In Dr. Seuss’s literary classic, “Horton Hears a Who,” an elephant discovers an entire society of tiny people living on a small flower. In the last 30 years, there’s been an explosion of interest in something nearly as fantastical as a Dr. Seuss book: the human microbiome, or the community of bacteria living on and in the human body (which
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Theobroma. This is the Latin word for cocoa, and it means “the food of gods.” For ancient cultures like the Mayans and Aztecs, the bean was nothing short of divine. Cocoa trees served as bridges between heaven and earth, and chocolaty drinks played crucial roles in religious ceremonies. Moreover, the fruit acted as an economic staple, often exchanged as currency
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Until recently, there was one goal of care in medical, surgical, cardiovascular, and trauma ICUs: to save the patient’s life. Physicians across the board agree that critical illness requiring a stay in an intensive care unit (ICU) is life-changing. But within the last few decades, healthcare professionals have become more and more aware of the suffering of the many
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