It is no surprise that cell phones are a distraction no matter what your doing. But research shows that it can even be a distraction while simply walking. In a study, they tested the participants by setting up obstacles in the path of the person walking. The null hypothesis was that the student would not become distracted with their phone. The alternative hypothesis was that the student would become distracted by their phone and hit into one of the objects. The study included 60 participants that were university students. All of the students had to fill out a survey asking how much they use their phones, how many hours a day they talk on the phone and other questions to make sure that their sample were all similar. The experimental group received phone calls while they walked through the path while the control group did not receive a call at any point. Five objects were placed along the route. Two were at eye level and three at ground level. The objects were the safety word and danger sign and cans, polystyrene and a shoe. The conclusion of the experiment was that talking on the phone reduces attention to unusual surroundings which then lead to accidents, which was the alternative hypothesis.

Another study involved pedestrians crossing the street as cars passed by while talking on the phone. The null hypothesis was that the pedestrian would not become distracted while crossing the street. The alternative hypothesis would be that crossing the street would become hard because of the phone call. There were 36 students from the University of Illinois who participated in this experiment. All participants had normal vision and were paid a compensation to do the experiment. The street contained to lanes and the cars passing by were allowed to go anywhere from 45 to 50 mph. During the study the participants from the experimental group would cross an alleyway in between two buildings. The participants in the control group would cross the street without distraction. The success rate decreased from the participants who had no distractions to the ones who were on their phones. The alternative hypothesis was confirmed in this experiment.

Although these studies proved their hypothesis correct, I have a few problems with the study itself. In the study with crossing the street while cars are driving, I do not feel like it is as common to be on your phone as you’re crossing a busy street. Also the street only had two lanes rather than four which would be more common on a street. People are more likely to cross the street using their phones if it only has two lanes, so I would have liked to see variation in the width of the road. In the study with walking on the sidewalk, I think it should have been longer because when I’m using my phone on the sidewalk it is for a long period of time and only after a while do I truly become distracted.

Both of these studies prove that pedestrians are easily distracted by their phones, so why do we constantly use them when doing other activities? Our society today is obsessed with multitasking and constantly doing something. These studies show how you cannot be on your phones while crossing a street or there will be a collision. “Petextrians” is a new slang term used to refer people who cross the street while texting. Walking around campus it can be dangerous because some bikes ride on the sidewalks.

Sources: http://jhrba.com/?page=article&article_id=35431

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0001457509002681

https://www.protectiveinsurance.com/blog/blog-post/blog/2016/04/21/the-surprising-dangers-of-cell-phone-distractions-distracted-walking

Picture: https://www.protectiveinsurance.com/blog/blog-post/blog/2016/04/21/the-surprising-dangers-of-cell-phone-distractions-distracted-walking

As teenagers go to college they become more involved with the party culture. The typical party culture involves binge drinking which they might not be used to. Binge drinking is defined by the The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse as a BAC of 0.08 grams. This can happen when a woman drinks 4 or more drinks or a male drinks 5 drinks in only 2 hours. At big college campuses binge drinking is more common than not. Everywhere you go in college it’s normal to drink excessive amount in short periods of time. In an article online, about 90% of people under the age of 21 admitted to binge drinking.

In a study from 1993 that I found while doing research on binge drinking, the scientists were looking to test the extent of binge drinking done by students on college campuses. The experiment was a self designed study as it was a mailed survey. 44% of the students who were question admitted to binge drinking. Almost one fifth of the students admitted to binge drinking frequently. The result of this experiment is that college students drink heavily and sometimes this creates a problem for students who do not condone this. The study was best conducted as a mailed survey because students would be less likely to lie about drinking if under 21. Some faults with this study is that binge drinking although there is a definition it is a soft endpoint term. There is really no definition of what a kid thinks is binge drinking. It varies from student to student.

Although some students phase out of binge drinking, others do not. In an article that I found while researching this topic, two girls who were heavy binge drinkers in college had two different paths after college. One of the girls phased out of her drinking habits while the other became a high functioning alcoholic in recovery. While in college the article describes that it is hard for a student to realize that they are developing alcoholic tendencies because everyone around them is doing the same thing. I believe that some of this is hereditary. If you have someone in your family who is a functioning alcoholic and you are surrounded by people like this then you are more likely to become an alcoholic. Another thing that determines if you are is what age you start drinking at. Also the drinking patterns of your social friends can help determine the type of drinking that you partake in.

The best way to tell if you are developing these tendencies is to stop drinking and see if you can go out and enjoy yourself without drinking. In college it is fairly normal to binge drink so it is hard to see if you are developing alcoholic traits but its important to notice it before it’s too late. Here is an article to help tell you if you are over doing it with the drinking.

Sources:

http://www.cdc.gov/alcohol/fact-sheets/binge-drinking.htm

http://www.drugfreeworld.org/drugfacts/alcohol/what-is-binge-drinking.html

http://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/383597?resultclick=1

https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-high-functioning-alcoholic/200906/why-some-phase-out-college-binge-drinking-and-others-are

http://www.mensfitness.com/nutrition/what-to-drink/binge-drinking-warning-signs

Picture:

http://blog.glamshutter.com/lifestyle/binge-drinking/

New technology is introduced to society every day. Online dating is something that is on the rise in society. People every day are logging onto sites to find out how many matches they have or how many people looked at their profile. For mature adults these dating websites are okay to use. But sometimes these websites are used by teenagers looking to talk to someone. This is appealing for teenagers because they can feel older while they are talking to someone without their parents knowing.

The recent MTV show “Catfish” is a reality television show based off of people who lie online about their identity and develop a relationship with another person. The directors of the show reach out to both the people in the relationships and help them to finally meet. Most of the time the person is not who they really say they are. This happens too often for teenagers. I believe it’s because they are spending too much time on the internet.

While I was researching the outcomes of teenage online relationships, I found a study that shows how prevalent they are. This study showed that they were not as frequent as the show described them to be.  The sample of children that were studied was 1501 kids, 790 boys and 708 girls. The mean of the children’s ages was 14.14 years old. These children all used the computer frequently which meant more than once a month for the past 6 months. The children went through phone interviews for the scientists to collect the data about their online relationships. Only 14% of the children reported close online friendships and only 2% reported romantic relationships. Girls were more likely to have these relationships than boys.

Faults in the experiment

The study group could have been more controlled. The children should have been slightly older because you do not find 14 year old’s on the internet as much as 17 year old’s. Also the children used in the experiment should have used the internet more than just once a month. A teenager that is in a relationship online would have to use the internet daily to talk to the person.

I think that the show accurately depicts online relationships for people in the early adulthood rather than their teenage years. I was shocked to find an article that claimed that the number of “catfishing” in the united states had jumped from 11% to 42% in recent times. Some articles claim that it is prevalent while others do not. I think it is safe to keep kids away from using the internet for online relationships. Another article that shocked me was a story from a person who pretended to be someone else as they were in an online relationship in her late teenage years. She went on to make 20 fake accounts and was in multiple online relationships. Technology is allowing people to disguise themselves online and form relationships that are completely fake based on a false reality. A lot of people have psychological damage and you can see this when watching the show Catfish.

Sources:

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0140197102001148

http://nextshark.com/catfishing-statistics/

http://www.vice.com/read/confessions-of-a-teenage-catfishing-addict-456

Pictures:

It’s that time of year when all you hear is christmas music everywhere you go. Most people love it, while others despise it. With christmas time comes the holiday smells, christmas music, hot apple cider and the best of all those department store sales. Department stores are fairly busy during the holidays because of christmas shopping so they do anything to draw the customers in as they fight the other stores. For me and my friends just listening to christmas music can put us in a good mood. This is because of the large amount of dopamine released by the brain when listening to music. I wanted to research and see if listening to holiday music can change your mood.

In a study that I found while researching, scientists wanted to see the relationship between christmas music and scents and the attitude of the customers while shopping and how much they purchased. The alternative hypothesis of the experiment was that the christmas music and scents would increase the amount that the customers would purchase and make their shopping experience better. The null hypothesis of the experiment was that the christmas music and scents would not affect the customer’s experience and would not change how much they purchased. For an effective experiment the scientists set up a controlled environment. The sample included 140 graduate students who celebrated christmas.

Before the contestants entered the room 3 christmas scents were sprayed. For the music the scientists starting played two cd tracks, Amy Grants “Heart in Motion” and “Home for Christmas”. These songs began playing before the participants entered the room that way they did not know it was part of the experiment. The dependent variables in the experiment were the retail store setup and its merchandise. The participants were let into the store in groups of 5-10.

The data of this experiment concluded that when the scent was sprayed and the christmas music was playing it led to more favorable evaluation of the environment, it was overall more pleasurable for the customers. The scent had no effect at all when it was not paired with the music thus confirming the alternative hypothesis. The scientists discovered that when there was no music present but the scents were present there was less intention from the customers to visit the store. An example of a store that does this is Michael’s the craft store. During the holidays I would always remember that this store had the most potent holiday smell and they played christmas music constantly. It drew in many customers because the store was always crowded during the holidays.

Christmas music can definitely affect your mood whether your shopping or just driving in your car. Here are some songs that will help get you into the christmas spirit if your not already there.

Link 1

Link 2

Pictures: 1 ,2

My sister is a “yogi” which is a slang term for a yoga fanatic. I always mocked her for going to yoga twice a week because I truly believed that it only affected ones flexibility. I could not understand how your mind set could affect yoga and how you would stretch in the class. I once went with her to a class to observe the other people in the class and they amazed me with how long they could hold each pose. Along with the poses, deep breathing was something that everyone did throughout the class and it seemed to help. Yoga is an activity that helps to relieve stress and clear your mind but many people don’t know that it is actually linked to a decrease in depression.

In a study that I discovered while researching this topic I found out the yoga can actually help with depression, anxiety and other diseases. The null hypothesis of this study was that yoga would have no affect on the depression of these patients. The alternative hypothesis was that the yoga would decrease the depression of the patients. The study included women who had gone to a yoga studio that had been recommended to them. Throughout this year the women were measured by their BDI. The BDI is the Beck Depression Inventory which categorizes different types of depression and helps to measure each kind by their severity. The study randomly assigned the women into experimental and control groups. There were 34 women in the experimental group and 31 women in the control group. The experimental group took an Ashtanga yoga class for 90 minutes twice a week. The control group was never assigned to a yoga class but were told they were on a wait list. After two months the scientists went back to gather data on the patient’s. Depression could be seen in 44.1% of the cases before the study took place and after the experiment it was only seen in 32.2%. The null hypothesis was rejected in this study, while the alternative hypothesis was accepted.

As a result of this study the depression of the patients was only slightly decreased but that could be because the experiment was held for only two months. As far as the experimental group, they were matched for similar backgrounds like gender, age, educational state and severity of depression. With depression, it takes longer to cure. Months or years of therapy will have the most effect on depression. Although this study did prove that yoga helps to decrease depression, there were some limitations. The sample sizes although the patients had similar backgrounds like gender, age and educational state, they were small and were only female. The male population for patients suffering from depression was not represented in this study. The outcome of this study may have been different if it were males instead of women because they may have gone into yoga with a different mind set.

Yoga is something that most people believe is a simple-minded activity but in reality it takes focus. Yoga can not fully cure depression but it can definitely help a patient start their treatment. In addition to trying yoga, here are some ways that you can help decrease your depression.

Source 1

Link 2

Pictures: link 1, link 2

Recently, I came across a video of a molten copper over a big mac. The title was ‘Copper v.s Big Mac’. I thought that this was impossible for a big mac to withstand molten copper. The null hypothesis in this experiment was that the molten copper does not break down the big mac. The alternative hypothesis was that the molten copper does break down the big mac. But to my surprise the big mac was still standing after this experiment. The null hypothesis was proved correct by this science experimental video. If molten copper can’t break through a big mac then how are our bodies digesting this food item? Molten copper is 1,984 degrees fahrenheit so, I was confused on how a big mac was not phased by this type of heat. This made me wonder what exactly is a big mac burger made up of and how is it surviving this molten copper encounter. Here is what the experiment looked like.

The Big Mac consists of two beef patties, lettuce, cheese and tomato. But digging further there are over 72 ingredients that go into making this item. According to food matters ,the bun for this sandwich alone consists of around 32 ingredients. One of the worst things that can be found in the bun are high fructose corn-syrup and sodium. These two ingredients hold the responsibility of obesity and heart disease and can be found right in the bun of a big mac. Instead of this restaurant using flour, yeast, salt and water, they contaminate it with these disgusting ingredients that our body has difficulty digesting. The cheese is not just regular cheese because it is made with various amounts of ingredients that sound like it’s been created in a science lab. The beef patty, which in the video was not changed by the molten copper, has to be USDA approved. McDonald’s advertises their beef as 100% pure but it doesn’t have to be according to the USDA it has to have a certain percentage of meat. The pickles and shredded lettuce are made up of all different food coloring and chemical sounding ingredients.

I could go on and on by listing the ingredients and convincing you how bad this food item is to consume into your body, but I am a fellow McDonald’s customer and I know that even though you might be disgusted by big macs there are items on the food menu that people are drawn to. McDonald’s is one of those restaurants where the customers do not care what the quality of the products is because it is thrown in their faces time and time again and people continue to eat it. I hope that if molten copper can’t break down a big mac that people will decide to stop ordering it off of the menu.

food matters:http://www.foodmatters.com/article/whats-really-in-a-big-mac

pictures: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-3491819/Buns-steel-Man-pours-MOLTEN-COPPER-Big-Mac-McDonald-s-burger-withstands-scalding-1-984-F-liquid-metal.html

video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fdghgZhObSk

I love McDonalds, don’t get me wrong, but it is probably the most unhealthy things someone can consume it is addicting. My brother used to be obsessed with McDonalds when we were younger and he would always beg my mom to stop whenever we would pass one. He always insisted to get it every time he passed one. I could not help but wonder why it was so mesmerizing for such a young child. In some McDonalds they have the creepy Ronald McDonald playground that is attached to the side of the fast-food chain that always looked dirty to me. But for my brother, he lived for it. There seems to be McDonalds at every rest stop, gas station, mall or airport. This company has made billions of dollars off of young kids and adults needing their cheap food.

Observational studies show that children’s exposure to food marketing strongly influences their food choice. In a study that I discovered while researching this correlation, scientists tested whether there was a relationship between children’s exposure to food promotion and children’s food preferences. They concluded that the alternative hypothesis, children’s exposure to food promotion influences the child’s food preference, was correct. There have been 16 experimental studies total that have tested this hypothesis. Four of them were internet advergame and twelve of them were on television. Twelve of these studies confirmed this alternative hypothesis by children consuming more of that food after watching advertisements of it. This experiment stated that for children 3 years old to children 12 years old these advertisements played a strong factor in their food preference. There is a lack of evidence for longitudinal and experimental studies that test the long term effect of these advertisements on kids. I do not think that these advertisements for fast-food chain restaurants would have such a strong long-term effect as it does a short-term effect. It is only natural for kids to want to have any food that is advertised in front of them. For chain restaurants like McDonalds I think that its easy for them to reel kids in because they are everywhere. Their golden arches are recognizable everywhere. The golden arches are sometimes raised high above the restaurants so the customers are able to see their location from a distance and for kids to recognize that they are near.

According the studies at the Harvard Medical Center, eating fast food speeds up the aging process and shortens our life span. Although grabbing a quick bite to eat is in our fast paced societies nature, we need to realize the effects it is having on our body. It’s unjust to blame it all on the fast food restaurants, even though we usually do. We have the power to make the smarter decisions about what we consume. The question people need to ask themselves is, is it really worth it?

study :http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s13668-016-0166-6#Sec1

studies:https://hms.harvard.edu/news/fast-food-consumers-get-more-they-expect-5-24-13

picture: https://memegenerator.net/instance/48161573

When most people think about food and weather they have traumatizing flashbacks of their parents shoving all of the food in the fridge into their mouths because the power went out from an approaching hurricane. This has happened to me on several occasions. Weather can affect not only what type of food we are buying before a superstorm but also what food we will eat in a restaurant on a sunny day. This is an example of weather directly affecting our food in a supermarket.

In my opinion weather most definitely affects which restaurant I eat at and what I choose off of the menu. If it’s raining out most people would go for something warm like soup or coffee, while if it’s hot outside people will choose a cold item off of the menu. Whether we realize it or not, the weather outside is directly affecting our choice of food. 

Experiment:

In this study that I found online, scientists tested the effect of 17 different types of weather with the demand for certain food products in a restaurant. The null hypothesis in this experiment was that weather does not affect the food choice of customers while dining. The alternative hypothesis in this experiment was that weather does affect the food choice of customers while dining. To test these hypothesis the scientists created two sets of data. One set was based on a restaurant which the data was divided into breakfast, lunch and dinner. The second step for the first set was dividing the items on the menu based on if they were cold or hot. The second set involved the weather variables that could be experienced. The scientists recorded 22 different types of weather. Both of the data for each data set were collected for 50 weeks on a daily basis. The two data tables were emerged for the final analysis of the experiment.

Results:

The results for the effect of weather factor on different types of items on the menu were that the weather directly affected the individual sales on certain items. For example there was a dramatic increase in the purchase of Belgium Waffles on the data table when the weather was changed. The results for the effect of weather factor on the restaurant as a whole were that weather directly affected the total sales of the restaurant. Both of these variables proved the alternative hypothesis to be correct.

Some limitations of the experiment was that the restaurant was only from the south east region of the United States. To further the experiment it would need to have multiple cases of different restaurants that experience different weather variables than the south east. Another limitation was that the data table only called for weekly analysis rather than hourly. To further the experiment it could use hourly analysis to become more distinct on the immediate effect of weather change.

tandfonline: http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/15378020.2016.1209723

picture: https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/hurricane-irene-food-pigging-out-on-the-stockpiles/2011/08/29/gIQAk0O8nJ_story.html

Shorts in October could have been a long stretch 30 years ago but, this is very possible for this October and the following years to come. Looking up the weather for this past week I was absolutely shocked when I read that it would be a high of 80 degrees. The weather for this week started around 80 degrees and is going to drop to 48 degrees on Saturday. This is not normal for the fall season. The recent heat wave that has struck the United States has raised concern. Don’t get me wrong, I am not complaining about 80 degree weather in October but I am just confused what is causing this. Is this “global warming” and the effect it is having on our country?

This Picture is from the Climate Prediction Center showing the above average temperatures for the United States for October 2016.

In an article that I’ve read on iopscience.org , climate scientists are convinced that humans are causing this climate change. The article contains a consensus of scientists on the fact that humans are causing this global warming. The studies in this experiment have taken various steps to conclude the analysis of multiple climate scientists. Two scientists cited in the article, Shwed and Bearman, analyzed over 9,342 articles on global warming. Their conclusion rejected the claim of an inconclusive study on the science of global warming and did not find the quantitative data that was needed to make a numerical consensus value. However it did find the same level of consensus that proves smoking causes cancer. The conclusion of the consensus was that it does not matter if the consensus has a 90% rate of agreement or a 100% rate of agreement if the data is overwhelmingly convincing. In this case the data convinces the audience and the scientists that climate change is caused by human actions based on the scientific findings of various climate scientists.

This October has been the first time that the entire United States is experiencing an increase in the temperatures for this fall season. In an article on USA Today , it was confirmed by Dan Collins, a meteorologist, that these warm temperatures will last for a duration of 3 months. He also claimed that one of the reasons for these unusual climate changes can be blamed on the increase in the ocean temperature surrounding the U.S. In this article, meteorologists blame this heat crisis on blocking patterns which allow heat pressure to rise. Something that causes these blocking patterns are the icebergs melting in different regions of the world. This is another global warming crisis that is directly affecting the temperature seen in our country. With the increase in global warming most meteorologists predict that the temperatures will only rise from here and that it is due to the destructive human activity.

Many people deny that climate change even exists. But, with these recent increases in temperature I believe that this is clearly an indication of some sort of climate change.

Sources:

iopscience.org : http://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1748-9326/11/4/048002/meta

USA Today Article: http://www.usatoday.com/story/weather/2016/07/25/entire-usa-heat-wave-warm-forecast/87528944/

Picture : http://www.usatoday.com/story/weather/2016/07/25/entire-usa-heat-wave-warm-forecast/87528944/

Any time I think of any cleaning supplies I automatically remember the heinous smell of bleach. I used to work in a daycare and whenever someone had an accident the teachers would use bleach and the room would wreak of poison. The other teacher’s in my classroom did not mind the smell of bleach, and they actually got excited because they felt a lot cleaner while teaching around such a germ infested environment.With such a strong smelling scent I couldn’t help but wonder if the smell was harmful to breathe in for the children and for the adults.

From an article on Science Direct , a study was conducted to determine the indoor effects of different cleaning products. California Air Research Board conducted this experiment using three different cleaning methods: a general cleaning spray, a degreasing product and a scented-oil freshener that would typically be plugged into a wall. The objectives studied in the experiment was mainly the amount of ozone that would be formed in the air and the volatile carbonyl reaction products formed with the use of these cleaning supplies. The scientists tested the air quality with each of the products. The conclusion of the experiment that the use of certain cleaning products inside a space that already has indoor ozone inside of it can contain secondary air pollutants that the people in that room are exposed to. The study determined that air fresheners are not as strong as cleaning products such as bleach because when they are plugged in they take longer to emit the chemicals. Even though these products take longer to emit, they contain a harmful organic compound called terpenoids. These harmful organic compounds create secondary pollutants which can be dangerous for someone to breathe in.

I think that people like the idea of using the cleaning products with such potent smells because they believe that they work stronger to kill the germs. I recommend not using strong cleaning supplies frequently and to use different products that are known to be environmentally friendly. Some recommendations that can be substituted for these harmful cleaning products are baking soda which can be used with a sponge and MoSo natural air freshener. These two products can be used without harming the environment and your body.

Sources:

Science Direct :http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1352231006006364#bib37

Non-toxic Air Fresheners: https://gimmethegoodstuff.org/safe-product-guides/air-fresheners/

Cup Noodles is godly to me. It’s hands down one of my favorite things to eat and now that I eat junk-food college food Cup Noodles is my new best friend. Every time I start to eat it, I get comments about how bad it is for your body. How all of the sodium intake will cause your body to crash. So I decided to research what exactly happens when you eat Cup Noodles. For those of you who don’t know what I am talking about. Here is this delicious ramen noodled, chicken flavored soup that I am discussing.

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Maggi Noodles are very similar to Cup Noodles in the sense that they both are instant noodles that have some vegetables in them. Maggi Noodles were banned from sale and production because of its harmful contents. Ever since those noodles have been banned, consumers everywhere are questioning to legitimacy of Cup Noodles and Maruchan Instant Lunch. Only loyal fans have continued eating these products. From an article on www.food.ndtv.com, the author of the article Sparshita Saxena states that she’s a fellow lover of these instant noodles and knew she had to research them and get to the bottom of how our body digest’s them. After reading the article, I discovered that the preservatives which make them last so long is one of the main reasons they are so unhealthy. In addition to the preservatives, the flavoring, artificial coloring, sodium and calories also add to the unhealthy appeal of these instant noodles. The chemical preservative called monosodium glutamate can be found in these noodles. Although the preservative is considered harmless if it is consumed regularly it could lead to serious complications.

There was a study conducted that Saxena found in the Washington Post. She uses this study to make her case against the consumption of artificial noodles. The study showed that woman who eat artificial noodles more than twice a week had an increased risk for metabolic syndrome. Metabolic syndrome is similar to obesity with elevated blood pressure. The study concluded that not only can this product lead females to obesity but it also increases the chance for diabetes and high blood pressure. This small package of instant noodles has effects that could damage your body if you continuously eat them.

After reading this article and thinking about the long-term affects that Cup Noodles could do to my body, I will definitely not eat them as often as I normally do. It is scary that a product like this which is so appealing can be so harmful to your body. I would rather not have high blood pressure or obesity when I am older so therefore I will stop eating Cup Noodles.

Gum-swallowing is something that I have always been concerned about. Considering I’ve swallowed many pieces I researched what actually happens when you swallow gum.

As a child I would constantly swallow my gum. My siblings and I would have competitions with who could chew the most amount of gum. My brother would always win, as he was known for constantly having a huge wad of gum stored in his cheek. After our contests I would spit the wad out, but he would always swallow it. I begin to feel concern for his safety because I thought that with the amount of gum he was swallowing on a daily basis, he would die from a ball of gum forming in his stomach.

Here in this picture is what I thought my brother felt after the insane amount he has swallowed. Before I swallowed my gum for the first time I was nervous that I would not be able to stand up. I made it out alive and it is safe to say that my brother has survived his gum-swallowing days.

From an article on www.kidshealth.org, Dr. Gupta describes the facts about swallowing gum and what it can do to your digestive tract. He described how the gum can actually block your digestive tract which can complicate some things especially going to the bathroom. All the gum does is travel down your digestive tract. It is never digested. He reassures his audience that swallowing an occasional piece of gum will not hurt you but swallowing every piece of gum could lead to complications. The only time where it will cause harmful damage is if the gum is swallowed with similar smaller objects that get stuck together. Then those objects stuck to the gum could cause a severe blockage in the digestive tract and need to be removed. Gum also contain a lot of sugar that can damage your body once it is swallowed. Over the course of time it can contribute to a lot of calories from the amount of sugar in each piece. Kids should not be allowed to chew gum until they fully understand the reprocussions that can happen from swallowing gum. On the same article, Dr. Gupta attached a voting poll asking the question if you have ever swallowed gum before. When I reviewed the votes, I saw that out of the 72,417 voters 89.26% had swallowed gum before (kids health). These statistics did not shock me because I expect that people have swallowed their gum once or twice in their lives.

In conclusion, I believe that you should not swallow gum because your chances of digestive tract complications only increases. Some people might read this article and think it’s not that important, so I swallow a few pieces of gum, whats the big deal? In the grand scheme of life, this is definitely not a big deal. But, for those few of you, who have swallowed every single piece of gum since they were younger…go see your doctor.

Hey SC200!

My name is Grace Walker and I’m from Long Island, New York. I was born and raised on Long island and I’m grateful for that because of the 15 minute ride to any beach and the 45 minute ride to the big apple. I came to PSU because of the schools pride in their football, academics and to slowly branch away from my over bearing parents. Before I committed to this school I had only been here twice. Once to take a tour that I missed so it involved my mom walking around in a poncho when it wasn’t raining and her asking random people where all of the buildings were. The second time was for NSO which was definitely an experience. I had never tried the creamery and never gone downtown before last week…I know its shocking. After my first week of classes and as the first football game is slowly approaching I know that this school was meant for me because of the pride that it has.

I’m currently a Freshman and in the Division of Undergraduate Studies. Unlike most students I fell into this major because I’m not afraid to admit that I have NO idea what I want to do. As long as it does not involve science, then I’m up to try it. The reason that I am not a science major is because I was scarred from my high school science teachers. Not only were they brutally strict but they were so fascinated by what would go on during the labs. Watching microscopic things squiggle around was not interesting to me. The thought of an entire major to doing labs and dissecting things does not sound appealing to me.

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I am doing this course because my academic advisor recommended it. I’m interested in all of the lessons that have been taught and I’m curious to see all of the science that we learn to answer the questions asked. I am also staying in this course because I love Australian accents and I wish I had one. This Michael Scott meme describes my opinion of science and also my love for the Office. I can promise you that no one loves the office more than me. If you, like me, would like to learn how to speak with an Australian accent follow this link