When I was in 7th grade, one of my friends told me that she had Teen Texting Tendonitis, and that is why she had to wear a brace on her wrist.  She was one of those friends who sort of lied about everything, so I was never sure whether or not to believe her-so I just went with it, and now seems like the perfect opportunity to dig deeper into this “condition”.

An article was posted on Livestrong.com that cleared up at lot of the questions that I had about TTT.  It mentions that repetitive stress is what causes tendonitis in general.  That is, the repeated motion, whether it be difficult or not can cause stress in the tendons of those muscles.  So, TTT is from the related movement of the muscles in the thumbs.  The reason that it is so prevalent in teens is that 78% of teens who have cell phones are texting almost constantly throughout the day.  Just based on that percentage alone, it makes sense that many teens would have this condition.  The article also mentions some of the long term risks if the tendonitis goes untreated for too long.  Since teens are still growing, it can cause joint injures, and it might even have a link to ousteo-arthritis later in life.  So be safe and smart when you are texting!!

http://www.rocainjurylaw.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/1-texting_620x414.jpg

http://www.livestrong.com/article/1004776-tendinitis-texting-teens/

I recently wrote a post about whether or not listening to music while you study is beneficial to your memory/learning, and I discovered that the best work is done in silence, and it is okay to have a little bit of background noise, but keeping that to a minimum is also very beneficial.  Many of the comments that I received on that post mentioned the Mozart Effect, so I decided to look into that.

A quick google search will tell you that the Mozart Effect is “A set of research results indicate that listening to Mozart’s music may induce a short-term improvement on the performance of certain kinds of mental tasks known as ‘spacial temporal reasoning’.”

In researching this, I found an article that BBC published in January of 2013 that it might not even be what we call “a thing”.  It revealed that the original study was done, not on children, but on young adult psychology students.  Also, only 36 people were involved in the study.  This shows that people really do trust what they hear if it comes from a seemingly reliable source.  As researchers looked more into the Mozart effect over the years, they found that it may not be the Mozart music itself that helped those people, but rather enjoyment of the music that you hear while encoding items into your memory.  Though, the research I found for my earlier post clearly showed that listening to music you enjoy while studying has the same, negative effect that listening to music you do not like or feel indifferently about.

So, I am still sticking to my previous post—take out those headphones!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mozart_effect

http://artandseek.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/mozart2.jpg

http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20130107-can-mozart-boost-brainpower

http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2014/5/30/1401448584225/Headphones-and-hearing-009.jpg

When I was in the fourth grade, my parents brought up the idea of going to an all girls private school for middle and high school.  My initial response was that I did not want to go to an all girls school because then I would be really weird, unable to talk to boys, and too preppy.  Of course, these things are generally stereotypes, but I was not thinking about that at the time.  My mom said that I did not have good enough reasons for not wanting to go, so I went. From 6-12th grade I went to a Private, all girls, college prep school, and I loved it.

But does single-sex education really make us smarter/have a better education?   I looked into some studies to find the answer to this question.  The National Association for Single Sex Education posted some very interesting research on the topic.  Researchers from the University of Pennsylvania traveled to Seoul, South Korea.  In schools there, students are randomly assigned classroom that are either co-ed or single sex education environments.  The researchers found no difference in the way the teachers treated the students, and all of the schools were government funded.  I found this to be a very important aspect of the study, because in many private schools the teachers have to be more “qualified” in order to teach there, and they may receive lots of donations, as well as tuition money which will allow for more use of advanced technology which could affect the success of the students of that school.  In this study, they found that girls attending all girls schools and boys attending all boys schools are both more likely to attend four year colleges, and they have significantly higher test scores.  So, it is concluded that single sex education, going to a four year college, and high test scores are casually linked.

This research to me, seems like it could be accurate because the research seems like it was done fairly, but it is presented by the Association for Single Sex Education.  So, it is not surprising that the research concluded that single sex education has more benefits to students.

The American Psychological Association posted a story about an all boys school which also supports my claim.  The school is called Urban Prep Academy, and it is located in Chicago.  The article talks about how the school only had 4% of the freshman class able to read at a grade level, but when they switched to being an all boys school, 100% of their senior class was accepting four year college offers.  It mentions that it could be other factors, though that caused this to happen.  When the school switched to single sex education, it also put a heavy focus on college prep and english class.

Overall, I think that it is hard to say whether single sex education makes a huge difference in one’s education but in my opinion it does because of these studies and my own experience.

http://www.singlesexschools.org/research-singlesexvscoed.htm

http://www.apa.org/monitor/2011/02/coed.aspx

http://www.rpcs.org/image/academics/MS-LibraryClassroom.png

http://www.dallasnews.com/incoming/20110905-schoolboys.jpg.ece/BINARY/w940/schoolBOYS.jpg

All throughout high school my mom would constantly harass me for listening to music while doing my homework.  She always told me that I would get my work done so much faster and more accurately if I completely my work in a silent, distraction free environment.

A study was recently done at the University of Wales to figure out the truth around this common problem.  The students were broken up into five groups, each with a different condition while doing homework.

These were the five conditions as listed in the report of the study:

“1. A quiet environment

2. With “steady state” speech. This means a single word (in this case, “three”) was repeated for the duration of the test

3. With “changing state” speech. This means a variety of words (in this case, random digits from 1-9) were played during the test

4. With “liked” music, meaning a song of the students choice (such as Lady Gaga, Rihanna, or Arcade Fire). Students brought in their own music, the only requirement was that it had to have vocals

5. With “disliked” music, which in this case was a metal song called “Thrashers” by Death Angel (all students in the study disliked metal)”

The researchers thought that the students who used changing state speech would have the hardest time on the assessment because of the random words and letters being said.  They thought this would be a lot more difficult to “tune out” than a steady state speech which would be more similar to a loud heater.  What the results found though, was that the students with any type of noise, no matter what it was performed worse on the test than those who took it in complete silence.  This seems to prove that listening to music, or any sound will make you complete your work with less quality than if completed in a silent environment.

Another study, conducted in a University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMBC) psychology class showed similar results to the study discussed above.  Thirty two students were broken up into three groups while taking a simple math assessment.  One group listening to soft piano-only music, another to loud, heavy metal music, and the last group took the test in a silent condition.   The results of this study also showed that test taking in a silent condition yields much higher test results than those with noise distractions.

Both of these studies were pretty elaborate in the ways that they conducted their studies and made sure that confounding variables would not be an issue.  They do not test the relationship between listening to music while studying, compared to listening to music during the test, and if you do both etc.  But I expect the results of that would be similar to the post that I wrote about studying vs taking a test while drunk.

http://www.mindthesciencegap.org/2012/10/08/does-music-help-you-study/

http://ui.ibsrv.net/ibsrv/res/src:cdn.ultimatecoupons.com/get/blog/wp-content/themes/ucv2/core/thumb.php?src=http://www.ultimatecoupons.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/ipod-study.jpg&w=640&h=240&zc=1&q=90

http://www.studentpulse.com/articles/762/2/the-impact-of-listening-to-music-on-cognitive-performance?ab=scroll_left&utm_expid=22625156-1.Wovr3IOcQ7OKnauEqV69-g.1&utm_referrer=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.studentpulse.com%2Farticles%2F762%2Fthe-impact-of-listening-to-music-on-cognitive-performance%3Fab%3Dscroll_left

“A Glass of wine a day keeps the doctor away” is a well-known saying throughout the adult community, and I have always been skeptical of it.  It seems odd that drinking alcohol, which is full of calories, everyday could have any positive benefits on our health, so I decided to look into it.

The French Diet

The common, or even stereotypical diet of French people consists of bread, cheese, and wine.  While this diet is relatively high in fat, French people tend to be at lower risk for heart disease; and many people attribute this to red wine.  According to a Professor at Tufts University, Dr. Alice Lichtenstein, there are so many differences in lifestyle between Americans and French people that this lower risk of heart disease should not be taken too seriously.  A Harvard researcher, Dr. Eric Rimm mentions the common misconception that red wine is loaded with antioxidants.  He comments that while there are some, they are not always metabolized in the way they should be, and that we are better off eating vegetables than having a glass of red wine, if anti oxidants are what we are concerned about.

Wine and Diabetes

A two year long study was conducting on people with diabetes, and how wine intake affected their condition.  A researcher from Israel collected 225 people with high blood sugar, and had them agree to follow a Mediterranean style diet for two years.  He wanted to explore the myth that alcohol is especially bad for people who have high blood sugar.  He split the 225 people into three groups: one drank red wine everyday, one drank white wine everyday, and one drank mineral water everyday.  This was easily controlled because they were all following the same diet, and only altering what they drank.  The results of this study showed that a glass of red wine with dinner can improve the cardiovascular health of people with type 2 diabetes.  Christopher Wilcox of Georgetown University commented on this study saying that the results are not large health improvements, but potentially significant.

Having a glass of wine a day will not “keep the doctor away”, but it can help your health, just a little bit.  The most important thing is to have a healthy diet, with your glass of wine a day, and are good to go!

http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/wine-how-much-is-good-for-you

http://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2015/10/14/448311831/diabetes-study-adds-evidence-that-a-glass-of-wine-is-good-for-you

http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20793870,00.html

http://annals.org/article.aspx?articleID=2456121

https://s3.amazonaws.com/lowres.cartoonstock.com/food-drink-wine-glass-waiter-red_wine-alcoholic-bfrn231_low.jpg

https://www.colourbox.com/preview/2872154-red-wine-pouring-into-wine-glass-isolated.jpg

Today in my psychology class, we were discussing memory, and all of the different variables there are which have an effect on how well and what we remember.  My professor mentioned a study where some students drank beer while studying for a test, and others did not, and then some of the students who drank while studying also drank before the test, and vice versa.  It showed, as expected that the students who did not drink beer while studying, and who did not drink while taking the test had the best scores.  But, what it also showed was that students who drank beer while studying are better off drinking before the test as well.  This discussion made me wonder if drinking beer or maybe something a little less harmful (chewing gum) could help us remember information.

At Boston University, a study was conducted in which 193 students ages 21-24 drank beer (bringing their BAC to .12), and the other half drank alcohol-free beer.  Then, the next week they drank the opposite of what they drank during the first week.  The morning after each of the days that they drank, they had to take a version of the GRE and a quiz on a lecture they had heard the day before.  The results of this study didn’t prove much, other than it did not have an affect on the students either way.  So, I guess, what it did “prove” is that drinking the night before an exam will not necessarily harm your grade, but there are many confounding variables that essentially negate this claim.  Some examples of these are that if you drink the night before, you are more likely to study less, or sleep through the class, etc.

Next, I looked into chewing gum and how it affects how we preform on memory tests.  A study at University of Northumbria in Newcastle, England had 75 participants who were given a twenty minute memory test.  The group was broken up into thirds; one group chewed gum, another did the chewing motion without actual gum, and the last did not chew at all.  The students who chewed gum improved their scores by 35%.  The person who conducted this study also mentioned that chewing gum raises the heart beat by 3BPM.  This increases blood flow in the brain which can lead to better memory/learning.  I though that 35% sounded a bit extreme for something as simple as chewing gum, so I found another study which followed more people for a longer period of time.

The final study that I looked at was conducted by Baylor College of Medicine.  108 8th graders were divided into two groups and followed for 14 weeks.  One of the groups chewed gum while doing homework and tests, and the other did not chew gum at all.  The students who chewed gum had a 3% increase (much more reasonable) in their standardized math tests and had better final grads compared to those who did not chew gum.  Also, the students who were chewing gum did not need as many study breaks, and were able to stay quiet longer.

These findings show that drinking beer before a test, or while studying is not the best plan, and chewing gum may help you a little bit; just make sure that it is sugar free!

http://www.bu.edu/today/2010/binge-drinking-doesn’t-hurt-next-day-tests/

http://www.psychologistworld.com/memory/chewing_gum.php

http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/04/22/chewing.gum.benefits/

http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2009/HEALTH/04/22/chewing.gum.benefits/art.gum.chewing.girl.gi.jpg

http://cdn.siasat.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/beer.jpg

As college students, we constantly have a struggle between sleep and studying.  When to each one, and what one to sacrifice for the other.

Four benefits of studying during the day are: (taken and re-worded from the link below)

1. If you sleep well, you will have more energy to study during the day.
2. If you study during the day, there will be more places open for you to go to study, where as at night your options are more limited.
3. It is easier to get into contact with your teachers and friends in your classes during the day.
4. The natural light that we get during the day while studying is better for your eyes than the artificial light that we get at night

Four benefits of studying during the day are:(taken and re-worded from the link below)

1. It is easier to find a place to study in quiet because not many people are taking up the study spaces that are open at night.
2. If you live near the library, the library is empty at night.
3. Social media is not going off as the normal rate because most people you know are sleeping.
4. Being awake at night studying can help you to think about what you are studying from a different prospective.

Based on this, I would recommend studying during the day.  Studying during the day will allow you to actually sleep at night.  Also, if you study before you go to bed you will remember the information that you study and “learn” more of it while you are sleeping.

https://www.examtime.com/blog/best-time-to-study/

Whenever my mom lectures me about drugs and alcohol, she likes to say that smoking weed is just as bad for your lungs as smoking cigarettes.  I never really believed her, but how am I supposed to know?  So, I decided to do some research on this subject.  According to the American Lung Association, all smoke is bad for lung health, and it does not matter what the smoke is from.  When anything or any substance is lit on fire, toxins and carcinogens are released.  Marijuana smokers tend to inhale deeper and hold their breath longer than cigarette smokers.  This leads to a greater exposure of tar to the lungs.  Marijuana can cause chronic bronchitis.  Marijuana usage can also have a negative affect on the immune system, especially if you already have a condition that causes you to have a weak immune system.  Additionally, smoking marijuana can kill the lungs’ cells which help to remove dust and germs, which is often referred to as the lungs’ “first line of defense”.  Although some of these affects may seem threatening, smoking marijuana is not nearly as threatening to your health as cigarettes.  Overall, while smoking marijuana has been proven to cause some health issues, it is not nearly as bad for you as smoking cigarettes.  Many of the problems that marijuana seems to cause are very unlikely unless the smoker is already predisposed to having said condition and excessively smoke marijuana.  Researchers measured marijuana smokers’ forced expiratory volume (the amount of air that can be pushed out in one second) compared to non-smokers.  They found that there was little to no difference between the two.  This seems to make it pretty unlikely that there is any correlation between having lung problems and smoking marijuana.  Similarly, researchers at Emory University attributed sore throats and coughs reported by smokers to be more correlated to the rolling paper than the actual marijuana smoke itself.  This seems especially plausible because people who smoke marijuana through vaporizers reported these symptoms less often.  Essentially, it has not yet been proven that marijuana causes long term health problems on your lungs or any other part of you body.  Of course, inhaling anything besides oxygen is not the best thing for you, but of all things to smoke, marijuana is the best option.

http://www.lung.org/stop-smoking/about-smoking/health-effects/marijuana-lung-health.html?referrer=https://www.google.com/

http://thinkprogress.org/health/2015/01/22/3614459/new-pot-research/

On Saturday night after our first home game, I started to get a headache, which I assumed was caused by the cold weather, pouring rain, and screaming throughout the entire game.  But, I later came to the conclusion that I was experiencing my first migraine.  My mom gets very bad migraines, so I always assumed that I would get them too, but I never imagined that they would be as painful as this was.

According to Mayo Clinic a lot of what causes the onset of a migraine is not yet understood by scientists, but we do know that genetics and environmental factors play a large role.  One possible cause of a migraine is if there are changes in the brainstem and the way that it interacts with the terminal nerve which is what controls pain.  Although there is not extensive research on this specific cause, shifts in serotonin levels seem to be correlated with migraines.  In women, hormonal changes tend to cause migraines, especially right before their period because of the sudden decrease in estrogen.  Salty and processed foods can also be a trigger because of the chemicals in them, as well as skipping meals/fasting.  Alcohol, and especially wine has also been proven to cause them.  Medications, stress, bright light, change in sleep patterns, and changes in the environment are all causes of migraines as well.

All of these causes seem to be correlational rather than causal.  When I say that, I mean all of these things are correlated with people getting migraines but none of them have been scientifically proven to actually cause a migraine.

Along with prescription and over the counter medication, there are many home remedies for migraines.  Some of these include lavender oil, peppermint oil, basil oil, fixing your diet, and a temple massage.  The best option if you are experiencing migraines is to go to a neurologist just to be sure, but a lot of the time you just have to let them play out.

http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/migraine-headache/basics/causes/con-20026358

http://workartz.com/healthystyleliving/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/migraine-attacks.jpg

http://www.everydayhealth.com/headache-migraine-pictures/8-home-remedies-for-headaches-and-migraines.aspx#02

Putting “diet” or “organic” in front of any food or drink product instantly makes people want to buy it because they will believe that it is healthier for them than the regular products that are filled with real sugar.  Recently though, I have been hearing that it is better to have drinks that are not diet because the chemical sweeteners are worse for you than the high amounts of sugar in the regular drinks.  I decided to focus on regular coke vs diet coke for the purpose of this blog post.  There are both positive and negative aspects of both regular and diet.  The positive aspects of diet soda are that it does not cause cavities in your mouth because of the ‘fake’ sugar.  But, the diet soda does contain high amounts of acid which can eat away at the enamel on your teeth over time.  Although diet soda has no calories, it has artificial sweeteners in it that can be just as bad, if no t worse than real sugar.  ““Artificial sweeteners found in diet sodas have been found to increase sugar cravings because it’s not a natural source of sugar and the brain continues to seek the real deal,” Marissa Puleo, a registered licensed dietitian explained to Medical Daily.“This can lead to increased eating and drinking because your body isn’t satisfied.””  A study from the University of Miami was able to correlate diet soda consumption with an increased risk of heart attacks and strokes.  This website talks more about the study under the “Diet Soda” and then “the ugly” tab.  On the other hand, a 12 ounce can of soda has 140 calories and 10 teaspoons of sugar.  Contrary to popular belief, regular soda actually has less sugar than a lot of other popular drinks on the market.  According to a survey done in 2012, about 48 percent of Americans drink at least one glass of soda per day.  “obesity epidemic” the United States has been experiencing for some time.  Dr. Christopher Ochner said: “If everything else in their diet is equal, a person who has a can of Coke a day adds an extra 14.5 pounds per year, just from the calories alone.”  Soda does not only affect a person’s weight, but also their overall health.

There really is not a good answer to the question coke or diet coke, but in my opinion, regular coke is the way to go.  Although it may taste “too sweet”, the regular sugar seems to have a lot less long lasting health affects than the artificial.  The best option, of course it water, but if you really need a soda, go with regular coke.

http://www.medicaldaily.com/diet-soda-vs-regular-soda-one-worse-you-other-308063

http://www.arabella.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/Coke-Diet-Coke.jpg

Last night, a bunch of the girls on my floor all ordered Pokey Sticks together.  After splitting the entire extra large box between four girls, we all rubbed our stomach and talked about how we can only eat salad for the rest of the week.  This got me thinking about what I have heard about salads not actually being healthy.  According to WebMD a chicken caesar salad from Chili’s has 1,010 calories because of all of the toppings that are added to it.  It has creamy dressing, croutons, cheese, and chicken.  In order to have a healthy salad, you should add low fat cheese, and lean protein.  Also, creamy dressing adds a lot of calories, and the way to avoid that is to use a vinegar or oil based dressing, and make sure not to use too much of it.  It also said that if you are going to eat an unhealthy salad, you might as well order a burger an fries.  This website gives you five easy steps on how to make a salad that is actually healthy for you.  What it focuses on is beginning with a good foundation like dark and leafy lettuce, colorful vegetables, and lean protein.  It also talks about adding one “fatty” thing like cheese, or avocado.  So, the next time that you think “oh wow I really need a salad” make sure you make it a healthy one.

http://www.chompmenus.com/original/8e62745fced6b309f69099e2b575eaee_gumbys-pizza1.jpg

http://www.webmd.com/diet/diet-myth-or-truth-a-salad-is-the-best-diet-food

http://www.joybauer.com/photo-gallery/tips-for-building-a-healthier-salad/start-with-a-strong-foundation.aspx

Hey guys!

My name is Kelly Bare, I am a freshman, and I am from just outside of Baltimore, Maryland! I absolutely love Maryland and I am a huge Ravens fan, and my senior prom was at M&T Bank Stadium. I am taking this class because I have no idea what I want my major to be, and I am just taking a bunch of classes in different subjects!  I am excited to learn about a lot of different and controversial topics in this class.