There have been countless times that I have tried to stop biting my nails yet I can never seem to completely drop the habit. No matter how many times I paint my nails or get fake nails put on to restrain myself from biting my real nails I always find myself biting my nails at various points in time. It seems that there is almost nothing I can do to break the habit so is nail biting a real addiction?

Onychophagia is the habit of compulsive nail biting. Onychophagia can be considered an addiction due to both the psychological and physical manifestation of biting nails. Nail biting is definitely a psychological issue for many different reasons. Many people bite their nails when they are stressed, anxious, worried, etc. The nail biting releases nervous tension in stressful situations.

Nail biting is also known to occur when people are bored or feel personal discomfort. I think these are two of the main reasons that I bite my nails because I usually find myself doing it while I am doing homework or reading, and when I am in the midst of waiting for something big to happen. For example, I often find myself biting my nails before an important game or during a test or exam.

On top of nail biting causing nails to look gross and ugly, it also has the potential to create various health problems. Bacteria, viruses, and germs live under peoples nails so when people bite their nails they have a higher risk of infection. The most common infections due to nail biting are those affecting the gastrointestinal area. These infections result in diarrhea, nausea, and vomiting. Also, herpes is the most common viral disease linked to nail biting. A person who bites their nails spreads the herpes virus not only around their mouth but also around their fingers. The best way to avoid these problems is by keeping your fingers out of your mouth even though that seems impossible for some of us to do at times.

Sources:

http://www.skinnail.com/eng/skin-nail-onychophagy

Every single girl who has ever worn their hair in a ponytail can vouch for this when I say that when left in for too long they can give you a nasty headache. This usually results in not being able to touch your head for a couple seconds followed by a full on head massage. What are the reasons that ponytails have this type of effect on the head?

Ponytails are often pulled tight especially for those who are going to be engaging in some type of physical activity such as playing a sport or going to the gym. Pulling the ponytail tight strains the tissue in the scalp which causes the headache. Also, such a tight ponytail increases the risk of tension alopecia which is a hair loss condition. However, tension alopecia is usually due to young children wearing such tight ponytails or an excessive amount of tight ponytails spanning over months and years.

Ponytail headaches are also dependent on the amount of hair someone has. If a person has very long, thick hair the stress of the ponytail pulling on the scalp can sometimes even lead to back and neck pain. It is also always a good idea to remove the hair from a pony tail before going to bed. Going to bed with the ponytail in can cause strain and stress on the scalp. On top of the headaches and other aches people get from ponytails, they are also a great way to damage one’s hair.

Damage done by ponytails is usually do to the quality of the ponytail itself. Rubber bands are the fastest and easiest way to create great amounts of hair breakage. The best way to avoid this breakage would be by investing in some good quality, elastic ponytails. Wearing a ponytail also creates a pressure in a specific spot on your hair shaft that can weaken it over time and prevent growth. Therefore, switch it up! Wear all kinds of different styles and loosen the ponytails to reduce tension on your head.

Sources:

http://www.webmd.com/migraines-headaches/ss/slideshow-surprising-headache-triggers

http://hair.allwomenstalk.com/worst-things-to-do-to-your-hair-that-you-need-to-stop-right-now/3/

http://www.hairboutique.com/tips/tip100025.htm

When you first walk into a gym the easiest piece of equipment to spot are usually the treadmills being that there are always so many of them. Many, many people choose to run on treadmills rather than outdoors because of their convenience. Everything is monitored and easily kept track of such as calories burned and heart rate. There are also specific settings to almost create a simulation of running outdoors such as the incline. However, I have always held the belief that running on a treadmill is nothing close to actually being outside. Was I correct in thinking this?

The answer is yes. Many fitness professionals have argued that people burn more calories by running outdoors than on the treadmill. This can be due to many factors. One of these factors is that the outdoors are not as flat and smooth as the treadmills. Running outside on bumpy and curvy roads requires people to pay more attention to balance and coordination which helps to strengthen joints and muscles. Second, running outdoors requires combatting wind resistance which you won’t find in the gym. Third, the belt on the treadmill helps people to keep in stride and keep moving forward without having to drive their own bodyweight towards the ground. Lastly, and my favorite particular reason that running outdoors is better for you, is that running is a great way to escape from everything going on around you. Running in the gym, especially nowadays, almost isn’t an escape at all. Newer treadmills have tvs, iPod/iPhone hookups, and places to charge these devices. These are all great technological advances but sometimes people really just need to take a step away from all of that in order to find some relaxation. Also, the amount of calories burned during a workout is directly proportional to the intensity of the exercise. Running outdoors requires a greater amount of oxygen consumption and burns more calories being that is not as easy to gain distance on inconsistent terrain as it is on a treadmill.

Even though running is more beneficial when done outside it is still a great thing to do for the body on the treadmill. Whether someone chooses to run indoors or outdoors, running will always be a great way to exercise. Running has an innumerable amount of positive effects on a person mentally and physically.

Sources:

http://www.weightlossresources.co.uk/exercise/running/road-versus-treadmill.htm

I never drank coffee until I got to college and now I drink it almost everyday in some type of form. Whether it be frappuccinos, iced coffees, lattes, milkshakes, etc. I always make sure to add in a dash of coffee because I know I will be needing it in the future. So, I decided that it would be beneficial to research what type of coffee is the worst for people to consume.

I stumbled upon this website that did not generally specify which type of coffee is the worst, for example, iced coffee, lattes, or frappuccinos but rather specified which coffee drinks from specific places are the worst. The first two to pop up were both from Au Bon Pain, a bakery/cafe right on campus. So then I wondered what was it about these drinks that make them significantly worse than others.

The two specific drinks that were mentioned on this website include the 20 oz vanilla latte and the 20 oz caramel macchiato. The vanilla latte contains 500 calories, 9 gs of saturated fat, 81 gs of carbs, and 81 gs of sugar. The caramel macchiato contains 540 calories, 9 gs of saturated fats, 86 gs of carbs, and 82 gs of sugar. Consuming these drinks is equivalent to having one cup of coffee with milk and thirteen pieces of caramel candy. The recommended range of calories for an adult woman is around 1,600 to 2,400 calories per day. So really one cup of either of these drinks is not going to be completely harmful to someone’s health.

After researching a little more to try to find out what really makes coffee bad for people I found this website. Coffee is the most highly traded crop in the world, therefore, industries are willing to do whatever it takes in order to mass produce the product. This then causes industries to add toxic chemicals to the crop to keep pests and diseases away. When drinking coffee the most important factors to consider are the toxins that could have been added to the drink and the amount of caffeine intake per day.

Sources:

http://www.care2.com/greenliving/12-worst-coffee-drinks.html?page=1

http://eatdrinkbetter.com/2010/08/03/pick-your-poison-toxic-chemicals-in-your-coffee/

As a person who does not have diabetes but has come in contact with people who do, I have always wondered what it would be like to have restrictions on what I can and can not eat. After reading this article I commend those who are affected by the disease because I know that I would find it extremely hard, if not impossible, to change my diet from what it is now in exchange for a regulated diabetes diet.

All of the foods listed in the article are dangerous to those who have diabetes because they can either increase the risk of diabetes complications or cause blood sugar spikes. The first food the article presents is candy. The harmful effects of candy are the same as those of cookies, syrup, and soda. All of these low-quality carbohydrates cause an increase in blood sugar levels. The articles proceeds to suggest that instead of eating candy, diabetics could eat fruit. However, they should avoid fruit juice. Fruit juice is full of fruit sugar, even 100% fruit juices. Dried fruits such as raisins are also harmful to diabetics because during the dehydration process the natural sugars in fruits become very concentrated. At this point in the article I was already able to develop a sense of how annoying it must be to decide which foods are a yes and which are a no.

Missing out on candy isn’t a big deal to you? Well, diabetics also have to watch the amount of carbs they intake. Therefore, all of the foods I basically live off of I would either have to not eat or learn to strictly regulate. These foods include pancakes, french fries, white bread, pastries, and etc. Not only are these foods harmful due to their amount of carbs, but fried foods such as fries, potato chips, and donuts are also harmful because of their starchy ingredients and in turn can cause cause blood glucose levels to shoot up. Refined starches act just as sugar when the body starts to digest them, therefore, anything containing white flour (pasta, rice, bread) should be avoided by those with diabetes.

The article lists a few more foods that diabetics should avoid, including bacon and milk. BACON AND MILK. So on top of diabetics not being able to regularly eat pancakes, they also can not eat or drink bacon or milk. Therefore, it would really suck to be a diabetic at breakfast.

Sources:

http://www.joybauer.com/photo-gallery/worst-foods-for-diabetes/whole-milk.aspx

(i) When I was making my schedule for this semester I had all of my classes picked out except for one, and that would be this one. I was able to choose between a math or science class and I figured science was the better option for me. I was looking for an easy science class that would fit nicely into my schedule in order to fulfill my science requirement.

(ii) I am not majoring in science because none of the science classes I have taken in previous years have interested me. Every year it just seemed to be repetition of something I learned before but still did not really understand. Also, it really bothers me not knowing a definite answer. I have a really hard time learning things that could or could not be true and trying to expand on the ideas of those things.