“15% of Canadians have tried an e-cigarette.”(for more information click here) Teenagers and the youth (15 to 24 years) have the highest rates of trying vaping.
(The number of teens vaping has doubled in the past five years CREDIT: MARTINEDOUCET /ISTOCKPHOTO)
Behind the popularity, there are many consequences people may not know about. Although sometimes it called vapes, these devices do not produce water vapor, instead an aerosol. Aerosols contain many fine solid particles or liquid droplets that are created from e-liquid.
The main base of e-liquid is nicotine, propylene glycol and glycerin. Propylene glycol and glycerin are known as an important cause of bronchial irritation. Besides, we know very little about their safety for long-term inhalational exposure. “More than 500 people have been diagnosed with vaping-related breathing illnesses, but the cause remains unknown,” U.S. health officials said on 9.19.2019. (We’re still monitoring the relation and will update the content when more information is available.)
In addition, some e-cigarette manufacturers add alcohol in the e-liquids but without indication. The level of alcohol varied with recipes with different flavours, sometimes in high levels, and inhaling alcohol is known to have toxic effects on the brain. It puts people at high risk for alcohol poisoning and increase the possibility for alcohol addiction.
E-cigarettes are technically simple devices. They look nothing like cigarettes, and come in various shapes, sizes and colours; at the same time, most of them are very portable. Compared with traditional cigarette, vape is not easy to spot by parents and teachers. However, e-cigarettes can expose teens to a lot of nicotine. The nicotine concentration in some single-used vapes is comparable as a full pack of cigarettes. Teens brain are very sensitive: even low levels of nicotine are very addictive for teen brains. As a result, the vape may lead the entire generation of youth to be nicotine-addicted.
If we want to protect our health and the health of our next generation, probably we should get out of the habit of automatically celebrating new technology ,and then get into the habit of looking at new things with a critical eye, knowing more fact about vapes may help us.
The image of “music brain”. Retrieved from https://www.redbubble.com/people/enjoy riot/works/21210285-music-brain?p=poster
Music isn’t music until your brain makes it so. Sounds can be noise in one context and music in another. We can determine whether one person is speaking or singing. According to the “speech-to-song illusion“, if you pull out a phrase from a spoken sentence and repeats it over and over again, our brain will interpret them in a way that makes it sounds musical. Then, if you listen to the entire sentence again, it will sound as if the person suddenly start to sing when he/she gets to the repeated part, but the sounds reaching the ear are the same in all those cases. So, what is changed in our brain?
The vast majority of people love some kind of music. This characteristic of music, the fact that it’s universally loved but highly subjective, has ensured that it continues to baffle us.
Do we actually need music in our life?
We all need certain things to survive and reproduce: food, water, sex, etc. Human brains have evolved in such a way that when we don’t have those things, we seek them out. They become enjoyable, and we define them as “biological reinforcers.” However, music is just a bunch of sounds strung together, it doesn’t provide us with the essential nutrients; it doesn’t bind to our neurons the way drugs do; nor it doesn’t ensure that our genes live on although that might be debatable. So why have we chosen to devote our valuable energy and resources to its production and possession? A research study by Honning et al., suggest three theories regarding the musical sound evolution:
Music as sexual display: human music, as in birds and other animals, is an effective display of intelligence and/or strength that can be used to attract a mate.
Music to soothe infants: some parents communicate in a musical way with their babies, cooing at them in lullaby speech and singing them to sleep. It could help forge parent-child bonds and allowed us to teach our helpless young in the time before they could speak.
Music for the group: music is a useful tool for social communication between adults and helped strengthen group identities.
Although music is not directly important for our survival but instead, it plays a mediating role as a technological advancement that served many useful purposes and positive impacts that we kept it close to us which make us feel good and pleasurable.
What happens to our brain when we listen to music?
When people listen to the music they enjoy, our brain generates similar patterns of activity and would likely enhance the creative ability regardless of one’s genre preference. A study conducted by Wilkins et al., evaluated brain networks from 21 young adults with the functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) while listening to iconic musical selections on their favourite song, the music genre they like and dislike. As a result, the researchers found that a person’s preferred musical piece would likely enhance the connection across the default mode network (DMN)between different regions of the brains.
An fMRI image of brain activity when people listen to the type of music they like, dislike and their favourite. Retrieved from https://www.nature.com/articles/srep06130/figures/2
The DMN is associated with support of inner functional brain states, such as the introspection, self-awareness, mind-wandering and possibly imagination. When the DMN is activated, the brain region involved in goal-oriented activity, called the cognitive-executive network (CEN), is shut down. Contrary to DMN, the cognitive-executive network is most active during cognitive tasks including attention and working memory. With that being said, the enhancement of connection across DMN causes the release of dopamine, a type of neurotransmitter that released when we feel pleasure that associated with rewards such as food, drugs and sex. Due to the release of dopamine, our brain encourages us to keep listening to music. Surprisingly, in other word, it is basically the brain telling us whether or not we should listen to music.
Another study by Halassa et al. studied how to switch between these two modes of brain network on mice. As a result, patients suffer from certain brain disorders found to involve trouble with either activating one of the mode or switching between the two. Moreover, the researchers suggest that people with autism that have difficulties with DMN activity could possibly be treated with music therapy.
Image of “music therapy”. Retrieved from https://www.mskcc.org/experience/patient-support/activities/music-therapy
There are still many ambiguous questions on the connection between music and mental states. Using the information from current and future studies, we can address issues that individuals have regarding the mechanism of music in our brain and the therapeutic elements beneficial to mental health. Furthermore, scientifically designed music and neurotechnology can facilitate positive changes in brain chemistry, function and structure through the simple practice of listening.
We are at the point where our world is so heavily dependent on plastics we can’t function without them. Therefore, it shouldn’t come as a huge surprise that according to Statista, the world’s plastic production was a whopping 348 million tons in 2017. So why talk about plastics? Well let’s find out.
It’s very difficult to ignore the number of climate change movements happening all around the world recently; the effects of global warming has been evident over the past decade and it’s crucial to discuss the biggest contributing factor that can be seen in the video below: greenhouse gases.
Greenhouse gases are gases in our atmosphere that trap heat and overtime, make the earth a gigantic oven. The more greenhouse gases we have, the warmer our earth will get and more severe damage done to different environments and their ecosystems. Some common greenhouses people may be familiar with are: carbon dioxide, methane and water. To bring it all together, the number one source of greenhouse emissions is the human activity of burning fossil fuels.
Industries commonly use what we call petroleum-based plastics when creating products. Petroleum-based plastics are typically made from carbon atoms and do not degrade naturally. Although some petroleum-based plastics are “recycled”, the reality is that this process also isn’t very efficient. A study done in 2017 by Roland Geyer stated that while 9% of the plastic produced was being recycled and 79% were sitting in landfills or natural environments, 12% was being incinerated. This is one way petroleum-based plastics contribute to burning of fossil fuels and release carbon dioxide into the air.
So why does this matter?
There are alternatives to using plastics! In fact, there are many that are being researched. Bioplastics, or often referred to as bio-based plastics, are ones that are made not from petroleum but from plants or other biological materials. These release significantly less greenhouse gases into the air as opposed to petroleum-based plastics.
Image: Pixabay
Common sources of bioplastics are plants like corn or sugarcanes where they extract sugars to change into polylactic acids (PLA) or microorganisms which produce polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA). These chemicals are then made into polymers, which are long chains after going through chemical reactions.
However, the full transition to bioplastics face some challenges. These bioplastics are not cost-efficient at the moment, especially to industries that are looking to profit. Petroleum-based plastics are much more affordable for production and usage but bioplastics, being a relatively new industry, are not fully developed which increases the cost of production. There are also concerns whether bioplastics can cause more harm than good environmentally because they are still relatively new.
But give it some time, resources and support then the bioplastic research will develop more and more until it becomes flawless. A recent study done in 2019 by Mohammad Asif Ali shows progress with bioplastics as he explained a new mechanism to create higher performance plastics. Nothing starts off perfect, and the research on bioplastics is definitely not an exception.
With summer long gone, you may be thinking: “There’s barely any sun! What’s the point?” Researchshows that the summer staple may actually be necessary all year round.
UV Radiation
To appreciate sunscreen, we must first understand what exactly it’s protecting us from. The sun emits high-energy ultraviolet (UV) radiation on to the Earth’s surface. UV rays are present even in the rainiest of days: essentially, you are exposed to UV radiation the moment that you step outside your home. Think about how many times you’ve been outside in your lifetime: all that time counts as exposure to UV radiation! Multiplestudies have linked long-term UV radiation exposure to an increased risk of melanoma skin cancer.
There are three types of UV radiation: UVA, UVB, and UVC. Since UVC rays do not reach the Earth’s surface, they are unable to cause direct skin damage.
UVA accounts for 95% of the UV radiation that reaches the Earth’s surface. It can penetrate into the dermis layer of the skin and result to premature skin aging (e.g. fine lines and wrinkles, hyperpigmentation). UVA can also generate free radicals that are known to cause DNA damage, and may increase the risk of melanoma. A study found that these free radicals can also destroy the skin barrier (which includes collagen) thus lead to the loss of skin elasticity.
UVB is responsible for the other 5% of UV radiation: this type of UV mainly affects the epidermis skin layer. UVB increases the skin’s melanin production: it’s what allows you to achieve that sun-kissed glow, or sunburns if you tan for too long. UVB has also been linked to causing direct DNA damage and skin cancer.
Sunscreen contains inorganic and organic chemicals that work together to block UVA and UVB rays. Titanium dioxide and zinc oxide are the main inorganic compounds formulated into today’s sunscreens. These compounds work mainly by reflecting UV radiation, but some are able to absorb and dissipate the UV rays. Organic compounds, such as avobenzone, contain bonds that can absorb the photons of UV light and release its energy as heat. Some of these compounds may break down as they absorb more UV light; this explains why sunscreen reapplication is encouraged.
Hopefully, you’ve shopped for sunscreen before and stumbled upon terms like “Broad-spectrum”, “SPF”, and “PA+++”. What exactly do these mean? To put it simply, these terms refer to the level of protection provided by sunscreen. “Broad-spectrum” refers to a sunscreen that blocks both UVA and UVB radiation. Its sun protection factor (SPF) describes its ability to protect from UVB, while its protection grade (PA) indicates its ability to protect from UVA.
The perception of sunscreen only being necessary in the summer needs some changing. In a way, sunscreen allows for a graceful aging process, and more importantly, protect us from skin cancer. The sun and its UV rays are present year round after all, so we should aim to stay protected accordingly.
AirPods may pose health risks to users. (Image Source: Flickr)
Ever since their unveiling in 2016, Apple’s wireless AirPods which are cord-free in-ear headphones have risen to gain a millennial status symbol over the past three years. For instance, if you take a one-hour tour at the University of British Columbia (UBC), you may be surprised by the number of AirPods you would observe in people’s ear canals. From studying in libraries to talking to friends or listening to music while walking or jogging on Main Mall, students have their AirPods on literally everywhere! While many users might not think that there are any side effects to the use of these products, a group of experts has concerns about their harmfulness to human health. Jerry Phillips, a Biochemistry professor at the University of Colorado is one of these experts with strong beliefs that wireless headphones may be associated with tumors and related conditions.
“My concern for AirPods is that their placement in the ear canal exposes tissues in the head to relatively high levels of radio-frequency radiation,” Jerry Phillips told a Medium post.
To understand why Jerry and other 250 researchers from more than 40 countries signed a petition to the United Nations and the World Health Organization to warn about the health risks posed by wireless devices and the need to enforce regulatory measures for such devices, it is important to get an idea of how AirPods and other Bluetooth headphones work.
How do wireless headphones/earphones work
Electromagnetic Field spectrum. (Image Source: Flickr)
Wireless headphones utilize the Bluetooth technology where data between devices is transmitted by radio waves. These radio waves are in the 2.4–2.48 GHz frequency range to wirelessly transmit signals between devices which means that there are about 2.4 – 2.48 billion waves per second traveling really fast between cellphones or headphones. This is also a similar range used by microwaves, WiFi and other devices.
So, what’s the problem with that in relation to Airpods?
According to a press release by the World Health Organization (WHO), the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) classified radiofrequency electromagnetic fields (EMFs) as possibly carcinogenic to humans. These same EMFs are produced by Airpods and other Bluetooth headphones which have been shown to cause cancer in rats according to research in 2018.
Radiation exposure from wireless devices (Image Source: Flickr)
However, the amount of non-ionizing (or low level) EMFs emitted from Bluetooth headphones or earphones such as AirPods is usually less than the amount emitted by cell phones. Maybe before giving up on AirPods or other Bluetooth headphones, one may need to give up on their cell phone to begin with.
The Apple company that makes these AirPods mentioned that “Apple products are always designed and tested to meet or exceed all safety requirements”.
While many Bluetooth earphones-making companies assure their buyers of the safety of their products, people may need to think twice and make a personal decision based on their research and not just flow with the waves of the product’s popularity.
Sitting is a part of everyone’s daily life, whether you are sitting in a lecture for school or sitting in an office for work, an individual is bound to sit down at some point during their day. This does not necessarily mean it is a bad thing to be sitting everyday. However, prolonged periods of sitting can cause some serious postural issues that you may not even be aware of because your body has adapted it to be it’s natural state. Hence, sitting ergonomics are extremely important and it is crucial that you sit properly!
Postural Issues
There are two extremely common postural issues that an individual may have without even realizing it! You may have anterior pelvic tilt or kyphosis (rounded shoulders). It doesn’t happen overnight, but poor sitting ergonomics over the course of several years will definitely cause one of these issues to arise. In fact, poor posture is one of the most common causes of low back pain due to the muscular imbalances caused.
Anterior Pelvic Tilt (APT)
Left: Correct and normal pelvic posture Right: Anterior pelvic tilt
Anterior pelvic tilt (APT) directly arises from how you sit in your chair and for how long you sit in your chair. Sitting for too long causes the hip flexors to tighten and consequently weak abdominal muscles and weak glutes. The pelvic ends up tilting forward and a physically fit person that does not drink will have what is known as a “beer belly.” When the hip is tilted, your lower back arches and your stomach bulges outward. Having an arched lower back is not healthy for your spine and is a common cause for low back pain as the body is trying to compensate for the muscular imbalances by overworking the lower back muscles. When the hip tendons and muscles are tight, they become shortened and reduce the range of motion of how much it can extend. If you are a slow walker, you may have APT as the muscle tightness and imbalances have caused you to have a short range of motion when walking.
Kyphosis (Rounded Shoulders)
Kyphosis, also commonly known to be as having rounded shoulders or a “hunch back”, is another direct causation from poor sitting posture. However it is not caused by how you sit in your chair, but how you are leaning when at the desk.
Kyphosis (Rounded Shoulders)
If you are leaning or hunching over in order to work at a desk, this will cause kyphosis over a prolonged period of time. Kyphosis causes the chest muscles (pectoralis major and minor) to become shortened and tight and causes the upper back muscles to become weak and stretched. The muscular imbalance causes your head to protrude forward in order to compensate and your shoulders are rounded forward. The pectoralis major becomes overworked and tight which pulls the upper back and shoulder muscles forward. A good way to examine if you have kyphosis or not is to stand up straight and have your arms naturally leaning by your sides. Now, do your wrists turn inward towards your body or are they straight along your body? If your wrists are turned inwards, you might have kyphosis.
If you do have poor posture and desk ergonomics, it’s never too late to fix them! A short video created by the Wall Street Journal has experts explain how to ideally set up your desk to ensure maximum comfort and correct posture.
Proper Desk Ergonomics
Sitting too long and having poor desk ergonomics causes a domino effect that leads to a variety of health issues. Although they may not be permanent, it definitely can cause discomfort in daily life.
From anterior pelvic tilt alone, it can cause back pain, limited walking motion, poor flexibility at the hamstrings, poor ankle mobility, and even poor balance.
Similarly, kyphosis causes neck pain, tight wrists which can cause wrist pain, slouching, and even slurred speech due to the body mechanics limiting air flow.
Make sure you sit right, otherwise you’ll remain tight!
Since the 1980s, scientists have examined how the natural environment affects humans. As we become more dependent on technology, we spend 85%-90% of our daily life indoors, and interacting with nature becomes less of a priority. Thus, incorporating indoor plants into common workspaces to compensate is not a novel trend. Nevertheless, young people have recently garnered a liking to the “Instagram-worthiness” of owning plants, rather than its physiological benefits. I myself have succumbed to this state-of-mind, and recently bought five succulents—which have now been sitting on my windowsill for the last three weeks without being moved to proper pots. For those of us without the greenest of thumbs, the following are three benefits of owning indoor plants that will hopefully keep you motivated enough to keep them alive for more than a month!
Stress Reducers
Image: Михаил, Flickr Commons
Over the last two decades, it has been well documented that indoor plants reduce physiological stress. In a recent study, researchers observed the effect of indoor plant interaction specifically on the part of our nervous system that controls our bodily stress response. They found that active interactions with indoor plants, such as moving the plant from one place to another, reduced blood pressure and suppressed the activity of the stress-causing systems in our body.
Another study showed that patients in hospital rooms containing plants experienced significant reductions in blood pressure, pain, stress, anxiousness, and exhaustion. According to this study, indoor plants contributed to an overall positive patient perspective of their surroundings. In a similar study, it was shown that indoor plants might enhance patient well-being and stress-resilience by promoting a sense of reflection and meaningfulness.
Increased Productivity
Image: Alexandre Megalhaes, Flickr Commons
Researchers have found that in the presence of plants, office workers were able to fulfill cognitive tasks significantly quicker than the control group. This study also showed that doing work in the presence of plants showed an increase in productivity, while taking a five-minute break when conducting the cognitive task showed no change in productivity. A more recent study also produced similar findings, indicating that indoor plants were significantly correlated to a decrease in job-induced stress, complaints about health, and sick-leaves.
Air Fresheners
Image: Tarja J, Flickr Commons
Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are common chemicals that pollute indoor air due to its widespread use in consumer products. Aside from its negative environmental effects, negative physical effects due to overexposure to VOCs range from light-headedness, to nervous system damage, to cancer. As we all know, plants convert carbon dioxide into oxygen for us to breathe. However, a famous study conducted by NASA also showed that up to 87% of VOCs can be taken up and stored by indoor plants in 24 hours—thus significantly decreasing indoor air pollution and providing us with clean air to breathe.
In a nutshell, active interaction with indoor plants are associated with reduced stress levels, possible increase in productivity, and cleaner air. With these in mind, hopefully you are more inclined to keep your little green friends happy, or inspire you to start a little indoor sanctuary of your own!
What are the health benefits of green tea? Where did it originate, and why is it the superior morning beverage?
Green tea is a delicious and popular beverage around the world, but many people are unaware of the numerous health benefits that come along with consumption! The comforting drink has its origins in China, but its popularity has made its way throughout many other countries in Asia and around the world. Green tea has been used in traditional Chinese medicine since ancient times; and for good reason! Current studies have shown that green tea is linked to weight loss, increased oral health, and may even be able to prevent certain cancers!
In traditional Chinese medicine, it was thought that the tea was “cold and lowers the fire” (Li Shizhen) within humans. Fire represented inflammation, and the cooling properties of the tea reduced inflammation to prevent many diseases. Traditional Chinese medicine values natural healing practices such as acupuncture and herbs, instead of antibiotics or painkillers. It focuses on physical and mental healing for both the patient and the practitioner. This form of healthcare has been used for thousands of years, and “accounts for between 30 to 50 per cent of total medicinal consumption in China”. These practices could be a great alternative to some synthetic western medicinal practices, for the Chinese practice is natural, and has healing properties for the patient as well as the practitioner. Steps are being taken towards including traditional medicine in the west, and studies are currently being conducted in North America about the benefits of green tea.
Studies have shown that green tea consumption may be linked to the prevention of cancer. Drinking the beverage everyday may prevent lung, colon, mouth, stomach, and kidney cancer. Another study has shown that green tea activates antioxidants and suppresses the growth and replication of cancer cells in the gastrointestinal tract.
Green tea contains theanine, an amino acid which can reduce stress. Furthermore, the antioxidants in green tea have anti-aging properties, and therefore it is being used in topical creams and skin treatments. It can even help protect skin from UV ray damage! Other studies have shown that consuming green tea and green tea extracts may improve oral health, increase your metabolism, help control your body weight and fat content, increase bone density, and increase your energy and brain power!
Although further research is necessary to fully understand the positive effects that green tea can have on our health, the results so far are favourable! You may want to think twice next time you reach for a cup of coffee in the morning; instead choose green tea! Its a delicious beverage that will wake you up while simultaneously improving your mental and physical health!
Behind the popularity, there are many consequences people may not know about. Although sometimes it called vapes, these devices do not produce water vapor, instead an aerosol. Aerosols contain many fine solid particles or liquid droplets that are created from e-liquid. Therefore, an aerosol could contain propylene glycol and glycerin, which are known to be safe for edible use only.
But we know very little about their safety for long-term inhalational exposure. “More than 500 people have been diagnosed with vaping-related breathing illnesses, but the cause remains unknown,” U.S. health officials said on 9.19.2019. (We’re still monitoring the relation and will update the content when more information is available.)
Besides, the e-liquids can also contain alcohol, sometimes in high levels, and inhaling alcohol is known to have toxic effects on the brain. It puts people at high risk for alcohol poisoning and increase the possibility for alcohol addiction.
If we want to protect our health and the health of our next generation, probably we should get out of the habit of automatically celebrating new technology ,and then get into the habit of looking at new things with a critical eye, knowing more fact about vapes may help us.
From the surface, the healthy eating mantra “if you can’t pronounce it, don’t eat it” seems like good advice. However, if you have believed or have followed this motto, you have been a victim of chemophobia.
What is chemophobia?
Chemophobia is an irrational fear of chemicals. In fact, it is very common among the public to be scared of synthetic chemicals. It comes from a misconception of chemistry and generalizations made from scientific and media reports that suggest exposure to chemicals can harm your health.
Why is chemophobia important?
Chemophobia misinforms the public by letting people think that all chemicals are bad and harmful, when in reality chemicals are everywhere. In fact, we are made of chemicals! Yes, some chemicals can cause danger, but many harmful chemicals are only toxic when used in copious amounts, which leads to the saying “the dose makes the poison”.
Canadians are becoming more concerned about their health and are more motivated to eat healthier. The general public believes that purchasing products that are labelled “organic” and “natural” (which in fact, are very different) are healthier and safer for our bodies. One of the reasons for this perception may be due to the public’s unawareness of ingredients in an ingredients list. Many people often assume that any chemical-sounding names are harmful or bad for the body.
For example, take a look at the ingredient list below. At first glance, would you eat this?
After reading the ingredient list, you may be thinking: “These ingredients are all chemicals! Whatever this is, it must be unhealthy and filled with preservatives!”
Regardless if you answered yes or no, these are actually the ingredients of… bananas!
You see, it is very easy to become a victim of chemophobia.
After watching this video created by AsapSCIENCE, it is almost impossible to eat chemical-free food. In fact, many common ingredients that are essential to maintain our health have some of the hardest-to-pronounce names.
As for the motto “if you can’t pronounce it, don’t eat it”, science and chemistry are rarely that crystal clear. Perhaps, an improved motto would be “if you can’t pronounce it, research what it does.”
As for Yvette d’Entremont, a former analytical chemist and now blogger, she prefers her saying: “If you can’t pronounce it, get a dictionary! Go out in the world and learn something.”