In the 21st century, the technology is developing at a rapid speed. And some of these technologies help people cured a lot of diseases. Let the people suffer less pain. But there is one disease that people is still trying to figure out and trying to cure it. This is cancer, which has a huge death percentage. According to the research, there are approximately 564,800 people died in the US in a year due to cancer, which means more than 1500 people per day. So what are the reasons that so many people got these deadly diseases in the world? And for now, can we cure cancers?

I think the first reason cause the cancer is the air pollution. Because we are in the twenty-first century, and we need so many things from the factory. So when factory starts to produce things, the gas they exhausted are bad for people’s heath, and they put these gas directly into the sky. So people will keep exposing to these polluted air, and it gives people more chance to get the lung cancer. According to the world health organization.

Another reason is that the food we are eating can cause we get cancer too. In the world, everyone loves French fries, Hamburgers, and popcorn. And some people will eat it every day. But according to the research, these food are more likely to cause cancer than other food. Because after the food is deeply fried or processed through microwave, the chemicals  in the food will cause people to get cancer. So here is a question, can we avoid cancer by eating healthy food? The answer is no. Eat healthy will only lower the chance people will get cancer, it will not totally avoid it. Because in some areas, the water, and the soil is polluted too, so the food planted on that field usually contain heavy metal elements, which is also bad for people’s heath.

Another reason is that the technology we are using. In our home, we all have TV, Microwave, WIFI transmitter and our phone. So these things all has radiations, and these radiations can really cause cancers, especially the microwave. And some people saying that we should put our phone besides to our head or under our pillow while we are sleeping. Because it has the radiations. But these thing is still in debate, but it is for sure that this thing could affect our health. So we should use it properly and protect ourselves.

Like we talked in the class, there are many children also got cancer, which is really hurtful. So now it is the time to face these questions and find a cure in the future.

When I go to sleep at night, I have to have my room ice cold. If it’s too hot, I can’t fall asleep or I wake up feeling sick. Whether it’s Summer time and hot outside, or Winter and snowing outside, I will have some form of air conditioning on in my room. I started to wonder, were there any possible health benefits of sleeping in a cold room? I began to research and found that many scientists have studied how the cold effects your sleep and the benefits of sleeping in a cooler temperature.

An article written by Markham Heid of the New York Times explains the many benefits of sleeping in a colder environment. A study has found that being in a colder room activates the body’s sleeping systems giving your body the message to go to sleep. One study mentioned in the article found that sleeping in a cold room could cause you to burn more calories. The study involved older men who slept in 66-degree rooms for one month. The researchers found that this caused the brown fat in the body to become operative, allowing more calories to be burnt (Heid 2014).

As I went through my researching, I began to wonder if sleeping in a colder room could help people who have sleeping disorders as well. I found another study that has found that colder temperatures help people with insomnia fall asleep better; specifically, by wearing a cooling cap. People with insomnia have a high amount of activity in the frontal lobe of the brain, which causes the brain to stay warm at night, rather than cool off. The study was conducted by researchers from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. It involved 12 people who had insomnia who were given a cooling cap before going to sleep. They found that the participants were able to fall asleep within 13 minutes and slept for almost 90 percent of the time that they were bed (Park 2011).

It’s clear that sleeping in cooler temperatures has many health benefits. It is recommended by doctors and researchers to sleep in cooler conditions as an easy way to help you fall asleep quicker and prevent any sleeping problems or disorders (Park 2011).

Sources:

http://time.com/3602415/sleep-problems-room-temperature/?iid=sr-link9

Tip for Insomniacs: Cool Your Head to Fall Asleep

http://cliparts.co/cliparts/riL/xez/riLxezq4T.jpg

Dance has been a huge part of my life since the age of three. No matter what type of dancing it was, I always knew that it was something I wanted to pursue in the future. Dancing not only kept me fit and healthy, but it overall made me happy. Scientists and researchers have conducted many studies to find the health benefits of dancing, whether competitive or just for fun.

In an article written by Scott Edwards from Harvard Medical School, he shares that many regions of the brain are triggered when dancing, which includes the motor cortex and cerebellum. With its requirement of mental exertion and attention to fine details, dancing is proven to improve memory, hand-eye coordination, and other movements and motor skills (Edwards).

In addition, dance can reduce the risk of health problems and diseases later in life. This article discusses the findings of a study performed by the New England Journal of Medicine, which found that dance was the only activity that reduced the risk of developing dementia. Dance has been used in studies for other diseases as well, such as Parkinson’s disease – a disorder in the nervous system that usually causes movement trouble (Mayo Clinic). Dance was proven useful as a therapy mechanism for patients with Parkinson’s disease. It’s exercise components and movement was proven to relieve the symptoms of the disease, which includes stiffness in the muscles and lack of balance (Edwards).

Further research proved that dancing helps decrease depression and stress as well as increase self-confidence. In a meta-analysis study, researchers were able to prove that dance is a beneficial mechanism for treating depression, stress and anxiety and is often recommended to many patients. When given the option of dance or meditation as a form of therapy, majority of the patients chose dance (Berkeley Wellness 2014). All in all, dance can provide many health benefits – psychological and physical. It is an activity that anyone can participate in and is fun to do.

Sources:

http://neuro.hms.harvard.edu/harvard-mahoney-neuroscience-institute/brain-newsletter/and-brain-series/dancing-and-brain

http://www.berkeleywellness.com/fitness/active-lifestyle/article/many-health-benefits-dancing

http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/parkinsons-disease/basics/definition/con-20028488

http://clipartix.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/Dance-clipart-dancing-clip-art-clipartbold.png

Every year at my annual visit to the pediatrician for my physical examination, I am always asked how much milk I am consuming daily.  Doctors always stress that is is imperative to drink milk in adolescence because this can aid the bones as the body progresses into the elderly years, when the bones grow weaker. I frequently hear that proper calcium intake is necessary when your bones aren’t fully developed to prevent harmful factors like injury, and sickness, and that the consumption of milk and calcium will follow you through your entire lifespan. Personally, I try to consume my daily dose of calcium by drinking milk and putting it in my cereal. Everyone believes this assumption that milks make the bones stronger because we hear it multiple times a year and just assume this is true because this is what experts are telling us. Should we as a society believe this, or is this just another example of how our intuition is lousy, and tend to believe things based on what people are telling us without doing any research?

In recent years, researchers have been taking a closer look into how calcium intake really affects the bones, and overall health in general.  Critics believe that milk consumption actually makes bones weaker, and increases the chance for osteoporosis in elderly ages.  They argued that milk may actually make bones lose calcium, due to the thought that milk and other dairy products are acid products which may promote health problems and disease.  These researchers looked into a correlation between countries that have a higher dairy consumption, and osteoporotic fracture incidence.  They tested the pH of urine and found that with the more consumption of milk, the more acidic the urine became. However, the pH of urine does attest to the pH of the body as a whole.  Although these researchers may have found a correlation, this does not imply causation at all, and as a matter of fact, they have no scientific evidence to back their research.

A longitudinal study was conducted by Harvard Nurses Health study that looked in to the fracture risk attributed to milk consumption. This study included 77,761 women between 34 and 59 years old. They concluded that the women who consumed the most milk, actually had more fractures than the women who rarely drank milk.  So I’m sure many of you are wondering the mechanism behind this research.  In present times, cows are injected with a bovine growth hormone, which increases the amount of milk a cow would normally produce.  This shoots up the insulin level in the blood, which happens to be associated with different types of cancers.

What can we conclude from these studies. Well, since I failed to find an actual randomized controlled experiment that shows a strong correlation with a low p-value between the consumption of milk and it’s negative side effects on the strength of bones and health, nothing can be assumed in this case. However, some of these observational studies do imply a correlation, and if drinking milk is your only method of getting calcium into your body, you may want to try other sources of getting the proper nutrients.  For example, eating fruits and vegetables are a great way of getting Vitamin D and calcium into your diet.  Also, it might be a good idea to try yogurt as well, where you will still be getting the same amount of dairy and calcium, but at the same time will be putting less acidic substance into your body.  Before looking into this research, I was ignorant that milk may have negative side effects on health and bone strength. Although this research did not make these assumptions definite, it definite rose curiosity. I am still going to continue drinking milk, however, I will be more cautious on the amount that I intake, and will definitely look to other options for calcium on top of milk.

In recent years, CTE research has been rapidly growing, and there has been a huge question over the safety of the sport of football. I have been playing contact football since the 2nd grade and I know from personal concussions that they are very dangerous, and precautions must be taken over head injuries as they can negatively effect the health of one in the future.

CTE stands for Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy.  This is a disease suffered from several blows to the head.  I’m sure several of you have heard about the tragic death of Hall of Fame center Mike Webster.  The autopsy of Mike Webster’s brain revealed that he had CTE which caused major dementia and depression in his post football days.  This autopsy opened the doors to worldwide curiosity and research, not only in the NFL, but in football at all levels.

With the NFL being such a substantial industry, many officials have gone into denial over this research, and refuse to believe the fact that their multi-billion dollar industry can be causing such a traumatic disease to their players.  One of the major contributors to this research, is Dr. Ben Omalu, a neuroscientist who knew very little about the game of football, but looked into the autopsies of ex-NFL players, Mike Webster being the first victim. In his observation, the null hypothesis would be that football does not have any effect on the brain and does not cause CTE.  On the other hand, his alternative hypothesis would be that football does indeed cause CTE. What he found in this astonishing autopsy was proteins present in his brain looking like red specs, that should not be present in a 50 year old man, and this caused the appearance of the All-Pro center to make him look more like 75 years of age instead of 50.  Webster’s personal life was affected, and he became more aggressive and had trouble speaking.  He would often forget things and he was not their for his family anymore.  Word of this research spread quickly, and rage in the National Football league grew.  Omalu continued his research and found this same issue in the autopsy of another nine ex-NFL players.  A few months later, this number would then grow to 30 ex-players who were found to have CTE.  He even believes that 90% of NFL players suffer from CTE, and he has yet to perform an autopsy that has come back negative.  The NFL responded with hatred, disapproval, and rebuttal.

There may be concrete evidence in this case, however these observations do not imply a causal affect due to the lack of participants affected by this disease.  There have been millions of players that have gone through the NFL and who have had long and healthy careers and there are certainly confounding variables to this research.  For example, how were these players health outside of football?  Were they frequent consumers of alcohol and other drugs?  Did they take steroids?  These are things to consider because these drugs could have a negative effect on the brain, causing the trauma. However, this research does indeed provide concern and curiosity not only for NFL players who are concerned for their health after football, but also for parents of players who are watching their children grow up smashing their heads against others at a young age. This link will show you the research conducted by the notorious neurologist, and the NFL’s response to this controversy.

A recent study was conducted with a sample of 513 retired NFL football players in search for the mechanism that football and repeated blows to the head could cause CTE and Mild Cognitive Impairment.  In this study, again the researchers had a null hypothesis that football and CTE had absolutely no association and the alternative hypothesis being that football does cause CTE.  The data provides evidence that 35.1% of this sample did indeed show signs of cognitive impairment. This data implements a correlation that retired NFL players have an increased risk of cognitive impairment in their later-life.  Although this study provides evidence of a correlation, it can not automatically be assumed to be true, and a better way to find a causal relationship would be the increase the number of participants in a large, randomized control trial.  Another important factor to consider is the level of confidence and p value of the study which would show how likely the results were to be due to chance.

So does football really cause CTE, therefore leading to an early death among retired players?  This question raised such an issue that they even made a movie about it starring Will Smith.  As you can see, there is astonishing research and evidence that shows a correlation in some retired NFL players, however it is not enough to ultimately say that it is causation, due to the small number of players affected.  However, no matter how small the number of players affected, it is still an extremely alarming issue and debate.  No parent wants to see their child suffer from brain trauma from what is supposed to be a fun, competitive sport. At the same time, no child wants to see their parent not be there for them and watch them suffer from cognitive impairment and memory loss. As a matter of fact, the NFL has already taken initiative by changing rules on head to head contact, in which doing this leads to ejection. But are these rules enough to keep players from suffering this horrendous disease?

(taken from http://moodleshare.org/pluginfile.php/7169/mod_page/content/1/Artist.jpg)

Ever feel stressed? Is that a silly question to ask? Yeah, it definitely is. All of us feel stressed at one point or another. I can think of plenty of stressors I face on an hourly basis a day sometimes. Now, hearing that, you may think: “Oh she’s probably always on edge.” That’s what anyone would think. But that’s not true at all. How, you might be wondering? I’ll give you my secret. Listen closely.

COLORING. Yes, you heard me right. I color when I am stressed. I have always been the artistic type since the moment I could hold a crayon in my hand. I find enjoyment in picking up a piece of paper and getting out my pastels, pens, and colored pencils. What I find most relaxing about coloring is the focus. It’s not a focus like trying to memorize a definition. It’s a focus on the picture I am creating. I get to decide what colors to use, where to use them, and what technique I will use with each color. There are no mistakes in art. Anything goes. That’s what I love about it. How can you be stressed when you’re creating your own image and you don’t have to worry about “messing up?”

As soon as I noticed the therapeutic benefits from coloring I was experiencing, I began my research on the concept. Was coloring just for kids and the artsy fartsy? Well, this is what I found…

You are NOT too old to color. It is becoming a popular trend among publishers to create adult coloring books. So, why should adults color when a little sh*t hits the fan? According to an article called “Coloring Isn’t Just For Kids. It Can Actually Help Adults Combat Stress” published by the Huffington Post, coloring triggers areas of the brain that control motor skills relative to creativity and our senses.

The article goes on to discuss the artistic approach of Carl G. Jüng on the idea of using coloring as a way to reduce stress. A twentieth century psychologist who was the first to use the mandalas technique, Jüng created drawings of geometric patterns symbolic of the universe. This technique was commonly used within Indian religions. Using the various colors to fill in each unique shape required concentration and creative direction. Focusing on a task forces you to live in the present. There is no time to dwell on past experiences or predict future happenings. You just look at what is in front of you and take action.

(taken from https://tristazandstra.files.wordpress.com/2010/06/mandala.jpg)

This concept was not newly developed. Several people today have become skeptical of Jüng’s techniques and ideas. Psychologist Gloria Martinez Ayala explored this theory a little further. If coloring does in fact have a therapeutic benefit tied to it, how is this occurring? By what process in the human mind can this be possible? According to Dr. Ayala’s research, coloring reduces stress through stimulation of the cerebral cortex and amygdala. The part of the brain that handles emotion is the amygdala. When the activity of this part of the brain lessens, stress is reduced because it processes fewer emotions.

Think about it this way. When you color you are focused on what is in front of you, not what happened twenty minutes prior or what’s about to happen in twenty minutes. You are focused on the present. When you put all of your attention towards something that has already happened or something that could happen, you become stressed. So if it’s that easy to just get twenty minutes to an hour of stress-free time, why don’t more people try this therapy?

Coloring is commonly associated with children. People typically do not consider it an age appropriate activity; however, with the emergence of adult coloring books across Europe and the United States, more and more adults are trying out this therapeutic hobby. It’s been reported that even though coloring can’t erase your stress away, it can relieve it significantly. And that’s not just for people with a natural creative eye. You don’t have to be an artist to color. You just need to apply a little bit of focus and use your imagination. Sometimes it’s good to have an escape from reality at times. We all need that.

…So why not try it? Pick up an adult coloring book. Ain’t no shame in the coloring game.

Source:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/10/13/coloring-for-stress_n_5975832.html

Chewing tobacco, often known as “dip” and “snus” has been a worldwide issue for many years now. Part of the reason for this issue is due to its presence with several professional models.  Chewing tobacco is extremely common in the professional sport of baseball and many players are shown up close on live television with their lips packed with dip.  I remember watching Barry Bonds and Sammy Sosa when I was a kid and I would always ask what is in these professional athlete’s lips.  Today, in some stadiums they have banned chewing tobacco not only for players on the field, but for spectators as well, as researchers try and stop the perilous issue.

I personally have never tried smokeless tobacco, but many of my friends on my baseball and sports teams have dabbled with it.  Each day they have a lip in, I see them becoming more and more addicted, as they continue to use the product exponentially in the following days.  If on one day they are using it once, in proceeding days they will do it twice as much as their addiction grows. The reason for this addiction is due to the fact that smokeless tobacco contains nicotine as the main ingredient, as well as up to 30 other carcinogens, some similar to those found in cigarettes. Many people start using these products at younger ages, due to peer pressure and its availability in the market. In many states, the legal age to purchase tobacco products is 18, however many people start younger than this.

In 11 studies conducted examining the risk of oral cancer, researchers looked into the relative risk of oral cancer by using smokeless tobacco.  The null hypothesis in these studies would be that chewing tobacco has no effect on cancer, and the alternative hypothesis would be that there is a causal link between smokeless tobacco and oral cancer.  In a sample of 948 male participants in 2002, it was found that in only 6% of the cases that oral cancer was present, however, in other countries, the risk was much more prevalent.  For example, in Sudanese men, 68% of the 627 cases examined were attributed to oral cancer.  In other studies conducted from Asia and Africa, consistent evidence for increased risk of oral cancer was present, in which this risk reached a height of 10.  These ecological studies provided a positive correlation between smokeless tobacco use and oral cancer. These studies were large, and well-conducted as the researchers attempted to rule out confounding variables such as alcohol use and other tobacco use.  Ultimately, at a 95% confidence interval, the p-value happened to be quite narrow as it resulted in less than 0.001.  This number is the probability that these results were to occur by chance.

Although these studies were well-conducted, this does not rule out confounding variables and chance completely, as we have learned that any study can be partially due to chance. However, these results were significant enough to raise a problem and provide a correlation. Other factors that should be looked at are the frequency of exposure to these products as well as family history.  Also, a more efficient way to get better results could be to set up a randomized double-blind control trial, in which participants would be set up into two groups, one being the group that does chewing tobacco, and the other being the group that does not partake. These groups could be followed for a longer duration of time, say 10 years and then results could be taken by doing an examination of the gums.

My advice would be to stay away from these products completely.  I would not recommend switching from cigarettes to chewing tobacco either, even though the chance of getting cancer from smokeless tobacco is much more slim, there are still several risks and these risks should not be taken.

Sources:

http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/quit-smoking/in-depth/chewing-tobacco/art-20047428?pg=2

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1470204508701736

I’m sure there are several cases where you go to a local gym and see some people that are so massive that they can’t even fit in their shirt, or rather even straighten their arms.  I’m sure you wonder, how did this man/woman get so big?  More often than not, the answer is anabolic steroids.  Steroids have been prevalent for years now and are common among body builders who perform in heavy weight lifting competitions simply because it is the easiest and quickest way to take off fat and gain muscle, resulting in a phrase that most people like to refer to as ‘gains.’ They are also extremely common in male athletes to enhance their performance as well.  I’m sure you all have heard of the notorious baseball sluggers Barry Bonds, Sammy Sosa, Alex Rodrigues, and many others.  These drugs obviously have a physical effect on the body, but how does this affect them mentally?

Anabolic steroids drive up the male hormone referred to as testosterone, the hormone that constructs male features, along with playing a role in the male’s appearance and influencing their behavior.   These high testosterone levels are attributed to many different psychotic symptoms, especially aggressive behavior and even depression.  Mood swings are also very common, along with a rise in anxiety levels, often referred to as a term called “roid rage.” The Structured Clinical Interview provided diagnostics for a randomized control trial conducted in 1994.  They conducted this trial with a sample of 88 athletes who used anabolic steroids.  In 23% of these cases, signs of mania and depression were present.  The null hypothesis the researchers would use in this case is that steroids do not have an effect on behavior and the alternative would be that there is an effect.  Another astonishing statistic is that 25% of these athletes experienced a dependence for the drug, which could cause severe withdrawal symptoms.

Additionally, aggression and certain behavioral attributes are not the only things that steroids psychologically effect. As steroid use continues, one is more likely to experience withdrawal from the drug, especially after building up a tolerance.  This is extremely dangerous, and can even lead to serious depression and unfortunately in some cases maybe even suicide.  An observational study of COPD patients was conducted, where two groups of n=20 patients were observed, one group receiving steroids and the other not.  It was observed that steroid users had a significantly higher level of depression and dependence after a t-test was performed, resulting with a p-value of less than .01. Evidently, these studies may have a correlation, however this does not imply causation.  Several confounding variables may be present in these tests.  For example, do these participants consume alcohol and how frequently? Do they have a family history of any psychological disorder?  These are third party variables to consider.

Sure, steroids may make you look ‘yolked’ and they may enhance physical performance, but the negative side effects definitely outweigh the pros. In conclusion, the dangers of steroids are clear and it is important to stay away from this substance, and stick to a more natural way of putting on muscle, for example having a high dose of protein in all your meals. This may not be the most efficient way for achieving what is widely known as ‘gainz,’ however, it is the safest and most natural, and you won’t have to live with the possible negative side effects that steroids could cause.    Be safe, be natural, don’t use steroids.

Sources:

https://www.muscleandstrength.com/articles/steroids-and-their-harmful-side-effects.html

http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.585.5604&rep=rep1&type=pdf

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/0020748989900096

Of course when we go to college our parents know we are going to be on our own and spending money like it grows from a tree. Their one suggestion to you when you go off to college is… get a job. This way you can help pay your bull and have some spending money on the weekends. But is there more benefits to just the money? Studies show that having a job also increases your critical thinking and your overall performance in the classroom.

http://lajoyalink.com/4188/connecting-the-pack/balancing-work-and-school/

When I first came to state college I was stressed and the last thing on my mind was having a job to worry about. But once I became comfortable in the area and environment so I decided it was time to get a job and it was a great decision. Just as the results found in the study, my job provided my day to day life with structure, organization and discipline.   By working between ten to nineteen hour a week a job can provide you with structure for your day as well as a way to make time for your school work. Having a job also entitles you to have discipline and keep your school work and work schedule organized.

On the other hand, If too much time is used it can create a stressful situation and potential harm to your academic career. If you work over 20 hours as well as being a full time student, it may leave you with barely any time for school work and of down time. Having a full load of school work on top of working multiple hours a week can make get behind on your school work is a major negativity effect on your grades. There is also more responsibility that you must undergo while dealing with both situations. Obligations might overlap and there is a high possibility that you will have to pick and choose the one that is most important at that time. This leads to lost opportunities and potential negative effects on your education.

In my mind, I think having a job while being a full time student has both its positive and negative attributes. What do you think about having a job while being a student? Is it worth it? Or do you think it is more stress than reward?

DUNDES, L. & MARX, J. (2006). BALANCING WORK AND ACADEMICS IN COLLEGE: WHY DO STUDENTS WORKING 10 TO 19 HOURS PER WEEK EXCEL?. Journal Of College Student Retention: Research, Theory And Practice, 8(1), 107-120. doi:10.2190/7ucu-8f9m-94qg-5wwq

If you look good you feel good right? That’s the philosophy most people have when it comes to school, your job, sports and many other things in life, but does looking better on the outside make you feel better on the inside?

There have been numerous studies done behind the mental state of mind about feeling good. Studies have shown that it doesn’t matter how good you look on the outside, but it’s the mental feelings on the inside that really count. There are a lot of factors that go into the mental side of looking good. Human touch, having friends, and stress levels are some of the major factors that go into the mental side of feeling good about yourself. Human touch was the first on the list because it can be the most important factor. Human touch and interaction is something we all crave for. Studies have shown if you are touched ten times per day human to human contact, you are more likely to have a better day. You can notice this in babies who are held a lot and babies who are encored. Babies who have more human touch and interaction are overall more happy babies than ones who get low levels of touch and attention. People who have more solitary lives very few friends tend to be depressed more often than people with a high friend count and a more active social life. Stress level is another major player in mentally feeling good. People with high stress levels also have higher levels of anxiety that can affect the body both physically and mentally. So just because you look good, doesn’t necessarily mean you feel good.

Ever since we were little kids, art was implemented into our lives in many ways – as a form of expression (drawing our imaginary friends and portraying our ideas and dreams) and as a form of communication (our feelings that we may not be able to verbally express, or for nonverbal kids in general). Art had a way of making us feel better and happier. Now that we’re (mostly) adults, can art still help us in the same way?

How can art benefit you as an adult? According to The Drawing Website, drawing can be used as a form of therapy. When someone starts drawing, they can express whatever stress or hardships they are feeling, and in that way almost alleviate it. By drawing whatever is upsetting you, you remove it from yourself and your body and put it into something else – in a more symbolic way, you can physically destroy those hardships by throwing out the paper, tearing it, burning it, etc. Drawing can also be used as a method of communication for the more introvert people (in regards to expressing ideas and thoughts) and encourages creative problem solving and self discovery (finding your own style, for example).

How effective can “art therapy” actually be? According to The Drawing Website, enough to the point where it can assist people with mental health issues. Drawing provides a safe, stress-free environment where people with these issues are able to freely express themselves without hurting themselves or others. Drawing provides an outlet to the stress or tension building inside, where otherwise they would not be able to express how they are truly feeling. Since these people were able to express themselves, they became more emotionally stable, thus making doctor or therapist visits much easier.

Long-term benefits of drawing? If art is implemented in a person’s life as a child, it can improve memory, encourage out-of-the-box thinking, and help sustain a healthy method of self expression.

In the end, those doodles all over the pages of your science notes don’t mean that you weren’t paying attention – it was your body expressing all of your jumbled thoughts so that you can think clearly. If all it can take is a pencil and some paper to clear your mind and make yourself feel less stressed, it is absolutely worth it.

Web Source: Here

Photo Source: Here

Spotify is all us college students listen to these days. We listen to it when we are bored, when we are hanging out with our friends, when we are walking to class, and when we study. There are so many pre-made Spotify playlists that are made for people to listen to while they are studying, such as these: *Insert pics*. I listen to music whenever i am studying for an exam because I feel like it keeps me focused and doesn’t get me stressed. But now I wonder, is studying with music on really beneficial? Or is it hurting my studying?

In 2012, the University of Wales conducted a study to test this question . They did this by giving students a list of items to remember in a certain order, while playing different music in the background for each student, and some with no background sound at all. There were five different scenarios given. The scenario was given with no background music, complete silence. In the next scenario, a person repeated the word “three” over and over throughout the task. Another scenario, people were repeating a bunch of short words repetitively during the task. Another background noise was with a song that the students enjoyed (they got to choose the song), while the next scenario was with music that they didn’t like.

Although these results did not find much of a difference between the test scores of the students that listened to enjoyable and not enjoyable music, there were some interesting results. They realized that just having any music on in the background, resulted in a lower test score. They said that any type of music is just as bad as any background noise, such as talking or conversation. They believe that any music is a distraction to studying and will not benefit the student in any way.

Here it describes two more studies that were done. The first study was done at the University of Maryland in 2013 to test the same question. They went about this task by having 32 students take a math quiz, but with different background sounds. They did not just test no music v. music, they also tested with songs of low and high intensity. Their results were similar to the results at the University of Wales. They found that any background music was a distraction to the working student. The grades of the students with no background music playing, scored the highest.

In contrast to these first two studies I have mentioned above, this next study in France begged to differ with their results. This was a much larger test group that consisted of 249 students. This study had their participants watch a lecture, some while listening to music in the background, some with none. These results happened to find that the group of people who had music playing achieved a higher score than those who observed the lecture with no background sound.

This website made some general conclusions from these two studies (University of Maryland study and the France study). They saw that fast paced music or songs with a lot of lyrics were distracting to those trying to read or do anything that involved learning something new. They also concluded that it keeps the student motivated and lessens their anxiety.

There are mixed results from all of these studies, but it also all depends on the  constant variable which is each individuals normal ability to focus and study. There is no 100% clear answer here, so we can never know for sure; it could be a personal preference. These studies did not specifically choose their participants, it was chance/ random.

Sources:

Should You Listen to Music While Studying?

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

Pictures:

https://www.spotify.com/us/

https://news.usc.edu/71969/studying-for-finals-let-classical-music-help/

When it started storming tonight, I grabbed my laptop and immediately sat right by the open window. I’ve always loved the sound of rain; I’m the sort of person who goes and sits outside on the porch during a thunderstorm just to relax. But why does the sound of rain and other white noise help me and so many other people to relax and to sleep better? Before I even started researching this, I inferred that it’s because white noise reminds us of certain atmospheres that we find relaxing. For example, laying on the beach in the early morning listening to the waves crashing and the seagulls chirping. Or, people watching at an outside cafe where all the sounds of traffic and people eating and talking meld into one. I’m feeling relaxed just thinking about it. However, it’s difficult to say that white noise helps all people relax and sleep better. There are too many variations in people’s preferences and how their mind reacts to things to prove that white noise is good for all.

I listen to white noise (rain, waves, campfires, etc.) a lot, and I think some of the main reasons white noise relaxes include the following:

1. It blocks out all other noises around us if we have it loud enough. That way, if we’re trying to sleep, no other sudden noises will jerk us back to consciousness.
2. It’s extremely easy to become used to the sounds playing in our ears when they play at constant levels, so we have it blocking out noise but not distracting us.
3. It also definitely still keeps us engaged even if we’re sleeping, which is something our brains need.
4. I’m hoping to find out some other reasons why white noise effects us the way it does.

White noise, in terms of audio, is all the different frequencies of sound that we’re able to hear combined into one. The white noise that we talk is what happens when all the frequencies that humans can hear and perceive are played together at similar levels. The white noise we hear is the sound of all the frequencies between 20 and 20,000 HZ. Basically this means that we’re hearing around 20,000 tones at once. That’s sort of like when we’re standing in the middle of New York City surrounded by 20,000 different noises combined into one. The traffic, the honking, the yelling, the construction, the talking, all mix together to form one constant tone, from which we can’t easily distinguish separate sounds.

According to the same article as above, white noise (and pink noise, and brown noise, but let’s not get into those) does in fact help us to sleep by masking the unwanted noises in our surroundings like I had said at the start! Another theory that mentions the same thing I had said is that our brains are highly active when we sleep, and playing white noise keeps our minds stimulated. Now for some people, pure white noise by itself is not enough to find relaxation. So of course there’s nature’s white noise for us to listen to. Forest sounds, ocean waves, campfires, and more are all examples of white noise also. This article also gives quite a few of the same reasons for why white noise helps us to sleep.

However, while white noise can be a fantastic thing to listen to for some people, others believe that it may harm our concentration. In this article, Mark Andrews talks about how stress from repeatedly playing white noise releases cortisol, which is a hormone that helps restore the body to homeostasis. But, an excess in cortisol damages functions in part of the brain that helps to regulate planning, reasoning, and impulse control.

This is why it’s so difficult to form and prove a hypothesis on something like this, because the effectiveness of white noise differs from person to person. Doing a sample test with a hypothesis like “White noise does help people get a better sleep at night” would be hard to do simply because of all the variables. The sample may end up having more people who are less inclined to enjoy white noise playing in their ears. Or, it may have a bunch of people with higher stress or anxiety levels than others, which would definitely affect the results of the experiment.

I, personally, will continue to listen to white noise. It really does help me to relax, it makes me happier, and it blocks out the constant noise that comes from living with four roommates. However, if you believe that white noise is not something that will help you, I’m sure there are dozens of other things out there that can help you concentrate, relax, or sleep almost as well. Sweet dreams!

Sources:

1 2 3 4

Picture Sources:

1 2

‘Tis the season (of getting sick)! I just got an email the other day that reminded me there were going to be flu shot vaccines given in The Hub for two days. I went during the day, got my flu shot, and was happy about it because i wouldn’t be getting the flu now, right? Well this made me curious and made me wonder is vaccines are really safe and will keep me healthy. Many people have the belief that vaccines cause autism. Lets check out these studies that on this question.

Vaccine in vial with syringe. Vaccination concept. 3d

 The article “Vaccines DO Cause Autism- Undeniable Scientific Proof”.  The Anti-Vaccine Scientific Support Arsenal has a very strong belief that getting vaccinated can cause autism. They collected many studies that prove their belief.

Their first argument was a link to an article written by Stephanie Seneff, Robert M. Davidson and Jingjing Liu. They used the MMR (Measles, Mumps, and Rubella) vaccine as an their test. They found thirteen symptoms with this including, rash, chicken pox, mumps, face oedema, measles, autism, cough, fever, hematoma, conjunctivitis, lymph node pain, respiratory infection, and blisters. Since this was the MMR vaccine, it is obvious that there would be a high rate of the symptoms chicken pox, measles and mumps. The highest symptom was a rash, with a p- value of 0.00000003. What they found most interesting was how much autism and fever was linked to this vaccine. Fever had a p-value of 0.024 while autism had a p-value of 0.0067. The total number of fever symptoms from this was 1840. This fever would be treated with acetaminophen. The article leads to say that acetaminophen causes toxins to go in the brain, which can be harmful to kids and lead to autism because children’s brains cannot get rid of these toxins. They did the same study with the Hepatitis B vaccine. This was given to kids under the age of six. They found that rash and chicken pox, the two highest symptoms, were caused from the varicella in the vaccine.

Although vaccines do not directly cause autism or other symptoms, there are certain things in different vaccines that can lead to them. Aluminum entering the body can be very harmful and can lead to a negative response from your body. Before getting a vaccine now, I will be looking into what chemicals and elements are in the strain before I get one. Vaccines do help your body fight off whatever it is supposed to, but it can also harm some parts. So are vaccines safe? Yes, they can be safe, but they also lead to a chance of a very bad symptom. (Check out this website to find many other studies done that are trying to answer this same question).

Sources:

http://www.mdpi.com/1099-4300/14/11/2227/pdf

Vaccines DO Cause Autism-Undeniable Scientific Proof

Pictures:

http://www.mdpi.com/1099-4300/14/11/2227/pdf

CDC Spends $1 Million to Increase Adult Flu Vaccination Rates – Flu Shot to be Mandatory?

Is it better to run to class while it’s raining or walk?  Myth busters did an episode about this myth a couple of years ago that can be seen here.  In the video they say that walking is actually better.  They said that when you walk only your head and shoulders get wet but when you are running the front of your body is also getting wet.  They did an experiment that had them wearing cotton suits and walking in the rain.  They did the same experiment and rain the second time.  In order to compare their results, they weighed the cotton suits after each run and compared the numbers.  After the experiments were done they concluded that by walking you in fact get less wet.  This is not what logic would tell you what would happen and a lot of people challenged this conclusion.

While I was researching this I came across a video that said running is actually better, that can be seen here.  This is what most people think would be the case because you are spending less time in the rain therefor you get less wet.  In the video the man explains that while when walking you only get wet from the top if you were to just stand there you would in fact get less wet.  Since the experiment has a moving element involved he shows that actually running gets you less wet because of the amount of time spent in the rain.  Mythbusters revisited this myth years later and actually changed with what they originally went with.  This is an example of something we have talked about in class of scientist challenging other scientist work.  After revisiting their work, they redid the trails with real rain instead of artificial rain and found different results.

In conclusion, running in the rain is the better option than walking when you are trying to stay dry.  This is an example of scientist challenging each other’s conclusions in order to get the best results.  By the myth busters receiving feedback of them conducting the experiment wrong it made them re do it and come up with a new conclusion.

Picture source

http://www.discovery.com/tv-shows/mythbusters/videos/running-in-the-rain-minimyth/

Ever since I was little I have always needed to be picking at something. Whether I am playing with my food at dinner, ripping up little pieces of paper in class, or picking at my nails, I am constantly fidgeting around with something. This seems non-detrimental and it is for the most part, except for the nails. I do not only pick at my nails, but I also bite the skin around my nails, sometimes until the point of bleeding. For awhile, I had the mentality that everyone has there weird habits and this is mine. I did not think there was any real reasoning behind it, until I met someone who did the same thing. She saw my torn up fingers and quickly blurted out the observation and showed me her fingers. She began to talk about it being a nervous habit, and I began to realize that whenever I am feeling stress or anxiety, I resort to biting the skin around my nails.

I decided to do some research on this, and hopefully find some ways to stop myself from doing this because of the gross outer appearance of my fingers, along with the physical pain. I found through this site that that there is an actual medical name for this tendency called Dermatophagia and it is a form of obsessive compulsive disorder. Those who bite at their own skin around their nails like I do, are referred to as “Wolf Biters.” These people get a certain type of satisfaction from biting on the skin and causing pain. The post on the website states that this can run in the family. Although I do not think there are any other “wolf biters,” in my family, there is history of OCD, which makes clear sense as to why I do this to myself.

The reason that I was so unaware of this might have been because there are very few studies on the subject. As we talked about in class, this could be due to the fact that not many people have found it important enough to spend countless amounts of money and time on the research.

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Image found here

When I was little I never really had problems with my eyes, I could always see everything near and far and never had an issue. As I got older my eyes progressively got worse, to the point where I wasn’t even noticing it. I never thought I needed glasses or that I had a vision problem, I just figured that I was far from the board or the markers were old and they were writing really light. I just figured from where I was everybody couldn’t see those things. It wasn’t til I took a vision test my 8th grade year that I realized that my vision was really bad for things that were at a distance. I ended up getting glasses today and pretty much wear them just in class, but I never thought that I would need glasses. None of my siblings, parents and even my extended family really ever had glasses. This led me to the question of whether or not problems with your vision are hereditary or not?

Most doctors claim that some vision problems are hereditary whereas others say they are more environment. A study conducted in London shows that eyesight problems are mostly hereditary. They conducted a study of 500 pairs of twins, the results showed that 85% of cases of nearsightedness and farsightedness in kids is due to the inherited traits from their parents.

I also ran across an article that had differing opinions on the topic. This article makes the claim that vision problems are due to environment. He makes claims about the substantial amount of people that need to wear glasses or contacts today as opposed to those before World War I.

I think that needing to wear glasses is more of an inherited trait that can be strengthened by environment. I think that yes over time if you stare at your phone all day or at a screen all day that it will eventually do damage to your eyes. But I think previously when we didn’t have phones and computers that people inherited the traits of being nearsighted or farsighted. It is a pretty interesting topic to read about. I would love to hear about other people’s opinions on the topic.

Have you ever wondered what qualifies a person to be attractive? In our society, there are various celebrities that a majority of people regard as attractive. We even see this on a more down-to-earth scale among our peers. There is always that one girl, or boy that you and your group of friends can undoubtedly label as attractive. Shockingly enough, there is a science behind what makes someone attractive. This is explained by facial symmetry.

Many believe that attractiveness relies on the proportional size of one’s facial features. The truth is that humans are attracted to facial symmetry . This means the more symmetric the left, and right sides of one’s face is the more likely they are to attract others. Mirror images of both sides can be generated to compare their similarities.

Picture 1

To prove this theory a study  was carried out involving toddlers. A computer system generated images of faces. Both “unattractive”, or non-symmetric, and “attractive”, or symmetric, faces were created. It was found that the toddlers tended to allot more time staring at the “attractive” faces, rather than the non-symmetric ones. These results lead researchers to believe there is some correlation between attractiveness and symmetry, as toddlers served as unbiased participants.

In terms of finding a partner, there are other qualities to be considered in addition to just facial symmetry. Psychologist note that there five laws of attraction. Number one, is physical attraction, which can be attributed to symmetry. Number two is emotional connection. This means that you are more likely to be attracted to someone with whom you can connect with on a deeper level that exceeds just what you are attracted to one the exterior. Number three is proximity, which merely means you are more attracted to individuals you are likely to come in contact with. Number four, a consequence of proximity, is familiarity. This means the more familiar you become with a person, the deeper your attraction will grow. Lastly, number five is similarity. This one is fairly obvious, as we are going to naturally gravitate those who share similar attitudes, aspirations, and motivations as ourselves.

As you can see there are many factors that contribute to the perceived attractiveness of a person. In all of my findings, the best piece of advice I have discovered was to simply be yourself! Personally I feel as though, authenticity is the most attractive trait someone can possess.

It is a common argument nowadays that violent video games are causing violence and behavior problems in today’s youth. The average adolescent is exposed to enormous amounts of violence through the media. American children between eight and eighteen years of age spend an average seven hours and thirty minutes using entertainment media per day. This amount of time is longer than the average high school, middle school, and elementary school day. Within that seven hours of media exposure, there are extreme amounts of violence viewed. By the age of eighteen, the average young person will have watched around 200,000 acts of violence on television alone. This amount of exposure to violent media, which can include television, internet, movies, music, and video games, can have drastic effects on the way adolescents think and feel. I feel like with all this exposure there has to be a connection between the violence that these kids see in the video games and their aggressive tendencies. The hypothesis that I was researching is the idea that the violent video games cause aggressive tendencies in adolescents. The null hypothesis would of course be that nothing is happening, and there is no connection between the two variables.

An article released by Harvard Medical School states that there are two sides of the debate. There are the people who believe that exposure to violent media can help contribute to real-life violence and harmful behavior, other researchers have questions the validity of much of this evidence. For starters, much of the research relies on measures assessing violence that don’t correlate with real-life violence. They also talk about how many of the studies done our observational, which aren’t the best when trying to prove a cause-effect relationship. They also note that crime stats involving serious and violent crimes among youth have continued to lower over the years, and in that time video game sales have skyrocketed. Another article mentions a meta-analysis done for many research papers concerning aggression and the media. This analysis found that while there is a solid relationship between an increase in aggressive behavior and the playing and viewing of violent video games there were also several third variables that came into play. The kids that really acted on these aggressive feelings were ones who already had antisocial behavioral tendencies, depression, trouble at home, academic problems, etc. Video games are less of a single casual variable, and more of one of many variables that feed into violent people and their actions.

I think that it is safe to say that we can reject the null hypothesis, as the meta-analysis did show that there is some correlation between violent video games and the aggressive tendencies of their audiences. However, I think that it is extremely important to keep all the other variables in mind, and remember that video games on their own are not the culprit.

If you have ever had severe acne, you know the last result is to go on Accutane. Your dermatologist makes you try every single possible thing out there for acne before even considering prescribing it. Accutane is a name brand of Isotretinoin (Just like how Ibuprofen is the same thing as Motrin). It is a pill prescribed for severe acne. Personally, I have gone through one course of Accutane. I know multiple people who have also done the full treatment and have even gone so far as going on it a second time around. According to WebMD, any brand of Isotretinoin is typically taken twice daily for 15-20 weeks. Its job is to decrease the amount of oil that is produced in your pores. It is common for your acne to flare up in the first 2-3 months, but towards the end of the 6th month, your skin should be extremely clear. I personally had an extreme initial break out at month 3, and it was not until month 5 when my skin finally began to clear up. It is known to have very severe side effects.

I remember being bombarded with the amount of anti-accutane websites when I first started researching the treatment. Since I had absolutely no other option and there were so many success stories, I went out on a limb and did the treatment. Since it really worked for me, I didn’t think twice about how badly it effected others. Now 5 years later, the amount of people that are against the use of Isotretinoin has only increased. So, my question today is, should Isotretinoin be banned in the U.S?

Accutane came onto the market in the 1980’s and immediately became one of the highest selling prescription drugs for acne treatment. Thirty years later, we now know that there are EXTREME side effects of the drug such as suicide, Crohn’s Disease, and birth defects. (I was informed of these effects before agreeing to take it)

In 2007, a study done in the British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology, examined women who got pregnant while on Accutane. Out of those 90 women, only 9 of them had a live birth. 76 had elective abortions, 2 had trauma during their delivery, and 3 had a spontaneous abortion. Almost similar to the drug Thalidomide that we discussed in class, 30 years ago we did not know that Isotrentinoin was causing these birth defects. Doctors prescribed pregnant women with Isotrentinoin without knowing the side effects and detrimental things occurred. According to suicide.org by 1990, there was 11,000 to 13,000 Accutane related abortions and 900 to 1,100 Accutane related birth defects.

Thankfully in the United States today, we have a FDA mandated system called iPLEDGE where dermatologists must register their patients and pharmacists must check to see if the patient is registered before administering the drug. iPLEDGE is essentially an online website where patients must take monthly tests to make sure that they are informed of the side effects of Isotrentinoin. It is an honor system that makes you pledge to either be on birth control or use protection if you are sexually active. Below is a picture of the severe birth defects if a patient becomes pregnant while prescribed Isotrentinoin.

Image from: http://isotretinoinsideeffects.com/

Like I stated before, another common side effect is depression. On Isotrentinoidsideeffects.com the first side effect listed under the serious reactions is depression. The statistics that prove this, along with suicide, are unreal. On one anti-accutane website I came across, they state how Isotretinoin is ranked number 4 on the FAERS drug database for depression and number 10 for the attempts of suicide. For those of you that don’t know, the FAERS is the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System. It is a database that includes adverse event and medication error when taking prescription drugs. Unfortunately, the anti-accutane website talks about how less than 10% of the adverse reactions are actually reported. You can only imagine how quickly this drug would go to being number 4 to number 1 if there was more people reporting.

According to Rense, over 200 people have committed suicide while being on Accutane. Even Suicide.org preaches how to NEVER take Accutane. Many families that were effected by this drug constantly try to warn others to watch out.

A lot of people out there believe that this drug is extremely unnecessary. It is so hard for me to say this, but I believe that Accutane, or any other brand of Isotrentinoin, should still be allowed to be on the market. As there are many bad stories, there are an extreme amount of success stories too. On Drugs.com, Accutane is rated a 9.3/10. It is known to be the holy grail for stubborn acne. For me personally, it was life changing. I do believe that there needs to be more awareness on the risks of depression. Just like how iPLEDGE was created to stop the amount of birth defects, there should be a way for patients to report their mood daily so dermatologists can monitor them.

Whenever it comes to sports, home field advantage is something that always comes into play. Home field advantage can make the worst of teams come together and beat the top ranked team. You see home field advantage upsets like this a lot in sports, why?

The fans have a lot to do with what happens on the score board. The Seattle Seahawks one of the biggest and loudest group of fans you’ll see out of all NFL teams. There was actually a study done on the Seattle Seahawks and other NFL teams on how their fans at home games impact the scoreboard. In the study they show fans emotions can control the game. The fans can get the players hyped by their cheers of joy, or great them depressed with their boos. The fans have a physiological pull on the players they are cheering for. The study shows that games fan numbers are low the score is normally lower, with a few outliers here and there. With games the fans are at an all-time high, the score is a higher score on average.

Players on NFL and college football teams have been surveyed and conducted interviews with many people studying the impact fans have. Overall in both you see players saying they feel that they have an extra man out on the field with them, and they can definitely feel the disadvantage of it at away games. Studies show that the 12th  man theory is correct. The fans have a physiological and emotional advantage when it comes to teams playing at home.

Telsa has recently released news that all cars in future production will have the capability to drive themselves.  This got me thinking of how self-driving cars are closer to being an everyday reality than people realize.  Telsa has said that self-driving cars will be safer than human operated ones; I firmly believe this because it takes out the human error in driving.  How it works is the cars has a series of cameras that gives it a 360 degree view of what is happening around the car.  The car is also equipped with sensors that can detect object up to 250 meters away .  On teslas website there is a video demonstrating the car driving itself and how safe it can be.  In this video what impressed me the most was the fact at the end the car parked itself with no one in the car.  There are a lot of applications for these self-driving cars including ride-sharing/taxi services and if this technology can be applied to the trucking industry this could have huge implications.  Instead of the trucks only being able to drive a maximum number of hours in a day they could drive 24/7 and this would lead to the faster delivery of packages.

Telsa is not the only company working towards this idea; google has also been investing a lot of time and money into prototypes.  The advantage tesla has over google is that these features are already in cars on the streets and look more stylish than the google cars.  Google cars are similar to Telsa that they use sensors to detect objects on the road.  The car is so advance that it can tell want kind of object is around it and predict how the object will move.  Another feature that google cars are using is google maps to be able to navigate the roads.  Here is a video of people riding in googles prototype.  In the video a blind man is testing out this car and says how it can be life changing.  These cars will really benefit people who do not have the ability to drive a car; it will give them the freedom to go where they please that they did not have before.

Another company that has shown a major interest in self-driving cars is Uber.  This is a very interesting idea because as of now Uber’s biggest cost of production is the driver they have to pay.  With taking out this aspect this could increases Uber’s profits exponentially.  Laws would need to be passed that would not require a driver in the drivers seat so I think this concept would come many years after driverless cars.  The US government faces many new challenges once these cars become more regularly seen on the road.  Some of the problems that come to mind is does there need to be a driver, does the driver have to be awake, and finally speed limits on highways could change if crashed decrease greatly.  The future of the car industry could change greatly in the years to come.

Picture Sources

http://blog.americansafetycouncil.com/googles-self-driving-car-hit-a-bus/

http://nimblechapps.com/top-5-every-week/top-five-companies-to-bank-on-for-making-self-driving-cars

Growing up I learned how to ski when i was four years old. I always wanted to snowboard but my parents thought it was too dangerous and I was way too young. Once I turned eight years old I demanded that i was going to snowboard and i was ready. For the past thirteen years i have been snowboarding and loving every minute of it. Looking back at my parents decision to make me wait was probably the right idea. Scientific studies show that snowboarding is in fact more dangerous than skiing and the injuries caused by snowboarding were significantly higher.

The study looked over injuries that occurred to both skiers and snowboarder and compared them side by side.   The results show that the injuries  to the abdominal areas were much higher in the individuals that participated in snowboarding. Also mistakes after jumping for skiers were much lower than then snowboarders. Over time snowboarding has become larger and overall more popular.  As well as seeing a boost in popularity, we also saw a boost in snowboarding related injuries and the study show the data. Although this study specifies that snowboarding has significantly more injuries, another study shows skiing having a higher injury rate.

This scientific study brings together Spinal injuries from both skiers and snowboarders over a two year span. The results state that there was a larger amount of skiers who suffered from a sever spinal injury. Out of 56 spinal injuries that occurred during the observed time frame, over half of the individuals who suffered those injuries were indeed skiers.

https://www.google.com/search?q=skiers+vs+snowboarders&rlz=1C1CHBD_enUS710US710&espv=2&biw=1089&bih=594&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjx99f0o-vPAhWDeD4KHZ1IDuAQ_AUIBygC&dpr=0.75#imgrc=ha47IkLJy0w2CM%3A

Both Studies showed two different side of the argument as to which winter sport is more dangerous. As growing up I know the injuries that come along with both skiing and snowboarding. In my perceptive I believe it is mostly what you are most conformable on but if i had to choose from my own experiences which one is more dangerous, I would consider skiing being more dangerous. Let me tell you why.

Skiing when you have two skies, one for each foot. They are disconnected to one another and they are most commonly ridden with ski poles at your sides for pushing. This can be seen as a extreme risk. If the skis get crossed, you will be projected forward. At any time if you loose control there is a high probability that you will be crossing your skis causing you to fall. There is also two poles that are in your hands that have the potential to cause harm to you are get in the way while falling. For a snowboarder, your feet are both secured to one board and if you lose balance here you will most likely slip onto your stomach or butt. From experience, i would much rather fall on my butt or side rather than cross my skis and create a face indent into the snow in front of me .

Link here- Figure 2 

Overall, Studies show that in some aspects snowboarding can be seen as the more dangerous sports and other Studies show results of skiing being the sport that causes more injuries. Which Sport do you think is more dangerous? Skiing or Snowboarding?

Snowboarding injuries of the abdomen: comparison with skiing injuries . (2016).Sciencedirect.com. Retrieved 21 October 2016, from http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0020138398002101

Tarazi, F., Dvorak, M., & Wing, P. (1999). Spinal Injuries in Skiers and Snowboarders. The American Journal Of Sports Medicine, 27(2), 177-180. Retrieved from http://ajs.sagepub.com/content/27/2/177.short

Have you ever had your ears heat up and turn red out of nowhere? It’s a pretty common and annoying occurrence that the body picks up and lets pass unexpectedly. Although it is usually harmless and minor, there are many causes and influencing factors of red ears that you should know. I was glad to learn that these cases are diverse and benign, after sitting around and finally realizing it is something that always bugged me and went unexplained.

Image: http://66.media.tumblr.com/633fdb2a96ae4332ca8d95f8ad7de594/tumblr_n1p7xe9mk01qkg62ko1_1280.jpg

Liivestrong.com discusses this symptom and its potential sources by going over weather exposure, emotions, and hormonal changes (Source 1). Cold and hot weather can cause your face to show a red color after exposure for a long time, your ears can blush and react emotionally similarly to your face, and hormonal changes and hot flashes can cause the flares of red to start in men and women (Source 1).

In another article, from epainassist.com, hot ears are addressed with similar causes on top of Red Ear Syndrome. This causes frequent red ears, pain, and itching that can overlap and be influenced by separate forces. Migraines, joint disorders, and spine disorders can all take part in red ear syndrome amongst many adults (Source 2). This came as another reminder to me that the body is connected and complex in so many different ways, and treating issues correctly does not always depend on knowledge of the obvious or damaged parts, but total knowledge of all associated areas and their relationship with it all.

I am both confused and interested by the unique degree that red and hot ears have when present in life today. It is something that has such an ambiguous and vague feeling, but it is still incredibly bothersome. And still, it is so harmless and safe to the point where we tolerate it while addressing its causes. Few ailments and occurrences on the body have such a classification and nature. Now every time I feel my ears and their burning warm weight, I will know it is okay and I am a living, functioning organism with many moving parts.

Sources:

http://www.livestrong.com/article/322799-why-do-my-ears-feel-hot/

http://www.epainassist.com/earache-or-ear-pain/causes-of-red-and-hot-ear

https://www.healthgrades.com/symptoms/ear-burning-sensation

There have been time where I find myself listening to sad music and I’ll suddenly become a little happier or I’ll feel relieved. I don’t know about guys, but I know me and my girls back home would always just listen to sad music randomly. We wouldn’t listen to it necessarily because we were sad, it would just help us release some emotions we hd bottled up without having to take it out in a different way.There are many different reasons as to why people listen to sad music but I want to know why people enjoy it so much if it’s sad.

Researchers did a study to see what emotions the sad music evoked from people. What they found was that sad music had two different results in regards to the emotions it evoked: romantic emotions and unhappy emotions. These are contradictory emotions and it’s very weird to see that one piece of music can evoke such different emotions form one person.

There really isn’t evidence as to why people enjoy listening to sad music so much. I think it’s mainly the release it let’s us experience. When I listen to a sad song and I cry, I feel as if a weight has been lifted off my shoulder and not in the I-got-mad-so-I-took-it-out-on-her kind of way just in the “wow that was relieving” way. Interpreting sad lyrics and learning them and usually being able to relate to the lyrics is also very soothing and relaxing. Sometime it feels nice to know that a song can relate to you so well and you don’t feel as alone. I do believe there is no real scientific explanation behind this (it’s mainly psychological reasonings) or it just hasn’t been found. I will be keeping up on articles and information on this topic because it does interest me as to why people feel good listening to sad songs.

Reference Sites:

https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/valley-girl-brain/201510/why-we-cant-stop-listening-sad-songs

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/07/130711135459.htm