Ever since we were kids we’ve been told drugs are bad for obvious reasons. They alter your state of being and destroy important parts of your brain. A recent study was done by medical researchers at Universita degli Studi di Milano, a university in Italy, testing the long term effects of marijuana. Surprisingly it led to serious autoimmune and chronic inflammatory diseases such as multiple sclerosis, inflammatory bowel disease, and rheumatoid disease for adults when used in the teenage years.

To test the research they did, the researchers set up an experiment on adolescent mice where they injected them for 10 days  with THC, the main active component of marijuana. This 10 day period correlated with the adolescence period of humans (12-18). There was also a second group of mice that were given a placebo and both groups were left alone for two months after the treatments to reach full adulthood. The researches then evaluated the immune systems of both groups taking many measurements into consideration. The result was that the mice treated with THC had severe immune complications in adulthood.

If these results would be able to be replicated it would show that adolescence is a key phase of immune sensitivty when your immune system is forming to be the strongest it can be. If you alter factors during this period of development they can lead to serious and permanent health issues. One of the researchers, Paola Sacerdote mentioned “I hope that the knowledge that early exposure to marijuana is associated with immediate and long-term deleterious effects on the immune system may reach adolescents and their families”.

I’m a strong believer that drug should not be used especially for teenagers. It is proven to be very detrimental to your immediate health but many people aren’t aware of the serious, permanent long term effect it can have.

Sources:

http://learnaboutmarijuanawa.org/factsheets/adolescents.htm

Autoimmune diseases linked to adolescent marijuana use

Back when I used to play football in high school, I was sure to always carry a bottle of Ibuprofen everywhere I went. Wake up? Ibuprofen.  Headache?  Ibuprofen. Practice? Ibuprofen. It became more about having piece of mind than about actually treating pain. Now that I simply workout and lift weights for personal purposes, I’ve begun to question my bad habit of consuming anti-inflamatories.  I broke it down logically; wouldn’t consuming anti-inflamatories before lifting weights with the intentions of making your blood rush into your muscles be contradictory?  Turns out I was right. An article on BodyBuilding.com by Jacob Ormes states “several studies determined that the body’s muscle-building response to training was more or less shut off in people who regularly used anti-inflammatory drugs”.

No pills for this guy, just a whole lot of iron

With this in mind, let’s flip the logic on it’s head.  Since decreasing of swelling is bad, then does that mean increasing swelling is good? Yes, and there’s now a way to supplement it.  Enter Arachidonic Acid.  Arachidonic Acid (ARA) is the primary fatty acid used to cause muscle inflammation and, subsequently, muscle recovery (Ormes).  Although it’s name may sound like the poisonous venom from some giant spider found in a horror flick, it’s actually been scientifically proven to improve weight-training.  The University of Tampa conducted an 8-week double blind placebo trial in which they observed the results of weight-lifters who consumed a supplemented amount of ARA and a control group that didn’t.  They made sure to not ‘periodize’ the training of the athletes, giving the athletes more of a chance to become fatigued and plateau.  This effectively cuts out the variable of valuable rest time gained in off-days.  The results came back and showed a significantly greater amount of lean muscle and strength gained in the ARA group than the placebo group (Ormes).

But uhhhhh, how exactly do I get ARA?

Great question.  ARA is most commonly found in foods like steak, eggs, fish, and chicken.

Mmmmm, BROtein.

But supplementing ARA in other ways has proved especially effective.  ARA can be found in over the counter athlete multi-vitamin packets as well other easily accessible forms.   The bottom line is clear; if you’re serious about weightlifting and are sick of plateau’s in your progress, stay away from the pain pills and get some Arachidonic Acid in ya bad self.

Works Cited:

Ormes, Jacob. “Arachidonic Acid: When Inflammation Is Good – Bodybuilding.com.” Bodybuilding.com. N.p., 25 Sept. 2014. Web. 1 Oct. 2014. <http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/arachidonic-acid-when-inflammation-is-good.html?mcid=facetraining01092714>.

The phrase “work hard, play hard” on the weekends has been confirmed as true.  According to a study, “people drink more alcohol on days when they work out more.”  The study had 150 between the ages 18-89 to use a smart phone application to track how often they drank alcohol and how often they exercised over three periods of 21 days.

A study in 2009 concluded that people who are more active he results came in the same for the more active people and the less active people. Despite those results, this study discovered that the less active people drank more alcohol when they exercised and so did the more active people.

The author of the study, David Conroy, argues that the results of his study could be due to the loss of willpower from working hard at the gym so “they’re less able to say ‘no’ to a cocktail” or that people are having a drink as a reward for a great workout.  However, Dr. David Grier’s statement makes more sense to me.  Increase drinking does not cause an increases in exercise or vice versa, they are simply both influenced by an extra factor, the ways in which people spend their free time.

Dr. David Geier, “an orthopedic surgeon and sports medicine expert in Charleston”, warns us to not assume that more exercise leads to drinking more.  The results could simply have resulted because people tend to be more active and drink more alcohol when they have free time, like on the weekends.

Source: Holohan, Meghan. “Reward for Sweating? We Drink More Alcohol When We Exercise.” TODAY Health. NBC, 23 Sept. 2014. Web. 01 Oct. 2014.

This may become a two part blog, but for now we’ll focus on the matter at hand, or should I say at mouth. Whether it is morning, coffee, or smoker breath there always seems to be one person you encounter daily that has awful breath. Living in such close quarters with many new people, it can be difficult to deal with change, especially if that change involves adjusting to their natural smells. Luckily, my roommates are very cleanly but, we’ve all heard the horror stories of the less than hygienic roommate. So today, let’s tackle some common causes of bad breath, or medically referred to as halitosis. Halitosis can be broken down into three main areas which will be sorted out below.

You are what you eat:

An obvious cause of bad breath is what a person puts in his or her mouth. Different foods lodge in teeth easily, and as the particles remain, the bacteria grow and so does the scent. Another food issue is the more potent foods such as onions, garlic, vegetables, and spices. The Mayo Clinic website elaborates that “After you digest these foods, they enter your bloodstream, are carried to your lungs and affect your breath.” So even after brushing away the garlic in your mouth, the scent can remain, being as it goes through your lungs. Another breath issue is oral tobacco use. Smokers along with chewing tobacco users often have very bad breath because it can cause gum disease which leads to halitosis.

Hygiene:

Dental hygiene is so vital in avoiding halitosis. If a person does not brush daily, then a “sticky film of bacteria (plaque) forms on your teeth and if not brushed away, plaque can irritate your gums (gingivitis and eventually form plaque-filled pockets between your teeth and gums (periodontitis). People also need to brush their tongues being as there are ridges on tongues that can hold very small food fragments.

Different “stinkifying” diseases:

Dry mouth can cause stinky breath because “saliva helps cleanse your mouth.” Xerostomia is “a condition called dry mouth” which “can contribute to bad breath because production of saliva is decreased.”  Morning breath is caused by a lack of saliva since saliva production is slowed during sleep. If a person has oral surgery, sometimes their wounds can smell. Lastly, there is the possibility of “small stones that form in the tonsils and are covered with bacteria that produce odorous chemicals.” Postnasal drip can also cause halitosis.

Bad breath is not just a little yucky; it can also be medically induced. What people need to keep in mind while living in such close proximity with many strangers is to brush their teeth often, and to use gum and mouthwash. If you are having a problem with tooth decay or disease, it is important to talk to your dentist. Halitosis should not be ignored, because it can point to something larger. And remember to always be a pal; smell something, say something! Don’t just let your buddy walk around offending people’s nostrils.

Sources:

http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/bad-breath/basics/causes/con-20014939

Space. I’m not talking about the amount of space you have in your dorm room. I’m talking about outside of our atmosphere, where planets orbit the sun and many things are left to be discovered. Venturing to space is a great deal and it takes incredible equipment to get us there. However what happens to the satellites, non functional space crafts, and other gadgets that are no longer being used?They are left to orbit the earth and are known as “Space Debris”.

If you have seen the movie “Gravity” then you have seen what space debris can do.It can collide into other shuttles and satellites and destroy parts or the entire thing. The debris is a threat to the International Space Station and other functioning space shuttles. Lets not forget that debris is also a major threat to the humans working in the ISS and the other space shuttles.

According to NASA, there are more than 500,000 pieces of debris orbiting the earth. NASA tracks all of these pieces so that they can keep track of their whereabouts and make sure they are not headed towards an active/inhibited piece of equipment. NASA also works with the United States Department of Defense, and both work to keep track of all the debris, some as close as 1 yard in the geosynchronous orbit (the orbit in which the debris is in sync with the earth’s time, 24 hours).

NASA has elaborate guidelines and rules as too when evasive maneuvers should be put in place and whether or not a piece of debris is a threat to our equipment and astronauts. Depending on much time mission control has to avoid a collision; sometimes they will actually be able to move the ISS slightly so it is out of the way of the debris. However, when mission control is notified of a piece of debris with less time, they can either close hatches between the modules, or have the people aboard the ISS get into what is called the Soyuz spacecraft, or as NASA calls it, the life boat. In the event of a collision, the crew would be able to leave the spacecraft in the Soyuz.

These “space debris avoidance maneuvers” are in place to make sure that no damage is done and to keep the people in the ISS and space crafts safe. I however, wonder if there is a way to “clean up” the debris in some way. So instead of avoiding it we are taking it out of space, and possibly reusing some of the parts. Instead of just letting it float up in space useless and harmful, we can recycle them. This would then solve the collision problem and keep space excursions safer.

I think that if we could find a way to reduce the amount of space debris and clear space of all the clutter, than that would be a much better solution instead of just avoiding the debris. We are in a technology based world that will be sending many more objects and people into space, the more debris, the harder it will be to avoid it and maneuver giant equipment around. I understand that this is what has to be done now to ensure the safety of the astronauts and space crafts, but I do not think that they are doing it in the best way possible.

Resources:

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/news/orbital_debris.html#.VCh4YitdVuA

Everyone has probably been lectured by a parent or someone older about how headphones will ruin your hearing and most of the time we, as young adults, brush it off. Well, maybe it’s time you listen to them. According to a study done by the American Osteopathic Association, 1 in 5 teenagers suffer from some sort of hearing loss. This is 30% higher than it was in the ’80s and ’90s, and is most likely due to the increase in use of headphones. Dr. James E. Foy, an osteopathic pediatrician explains how, “even mild a mild hearing loss due to excessive noise could lead to developmental delays in speech and language.”

So here’s what Dr. Foy recommends: most MP3 players can produce sounds up to 120 decibels and, at that level, hearing loss can occur after only an hour and 15 minutes, so something that he leaves his patients to think about is that if you can’t hear what’s going on around you with your headphones in, your music is too loud. Also, the louder the volume coming from your headphones, the shorter amount of time you should be listening through headphones. Actually, you should only listen to 5 minutes of music through your headphones at maximum volume.

Wondering if you’ve become a victim of hearing loss? Dr. Foy says some signs include ringing, roaring, buzzing, or hissing in the ears and listening to the TV or radio at a higher volume than usual, so if you find that these are problems that you’re finding yourself running into, consider turning down your volume on your headphones a couple notches.

Unfortunately, if you have suffered from hearing loss, there are no cures. Of course you could get some sort of hearing aid but it won’t totally restore your hearing.

Lastly, Dr. Foy discusses treatments. He recommends using your MP3 device at 60% of its maximum volume for 60 minutes a day, calling it the 60/60 rule. In addition, using the more “old school” headphones that cover your ears instead of sitting inside your ears can reduce the chance of hearing loss. The message we are left with here is that, “moderation is key.”

Have you ever tripped and fell and felt an enormous amount of pain? The same thing can happen to your friend except he or she may barely feel anything. Why can people tolerate pain better than others? Is there a scientific reasoning behind this or is it just who you are? According to recent studies to this question, it deals with your brain.

People deal with pain differently due to how their brain is actually structured. According to new studies conducted by the Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center in North Carolina, pain that individuals feel is linked to the amount of grey matter located in the brain. The grey matter of the brain is extremely crucial because it makes up a substantial portion of the central nervous system and consists of the brain’s neuronal cell bodies. A particular study conducted by the Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center took a sample of 116 persons and measured each of their pain tolerance by exposing them to a slight pain stimulant. The researchers asked the individuals to tell them the level of their pain when a portion of their skin was subject to a temperature of 120 degrees Fahrenheit. Nichole Emerson reported the results of the study, “Subjects with higher pain intensity ratings had less grey matter in brain regions that contribute to internal thoughts and control of attention.” Based on this study and various others, researchers could determine that evaluating one’s brain structure can help determine his or her pain tolerance. Robert Coghill agreed with this statement by stating, “These kinds of structural differences can provide a foundation for the development of better tools for the diagnosis, classification, treatment, and even prevention of pain.”

Coghill participated in a 2003 study in which he used MRIs to evaluate brain functions of various people. His researchers determined that the volunteers who confirmed they felt a great amount of pain when being exposed to the heat stimulus had brain activation in regions that are significant in feeling pain. Contrasting this, the people who only declared having a small amount of pain to the heat stimulus had only a little brain activation in the pain areas. This study showed a strong correlation, but there are some flaws in this experiment (as with all experiments). Tis study was only conducted with a small sample of people (only 17). The results could have been different if they performed the experiment on a greater variety of individuals. Also, differences in pain levels can be due to other confounding variables. Cognitive factors such as previous experiences with a great amount of pain and that person’s mental state of mind when they are exposed to the stimulus.

Even more interesting, it has been discovered that women have a lower pain tolerance than males. A 2002 study displayed this difference between women and men’s pain entry. William Maixner, who has a PhD in the Center for Neurosensory Disorders at the University of North Carolina, declared that an opioid called beta endorphins (blood alleviating substance) released. Women’s bodies tend to release fewer of the beta endorphins than do males. However, a factor that could critique this study is that there are other elements that could cause someone to feel a significant amount of pain in that certain time period. Critical life events such as a close family member losing a job, a traumatic accident or illness, or even the death of a close relative can increase the stress level of the individual, which can increase the amount of pain felt (ultimately decreasing pain tolerance). Studies that show women feeling more pain than males has a strong link to why due to a lack of certain hormones such as the beta endorphins mentioned above, but the results of these studies can also be due to change and third variables.

Overall, the reason people have a higher pain tolerance than others is due to the amount of grey matter located in the brain. But, other factors such as what that individual experienced that day or any traumatic events that have occurred can easily cause one to feel more pain. Stress is often linked to pain. Think about this next time you get injured and evaluate how much pain you are feeling and why.

Sources:

http://www.ibtimes.com/why-do-some-people-tolerate-pain-better-others-new-study-links-pain-sensitivity-grey-matter-brain

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2003/06/030624090043.htm

http://www.webmd.com/women/features/low-pain-threshold-heres-why

It’s a classic situation you are sitting in class taking an exam and trying desperately to remember the answers to the question yet nothing is comes to mind. Instead that random song from 2003 pops into your head and you before you know it you are humming it and remembering the lyrics. You know all the words to SpongeBob’s theme song, Avril Lavine’s Girlfriend, and countless other useless songs, yet you cant remember the information you try to force yourself to learn. It turns out there is a reason for this phenomenon, evolution.

According to Daniel Levitin, a psychologist who studies the neuroscience of music at McGill University in Montreal, humans developed a structure in the brain that responds to music before we developed one that responds to language. This is why humans are able to respond so strongly to music. Its potent effect on the pleasure center holds a very significant place in our brains. When listening to music dopamine is excreted and this is has a large effect on the rewards section of our brain. Music is a pleasure to hear and the response we receive from it is strong enough to force our memory to give it significance and retain its lyrics and melody. This is the reason that children have an easier time remembering things taught to them in song format then just spoken to them.

Normal conversation does not induce as much dopamine therefore is doesn’t induce as many synaptic connections to cause people to keep the memory of the conversation. We also attach music to our emotions and senses; this is why some songs can spark memory and feelings such as sadness or happiness. The song brings us back to when we were listening to it often enough to allow us to memorize its lyrics, and we recall what emotional state we were in.

The reason we remember certain song lyrics has been theorized to be due to “ear worms”. Often people only remember certain segment of songs, typically the chorus or opening. The reason for this is the neural circuits in our brain are forced into a loop and wind up repeating the song, causing a song to get stuck in our heads. This repetition causes us to commit the lyrics to memory for very long amounts of time. Often our memory can be jogged by just hearing the first words of the song or opening beat. These annoying segments burrow deep into our memory hence the name earworms. So overall it seems that music is able to hold such significance in our memories due to its ability to induce dopamine and its relation to our early evolution. Unfortunately for us college students our textbooks don’t stimulate us nearly enough to allow us to memorize as much as we need to.

http://www.cnn.com/2012/05/26/health/mental-health/music-brain-science/

http://figureoneblog.wordpress.com/2013/05/02/why-do-we-remember-countless-song-lyrics-but-not-our-studies/

Are animals gay? Can animals be gay? This has been a question that has been running through my mind (and I am sure a lot of others) for a while now. There has been a lot of controversial discussions of whether this question is scientifically proven or a myth. Animals are extremely similar to humans, and since humans can be homosexual…does that mean animals can be too?

According to Luiz Solimeo, the reasoning behind this theory that animals can be homosexual is due to a few factors. One, homosexual behavior can be seen in animals. Second, nature demands animals to act on their urges and desires. Third, animals’ instincts often determine their behavior. Lastly, homosexuality is in human nature and “man is also animal.”

According to Solimeo, the theory that animals can be gay is purely a myth. He states that there exists clashing stimuli that cause animals to be confused. Solimeo explains this further: “The first observation must be the fact that animal instincts are not bound by the absolute determinism of the physical laws governing the mineral world. In varying degrees, all living beings can adapt to circumstances. They respond to internal or external stimuli. Second, animal cognition is is purely sensorial, limited to sound, odor, touch, taste, and image. Thus, animals lack the precision and clarity of human intellectual perception. Therefore, animals frequently confuse one sensation with another or one object with another.” In addition, Solimeo declares that animals can acquire other images and memories that can get rid of the old stimuli and bring in a new one. This means other factors from their internal or external environment (third or confounding variables) can change the original instinct of the animal. Besides other elements impacting animal behavior, animals do not have the manner to express emotions (fear, pain, happiness, impulse) that humans can on a daily basis. As a result of this, animals often express themselves in a debatable manner; meaning their behavior is open to multiple interpretations.

Some biologists have reported that in a study 1,500 different animal species have exhibited homosexual behavior. According to Nick Collins, research has shown that approximately a fifth of king penguins are homosexual. He also states that gay behavior has been observed in a variety of animals such as giraffes, dolphins, butterflies, and sheep. However, scientists’ beliefs are divided when it comes to this theory and the discoveries (there has not been many significant findings). Bahemihl, who is a homosexual biologist at the University of Wisconsin, said researchers do not believe animals to be gay because they have a “heterosexual bias”. Dr. Antonio Pardo agreed with Bahemihl that animals cannot be homosexual, but many scientists believe this myth due animal behavior that may appear homosexual. Therefore, researchers often assume animals are gay just because they are displaying some sort of homosexual behavior. This is an observable study, not experimental (nothing is observed when making a change).

Albert Mohler from Christian Headlines supports the animals are gay theory is a myth. He declares,”Within most species, homosexual sex has been documented only sporadically, and there appear to be few cases of individual animals who engage in it exclusively…We may be grouping together a big grab bag of behaviors based on only a superficial similarity.” Thus,  this “theory” that animals are gay is more of a belief and curiosity rather than science.

Based on the information above and the research conducted by biologists and scientists, the theory that animals are homosexual is a purely a myth. First of all, there is few evidence and studies that is strong enough to even show correlations to animals showing gay behavior. The feedback that has been delivered from researchers is merely based on perception and what they believe the animals to be doing. So, researchers can assume animals are exhibiting homosexual behavior, but just be performing a daily routine. There are no strong correlations or causations that could link animals to being gay. Rather, the animals could easily be responding to other variables that are affecting their behavior such as outside factors. The temperature outside, the environment that they are in, and the other animals that they are around could greatly influence the way they are acting (maybe making it seem like they are participating in homosexual behavior). These studies that have been conducted are not nearly as in depth as they need to be to confirm this myth to be an actual scientific theory. Maybe in the future, researchers will conduct more experimental studies observing animal and homosexual behavior. As for now, animals being gay is a myth.

Sources:

http://www.narth.org/docs/animalmyth.html

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/wildlife/7735232/Can-animals-be-gay.html

http://www.christianheadlines.com/news/can-animals-be-gay-11628683.html

According to the National Foundation for Celiac Awareness (NFCA), “It is estimated that 83% of Americans who have celiac disease are undiagnosed or misdiagnosed with other conditions.” That is a significant number that draws the question: Are you part of that 83%? The NFCA also reported that their research estimated that 18 million Americans have gluten sensitivity. That’s six times the amount of Americans who reportedly have celiac disease. You may have been tested for celiac disease and tested negative, however, you could still have gluten sensitivity known as, Non-Celiac Gluten Sensitivity (NCGS).

To start, what is gluten? Jimmy Kimmel did a segment addressing the current going gluten-free food fad in Los Angeles. Gluten is what allows most foods to form shape to stick together and also what allows it to rise. Gluten is the protein found in wheat, and, although there are multiple grains that fall under this category, the main three that we often run into are wheat, barley, and rye. These can be found in breads, baked goods, beer, soup, cereal and more!

Do you often experience bloating, pain in the stomach, fatigue, constipation and diarrhea? All of these are common symptoms associated with celiac disease or gluten sensitivity. The main difference between a person with celiac disease and someone with NCGS is that with the disease, you will actually experience intestinal damage. You may not have celiac disease but if you have noticed that after a couple pieces of pizza you’re left feeling some of the aforementioned symptoms it is very possible that you are gluten-sensitive. The only way to truly test this is to try a gluten-free diet. It is very possible you could be gluten-sensitive and not realize it, therefore I personally think it is worth giving up gluten and seeing if you experience mental and physical health benefits. Just last year, I had begun experiencing terrible pains in my stomach and other minor complications and my doctor had recommended trying to remove some gluten from my diet. I normally had a bagel every morning for breakfast and once I removed them from my mornings I noticed those complications slowly diminish.

While some people do need a gluten-free diet for their health, a recent fad in going gluten-free is due to the theory that weight loss will occur. However, health experts don’t advise a gluten tolerant person to go gluten-free, as it is an expensive lifestyle that could run you the risk of lacking certain nutrients in your diet. Foods containing gluten also hold Vitamin B, iron, and fiber, which are all essential nutrients the human body relies on. I personally think that if you feel that you are experiencing symptoms of gluten intolerance then you should try a gluten-free diet. However, if you are just looking to lose weight, turn to the basic solution of exercise and healthy eating because remember, some people don’t get the choice of a gluten-free diet; it is their life.

Sources:

“Celiac Disease: Fast Facts.” National Foundation for Celiac Awareness. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Sept. 2014. <http://www.celiaccentral.org/celiac-disease/facts-and-figures/>.

“Going gluten-free just because? Here’s what you need to know.” Harvard Health Publications. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Sept. 2014. <http://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/going-gluten-free-just-because-heres-what-you-need-to-know-201302205916>.

“What is Gluten?” Celiac Disease Foundation. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Sept. 2014. <http://celiac.org/live-gluten-free/glutenfreediet/what-is-gluten/>.

Have you ever been in a deep sleep and then suddenly became awaken by a muscle cramp in the leg? Since I have been at Penn State, this has happened to me quite frequently. Often, I have woken up during the middle of the night to a charley horse in the back of my leg and let me tell you, it is pretty painful. It is interesting to me that I have gotten more muscle cramps here at Penn State than I have ever received in my life. So, what causes these unpleasant aches?

Some basics about charley horses (or muscle cramps in the calf) are they produced by muscle spasms, which is the spontaneous and involuntary muscle contractions. According to WebMD, there are various causes of these muscle cramps. Some include poor blood circulation, overusing the calf muscle, dehydration, fatigue, a lack of minerals (potassium, calcium, etc.), and even certain treatments can cause painful muscle cramps. These leg cramps are more common in the elderly, obese, and athletes, but the interesting thing is it can happen to anyone at any time. These are the known factors that cause these muscle cramps, but scientists still are not quite sure of why they actually occur.

Dr. Jonathan Kirschner, a sports medicine aid at Icahn School of Medicine in New York City, states, “Leg cramps that happen during sleep are quite common but not fully understood.” A 2012 study conducted by the American Family Physician Journal discovered that roughly 60 percent of adults have gone through something called ‘nocturnal idiopathic leg cramps (nighttime cramps) and as we grow in age, we are more prone to these cramps. Reported by Next Avenue from PBS, one in every three individuals above 60 years old have been awaken by a charley horse at least one in the past month. Six percent of these individuals over the age of 60 declared that they have to handle this issue on most nights.

Dr. Kirschner also explains further about charley horses: “A charley horse is uncomfortable, to be sure, but usually harmless. Many times it doesn’t mean there’s anything wrong. But if the cramps are getting worse or disrupting your sleep to the point where it’s impacting your waking hours, then it’s something you should bring up to your doctor.” Generally, there is nothing to worry about, but there are potential health concerns to having these cramps on a consistent basis. If you are getting charley horses on a nighttime basis, it could result in electrolyte imbalances and other nutrient imbalances. Deficiencies in certain necessary minerals such as calcium and potassium can lead to serious health problems. Constant charley horses can also indicate spinal stenosis (when spaces in your spine become smaller and smaller) and/or peripheral artery disease (plaque builds up in your arteries that reduces blood flow). Ultimately, there are strong correlations between charley horses and health conditions as mentioned above, but there is not definite direct causality. Other third variables can also cause these painful leg cramps such as overuse of the muscle in the form of exercise, the weather changing (particularly to warmer weather), and digesting different medications.

So, is there anything to do to help prevent or ease the pain? Putting a cold ice pack or cold bag of ice to the sensitive spot can help relax the muscle. Firmly massaging the area can help stop the cramp sooner, but usually you cannot even touch the back of your leg. Moving the muscle around and getting up to walk around (even though tremendously painful) can eventually stop the muscle cramp from continuing. Lastly, drink a sufficient amount of fluids. Sports drinks like Gatorade and Propel have been said to help with leg muscle cramps.

Should we believe this is what causes charley horses in the middle of the night? I think there is a strong enough correlation that points to why these muscle cramps occur. There needs to be further studies with a larger sample size of the population to determine if any of these factors actually cause charley horses because there are confounding variables such as the temperature around you and the amount of fluids you have consumed in that day. But, I think all of the factors I mentioned above like overusing the muscle and a lack of minerals is a strong cause of these cramps. Hope this helps with anyone experiencing the same thing as me!

Sources:

http://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/tc/nighttime-leg-cramps-topic-overview

http://www.nextavenue.org/article/2013-07/what-you-can-do-about-nighttime-charley-horse

Previously, I blogged about the benefits of power napping. If you haven’t read that blog post, and you want to, you can locate it here. If not, the post basically explains the benefits of napping in different time intervals. When meeting with Andrew over lunch recently, we had a conversation that lead to the aspect of power napping. I told him that I wrote a blog post on that topic, and he suggested that I set an experiment to test if the facts were true. I thought about it, and with little reluctance I decided that I was going to do it!

Basically, what I did was set up times to power nap. I experimented with a 20 minute nap, a 30 minute nap, and a 60 minute nap. I did this to test the different ways I would feel after waking up and to see if they matched up with the facts in my previous blog post. I made sure that prior to all my naps I was tired to see if there was a positive occurrence after the nap. I was also aware of the potential effects that could happen to me after each nap.

The 20 minute nap is said to boost alertness and energy. After 20 minute naps, it’s said that someone can wake up with full energy. I found this very true when I had tested this. I shockingly woke up with energy, not knowing that the idea of taking such a short nap could immediately boost my energy. I found this to be the most effective nap out of the four naps that I tested. After I woke up from this nap I was able to get right out of bed to get to my next class instead of struggling and laying in bed for an additional few minutes.

The 30 minute nap is said to have a delayed reaction. After a 30 minute nap, people are supposed to feel a little groggy for an additional 30 minutes until feeling energized again. I have to relate to this as well. After my 30 minute nap the next day I didn’t want to get out of bed. You may think that an additional ten minutes has no affect. But according to my experiment, it did!

Finally, the 60 minute nap. This nap is said to have an impact on your memory. When I took this long nap, I didn’t notice any differences with my memory. I felt very groggy when I woke up and it took me longer to get out of bed than the first two naps. I didn’t really feel all that well after the nap, and I noticed that I was unable to sleep at night due to the long nap that I took earlier in the day.

The things I took out of this experiment was that the 20 minute nap was the one I preferred of the three. It seemed to be more time efficient and ultimately had the best outcome. I felt great afterwards and also had more time to do more things.

Some things that might have been flawed in this experiment was the level of fatigue that I had before each nap. Also, if I was not in a consistent environment each time I took a nap, a different outcome could have occurred.

I recommend that people take power naps with shorter periods. This was a great experiment because I got to take a nap for a class and then write about it. Napping is a great thing to do, especially in college. So try it out yourself. See what best suits you as an individual. Feel free to leave any comments on your personal napping habits!

Sources:

http://lifehacker.com/how-long-to-nap-for-the-biggest-brain-benefits-1251546669

http://mydadnapping.files.wordpress.com/2008/08/img_1693.jpg

BBC News reports on how The United States is spending nearly 10 times more money than India to send an operational missal to Mars. India has a budget of $74 million dollars to create The Mangalyaan satellite which was confirmed to be in orbit and is a huge accomplishment. The Mangalyaan satellite costs almost one tenth of the United States operational missal, The American Maven.

You may be asking how this is possible. Well, people costs in India are much lower than here in the United States and a large amount of money that goes into projects like this is to pay the people working on it. Also components and technologies that were produced on their own soil were prioritized over expensive foreign imports and this significantly cut down costs. India kept a close eye on how to keep the cost to a bare minimum and make things simply. But due to these things, The Mangalyaan satellite is capable of much less than other satellites out there. Even thought the satellite is so small, it will still be able to address some of the biggest questions about Mars which is what it is meant for.

My biggest question while reading this article was “Why can other countries spend so much less money on projects like this and the USA has to spend so much money to get the same thing done?” To me, it just seems like the US is being inefficient with its money. Of course I understand that our satellites can do more but I don’t understand why we have to be at the forefront of most projects going on in the world. We spend a ridiculous amount of money on things that should be secondary to many other important things going on in this country, such as healthcare and poverty.

The article brought up the point that maybe India hasn’t put much money into the project because they know that other, more wealthy countries will take over the lead so their is no need for them to put a lot of money into the project. If I lived in India, I would think the same way. They know that other people are going to do it and are going to do it better than them, so they put their money into projects that would benefit their country as a whole which is a very smart move on their part. Forbes Magazine published an article saying very similar things as to what I am saying. It talks about how the USA is struggling in so many other fields that are more important than where the US is putting its money. Of course science exploration is very important, but just as India did, we would cut down on costs and put money into other things that would help America as a whole.

I think that we can all agree that we are the most intelligent and advanced species on the planet. Yet, we are considered to be animals. Just like many other organisms on Earth, we breathe, eat, sleep, and reproduce. With DNA that is nearly 99% identical to that of a chimpanzee, what really sets us apart from the uncivilized status of “wild animals”?

Differentiating humans from other mammals has posed an enigma to many scientists who have addressed this question. A specific struggle within the pursuit of the answer to this question was noted by Daniel Criswell, who notes, “Humans have been described as tool users, once thought to be a quality unique from all other animals. However, extensive studies over the years by many researchers has identified tool use by chimpanzees, and more recently gorillas, indicating that use of crude tools is not necessarily a unique human feature.” (Criswell) We have all seen the capability of the chimpanzee, which can make and use tools in  its environment. It was actually discovered by Dr. Jane Goodall that the chimpanzee was the first animal other than humans that is capable of changing an object to make a tool and use it for a certain purpose (in the chimps’ case it was stripping twigs of leaves and searching for termites to eat).

A significant difference which is evident between humans and apes is the skeletal shape. The human jawbone is smaller and V-shaped, while that of an ape is larger and also U-shaped. Additionally, the ape’s pelvis is not shaped like that of a human, which allows for the support of organs within the abdominal region. (ICR) Psychologist Thomas Suddendorf concluded that, “our open-ended ability to imagine and reflect on different situations, and our deep-seated drive to link our scenario-building minds together” was the key element to be considered when differentiating humans and other animals.

The most significant aspect of the true difference between ourselves and apes is intelligence level. Scientists have reported finding a significantly greater amount of intricate nerve connectivity in the human brain than that of an ape. It is also very easy to recognize a human’s ability to endure varying emotions. These emotions are made possible by what are called “spindle neurons“. The human brain contains more spindle neurons than apes, this suggests why humans appear to be more emotional.

Humans may be the most capable and detrimental species on the planet. Although our DNA is 99% similar to an ape’s, something in that 1% must make us exceptional.

Sources:

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/what-makes-us-human/ (Daniel Criswell)

http://www.janegoodall.ca/about-chimp-behaviour-tool-use.php

http://theconversation.com/what-makes-us-human-24764 (Suddendorf)

http://science.howstuffworks.com/life/evolution/man-chimp-ape1.htm

I have never been one to smoke cigarettes whether that be electronic or conventional ones. My family has always had trouble with cancer without ever having smoked so I felt that the short term buzz I would get from some puffs would not be work the long term risk that is already running through my genes. That being said I found this an interesting topic to look into because anything that can reduce to risk of cancer, even among those who in my opinion are dumb enough to blatantly take years of their lives, is important to me.

Above, you can see the process an e-cigarette goes throw while a user takes a draw from it. This fairly new product has only been on the market in the United States for seven years so although they are now common in public many may not know certain facts about them. This includes the fact that they contain no tobacco in them and instead, liquid nicotine. For more on little known facts I will attach a link, but the point of my post is to compare the health differences in electronic cigarettes as compared to conventional tobacco-filled cigarettes.

In an article from the TIME website, they mention how e-cigarettes are by far safer than conventional cigarettes due to the fact that you do not inhale the toxic smoke or awful chemicals that can contribute even further to creating cancerous cells in the future. Additionally, research on over eighty studies have shown that the electronic cigs are not only less harmful to those using them, but also less dangerous to bystanders around the user (Sifferlin, Alexandra).

A common trend among most of the articles I have read on the topic is that the industry as a whole has continued to grow since its creation in 2007. This trend has been larger among young teens than it has for current cigarette users. This is a statistic that worries me because it shows that more people are coming into contact with nicotine. An issue will eventually arise for most of these teens in which the nicotine is not doing enough for them and they will then switch into the tobacco market. This then would negate the purpose of an e-cig that supposedly is better for you because it seems that later on down the road most fall into the path of tobacco anyway.

To those that would argue that e-cigs are a cessation to conventional cigarettes such as nicotine gum or patches, I would counter-argue that many studies made have shown that users are no more likely to stop using cigarettes when switching to the electronic version. They are still getting as much nicotine as they want which is the addictive factor so how would this help them at all?

After looking over both options I’ve come to the conclusion that not participating in either is definitely the best way to go. Both have terrible long term effects that are killing off more and more per year. I say instead of arguing whether or not you should puff something electronic or made of paper, why not question what are you doing in the first place? Avoid both and avoid the argument.

“HowStuffWorks “10 Little-known Facts About E-cigarettes”.” HowStuffWorks. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Sept. 2014. <http://health.howstuffworks.com/wellness/smoking-cessation/10-facts-about-e-cigarettes.htm>.

Neporent, Liz. “E-Cigarette Debate Reignites With New Vaping Report.” ABC News. ABC News Network, n.d. Web. 29 Sept. 2014. <http://abcnews.go.com/Health/cigarette-debate-reignites-vaping-report/story?id=25271245>.

Sifferlin, Alexandra. “E-Cig Benefits Outweigh Their Harms, New Research Says.” TIME. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Sept. 2014. <http://time.com/3060370/e-cig-benefits-are-greater-than-their-harms-new-research-says/>.

This past week as I was scrolling through my Facebook, I noticed an interesting article that numerous people had shared. It was titled, “Emma Watson Delivers Game-Changing Speech on Feminism for the U.N.”

Immediately this caught my attention, but I wasn’t sure if others would be as easily intrigued by the headline rather than the picture they saw.

Emma Watson is most famously known as the actress who portrayed the role of Hermione Granger in the magical Harry Potter Series. She has been a part of J.K. Rowling’s movies since she was a young girl. With her distinctive face, it is still hard today not to link her with the acclaimed character. But did this role forever label her as the intelligent, magical child or did it just create a gateway for her other success in the limelight?

I’ve recently have been reading a book titled, Outliers: The Story of Success, by Malcolm Gladwell that explains the importance of the certain intelligence of humans. It explains that although you have to posses a certain instinctual ability to learn, other exogenous factors contribute greatly to the level of success you ultimately can have. That your true ability might not be based upon your genes, but simply by chance.

In this case, Watson’s ability to influence thousands of followers into promoting equality for her new organization He for She, seems a small feat more dealing with her physically speaking than the actual rhetorical eloquence of her speech. Her presence alone makes anything she says popular and ethical with the younger generation and skeptical with the older. The recognition of familiar faces is important in the cognitive development of humans, but can lead to some issues.

Although, I hypothesize that Watson’s speech made the issue of gender equality more relatable to women and more so men. She, a woman herself, is speaking to bring together an effort for all of humanity and not just one race. No matter if she is a celebrity or not, I would like to think that her image doesn’t misconstrue my perception. But psychology might tell me something different.

According to psychology.about.com, “Perception doesn’t just involve becoming consciously aware of the stimuli. It is also necessary for our brain to categorize and interpret what it is we are sensing. Our ability to interpret and give meaning to the object is the next step, known as recognition.”

Just from listening to Watson’s speech or seeing her name can serve as a type of recognition that makes sense in our minds; this idea is no false positive. I believe after research that just the association of Emma Watson’s face struck a chord with a lot of the male viewers, as well as, readers of Harry Potter making it almost impossible for them not to sympathize with the topic being addressed.

References:

Cherry, Kendra. “How Environmental Stimuli Affect Our Thinking.” About. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Sept. 2014. <http://psychology.about.com/od/sensationandperception/ss/perceptproc_9.htm>.

Gladwell, Malcolm. Outliers: The Story of Success. New York: Little, Brown, 2008. Print.

“Home – HeForShe.” HeForShe. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Sept. 2014. <http://www.heforshe.org/>.

Robinson, Joanna. “Emma Watson Delivers Game-Changing Speech on Feminism for the U.N.” Vanity Fair. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Sept. 2014. <http://www.vanityfair.com/vf-hollywood/2014/09/emma-watson-un-speech-feminism>.

As a college aged girl, I’ll admit I’ve taken my fair share of selfies. Although I don’t share these selfies on social media often, I’ve never considered that posting one might damage my relationships with others.  According to a recent U.K. study, could “be damaging to your real-world relationships.” (Huffington Post)

The authors of this paper, titled “Tagger’s Delight? Disclosure and liking behaviour in Facebook: the effects of sharing photographs amongst multiple known social circles”, surveyed 508 Facebook users who had an average age of 24.

The authors of this paper asked the participants “to rank how close they feel to their friends, coworkers and relatives who also use Facebook. They then compared those answers to how many selfies those people posted.” (O’Shea)

Most of the data was “messy” but one finding is pretty obvious.  The study found that the participants ranked their “relationship quality” lower with people who posted the most pictures with the subject of their selves. Dr. David, who was the study’s head author said, “‘…people, other than close friends and relatives, don’t seem to respond well to those who constantly share photos of themselves.'”(Grenoble)

Many people, especially teens, do not realize that as Houghton mentioned, “‘It’s worth remembering that the information we post to our ‘friends’ on Facebook, actually gets viewed by lots of different categories of people: partners; friends; family; colleagues and acquaintances; and each group seems to take a different view of the information shared.'” (Miller)

This study makes sense to me as most people who post excessive amounts of pictures of just themselves seem to post those pictures because they are attention seeking or “fishing for likes” to feel better about themselves.

However these results could be due to reverse causation. It seems that the people posting the selfies could just be self absorbed people anyways and that is the reason the for their low relationship quality ranking.  In other words, it is not the selifes that cause someone to feel alienated by the poster, but the people who post the most selfies just have personalities that do not make for good relationships with others.

Grenoble, Ryan. “Posting Too Many Facebook ‘Selfies’ Can Hurt Your Real-World Relationships, Study Says.” The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 13 Aug. 2013. Web. 29 Sept. 2014.

Houghton, David. Tagger’s Delight? Disclosure and Liking Behaviour in Facebook: The Effects of Sharing Photographs amongst Multiple Known Social Circles (n.d.): n. pag. Birmingham Business School Discussion Paper Series. Birmingham Business School. Web. 29 Sept. 2014.

Miller, Tracy. “Too Many Selfies on Facebook Can Damage Relationships: Study.” NY Daily News. NY Daily News, 12 Aug. 2013. Web. 29 Sept. 2014.

O’Shea, Chris. “Discoveries.” Science Confirms That Selfies Are the Worst. Circle F Media, n.d. Web. 27 Sept. 2014.

September 23^rd was the first official day of fall. I started to see leaves changing colors and falling down. I was never curious why leaves do such things: changing color and falling down. Then when I was thinking about blog, I decided to write about leaves. Today’s blog will contain, why do leaves change color, which leaves of tree survive during winter, and what happens to fallen leaves.

To begin with, as we all learned in high school biology class, we see the leaves and plants as color green, because they reflect the green light. Also, chlorophyll is the main pigment of leaves and other plants that has green color. During spring and summer, as the weather gets warm and temperature rises, the chlorophyll becomes active and it allows the foliages to sustain their color for that season. However, when autumn approaches, there are some natural changes to nature: the change in temperature, length of day and night, moisture in soil and other more. When temperature falls and chlorophyll stats to breaks down. This is the time when we see the change in leaves color. When chlorophyll breaks down, carotene pigment (orange color pigment) and anthocyanin (red color pigment) increases. When chlorophyll slowly vanishes and carotene and anthycyanin appears, we see the color difference. However, not all leaves turn orange and red, but also brown. Oak trees for instance, it changes from green to brown, this is due to the mixture of different amount level of chlorophyll and other colored pigments.

Interestingly, we see some trees with foliages during autumn and winter. Pine trees, cedars and other conifers do not lose leaves during colder seasons. This phenomenon is due to, the plant cells of these conifers are covered with hard wax that it allows them to keep their temperature to stay green all year around. Individual leaves on these trees can able to stay at least two years and four years of maximum.

Those leaves which have fallen down from trees give people hard time to clean up the streets; they play vital role in ecosystem. Those leaves are not wasted, but they become good food sources to organisms that live under the soil.

In conclusion, in today’s blog I have talked about leaves during fall season. As I was doing this research, I have learned that, although we usually see foliages change colors and fall down from tress, here are also exceptions like conifers. Also, there is more than one factor that leads leaves to change color. And lastly, the most surprising thing that I learned today was, the dead leaves could be beneficial to our nature and other tiny organisms under the soil.

The age old question of what is the best way of drying hands is older than time itself, well it started with the invention of the electric hand dryer in 1948 by George Clemens.  When first analyzing this debate it seems really obvious that hand dryers clean and dry more efficiently and you don’t even have to touch anything (usually) to dry hands.  Actually its the other way around; according to info.debgroup.com (http://info.debgroup.com/blog/bid/297155/Paper-Towels-or-Hot-Air-Dryers-Which-is-Better-Why) paper towels sweep the floor when it comes to drying efficiently.

When analyzing how effective each method of drying is, you can’t just consider bacteria percentages; its much more than that.  You must consider timing, the way water is removed and overall cleanliness of the bathroom.  When I took Microbiology in my junior year of high school the first exercise we did was a lab where we learned how to wash our hands correctly and we were able to see with ultraviolet rays how well we did.  The key we learned to washing our hands was the scrubbing because it pushes bacteria off your hands.  This ultimately shows that using paper towels helps more with removal because of friction rather than just using hot air. “Many studies have found that friction is the key component in hand drying as it helps to remove contamination.” (info.debroup.com)

Besides removing more bacteria from peoples hands, paper towels are also a much quicker method when compared to a hand dryer.  After 15 seconds using a paper towel up to 99% of moisture was removed while with a hand dryer it takes 45 seconds just to remove 97% of moisture.  During hectic days no one has time to take a minute to dry hands left effectively with a hand dryer.

Lastly we consider where the bacteria from our hands go after we dry them.  With paper towels friction transfers the bacteria on to the towel and it is ultimately discarded in the trash while hand dryers blow hot air and transfer the bacteria all around the room and also spreads many of the fecal bacteria around that toilets flush up when they flush.  Overall paper towels are the superior way of drying hands but there is still a lot to consider with drying hands like cost of paper towels and the waste it produces but in this study they proved to be more effective and efficient.  And for those of you who don’t like those hand cranks for paper towels I was tought by my Microbiology teacher to crank you paper towels before you use the bathroom so after you wash your hands you don’t have to touch that surplus of bacteria.

Sources:

http://info.debgroup.com/blog/bid/297155/Paper-Towels-or-Hot-Air-Dryers-Which-is-Better-Why