Author Archives: Stephen B Caruso

Sleeping vs Studying

             sleep-or-drink-coffee

            A very common topic in college and even high school is cramming. Students stay up all hours of the night to finish that research paper or cement as much information into their head as possible. Usually when students have to cram for a test or quiz they are very tired and nostalgic the next day. Is this a positive thing? According to a recent study done at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), students are better off taking those extra hours to sleep. This article in Time Magazine  covers the study conducted, which consisted of 535 students’ grades 9-12, and for 14 days each student tracked whether they crammed or slept the night away. The next day they would record how they felt as well as how they preformed academically. In this study, “the data showed that kids who didn’t get enough sleep were not only more likely to have problems understanding during class… but they were also more likely to do badly on tests, quizzes and homework”. According to “Andrew J. Fuligni, professor of psychiatry and bio behavioral sciences at UCLA”, Andrew said, “When cramming… it is more difficult to learn what you’re studying”. Having stayed up late to cram before, I both agree and disagree with this study’s findings. I feel that cramming helps me remember information I would have otherwise not been aware of. Also, when I am forced to cram the test does seem to be more difficult for me to comprehend. This makes sense, and scientists say cramming can actually have the opposite effect.

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            Additionally, this article by Lisa Philipose and ABC NEWS agrees with the findings at UCLA. This study was done at Harvard University with about 100 students. They tested for memory gain over the course of a good nights sleep and little sleep. Sleep proved to be the winner. To support this Philipose states, “Experts say that getting enough sleep is vital to our overall health… and other processes like the ability to concentrate”- THE ABILITY TO CONCENTRATE! This may be one of, if not the most important factor in school. Students need to concentrate to learn in classes and do homework.

All in all, sleep seems to be the best answer. Cramming the night before can lead to an increase in your knowledge for a short amount of time, however, what good will that do if you did not sleep and can not concentrate- none. Sleeping is extremely important for the human body and skipping out on it just takes too much of a toll on the person. It is better to go into a test with a well-rested mind and body opposed to a tired distracted by all the new information given to it. So next time I have to decide between cramming or sleeping, I’m going to pick the smarter choice, and sleep.

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Sources:

http://healthland.time.com/2012/08/21/study-or-sleep-for-better-grades-students-should-go-to-bed-early/

http://time.com/

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/story?id=2574630&page=1

http://abcnews.go.com/

Is Milk Good for You?

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Milk; it compliments most breakfasts and sugary desserts. All my life, I have drunk it with countless bowls of cereal and other breakfast foods. At night when I enjoy that cake or brownie, the milk always washes it down. Milk is even the perfect liquid to dunk most cookies into. I have always been told that milk is good for my bones and will help me grow. This is true; milk is rich in calcium which it great for bones and teeth. Milk also contains large amount of vitamin D, which helps supports bones, and increases the body’s production or serotonin. Normally people who lack the recommended amount of serotonin are associated with depression. This means milk is not only healthy for bones, but in helping to prevent or cure depression as well. If you would like to gain further information about the benefits of milk, this article from medicalnewstoday.com does a great job of explaining numerous benefits.

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Now it’s down to the ugly stuff. Is everything we thought we knew bout milk wrong? Well, in this article written by Charlie Cooper, many of these so-called benefits are disproven. The article explains Cooper’s findings of an observational study done in Sweden. Cooper stated, “In surprising results, an investigation into dietary habits of more than 100,000 people found those who drank more milk were no less likely to break a bone.” This can be referred back to the example in class about cures. Some cures were just as likely to kill a person as to heal them. This is the same concept, except that the milk will not kill you. “Even more strikingly, people who drank more than three glasses of milk – around 680ml – per day, were more likely to die over the course of the study, which tracked 60,000 women for 20 years, and 45,000 men for 11 years”. Now why is this? A supplement that increases bone strength and supports some fat intake should not speed up death upon anyone. In this study, the confounding variables were looked at carefully to not tamper the results of the experiment. Still, “women were twice as likely to die with heart disease having the strongest connection to milk consumption.” Now what, does milk negatively impact my heart?

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Well, apparently it can. In Sharon Perkin’s article from livestrong.com she states, “Milk contains xanthine oxidase, which destroys protective membranes in the heart and blood vessels called plasmalogens”. It also mentions how enough milk will increase your saturated fat levels. Saturated fat is associated with high cholesterol, which is a common factor of heart disease. Although this does not happen to everyone and is not commonly heard of in daily life, apparently milk can lead to heart disease. Personally, this shocks me because I have always thought milk is one of the healthiest substances to drink, no matter the time of day.

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All in all, when it comes down to it, keep drinking milk. Do not drink excessive amounts every day, but have a glass with breakfast or that oh-so delicious dessert. Milk is good for the body and can only help you when drinking the normal amounts, unless you happen to be allergic to lactose, one of the main components of milk and all dairy products. Right about now some Oreos and a glass of milk sounds perfect!

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Sources:

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/273451.php

http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/milk-might-not-be-as-good-for-us-as-we-thought-study-suggests-9823870.html

http://www.livestrong.com/article/410667-does-milk-cause-heart-disease/

Are Cell Phones Safe?

As we walk through the campus or town we see many people on their mobile phones, texting and talking. Even in classes some students are relentless to put their cell phone away. People are constantly hiding behind their phones and it is becoming a problem. Even when being hired for jobs some people lack the basic ability to keep eye contact while talking and holding a basic conversation. However, these are not the types of problems I am talking about with cell phones. The real issue I am questioning is the radiation in cell phones. Can they cause cancer?

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Stated from dailymail.uk and  wikipedia.org respectively, approximately “6 billion people in the world own a cell phone” and “327,577,529 Americans own cell phones”. With numbers as large as these I hope cell phones are safe and do not put us humans in danger. Myself, as well as everyone I know are on their phones every day for various reason. Especially people my age use their phones excessively and on a daily basis. Technically, my age group is the “test generation” to find out if they are harmful. Possibly in 20 years or so a majority will develop illnesses due to this, or, maybe we wont. I wanted to look further into this.

In this  article from mercola.com , “previous research has shown that those who begin using cell phones heavily before age 20 have four to five times more brain cancer by their late 20s, compared to those whose exposure is minimal.” This is alarming because who wants to increase their risk of a brain tumor, let alone get one in their twenty’s. As a matter of fact, cell phones are listed as items that may lead to cancers. This is astounding to me due to all of the cell phone users around. Whether each country’s population is educated or illiterate does not matter; 6 out of 7 billion humans own a mobile phone.

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This should not be a question if cell phones do cause cancer. With 6 billion people having cell phones in the world, there are far too many humans at risk so it needs to be figured out now. Although it may seem easy to test the direct connection between cell phone radiation and cancers, it is only becoming more difficult. Technology may be improving, but leaves more and more people on electronics, such as T.V.’s and computers. Who’s to say this can or can’t be confounding (Z) variables. Maybe all of the radiation that is causing an increase in cancer is from other radioactive electronics. While this is possible, it is most likely to be caused by the cell phone. This is because it is used the most compared to other electronics and it usually placed extremely close to the human head. Some factors that can affect the amount of radiation the phone gives off to the person are, “The amount of time the person is on the phone… Whether or not the person is using the speaker mode on the phone or a hands-free device… The distance and path to the nearest cell phone tower… The amount of cell phone traffic in the area at the time… The model of phone being used”, stated in this article from cancer.org . All of these factors change the amount of radiation affecting the brain, and can be things to think about next time on the phone.

12_12_pg4b              After all of these concerns for cell phones, the real question is, “are they safe”? A majority of people use them and they have become a part of daily life. However, the radiation they give off can contribute to brain cancers in the future. This does not mean throw away cell phones and find a replacement. It just means to try and limit the amount of time spent on your mobile phone every day. Hopefully in the future when we are in our late twenty’s we will not encounter any cancers, but only the future can tell. For now, I will keep on using my cell phone as I please along with everyone else.

 

Sources:

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2015/01/06/cell-phone-use-brain-cancer-risk.aspx

 

http://www.cancer.org/cancer/cancercauses/othercarcinogens/athome/cellular-phones

 

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2297508/Six-world-s-seven-billion-people-mobile-phones–4-5billion-toilet-says-UN-report.html

 

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

Is Social Media Beneficial to Society

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This topic used to be more relevant than I feel it is today, but nonetheless social media is used every day. Across the globe, 1.96 billion people involve themselves in social media, and that number is expected to increase to 2.44 million by 2018. Also, currently 73% of Americans have social media accounts (from statista.com). These numbers are massive which shows social media is clearly involved in most peoples every day life. But how good is it?

Well there are certainly benefits to social media, which is why it is so prevalent in today’s society. Some of the benefits being are, “Keeping in touch with family, Professional Networking, and Staying informed about the world”, stated by G.S. Jackson. Some other beneficial uses include, “educational purposes, advertising, and keeping employees/firms and clients connected”, says Evelyn Golston in her article from socialnomics.net. Anyone would be correct when ensuring that social media can be beneficial this way. Personally, I find that social media is mostly used for friends to stay connected to each other as well as follow celebrities or popular issues in the news.

Almost all of my friends, as well as myself, use some form of social media every single day. Either to communicate with each other, share our feelings, or see what everyone else is up to. Usually a funny joke will arise from all of it and spark a conversation. However, this spark can sometimes start a “fire” between people. In this article from kmov.comkmov.com, “Police say the number of fights among teens is increasing and one of the main factors may be social media.” Also, in this article from theguardian.com, It states, “Complaints to police about alleged crimes linked to the use of Facebook and Twitter have increased by 780% in four years, figures show.” The number of reports increased from “556- 4,908”. First of all, that is an absurd increase. Secondly, all of this violence being associated with social media makes us question if it is better or worse for society. Many people can say anything while hiding a screen via social media, yet, when in person some will keep quite. This can be an issue that starts violence, and an issue that was not around 15 years ago.

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All of these pros and cons make it difficult to come to a conclusion. In the end, it comes down to a person-by-person opinion. When each considers the factors that go into each person’s daily life, then an answer can be formulated. Some will agree, and others will disagree. There is no specific wright or wring answer to this controversy though. There are only statistics that show an immense number of people worldwide use social media, and that it is increasing violence. So, is social media positive or negative for society?

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Sources:

http://www.statista.com/statistics/278414/number-of-worldwide-social-network-users/

 

http://www.statista.com/statistics/273476/percentage-of-us-population-with-a-social-network-profile/

 

http://smallbusiness.chron.com/advantages-social-network-sites-32069.html

 

http://www.socialnomics.net/2014/09/25/benefits-of-social-media/

 

http://www.kmov.com/story/28584926/police-say-social-media-may-be-a-factor-in-increased-fights-among-st-louis-teens

 

http://www.theguardian.com/media/2012/dec/27/social-media-crime-facebook-twitter

Why Alcohol Makes Us Drunk Part 2

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             Previously, I made a post explaining how alcohol affects the body, brain specifically, to make humans drunk. To summarize that post for anyone who did not read it, basically when the ethanol contained in alcohol enters a person’s blood stream, it travels throughout the body. As it passes through the brain, this is how a person begins to feel and appear drunk. Throughout the brain, there are different parts that control functions of the body. As the alcohol contaminated blood travels through it slows down the different parts it passes through. Also the more a person drinks and the faster it is consumed will slow down the brain faster. Then after the brain, the alcohol also affects other internal organs such as the liver, bladder, and stomach, but I did not go into depth with those. However, I have now decided to do further research.

Whether we learned in high school health class, or even experience, we all know people handle alcohol differently. Most men can drink more than a female, even if they are the same body size and weight. Also, some men can drink more while feeling less affected than others, usually depending on size (muscle or fat). There are also beliefs that different races can drink more alcohol, which I do not think is true, so I researched a persons’ race to alcohol too. First off, the gender and fat or muscles on a person are related to each other. As stated on this article from www.umd.edu , “Women, having a naturally higher percentage of body fat than men. Due to this, each drink is more concentrated in a woman’s blood stream.” The reason for this is more blood flows through a persons muscles than it does fat. As the blood flows through the muscles, there is a lower percentage being distributed throughout the rest of the body. Along with this, the article further stated, “A woman’s body is composed of approximately 45% to 50% water, while a man’s body is about 55% to 65% water. The lower fluid volume in women results in higher concentrations of alcohol in the bloodstream compared to men.” Due to this, even if a woman is extremely muscular and has a very low body fat percentage, it is easier for her to become drunk and feel alcohol’s effects sooner. Prior to researching this I had no idea that women contained less water in their body. I thought both genders held the same amount of fluid; it was just that most men are more muscular.

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Additionally, this is how race comes into play. Although it is believed that the Irish, for example, hold liquor better than other nationalities, it is a misconception. Just because a country is known for drinking a large amount of alcohol or a certain type does not mean the ability to retain alcohol better can be naturally in a person’s genes; for the most part. There is an exception to this belief, and it is in the Asian race. Stated by Frank Kelly Rich in this article, “A large percentage experience flushing of the skin, nausea, headache, and other uncomfortable symptoms from drinking a single alcoholic beverage. Those symptoms result primarily from inactivity of aldehyde dehydrogenase-2 (ALDH2), an enzyme involved in a key step of alcohol metabolism.” This is important because alcohol metabolism is the rate at which alcohol is diminished from the blood stream. This process determines how long drunkenness will last, so usually the quicker the better.

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Based off of all of the research presented, men can hold alcohol better than women. On average they have more muscle mass to absorb alcohol and contain more fluid in his body. Also, women usually have more fat and less water in the body which is a disadvantage compared to men with “holding their alcohol.” In addition, race usually does not have an effect on how fast a person can become drunk or how much a person can drink, except for Asian people. It is all due to a person’s size, muscle mass, and if food is still in their stomach to help absorb alcohol as it enters the body.

Sources:

http://www.umd.edu/ocrsm/files/Alcohol_&_GenderDifferences.pdf

http://drunkard.com/issues/07_02/mysteries.htm

Is Poverty related to Obesity?

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A popular theory today in society is whether or not obesity is related to poverty. Some people agree with this, while others disagree. Personally, I feel the connection is only having to buy cheaper, less healthy food, so I wanted to find out more. After doing some research on the topic several studies were done; one between obesity and adults, than another comparing obesity to children. In both studies, regardless of age, the poorer group of people had a greater BMI (body mass index) and also had larger percentages that were obese. For the adult group the article stated it was, “higher every year between 1986 and 2002 among adults in the lowest income group and the lowest education group than among those in the highest income and education groups, respectively (Truong & Sturm, 2005).” referring to BMI. The article continued, “Those with low wages had increased BMI as well as increased chance of being obese (Kim & Leigh, 2010).” So now there is a concept of the poor being less educated. Could being less educated be a confounding variable (Z)? As of right now being poor is the independent variable (X) and it seems to lead to obesity, the dependent variable (Y).

Furthermore, children had similar results as the adults did. For example, further down in the same article the author wrote, “Obesity rates increased by 10 percent for all U.S. children 10- to 17-years old between 2003 and 2007, but by 23 percent during the same time period for low-income children (Singh et al., 2010a). This national study of more than 40,000 children also found that in 2007, children from lower income households had more than two times higher odds of being obese than children from higher income households.” These odds as one can see are greater than 5%, which means it is clearly not chance. Whether comparing children or adults to obesity and having excess body fat, there is a connection. It may be causation, but is more likely a correlation.

Additionally, as Hedwig Lee stated in a different article, “Families choose high-fat foods dense with energy… because these foods are more affordable and last longer than fresh vegetables and fruits and lean meats and fish.” This statement may be true, however I disagree with it. I eat plenty of junk food and unhealthy snacks, yet I am not close to being overweight or obese. This can be due to chance, the fact that I work out, or my genes considering no one on my family is over weight.

food_security_graphicAfter my findings, I concluded money or a specific salary couldn’t determine a person’s weight. Money can control what a person east though and how healthy the substance is. Also being poorer may make it difficult to obtain a gym membership to help stay fit. However, a person’s genes have a massive effect on how the body works such as metabolism rate. Some have faster metabolisms than others, which may make it challenging to even gain any weight in general, even with an unhealthy appetite and lack of exercise. Therefore, poverty is a confounding variable. It does not directly cause obesity, but may limit an individual to make decisions leading to excessive weight gains.

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Works Cited:

 

http://frac.org/initiatives/hunger-and-obesity/are-low-income-people-at-greater-risk-for-overweight-or-obesity/

 

http://www.scholarsstrategynetwork.org/content/why-poverty-leads-obesity-and-life-long-problems

 

Is There A Perfect Baseball Swing?

Now that it is September, for baseball it means it is almost time for playoffs. Each teams is trying to stay at the top of their division, or creep up and take first place from their competitor. Some teams made risky trades earlier in the season, or are not putting 110% effort in to each game. I played baseball growing up, and we a know offense wins baseball games, not defense (compared to other sports). Pitching is en extremely important part of the game, but if you cannot hit the ball you will lose. As many runs as your opponent scores, your team needs to beat them by a minimum of one. This got me thinking, some people hit ground balls, or home runs, and everything in between. Yes, it does depend on where the ball hits the bat during your swing, but is there such thing as a perfect swing in baseball?

Watching professionals, all players have different types of swings. Some players are even known for their swing; it is almost their trademark. One player will have a very quick and short swing, just trying to slap the ball into play. Others load up on the ball and aim for the farthest hit ball they could achieve in each and every swing. Not to mention some players swing up at the ball, while others swing straight, horizontally into it.

After doing some research on this I mostly found only pictures and videos on how to swing most efficiently. Here are some examples of the “perfect swing”:

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As you can see from the above pictures, the best swing is combined of a multitude of aspects; the stance, keeping your eyes on the ball, the angle and length of the swing. This might not seem to be much, but when you are up at the plate, wondering where and when the pitch will cross the plate, trying to locate it, AND focus on all of these aspects, it is extremely difficult and the reason why professional athletes are paid so much to do this. If you would like more information about the perfect swing, this link includes 7 steps with videos on how to achieve this. Additionally, Mike Trout, currently one of the best, if not the best player playing baseball, is shown in this video swinging. It is slowed down an extreme amount to pay attention to everything he does.

In conclusion, if anyone would like to achieve the perfect swing, it is not just where you place the bat, but very complicated once all these variables are out in to place. But hey, go out and try it some day. The next time you are ever playing a pick-up game you might shock the rest of your friends with your skill.

Is There A Perfect Way to Brush Teeth?

Importance of Brushing Technique

Brushing teeth- everyone does it. Some people only brush once a day, some multiple times. Whatever the case may be, everyone brushes his or her teeth on a daily basis and has been for a great number years. Even back when our great ancestors were alive people had to brush their teeth. So, with this activity being such well known and practiced, there has to be a “perfect” way, no? Some people use different motions or speeds or angles, trying to touch every portion of his or her teeth. However, is one way more beneficial over another? The other morning brushing my teeth and the guy next to me was brushing his quite a little differently. This is what began my whole thought process on whether or not one way works better.

Over the years I have changed my methods every once in a while from small circular motions, to brushing right and left, parallel with my teeth. Sometimes I will also give the speed or pressure some variation. No matter what I do though, my teeth still look and feel the same clean. I did some research on the subject, and most of what I found did not give a clear answer. They all disagreed with each other and said one would work better over another. Yet, there was little to no research to support any of their statements.

After all of this disagreeing, there seemed to be a viable solution. In an article written by Robert Preidt, he quoted Aubrey Sheiham, a professor of dental and public health at the University College London, in England. He stated, “Brush gently with a simple horizontal scrubbing motion, with the brush at a 45-degree angle to get to the dental plaque. To avoid brushing too hard, hold the brush with a pencil grip rather than a fist. This simple method is perfectly effective at keeping your gums healthy.” Surprised that most other articles agreed with this statement, I realize I need to make a change. I usually make circular motions as I brush, but now need to alter my technique to fit this description if I want those “pearly whites”. Feel free to read more about this article here, or oral healthcare in general here. Maybe after reading this some of you will also change your ways like I did.

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Why Does Alcohol Make Us Drunk?

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Considering most of the class is compiled of freshman, college is a new experience for us. We all hear different comments about it through older friends or family members, but never knew what to expect until now; now that we are all enrolled college students. Different rumors spread about partying, classes, amount of time studying, etc. However, with all of these different categories to choose from, most parents seem to be concerned with drinking and partying. They assume for the most part that their child does not know his or her limits when it comes to consuming alcohol. There are stories on the news or passed around about kids newly introduced to college who die from alcohol poisoning. Parents just hope that doesn’t happen to their children as they release them on their own in college.

We all know after drinking enough alcohol we become physically impaired, but why? We drink plenty of things that are harmful to us, soda for example, and do not get drunk. We can even mix countless non-alcoholic drinks and feel perfectly fine even though their ingredients, which may or may not be healthy. So, what exactly is it in alcohol that poisons us and causes us to become drunk? Well, the main component is ethanol, which is what does all of the harm to our body. In an article from themolecularcircus.wordpress.com, Katie Lase states, “in short it tries to sloooooow your brain down… The actual effects that you feel alcohol having depends on which part of the brain is being slowed down, and of course the more alcohol you have in your blood, the more areas of the brain it can get to. It usually starts in the cerebral cortex, which is the region of your brain mainly responsible for cognitive thinking, behavior, and voluntary muscle movements. Slowing things down here means your brain processes information that it receives more slowly, this might mean you feel less sensitive to touch, or to pain.” She also mentions how alcohol affects other parts of the brain, so feel free to read more about it here if you’re interested.

Basically, when the alcohol makes its way to each portion of the brain, different functions are affected, such as emotions or your thinking process just to name a few. While alcohol also affects many other parts of the human body, such as the liver and stomach, and causes other health risks, the 20% that enters your blood stream and travels to your brain is what makes you drunk. Maybe if there was a bay the alcohol did not enter out blood stream or affect the different parts of our brain we would not come home drunk after a night of drinking, but that is the science of it and how it impairs us.

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How Can Marijuana Treat Cancer

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Over the past few years the whole debate over legalizing marijuana has been very relevant in the news. Most states have it legalized medically, with only a small amount legalizing it for recreational use. This made me wonder, what is so special about its medical uses that it cannot be legalized recreationally too. Well, it is most commonly used to treat cancers, migraines, and other various body pains. As stated in this article from cancer.org, marijuana “can be helpful for reducing nausea and vomiting linked to chemotherapy…slow growth and/or cause death in certain types of cancer cells growing in laboratory dishes.” After examining the article and picking up on those key facts I asked myself, “Does it harm people without cancer?”. Well it turns out yes and no. In an article from drugabuse.gov, lab rats were tested and different portions of their brains had reveled a change. Also, humans were studies for marijuana usage. The ones who had smoked heavily from an early age showed, “a loss of an average of 8 IQ points measured in mid-adulthood… Users who only began using marijuana heavily in adulthood did not lose IQ points.” You can find more information on the article here.

To summarize that, research only shows that marijuana use is harmful to non-cancer patients when used persistently. So as to why it is not legalized everywhere recreationally is beyond me, but referring back to its medical uses it proves to be a great treatment. For example, some medications for other various illnesses have side effects- some of which being harmless and others being detrimental. However, cancer, which is one of the most deadliest illnesses and most types not having a cure, this seems to be a viable solution. Chemotherapy, currently used to treat cancer, can be very painful and make the patients sick for a week or two. With the help from marijuana though, much of this pain and agony can be decreased.

All in all, it is a great thing that as of now marijuana is legalized medically in most states. I sure know if I were a cancer patient I would want to make my life and the whole process as pain-free as humanly possible.

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Can Skipping Breakfast Affect Schoolwork

 

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Now that college has started and classes have been in session for a few weeks, grades seem more important than ever. Students need exceptional grades to graduate with a degree in certain majors, and it can be hard while trying to adjust and balance a college life. One fact that I have heard many times is that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. However, most days when I have early classes I skip breakfast. Yet, I have not noticed any difference on how I preform in classes whether I eat breakfast to start out my day or not. In this article written by Kathleen M. Zelman, it states, “When kids skip breakfast, they don’t get what they need to be at their best.” By this she means that just like a car needs fuel to operate, your brain needs food. She later stated, “You’ll be more efficient in just about everything you do.” This means more focused in the classroom more energized for physical activities- anything someone does early in their day.

Additionally, Kathleen’s article mentioned how some people have issues maintaining a desired weight. This is due to over eating during your meals later in the day.

Furthermore, this John Hopkins article writes, “Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Breakfast provides you with the energy and nutrients that lead to increased concentration in the classroom.” This goes to show that students should eat their breakfast before classes. If a person can concentrate more, they will know the material better. Also, they will have to spend less time studying which leaves time for a social life and activities. That is what most students have a problem balancing; a social life and schoolwork. Not only will this balance help a student enjoy their college years more, but the grades will help land that dream job after graduating.

All in all, everyone who wished to excel in life, whether it is schoolwork or any other type of activity, should eat his or her breakfast. The positives clearly outweigh the negatives, with the only negative being waking up fifteen minutes earlier. Now, I encourage all of you to start eating breakfast because I know I sure will.

Pancake-Breakfast (1)

Initial Blog Post

Hey everyone, my name is Stephen Caruso and I’m from northern New Jersey. Here at Penn State I plan on majoring in Business, specifically Accounting, but am current enrolled in DUS. I enjoy playing almost any sport during my free time and can’t wait to go to all of the football games. Here’s a picture of the beach because that’s whee you’ll find me most of the summer.lamplight_lavallette_motel_beach

I chose to take SC200 because I was always curious about general science and how some things just can’t be explained, and it because it fulfills a general education requirement. However, I was never interested in a specific field of science which is why I’m not majoring in science.