Stress puts immense tension on the body, both mentally and physically.  One way to ease that stress is through the practice of yoga.  Yoga is a practice which teaches one relaxation both mentally and physically through the process of different poses and breathing techniques.  The physical positions your body is put into alongside the impressive breathing exercises truly relaxes the body into a less stressful state of being.

Ever since I was young, whenever I got mad or worked up about something, my parents would tell me to take deep breaths and count to ten with my eyes clothes.  Although my head strong self wouldn’t admit that at the time, it really did help to relax me.  Proper breathing can truly help lower blood pressure levels and calm the body.  It can also help improve the circulation of both blood and oxygen, and can also improve the strength of your muscles.  By pairing proper breathing with physical movement or, in other words, yoga, can significantly lower one’s stress level and help improve one’s the overall well-being.

Randomized control trials have been conducted to determine the truth behind this idea.  All cases were analyzed carefully due to each person’s current health state, how long they did yoga for, and what their outcomes were.  Overall, the results were very positive and in favor of the idea that yoga helps reduce stress.  Apparently most of the subjects reported immediate satisfactory results that showed improvement on their stress level.  In this particular study, follow up tests were done.    Although no significant data was reported from the follow up test, nothing bad was reported.  Could this specific trial suffer from the file drawer problem?

Stress is an extremely uncomfortable feeling for anyone to experience.  Through the practice of yoga and learning proper breathing, anyone can lower their stress level.

Bibliography:

Chong, Cecilia, Megumi Tsunaka, Hector W. Tsang, Edward Chan, and Wai Ming Cheung. “Effects of Yoga on Stress Management in Healthy Adults: A Systematic Review.” ProQuest. N.p., n.d. Web.

Parshad, O. “Department of Basic Medical Sciences, The University of the West Indies, Kingston 7, Jamaica, West Indies. Oparshad@uwimona.edu.jm.” Role of Yoga in Stress Management. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Oct. 2016.

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Many studies have been done to show the connection between chewing gum and academic performance and also, in general, alertness.  In this study the subjects brought in were involved in a double unblinded placebo test.  Half of the subjects were given chewing gum while the other half were not.  This study was held for the duration of a few weeks.  There were two sessions and each assessed different information.  Both concerned one’s mood, information retention, and testing one’s memory.  This particular study found that chewing gum did increase a person’s alertness and also helped while taking an exam.  I find this interesting because just what about chewing gum improves these functions?

Some may assume that the sugar in gum is the main reason that it boosts alertness.  However, studies have been conducted with sugar free gum and seemed to have gotten the same, or similar, responses.  So what is it then?  It’s actually the act of chewing that improves all these functions.  The movement of one’s jaw while chewing gum helps to wake the body and mind.  But, it’s only temporary.  A few studies have said that improved learning functions due to chewing gum is usually only effective for about 20-30 minutes.  Interestingly enough, the flavor of the gum can have a part on the effectiveness of it on the mind and body as well.  Studies have shown that the mint flavor is the most effective for improving people’s level of tiredness (Lehrer).  Many double blind and unblind placebo tests have been done on this and all lead to similar conclusions, here is another example.

While there are many benefits to chewing gum, there are also many disadvantages. For example, sugary gum can be bad for your teeth.  If you chew gum a lot, consider switching to sugar free.  Additionally it can hurt your jaw from all the chewing.  Yes, it may be helpful cognitively for the first 20 minutes, but after that it could end up hurting your jaw.  The take away message here is that although there may be some downsides to gum, it can definitely improve your cognitive functions for a little bit and may have a great impact on your long term memory.

Bibliography:

Konie, Robin. “Chewing Gum Is Bad: 7 Reasons to Quit.” Thank Your Body. N.p., 13 Apr. 2016. Web. 21 Oct. 2016.

Lehrer, Jonah. “The Cognitive Benefits Of Chewing Gum.” Wired.com. Conde Nast Digital, n.d. Web. 21 Oct. 2016.

Smith, A. “Effects of Chewing Gum on Cognitive Function, Mood and Physiology in Stressed and Non-stressed Volunteers.” National Center for Biotechnology Information. U.S. National Library of Medicine, n.d. Web. 21 Oct. 2016.

Smith, Andrew. “Nutritional Neuroscience.” Effects of Chewing Gum on Mood, Learning, Memory and Performance of an Intelligence Test: : Vol 12, No 2. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Oct. 2016.

Tucha, Olivia. “Chewing Gum Differentially Affects Aspects of Attention in Healthy Subjects.” Chewing Gum Differentially Affects Aspects of Attention in Healthy Subjects. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Oct. 2016.

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For as long as I can remember whenever I felt extremely hot or extremely cold people would tell me, “It’s all in your mind”.  I never thought much of that statement because honestly it did not make sense to me that my mind, or brain, could make up the way my body is feeling, in terms of temperature.  I simply always thought that if you were in a humid temperature you would be hot and if you were in a frigid temperature you would be cold.  Is it necessarily true that one’s brain could control their body temperature?

            One of the biggest jobs that the hypothalamus is responsible for, is controlling one’s body temperature.  The hypothalamus is located in the brain, proving that the brain does control body temperature, in a certain way.  Humans have a set body temperature which is right around 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit.  The hypothalamus can sense whether or not your body is close to that temperature and makes an effort to keep body temperatures constant.  So in that effort, if the body gets too hot, the hypothalamus tells the glands to produce sweat and if the body is too cold, it makes the body shiver (Brashears).  Does this explain why I am often very cold while others are moderately chill?  In a way it could because being exposed to a cold environment will obviously make me cold.  But when I recognize that I am in a colder environment, so does my hypothalamus, which tells the rest of my body that I should be trying to get warm.

The hypothalamus also controls a variety of other important functions.  We even read an article in class about the hypothalamus.  It concerned hamsters suffering from depression because they have slept with a light on.  This light impacts the hypothalamus which then exerts hormones that can be a leading cause to depression.  Although this wasn’t a study done on humans, it proved that if depression is something that one worries about, why not turn off the lights and television while sleeping.  Because, in reality, what harm could that do?

I believe it is very interesting that the brain is actually what controls your body temperature.  One would think that the temperature that your body is immersed in would be the only indicator of the temperature your body feels.  It is intriguing to find that it seems to be a mixture of both.  It is questionable, however, whether or not the hypothalamus can help the body not feel extreme drops and rises in body temperatures.  Since it is pretty certain that the hypothalamus is the controlling factor for body temperature and it is located in the brain, it can be assumed that there is a positive correlation between the brain controlling bodily temperatures.

Bibliography:

Jake Brashears. “Singing in the Rain.” ASU – Ask A Biologist. 9 Jun 2012. ASU – Ask A Biologist, Web. 15 Oct 2016. http://askabiologist.asu.edu/bird-hypothalamus

Teague, R. S., and S. W. Ranson. “THE ROLE OF THE ANTERIOR HYPOTHALAMUS IN TEMPERATURE REGULATION.” Home. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Oct. 2016.

Team, Healthline Medical. “Hypothalamus.” Function, Definition & Location. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Oct. 2016.

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Everyone knows that picking your nose is gross and will give you a bad image among the people who catch you in the act.  Although this seems to be an everyday activity for most, it is something that should be stopped.  A survey conducted by James Jefferson and Trent Thompson found that over 90% of the people who took part in the survey claimed to pick their nose daily.  In most cases, this is a private practice.  Another study showed that many adolescents stated they pick their noses multiple times in one day (Griffiths).  

Rhinotillexomania is a disorder that occurs when nose picking becomes exaggerated.  Most people do not suffer from this, but there are extreme cases where this can occur and people become obsessive about picking their nose.  This can be dangerous because it can encourage excessive nose bleeds.  Another issue is when people tend to pick their nose and eat what they just extracted from their nose.  The scientific term for this is mucophagy.

In addition to the gross factor, there are many other reasons why picking your nose is something you should quit now.  It is actually quite a major health concern which, when you think about it, makes a lot of sense.  First, by picking your nose, you can actually cause a nose bleed to start. There are many arteries that are located in the nose.  When you scratch those arteries it can cause intense bleeding and start a nose bleed.  This is a very common thing that happens to younger kids.

Secondly, the bacteria Staphylococcus aureus often resides in the naval cavity.  While picking your nose, you cause the walls of your nose to get scratched.  Even if you don’t realize it, those scratches cause your nose to bleed, even the slightest bit.  When scratches occur, it is often very easy for the staph infection to enter the blood since your nose will be bleeding slightly.  Many studies have been conducted see who has Staphylococcus aureus present in their nasal passage.  There has been no published explanation for why many carry this bacterium in the nose, but multiple studies have been performed.  Staphylococcus aureus can also be carried on a person’s hand, so when said person goes to pick their nose, staphylococcus is all over the place and increases the likelihood of receiving a bacterial infection due to it being present on both the hand and in the nasal passage.

In a particular study published by Cambridge University, there were participants that were ear, nose, and throat (ENT) patients and also, volunteers who were reported to be healthy.  All those who agreed to participate in this study filled out a survey describing their behavior with their nose.  In other words, they explained if they picked their nose and how often a day they picked their nose.  Then the ENT patients were screened to look for signs of S. aureus in their nasal passage.  The results were then broken up into the ENT participants and those who volunteered.  The ENT results showed that those who picked their nose were more prone to be carrying Staphylococcus aureus than those who reported to not pick their nose.  In terms of the volunteers, there seemed to be a positive correlation with those who reported picking their noses quite a lot and the amount of S. aureus in their nose.  I find this study very interesting because it proves that nose picking is bad for a person’s health.  The correlation between nose picking and the bacteria residing in one’s nose is significant and seems to have been proven positive (Wertheim).

So what does Staphylococcus aureus cause?  Staph infections typically cause growths such as boils or abscess.  It can also cause diseases such as food poisoning, toxic shock syndrome, or cellulitis.  Staph infections can be treated with a variety of antibiotics, depending, of course, what type of infection one has.  But instead of worrying about antibiotics, avoid the infection all together by quitting picking you your nose.

Bibliography:

Allan, Patrick. “Why You Probably Shouldn’t Pick Your Nose.” Lifehacker. N.p., 22 Aug. 2016. Web. 20 Oct. 2016.

Griffiths, Mark D. “Snot My Fault.” Psychology Today. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Oct. 2016.

Picking, Stop. “Nose Picking (Rhinotillexomania).” Dermatillomania Center. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Oct. 2016.

Stöppler, MD Melissa Conrad. “Staph Infection Symptoms, Causes, Pictures & Treatment.” MedicineNet. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Oct. 2016.

Wertheim, Heiman F. L., Menno Van Kleef, Margreet C. Vos, Alewijn Ott, Henri A. Verbrugh, and Wytske Fokkens. “Nose Picking and Nasal Carriage of Staphylococcus Aureus.” Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology 27.8 (2006): 863-67. Web.

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Animal assisted therapy is becoming an increasing trend to help heal people.  Trained dogs visiting hospitals, nursing homes, and various other places, what’s not to love?  The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, along with many other children’s hospitals, provides a program in which trained dogs will come and visit sick children.  From being a patient there I am familiar with the concept of therapy dogs and recognize their impact on me.  Therapy dog owners can go around to different rooms and inquire whether or not the child is up for a dog visiting.  Some dogs even have their own information card for the patients to look at and collect.

There are many reasons that the hospital supports this.  First off, it provides light hearted fun in an otherwise very stressful environment.  Having a dog to pet, or lick your hand can easily relax the child and put them in a happier state of mind.  Those being visited are currently away from home and typically in a scary and uncertain position.  There is a high correlation between the visit of a therapy dog and a child’s stress level going down.  Secondly, a therapy dog visit is usually a complete surprise, so, it has an even greater effect on the child’s instant happiness boost.  There is also a strong correlation between a child’s happiness boost and a visit from a therapy dog.  Also, in general, happier patients tend to have less painful experiences.  Many patients who have dogs at home will be even more comforted by the sight and touch of a friendly dog. 

Now, they don’t just let any dog stroll up and go into children’s rooms.  There are lots of restrictions and stipulations.  All dogs and owners must be evaluated and trained properly.  There are a few national and even international dog therapy organizations.  Many hospitals require the dog to be registered at a branch of one of these organizations.  For example, for Therapy Dogs International the dog must be registered with them and must also pass a specific evaluation to ensure that she reaches their standards.  Along with this evaluation, many hospitals require an evaluation of their own.  It may depend on what state they are in or the hospital’s individual policies.  Along with the certifications for the service animal, these evaluations may include tests such as an FBI finger print scan, a child abuse background check, and other research into the owner’s background.  As a pet therapy owner, you must be able to commit to a few hours each month.  Those times depend on the location that they are visiting.

So do animals, and specifically, therapy dogs really work?  What is the psychology behind it? Studies have shown that the presence of a therapy dog calms a person down quite a bit.  For example, a person’s heart rate and breathing goes down.  Overall, it relieves stress.  A recent study showed that stress hormones in a person’s blood were reduced immensely while petting a nice dog, and specifically one that the person knows personally (Corner).  The reason that dogs are still visiting children’s hospitals is because people have noticed the effect on the patients.  It is certainly not having a negative effect, only positive for those who choose to participate.  One could say there is a meta-analysis to prove this because of the combination of all the positive results for this topic.   In this case the x variable would be the therapy dogs and the y variable would be the child’s happiness.  The hypothesis that therapy dogs increase patient’s happiness has been proven time and time again.  This link discusses a study done in an Italy children’s hospital where therapy dogs were introduced.  They found that the children had good interactions with the dogs and that they seemed to be more at ease in their current environment (Caprilli).

According to National Geographic dogs and humans have always had a rather special bond which is why dogs are so comforting to humans.  Additionally, dogs are rare animals who do not possess an inherent fear of humans.  This article also explains how after the Sandy Hook shooting, some children finally opened up either to a dog, or with the comfort of a dog (Fiegl).  Another interesting point brought up is the idea that dogs notice our emotions and recognize how to work off of them. Dogs aren’t the only animals that are doing great things for people’s mental state.  Here is an article explaining different ways that other therapy animals are being used and helping people.    This seems to be considered a soft endpoint because it seems to help influence patient’s happiness, which, in turn, could lift the patients spirits which may aid to a quicker recovery process.  Although there is a strong correlation between the two, it is not completely definite.  All in all, it is true that therapy dogs can help children lower their stress during hospital stays.

Bibliography:

Caprilli, Simona, and Andrea Messeri. “Animal-Assisted Activity at A. Meyer Children’s Hospital: A Pilot Study.” Animal-Assisted Activity at A. Meyer Children’s Hospital: A Pilot Study. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Oct. 2016.

Children’s, Nationwide. “Dog Visit Program.” Nationwide Children’s. N.p., n.d. Web.

Coren, Stanley. “Health and Psychological Benefits of Bonding with a Pet Dog.” Psychology Today. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Oct. 2016.

Fiegl, Amanda. “The Healing Power of Dogs.” National Geographic. National Geographic Society, n.d. Web. 20 Oct. 2016.

Hospital of America, Children’s. “Gerald B. Shreiber Pet Therapy Program.” Children’s Hospital of America. N.p., n.d. Web.

PsychToday. “Does Animal-Assisted Therapy Really Work?” Psychology Today. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Oct. 2016.

Rodriguez, Kerri E. “Service Dogs and PTSD – OHAIRE.” – College of Veterinary Medicine. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Oct. 2016.

“Therapy Dogs International.” Therapy Dogs International. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Oct. 2016.

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As someone who was very interested in theatre and music growing up, I was always hearing about the connection between music and therapy.  Music therapists help different people overcome or cope with a variety of problems in a unique way through music.  It has been used anywhere from helping people talk again to helping cancer patients experience less pain and have a happier journey through their cancer treatments.  Music therapists can work anywhere from schools to hospital (American Music Therapy Association).  In order to become a licensed music therapist, one must obtain at least a bachelor’s degree in the study of music therapy.  There are many standards and codes that a music therapist must abide to, as most therapists must.  Additionally, it is assumed that a music therapist would have a specific area of interest and a specific type of patient they would enjoy teaching.  But, music therapists have to be ready to shift their means of therapy based on the patient’s needs (American Music Therapy Association).

If, for example, a music therapist wanted to specialize in helping people speak, then they may try to first teach them to sing.  Often times it may be easier for a patient to start to hum sentences repeated by the therapist.  After that, they may eventually, start to try and sing the words with the therapist.  This has proven to be a great remedy to help people speak again after a traumatic incident such as a stroke.  A good example of that can be found here.  After suffering from a stoke, Peter is learning to speak again through music.

Music therapy has proven successful with patients ranging from autism, military, Alzheimer’s, mental health, children, and pain.  Music therapy is a beautiful thing that is starting to become more recognized.  There are many parts of music that help music therapy be so successful.  As someone who has been heavily involved in many aspects of music for most of my life, I can imagine the ways aspects of music can help improve speech.  Things such as dynamics, rhythm, and melody could most definitely help patients.  The great thing about music therapy is that there is always room for improvement.  For example, once a patient begins to pick up a melody, the music therapist can change the melody or make it more difficult.

Music therapy is turning into a phenomenon which is becoming more and more successful and widely used.  With more understanding of how it works and how to get through to patients with many different issues, music therapy can continue to grow and become a great healing mechanism.

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Dreaming is a phenomenon that all humans experience, whether one remembers the dream or not.  While sleeping there are five phases that humans go through.  The phases are simply numbered one through four with the fifth stage being called REM.  You can read more about the sleep phases here.  The phase that dreaming occurs in is called the REM phase.  Although dreams may occur in non-REM phases, the dreams you remember most often occur in the REM phase.  This is due to the fact that the REM phase is the sleeping phase that occurs closest to one waking up.  If woken up during a REM phase, you will most likely completely remember what you were dreaming about.  Interestingly enough, dreams affect the way one acts during the day.  If you had a nightmare the night before, then that day you may not be so happy and have a very moody attitude (Sandford).

Dreams often have a lot of emotion attached to them.  The reasoning behind this is that the limbic system, which is a part of the brain that controls emotions, is working most when one is asleep (Sandford).  While the limbic system is heavily awake in your brain, one’s dorsolateral prefrontal cortex is completely dead in the brain.  This controls one’s reasoning and whether something they are imagining is logical or not.  This explains why dreams are often of unlikely events or things that would not normally happen to the dreamer or people in general (Sandford).  Interestingly pain can occur while one is sleeping.  This can be both physically (real pain felt, for example, tingling in an arm or leg) and mentally (felt in the dream).  More about pain in dreams can be found here.

Another thought-provoking phenomenon about dreaming is that it can actually help people learn.  Often you hear people say that if they sleep while thinking about something, then they sometimes will wake up and have a new fresh idea.  The logic behind this is that new memories have to be processed in the brain the same way the brain processes itself while one is asleep (Sanford).

The sleeping phases and dreams are an interesting thing to study.  This topic concerns all people, and it is cool to learn about what is happening in your brain while you are asleep.  It is compelling to understand why you remember certain dreams, how much dreams affect your day, and whether you remember your dreams or not.

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Thyroid problems are something that runs in my family.  My dad’s mom had a hyperactive thyroid while my mom’s dad had a hypoactive thyroid.  I, on the other hand, had thyroid cancer at the age of 13.  When diagnosed with thyroid cancer something my doctors told me was: “if people got to choose what type of cancer they got, people would be lined up to New Jersey to have thyroid cancer”.  When diagnosed with thyroid cancer, an immediate thought that crossed my mind was, “Well, what exactly is a thyroid?”  It certainly is not a part of the body that you hear of often, but it is a very important part that keeps your body running the way it does.

So what exactly is your thyroid and what does it do?  One’s thyroid is located in the front and bottom of the neck.  It is often described as looking like a butterfly.  The thyroid controls many aspects of your body which include things such as regulating one’s breathing and heart rate, body weight and temperature, mood, anxiety and much more (Brady).  The thyroid gland produces two hormones, Triiodothyronine (or T3) and Thyoxine (or T4).  Keeping these hormones at a steady level is key for the body to properly function.  If they are not at a normal level, this can result in hypoactive or hyperactive thyroids (Brady).

Hypoactive thyroids can result in depression, sleepiness or trouble sleeping, dryness of skin, or pain.  While hyperactive thyroids can result in mood swings, anxiety/nervousness, shaking, and actually losing hair (Brady).  Both can lead to issues with the heart.  Hypoactive will slow your heart down and hyperactive will speed it up and cause heart arrhythmia.  It is crazy that many do not even know what a thyroid is because it controls so much of the body that if any of these side effects happened to you, it could really mess with your daily routine.

Thyroid Cancer is when cells that are abnormal grow on the thyroid gland and in the surrounding lymph nodes.  Thyroid cancer is a more uncommon type of cancer and is usually easily treatable if found early.  There is not a known cause of thyroid cancer, so as of now, there is no real way to prevent it.  Often times they have to take out part or the entire thyroid if there are malignant cells growing on it.  In my case, they had to take out my whole thyroid gland.

Without a thyroid, I would have a lot of problems right?  Well, good thing there is a pill called “synthroid” that you can take that will act as a thyroid for your body.  Depending on how much of one’s thyroid that is missing and also many other factors, you will be put on a special dose of synthroid.  While trialing the synthroid one must keep track of any changes that would possibly be seen as “hypo or hyper”.  If any symptoms, such as weight gain or lose, takes place, then the dose of synthroid must be either raised or lowered.

Thyroid problems are a huge issue but I feel as though many do not truly know the extent of them.  The thyroid gland controls so many body aspects, that it must be more recognized.  If you’re concerned you may have an issue with your thyroid click here to learn more about the symptoms.

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Hi!

I’m Allison Magee!  I’m a freshman in the College of Communications and I hope to major in Public Relations.  I’m from “right outside of Philly” and if you know the area, I’m from Delaware County!  I went to the Academy of Notre Dame for middle school and high school and absolutely loved it there.  Something I was very involved in in High School was theatre.  Anywhere from singing, dancing, acting, shows, small performances, large performances and anything in between!

Science has never been my strong suit.  My dad LOVES science and has always tried to get me into it, but I never quite understood it.  In elementary school, my dad would try to do experiments for me to help me gage the materials we were learning in science class.  He would do experiments like this to make science fun for me.  From dropping an egg without it breaking, to an exploding volcano, my dad was ready to do it.  He even volunteered every year during science week at my elementary school.

I hated every science class until sophomore year of high school.  I was in chemistry, and for some reason, things started to click.  I enjoyed going to class and actually succeeded.  My dad, of course, was overjoyed.  When I tried to take AP Chem junior year, it didn’t fit into my schedule.  So I took Physics, and absolutely hated it.  Senior year I took AP Environmental Science and also hated it.  Mostly because I wasn’t prepared for the AP class due to the fact that my teacher switched halfway through the year.

I always struggled to understand was science.  As much as I tried and studied, I just couldn’t understand what we were learning in class.  I’m excited to take this course because looking ahead at the topics, everything looks very interesting.  I feel that these interesting topics will keep me engaged in class and help me form a love for science.

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