As a victim of serious chronic pain I have always wanted to try acupuncture. I have heard of many people I know getting acupuncture for many different conditions, some say it works and some say it doesn’t.

According to Peter Wayne, the director of research at the New England School of Acupuncture, “The applications for acupuncture are endless … people use it for sports injuries, for their emotional well-being, for everything.”

Chinese traditions believe that there are “meridians” that run throughout our bodies and pain is due to the fact that energy can’t reach certain parts of our body. It is believed that there are 500 pressure points throughout the body that can be triggered through the use of the acupuncture needles to help disperse energy throughout the body to heal.

There are a wide range of results from studies that have been done on just how effective acupuncture is on treating different conditions. Some scientists refuse to believe that there is any explanation that can begin to describe how needles can treat some of these conditions. These same scientists also concluded that there is no evidence concrete enough to say that acupuncture can help people because there is a large group of people who experience relief after receiving treatment and also a decent amount of people who don’t have any relief afterwards. Although these conclusions are most likely biased, it is important to note that acupuncture has very scientific evidence behind it to back it up, most of which is anecdotal evidence which is considered to be very weak.

To further test the effectiveness of acupuncture, a “sham” placebo was formed. The sham placebo allows needles to be placed in the skin, but not in the correct pressure points. This helps researchers to see if receiving acupuncture is impacted by the placebo effect or if it can truly be an effective treatment.

In a specific study in Germany, patients with chronic pain were treated with acupuncture and experienced high levels of relief. After receiving treatment the study found, “that only 15 percent of subjects who received genuine acupuncture treatment needed extra pain medication, compared with 34 percent who were receiving “sham” treatments, and 59 percent receiving conventional therapy” Many believers in acupuncture as a pain reliever believe that the needles help to release endorphins which are your body’s own pain relievers.

There was another study conducted that found that “Patients receiving acupuncture had less pain… than sham controls for back and neck pain, osteoarthritis, and chronic headache” This experiment gives some validity to acupuncture as a treatment for chronic pain. This study isn’t ruling out is the potential for possible third variables that could enhance the effects of the acupuncture treatment due to the small difference in the placebo results and the results in favor of acupuncture.

Due to the fact that there are many varying beliefs by a range of researchers it is hard to know when data and what data is biased. Due to the fact that there are so many findings on opposite ends of the spectrum, both producing studies for their claims, it is hard to know just how effective acupuncture is at treating certain conditions, if it is at all.

Most of us have had late night cravings before bed, but is there a relationship between the food we eat before bed and the dreams we have while sleeping? The ingredients in different types of food can impact your dreams differently.

While you are sleeping your brain is highly active. The peak activity of the brain happens during the Rapid Eye Movement, or REM phase. The activity of the brain is directly impacted by the digestion of food. There are many causes of people’s dreams other than the food eaten including genetics, tolerance for certain foods, and the amount of food consumed before sleep also influence the type of dream someone will have.

In one study done by The New York Times on men, participants were told to eat spicy foods before bed on some nights and mild food on the other nights. It was found that, they took longer to actually fall asleep, but once asleep they were in a deeper sleep, therefore not dreaming, after eating the spicier foods. Eating foods that are spicy cause problems with digestion, which makes it harder to fall asleep because of being uncomfortable. This study was only done on men, so it is unknown if females would experience the same results as the men or if they would differ between gender.

Cheese, as well as other dairy products, were also found to be better at enhancing dreams in a study done by the British Cheese Board. The study found that, “the sharper the cheese, the sharper the dreams”. Among the cheeses in the study, Blue cheese was found to cause the most outrageous dreams among the 200 participants of the study.

There are also supplements like Vitamin B6 which is supposed to help you experience more vivid dreams. There are no foods that have naturally high amounts of B6, but there are supplements available. During a double-blind experiment, people  who took a “daily 250mg B6 supplement reported a significant increase in dream content – as measured in dream vividness, bizarreness, emotionality and color.”

While there are foods that increase dream activity, there are also foods that decrease dreaming like alcohol.  Drinking alcohol before bed prevents your body from entering a deep sleep and therefore not entering the dreaming stage, or the REM stage.

How long before bed you are eating is also a factor of the quality of dreams you will experience. One experiment done at Brighton Town University placed both men and women in a house and put them on the same steady diet for a total of eight week. During these eight weeks, the men and women were told to eat foods such as candy and ice cream one half hour before sleeping. Participants were hooked up to a machine that tracked their dreams and about 70% had nightmares. From this study, researchers have found that sleeping while full can cause nightmares to occur. On the other hand, going to bed hungry can also cause nightmares because it causes an adrenaline rush which is then also present in your  current dream.

There are many other factors other than the food you eat or how long before sleeping you eat them that affect your dreams. Although there are other causes, food can have a large impact on the dreams you experience and the quality of sleep you can get at night.

We’ve all heard the phrase, you are what you eat. Well, can you be what you wear?

The clothing you wear is how you want other people to view you. Think about it, when you wear sweats to class, do you feel better about yourself than when you actually put effort into an outfit? Although this might not apply to everyone, there have been studies that have found a relationship between how one dresses and its effect on their mood.

A study was conducted where Karen Pine, author of Mind What You Wear, took students and dressed them up in Superman shirts and made them walk around for the day in that outfit. The goal of this study was to see if wearing this shirt helped to change the mood of the students. After walking around wearing the Superman shirts, students reported back saying that they felt more confident wearing a shirt with a sign of power on it, “When wearing a Superman T-shirt the students rated themselves as more likeable and superior to other students”. Although there is no data to back up this study, the fact that students found themselves more likable while wearing a certain shirt is pretty compelling.

Dressing better can also affect one’s mood in a positive way because when you dress up, you tend to get more compliments which also helps boost confidence. Studies have shown that women especially dress to fit their current mood. Women who are sad will gravitate more towards the baggy sweats, while a woman who is happier will tend wear a nicer shirt and jeans instead. This study did not account for people who don’t like wearing specific garments, only generalized outfits.  In an interview of 100 women ages 21-64, 96% believe that there is a very strong correlation between the clothe
s that they wear and how confident they feel.

These studies cannot also be representative of men because men and women perceive clothes differently. Generally, men shop with practicality in mind while women tend to value trends.

Not only does the type of clothing worn affect your mood, but so can the color. Different colors can give off different impressions of your mood. David Zyla, a fashion stylist, explains that, “Red has connotations of sexuality, vivaciousness, and someone in charge”. Red is a powerful color and can help to give off a confident first impression to others. Also, “blue induced tranquility and relaxation
“, which can make you feel more comfortable and calm while wearing it. Lastly, purple was a color that was found to intimidate people, “Purple is a combination of red and blue — two powerful colors…so it is a good choice if you want to make a statement.” When wearing this color it can make you feel empowered and more confident.

There are many effects of how we dress on our mood including type of clothing worn as well as the color of our clothing. Although, some people will argue that they don’t fit into the findings of these studies, these results resonate with a large group of people. So next time you are feeling down, try dressing nicer to help boost your mood.

It’s flu season! The plague is upon us and before you go out and stock up on Vitamin C, you should know if it is actually going to help boost your immune system. Vitamin C produces collagen which helps skin stay malleable. Vitamin C can be found in many vegetables and fruits, especially citrus fruits, as well as in supplements.

Many believe that Vitamin C helps your immune system due to the fact that it helps to produce more white blood cells, which then help you to fight off sickness. But, through meta-analyses of 29 studies including almost 12,000 people, researchers have found that a regular dose of Vitamin C equaling about 200 mg per day can help to shorten how long you are sick for, but not prevent you from getting sick to begin with. It was also found through examining these studies that there is no benefit of taking it after you already have the cold. Also, the only people who were found to highly benefit from taking Vitamin C everyday were the highly athletic individuals whose risk of getting a cold while taking Vitamin C supplements was almost reduced by half.

The data found while reviewing these studies was the “ratio of developing a cold while taking vitamin C was 0.97”. In the individuals who were highly active, it was found that there was “a statistically significant 52% reduction in risk.”

Dosage is also important when talking about the effectiveness of vitamins. Taking excessive  amounts of Vitamin C (greater than 4 grams) per day, is not going to help your body at all. Taking the recommended daily dose of about 2 grams, shows very little, but slight health benefits. Individual doses can also differ due to some people having a vitamin deficiency or depending on where you live geographically, your vitamin levels might be higher or lower than others.

The debate over if Vitamin C is effective is still questioned even after the meta-analyses of the major studies. Some researchers say that taking supplements daily is not necessary, while others say that because there is a small benefit, taking it every day helps you to stay proactive in fighting off sickness.

So if you haven’t caught the plague yet, you might find taking Vitamin C to help shorten how long you are actually sick, when you inevitably get the Penn State plague.

SPF stands for sun protection factor. Although vital, this is not the only important piece of information to pay attention to when purchasing sunscreen. The purpose of sunscreen is to help protect your skin by either absorbing the rays or causing the rays to disperse. There are two different types of UV rays, UVB and UVA. UVB rays are the ones that most sunscreens protect you from because they cause sunburn. UVA rays cause just as much damage as UVB rays, but it is less noticeable because instead of sunburn, they produce wrinkles.

The SPF number ( Everyone has different needs within a sunscreen, and the right kind for you is based on how easily you burn.

Some of the other common names for sunscreen include sunblock and suntan lotion. Interestingly enough, the only term approved by the FDA is sunscreen. This means that ultimately sunblocks and suntan lotions need no scientific support that their product protects from UV rays because it isn’t technically under the approved FDA name.

The main reason people use sunscreen is to protect yourself from skin cancer in the future. Although some people argue that sunscreen doesn’t have a large enough effect on one’s protection from certain cancers, regular use of sunscreen, or daily use, can greatly improve one’s chances of avoiding cancers. In an Australian study, 1,600 participants were split into a control and a test group. The control group changed nothing about how they were using sunscreen, while the test group was given instructions about how to apply and when to apply sunscreen. The types of sunscreen were also being taken into consideration to account for the active ingredients in the different brands. After ten years, the study found that 22 people in the control group developed Melanoma versus only 11 people in the test group. Also, the Melanoma spots on the skin were found to be significantly smaller if there at all. Genetic predisposition is another factor taken into consideration, people who are extremely fair skinned and cannot tan, are at an extremely high risk for getting cancers. Also, individuals with ongoing skin conditions have an increased chance
of developing the second most common type of skin cancer known as SCC. These skin conditions include eczema, psoriasis, warts, and rosacea.

The way sunscreen is applied is a key component of its ability to protect you. Most importantly, lotion is always a better option than spray, because it is easier to see where it has already been applied.

Sunscreens offer increased protection when used and applied correctly. The highest SPF does not meant it is the best sunscreen, you should use the sunscreen that best fits your skin type and will therefore protect you best from the sun’s UV rays.

For many years, people have been trying to find a link between hair dye and cancer. The reason most people find this so interesting is because “Many people in the United States and Europe use hair dyes. It is estimated that more than one-third of women over age 18 and about 10 percent of men over age 40 use some type of hair dye” Also, it has been found that some hair dyes can contain up to 5,000 different chemicals.

There are many different types of hair dyes: permanent, temporary, and semi-permanent. Permanent color is the most common and chemically changes the color of your hair for a long period of time before the hair starts growing out again. Temporary color lasts for a few washes and does not chemically change your hair, it just goes on top of the present color. Semi-permanent chemically changes your hair but only lasts for up to two weeks of washes.

Darker, permanent hair dyes are believed to have the strongest link to the possibility of cancer, and people who frequently color their hair or work around dyes are believed to be more at risk. Testing hair dye formulas on humans for cancer is completely unethical because it could end up killing people, so there have to be alternate forms of testing done. To test if hair dye can cause cancer, researchers test on animals and study large groups of people based on their exposure to the dyes.

In the animal testing, “animals are exposed to a substance (often in very large doses) to see if it causes tumors or other health problems.” Although some studies show that these animals are getting cancers, it is not reliable enough because scientists are unsure if humans would be affected in the same way as the animals being tested.

In the observational studies done on large groups of people based on their exposure, researchers are looking at the difference in cancer rates between those exposed and those not exposed to these dyes. These studies are not the most reliable because they do not take into account possible third variables that could be causing cancer in these groups of participants.

One of the hardest obstacles when testing dyes is the brand. Different brands have a wide variety of ingredients and levels of those ingredients within the dye. In the 1980’s there were studies performed that found that dyes consisting of two specific chemicals  increased cancer risk,”4-methoxy-m-phenylenediamine 2, 4-diaminoanisole, and 2, 4-methoxy-m-phenylenediamine sulfate 2, 4-diaminoanisole sulfate”, causing the FDA to release warning statements to consumers. Hair dye companies no longer use these chemicals in the making of their dyes. Since these two chemicals have been taken out of the hair coloring products, there are no links to the hair dyes for sale today and cancer, according to the FDA.

Some studies have found that the use of hair dyes can increase your risk for bladder cancer but most of these studies don’t include enough people and therefore cannot be reliable. Specifically, a study was conducted to find if the dyes caused an increase in NHL, or Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, where there were about 4,800 women with and 5,800 women without it were studied. The results showed an increased risk prior to 1980, but no increased risk after. Also, there are just as many findings that show no link as there are studies that show possible links. The same issue is faced when talking about if it causes an increased risk between hair dyes and different types of blood cancers. There are many studies that show possible links, but just as many that show absolutely none.

Overall, no study has been compelling enough to show a strong relationship between hair dyes and cancer. Even when a study shows that there is a link, there are multiple other studies refuting that claim. Ultimately, there may never be sufficient evidence to show a strong link because of the fact that experiments on humans are unethical and in observational studies you can never completely rule out possible third variables.

When my 7^th grade Pre-Algebra teacher handed out Peppermint Smencils before a test, did it actually help us do better?

Turns out, it did. Thank you Mrs. Marshall.

The myth that peppermint makes you smarter, is false, but there are benefits to the scent of peppermint. Although, eating peppermint flavored candies is not as beneficial as actually smelling the peppermint before tests.

Peppermint in many forms such as tea, candy, and oil can be used to help improve mental awareness. The menthol “stimulates the hippocampus area of the brain which controls mental clarity and memory. The odor triggers you to wake up and pay attention.” This explains why many people believe that peppermint makes you smarter, when really it makes you more alert.

At the University of Cincinnati, a study found that peppermint made students taking a test more focused and alert, and ended up with a better grade on their test. Peppermint has this effect because it increases the oxygen count in your blood, increasing the flow to your brain causing you to be more attentive.

Similarly, in an experiment at Wheeling Jesuit University, students were asked to chew different flavors of gum, one of them being peppermint, while doing work. Chewing gum already improves blood flow to your brain, but peppermint only enhances that effect. Through this experiment, the students chewing peppermint gum were found to be both more productive and also improve memory.

Overall, peppermint can improve your mental awareness but, no, it does not actually make you smarter.

When my 7^th grade Pre-Algebra teacher handed out Peppermint Smencils before a test, did it actually help us do better?

Turns out, it did. Thank you Mrs. Marshall.

The myth that peppermint makes you smarter, is false, but there are benefits to the scent of peppermint. Although, eating peppermint flavored candies is not as beneficial as actually smelling the peppermint before the test.

Peppermint in many forms such as tea, candy, and oil can be used to help improve mental awareness. The menthol “stimulates the Hippocampus area of the brain which controls mental clarity and memory. The odor triggers you to wake up and pay attention.” This explains why many people believe that peppermint makes you smarter, when really it makes you more alert.

At the University of Cincinnati, a study found that peppermint made students taking a test more focused and alert, and ended up with a better grade on their test. Peppermint has this effect beca
use it increases the oxygen count in your blood, increasing the flow to your brain causing you to be more attentive.

Similarly, in an experiment at Wheeling Jesuit University, students were asked to chew different flavors of gum, one of them being peppermint, while doing work. Chewing gum already improves blood flow to your brain, but peppermint only enhances that effect. Through this experiment, the students chewing peppermint gum were found to be both more productive and also improve memory.

Peppermint also has the ability to improve athletic performance as well as helping to improve reaction times.

Overall, peppermint can improve your mental awareness but, no, it does not actually make you smarter.

Many of us know a set of twins, are a twin, or have always wanted to be a twin. I have always thought it would be fun to be a twin mostly because of the twin telepathy myth that I saw in television shows or movies when I was younger. So is twin telepathy real?

Identical Twins come from one zygote that then splits into two separate embryos, but they do not have the same DNA as each other.  Because identical twins come from the same egg, some researchers believe that they also have the same brain waves which contributes to the idea of telepathy.

What is twin telepathy? It can be defined as, “being able to assess the thoughts or feelings of another twin without the other twin giving them any signs.”

Although this phenomenon can happen in fraternal twins, it is much more popular among identical twins. According to Slaughter, “Out of identical twins, thirty to forty percent are likely to experience telepathy.” Telepathy is most commonly reported when one twin is in a life or death situation and the other one has a
sense that there is something wrong.

For example one account of twin telepathy is, “While shopping, a man in Texas was forced to sit down due to a stabbing pain in his chest. He later learned that his twin brother in New York was having a heart attack at the same time.” Pure coincidence or is there a greater psychological phenomenon occurring? Another instance where twins came forward with an experience of twin telepathy was, “Two male twins had different areas of interest: one played soccer and the other took guitar less
ons. After a few months, however, the soccer-playing twin could play the guitar nearly as well as his brother without ever having taken a lesson. A study of the boys also said that they had had “limited interaction” with each other during the time they were pursuing these interests.” Some people consider these events
happening between twins as enough to claim that this is real even without scientific evidence.

There is no science that completely supports the idea of twin telepathy, but there are many personal stories between sets of twins which leads some people to believe that it is a real thing.

Most of us while growing up were told by our parents that we had to finish what was on our dinner plate before we could leave the table.  Especially in America, this logic could actually be hurting us. Our portions in America are much larger than other countries around the world.  Think about when going out for a meal, should you really have to ask for a box to take leftovers home, or should the portion just be smaller? Large plates allow more food to be served making it more likely for someone to eat more.

America is one of the most overweight nations in the world and serving food on smaller plates and enforcing portion control could ultimately help solve this problem but cutting calories up to 20%. The size of plates can play with your mind, “When the brain sees a large plate with white space surrounding the food, it unconsciously assumes the plate contains less food than a smaller-sized dish with no white space, when in fact, both plates contain the same amount.”

Most of us don’t know how big an actual standard portion is and that is where the problem begins, we think a portion is what is on our plate, when in reality, our plate contains multiple portions. Most people tend to eat with their eyes and not their stomachs, and most times their eyes are bigger. An example of this is was present at a health camp, “campers who were given larger bowls served and consumed 16% more cereal than those given smaller bowls.” The worst part of the study is that most of the campers that ate out of the bigger bowls thought they ate less than they actually did.

It is not just our plates increasing, it is the food itself. Foods like bagels, muffins, and cupcakes have all grown to be 2.5 times the size of a standard portion. Bigger is not always better. Having food on smaller plates helps to trick your mind that you are eating more because the plate is fuller.

Many nutritionists recommend incorporating fish into your weekly diet because of all the widely known health benefits. Fish is extremely high in protein, omega 3’s, and it is also a very low fat alternative to other meats.

Growing up my family never really ate much seafood because my mom refuses to eat any and all seafood. I have just recently started becoming open-minded to trying different types of seafood, but still can’t wrap my head around the idea of eating sushi. I guess part of my reservations toward sushi come from the fact that it is raw fish and the dangers of raw meat have always been pounded into my head from every nutrition class I have ever taken. So why is there such a craze about eating raw meat? More importantly, why are more people not questioning the possible health risks?

There are many health concerns that are taken into consideration while preparing raw fish. Parasites are not the only harmful threat in raw fish, “Raw fish poses several potential hazards for consumers besides parasites. Bacteria can develop in non-fresh fish and produce enzymes called histamines that may result in Scombroid poisoning. Certain tropical-water fish may also have a natural toxin called ciguatera which causes gastrointestinal and neurological symptoms.” Scombroid poisoning is essentially just seafood poisoning that comes from eating contaminated fish.

There are many precautions that need to be taken when preparing sushi that ensure that it is safe to eat. To help reduce the risk, “The FDA has required all fish (with the exception of tuna) destined to be served raw in the U.S. to be frozen at a minimum of minus four degrees Fahrenheit for seven days or minus thirty-one degrees Fahrenheit for fifteen hours.” Having these precautions in place helps to protect people and eliminates most of the risk and hesitation that comes along with eating raw fish.

In cases where people do get sick from eating sushi, most of the time it is actually the rice making them sick. Rice develops a harmful bacteria when it sits at room temperature for extensive periods of time. One of the other major reasons people get sick is due to them attempting to make sushi at home. This is more dangerous because freezing fish at home is ineffective because a home freezer does not reach the temperatures that are required to kill all of the harmful parasites. There are individuals
who should be more cautious when eating sushi, like pregnant women, women who want to become pregnant, the elderly, young children, and individuals who have lesser immune systems.

Although there are precautions taken in the preparation of sushi along with many health benefits, I still don’t think I will be trying sushi anytime soon.

I have always heard stories that colors can have an effect on our behaviors such as red effecting how much we eat, yellow effecting your level of optimism, orange effecting concentration, and many others. My favorite color is orange, so I decided to see if there is any truth to the myth that the color orange can help you concentrate.

How do colors have an effect on our behavior? Color Psychology is finding a relationship between colors and how they make people feel or act. Some people don’t believe that colors can have an effect on how people act, but if you think about the concept, it actually makes some sense. If you see a certain color, it causes you to feel a certain way because of a specific memory or association with that color. For example a widely known symbol to everyone is a stop sign. Stop signs are red and can evoke feelings such as caution and danger because you associate red with a stop sign, and a stop sign as meaning caution.

Orange has actually been shown to increase brain activity by allowing more oxygen to reach your brain making you feel more refreshed and productive. Findings like these would encourage people to put orange accessories or even paint the walls of an office or bedroom orange to help them concentrate. The shade of a color is an important component of the color’s effect. A bright shade of orange will motivate, while a pale shade of orange will have a calmer effect on someone’s mood.

Since orange is sandwiched between red, a color of passion, and yellow, a color of optimism, orange can be used to help treat depression. It can also stimulate the heart as well as help to stabilize emotions. Although orange can have a positive effect on the ability to concentrate and help to treat other problems it is advised to keep orange out of the kitchen area, because it is believed to make you hungrier.

Hi, my name is Liz Sweitzer and I am a freshman here at Penn State. I am from Wyomissing, Pennsylvania, which is about an hour outside of Philadelphia. I am currently in DUS but looking to major in marketing. I chose to take this course to satisfy gen ed requirements and my adviser helping me schedule at orientation knew I didn’t like science, so she recommended that I take this course. I am not planning on being a science major because I have never really enjoyed the science classes that I took throughout high school. Biology never really made any sense to me and, although easy for me, I found Chemistry extremely boring and repetitive. I look forward to this class this semester because there are many topics that seem interesting and not stereotypical science topics. I am excited to see how this course hopefully can change my views on science.

Here’s a picture from this past summer when I went to Riviera Maya, Mexico