I’m catching up a bit here; does anyone have the bean soup recipe that @beth mentioned? I know I need more protein and fiber since I eat less and less meat. Thank you in advance!
I had heard if you poop in a box and it indicates you need a colonoscopy it can mess with insurance covering it, because you've already used your preventative screening. Blargg healthcare coverage
Traditional monoculture grass and unused oversized houses are so wasteful. Our retirement dream is a small commune, at least us and my besties (and their kids) with enough space for a garden and chickens. We got a notice from our city last year that someone was requesting to build two houses on a single family lot and I was like yes please, why would I limit that smart infill? Let's house people. As with so many issues, my question is what would happen if we just loved our neighbors?
Another great thing Portland has done on housing is allow any single family home owner to add an ADU to their property. I’m currently personally benefiting from this rule by getting to rent one and live in a nice space in a great neighborhood for a reasonable (for this area) price. It’s not fixing the whole problem but it’s another helpful thing on the pile.
This was a great episode. I really appreciate Jessica taking the time to talk about her cancer journey. I am concerned about the belief that GLP1s add to increased cancer risk, specifically colon cancer. Sarah, please be thoughtful with your comments. There is currently no evidence to suggest this. I appreciate Jessica saying that more has to be studied to discover why these rates are increasing. It’s really important to it spread misinformation, especially since it seems to be running rampant in so many circles. Thanks!
Oh no! I can see how you would have heard the comment this way, but I think Sarah is actually pretty pro-GLP1s. I don't want to put words in her mouth, but I thought she meant to say "I wonder if we'll find that GLP1s decrease the cancer risk, and we'll see benefits downstream from them." She's very interested in the ways that these medicines have life-changing ripple effects for people. I know the science is very new, and we want to give it time, but Sarah is very bullish on the GLP1s
I had my first colonoscopy a couple years back. I was feeling super apprehensive about drinking the prep solution. I hear it tastes better than it used to(?), but it also sounded thick and my gag reflex doesn't like thick liquids. I learned that you can ask your doctor/clinic about doing a DIY alternative to the pharmacy-prescribed solution!
It involves mixing a lot of Miralax into Gatorade and taking some additional OTC laxatives. If anyone wants more details, DM your email address and I can send you the PDF instructions I got from my clinic. If drinking the prep solution feels like a big deterrent to you, it's worth asking your doctor about another option!
Policy-making in the housing space is so difficult because good governance runs counter to good politics. A majority of families - and a bigger majority of voters - own their home. They guard their home value with all-consuming jealousy and will have a complete freak-out if they get a whiff of any policy that could lower their home value, increase traffic, reduce parking, or allow the "wrong" sort of people to move to their neighborhood. I once saw a tweet that said, "The unaffordability was the neighborhood character we were trying to protect all along." Yep.
The politics of this are even complicated on the left, where people should know better. But they have convinced themselves that building more housing units where people want to live and work is not the answer. I remember a huge fight a few years ago about turning the vacant lot / trash heap / homeless toilet ironically named "People's Park" in Berkeley into university housing. The excuses not to do it were WILD.
Everyone wants to blame the villains they already hate for letting this problem get so bad. Rich people, developers, landlords and institutional investors. Our politicians constantly pay lip service to this attitude and it unsurprisingly seeps into their lawmaking. But the real culprits are exclusionary zoning, the NIMBYs, and the well-intentioned environmentalists who created the framework the NIMBYs use.
It's complicated for sure. Seems to be a bit different from region to region but we're all seeing the same things. This article mentions 3 more culprits.
Has anyone had any luck getting screened as a younger person? I’m 35. In December, an otherwise-healthy colleague from grad school passed from colon cancer. She was my age. Heartbreaking and terrifying. I’d gladly go for a colonoscopy for peace of mind. But my impression is that providers are still reluctant to send you for a colonoscopy if you’re under 45 and you don’t have a family history?
When you discussed raising rates of cancer, my mind went to microplastics. Netflix has a documentary which explores microplastics impact just on fertility. They also could showed how microplastics can impact fetal development of boys in the womb. Some of the couples who worked to eliminate as much plastic as possible from their lives ended up getting pregnant. It is unnerving how we consume and absorb it constantly.
We live in somewhat rural Kansas and my husband owns a couple of rentals that he built from the ground up. We have two lots to build more but prices have been so crazy that we've been waiting. We looked at a modular home, which would have been perfect for us but our county has an ordinance that you can't put a single-wide home in the county. It just seems so silly to me because current modular homes on a concrete foundation would be a huge improvement for the county in taxation. There are a ton of open lots (our city actually has a land bank of very discounted lots for sale) that a single-wide modular home could go on and be great for seniors or the 7000 college students.
Also I'm a family physician so the colon cancer conversation is right up my alley! I am not a cologuard fan unless it is literally the only option the patient will consider. It's ok for detecting actual cancer but precancer it's a flip of the coin and obviously doesn't treat it. As others have mentioned, if it's positive, your normal "free" colonoscopy is no longer. It becomes a diagnostic and is not covered under normal preventative care.
Re: fiber! Want to make a plug for homemade hummus—I like to do a black bean one. This week I did one cup dried black beans in the crockpot, blended them with 2 tablespoons tahini and one tablespoon olive oil and a little lemon juice. Got 5 servings with 14g of fiber! A lot of the store bought stuff doesn’t have max fiber because of additives and stuff, which to me makes it worth it to make at home
Because I had a few polyps and my colon wasn't completely clear (which was baffling to me after drinking a gallon of prep) I have a colonoscopy next week just three years after my first one with a TWO day prep this go around. I did not love the prep but thankfully it was just a lot of going and not a lot of uncomfortable cramping which I was expecting as someone with celiac and IBS. The actual procedure was no big deal - just woke up chilled.
I was just mocked mercilessly by my family when we went around the table saying our favorite food and my response was beans. But hear me out, Rancho Gordo beans are life changing. I'm half Puerto Rican so beans have always been a comfort food for me but Rancho Gordo beans are so creamy and flavorful that a plain pot of beans with a couple cloves of garlic, a bay leaf, salt and olive oil is just shy of transcendent. Add avocado, lime, cilantro and fresh onion - heaven.
I’m catching up a bit here; does anyone have the bean soup recipe that @beth mentioned? I know I need more protein and fiber since I eat less and less meat. Thank you in advance!
I had heard if you poop in a box and it indicates you need a colonoscopy it can mess with insurance covering it, because you've already used your preventative screening. Blargg healthcare coverage
Traditional monoculture grass and unused oversized houses are so wasteful. Our retirement dream is a small commune, at least us and my besties (and their kids) with enough space for a garden and chickens. We got a notice from our city last year that someone was requesting to build two houses on a single family lot and I was like yes please, why would I limit that smart infill? Let's house people. As with so many issues, my question is what would happen if we just loved our neighbors?
Another great thing Portland has done on housing is allow any single family home owner to add an ADU to their property. I’m currently personally benefiting from this rule by getting to rent one and live in a nice space in a great neighborhood for a reasonable (for this area) price. It’s not fixing the whole problem but it’s another helpful thing on the pile.
This was a great episode. I really appreciate Jessica taking the time to talk about her cancer journey. I am concerned about the belief that GLP1s add to increased cancer risk, specifically colon cancer. Sarah, please be thoughtful with your comments. There is currently no evidence to suggest this. I appreciate Jessica saying that more has to be studied to discover why these rates are increasing. It’s really important to it spread misinformation, especially since it seems to be running rampant in so many circles. Thanks!
Oh no! I can see how you would have heard the comment this way, but I think Sarah is actually pretty pro-GLP1s. I don't want to put words in her mouth, but I thought she meant to say "I wonder if we'll find that GLP1s decrease the cancer risk, and we'll see benefits downstream from them." She's very interested in the ways that these medicines have life-changing ripple effects for people. I know the science is very new, and we want to give it time, but Sarah is very bullish on the GLP1s
Thanks for the explanation! ❤️
Fun personal colonoscopy fact: I did mine fully unmedicated (awake) and my husband was the GI doc who performed it. Top that for a hot date!🤣
My spouse hates anesthesia so he did his awake last year. Made for a faster appointment at least
I had my first colonoscopy a couple years back. I was feeling super apprehensive about drinking the prep solution. I hear it tastes better than it used to(?), but it also sounded thick and my gag reflex doesn't like thick liquids. I learned that you can ask your doctor/clinic about doing a DIY alternative to the pharmacy-prescribed solution!
It involves mixing a lot of Miralax into Gatorade and taking some additional OTC laxatives. If anyone wants more details, DM your email address and I can send you the PDF instructions I got from my clinic. If drinking the prep solution feels like a big deterrent to you, it's worth asking your doctor about another option!
Policy-making in the housing space is so difficult because good governance runs counter to good politics. A majority of families - and a bigger majority of voters - own their home. They guard their home value with all-consuming jealousy and will have a complete freak-out if they get a whiff of any policy that could lower their home value, increase traffic, reduce parking, or allow the "wrong" sort of people to move to their neighborhood. I once saw a tweet that said, "The unaffordability was the neighborhood character we were trying to protect all along." Yep.
The politics of this are even complicated on the left, where people should know better. But they have convinced themselves that building more housing units where people want to live and work is not the answer. I remember a huge fight a few years ago about turning the vacant lot / trash heap / homeless toilet ironically named "People's Park" in Berkeley into university housing. The excuses not to do it were WILD.
Everyone wants to blame the villains they already hate for letting this problem get so bad. Rich people, developers, landlords and institutional investors. Our politicians constantly pay lip service to this attitude and it unsurprisingly seeps into their lawmaking. But the real culprits are exclusionary zoning, the NIMBYs, and the well-intentioned environmentalists who created the framework the NIMBYs use.
It's complicated for sure. Seems to be a bit different from region to region but we're all seeing the same things. This article mentions 3 more culprits.
What It Would Take To Make Homes Affordable Again in 2026 https://www.realtor.com/news/trends/home-prices-mortgage-rate-affordability/
Has anyone had any luck getting screened as a younger person? I’m 35. In December, an otherwise-healthy colleague from grad school passed from colon cancer. She was my age. Heartbreaking and terrifying. I’d gladly go for a colonoscopy for peace of mind. But my impression is that providers are still reluctant to send you for a colonoscopy if you’re under 45 and you don’t have a family history?
Do links work on Substack? If so, here is a lentil bolognese recipe that has (!!!) 14 grams (!!!) of fiber!
https://pin.it/3glFZuZfC
When you discussed raising rates of cancer, my mind went to microplastics. Netflix has a documentary which explores microplastics impact just on fertility. They also could showed how microplastics can impact fetal development of boys in the womb. Some of the couples who worked to eliminate as much plastic as possible from their lives ended up getting pregnant. It is unnerving how we consume and absorb it constantly.
This episode has so much for me. Thank you!
We live in somewhat rural Kansas and my husband owns a couple of rentals that he built from the ground up. We have two lots to build more but prices have been so crazy that we've been waiting. We looked at a modular home, which would have been perfect for us but our county has an ordinance that you can't put a single-wide home in the county. It just seems so silly to me because current modular homes on a concrete foundation would be a huge improvement for the county in taxation. There are a ton of open lots (our city actually has a land bank of very discounted lots for sale) that a single-wide modular home could go on and be great for seniors or the 7000 college students.
Also I'm a family physician so the colon cancer conversation is right up my alley! I am not a cologuard fan unless it is literally the only option the patient will consider. It's ok for detecting actual cancer but precancer it's a flip of the coin and obviously doesn't treat it. As others have mentioned, if it's positive, your normal "free" colonoscopy is no longer. It becomes a diagnostic and is not covered under normal preventative care.
Re: fiber! Want to make a plug for homemade hummus—I like to do a black bean one. This week I did one cup dried black beans in the crockpot, blended them with 2 tablespoons tahini and one tablespoon olive oil and a little lemon juice. Got 5 servings with 14g of fiber! A lot of the store bought stuff doesn’t have max fiber because of additives and stuff, which to me makes it worth it to make at home
Because I had a few polyps and my colon wasn't completely clear (which was baffling to me after drinking a gallon of prep) I have a colonoscopy next week just three years after my first one with a TWO day prep this go around. I did not love the prep but thankfully it was just a lot of going and not a lot of uncomfortable cramping which I was expecting as someone with celiac and IBS. The actual procedure was no big deal - just woke up chilled.
15-Minute City https://share.google/G8XqiPwXfDzIPjc3q
I was just mocked mercilessly by my family when we went around the table saying our favorite food and my response was beans. But hear me out, Rancho Gordo beans are life changing. I'm half Puerto Rican so beans have always been a comfort food for me but Rancho Gordo beans are so creamy and flavorful that a plain pot of beans with a couple cloves of garlic, a bay leaf, salt and olive oil is just shy of transcendent. Add avocado, lime, cilantro and fresh onion - heaven.
Yes to this! Standard beans...fine I guess. Rancho Gordo beans? Devine.
IYKYK!
Coming back to heart this after consuming some vaquero beans that were still delicious despite the fact I let them cook too long! :)
VAQUERO!! Be still my heart. 😂 Have you made then with a tomatillo chili? Delicious.