Month: August 2017

Why You Forget The Most Random Things, According To Science

Post author By HealthyWay Staff Writer
Post date August 14, 2017

Ever just draw a blank when you’re trying to remember something?

It’s a common problem, but… Wait, what were we talking about?

Chances are you’ve done it more times than you’d care to admit. What exactly is happening when you can’t remember a simple piece of information you know you should know?

“On a daily basis, we so much spend a lot of time functioning on auto-pilot, carrying out routine activities without much conscious effort or awareness,” clinical psychologist Jodi J. De Luca, PhD told Reader’s Digest. “It’s amazing we’re able to remember anything at all.

There are two primary cognitive factors that tend to bring about this “mental-block” phenomenon.

The first is known as “blocking.” Basically, when you’re trying to call up a stored memory, similar or associated memories can come to the surface instead.

One or more of the associated memories can “block” the memory that you’re actually trying to retrieve. For instance, you might try to remember a certain song from a movie you’ve seen, but only be able to come up with a different song from the same movie.

The other factor is known as “interference.” Initially proposed by German psychologist John Bergstrom in 1892, the theory of interference posits that newly acquired information can disrupt or interfere with your brain’s ability to retrieve old information. One example of this phenomenon is the embarrassing (but common) gaff of calling a romantic partner by an ex’s name.

Sometimes, though, forgetfulness is more than a simple mental misfire.

According to Courtney Rodriguez, LMHC, NCC, “When we are under any kind of stress, whether physical, psychological, or emotional, the parts of the brain that are important to survival are heightened, while those less critical to survival are overpowered.”

Of course, most of the time the actual stressors aren’t a matter of life or death, but because of the way our brains have evolved, we respond to them as such. While some of these stressors can be momentary and dependent on your immediate situation, others can be recurring or chronic—for instance, not getting enough sleep or certain vitamin deficiencies.

So how can you prevent (or at least reduce the occurrence of) the occasional memory lapse?

According to scientists, there are a few surprisingly straightforward ways to improve your memory and information retention, although they’re easier said than done.

According to a study conducted by the University of Texas at Dallas Center for BrainHealth, regular aerobic exercise is not only good for your physical fitness, but it can improve your memory and overall brain function.

New York Neurology & Sleep Medicine medical director Allen Towfigh, MD, also told Health that getting a healthy amount of sleep (seven to nine hours for most adults) can go a long way toward ensuring your memory retention and that you recall work as well as you should.

Finally, the American Academy of Neurology has found that having a moderately challenging job or hobby can do wonders for your memory. If the job is too stressful, though, it can actually have the opposite effect.

In any case, don’t worry; occasional lapses in memory are completely normal. Just be sure to get plenty of sleep, and…wait, we had a great conclusion for this.

It’ll probably come to us—maybe after a quick nap or a jog around the block.

Tags 50033281, hemingway, mind

Motherhood

Why The "Wait Until 8th" Pledge Is Important For Both Parents And Kids

Post author By HealthyWay Staff Writer
Post date August 14, 2017

At what age should parents give their children smartphones?

For modern parents, it’s an important question. Now, an online movement claims to have the answer: eighth grade.

The movement’s website asks parents to pledge not to give their children smartphones until at least eighth grade—and to ask other parents to do the same.

“By signing the pledge, you promise not to give your child a smartphone until at least 8th grade as long as at least 10 other families from your child’s grade and school pledge as well,” the page reads. “…Once 10 families have pledged, you will be notified that the pledge is in effect!”

The Wait Until 8th organization has spread its message quickly through sites like Pinterest and Twitter.

Parents seem to be responding to the message, which is grounded in solid science, with enthusiasm.

Research suggests that smartphones can be detrimental to a healthy upbringing. A 2017 study from the University of Michigan found that about half of parents said that technology interrupted time with their children three or more times per day on average. The research also indicated that when young children have smartphones, they’re more likely to misbehave.

There’s also evidence that smartphones disturb natural sleep patterns, particularly when used around bedtime. According to the National Sleep Foundation, young children aren’t getting enough sleep regardless of phone usage, so adding a smartphone to the equation certainly seems problematic.

Of course, the Wait Until 8th pledge aims to fight a seemingly unstoppable trend. A 2016 survey found that most children receive their first cellphones between ages 10 and 12.

The Wait Until 8th website notes that in taking the pledge, parents can still give their children basic phones that don’t have “smart” capabilities (in other words, a phone that can only call and text).

Some parents worry that this type of pledge will ostracize their young kids, as their peers often have access to smartphones and other tech.

ABC News recently reported on a ninth-grade girl, Sophia Chigounis, whose parents waited to give her a smartphone until her 14th birthday. Her parents admit that their approach wasn’t always easy.

“It would have been easier for Sophia if she hadn’t been the last person in her grade to get a phone,” Constantine Chigounis, Sophia’s father, told ABC News.

“I think she would have felt less excluded. For me, as a father, it would have reduced the conflict in my mind between her feeling socially isolated and protecting her from all of the negative effects smartphones have on young kids.”

Still, the family says that they’re confident in their decision.

“She reads more, still plays with Legos and is more active and imaginative than I think she would be if she were immersed in a virtual relationship with a screen,” Constantine said.

By asking parents to spread the pledge, the Wait Until 8th movement hopes to limit the social isolation that might come from growing up without a smartphone. As the organization’s website notes, their idea isn’t new.

“Many technology executives wait until their child is 14 before they allow them to have a phone,” the site reads. “While these teenagers can make calls and text, they are not given a data plan until 16. If leaders of digital giants like Google, eBay, Apple and Yahoo are delaying the smartphone then should this not give us pause? Executives that flourish on the success of technology are protecting their children from the smartphone. Should we not do the same?”

Learn more and take the pledge here.

Tags 50033276, hemingway, parenting

Wellbeing

6 Things That Might Be Causing Your Night Sweats

Post author By HealthyWay Staff Writer
Post date August 14, 2017

If you wake up in the mornings drenched in sweat on a regular basis, you’re not alone. About 3 percent of the U.S. population suffers from excessive sweating—known as hyperhidrosis—which can result in night sweats.
Most of the time, nighttime sweating is caused by something small, nothing serious. However, excessive sweating during the night is sometimes a sign of a real medical problem. Here are a few of the common causes of night sweats.

1. Your body is fighting an internal battle.

Infections can cause a spike in body temperature. When you get hotter, you sweat. So a brush with infection can totally cause night sweats. Your immune system’s response to the presence of a virus or bacteria is to eliminate it. Your body tries to kill these intruders by raising your body temperature, resulting in a fever. Of course, another natural response that comes along with a fever is sweating.

Tuberculosis is the most common infection that causes actual night sweat symptoms. Night sweats can also be the symptom of more serious infections, like HIV, infections of the heart valves (endocarditis), or inflammation of the bones (osteomyelitis).
But don’t freak out just yet. There are lots of less alarming reasons people sweat at night.

2. Rx Side Effects

Prescription medication can also cause night sweats. The biggest over-the-counter culprit is antidepressants. One in 10 U.S. adults takes an antidepressant, and 22 percent of those people experiences medication-induced night sweats.
ortunately, there are ways to adjust prescription levels to alleviate this problem. So talk to your doctor.

3. Dip in Blood Sugar

During the night, your body requires less energy to function than during the daytime. With lower energy needs, the liver produces less glucose.

Sometimes a person’s glucose level can drop too low (hypoglycemia), resulting in restless sleep, headaches, nightmares, and night sweats.
People with diabetes experience nighttime hypoglycemia the most, but it can happen to anyone.

4. GERD

Gastroesophageal reflux disease, or GERD, is caused when stomach acid regularly bubbles up into the esophagus—something most people call heartburn. The acid reflux can create a burning sensation in the stomach, chest, and throat. It can also can cause bad breath, nausea, vomiting, and—you guessed it—night sweats.

Occasional heartburn isn’t anything to worry about, but multiple instances a week for several weeks in a row is the sign of a problem that usually requires medical attention.

5. You need to chill out.

Stress can really affect the way our body functions. Anxiety, fear, depression, or feeling overwhelmed can all lead to the release of cortisol, a stress hormone, in the body. High levels of this hormone can disrupt your sleep pattern, resulting in nightmares and even night sweats.

Managing stress is crucial to a healthy life. Exercising, eating well, and, for some, incorporation of medications or supplements will help balance out hormone levels and get your sleep schedule back on track.

6. Changes With Time

One of the most common causes of night sweats, for women at least, is a natural hormonal change. During menopause or perimenopause, estrogen levels begin to fluctuate and cause hot flashes. These hot flashes are described as a sudden rush of heat felt in the chest, face, and head.
Up to 80 percent of menopausal women experience hot flashes, and these symptoms can last for seven to 11 years. The flashes can occur at any time, even while a woman is asleep.

Don’t panic just yet if you’ve had a few sweaty nights. You only need to consult with a healthcare professional if any of these symptoms happen on a regular basis for an extended period.
You can always try modifying your environment before contacting a doctor. Switch out your comforter for a lighter blanket, make sure your pajamas are light and breathable, and set the air conditioning around 68 degrees to create the most comfortable sleeping situation. If you still have night sweats after these changes, make an appointment to talk to your doctor.

Tags 50033246, body, hemingway

Lifestyle

Here's Why Some People Decide To Amputate Healthy Limbs

Post author By HealthyWay Staff Writer
Post date August 14, 2017

When “John” (a pseudonym used in a Fox News interview) was in kindergarten, he realized he was missing something. Or maybe that’s not quite right. Can you miss something that isn’t missing?
John felt that he had too much and was missing out on who he really was.

“I remember riding in the subway, and opposite me, one of the kids in the play group had no left hand, that was apparent,” John, now an adult, recalled to Fox News. “I was really very curious about this … and I got up and crossed the car and tried to put my hand up his sleeve to try and figure out where his hand was.”
Even at that young age, John knew he wanted to be like the boy on the subway. But unlike that little boy, John was born with all four limbs and all 10 fingers. Still, John never felt whole again. Quite the opposite. Since that childhood encounter, he has wished to lose a limb.

“I remember two buses going in the same direction, and I was standing by the second bus, and I said to myself, ‘If I just stick my leg under the rear wheel of the bus, it will run over it and it will have to get cut off,'” John said, recalling a boyhood memory.
“And then I can remember saying to myself, ‘How will I ever explain why I did this?'”

John is not alone with this question. Psychologists are also striving to understand the reasons that some people have a powerful desire to amputate a limb.
Is it a mental illness? Or is it a totally valid way of life, albeit one on the fringes?
And are there surgeons who cater to this class of patients?

First things first. Here’s what we know about a condition known informally as body integrity identity disorder (BIID).

Early Medical Theories on Why People Want to Lose Limbs

The modern medical history of BIID begins in 1977. That’s when a trio of researchers—John Money, Russell Jobaris, and Gregg Furth—published a study called Apotemnophilia: Two Cases of Self-Demand Amputation as a Paraphilia.

The landmark paper followed two men who attached erotic significance to the fantasy of losing a limb. That’s where the early term apotemnophilia—Greek for “amputation love”— comes from.
Though scientists have learned a lot about the condition since the 1970s—including the fact that it’s not always tied up with an individual’s love life—Money, Jobaris, and Furth were among the first to identify the core danger of BIID.

“The apotemnophiliac patient finds no surgical tradition within which he can expect to obtain the service he requests,” the researchers wrote.
“Therefore, if he arranges a self-mutilation or amputation and presents himself for follow-up care, he has little choice other than to be secretive about the origin of his injury.”
There’s a real medical risk that people with BIID will try to take their obsession into their own hands.

In fact, one of the men in the 1977 study did just that. His technique involved a hammer and what the study describes as a “stylus,” but sounds more to us like an ice-pick—and that’s about all you need to know when it comes to the grisly way his story unfolded.

Understanding BIID

Through the years, doctors have treated more and more patients, both men and women (but mostly men) who want to lose a limb. In 2012, a new study added a whole new dimension to BIID treatment and care.
The study found that not all BIID patients actually want to amputate a limb. Some just want to live with a condition that medicine recognizes as a “disability.” They may wish to lose function in their legs and travel via wheelchair or to induce blindness or deafness.

Both subsets of BIID (individuals who pursue amputation and those who do not) are considered part of the same condition according to the study’s authors.
“The amputation variant and paralyzation variant of BIID are to be considered as one of the same condition,” the researchers wrote.

Of all the treatments doctors have tried to help people with BIID, only one seems to work. The 2012 study, published in PLOS ONE, was one of the first to articulate the only known cure for the condition.
“Amputation of the healthy body part appears to result in remission of BIID and an impressive improvement of quality of life,” the paper states.

It goes on to say, “Knowledge of and respect for the desires of BIID individuals are the first steps in providing care and may decrease the huge burden they experience.”
Despite this advice, BIID remains silent on the absence of BIID as a formal diagnosis in the current Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-5 (DSM), which bills itself as “the authoritative guide to the diagnosis of mental disorders.”

Because of its omission from the DSM, patients are unlikely to find surgeons who will perform the amputation, even if it would improve their quality of life.
One surgeon tried to help in this way, and it didn’t go well.

What Happens to Surgeons Who Treat BIID With Amputation

In 2000, a surgeon named Robert Smith safely amputated the healthy legs of two men who had BIID. Smith was planning his third BIID-related amputation when the director of the trust that runs the hospital declared the procedure “inappropriate.”
The uproar around Smith’s decision was so intense that as of 2012, no hospital in Britain has allowed the amputation of a healthy limb. (It’s likely that no such amputations have taken place since 2000, but we could only find data going back to 2012.)

The 2012 PLOS ONE study found that their subjects overwhelmingly wanted amputation “to feel complete” or “to feel satisfied inside.”
As the medical ethicists debate the morality of serving a voluntary amputee, those with BIID continue to live in extreme dissatisfaction or—worse—turn to purposefully injuring themselves.

John’s Ongoing Plight

When BIID sufferer John spoke to Fox News in 2009, he didn’t have many options left. For the reasons mentioned above, he couldn’t find a surgeon to safely perform the amputation he believed he needed.
“I just want to get on with it,” he said. “But I want to do it safely. And my wife—who I won’t say accepts it, but is willing to go along with me, also insists—and I think she’s right, that this be done safely.”
Currently, John’s out of luck. There aren’t safe means of cutting off your own leg—not that John hasn’t wished for them.

“When I see an amputee—when I imagine the amputee—there is this inner pull that says, ‘Why can’t I be like that?'”
There may be a light on the horizon for John and others like him, but in medicine and bureaucracy, some things move slowly. The latest research suggests that there’s a neurological cause for the desire to amputate a body part.
A May 2017 study found that most people who wish to lose a limb focus their disdain toward their left leg. These patients also showed “changes in cortical thickness in the right parietal lobe.”

Could this be the part of the brain that controls BIID?
For now, scientists have more research to do. John and others with BIID, meanwhile, will struggle on.
“People keep saying you got to be awfully darn sure because there’s no going back,” he said. “What I realized, well, maybe a half a year ago, is that if I keep putting it off, there’s no going forward.”

Tags 50031946, care, hemingway

Lifestyle

7 Things You Should Have Been Buying At The Dollar Store All Along

Post author By HealthyWay Staff Writer
Post date August 11, 2017

Leon Levine was born into a retail family. His parents owned a Rockingham, North Carolina, department store called The Hub. North Carolinians dressed their families in clothes from The Hub during the hard years of the ’40s and bought new purses and ties there during the post-war boom.

Levine grew up in and around the store, watching his parents buy low and sell a little less low. In 1959, Levine took his lessons and $6,000—every penny he owned—and started a new kind of retail empire. Nothing in Levine’s little Charlotte store cost more than $2. That was his boast. That was the point.
Levine called his store Family Dollar. He soon opened another location, then another. By 2009, Family Dollar Stores was a publicly traded, Fortune 500 powerhouse. Competitors like Dollar Tree and Dollar General began springing up in neglected storefronts wherever the square footage was cheap.

As a result, there’s probably a dollar store within walking distance of your home. And you should definitely visit.
We’re not saying that everything in the average dollar store is a good value, though. You’re better off paying for top quality with some things, like mattresses, shoes, and produce. But why pay more for paper products? Why go name-brand on plastic cutlery?
True thrifty consumers don’t write a single shopping list. They write several: one for the grocery store, one for the farmers market, and one, yes—a sizable one—for the dollar store. If you’d like to do the same, here’s what you should write on your dollar-store shopping list.

1. The Key to Clean Dishes

Sure, you could buy an $8 all-natural sea sponge to scrub your dishes. But what happens when it starts to stink? You could end up shelling out $8 a week just to keep your dishes clean.

We didn’t pull that once-weekly figure out of nowhere, either. As we’ve mentioned previously on HealthyWay, sponges pick up tons of bacteria, and there’s no way to effectively sanitize a sponge.
A recent study discovered just how frighteningly active the microbiome of your average kitchen sponge actually is.

The authors of the study concluded that “we … suggest a regular (and easily affordable) replacement of kitchen sponges, for example, on a weekly basis.” So drop by your local dollar store and stock up. You’ll save a fortune, and you might even prevent an illness.

2. Household Chemistry

You can’t really mess up household bleach. It’s just a chemical, a mixture of sodium hypochlorite and water. Same with ammonia, really. It’s just nitrogen and hydrogen.

This is not to say these products are “safe.” They’re both highly toxic, and if you mix them together, you get poison gas. So don’t do that.
But there’s also no reason to pay a premium for a fancy bottle and a name brand. Bleach is bleach is bleach, for the most part, and you can usually pick the stuff up cheaper from the dollar store than from your local dealer of artisanal, hand-crafted bleach.

(If you don’t have one yet, just wait; the neighborhood will get there.)

3. The Most Necessary Product in the World

You’d think toilet paper would rank pretty high on our list of must-splurges. There’s a lot at stake. But when we started looking closer at the claims of the name-brand TP czars, we found that the premium products don’t always justify the price.

Consumer Reports has been tracking major toilet paper brands since 2009. Between then and 2015, the magazine found, some of the leading manufacturers have shrunk their rolls by more than 20 percent. Meanwhile, they’ve justified price bumps with vague claims.
By switching to certain totally decent store brands of toilet paper, consumers can save around $130 per year, Consumer Reports found. Go ahead and thrift out on this necessity. You can strike a balance between the needs of your backside and your pocketbook.

4. A Smile in an Envelope

Millennials are always surprising the folks whose job it is to figure out what to sell to millennials. For instance, did you know that young adults love greeting cards?

“The demographic has really shifted,” Sarah Turk, an analyst who studies the stationery industry for IBISWorld, told the Boston Globe. “Instead of it being more of an older consumer that values paper, we’re seeing a lot of millennials also purchasing paper products. I think that, especially in a digital age, paper now has more value than it ever has.”
That is true in a literal sense. The price of the average greeting card hovers between $2 and $4, according to the Greeting Card Association. The Boston Globe story refers to millennials spending up to $8 for a fancy new paper card.

We’re thrilled that millennials are into greeting cards, but it’s time for them to take the next step: buying cheap. And that means a trip to the dollar store. The sad truth is that once delivered, greeting cards might hang around on a fridge for a year or two, tops. Ultimately, they all end up in the recycling bin. Why throw $8 away when you could throw away a single Washington?

5. Paper Plates and Plastic Cutlery

We actually don’t have a whole lot of deep analysis for this one. It seems pretty obvious.

Save money on your next picnic by spending less on things you’ll only be tossing soon.

6. The Final Touch for Any Great Gift

The same principle holds here: Products that are destined for the recycling bin—or worse, the landfill—shouldn’t be too expensive.

We can’t think of anything more temporary than wrapping paper, which you can pick up on the cheap at the dollar store. And you should.

7. Garden-Fresh Decoration

Frugal florists have a secret. They get their vases for a fraction of the price their wholesalers charge—and all they have to do is take a trip to the dollar store.

We’re not sure how or why dollar stores offer the cheapest vases you can get (short of visiting the sell-by-weight Goodwill outlet, which is another story entirely). But they do. The next time you need a vase for your own backyard bouquet, look no further than your nearest dollar store.

Reimagining the Dollar Store

As we compiled this list, we began to notice a pattern emerging. The real dollar-store deals seem to cluster around a common theme. They sell everything you could ever want for a party. Specifically, a child’s birthday party.

Just picture it. You stock up on your paper plates and plastic forks for cake. You buy plenty of low-priced birthday cards; kids don’t value hand-made Amish paper curling, anyway. Then, when the chaos subsides, you clean up after the kids with all the low-cost cleaning supplies you picked up. It’s almost like it was designed this way.
Dollar stores could just as easily be considered children’s-birthday-party stores.
That’s a heavy legacy for good old Leon Levine, the father of the dollar-store concept. He would probably disagree with our analysis. Since the first Family Dollar opened in 1959, the industry has rooted itself firmly within the broader American retail landscape—which, admittedly, covers a lot more than birthday parties.

Between 2010 and 2015, the U.S. dollar store industry boasted a 50 percent growth rate. It was worth a total of $45.3 billion by the end of that growth period. That’s a lot of $1 items—45.3 billion of them, to be exact. May some of them be yours, and thereby may you save.

Tags 50032536, care, hemingway

Nosh

This Is Why You Can't Stop Snacking During Your Flight

Post author By HealthyWay Staff Writer
Post date August 11, 2017

Let’s start with stress eating.
According to science, when people get stressed out, they “turn to hyperpalatable comfort foods such as fast food, snacks, and calorie-dense foods, even in the absence of hunger and lack of homeostatic need for calories,” according to a study conducted by Yale University researchers.

You know what’s stressful? Taking cell-phone video of a guy getting roughed up on an airplane. Listening to your pilot come unhinged over the intercom. Being Ann Coulter. We could go on, but we don’t want to contribute to your stress eating.
The point is: Commercial air travel is inherently stressful. Even more noteworthy: When we fly, we eat like there’s no tomorrow.

In fact, a commercial flight is the perfect storm of mindless munching. The urge to snack en route seems to be universal, but stress isn’t the only culprit. Here are a few more factors that give you Cookie Monster–level desire for empty calories when you fly.

Flying is boring. Food is not.

Even in the days before we associated commercial flights with terrorism, increasingly smaller seats, and meal deprivation, we have to imagine it wasn’t ever exactly fun to fly. For passengers, once you make it through security, cram your carry-on overhead, and find your seat, flying is essentially just sitting in a cramped chair for a few hours. No fun.

Cell phones exist, so the age of boredom is supposed to be over, but have you ever tried to use the in-flight wifi? It is slow. It is unreliable. In fact, air travel pretty much proves that boredom can’t be defeated.
Your first flight is pretty amazing; you are hurtling through the air and it’s incredible.

Pretty soon, though, things get mundane. The “fasten seatbelt” light gets boring. The crew’s preparation for gate departure gets boring. Placing your seatbacks and tray tables in their full, upright positions gets boring.
And boredom is a one-way ticket to Snack Town (service by Delta, United, and American, so pick your poison). A 2012 study from the journal Health Psychology concluded that “boredom is an important construct and … should be considered a separate dimension of emotional eating.”

In short, people tend to snack when they’re bored, and people tend to be bored on airplanes. You do the math.

Flying dehydrates us, and we are no good at telling the difference between thirst and hunger.

After a long flight, you might sense that your dry skin is out of control. That’s not just your imagination. In fact, the air you breathe during a flight has to come from somewhere.

Specifically, it has to come from outside. But the air outside an airplane is very different from the air you’re breathing right now (unless you’re lucky enough to have in-flight wifi that actually works).
At 30,000 feet, the air essentially freeze-dries itself. It’s so cold that the airplane has to warm it on its way into the cabin. This heating process quickly robs the air of most of the moisture it otherwise would’ve had.

According to the World Health Organization, humidity in airplane cabins is usually below 20 percent. By way of comparison, if you’re reading this in your house, the humidity is probably more than 30 percent.
Getting dried out can make you thirsty, and thirst mimics the symptoms of hunger. Danyale McCurdy-McKinnon, clinical psychology director of the Fit for Healthy Weight Clinic at the University of California, Los Angeles, told TODAY that you should make sure you’re drinking enough before starting to nosh.

“If it’s only been a couple of hours since you’ve eaten and you feel hungry, try drinking some water first,” McCurdy-McKinnon said. “And if you still feel hungry then have a snack.”
So say yes to that ginger ale or tomato juice that your flight attendant so politely offers you. In fact, try the tomato juice. Oddly enough, science suggests that it tastes better in the air than it does on the ground.

Things taste different above the clouds.

Not long ago, the German airline Lufthansa noticed something peculiar. They were serving something like 53,000 gallons of tomato juice every year, far more than they’d expect. What gives? The executives asked.
According to an NBC news report, Lufthansa hired a research company called the Fraunhofer Society to figure out why people chug so much tomato juice on airplanes. It’s not like tomato juice is a favorite on the ground. What changes up in the air?

To find out, researchers from the Fraunhofer Society sent their subjects into a super-realistic flight simulator housed in the dismembered fuselage of an old jet. The researchers recreated the environment of an airplane at cruising altitude—complete with cabin pressure—and served beverages including tomato juice.
Most of the subjects agreed: The tomato juice was way better up there than it was down on the ground.
“We learned that tomato juice being on ground level is rather—I’m not saying moldy, but it tastes earthy, it tastes not overly fresh,” Ernst Derenthal, Lufthansa’s catering executive, told NBC. “However, as soon as you have it at 30,000 feet, tomato juice shows, let’s say, its better side. It shows more acidity, it has some mineralic taste with it, and it’s very refreshing.”

Okay, so people like tomato juice on airplanes, but there’s more than altitude at work here.
The NBC report attributes people’s love of airplane V8 to the dampening effect that flying has on the taste buds. In low pressure, your taste buds get a little less oxygen than they’re used to and lose a little sensitivity. Plus, the low humidity dries out your mouth, further diminishing your sense of taste. Tomato juice just happens to be one of the beverages that actually benefits from less-sensitive taste buds.
A 2015 study from Cornell University suggests an even weirder explanation: The sound of the engines makes us crave umami, a savory flavor that tomato juice offers in abundance.

But we’re not just talking about tomato juice. Maybe people like to snack on planes because their taste buds act so differently—maybe it’s all a big, semi-conscious experiment. What does a pretzel taste like in the air? A strawberry? Could they be as good as tomato juice seems to have become?
One more word about tomato juice: Derenthal suggests one more reason people order it so often on airplanes.

“Many people, they have not made their minds up, and just wonder, ‘What should I drink? In two minutes I will be asked by the flight attendants,'” Derenthal said. “And then you see someone in front of you having a tomato juice and you think, ‘Why not? That’s a good idea. Oh, I’ll have the same as the gentleman in the other row.'”

Other people on airplanes snack. Why should we resist?

Of course, the real reason that we gobble everything in sight as we hurtle through the clouds might be really simple. It could just be that everyone around us is already doing it. We’re social animals. We’re impressionable—especially when it comes to comestibles.

A 2014 literature review from the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics suggests that other people’s dining habits rub off on us easily.
The authors looked at 15 experimental studies and concluded that not only do the dining choices of peers affect what we eat, but we don’t even have to see them eating to get the effect. They can just tell us about what they eat.

“The evidence reviewed here is consistent with the idea that eating behaviors can be transmitted socially,” Eric Robinson, the study’s lead investigator, said in a press release.
In other words, when your neighbor asks for extra peanuts, you might make the same request.

Add up all of the above factors and it’s a wonder we don’t gorge ourselves even more when we fly. Fortunately, the peanut and pretzel packages are very small. Maybe that’s not the airlines cutting corners again—maybe they really are looking out for their customers.

Tags 50031921, fuel, hemingway

Motherhood

The Real Reasons Fewer Millennials Are Having Kids

Post author By Mary Sauer
Post date August 11, 2017

Even though millennial women account for the majority of mothers in the United States, they’re having fewer children than previous generations, according to a May 2017 report by the Pew Research Center.

This same study shared that millennial women who did choose to become mothers were waiting longer than ever before, with the mean age of mothers at the time of their first birth being 26. In 1970 the mean age was 21.
So, what accounts for millennials’ lack of enthusiasm for becoming parents? Is it because they’re self-centered, entitled, and lazy, like other generations seem to believe? Not surprisingly, it’s not that simple. In fact, this generation of adults are pretty clear on why so many are planning to opt out of parenthood altogether.

Women are under less pressure.

These days, one-fifth of women will not have children at all, according to the Pew Research Center. One obvious explanation for this change is a shift in what is expected of women.

Previous generations experienced a lot of pressure to bear children, but that isn’t the case for today’s woman. Instead, people are more likely to see the choice to remain childless as a personal decision, leaving women be to make decisions about motherhood based on their own desires and circumstances.

Women have more options.

Women are not only free to make their own choices about whether to have children, they also have more choices in general. If they decide motherhood isn’t for them, there are more alternative options to consider.

Today’s woman can get an advanced degree, pursue a challenging and exciting career, run her own business, and remain single with plenty of options for their future.
This certainly hasn’t always been the case, and some women of the past may have felt marriage and motherhood were the only options they had after a certain age.

Millennials aren’t that financially secure.

Money is a big stressor for most adults, but this generation seems especially worried about their financial future. This should come as no surprise. Millennials, on average, are more highly educated than previous generations, but they’re making a lower income, according to The New York Times.

Without the security of a healthy income, young adults simply don’t feel ready to make the jump into parenthood, what with the cost of diapers and daycare.
Add to this the stress of debt—probably from the college degree they thought would set them up for financial security—and it really makes sense why money is holding some millennials back from having kids.

Millennials aren’t ready to commit.

It seems that fewer millennials are having children because fewer millennials feel ready to commit to marriage.

As progressive as this generation may be, many still believe that marriage should come before children. Unlike previous generations, their reasons are less about morality and more about providing financial security to their offspring.
Financial concerns are to be blamed for millennials’ apprehensions about marriage as well, since more millennials believe that putting off marriage is better than being married without a strong financial foundation.

Millennials are worried about college.

Yes, you read that right. Fewer millennials are having kids, because they are worried about the cost of college.

It isn’t their own college education they’re stewing about, though. Instead they’re opting out of parenthood because they’re not sure they’ll be able to afford putting their own kid through college.
It may be a pretty fatalistic perspective, but it makes sense. The cost of college tuition is rising. Millennials know what it’s like to be burdened with student loans, and they believe college is a big part of a successful future.
If they’re not certain they can put their kids through college, they’d rather not take the risk. There seems to be a common theme among millennials who don’t want children—they’re worried about money.

Millennials have lost faith in the American Dream.

Go to college, get an awesome job, get married, and have kids. That’s the formula for a happy life, right?

If you’re feeling a little skeptical, you just might be a millennial. This generation is less enticed by the idea of the American Dream. Specifically, fewer millennials see value in trying to balance a demanding career and a family life.
For women especially, the American Dream doesn’t seem to be much of a reality—and even if it were possible, it doesn’t sound all that enjoyable.

This is because for women, having kids often requires adjusting or leaving their careers or working a “second shift” after they clock out while men keep advancing along on their path to success.

Family life in the United States is the worst.

It may sound cynical, but millennials don’t love the idea of raising a family in the United States because our society simply isn’t built for family life. Take maternity leave, for instance.

Professional women who want to become mothers have to face the fact that the United States has quite possibly the worst maternity leave options, without any mandated paid leave available to new moms.
Once you head back to work, things just get more complicated. Middle-income earners won’t qualify for daycare assistance but really can’t afford it on the money they’re making.

So many millennials look at the current state of things and decide that having a child would be near impossible to pull off in their situation.

Millennials are really smart.

Before you jump to any conclusions, we’re not trying to imply that it’s smarter not to have kids. We’re just pointing out that women with an advanced degree are less likely to have children.

Perhaps it comes back to student loans or maybe it is devotion to a career. Whatever the reason, there is some kind of connection between being highly educated and deciding not to become a parent.
We also know that millennials are the most educated generation to date, so it seems to make sense that they’re having fewer kids, too.

Millennials are worried about the future of the planet.

Most millennials aren’t anticipating a zombie apocalypse, but they are genuinely concerned about the future of planet Earth. Climate change is on the minds of many young adults—so much so that they aren’t sure it makes sense to bring children into the world.

For starters, having kids increases a family’s carbon emissions. From producing more waste to consuming more energy, it makes sense that having fewer kids is one option being considered by adults who feel a strong personal responsibility to do something to slow climate change.
Of course, personal responsibility for the Earth isn’t the only climate change–related motivation for avoiding parenthood.

For millennials there is also fear, according to NPR. Since some scientists believe that the consequences of climate change are just around the corner, millennials really do worry about what kind of world their hypothetical children could be living in.
Perhaps it goes without saying, but not everyone sees eye to eye with a decision to remain childfree. Some have expressed a concern about falling birthrates and the effect on the economy. And some just want a grandbaby.

When it comes down to it, the decision is a highly personal one. Whether it is motivated by the burden of finances or being stressed out about the future of mankind, millennials don’t necessarily owe older generations an explanation for their choice to remain childfree.

Tags 50031171, hemingway, parenting

Sweat

6 Fitness Myths That Are Doing More Harm Than Good

Post author By Lisa Douglas
Post date August 11, 2017

If personal trainers had a dollar for every time a woman came into the gym saying she doesn’t want to lift weights because she’s afraid of getting bodybuilder muscles, none of them would have to get up at 4 a.m. to support themselves anymore.

The theory that working with dumbbells causes women to make incredible gains in muscle mass, giving them a “powerlifter look,” is a myth and does a disservice to women.

Weight training can do great things for the body. It strengthens bones, increases metabolism, and, yes, builds muscle.

But without the assistance of supplements, women are incapable of getting as big as male bodybuilders, because they don’t have the same testosterone coursing through their veins.

If this comes as a surprise to you, it’s in your best interest to consider these fitness myths to spare yourself from wasting any time—or worse, hurting your body.

Myth #1: The best time to work out is first thing in the morning.

We think a morning person originated this myth! In truth, there aren’t any studies to corroborate the idea that one time of the day is better than another for pursuing physical health and success.

Since consistency is key to exercise adherence, the best time of the day to work out is whatever time of day you’re actually going to do it.

Everyone has habits and patterns, and by trial and error, you’ll be able to figure out when you most enjoy working out and are best able to fit it in.

As a side note, studies have shown that people who work out in the morning tend to feel more energized and alert throughout the day.

Myth #2: Exercise is the best way to lose weight.

Although exercise can burn calories, increase your metabolism, and make your body look more toned and healthy, exercising alone isn’t the best way to lose weight. When you’re looking to make a significant change on the scale, you can’t assume that you can eat whatever you want and just “work it off” later.

Studies have shown that it’s not lack of exercise that causes people to be overweight; it’s unhealthy dietary habits. The first step toward reaching your weight loss goals is adhering to positive dietary change. Only after you’ve established a healthy diet can you expect exercise to boost your weight loss potential.

Some research does show that when exercise and diet are combined, people lose weight much faster than by dieting alone, and they keep it off more consistently. Still, research widely points to diet playing a much bigger role in weight loss than exercise does.

Myth #3: Sit-ups are the best exercise for your abs.

Ah, the dreaded sit-up—hated by every grade-schooler who was made to do as many as possible in a minute for the Presidential Fitness Test. Unfortunately, as hard as sit-ups may be, they don’t actually do a whole lot for your core other than leave it in pain.

Sit-ups are hard on your back and hip flexors, can pull on your lower back, and only target a few muscle groups in an isolated manner.

We know your high school gym teacher (and the president) thought sit-ups were the bomb, but there are other safer and more effective exercises that target your abs.

One in particular is the plank. This core winner engages a balanced set of muscles located around the front, back, and sides of your body and gives you a chance to stretch your back (or, more technically speaking, your posterior muscles).

Myth #4: Sports drinks are the best way to rehydrate after a workout.

We know you want this one to be true (because that blue electrolyte powder is just so tasty), but unfortunately, most sports drinks are filled with sugar and preservatives that don’t do much to refuel you—unless you’ve engaged in a seriously intense workout or been exercising for more than an hour, that is.

In short, refueling after a quick jog around the neighborhood or a pickup game of basketball requires nothing more than a nice tall glass of water.

Now, if you’ve committed yourself to the town’s 10k and are sweating like a wrestler in a rubber suit, experts say you’ve got to replace your electrolytes and refuel properly.

New studies show that the best way to do this is not just with carbs and electrolytes, but with a little protein in the mix as well.

A study conducted in Spain with 24 elite cyclists showed that after 60 minutes of physical activity, beverages that contained protein and carbohydrates were absorbed better and refueled the athletes more efficiently than carb–electrolyte combos alone.

So if you’re on your way to do a half marathon, pick up a sports drink that’s got some protein in it for after the race.

Myth #5: It takes two weeks to get out of shape.

If it takes forever to get in shape, it should take just as long to get out of shape, right?

Unfortunately, no.

The two-week rule that floats around some gyms and keeps not-so-motivated exercisers feeling confident their gains won’t go to waste if they ditch out for 14 days is, for the most part, wishful thinking.

On the whole, the old “use it or lose it” adage is accurate when it comes to exercise and the body.

A study of runners, rowers, and power athletes found that overall muscular strength can be maintained for as long as a month after an athlete stops their training activities but that their sport-specific skills went into decline around the two-week mark.

More specifically, slow-twitch muscle fibers in runners and fast-twitch fibers in powerlifters declined after 14 days.

And what about cardio? Well, those gains don’t fare as well when discipline goes by the wayside. Another study found that after just 12 days of inactivity, VO2 max (the maximum amount of oxygen the body can use) dropped by 7 percent, and endurance-associated enzymes in the blood decreased by 50 percent.

The moral of the story? Even though periodic rest is good for the body (and the soul), you may not want go more than a week without doing some sort of cardio, and you’ll want to get back to your strength training within a two-week timeframe.

Myth #6: Weightlifting turns fat into muscle.

“Transform your fat into muscle!” promises another fad fitness infomercial. As real (and exciting) as the actors make it sound, the reality is that you can’t turn fat into muscle.

Fat-to-muscle magic is impossible, because fat and muscle are two different types of tissues.

Fatty tissue is found between muscles and around internal organs like the heart and liver, whereas muscle tissue is found throughout the body.

Strength training builds the muscle that surrounds fat, but it doesn’t replace it. Muscle does, however, in an indirect way, use burned fat as energy to grow.

This is where the myth may have come from in the first place.

Diet and exercise create opportunities for fat to be broken down into fatty acids and glycerol, which are absorbed into your bloodstream then used by your muscles for energy.

Tags 50027001, body, hemingway

Wellbeing

Here's Why You Like To Curse When You're Stressed Out

Post author By HealthyWay Staff Writer
Post date August 11, 2017

Sorry, moms and dads. Scientific studies about the benefits of four-letter words just keep coming. Cursing can reduce stress and increase strength and pain tolerance.

Scientists don’t fully understand the reasons behind these phenomena, but they’re onto some clues. Benjamin Bergen, author of What the F: What Swearing Reveals About Our Language, Our Brains, and Ourselves, talked with Vice about swearing and the reduction of stress.

Benefits from swearing are related to our fight-or-flight response.

“It helps you pick the right thing to do when expressing strong emotion,” Bergen said. By uttering words that are taboo, we’re actually taking a step toward deciding how to handle a situation.

You might be surprised to learn that curse words come from a completely different part of the brain than most language. “Spontaneous emotional speech” originates in the basal ganglia, which is a more primitive part of the brain. All vertebrates have a basal ganglia (which leads us to believe that most animals would curse if they had vocal cords).

Researchers have proven that swearing can also increase strength and pain tolerance.

Richard Stephens of Keele University has conducted extensive studies on the effects of cursing. Two of his more interesting findings are that cursing can make you both stronger and more tolerant of pain.

In the strength study, Stephens had participants complete a test of anaerobic power—once after cursing and once after not cursing. The participants performed better in two measures of strength—one on an exercise bike and one a handgrip test—after they’d been given free rein to curse.

Stephens still does not understand why cursing increases people’s strength. He believes it has something to do with the body’s sympathetic nervous system. However, he could not find significant differences in heart rate or other quantifiable body responses that might have explained the differences in performances.

“So quite why it is that swearing has these effects on strength and pain tolerance remains to be discovered,” Stephens said. “We have yet to understand the power of swearing fully.”

In a separate test, Stephens showed that swearing helps people better tolerate pain.

In this study, Stephens asked participants to plunge their hands in a bucket of ice water. When participants repeated a swear word, they could stand the icy water for longer than when they repeated a neutral word.

There was one caveat: People who cursed more frequently in their daily lives experienced less of a painkilling effect. “Swearing is a very emotive form of language and our findings suggest that overuse of swear words can water down their emotional effect,” Stephens said.

That tidbit should console parents. If your children claim the right to curse in the name of its health benefits, remind them that they should do it less frequently to get the biggest effect.

Stephens may not understand how cursing unlocks these health benefits, but he plans to continue studying the topic. “We are just scratching the surface of how swearing can influence our emotions and how it can have impact in different situations,” he said.

“Whether swearing has beneficial effects in other contexts is something we would like to explore in the future.”

Tags 50033206, hemingway, mind

Motherhood

7 Things Kids Need To Do For Themselves Before They Turn 13

Post author By Mary Sauer
Post date August 10, 2017

Turning 13 is a major milestone. For many kids, it feels like one big step toward adulthood. Of course, teenagers don’t just take on the responsibilities of growing older on their own because they’ve turned a page on a calendar.

Parents play a big role in guiding their kids by equipping them with the skills they need to take care of themselves and contribute to society.
There are so many opinions out there on how to best raise teens that it can make it difficult for parents to know exactly what their kids need at each stage of their life. For kids who are about to turn 13, independence is likely the goal you both will have in mind.

Here are seven skills your kid needs before they cross over into their life as a teen.

1. Money Matters

By the time their thirteenth birthday approaches, young people should understand some basics about money and how to manage the money they earn. These skills are best taught through modeling and practice.

As their parent, you can model financial responsibility by talking openly with your kids about the decisions you make, from how you earn money to how you spend and save it once you have it.
Of course, hands-on practice is going to provide the most effective learning for middle school–aged children, so letting them earn some cash by providing an allowance or offering extra tasks to them at home is a great way to start teaching them lessons on money management.
At this age, kids need to have a practical understanding that money is not limitless, Anton Simunovic, founder of ThreeJars.com, told Money. To teach this skill, parents should really avoid bailing their kids out when their money runs out, especially since the consequences are pretty low risk at this age.

A 13-year-old should also understand and practice habits like spending and giving. As soon as your kid is able to earn money, they should be expected to save a portion and set aside a portion to practice charitable giving.

2. Scheduling Solutions

Up until this point, there is a good chance you’ve been helping your child get up and out the door for school and extracurricular activities. Before they hit their teenage years, shift this responsibility onto their shoulders.
Kids this age are more than capable of getting out of bed on time and getting ready for school without assistance or reminders. So set them up for success by giving them an alarm and talking through their morning routine once or twice. Then back off and let them figure it out.

Here’s the most important, and most difficult, aspect of teaching young teens to manage their own time—let them experience the consequences of their own actions if they choose not to get up and out the door in the morning.
This might mean they have to face a frustrated teacher or discipline from a coach who expects them to be at practice by a certain time. And that’s okay. Sometimes consequences that come from outside the family leave the most lasting impression.

“There are days [a child] will come racing out with only a few minutes to spare before they have to be out the door,” parenting expert Amy Carney told Red Tricycle. “The snooze button no longer feels luxurious when it’s caused you to miss breakfast.”

3. Courteous Communication

If your new teen wishes to be treated like an adult—and most do—they need to communicate with other adults with respect and clarity. For most parents, teaching respect to teens they perceive as moody and standoffish may feel impossible, but the truth is that teaching respect is best accomplished by modeling respect toward your teen.
Teenagers are wired to demand independence, which means they are less likely to comply with command-based parenting practices, according Carl E. Pickhardt, PhD, writing for Psychology Today. Parents must respect this desire for autonomy if they want their children to move toward independence and learn to communicate like adults.

For some families, this might mean giving space for teens to withhold information or being willing to enter into more discussion about family rules instead of simply expecting obedience without question. When a teen feels their personal boundaries are being honored, they are more likely to give respect back to their parents.
Of course not all teens struggle with respect. For some it is a lack of confidence that keeps them from engaging well with adults. In this case, parents should be careful to intervene if they notice their child is using technology as a tactic for isolating from social situations, Pickhardt wrote.

Instead, make sure your teen understands that you are on their side and want to help them find clubs, sports, or organizations that are a good fit for their personality and interests. It may take time, but social activities your teen enjoys are likely to be the best opportunity for practicing social interactions, according to VeryWell.

4. Body Basics

Those early teen years are full of changes for young people, and these changes are going to require your child to learn new self-care skills. Most teens want to care for themselves but feel intimidated by the task or are too embarrassed to ask their parents for help.

Bridge this sometimes awkward topic and offer to teach your teen what they need to know about taking care of themselves. For both sexes, this will mean keeping themselves clean, dealing with body odor, and safely grooming any newly growing hair.
Female teens may need instruction on buying undergarments for their changing bodies and taking care of themselves during their monthly cycle.

Talking about body-care basics is a great opportunity to further discuss sexuality. Long before your child has reached their teens, they should understand that they are expected to engage respectfully with romantic interests, and they should understand the consequences of engaging in risky sexual behaviors at this age.

5. Housekeeping Habits

Your teen is a member of your household, and it is perfectly acceptable to expect them to do their part around the home. Before the age of 13, your child should know how to do their own laundry, pick up after themselves, and clean the kitchen.

Middle school is also a great time to start teaching them how to cook basic meals for themselves and other members of the family. Along with cooking meals, teens should be expected to pack their own school lunches or budget to pay for lunch from the money they are given as allowance.
In many cases, parents put off teaching their children housekeeping habits simply because it feels easier to do it for them. In this case, it is essential to ask yourself what your goals for your child really are, says Amy Carney.

If your answer is that you want to raise them to be independent adults, then now is the time to start teaching them those skills. If you don’t, you just might find yourself with a high school senior who is still asking you to do their laundry and pack their lunch.

6. Academic Achievements

Most parents place a high priority on helping their teens reach their full potential, but by micromanaging your teen’s academics, you do more harm than good. Parents should find a balance, encouraging their teen and supporting them without doing their work for them or rescuing them from academic failure, according to U.S. News.

Of course, struggling students may need more help, but your average student should be able to meet deadlines without parent intervention, keep up with homework, and show up to class on time.
If your young teen is struggling with their academics, U.S. News suggests you don’t take over for them, but do have a heart-to-heart involving their counselor or teachers to find out what your child needs for academic success.

7. Navigation Necessities

New teens may not be ready to drive yet, but that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t be familiar with navigating the places they go most frequently.

Whether they’re catching a ride with another parent or walking to and from school, being able get themselves where they need to go will bring them one step closer to independence.
In fact, it isn’t a bad idea to teach your teen how to navigate using a compass, map, or GPS.

According to Idaho State University, these skills are invaluable and have practical applications beyond getting to and from school—such as avoiding getting lost or enjoying the outdoors without fear.
It isn’t uncommon for parents to put off teaching their young teens independence simply because it feels easier to manage their lives. In some cases, parents feel fearful about the consequences their child could experience when they manage their life themselves.

The truth is, the consequences of the mistakes your teen might make now are far less risky than releasing them into adulthood without the skills they need to care for themselves, engage in adult relationships, or manage their time and money.

Tags 50030711, hemingway, parenting