Author Archives: rubeensangha

Marijuana and its Green Glory!

Posted on March 23, 2014 | 1 comment

Do you ever get the urge to rebel against something your told not to? I’m sure most of you would say “YES”! Most of us do it for the ‘high’ and adrenaline rush that we experience. Ever since we have been children, curiosity grows in us to go against what we are told not too, this continues in to our adult lives as well. Especially, when it comes to ‘drugs’. Those are a big “NO NO” our parents, teachers and elderly would say. So the questions arises, is marijuana really as bad as it is said to be, or are there benefits that make this ‘gateway drug’ a positive addition to our health.

Source: Flickr Commons. Marijuana Plant

Surprisingly, there are 5 health benefits associated with Marijuana:

1) Suppresses Cancer

Source: Flickr Commons. Cancer Cells

A study that took place in 2012, found that marijuana had a compound within it that was able to suppress and kill aggressive cancers such as leukemia.

2) Reduces Blood Pressure

Source: Flickr Commons. Blood Pressure

A study from 2005-2010, showed that users of marijuana compared to non-users, had a 17% reduction in insulin resistance levels.

3) Treatment of Glaucoma

Source: Flickr Commons. Optometry Equipment

When marijuana is consumed orally or by inhalation, it helps to lower eye pressure that leads to blindness with people who suffer from glaucoma.

4) Alleviates Pain

Source: Flickr Commons. Pill

Marijuana has been successful in using its anti-inflammatory properties to treat illnesses such as multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis and migraines.

5) Inhibition of HIV

Source: Flickr Commons. HIV

A study conducted with monkeys helped to show that a daily dose of the active ingredient in marijuana, THC, helps to stops the spread of the disease throughout the body.

Source: Flickr Commons. Marijuana Cigar

These are just a few of the benefits that marijuana possess. So if you are on the fence about trying this ‘green bud’, just remember its not as bad as we think it is!

 

By: Rubeen Sangha

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Posted in Issues in science, Uncategorized

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BITTER-SWEET

Source: Flickr Commons. Assortment of Dark, Milk, and White Chocolate.

Chocolate is a delicacy that most of us have been indulging ourselves with since we can remember. It’s something that we nibble on when are studying, watching television or just doing nothing at all. Most of us can say that eating chocolates can bring a smile to our face. Besides bringing a smile, chocolates have some pros and cons that should be considered.

Let’s start with the BITTER side of chocolate!

Even thought chocolate is really yummy, it can be bitter at times with its negative effects. First of all, consuming chocolate is not cheap. Eating the finest of chocolates can significantly increase ones shopping bill, as darker chocolates with more “cocoa” content are more expensive than milk or white chocolate. Besides the cost factor, chocolates do sadly pack a lot of calories with them. For example, 100g “dark chocolate” contains 510 kcals, “milk chocolate” 520 kcals and “white chocolate” 529 kcals. These can be a lot of unnecessary calories to intake. Furthermore, chocolate consumption can lead to glucose and mood swings. As most of us know, chocolates contain a lot of sugar. With large amounts of sugar present, it leads to increases in development of obesity and type-2 diabetes. Also mood swings occur because the sugar is able to alter levels of endorphins.  Another downside of eating chocolate is acne. Hormonal fluctuations caused by chocolate, lead to those unpleasing bumps that appear on the surface of our skin.

Now the SWEET side of chocolate!

There are many benefits that also come with eating chocolate. Most of these benefits come from dark chocolate in particular. Dark chocolate is good for the heart as it helps to lower blood pressure, improves blood flow and prevents formation of blood clots. The brain is also benefited, as the chocolate helps cognitive function. Dark chocolates are full of antioxidants, which help free the body of radicals that cause oxidative damage to cells. Vitamins and minerals are as well present and help support the daily health requirements that the body needs. Specifically, the copper and potassium in the dark chocolate help prevention against stroke and cardiovascular ailments.

Source: Flickr Commons. Chocolate

Basically the next time you bite into a piece of chocolate, just remember that it can be BITTER-SWEET, as there are both positives and negatives.

 

By: Rubeen Sangha

4 Comments

Posted on March 3, 2014 in Uncategorized

THE DARKSIDE OF COSMETICS

Posted on February 3, 2014 | 5 comments

Source: Flickr Commons. Assortment of Cosmetics.

Makeup!

Makeup is something that most women and some men are familiar with. For some individuals makeup allows them to express their creativity with the colours they choose and the various ways of application. For others, it provides an extra oomph of self-confidence. It also helps with accentuating one’s natural “beauty”. As well as, makeup allows for covering up unwanted blemishes and flaws that take away. Although “makeup” has these pros, it does come with some concerning cons.

One major con is the chemicals that are incorporated within the products. Besides the chemicals, another downside is that makeup does not allow skin to breathe freely as it plugs pores. Back to the chemicals. Most makeup products contain parabens and phthalates. These chemicals allow for “blushes”, “eyeshadows”, “lipsticks”, and “foundations” to remain fresher for longer due to their preservation qualities. Seems like that would be beneficial for consumers as their products would not go bad as fast and thus not buying products that often. In reality, parabens and phthalates are more harmful than helping save a few bucks. These chemicals have been tested and have led to many problems such as skin irritation, interference with sex hormones in both males and females, and most shocking, cancer.

A study led by Dr.Dabre, found that the penetration of parabens through the skin led to breast cancer. From this study that included 40 patients, all 40 of the women tested positive for at least one type of paraben found within their breast tissue. This one study may not cause one to think that it is that significant as only 40 patients were tested, but more scientific research is being done to see what other potential harms could arise from chemicals contained within “cosmetics”. Therefore, pre-cautions such as using less or no makeup at all can help with avoiding the dark side that comes from within “makeup”. So the next time you decide to put on some “lipstick” before you go out, think twice about what other chemicals you are putting into your body.

Source: Wikimedia Commons. Lipsticks.

Rubeen Sangha

 

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Posted in Uncategorized