To the moon and back

We all know that third-cup-of-coffee feeling on a Monday morning. Just when you’re right in the groove of work and – oh, brb. As any avid coffee drinker knows, the world’s most popular beverage has a tendency to make us poop. But why remains somewhat of a mystery. According to a new study presented at Digestive Disease Week, it has less to do with caffeine content and more about the effects of coffee itself. Coffee’s ability to help us with a bowel movement may come from its relationship with gut microbiota and its ability to influence smooth muscle contractility, two things that help us poop on the regular. At least, that’s the case in rats. “When rats were treated with …

Contrary to what you might think, microbes – not guns – were the biggest killers of soldiers during the American Civil War (1861-1865). For every three men killed in the field, five died from disease, often the result of an infected wound. So, naturally, when Union forces instigated a blockade stripping the south of crucial medication (e.g. quinine, morphine, and chloroform), things were looking bleak for the Confederate side. In response to the blockade, a botanist called Francis Porcher was asked to find and catalog flora native to the southeastern states that could be used as alternative medicines. Now, for the first time, researchers are looking into the antiseptic properties of three of the medicines he listed in the Civil War plant …

The 23-year-old actress opened up about “Without Littlefinger and Ramsay and the rest, I would’ve stayed a little bird all my life.” But according to Turner, Sansa’s message was very much about how strong she was since the beginning of the series. The actress explained: There you have it… straight from the Queen’s mouth. Instagram post a day after the finale aired. She wrote: Long live! [Image via

Ronnie Ortiz-Magro with a dad bod? Not in this life! The Jersey Shore: Family Vacation star has always been known for his physique — and has stayed in incredible shape even after having a kid last year. Incredible… as in unbelievable? Yep. Ronnie’s six-pack abs are no longer the result of a highly disciplined, hard-working lifestyle — they’re the product of advancements in medical science. Ronnie His lack of time (and presumably energy — kids are a LOT of work!) pushed him to take another route to his fitness goals. As he says to the audience: “Today I’m going to step out of my element and try something new with my body.” That something new isn’t just new to Ronnie. Apparently …

Cannabidiol (CBD) oil may be an effective treatment for reducing the frequency of seizures in dogs with epilepsy, according to a study recently published in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association. To assess the benefits of hemp-derived CBD oil, researchers at Colorado State University (CSU) conducted a small-scale clinical trial involving 16 dogs diagnosed with idiopathic epilepsy, a common neurological condition that affects about one-in-twenty pet dogs yet its cause is unknown. In the double-blind study, nine dogs were given oral CBD oil while the remainder were treated with a placebo for a total of three months. All dogs were required to stay on standard anticonvulsant drugs, including phenobarbital and potassium bromide. Eighty-nine percent of the dogs who received CBD saw …