Aw, shucks!
This time of year, people are always asking me about the safety of eating raw shellfish. I enjoy raw oysters myself. However, when I look at them I ask myself, “How can I eat this?” They are repulsive; they look like big blobs of snot. As Mark Twain’s fisherman character said, “It was a brave man what first et a oyster.”
Your ever-caring government has ruled that restaurants must warn their moronic customers, and government officials assume that everyone is moronic except themselves, that eating shellfish is dangerous to their health. My favorite seafood restaurant in Pensacola, Flounder’s Chowder House, decided that it would warn people all right. On the menu, under “Oysters on the half shell,” appears the following:
GOVERNMENT WARNING:
Government Is Too Big, Too Expensive, and Totally Insensitive to the Needs of the Average Citizen. According to the Surgeon General, Big Government Can Be Hazardous to Your Health.
Feel free to continue to enjoy raw oysters, or to try them for the first time if you’ve let the looks of things turn you off completely. Before downing the oyster, lift the shell by the edges and give the oyster a whiff. This may be bad manners, but it is good preventive medicine. If it’s spoiled, you will know.
If you’re still squeamish, carry a little dropper bottle with you containing 3-percent hydrogen peroxide. Place one drop on each oyster. Wait 30 seconds and start slurping.
Not so boring news about boron
You may not hear a lot about it, but boron is one of the most effective weapons available for the prevention of osteoporosis. It stops the excretion of calcium in the urine and raises the level of estrogen in postmenopausal women. The increase in estrogen levels can be remarkable, rivaling those of estrogen replacement therapy. A dosage of 3 milligrams a day is sufficient for women and 6 milligrams should be sufficient for men.
And now there’s even more good news about boron. A recent report extols the virtues of it for men in the prevention of prostate cancer. In one study, researchers found significantly decreased levels of cancer in the boron-rich group, as compared to that of the group on a boron-poor diet. It’s important to note, though, that the study was based on food surveys, interviews, and the like, which makes the entire project suspect.
In addition, there is the question of high estrogen levels brought on by boron. Does this occur in men as it does in women? I haven’t come across the answer to this yet. It should be investigated.
For women, boron supplementation is a good thing. For men, I’m not so sure. But if you already have prostate cancer or osteoporosis, then I would suggest taking it.
