HEALTH – Page 16

12Dec

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SELF-CARE

Am I Addicted To Drugs?

If you are asking yourself this question, consider it a good sign. If you are addicted, it means you've come to the point of looking at your habits and behavior with a critical eye. Believe it or not, that is a big step and is the first requirement for recovery from addiction. If you are not addicted, asking yourself this question is also an important indication. It says that you are in danger; danger not only from the damages of drug use or abuse, but it says that you are approaching a critical point where your habits could take you down into a new realm in which you may not have the luxury of self-examination. So what are the indications of addiction and do they exist in your life? 1. There is no question about whether or not I'm going to use today. If daily use for you is a given, t...

Crystals: What’s Behind The Enduring Popularity?

14Dec

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

MENTAL HEALTH

Crystals: What’s Behind The Enduring Popularity?

As New York City mayor Eric Adams attends ribbon cuttings, marches in parades and bulldozes dirt bikes, he wears an energy stone bracelet that his supporters gave him. In a recent interview, Adams discussed his belief that New York City has a “special energy” because it sits atop a store of rare gems and stones – the so-called “Manhattan schist,” which is over 450 million years old and contains over 100 minerals. Adams isn’t the only one imbuing rocks with metaphysical significance. During the first year of the pandemic, the crystal industry boomed, with customers hoping the gems might relieve their anxiety. Some people might be confused about the allure of these stones. But crystal enthusiasts aren’t deviants. Current ideas about crystals come from a larger tradition called “metaphysica...

A Food Safety Researcher Explains Food Expiration Dates Don’t Have Much Science Behind Them – Here’s Another Way To Know What’s Too Old To Eat

9Dec

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NUTRITION

A Food Safety Researcher Explains Food Expiration Dates Don’t Have Much Science Behind Them – Here’s Another Way To Know What’s Too Old To Eat

Florida’s outbreak of listeria has so far led to at least one death, 22 hospitalizations and an ice cream recall since January. Humans get sick with listeria infections, or listeriosis, from eating soil-contaminated food, undercooked meat or dairy products that are raw, or unpasteurized. Listeria can cause convulsions, coma, miscarriage and birth defects. And it’s the third leading cause of food poisoning deaths in the U.S. Avoiding unseen food hazards is the reason people often check the dates on food packaging. And printed with the month and year is often one of a dizzying array of phrases: “best by,” “use by,” “best if used before,” “best if used by,” “guaranteed fresh until,” “freeze by” and even a “born on” label applied to some beer. People think of them as expiration dates, or the...

12Dec

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

MENTAL HEALTH

The History Of Emoticons

An emoticon is most often used to express the mood of the writer through the use of letters and punctuation to form a facial expression. They serve to improve the communication of simple text by informing the receiver of the intended tone and temper of the writer. An example would be a sarcastic statement that would be lost in plain text but is saved by the use of a smiley face. The word, emoticon, is formed by blending the English words icon and emotion. After years of usage, many internet forums and messenger services as well as many games played online have replaced the typed text with a paired image. For instance, if you typed a colon for eyes and parenthesis for a mouth, this text would be replaced with the familiar yellow smiley face that is commonly known. These corresponding image...

Would You Consider Wellness Advice From Influencers

12Dec

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SELF-CARE

Would You Consider Wellness Advice From Influencers

The scandal that should force us to reconsider wellness advice from influencer. Former social media influencer and “wellness guru” Belle Gibson first caught public attention after claiming she cured herself of terminal cancer by rejecting conventional medicine in favour of a healthy diet and lifestyle. Her story was documented on a blog and social media, which became the basis for a successful book and app, featuring lifestyle advice and healthy recipes. In 2015, however, Gibson was exposed as a fraud. It was revealed that she never had cancer and failed to donate the proceeds from her app to charity, as promised. Now, she has been summoned to appear in Federal Court following her failure to pay a AUD410,000 penalty for misleading health claims. Beyond the psychological factors motivating...

Among College Students Alcohol Is Becoming More Common In Sexual Assault

12Dec

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FOR THE W, SELF-CARE

Among College Students Alcohol Is Becoming More Common In Sexual Assault

The Research Brief is a short take about interesting academic work. The big idea One out of every three. That is the number of women in college who say they have been a victim of sexual assault either when they were in high school or college. That’s according to my new peer-reviewed research in the Journal of Interpersonal Violence, which is based on survey data from 2015. That figure is significantly higher than it was in the mid-1980s when I conducted the first such national survey of college students at 32 institutions. Back then, the number was one out of every four. Of these incidents, 75% involved victims who admitted they were incapacitated by alcohol at the time of the assault. In the mid-1980s, that number stood at 50%. For the study, sexual assault was defined consistently wit...

Mildly Depressed Or Simply Stressed, People Are Tapping ‘Therapy On The Go’ Apps For Mental Health Care

10Dec

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MENTAL HEALTH

Mildly Depressed Or Simply Stressed, People Are Tapping ‘Therapy On The Go’ Apps For Mental Health Care

It might be surprising to think about browsing for therapists and ordering up mental health care the way you can peruse a menu on Grubhub or summon a car on Lyft. But over the last decade, digital access to therapy has become increasingly common, in some cases replacing the traditional model of in-person weekly sessions between a therapist and client. Apps for mental health and wellness range from mood trackers, meditation tools and journals to therapy apps that match users to a licensed professional. My team’s research focuses on therapy apps that work by matching clients to a licensed professional. As a social work researcher, I am interested in understanding how these apps affect clients and practitioners. My research team has studied the care that app users receive. We have talked t...

The Chemistry Of Cooking Over An Open Flame – What Makes Smoky, Charred Barbecue Taste So Good?

9Dec

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NUTRITION

The Chemistry Of Cooking Over An Open Flame – What Makes Smoky, Charred Barbecue Taste So Good?

The mere thought of barbecue’s smokey scents and intoxicating flavors is enough to get most mouths watering. Summer is here, and that means it is barbecue season for many people in the U.S. I am a chemist who studies compounds found in nature, and I am also a lover of food – including barbecue. Cooking on a grill may seem simple, but there is a lot of chemistry that sets barbecue apart from other cooking methods and results in such a delicious experience. Cooking over an open flame – whether from gas, wood or charcoal – allows you to use both radiant and conductive heat to cook food. Romary/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA Cooking with fire First, it is important to define barbecue because the term can mean different things in different cultures or geographic locations. At its most basic, barb...

According To A New Study Dangerous Counterfeit Drugs Are Putting Millions Of US Consumers At Risk

9Dec

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SELF-CARE

According To A New Study Dangerous Counterfeit Drugs Are Putting Millions Of US Consumers At Risk

The Food and Drug Administration took 130 enforcement actions against counterfeit medication rings from 2016 through 2021, according to my new study published in the journal Annals of Pharmacotherapy. Such actions might involve arrests, confiscation of products or counterfeit rings being dissolved. These counterfeiting operations involved tens of millions of pills, more than 1,000 kilograms (2,200 pounds) of active ingredient powder that could be turned into pills in the U.S. and hundreds of millions of dollars in sales. Unfortunately, with over 11,000 rogue pharmacy sites selling drugs on the internet, these actions barely scratch the surface. The FDA’s Office of Criminal Investigations conducts and coordinates criminal investigations into manufacturers and individuals violating federal...

What Exactly Is Toe Jam? From Harmless Gunk To A Feast For Bugs

12Dec

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

SELF-CARE

What Exactly Is Toe Jam? From Harmless Gunk To A Feast For Bugs

Toe jam can be a source of fascination, disgust or barely noticed. It can be a sign you need to wash your feet or rethink your choice of footwear. It can also lead to major health issues. Toe jam, the gunk and debris between your toes, has even made it to a Beatles song. But it was unlikely John Lennon was thinking about foot hygiene when he wrote the lyrics to the second verse of Come Together: He wear no shoeshine, he got toe-jam football He got monkey finger, he shoot Coca-Cola He say, ‘I know you, you know me’ One thing I can tell you is you got to be free. Yes, The Beatles really mentioned toe jam in Come Together (YouTube). What is toe jam, actually? Toe jam isn’t a medical term. There is no formal medical term to describe the dead skin cells, sweat, sock lint and dirt that comb...