Do we need fingernails to get them painted, to make our rings look good? According to John Hawks, “a biological anthropologist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Fingernails are one of the features that distinguish primates, including humans, from other mammals.

They are essentially flattened forms of claws.? Is it because its useful to scratch, peel fruit, open jars, undo nots and shoelaces? It would be interesting if there was a study done that should how people live with fingernails and how people live without fingernails.

I believe their lifestyles would be almost the same. Our nails are made out of a protein called keratin. Maybe this gives our body protein? Is it unknown why we have fingernails? Where do fingernails come from? Do they serve as tools for us and thats it? In my conclusion, it seems as if fingernails are just there and serve as little tools for us to help do little things, that you would never think of is the reason we have fingernails and the purposes they serve.

sources:

http://www.livescience.com/32472-why-do-we-have-fingernails.html

A very highly talked about topic in the US is how much television a child matches or really how bad is television for young kids. Does it effect the development of their attention disorders as they grow to become adolescences and eventually adults? The first two years of a Childs life are critical times for brain development. Electronics and especially TV can interfere with the way the brain develops.

As kids get older, too much TV can effect activities such as being physically active, reading, studying, experiencing social scenes with friends and family. It must be hard as a parent to try and help your kid avoid TV if you watch it yourself.  In some households, the TV is just on even without anyone watching. Some parents buy videos and shows that they think can make their kids smarter. But why not just buy a board game? Or a kids book or game?

According to http://www.raisesmartkid.com/all-ages/1-articles/13-the-good-and-bad-effects-of-tv-on-your-kid, “Researchers from the University of Sydney report a link between total screen time and retinal artery width in children. Kids with lots of screen time were found to have narrow artery in their eyes, which may indicate heart risk.”

In conclusion, i believe that tv at a young age is not beneficial to help a brain develop. I do not think kid shows are even positive for children. The types of kids shows there are today are becoming more and more harmful to a child.

You may hear your Doctor tell you that you need to eat dairy everyday, or your nutritionist may tell you to eat yogurt for breakfast instead of oatmeal. Few people are willing to talk about dairy and tell the truth about it.  For example, my best friends mom used to eat yogurt for  breakfast, and would put cheese on her sandwiches for lunch. She started to feel extremely blooded. She eventually stopped eating yogurt for breakfast, cut out milk in coffee, and absolutely no cheese and lost 10 pounds extremely fast and had zero blooding. I told my mom about it and she started doing the same thing. My mom saw the same results as my friends mom.

According to the Huffington post article, http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/05/19/is-milk-bad-for-you_n_5311851.html, milk is high in saturated fat and switching to skim milk will not do the trick. “A large Swedish study also discovered a link between fattier milk and a lower risk of weight gain in adult women (normal-weight women who drank one or more cups a day of whole milk had a significantly lower chance of gaining weight than those who drank reduced-fat milk).” There are however dairy replacements. Such as soy milk. There are no replacements for ice cream but if you are a milk nut, then soy milk, coconut milk, rice milk, and almond milk, are an options for you.

In conclusion, I believe that cutting out dairy from your diet will allow you to become less blooded and you will loose weight without even trying .

Being happy in anyway is ultimately good for your health. It has been tested and proven that laughter protects the heart because it improves the function of blood vessels and increased blood flow. This can help prevent heart attacks and cardiovascular problems. People who are happy in general tend to live longer because they do not have any types of stresses. It is extremely good for mental health because it releases endorphins .

Laughing relaxes the entire body and relieves tension and stress. Laughing can also be considered an ab workout because when you laugh your abs clench together . Every wonder why it hurts to laugh sometimes? Laughing and not laughing can be the difference between a bad and good day.

According to Dr. Paul E. McGhee, “Your sense of humor is one of the most powerful tools you have to make certain that your daily mood and emotional state support good health.”Laughter is an amazing medicine.

works cited:

http://www.teenhealthfx.com/answers/general/48524

http://www.doityourself.com/stry/personal-care–how-laughing-will-help-you-live-longer#b

http://www.helpguide.org/articles/emotional-health/laughter-is-the-best-medicine.htm

This probably does not come to mind everyday whether or not the food you are eating contains carcinogens, however around 1.5 million people were diagnosed last year with any sort of cancer.  According to http://naturalon.com/10-of-the-most-cancer-causing-foods/, there are 16 everyday foods that can cause cancer.

1. Microwave Popcorn: The inside of the bags are lined with perfluorooctanoic acid which is a chemical toxin. According to scientific studies done, perfluorooctanoic is linked to women in a infertility type of way. Another chemical that is on the popcorn itself is diacetyl.

2. Non- Organic fruits: When you go to a food store, have you ever questioned whether or not to buy organic or non- organic foods? When i go with my family we can never tell the difference between organic and non-organic foods when we cook them so usually we buy non-organic. In 2009, a study was done that found that when pregnant women drink water with atrazine in it, their baby weights less. Which fruit do you think is the worst contaminated one? Apples are the worst. 98 percent of apples have pesticides.

3. Canned Tomatoes:  It is not unknown that most canned foods are unhealthy. Personally, i try not to eat canned foods because i know how processed they are, but I did not know they were this bad. The cans are lined with the chemical bisphenol.  Tomatoes have a high acidity which make them more dangerous.

4.Processed Meats: When I think of processed meats I think of stuff that contains a ton of sodium.  The salts that are used to make these meats are extremely damaging to health. Processed meats contain chemicals, and sodium nitrates.

5.Potato chips: I know potato chips are extremely unhealthy but I also know how good they are. They are high in fat and calories which obviously causes weight gain. They have artificial flavors, many preservatives, and the material which makes them crispy called acrylamide which is found in cigarettes.

6.Artificial sweeteners:  Most use artificial sweeteners in coffee, teas, baked goods etc. Aspartame has been found in many artificial sweeteners. These sweeteners prohibit the human body to monitor its daily calorie consumption.

7. Alcohol: Have you ever heard of the freshman 15? Most of the weight gained comes from alcohol, not just bad dining hall food . Late night eating is caused from alcohol. It is the second leading cause of cancer.

In a sense, anything can cause cancer. The foods listed above are some everyday foods that can cause cancer which you may have not known. It is shocking that scientists have not found ways to prevent these foods from causing cancer or using different chemicals and ingredients.

For me, listening to music when i go to the gym improves my workout. Music can be essential for satisfying a strong workout.  It helped to understand how your favorite music enhances your exercise.  Research has consistently found that listen to music distracts runners and athletes from their bodily awareness.  Huffington post has listed seven good reasons to rock out to music your next time at the gym.  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/11/01/why-exercise-workout-music-playlist_n_4173931.html.

Music can motivate you to workout longer and harder. I know for me, when i have good music I am excited to listen to it so it makes me want to go to the gym more. Science has shown that when you have incentives, you will want to do it more. Music distracts us from fatigue.  Working out with music at a faster tempo makes it easier to work out.  In 2008, a study was done on cyclists that found it was easier for the cyclists to pedal when they were listening to the tempo, and beat of the music.

Music is a distraction from pain and fatigue. It can elevate moods, increase endurance, reduce perceived effort .  Music can help people run father, bike longer, and swim faster.

Is too much technology bad for the brain? According to https://www.dosomething.org/tipsandtools/9-ways-technology-affects-mental-health there are 9 top ways technology affects mental health. “1.Sleep-Using technology late at night can affect your sleep patterns and cause a sleeping disorder. 2.Depression- People who feel the need to have their cell phones were more likely to report depressive mental health symptoms. 3. Addiciton- The amount of times technology abusers check their gadgets are just enough to trigger the addiction- oriented parts of our brains. 4. 24/7 stress- Our brain don’t get the chance to de-stress and unwind form the days activities, so our brains get stuck in stress mode 24/7. 5. FOMO aka ” Fear of Missing Out”- The popularity of social media and sharing everything has led to this new sensation where everyone from middle schoolers to working adults feel the pressure to attend every event and share every experience. 6. Isolation- Excessive technology use can lead to feelings of isolation or the eventual isolation of a person due to so much time spent with technology as opposed to making real connections aka human friends. 7. Incivility- Research has shown that with the ascent of internet and technology use, rudeness and incivility on social media sites has also increased. 8. Insecurity- Social media, and constant access to it through out phones, tablets and laptops means we are constantly plugged into what everyone is doing. 9. Anxiety- Social media on our gadgets can give us anxiety about everything from FOMO to fear that our life is not interesting enough. ”

In Conclusion, I think that technology is bad for the brain because people let it take over. They let their phones do the talking through text, they let the phone find directions through map quest and so on and so on. With regards to ” FOMO”, technology messes with the brain and can cause extreme anxiety.

Can eating red meat cause and increase the risk of cancer and heart disease? There are some red meats that have a lot of saturated fat which raises blood cholesterol. So for heart disease that can cause it. However when it comes to cancer, there is not clear answer.

According to http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/features/the-truth-about-red-meat, ” A recent National Institutes of Health- AARP study of more than a half- million older Americans concluded that people who ate the most red meat and processed meat over a 10-year -period were likely to die sooner than those who ate smaller amounts.” Researched have suggested that instead of cutting meat out completely, to bake it and poach it rather than grilling or frying it. Some of the worse red meats; hot dogs and sausage have been found to cause heart failure and death.

In Conclusion, i believe that red meat effects the heart and cardiovascular the most. Eating too much is bad, but having some is ok. I have also concluded that women who eat red meat have a very high chance of cancer.

We eat it even though we know it is bad for us. Why does this happen? Companies design the foods this way to be addictive.  Because more and more people are starting to watch what they eat and the ingredients in the food they eat, companies are going to start telling people that these foods are okay to eat. Some people believe that junk food addictions start from the womb.

According to http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2402746/Food-addiction-DOES-exist-Junk-food-activates-region-brain-hard-drugs.html, that “sugar snacks activate areas of brain that are also stimulated by hard drugs such as cocaine and heroin.

Studies have shown and it is obvious that junk food companies spend billions of dollars on marketing for their products and figuring out what ingredients to put i0n the food so buyers will become addicted and continue to buy that product. According to studies, we are addicted to junk food because our bodies cannot handle the sugar, fat, and salt in the product.

In conclusion, I think that these companies put so much money and time into thinking how they can make their products addictive. The sugars, salts, and fats are too much for our bodies to handle at one time. These foods will continue to be addictive until companies stop putting these chemicals and money into marketing for them.

Whenever you hear something is bad for you there is always that question in the back of your mind whether or not how bad it is for you and if there is a chance you can get cancer from it? I believe that anything that is somewhat bad for you can cause cancer. It may be a very small percentage . According to http://abcnews.go.com/Health/w_DietAndFitness/sweet-nothings-artificial-sweeteners-splenda-equal-sweetn-low/story?id=16548908, Sweet’ N low can cause cancer.

Sweet ‘ N Low is known and believed to increase the risk for bladder cancer  in lab rats. There is no proven fact that this causes cancer but if you have other factors that lean toward cancer developing cancer, this may add to the development and make the chances of cancer higher.

In conclusion, I believe that Sweet’ N Low does not directly cause cancer, however if you have other factors that lead to cancer it will hurt it and make the chances of you getting cancer stronger.

Is running on a treadmill just as beneficial or more beneficial than running outside? Or is one more harmful then the other? Some scientific research has show that running on the treadmill is basically the same as running outside. Actually, there are some workouts that can be done better on a treadmill than outside. Although, running on a treadmill can be extremely boring and can cause shin splints faster than running outside. So I believe that running on a treadmill and running outdoors have the same affects.

Some benefits of running on a treadmill vs outdoors:

1. Can run when the weather is bad

2.Simulating race courses while indoors-

3. Fluid and Carbohydrate intake

Benefits of running outside vs Indoors:

1. Can not learn how to pace yourself on a treadmill

2.Treadmill is boring

works cited:

http://runnersconnect.net/running-training-articles/treadmill-vs-running-outside/

Do you ever get concerned when you work out really hard and do not sweat? Or when you sweat too much? I believe sweating is a positive thing for the human body and health. According to http://fitness.mercola.com/sites/fitness/archive/2014/01/10/sweating-benefits.aspx, sweating maintains proper temperature, expels toxins, kills viruses and bacteria, and cleans pores.  Along with sweat cleaning pores to eliminate acne, sweating can also cause acne if you do not have good hygiene while allowing yourself to sweat. During workouts, sweating allows the body to maintain certain temperatures so your body does not overheat.

Sitting in a sauna obviously allows the body to produce a lot of sweat in a short period of time. That is one easy way to allow your body to sweat. Sitting in a sauna has positive side effects for the body similarly to how sweating while exercise does. It reduces cold and flu, body detox, skin cleansing, relaxation. Another way to sweat while relaxing is hot yoga. I am absolutely terrible at yoga, but when I want to sweater and feel like i am exercising, I always resort to hot yoga.

In conclusion, I think sweating is very good for the health. According to facts and studies done, there is nothing significant that shows sweating is bad for the body.

I never used gel on my nails until prom season. Last April was the first time i used gel on my nails and i loved it. I started to peel off the gel and slowly and slowly my nails started to become damaged. This website claims ” It will take at least a year for her nails to recover, and they may never be as strong as they once were. ”  I have not had gel on my nails for months and my nails are still not healthy looking and they have a damaged look to them.

E Hookahs are NOT bad. There is no tar, no tabaccoo, they are rechargeable, disposable, no need to clean, no lighting coals and all around easier to travel with. Some negative things about an Ehookah is that they are more expensive. Basically that is it. E hookahs are good for people who are trying to quit smoking. Eventually, I believe this technology will become better and more and more flavors and designs will start to happen. According to http://selfpoweredhealth.com/hookah-pens-safe/, ” a hookah pen is a device that delivers nicotine as a vapor to the user. ” This however, is not the same as a hookah. A real hookah uses a special type of tabaccoo.

For some, ADHD medication can do wonders for your body. It can greatly improve your life, give you control of yourself, and restore focus. According to http://www.webmd.com/add-adhd/guide/tips-reduce-adult-adhd-medication-side-effects, some side effects can be : trouble sleeping, nausea, no appetite, headaches, dry mouth, dizziness, and irritability and mood changes. One of the most popular side effects I believe is a decreased appetite. From personal experience, ADHD medication completely takes an appetite away.

Sources:

http://www.webmd.com/add-adhd/guide/tips-reduce-adult-adhd-medication-side-effects

Is it true that drinking from water bottles left in a hot car can cause cancer? Apparently the heat in the car causes the bottle to release harmful chemicals . Can women get breast cancer from drinking water out of a plastic bottle that was left in the car? There are BPA free- plastic s  are now available to hold drinks. According to http://news.msn.com/rumors/rumor-reusing-plastic-bottles-can-cause-cancer, “Cancer Research UK  has an entire paged devoted to debunking the plastic bottle – cancer claims.

Hi everyone, my name is Jess Herman and I am from a town 15 minutes outside of Philadelphia called Penn Valley. I am enrolled in the college of Division Of Undergraduate studies , but I want to major in business marketing.  Throughout high school I never enjoyed biology, chemistry, and physics .  They were very challenging for me and most of the time boring. Those three classes closed my mind about becoming a science major.I realized science does not excite me in anyway.  When I was enrolling in courses for my first semester , i realized I needed a science class.  Because science is not for me,  was very Fortunate when I found this class. I heard great things about this class and I can’t wait to experience them myself. During my time here as a college student, I want to travel abroad to Florence, Italy. http://www.tripadvisor.com/Tourism-g187895-Florence_Tuscany-Vacations.html