AUTUMN SCHEDULE: One Nouvelles per week. Usually Sundays.

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|| 1 October 2023

Why Some People Cannot Take Tylenol/Panadol

We have been having beautiful moonrises here at Provence-sur-la-Prairie. In the photo above, I tried to capture with the camera what I was seeing with my eyes so you could enjoy my moonrises too.

As for the pain reliever Tylenol (Panadol in the UK), my digestive system has never tolerated it. Yet I have never had a problem taking either aspirin or ibuprofen.

A year or so ago, I learned that many other people cannot tolerate Tylenol/Panadol. But it is only very recently that medical science has clues as to why.

In a recent large study in the UK by Zoe, the personalized nutrition company run by the co-founder Dr. Tim Spector, professor of genetic epidemiology at King’s College London, previously unknown microbes were discovered in the human gastrointestinal system. One explanation the study was looking for was why some pharmaceutical drugs do not work as intended for some people.

Dr. Spector said that the study results suggested this may be due to different intestinal microbes. These differences may explain why even Tylenol/Panadol affects people differently — and why some people more than others are more sensitive to the pain reliever’s effects and to toxicity from it.

I am always glad to have a medical explanation for phenomena I have experienced all my life.

So if your medication produces a different reaction than intended, it may be those little critters living in your gastrointestinal tract.

Of interest for weight control, the Zoe study also discovered that of the new bacteria identified, the bottom 50 bad bacteria are associated with obesity while the top 50 good bacteria are linked to a lower BMI.

be chic, stay slim — Anne Barone

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|| 25 September 2023

Chic & Slim Success Factors

If I were as successful at making money as I have been losing weight and staying slim, I would be rich — or at least far more affluent than I am.

But while I have never earned much money from my Chic & Slim writings, I have reaped much joy and satisfaction helping other women — and a few men — have happier, more satisfying lives.

But I can only put the techniques and other information into written form and make them available. The key to success is how the reader uses my information. Some have been far more successful than others.

Recently I received an email from Kimberly who, over the past 20 years, has put Chic & Slim to excellent use in her life. I want to share the email with you because it points to several factors that have shown themselves repeatedly to being key to Chic & Slim success. More . . .

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17 September 2023

Certain Age Chic

My tea reading lately has been Christian Dior: The Man Who Made The World Look New. The book on the legendary French fashion designer is by Marie-France Pochna. Originally written in French, the English version was translated by Joanna Savill. The book published in 1996 has long been on my bookshelf, but I had only dipped into parts, specifically about Dior’s death from a heart attack while trying to lose weight at an Italian spa. This time I read the book cover to cover. More . . .

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|| 10 September 2023

Rewards for Difficult Tasks

I put much thought and effort into the Nouvelles I write and post for you on the website. I know how busy you all are, so it is a special reward for me when you take the time and effort to write and comment. After I posted the Nouvelles on my struggles with the assembly of my new exercise bike, I received two especially nice emails.The first was from Kate. She wrote:

Dear Anne, Congratulations on such a fantastic endeavor and success putting together the exercise bike! And you look absolutely wonderful, I might add. You are so inspirational, and I am delighted that you are still writing and influencing all of us who love to read your nouvelles. Thank you Anne, and I look forward to reading many more of them in the years to come. Have a beautiful labor day...you certainly earned it. Warmest regards, Kate

The second email was from Ann Leslie in New York who also sent congratulations on my successful assembly of the exercise bike. She then posed two questions concerning rewards. I answer those two questions in today’s Nouvelles. More . . .

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|| 3 September 2023

Assembling Exerwork 7150 Exercise Bike

Among the numerous projects I tackled during my time away from the website, the most challenging was assembling my new exercise bike, an Exerwork 7150. This model features a desk which, I believed, would allow me to write while I exercised.

When the bike arrived, and I opened the box, saw the numerous parts, looked at the tools and parts included, and read the assembly and instruction manual, I saw that this job was FAR beyond my skills level. Besides the instructions said that because of its weight, it needed two people to put it together. But when I couldn’t find anyone to hire to assemble the bike, nor even help, I knew I would have to do the job myself. More . . .

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|| 14 August 2023

Today an update to the previous Nouvelles about clothing for extreme heat. Karen in Rosemount emailed about some linen pants she has found cool and comfortable for the summer heat. More . . .

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|| 10 August 2023

Best Clothing For Extreme Heat

In the previous Nouvelles I wrote about several of my strategies for dealing with the extreme heat we have been having here at Provence-sur-la-Prairie. One of those strategies is to wear light-weight loose-fitting 100% cotton clothing.

My latest acquisition in this category is the dress you see below. This one is light weight 100% Indian cotton. More . . .