I’m a very big advocate of trying to eat healthy. I’ve noticed when I eat a greasy cheeseburger, as opposed to a salad, I feel very lackadaisical & sluggish throughout the rest of the day. I’ve also noticed that when I prepare a well-balanced & nutritious meal, I am ready to pursue my academics more rigorously than when I settle for something more fattening. I recently decided to research whether or not eating healthy was a causing factor of doing better in school.

In Nova Scotia, a study conducted upon 5th-graders came to the conclusion that a diet filled with fruits, vegetables, protein, fiber etc. were more likely to do well on literacy test as opposed to those who consumed less-healthy items. Of the 4,589 fifth-graders who participated in the study, 875 failed the test.Dr. Paul J. Veugelers of the University of Alberta in Edmonton, who ran the experiment, credited some of this failure to children who don’t eat breakfast, hunger and malnutrition. You can read more about this experiment HERE.

Like Veugelers’s experiment, Arthur Agatston, also led a study over a two year period to analyze the effects of diet on performance in school. After improving the quality, nutrition and balance of a school meal, he found that 1,197 elementary students had improved math scores, among lower weight and blood pressure levels.

During an interview with, Agatson he stated that he wasn’t surprised that kids were more prone to pay attention after lunch due to sugar highs. If you would like to read more of Agatson’s interview, click HERE.

Specifically, it has been found that introducing fish such as Tuna or Salmon can vastly help boost grades. In a study conducted upon 500 children, after eating fish, it was found the heightened levels of omega-3 fatty acids boosted the childrens level of concentration. The Docosahexaenoic acid, found in these types of fish, is also correlated to better reading and memory skills. Take a look at how omega-3 fatty acids can affect children in THIS article.

I’m a strong believer that this correlation, could also be causation. There may be some chance or third parties involved. However, I believe through personal experience and research that diet is a huge factor in the academic performance in children, teens and adults.

Christmas is a time of celebration, love & happiness. However, there is a total other side of the holiday which is associated with the exact opposite things. Christmas time is also a period associated with depression. The National Institute of Health reported that Christmas is one the “highest incidences of depression”. Hospitals report extremely high numbers of suicide. But why?

 Seasonal Affective Disorder might be one reasons. This disorder occurs during the same period of time every year. For instance, a person affected by the disorder in Fall, would continue to be affected furthermore until treated. Treatment options include light therapy, psychotherapy, and a variety of medications. You can learn more about this disorder HERE.

Other possible causes that have attributed to Christmas-based depression include the immense commercialization of the holiday. Some become overwhelmed by the high-stakes pressure placed on their shoulders regarding money, among other things. However, one of the largest and most concerning probable causes is self-reflection. During this time of year, many people begin to binge-think on the “inadequacies of life” and therefore, dive into a pit of over-thinking & depression. 

Christmas (or the holiday season) may be a direct cause of depression, or it might simply be a coincidence caused by third variables. Although, the hypothesis that suicide & depression rates rise during the holidays may not have been proven, it is accepted.

If you know anyone who might be affected by this, click HERE to learn how to deal with depression. 

I’ve always heard the rumors that left-handed people are “smarter” than those who are right-handed. I’ve always wondered if this is true. There have been many different answers related to this study that have pointed me in several different directions.

A plethora of studies have revealed that the difference between those that right with their left, in comparison with those who write with their right hand, is only one IQ point. However, it has been found that it is more common for a “lefty” to have advantages in more creative departments. Their brains are structured in such a way, that can “allow them to process language, spatial relations and emotions in more diverse and potentially creative ways” as stated in THIS article. Specifically, it has been found that musicians have larger percentage of left-handed people which might cause them to be more artistic & creative.

Doctor Oz, often promoted on Oprah, has been quoted saying that left-hand people are somewhat more intelligent than right-handed people. He stated that, ” “The left brain normally controls your right side, which is really powerful, [In left-handed people], it allows the other side, the right brain, to become an equal partner”. Therefore because a “lefty” processes information through both sides of the brain, they are able to more clearly organize and understand different types of information entering the brain. Dr. Oz goes into further detail on the subject HERE

While this true, a separate correlation has been made between “left-handedness” and learning disabilities. It has been found that “lefty’s” have a higher chance of mental retardation, as well as dyslexia & stuttering. In addition, research found in 1983 in THIS New York Times article, revealed that this trait could also be linked to diseases such as ulcerative colitis, myasthenia gravis and celiac disease.

So, what do you believe? Is this trait truly a correlation between higher intelligence & the opposite side of the body? Is it the causing factor of many disabilities and diseases? or is it all pure chance and coincidence?

Growing up as a child, whenever I would come home with little doodles drawn out of boredom, my mom would reprimand me. She would firmly say that by doing so, I could get ink poisoning. I recently decided to research whether or not her claim was actually true.

What I have found from my study, surprised me. Although it may not be the smartest thing to use your arm as a coloring book, drawing on it will not cause any significant harm. However, that does not mean that you should constantly be painting your arms with different kinds of inks. An open wound or cut, drawn over with ink, could possibly lead to ink poisoning, as stated HERE.

Currently, there isn’t as much of scare when it comes to ingredients, such as lead, that used to be the primary ingredient in pencils & pens. However, that does not mean to continue to use our skin to jot down notes. The human epidermis is highly absorbent, meaning that even the slightest bit of ink has the potential to enter the bloodstream. Although the chance is extremely minute, toxins found in ink can possibly cause cancer among the cells.

Xylene is one of the toxic substances that is a main ingredient in ink, and one that is contributing to the scare, that is “ink poisoning. Although this substance might be considering poisoning through inhalation, it is significantly less damaging from a mark or two.

Doctors have stated that permanent ink, when used on skin, should be avoided. However, a water-based felt pen would not be considered as hazardous. If you would like to learn about the effects of ink on skin, click HERE or HERE.

So, what do you think? Are you going to take more caution in using your skin as a sketchbook? Will you leave the ink to the pros? or do you not think that ink will highly affect your skin?

Lately, we can’t go a day without hearing that something we never thought could cause cancer, does. For a while, I’ve heard that proximity of a cell phone to a person’s head could cause brain cancer. However, more recently, it has come to my intention cell phones could be a leading factor in breast cancer.

When there are no pockets to be used, women & teenage girls decide to place their phone inside of their bra. However, something that could seem so harmless can actually be very detrimental. Tiffany Frantz spoke to Inside Edition in THIS article, about how keeping her phone in her bra changed her life forever. Innocently, Tiffany kept her phone tucked away in her bra, for over twelve years. However, over time a small lump appeared and began to grow larger & larger, and was eventually diagnosed as cancerous. She claims that her cell phone was the cause. Under further investigation, it was found that Tiffany’s cell phone was completely shut down, so could Tiffany’s breast cancer possibly have been caused by a third variable or chance?

In addition, Andrea X, for multiple years rested her cellphone on her chest (while in use). The skin on which it was placed began to redden and eventually a malignant tumor emerged from the location where the phone was always placed.

Cellphones sometimes come with a warning, for example in THIS article, it is stated that the iPhone 4 manual states that, “FCC guidelines for safe exposure can be exceeded”. Obviously, there must be some sort of risk, however nothing has been found fully supporting the case that cell phone’s could be a leading factor in Breast Cancer.

Be smart. Phone’s emit radiation, just as Microwaves & other appliances do. You wouldn’t make it a habit to stand extremely close to a working microwave, so don’t do the same with your cellphone. As of now, although there are multiple examples supporting correlation between the two. This does not mean that cellphones are strictly the cause.

If you would like to learn more about how cell phone’s could potentially cause breast cancer, among other things, click HERE.

NOV 30-

Tiffany Frantz’s mother emailed in to correct some inaccurate information found in prior research included in this  posting. Tiffany was only 21 years of age when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. Secondly, she kept her phone in her bra for 5 years, not 12 as listed in the cited articles. Finally, her phone was not shut down,but fully operational throughout the entire time she had kept it so close to her chest.

For years, my mother has been constantly telling me to separate my laptop from my stomach or lap via a pillow. She claims that the radiation could seriously affect my chances of conceiving a child when I am older. Of course, I have obliged to make her happy, but to be honest I’ve also continued to do it out of fear. However, I have learned that it is simply not true.

As stated on www.parents.com, the heat from a laptop cannot seriously affect the fertility of a woman. The heat is external, while a woman’s ovaries are internal. The distance between the two is too vast for their to be any serious connection or correlation between the two.

However, this does not particularly excuse males from resting their laptop on their lap or stomach. Since both the laptop’s heat and a male’s genitals are external, the chances of a laptop’s radiation affecting sperm production is much higher. The heat raises the temperature of the testicles which could negatively affect the production rate, or production at all, of sperm.

In a study published in Fertility and Sterility, researchers obtained 29 male’s semen and exposed it to Wi-Fi radiation for four hours. 1/4th of the semen was no longer swimming, in comparison to 14% of the semen (not exposed to Wi-Fi) that were also no longer swimming. The researcher came to the conclusion that laptop radiation does in fact affect a Male’s fertility.

For now, this hypothesis has been strongly supported & not condemned. So males, what do you think? Will laptop radiation eventually be found to not be a source of male infertility? If you’re more interested in learning about how laptop’s might affect fertility, click HERE.

Until then, if you plan on having children, try to keep those laptops of your laps!

Everyone loves after they wake up, to head to the kitchen and brew up some coffee. I especially loved it. I would make up to 6 cups of coffee a day. I love the taste, and the energy it can give you is always a plus. However, that much caffeine intake a day, although at first it can be exhilarating, can come back to haunt you in the end.

In fact, more than four cups of coffee day can heighten your mortality rate. Coffee has aways been associated with anxiety, headaches, fatigue, etc. However, who knew that excessive coffee drinking could be associated with death? It was recently found that excessive coffee drinkers, could be linked to a 21% higher mortality rate for people of all ages. Even scarier, it can be 50% higher for avid coffee drinkers under the age of 55 years old. There is a high correlation between coffee consumption, smoking, and low-fitness levels. This extensive use of coffee can increase the risk of death from any cause. You can learn more about how coffee can increase your chance of death here.

After learning about this information, I decided to cut down on my coffee intake. In this article, you can learn how to limit your caffeine intake & how it can vastly improve your health.

However, coffee is not just all “cons”. In fact coffee has many pros such as reducing the risk of diabetes, fighting free radicals, etc. You can learn more about the pros & cons of coffee drinking, here.

We all know that exercise has a major affect on the body. However, what we do not know is how specific art forms affect different aspects of our lives. More specifically, the art form of dance can not only stretch your flexibility, but increase your strength & health among many other things. In addition, dancing not only has a measurable affect on one’s physical health, but also on one’s mental health.

One major affect of dance on the human body is weight control. Depending on the specific type of dance, a dancer can lose a tremendous amount of weight. For example, the highest calorie burning form of dance is ballet. It is said that a ballerina can burn up to 432 calories per hour while engaging in this activity.

Dancing can also improve one’s balance and coordination. Because dancing is a series of quickly paced melodic moves, a dancer must learn to center their core. Without the balance that is required to become a dancer, one would not have the necessary tools to successfully carry out all the twists & turns that are required of them. Coordination is also a predominant effect on the human body. Especially, in group & partnering dances, a dancer must be & will become equipped with the necessary tools to not only coordinate their body to do several different things at once, but will also learn how to control their partner’s body at the same time.

Dancing improves posture due to the contracted muscle tissues surrounding the spine and also develops exceptionally good muscle tone surrounding the legs and glutes.

However, one thing that most people don’t know is that dancing also has a psychological effect on the human body. Dancing is a type of exercise and every type of exercise releases endorphins in the brain. This will cause the dancer to experience happiness. Over a longer period time, dancing will condition the brain to be able to learn & pick up information more easily. In addition, a Dancer’s skill of repeating will be sufficiently higher than a non-dancer, since they have been taught to do so their whole life.

Dance has also been proven to be a therapeutic outlet for many. It is seen as a way to express yourself and let your emotions be free rather than have them harvest inside. Dance has also been found to help improve problem-solving skills. In addition, it has also been noted that improvisational dance can help with divergent & creative thinking.

What I personally have found most interesting is that dance has a significant effect on those with Parkinson’s disease. Once the disease has developed it can affect the victim’s thinking patterns. Peter Lovatt recently conducted an PD group experiment to see if dancing could beneficially improve their divergent thinking skills. The results were exactly that. He & the rest of his followers believe that a possible cause for this is that once they get the person affected with Parkinson’s dancing, neural-passages become “unblocked” and therefore there is space for a more steady flow of thinking.

If you would like to learn more about dance’s impact on the human body and mind click on the links below:
Link 1
Link 2
Link 3

There’s nothing better than walking down the street with both your earphones blasting music at the top volume. However, the pump up music that might be “amping” up you now, might be ruining your hearing in the long run. Researchers from the University of Leicester have recently revealed a study that although blasting your newly added music might be fun, it can seriously destroy nerve cells which eventually will lead to temporary deafness.

A regular-sized pair of headphones has the ability to play up to an astounding volume of 120 decibels, equivalent to the sound level of a raging concert or even a jet. With this kind of knowledge we can no longer be blind to the consequences that can come out of something so simple, such as listening to music.

The cells coating the inside of your ear, known as the myelin sheath, become stripped. This prevents electrical signals and other critical information from being transmitted from the ear to the brain. However, over time cells can be produced once again and hearing can be regained.

Research is constantly being updated & reviewed based on the effects headphone’s have on the specific part of the brain known as the dorsal cochlear nucleus. As of now there is no effective cure, however with moderation of just how loudly you decide to play your music you might be able to stop the deterioration of your ear cells.

So, what is more important? Blasting ‘Holy Grail’ through your earphones or preventing hearing loss?

If you would like to learn more about how earphones cause damage to your ears click HERE and HERE. Both of these articles provided me with valuable resources & information that I will put to good use in my own life.

I’ve always been really fascinated by music. I’ve grown up with it my whole life. It’s become such a huge part of my life, so much so that I want to pursue a career in it. However, sometimes I forget actually how much of a scientific effect the use & listening to of music has on one’s brain.

Music  has an extremely beneficial effect on the brain. For instance, in a recent research project, patients about to go into surgeries were kept a close eye on. The patients were either prescribed anti-anxiety medication or a healthy dosage of music. In the end, the patients who were prescribed the latter had lower anxiety & cortisol levels versus those prescribed drugs.

This study added support to theory that music could actually be used as a type of therapy. It is cost-efficient, physically safer & has absolutely no side effects.

In addition, types of music that are pleasurable to our specific brains can be correlated to brain patterns. The brain stimulates the nucleus accumbens. The more it is stimulated, the more likely a person is to buy & listen to a song. In addition, the superior temporal gyrus acts as storage unit. The more a person hears a certain genre, the more likely they are to enjoy the piece.

It has also been found that music is very consistently received in the same manor among different crowds. That is why there is such a demand for certain musicians at concerts, because their music provides a specific chemical reaction in our brains that causes us to feel pleasure & enjoy ourselves.

It is mind-boggling to think that we don’t just like a song simply because we  “just like it”. There is whole science to why music makes us happier, why we favor certain genre’s over others, and how it bonds certain music lovers together.

If you would like to learn more about how music affects one’s brain, click HERE.