JOURNAL
Saving a Superfund: Brooklyn's Gowanus Canal
Most urban waterways have seen their share of abuse. Having acted as lifelines of industry and commerce long before anyone ever paused to consider environmental consequences, these rivers, streams, and canals have absorbed decades worth of industrial waste, chemical runoff, and untreated sewage, most of which was eventually carried into the ocean, thereby accounting for the mercury content of much of the fish we eat today.
But what if that waste hadn't been carried away? What if, instead of being swept out to sea, all those chemicals and byproducts remained right where they were dumped, festering for decades in the middle of a busy city?
The Amazing Health Benefits of Breastfeeding
You have probably heard that breastfeeding provides a wide range of amazing health benefits for babies, but you may not realize that the act of breastfeeding can also substantially improve a mother’s well being. Read on to discover the five most fascinating and surprising ways in which choosing to breastfeed can boost your health and extend your life
1) It makes you less likely to develop a range of different cancers:
A large number of independent research projects have shown that women who breastfeed are reducing their chances of suffering from cancer. For example, those women who breastfeed for more than three months slightly reduce their risk of developing endometrial, ovarian cancers, and they are more than 10% less likely to develop breast cancer at some point in their lifetimes.
Mapping Emotions
Have you ever felt your heart ache with sadness, or the flutter of nervous butterflies in your stomach? How about the all-over tingle of happiness or the pit-of-the-stomach emptiness of depression? We sneer with disgust and puff our chests with pride – all these may be true in a metaphorical sense and we certainly have the language connections to back them up. However, recent research suggests that our emotions have real physiological reactions to go with them.
It has long been accepted that emotions induce some sort of physiological reaction – cheeks burning with shame, for example, or palms that sweat with nerves. Now though, researchers in the Biomedical Engineering department of Aalto University, Finland have mapped exactly which parts of the body are affected by which emotions.
Cervical Cancer - Prevention and Detection
What is Cervical Cancer?
Cervical cancer tends to develop slowly inside the surface cells of the cervix. The cervix has two types of surface cells known as squamous and columnar. Squamous cells are where the majority of cervical cancers originate.
Cervical cancer is caused overwhelmingly by HPV(Human PapilIomavirus). HPV is a commonly spread STD, taking various different forms and causing diverse effects for those afflicted. Some forms of HPV lead to cervical cancer and genital warts, other varieties of the illness prove to be harmless.
The Alternatives to a strict Vegetarian/Vegan Diet are Semi-Vegetarian or Flexitarian Diet
Whether becoming a vegetarian is a moral choice relating to the environment, a contentious choice over animal rights, or a simple desire to eat a in a healthier manner, it is not always easy to make the transition to a completely plant based diet after a lifetime of consuming animal products. Many people are choosing to start their transition with a flexitarian diet as they move toward vegetarianism; others are opting simply to be flexitarian. Many people are looking for a way to enjoy eating a healthier diet, one that allows them to feel good about themselves, their food choices and still feel satisfied with their meals. For some a flexitarian diet is one way of achieving all these goals. Flexitarians are people who favor a mostly vegetarian diet, but who will still occasionally eat meat. The health benefits of vegetarian and vegan diets are well touted and wonderful, but some people find the meals too restrictive, especially in the beginning.
Really Bad PMS or a Mental Disorder?
Most women have dealt with premenstrual syndrome (PMS) to some degree at some point in their lives. It may come in the form of irritability, mood swings, food cravings or a depressed mood, but a small percentage of women experience premenstrual symptoms that are much more severe than your typical bout with PMS. These women suffer from something called premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD), a severe and sometimes debilitating extension of premenstrual symptoms that cause significant problems in the sufferer’s life.
Experts estimate that approximately 1-5% of women suffer from PMDD (Standen, 2013), compared to about 75% of menstruating women who suffer from PMS (Mayo Clinic, 2012). PMDD is not very common, but it’s a major issue for those women who have to deal with it each month. So much so that it has gotten the attention of the American Psychological Association (APA), who have recently moved it from being categorized under "depressive disorder not otherwise specified," to having its own separate disorder in the new Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM V). There is a very specific criteria laid out by the APA in order for a person to be diagnosed with PMDD. The symptoms include things like:
A Socioeconomic Perspective on Healthy Eating
Socioeconomic status has a massive impact on a family's ability to develop healthier eating habits. The restriction to the proper data as well as the massive exposure to unhealthy alternatives such as fast food restaurants contribute to the dilemma.
There is no questioning the fact that there has been some quantum progressions made as far as informing Americans of the importance of eating healthy. Major organizations such as the American Heart Association and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have launched all-out campaigns to encourage better eating habits. With all that is being done to enhance the health of Americans, there is still a major concern when the issue of healthy eating is examined from a socioeconomic perspective.
There are numerous studies that reveal that socioeconomic factors such as education, income and ethnicity have an immense impact on how healthy eating is perceived and the level of access to healthier alternatives.
There are a number of variables that play a role in the disparity between those who more affluent and those who live below the poverty line.
Too much sugar isn't so sweet for your wellbeing
Most Americans ingest an amount of sugar equal to their own weight each year. Consumption of such large doses of sugar (also known as maltose, sucrose, high fructose corn syrup, molasses, cane sugar, corn sweetener, raw sugar, syrup, honey or fruit juice concentrates) can increase a wide number of diseases.
According to the American Heart Association the average American adult consumes 22 teaspoons of sugar a day, and it's a whopping 68 kg per year. Teens consume even more – on average an American has 34 teaspoons a day.
From Outer Space to Endgaget Exchange: Advances in Growing
In the realm of innovative growing techniques aeroponic growing is among the more obscure. It challenges just about everything the average person knows about farming by cultivating crops not in soil or even water (as in hydroponics) but in open air. To understand aeroponics, imagine a plant plucked from the ground, roots and all, and held in place so that the roots remain suspended. An artificial light source supplies the energy needed for photosynthesis and a nutrient-infused mist is applied at periodic intervals. Direct, efficient uptake reduces water usage by an estimated 90 to 98 percent compared to traditionally grown crops, fertilizer by 60 percent. A sterile growing environment and the plant's healthy immune system eliminates the need for pesticides altogether. When not absorbing water and minerals, the roots receive a direct, abundant supply of oxygen, and the delicate seedling grows faster and more robustly than its soil-bound counterparts. Soon a crop is ready for harvesting.
Have You Been TILTed? A Look at the Dangerous New Allergies Sweeping the Globe.
Air – it’s one of the things that keeps us going, keeps us alive. It’s full of that wonderful stuff: oxygen, without which we would be writhing on the floor gasping for breath. It could never do us harm, right? Wrong. In recent years, there has been a frightening increase in allergies all over the world. It’s not just an increase in the number of cases either. Reported symptoms are more severe and illnesses more debilitating than ever before. What’s more, traditional allergy treatments aren’t working. So you may ask what’s causing these symptoms. What exactly is causing the allergy? That’s the scariest part. It’s being caused by almost everything – everything manmade, at least. It’s even in the air we breathe.