking no blame for it. They say if you take the bow, you take the blame.”

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The brain is by far the most powerful part of the body and it’s what keeps us all going. It’s well known that mental exercises can change the way the mind works, but what everyday tasks are behind changing the physical composition of our brains?

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During these no so normal times it is important to be conscious of your mental health. Many of us are are not nearly as active, social, or motivated as we were before the pandemic hit

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Reparations were something I briefly heard about growing up in school. It was something that I learned more about after finding what director Spike Lee named his company, “40 Acres and a Mule.” I mean, two hundred fifty years of slavery. Ninety years of Jim Crow.

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Black hair. Many women have a love-hate relationship with their hair. When it is cared for it can be so beautiful, but when it is mistreated or neglected it can be difficult, frustrating, and unpredictable.

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Fans of Grammy-nominated singer and reality show star Tamar Braxton have taken to social media with prayers and words of encouragement after news came out that she has been hospitalized Thursday evening after police responded to a report of a possible overdose and suicide attempt.

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5 DAILY TASKS YOU CAN DO TO IMPROVE BRAIN FUNCTION

The brain is by far the most powerful part of the body and it’s what keeps us all going. It’s well known that mental exercises can change the way the mind works, but what everyday tasks are behind changing the physical composition of our brains?

Here are five things that scientists have said alters the look and function of our brains.

Vitamins & Minerals

According to a 2016 Forbes article, Vitamin B12 is one of the most critical vitamins for the function of the central nervous system and whose deficiency can lead to cognitive symptoms like memory loss. Vitamin D is also critical for brain health–and while there’s no causal link, low levels have been linked to cognitive decline.

Iron is another mineral that the brain needs in order to function well (especially for women who are menstruating) since it carries oxygen. Although supplements are certainly necessary for certain people, getting your nutrients from food appears to be the most efficient way to absorb them. Coffee Many coffee lovers know instinctively that coffee does something very good for their brains in the morning, and indeed our cognition seems a little fuzzy without it. Coffee does appear to affect significantly real change.

Not only does it keeps us sharp by blocking adenosine receptors, but coffee consumption has also been linked to decreasing the risk of depression, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases. This is partly because, like cocoa, compounds in coffee improve vascular health and may also help repair cellular damage by acting as antioxidants.

Meditation

There are thousands of years of anecdotal evidence that meditation can help a person psychologically, and perhaps neurologically, the scientific evidence for meditation’s effects on the brain has become