Discrimination against the obese has been an ever present phenomenon since the birth of the industrial era, perhaps even before, but it was not until recent decades that it escalated and became the fast growing controversy that it is today. This is usually attributed to the dramatic increase in the number of overweight Americans. In 2012, our nation was ranked number 1 amongst the most obese nations, and even though it has since then lost the throne to Mexico we are still amongst the top 5. Still, should obesity be protected under the Americans with Disabilities Act. The ADA is a civil rights legislation that prohibits discrimination against disabled individuals in a number of areas including employment, public transportation and communications. Whether obesity should be protected under this act or not has been a thoroughly discussed topic since more and more court cases in which overweight people demand disability protection keep appearing.

The ADA defines disabilities as “an impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities, a record of such an impairment, or being regarded as having such an impairment”. It is because of this loose definition of the term and of what constitutes major life activities that many obese advocates have found ways to receive protection from the ADA in court. 

One specific court case worth mentioning is Cook v. Rhode Island. This was one of the first court cases to ever link weight discrimination with disabilities. The legal conflict developed after Cook, the overweight plaintiff, decided to apply for a position in a mental institution she had previously worked and performed favorably in twice in the past. She was turned down because her employers found her weight to be a potential liability. They had no medical tests or any other type of hard evidence to support this claim, still they rejected her and defended their decision by stating that “[her] weight compromised her ability to evacuate patients in an emergency situation and increased her chances of developing aliments that could lead Cook to be out of work or claim workers’ compensation”. The jury viewed this as the institution claiming that Cook had a disability that limited her life activities. Also, Cook managed to prove that morbid obesity can come as a result of a physiological disorder. A physiological illness is understood to be an illness caused by the malfunction of organs or the systems in the body. In the end the court ruled in favor of Cook; they declared that the mental institution employers were discriminating against her and found that obesity caused by physiological disorders could be considered a disability. 

Those who advocate in favor of obesity being a disease recognized this as a big step but were still not fully pleased with this resolution. They dispute the fact that other disabilities do not require a “background check” in order to receive protection. They use cancer as a common example. It does not matter if a person abused tobacco products and as a result got cancer; the fact that the individual has the disability is enough to receive the legal protection the ADA offers. On the other hand the morbidly obese need to have a physiological reason for their condition or they will not receive the ADA benefits. Also, there is currently only one American state with official state laws protecting obese citizens from discrimination; the Elliot-Larsen Civil Rights Act in Michigan. Pro-obese groups and other supporting organizations are looking to not only getting all morbidly obese people full protection under the ADA but also creating more state laws that protect them. Their objective is to create consciousness throughout the country and eliminate weight bias in the work force and any other areas of life. 

What do you guys think? Should obesity be considered a disability?

Sources

http://digitalcommons.ilr.cornell.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1025&context=crs

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/store/10.1038/oby.2001.108/asset/oby.2001.108.pdf;jsessionid=397781D576D134F8C92100C274ADDCED.f01t03?v=1&t=hn7f3khd&s=780dbc227466bed8e53e8548530f014137eea5a4

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/02/22/obesity-rates-rising-developed-fattest-world_n_1294212.html#s716476&title=1_United_States

 This specific topic piqued my interest because it is something my mother has mentioned to me for years. She used to scold me all the time because of my habit of sitting on bed while working with my computer on me. I never really asked her which were the health consequences driving her constant motherly scolding, but I thought it was about time I took my personal health into my own hands for once. 

Although there are a number of research studies supporting the hypothesis that using a computer on your lap  may be harmful, it seems like these negative  effects only concern males. Turns out that the overheating of the male scrotum, or scrotal hyperthermia, has negative effects on spermatogenesis. To be more specific, the over heating of this external male reproductive organ can impair healthy sperm production and even reduce sperm count which is where the infertility problem comes in. When it comes to women there does not seem to be any danger. This is due to the fact that, unlike males, female reproductive organs are not freely exposed to the outside environment. So in conclusion my mom was partially correct when warning me and my brother about this. I’m still glad she took her precautions with me though, even if I wasn’t in any real danger. 

Sources:

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0015028210026890

http:/humrep.oxfordjournals.org/content/20/2/452.short

http://www.babycenter.com/404_can-the-heat-from-a-laptop-affect-fertility_1460107.bc

CAM or complimentary and alternative medicine refers to unconventional medicinal techniques that are simply not considered the standard, although many have been around for centuries. Many of these techniques center around the use of herbs, healing touch, and energy to restore balance in the patient, ease pain and cure disease. 

NCCAM stands for The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, and it is the section of the NIH devoted to funding and incentivizing of  empirical study of unconventional medicinal methods such as CAMs. The NCCAM’s job is to carry on scientific investigation on these methods’ usefulness and safety. When it comes to research funds we are now close to $250 million from NIH sectors, plus tens of millions more from other private donors.  Also, according to an article featured on the NIH site referencing a 2007 government survey, in 2009 over the course of a 12- month period, Americans had spent $33.9 billion dollars on CAMs. Other sources indicate that this number has been increasing. 

Although the NIH’s NCCAM is responsible for the continuing research on these methods’ efficacy and safety, the decision of wether or not to make use of these treatments falls in the hands of medical centers. Every medical center has it’s own idea of how to best incorporate CAMs into their treatment programs, and it is quite rare to find a general consensus on what the best method, dosage and target disease or patient population really is. 

There is still a huge need for research on this field due to the fact that we have yet to validate the efficacy of most of these methods. It has been reported that many of the placebo trials have failed to support positive effects from CAMs, and there does not seem to be any conclusive evidence for most of these methods. Still, it has been show that Reiki may increase feelings of happiness, relaxation and calmness, acupuncture has a chance of reducing chemotherapy induced vomiting and chronic pain conditions, and finally it seems like chiropractic medicine may reduce lower back pain.  

Personally, I think I would definitely recommend some of these to family and friends. Although there’s a lot of work to do research wise, as long as they produce no harm I would be willing to use them myself. I believe that a big part of getting better has to do with being in the right state of mind. If techniques and practices such as Yoga and Reiki can get you there without causing any significant harm, I feel that they are worth utilizing. On the other hand, I also recently became aware of other factors such as potentially high levels of mercury and lead present in herbal medicines, and now I don’t think I would recommend this method without first doing some more intensive research on the specific option.

CAMs are definitely a growing trend in American medicine, but how do you feel about it? Would you recommend these to your loved ones too or just steer clear until more research has been done?

Sources

http://www.webmd.com/balance/what-is-alternative-medicine

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/altmed/ 

The hookah tradition originating from the Middle East, consists on smoking shisha, a flavored tobacco, through a water pipe. This has become a beyond popular practice amongst the american youth, specially college students. Many consider this to be a fairly healthy practice and a good alternative to cigarette consumption. It is generally believed that since the shisha smoke is filtered through water all of the carcinogens from the tobacco are eliminated.

Unfortunately for all hookah lovers this is not true. As a matter of fact, hookah may be just as risky as smoking cigarettes. Hookah users inhale more smoke for longer periods of time which as a direct result causes them to inhale more tobacco. It is supposed to deliver the same amounts of nicotine meaning that there is a chance of creating a dependency. There is also the risk of cancer, due to the toxic components in the smoke such as tar, carbon monoxide and other carcinogens. 

As a hookah consumer I personally feel very ignorant for not having been aware of the dangers surrounding the practice. This also makes me wonder how many other popular, seemingly harmless, and yet unhealthy practices have we integrated into our culture? Hookah is not something we see being regularly advertised on t.v. or magazines like cigarettes did back in the day, then how did it manage become so popular, and its effects so unrecognized?

Here are some quick hookah facts extracted from “tobaccofreeu.org” :

• Compared to a single cigarette, hookah smoke is known to contain: 

• Higher levels of arsenic, lead, and nickel1 
• 36 times more tar
• 15 times more carbon monoxide

• Smoking a hookah requires taking longer and harder drags, increasing levels of inhaled nicotine and carcinogens in the lungs. 
• The longer the hookah session, the more nicotine and toxins one takes in. 
• A 45 to 60 minute hookah session exposes the smoker to approximately the same amount
  of tar and nicotine as one pack of cigarettes. 
• Sharing mouthpieces without washing them can increase the risk of spreading colds, flu,
  and infections–even oral herpes.
• Health risks of smoking hookahs include cancer, heart disease, lung damage, and dental
  disease.
• Do not think that if you are just visiting a hookah bar, that you are in the clear. There are still high levels of damaging secondhand smoke to all who are present. 

Have you ever heard of the power of smiles? If this sounds ridiculous to you, think again because there is a chance that smiling may actually make you happy, and if that’s not a super power then I don’t know what is. More than smiling this post is about facial expressions and their effect on your emotional state and stress recovery rate.

An experimental study conducted by Kraft and Pressman from the University of Kansas, called Grin and Bear It: The Influence of Manipulated Facial Expression on the Stress Response consisted on having 170 participants oblivious to the study’s purpose complete two sets of stressful tasks while holding chopsticks in their mouths in such a way that they would be displaying a “duchenne” smile, a standard smile, or a neutral expression. Results showed that participants in the smiling groups had lower heart rates during stress recovery than the neutral participants did. What the researchers concluded from the resulting data was that “there are both physiological and psychological benefits from maintaining positive facial expressions during stress”. 

Although this is not conclusive evidence showing that there is a reverse causation situation between facial expressions and emotional states, the study does give us something to think about. If faking a smile can lower a natural stress response such as rapid heart rate, what else can we  achieve through this? Could this be the key to a happier life? What about facial expressions that display negative affect, do these make you sad? Perhaps if we could establish the reverse causation, we could have better control of our emotions and live a more fulfilling life. Meanwhile, at least we know that there is an effect on stress response, so next time you are stressed out just remember to smile. Even if it’s a fake one held on by toothpicks you might end up feeling better a lot faster! 

Ever since I was little, my mother used to always mention how cold showers are way healthier than hot ones. I must’ve been a very un-curious child for just as I did with many other things she taught me and mentioned, I never questioned her or asked why. I pretty much just took it as it was and continued with life. Now that I am older and wiser, I am often curious as to why my mother would recommend such a things. Well, when it comes to cold showers, turns out she might’ve been right. 

Although I couldn’t find many empirical researches done on the topic, I did find one that tested three different methods(rest, abdominal cold packs, and cold showers)  in relieving fatigue after strenuous exercise sessions. Cold showers came in on second, rest came in on third. I was also able to find a vast number of articles that listed benefits from taking cold showers. Most of them seemed to be referring to post-work out session showers though. 

These were the benefits that prevailed from list to list: 

1. Strengthens Immunity

2. Improves Blood Circulation

3. Alleviates Depression/ improves mood

4. Deepens Breathing/better breathing

5. Increases Energy and Wellbeing

6. Increases Hormone Production

I would really like to see more lab experiments on the benefits of cold showers both after work out sessions, and in less active people. The six benefits listed above are already more than enough reason to quit bathing in hot water as often; who knows what other hidden benefits we might be able to discover?

So I encourage you guys to take cold showers. It might be uncomfortable, but it also might be good for you!

Sources:

http://wakeup-world.com/2012/04/11/ten-health-benefits-of-cold-showers/

http://www.normalbreathing.com/l-cold-shower.php

http://blog.iamgary.com/how-to-take-a-cold-shower-and-why-to-do-it/

Last week my dear and incredible roommate brought this new invention idea to my attention. It’s called phonebloks and, in my personal opinion, it is one of the coolest ideas I have come across in a long time. It’s basically a phone built like a lego meaning that all parts can be put in or taken apart as desired. Having a phone like this would mean no longer having to throw away your phone because one single piece broke. Replacing the broken part would be as simple as taking it out of the base (basically the mother board) and putting in a new one! Just like a lego piece! Another reason why this is so exciting for me is because the customizing options would be endless! Well, perhaps not endless but at least much less limited than what is available today. If you happened to be obsessed with taking pictures your could just add a bigger camera. If on the other hand you didn’t like to take pictures and preferred to listen to music you could get better speakers and put in a smaller camera. Whatever you might be into, this would be the perfect phone, for it would be designed by you for you!   

It is also important to note that this project is actually driven by a desire to reduce phone  wastes which are quite damaging to the environment. As Phonebloks’ leader Dave Hakkens says “electronic devices are not designed to last”. This would be a phone that could -ideally- last a life time and as a direct result reduce our growing problem of electronic wastes. 

Unfortunately this dream has yet to become a reality. This is where we (the public) come in! The creators want to make companies aware of this idea through demonstrating that this is something the public would be interested in. If you are interested in showing your support for this idea you would need to join the thunder clap for this cause. The blast will be going out on Oct. 29th of this year so you have until then to show your support and make the phonebloks happen! 

Here’s a video that explains everything better than I could ever dream of: 

At some point in time, most girls have heard about or even joked about being “period sisters” or having menstrual synchrony as it is actually referred as. Menstrual synchrony is simply two girls having their menstrual period at the same exact time. Contrary to popular belief, living proximity such as being roommates may actually not be the cause of this effect. According to an article published on Scientific American there is no empirical research supporting this claim. 

Many researchers have looked into this apparent phenomenon  in women who are close to each other. One of the very first ones to do so was Martha McClintock. In her study published in 1971 she kept track of the menstrual period dates of 135 females living in a dormitory. Her results validated the existence of the synchrony. Years later many researchers have found flaws in her study and conducted research projects that refute the claim. One of the researchers who have found evidence against menstrual synchrony is H. Clyde Wilson. He attempted to replicate McClintok’s study as well as others with a similar design but found them to be flawed.  

 Despite the growing amounts of evidence against menstrual synchrony, many still believe that social interactions among women can have an effect on their ovaries. What I have concluded is that maybe we are looking at this from the wrong angle. I feel that more research needs to be done before entirely accepting or refuting the existence of this female exclusive phenomenon.