Author: Michael Taylor

Understanding And Overcoming Emotional Trauma

Post author By Michael Taylor
Post date July 11, 2018

While it’s tempting to think of emotional trauma as something that affects a small, unfortunate subset of the population, it’s an inaccurate assumption. In fact, this dismissal is part of the problem. There is a stigma associated with those suffering from trauma and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) that impedes their recovery, allowing shame and victim-blaming to diminish their experiences.

Perhaps if we recognized how common trauma is, we would be less afraid to discuss it. The statistics are sobering: According to the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs, “Approximately 70 percent to 90 percent of adults aged 65 and up [living in the U.S.] have been exposed to at least one potentially traumatic event during their lifetime.”
Adults aren’t alone in this regard—a 2011/2012 survey from the Data Resource Center for Child and Adolescent Health said nearly 35 million U.S. children aged 17 years and younger have experienced trauma in some form.

Given the majority of us have experienced a traumatic event, we must also realize that keeping it a secret, ignoring it, or trying to marginalize it only makes things worse. To move past it, or to at least keep it under control, there are plenty of treatment options, many of which we’ll discuss here.
So, let’s explore the different types of trauma and how they can be treated, along with the stories of people like Kristin Rivas, state-certified counselor and hypnotherapist, who not only confronted and triumphed over her own personal traumatic experience, but now dedicates her life to helping others in similar situations.

“Since my recovery, I’ve been committed to paying my health and healing forward,” she says, “by empowering others when I’m counseling or speaking, teaching mental health practices that I’m sure would have prevented my quarter-life crisis, as they say.”

Types of Emotional Trauma

Before you can treat emotional trauma, you need to identify what type you’re experiencing, as there are a variety of issues that can contribute to the condition.
While trauma can come from a variety of factors, the most common causes are abuse or assault—be it physical or emotional—from isolated events with strangers or from family, friends, and romantic partners.

In addition, experiencing a serious accident, surgery, or illness, witnessing a natural or man-made catastrophic event or tragedy (including military incidents), or grieving the loss of a loved one can cause trauma. Even history can lead to trauma, negatively impacting an entire community. This includes experiences like systemic racism, which can be transmitted across multiple generations.
Neglect is another contributing factor, according to Anahid Lisa Derbabian, licensed professional counselor. It’s particularly devastating to children.

“Emotional trauma comes in so many shapes, sizes, and situations. A subtle way may be when a mother is stressed and does not give her child the emotional availability, sensitivity, or compassion that she deserves, which leaves her feeling less than,” she says.
“It occurs when a busy father returns home, only to watch TV or get on the internet instead of to give his lonely son the time and attention that he longs for, which leads to him growing into a man who always is longing for something or someone.”

The Symptoms of Trauma

Now that we know some causes of trauma, the next step is to identify how they manifest, as symptoms can vary widely from person to person. The University of New England has even produced a trauma checklist to help identify symptoms for those wondering if they should seek treatment.
“Trauma manifests in many ways, including nightmares, easy startle response, increased anxiety, and fear,” says Scott Dehorty, LCSW-C, a licensed social worker and executive director of Maryland House Detox at Delphi Behavioral Health. It can often be distinguished by shock, denial, confusion, irritability, and depression.

A sense of isolation is also common. The shame many survivors feel causes them to withdraw from activities with others. “[This can also lead to an] inability to form close relationships,” Dehorty says.
Karen Carlucci, licensed clinical social worker, who not only treats trauma, but also dealt with it firsthand after the passing of her fiancé in 2001, says during her recovery, “[I often felt] like a foreigner in my own life. Nothing made sense. I was lost. …[I had] the sense that I was waiting to wake up from a bad dream. …I was uncomfortable no matter what I did and felt alone no matter who I was with.”

That last sentence marks an important distinction, as trauma symptoms aren’t strictly psychological. They can be physical as well, often presenting as fatigue, racing heartbeat, headaches, muscle aches and tension, dizziness, insomnia, and flashbacks.
These symptoms can also be present in PTSD, the most extreme response to trauma. People can experience PTSD for months or years after the initial traumatic event took place.
This was the case for Rivas who, in addition to surviving assault, struggled with the loss of her sister during college. “I had repressed my emotions … when I was a freshman in college and became as busy as possible, working part-time while going to school full time and committing to a bunch of extracurricular activities. …But suddenly, one day, my health fell apart.”

Rivas exhibited a less-discussed symptom of trauma known as conversion disorder (aka functional neurological disorder), which can cause numbness, blindness, or paralysis.
In Rivas’ case, she experienced non-epileptic seizures up to nine times a day, forcing her to use a wheelchair and wear a helmet for her safety.
While less-known to the public, a 2017 study showed a strong correlation between conversion disorder and childhood trauma: Between 50 and 55 percent of respondents named a stress factor as a trigger.

How Women Experience Trauma

While gender doesn’t determine who can experience trauma, women are more at risk. Rivas has seen this firsthand. “My practice is made up of approximately 60 percent women and 40 percent men,” she says. “I tend to do way more trauma clearing with my female clients, even if they came to see me for a seemingly unrelated issue such as weight loss or goal achievement. The traumas also tend to be more intense, and they tend to experience more consecutive traumas.”

According to a 2017 study from the European Journal of Psychotraumatology, “The lifetime prevalence of PTSD is about 10–12 percent in women and 5–6 percent in men.”
Rivas agrees: “Women have a higher risk of developing PTSD than men do, with a woman’s risk being around two to three times higher than a man’s. …Women, in general, are more exposed to trauma from a younger age than men.”
Hesitation to seek help can often worsen trauma symptoms in women. “Survivors often wait years to receive help, while others never receive treatment at all,” wrote the American Psychological Association on their website. This can eventually lead to a cumulative effect of mental and physical health implications.

“In regard to the disorders I used to suffer from, I’m aware of much higher rates in women versus men,” Rivas says. “Within their lifetime, women are twice as likely to suffer from somatic symptoms and conditions such as fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue, IBS, and functional neurological disorder.”

Options for Trauma Therapy

While dealing with trauma can feel overwhelming and hopeless, there are a variety of treatments to help conquer or manage symptoms. But Dehorty says the first step is acknowledging you need help: “The most important aspect to recovering from trauma is a willingness to get better. …It is also important to accept help from others, including loved ones. Trauma therapy is a specialized practice, and one should only seek treatment from a trained professional.”

Derbabian stresses the importance of listening to trauma survivors. “[Give them] the necessary time and space to share,” she says. “…Do not talk at or lecture to them. Help them to ground themselves in the present if they are living in past hurts and guide them to a therapist.”
Examples of trauma treatments include pharmacotherapy, which uses medications to manage symptoms, exposure therapy, which has the subject confront the source of their trauma in a controlled environment, and group therapy. “[Group therapy is] powerful in providing the opportunity to relate and share in a certain type of suffering which can empower participants to face what they have endured and overcome its debilitating effects,” says Carlucci.

Other recognized treatments include trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy, which is primarily targeted at helping children suffering from trauma and PTSD, and hypnotherapy, which uses hypnosis and suggestion to improve patients’ mental state—Rivas uses hypnotherapy in her own practice.

She also endorses biocognitive therapy. “[Biocognitive therapy] addresses the impact of cultural paradigms and the traumas or fears of being shamed, abandoned, betrayed, and rejected during your developmental years as it relates to your health and behaviors,” she says.

Write your own recovery.

In addition to seeking out therapy, those trying to recover from trauma can find relief in a variety of other methods. “Mindfulness, meditation, and yoga,” Dehorty says, “have been shown effective with healing trauma.” Even opening yourself to fun activities and experiencing (or creating) music can prove therapeutic.
Writing is another powerful tool to heal from trauma. Alex Harkola, who suffered from a severe childhood trauma, found it so helpful for his own recovery that he created Novni, which he describes as “an online writing and support platform for better mental health.” Now one of the top-ranked anonymous platforms for mental health support, Novni boasts users and participants from dozens of countries.

“There is great power in getting all the messy thoughts out of your head and into words,” Harkola says. “Throw all care for proper grammar to the side, and write your heart out. Don’t just take my word for it. There are proven therapeutic health benefits from writing, and, at the very least, it should help you de-stress. If you’re carrying an untold story within you, especially as it relates to some sort of emotional trauma you experienced, writing can help.”
This can also be helpful in creating a dialogue with others, he says: “Talking about your trauma to friends or family can be daunting at first. Think of writing as a test-run to help you visualize your thoughts first until you are comfortable enough to open up to someone you trust. The more you tell your story, the easier it becomes to process and eventually overcome.”

In addition to writing, Harkola adds that one of the most important ways to overcome trauma is through forgiveness: “Being able to forgive the person that caused you the emotional trauma might be the most important thing you can do of all. …As long as you continue to allow the emotional and/or physical damage to consume your life, the person who caused you this harm will have power over you and hold you back from living your highest life. Forgiveness is for you to regain your power, free your hardened heart, and mentally accept the fact that the past cannot be undone.”
And one of the most important people to forgive for your trauma is yourself. It’s not your fault, and making peace with yourself can help with the journey ahead. For Rivas, accepting and surviving her trauma has inspired her to share her story.
“My greatest goal is to empower more people,” she says, “especially youth, professionals, and parents, with greater understanding and skills for their own mental health and well-being.”

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Nosh

K-Cup Pileup: How Your Instant Coffee Habit Is Affecting The Environment

Post author By Michael Taylor
Post date June 4, 2018

For many of us, coffee is more than a morning pleasure. It’s an imperative boost to get us going in the morning or to reinvigorate our spirits in the afternoon.
Not everyone has the time (or budget) to hit up Starbucks or their local coffee shop of choice when their daily dose of java is required, though, and that’s where instant coffee makers come in. One of the most popular countertop fixtures is the Keurig, which offers selections that many feel are just as tasty and refreshing as anything their local barista can whip up.

But there is something coming between some owners and their Keurigs that is taking away from their coffee-sipping joy—the K-Cup, that small container which holds the components of their coffee or tea flavor of choice, has been deemed environmentally unfriendly. The bad rap has stirred up a Twitter rebellions and actually affected the company’s bottom line.

So, why are so many environmentalists condemning the K-Cup? And is their outrage earned or misplaced? Let’s look at the facts and what can be done to make our coffee habits better for the planet we share.

Is the K-Cup really that bad?

Let’s get right to it—is the K-Cup truly as bad for the environment as the headlines make it out to be? The answer is yeah, pretty much. It comes down to two things: how many there are and how hard they are to get rid of.
“According to Euromonitor, in the United States, consumers drank around 949,000 tons of coffee, making up about 97 percent of North America consumption, with 9 percent of the coffee that Americans drank at home being brewed from a pod,” notes Jennifer Kaplan, who teaches Food Systems at the Culinary Institute of America in Napa, California.

She also estimates that coffee pods are purchased in about “one third of North American retail coffee sales, and Keurig holds near-total control of the market.”
In 2015, Mashable estimated that around 9 billion K-Cups wound up in landfills in 2014; that same year, a similar piece in The Atlantic noted that discarded K-Cups placed end to end could wrap around the world 10.5 times.
What makes it so environmentally unfriendly? According to Jane Boland, a science research and development officer at Frontier, a non-governmental environmental organization, K-Cups are “made out of a blend of plastics (referred to in the plastics industry as plastic #7) which cannot be recycled—except potentially as plastic lumber, but most city recycling programs would not be able to support this.”

I wish people realized how bad #kcups are for the environment. Use a reusable cup and regular coffee! A tad less convenient but so much better for the earth. #EnvironmentallyFriendly #BluePlanet

— Alexandra H (@TheGlitterati) May 30, 2018

“Any cups that are recyclable would still require the consumer to completely separate the individual components—i.e., the tin cover and the filter—from the plastic before disposal in a recycling bin,” she says. “I assume that since the main driver of K-Cup use is convenience, the rates of people separating the components before placing in a recycle bin would be extremely low.”
And even if you did separate all your K-Cup components, the problem doesn’t quite go away.

“Most plastic from recycling programs is shipped to China, where 80 percent of what is usable material is downcycled into items such as fleece garments, which generate microplastics that end up in waterways after washing,” Boland adds. “The remainder is incinerated or buried. Additionally, in late 2017, China started to restrict imports of plastic waste from other countries, which is creating massive buildups of rubbish at recycling centers around the globe.”

Even the inventor of K-Cups is sorry he made them.

The K-Cup has become so hated by environmental groups—and is such a general lightning rod for bad PR—that even John Sylvan, Keurig co-founder and creator of the K-Cup, has misgivings over his invention.
“I feel bad sometimes that I ever did it,” he told The Atlantic.
Sylvan designed the original K-Cup back in the early 1990s, inspired to replace office coffee pots that would grow stale and bitter over the course of the day. His gamble that consumers would prefer a fresher tasting single serve option paid off, making the company worth over $14 billion in 2014. (Sylvan was bought out by Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, now Keurig Green Mountain, in 1997.)

He originally made the pods by hand before supply and demand afforded his company the ability to mass produce the product. But in that same piece, Sylvan recognized that he had, in effect, created a monster, noting the Keurig was “a single-serve delivery mechanism for an addictive substance.”
https://twitter.com/vandres114/status/998341715797954561
It was clear that Sylvan was stung by the criticism of his invention, but he used the profits he earned from Keurig to form a much more green-friendly venture to help offset his invention’s harm: ZonBak, a cost-effective solar panel company.

The company has provided a fix…sort of.

Once the word got out about the K-Cup’s environmental impact, many consumers were visibly upset and worried about contributing more waste to the planet. In 2011, backlash emerged on Twitter in the form of the #KillTheCup hashtag.
As a result, Keurig Green Mountain sold $60 million less in K-Cups than the year prior, a 2016 piece from NPR noted. Reporter Rebecca Wong noting the cups’ controversial nature was one contributing factor to declining sales: “I think that’s one of the biggest problems with a K-Cup is that it does have such a negative environmental impact and it’s something that Keurig has acknowledged.”
The previous year, Monique Oxender, chief sustainability officer at Keurig Green Mountain, told WTOP, “We’re tackling this on a number of fronts. It’s a tough challenge, but we are committed to solving it.” The company’s goal, according to the 2015 article, was to create a completely recyclable cup by 2020.

This did little to silence critics who felt the company was moving too slowly. In response to the continuing outcry, Keurig Green Mountain announced in 2016 that a fully recyclable K-Cup model, composed of polypropylene, was on the way. It was only a bandaid on a much bigger wound, however, as it was limited to just four of their signature flavors.
“Recyclable as they may be, the new cups are not compostable. They are not reusable,” a 2016 New York Times piece pointed out. “And Keurig will still be selling billions of pieces of plastic each year.”

So, as the coffee drinking population waits for a truly environmentally conscious K-Cup to arrive, what are some more eco-friendly options in the meantime?

What’s a green alternative to the K-Cup?

While Kaplan says the most environmentally conscious alternative to a Keurig is to “not use pods” at all, a compromise is to “use My K-Cups or other reusable pods that can be filled with any standard ground coffee.” Those, she says, “eliminate the plastic used in disposable pods, and reduction of source materials is the highest order of resource conservation.”

“Reusable pods are still most likely made from plastic,” Boland cautions, “but there are other materials used, such as aluminum. I think the more salient issue is that they are less convenient.”
Instead of slaving over recycling something so decidedly hard to recycle, she instead advocates for “single-serve stovetop percolators, French presses, or coffee makers that automatically grind beans and deliver single servings.”
https://twitter.com/jamespmcleod/status/930412013297250304
Folks looking to ditch their Keurig for more environmentally friendly options are in luck, as there are many companies catering to their needs, including New Hampshire Coffee, which offers a 100-percent compostable coffee pod that can be used in their own system, or, with the additional purchase of a “pod holster,” can be used with Keurigs and similar coffee makers.
Another option is the Breville YouBrew system, a pod-free system which gives you the choice to brew everything from one to 12 cups.

Another alternative is Dean’s Beans, an organic coffee company founded on environmental activism. Founder Dean Cycon showed his anti-K-Cup commitment earlier than most—he actually turned down a contract from the manufacturer: “I refused to work with them until they created a more environmentally friendly cup.”
Instead, he was inspired to work on an alternative.

Dean supporting indigenous farmers in Africa (via Dean’s Beans)

“I decided that we would do it ourselves. …I contacted a lot of paper companies and cup manufacturers, and ultimately, one manufacturer came out with a recyclable plastic cup that we could use,” he says. “I was asked if I wanted to buy the machinery and own the patent for it, and I said absolutely not.”
“They should be made available to everybody, especially in light of the environmental catastrophe that the K-Cup had created. We have offered the recyclable cups for several years, and now they are ubiquitous.”

The entire coffee trade is harming for the environment.

It’s important to note, amongst all the heat Keurig has received over the environmental impact of the K-Cup, they aren’t the lone offenders from the coffee industry.
Environmental issues extend far beyond the K-Cup for coffee drinkers, which should give everyone patting themselves on the back for ditching a Keurig some pause. There’s still more work to be done.

A 2014 study published in Bioscience discovered that the impact of coffee farms on our planet has never been worse, the irony of which was not lost on co-author Shalene Jha, assistant professor at the University of Texas at Austin’s College of Natural Sciences.
“The paradox is that there is greater public interest than ever in environmentally friendly coffee, but where coffee production is expanding across the globe, it tends to be very intensive,” she notes.
The chief environmental problem posed by coffee farms is most of their product is grown in direct sunlight. Removing native forest trees has a detrimental impact on wildlife, including the already decreased bee population. It also results in less protection from erosion and worse air and water filtration. The study states that in 2010, 41 percent of coffee farmland had no shade at all.

The solution? Only buy coffee from certified coffee farms: “Our scientists say a certified coffee farm is the next best thing to rainforest,” Chris Wille, head of sustainable agriculture at Rainforest Alliance, told HuffPost in 2014.

What else can be done?

If you’re looking for other ways you can be more proactive in protecting the environment, there are plenty of options, and it can begin with small steps, according to Boland: “While it sometimes feels like our personal efforts to reduce the amount of waste we generate are a drop in the bucket, every action we take influences the social norms of the people around us.”
“Convincing your office to switch from plastic K-Cups to more sustainable alternatives, for example,” she continues, “may inspire one of your co-workers to stop buying vegetables wrapped in plastic at the local supermarket.”

These demands force corporations to change course or face the wrath of consumers.
“The K-Cup industry is already responding to increased demand from consumers for less plastic waste in our products, and supermarkets around the world are experimenting with plastic free aisles,” Boland says. “Every little action we take to reduce plastic in our lives contributes to this movement.”

So today, as you sit down with your cup of coffee, reflect on what steps you can take to make the Earth a greener place, and let that burst of caffeinated energy spur you into action.

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Health x Body Wellbeing

Less Noticeable Signs That Could Mean It's Time To See The Dermatologist

Post author By Michael Taylor
Post date May 30, 2018

While dermatologists provide a vital and well-recognized medical resource, many of us have too limited a view on the full range of their expertise.
Dermatologists are most associated with treating acne and skin cancer, but they can also treat and identify a host of other medical issues.

They’re also who we turn to when we wish to combat signs of aging with a variety of procedures and treatments to leave our skin more supple and taut and keep us looking our best. More importantly, however, they serve as the first line of defense in the battle against skin cancer, often picking up on crucial warning signs that could prove fatal if left undetected.
And for those suffering from painful and chronic skin conditions like psoriasis or eczema, they can offer much-needed relief through a variety of treatments.

But this is merely a portion of the important services a dermatologist can provide. They can also help identify other serious medical conditions, offering a variety of treatment methods to improve our overall health.
[pullquote align=”center”]“Skin and its various presentations can often offer us a unique insight into overall health.”
—Joel Schlessinger, MD[/pullquote]
So let’s look at several symptoms, what they could mean, and how a dermatologist can help. As always, knowledge is power, and a trained professional can help alleviate anxiety by providing a proper diagnosis and treatment plan.

Rashes and Bumps

An unsightly and uncomfortable rash can persist for a multitude of reasons, and board-certified dermatologist Joel Schlessinger, MD, says it is always important to find out the root cause.
“A rash could be caused by a new medication or it could be an indicator of a serious internal infection,” he states. “If a person’s skin is showing evidence of a significant internal problem, it is rarely the only symptom they are experiencing. Asking questions to gauge a patient’s overall health is crucial in diagnosing another condition.”

Rashes can also be the first signs of an autoimmune disorder. For instance, a butterfly-shaped rash on the face may signify that a patient is suffering from lupus. It’s important to note that lupus can also cause rashes on other areas of the body, as well as lesions that can erupt after sun exposure.
If a dermatologist suspects a patient has lupus, they’ll conduct a skin biopsy to confirm the diagnosis. Given the wide-ranging health impacts lupus can cause, a dermatologist will also refer patients to primary care physicians and specialists to offer a full course of therapy.

As far as dealing with the rash itself, dermatologists can help reduce skin inflammation with corticosteroids (either by ointment, pill, or injections) and provide recommendations for sun protection and skincare products.
Facial rashes marked by a bright red appearance, red bumps (and sometimes eye problems or even enlarged nose) may mark the presence of another condition known as rosacea.

“ma’am why are you blushing so much?”
me: “I have rosacea”

— shelby reddy (@shelburttt) May 27, 2018

Often affecting middle-aged women (although it can occur in any age group), rosacea is also hallmarked by a tenderness to the touch. Dermatologists can help treat it with a variety of methods, including topical ointments such as brimonidine, a gel which helps reduce redness, or azelaic acid and metronidazole.
For more extreme symptoms, antibiotics like doxycycline can help reduce bumps and inflammation, and for the most severe cases, the oral medication isotretinoin has proven effective.
In addition, a dermatologist can also address a variety of factors that can trigger rosacea (including, but not limited to, climate, stress, and diet) to help reduce recurrences.

Scaly Skin

“Scaly skin could mean diabetes,” Schlessinger says. “The patches of discoloration on skin that can sometimes accompany diabetes, for example, can occasionally be mistaken for dark spots caused by sun damage.”
He adds that these rough patches can often appear as “velvety-dark skin with bumps on the neck and underarms,” which “can signify the beginnings of diabetes or a potential concern for it in the future.”

Schlessinger notes that early detection is key to “observe and act upon as there is usually time to change sugar intake before [type 2] diabetes occurs.” The next stop would be a trip to the family physician for further diabetes diagnosis.
Other non-skin cancer causes for scaly skin could be eczema, psoriasis, ringworm, or hyperthyroidism to name but a few. Because of this, Schlessinger says a proper diagnosis is key: “It’s important to note that many skin conditions can mimic others, and appearance alone is rarely indicative of the exact problem at hand.”

Itchiness

We’ve all had annoying itches from time to time, be it a bug bite, a reaction to medication or chemicals, or an allergic reaction to food or the environment. But Schlessinger says itchy skin could also note another medical issue: vitamin D deficiency.

“It is not at all uncommon for me to see a patient who itches all over because of a low vitamin D level,” he states, saying the phenoments is often seasonal, and “happens more frequently in the winter and can lead to many symptoms, ranging from low energy to hair loss.”
He adds that a lack of vitamin D can also be observed via bumps on the back and chest. The good news is that vitamin D deficiency is easy to treat—your doctor may suggest supplements or dietary changes. Limited time in direct sunlight can also prove beneficial.

Good for you Beth! I’m with you, #Psoriasis is a nightmare, so itchy especially in the heat. Vitamin D is so good for your skin, and there surely can’t be anything nicer than a paddle in the sea on a hot day! Ahhh! ☺💦☀😎

— New Macdonalds Farm (@MatthewAndLou) May 20, 2018

Like scaly skin or rashes, it’s important to point out that itchiness can be attributed to other conditions, including dermatitis, psoriasis, and eczema. But having low levels of vitamin D is often linked with those skin issues as well, which makes it important to regulate. It can even be a symptom of diabetes as well.
But taking too much vitamin D may actually cause itching, according to a 2011 study. And a separate 2013 study by the Brazilian Society of Dermatology states that while vitamin D used to treat atopic dermatitis shows optimistic results, “future studies should investigate the optimal levels of vitamin D necessary to maintain cutaneous health.”

Hair Loss

When one has hair or nail issues, a dermatologist’s care may not immediately come to mind, but it’s important to note that both are made of the protein keratin and therefore fall under the dermatological umbrella in terms of treatment.
And they can be helpful in diagnosing the cause of hair loss, which, in addition to men, affects women for a number of reasons.

“Hair thinning and hair problems can be devastating especially for women,” Tess Mauricio, MD, fellow of the American Academy of Dermatology, says. “…When evaluating patients with hair problems, we take a full medical history and examine the scalp, skin, and even nails!”
She adds that there are various causes for women’s hair loss, including hormonal issues and pregnancy; and that “recent illness or emotional stress can cause hair shedding and hair thinning and a condition called telogen effluvium.”

As far as treating hair loss, Mauricio says there are a variety of methods, from the use of Minoxidil to “low level lasers, oral supplements and platelet rich plasma can help.” Stress relief and hormone replacement therapies can also prove beneficial.

Nail Changes

In addition to being associated with hair loss, Schlessinger says fingernails should also be monitored to reveal other health conditions: “Nails’ appearance can be a sign of various conditions and is important to recognize. Yellow nails, for example, can signify a bronchial infection or the beginning of psoriasis (even without any other skin changes).”

“Clubbing, where the nail curves over the edge and the pad of the finger enlarges or swells, can be a sign of heart or lung disease,” he says. “Lines with a slight indentation can indicate a shock to the system, such as poor nutrition or a form of nail shock from chemotherapy treatments.”
In addition to the aforementioned causes, the appearance of your fingernails can identify a host of other conditions. Pale nails for example, are a sign of anemia, while white nails can signify hepatitis. These are a just a few examples—your dermatologist can identify the proper cause.

And sometimes a yellowish nail signifies a fungal infection of the nail itself. Dermatologists can treat that issue with antifungals and antibiotics, along with self care regimens, including warm compresses and hot water soaks.

Be kind to the skin you’re in.

It’s important when reviewing these symptoms to remember that just because you’re exhibiting any symptoms on this list, you may not have any of the conditions we’ve listed. Everyone’s skin is different, and some are more sensitive and reactive than others. “Skin and its various presentations can often offer us a unique insight into overall health,” Schlessinger states.
Not only that, but skin changes over time—and as we age, we can all expect the occasional odd blemish, or bump. They’re often not serious (like benign cysts or seborrheic keratosis), and most are easily treatable.
But if you’re concerned, or just curious about a skin condition you’re currently experiencing, it’s best to save yourself the stress of self-diagnosing your symptoms on WebMD and get a professional opinion instead.

webmd says i have either the common flu or throat cancer

— isabella ♥️ (@isaaabellaferre) May 27, 2018

And while we’ve stated our intent of this piece was to focus on non-skin cancer related issues, we can’t stress the importance of regular skin checks by your doctor. If you’re looking for info on possible skin cancer symptoms that all women should know about, our recent article can help.

Just remember that keeping your skin in good shape has more than superficial benefits. They say it’s the inside that counts, and our skin can tell us a lot about our entire body. By taking care of our outer appearance, we can improve our overall health as well.

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Sweat

Wearable, Watchable: The Risks And Rewards Of The Fitbit

Post author By Michael Taylor
Post date March 7, 2018

The Fitbit has helped redefine how we keep in shape. By using a 3-axis accelerometer, it can read everything from how many steps we take to how many calories we burn to how much we sleep in any given day.
Fitbit enthusiasts believe the device’s ability to break down our daily activity into handy stats helps us tweak our health habits for the better, getting more in tune with our bodies in the process.

But does it really? Many have posed that question throughout the Fitbit’s rise to cultural ubiquity. Every couple of years, the device makes the news for reasons that have nothing to do with making us healthier. In fact, some critics suggest it may actually do the opposite.
The Fitbit, arguably the most popular of the slew of wearable fitness trackers, has been met multifaceted set of concerns and accusations. In 2014, a lawsuit arose after numerous customers reported a rash resulting from the Fitbit’s wristband. Two years later, Fitbit was met with another suit, this one alleging that the device’s heart-rate monitoring was inaccurate.
https://twitter.com/YahooTech/status/565886067426226176
In addition to health concerns, there have been ethical concerns raised regarding how the device stores our data. On one hand, Fitbit data has been used as crucial evidence in criminal investigations; on the other, the data can potentially be exploited, whether by hackers or insurance providers.
Yet the discussion isn’t all bad. Others claim, and rather convincingly, that Fitbit data has saved their lives.
Despite the Fitbit’s omnipresence in our society, you might be surprised by what you still don’t know about the device. Let’s take a peek behind the electronic curtain and explore whether the Fitbit’s risks are worth its rewards.

Legal Troubles

One of the Fitbit’s main selling points is its trademarked “PurePulse” heart rate monitoring technology, which keeps a continuous, ever-accurate check on your beats-per-minute. Or so they claim.
A 2016 class action lawsuit disputes the technology’s accuracy, with three plaintiffs claiming it misread their heart rates. One plaintiff stated her physical trainer manually recorded her heart rate at 160 beats per minute, but her Fitbit Charge HR showed only 82 beats per minute. When she requested a refund, she was refused.
The suit also included a study where a cardiologist said Fitbit’s heart rate sensor was repeatedly inaccurate, and that it often failed to record a heartbeat at all (for 110 beats-per-minute or higher). And for heart rates that were captured, the study claims it was off by an average of 24.34 beats per minute.

Fitbit disputed the study, calling it “biased,” “baseless,” and lacking “scientific rigor.” They added that it was funded by the defendant’s lawyers and used a “consumer-grade electrocardiogram, not a true clinical device.” They asked the judge to throw out the case.
Fitbit was further emboldened after Consumer Reports released their own findings asserting that the company’s tech was accurate, but things went sideways after a new court order appeared. It cited three Fitbit employees who claimed the company knew their product claims were faulty but refused to make the knowledge public for fear of losing revenue.
So, who’s telling the truth? We won’t know until the final verdict is rendered, because the judge refused to dismiss the case.

And while this is the most high-profile legal battle against Fitbit, it’s hardly the only one: A 2014 class action lawsuit arose after users claimed the Fitbit Force caused skin irritation and rashes (the company issued a recall of the model and offered refunds to all affected users).
Fitbit is facing two additional lawsuits: a 2016 San Francisco federal case accuses the company of false advertising (among other charges) in regard to its sleep tracking feature, and a 2017 case accuses the company of multiple patent violations. Given all these unresolved outcomes, Fitbit’s future as an industry leader is far from certain.

Fitbit data has been a huge help for law enforcement.

Fitbit’s presence in the legal world isn’t all negative. The device’s ability to track our activity has served as crucial evidence in criminal cases.
Fitbit data took a leading role in the investigation of the 2017 slaying of Connie Dabate. After her husband told investigators she was shot by an intruder, investigators felt there were holes in his story, and Connie’s Fitbit data proved she wasn’t where he claimed she was at the time of her passing. This data, combined with other findings, allowed police to charge the husband with orchestrating her demise. As of this writing, he is still awaiting trial.
https://twitter.com/SpencerSays/status/859494200139710465
Of the Dabate case, Lancaster, Pennsylvania, District Attorney Craig Stedman told The Hartford Courant, “To say it is rare to use Fitbit records would be safe. It is an electronic footprint that tracks your movements. It is a great tool for investigators to use.”
Fitbit data also made a legal appearance in 2015 in the case of Jeannine M. Risley.
Risley had filed a police report claiming she was assaulted at knifepoint. After authorities located her Fitbit (which she claimed had been lost in the struggle), the data didn’t back up her statements. After investigators downloaded her activity, it showed she was awake and moving during the time she claimed she was asleep. Combining this data with other evidence, local law enforcement charged Risley with “false reports to law enforcement, false alarms to public safety, and tampering with evidence … ,” according to ABC27.
The Fitbit’s power to store our information, used ethically and responsibly, is a valuable resource for law enforcement. But what if that data gets into the wrong hands? We’ll look into that next.

Hackers can find out where you exercise, when you sleep, and where you work.

In 2016, hackers successfully breached several Fitbit users’ accounts in an attempt to get replacement parts under warranty. The hackers were also able to gain access to users’ GPS history, which shows everything from where a person exercises to what time they go to sleep.

Those implications are frightening, according to Internet of Things (IoT) thought leader and author Scott Amyx: “Security continues to be one of the sorest points when it comes to wearables and IoT. Hacking into home security cameras and autonomous vehicles are threatening enough, but wearables provide attackers more sensitive information about one’s health, biometrics, and even sex life.”
If that last sentence raises some eyebrows, it should. In 2011, many sexual habits of Fitbit users began popping up in Google searches. That happened because many users didn’t know their profiles’ default privacy settings made their data available in search engine results.
To Fitbit’s credit, the company acted quickly and set user activity sharing to “private” in the device’s default settings.

Amyx says that a less-discussed security risk is how the devices could affect corporate networks: “One of the hardest aspects of wearables is firmware. What was appropriate for an exercise tracking device as it grows into something bigger, unless carefully managed and updated into the firmware, creates potential vulnerabilities. Especially in an enterprise BYOD—bring your own device—context where your employees are wearing these devices in your network, it could be the potential weak link in your already vulnerable IT infrastructure.”

Data Mining

In addition to hacking risks, there’s another privacy risk many fitness tracker users (and users of any technology, for that matter) might not be aware of: the selling of your personal data.
A 2016 report from the Center for Digital Democracy and American University looked into data collection for Fitbit (and other wearable electronics, like Apple Watch and Misfit). Such devices, the report said, “are already being integrated into a growing Big Data digital health and marketing ecosystem, which is focused on gathering and monetizing personal health data in order to influence consumer behavior.”

Amyx echoes these concerns: “Over the recent years, numerous platforms and services have cropped up that are sucking in health data from wearables, in some cases with compensation to consumers. For most, there are explicit opt-ins, but consumers are not always fully aware of the details in the privacy terms that might allow third parties and data aggregators to sell, distribute, and use their personal health data in ways that the consumer could never have imagined. For instance, a consumer may be unknowingly penalizing himself/herself by providing data, unbeknownst to the person, to an auto insurance company who will use the data to raise his/her premium.”

Sharing your data with Fitbit can in many ways maximize your experience with the product. Fitbit’s privacy policy says they use personal information to “provide, improve, and develop services.” They also use it to personalize your statistics, goals, and insights, and to “promote safety and security.”
But when that data is sold, it could lead to denial of health care coverage to affecting the outcome of personal injury claims, according to reporting in U.S. News and The Atlantic.
Note that the Fitbit isn’t the only device sharing personal data with outside companies—in fact, they’re not even the only fitness-tracking device to be doing so. It’s important that users understand the ways their gadgets handle their information. Oftentimes, you can alter your privacy settings to minimize the sharing of your data.

Fitbits And Eating Disorders

Beyond legal, security, and privacy issues, there is another aspect of the Fitbit worth contemplating, according to clinical psychologist Alexis Conason: It could be detrimental to those who suffer from eating disorders.
“One of my concerns with the Fitbit is that many of the programs translate into activities and calories burned,” says Conason, who specializes in treatment for overeating and body image issues. “… a lot of people struggling with eating disorders will get into that mindset of, ‘If I take that kickboxing class, I’m going to burn X amount of calories, and I just had a binge last night.’ … [We can also] get into doing exercise for the sake of trying to compensate for foods that we’ve eaten, which is the hallmark feature of bulimia.”

A 2017 study by Courtney C. Simpson and Suzanne E. Mazzeo supports this concern. The study featured 493 subjects, who either used fitness-tracking devices, like the Fitbit, or calorie-tracking devices.
The authors concluded that “fitness tracking, but not calorie tracking, emerged as a unique indicator of [eating disorder] symptomatology. This finding suggests that activity monitoring might be more aligned with disordered eating attitudes and behaviors than calorie tracking.”

Conason says obsessing over Fitbit data “can be very triggering to people who are at risk for an eating disorder” and suggests that instead of being reliant on such devices, we should more in touch with our individual health needs.
“Our bodies tell us what to do when we’re hungry, when we’ve had enough to eat, when we feel full, when we feel satisfied,” she says. “And, to me, that type of information is so much more reliable than what we’re getting from some arbitrary one-size-fits-all computer program.”

To Fitbit, or not to Fitbit?

It’s clear that there are many ethical issues worth contemplating regarding the Fitbit and other fitness tracking devices. Given so many potential problems and concerns, one can wonder if they really do more harm than good.
There’s plenty of good. Many people experience undoubtable benefits from the devices. The devices help them with their fitness goals, supplying them data they might not otherwise be cognizant of, all while lessening the extra expenses of personal trainers and repeated medical tests.
Patricia Lauder, a 73-year-old retiree from Connecticut, credits the device with saving her life. After recording an alarming resting heart rate number, she went to the hospital, where they discovered blood clots in her lungs, according to CNN.

Patricia Lauder, 73,believes her Fitbit saved her life. https://t.co/d7ZFI3AXci pic.twitter.com/IRJqs4Ny9H

— Global News Life (@GlobalNewsLife) April 7, 2017

And in 2016, then-18-year-old Sarah Jayne-McIntosh was rushed to the hospital after her Fitbit showed that her heart rate tripled at random. At the hospital, doctors discovered an undiagnosed heart condition, reported The Daily Mail.

The biggest risks with the Fitbit (and similar fitness-tracking devices) involve its data: We shouldn’t treat the results as infallible replacements for medical examinations, nor should we disregard the implications of internet-stored personal information.
In the end, knowledge is always power. We will have to wait to see the results of further studies (and the standing legal cases) to shape our future conversation regarding wearable fitness tech.

Tags social

Wellbeing

Man Up? According To Science, The Man Flu Might Have Merit

Post author By Michael Taylor
Post date February 9, 2018

Do men really complain more when they’re sick? Do they really act like big babies when they get the sniffles? That’s the subtext behind the “Man Flu,” that sarcastic phrase describing how men deliberately overplay symptoms of illnesses (like the common cold) to gain sympathy from their partner.
But is this comical perception that men handle illness worse than women accurate? Or is it just an insulting stereotype or urban myth?
Perhaps the Man Flu is more than just a dismissive, mocking term. What if it has merit? What if men actually do experience sickness in a different way than women?
Well, science is now playing a part in the discussion. According to medical professor Kyle Sue, MD, men might not be complaining just to get attention. They may actually feel as rotten as they claim.
https://twitter.com/ChristianPlante/status/959227888292769792
Sue released a study on Dec. 11, 2017, entitled “The Science Behind ‘Man Flu’,” “to determine whether men really experience worse symptoms and whether this could have any evolutionary basis.”

It is worth noting that Sue’s study was published in The BMJ’s December Holiday Issue, which is the one issue a year when the journal takes a tongue-in-cheek approach to its subjects. Sue writes that he was inspired to do the study because he was “tired of being accused of overreacting.”
But despite the article’s comedic angle, Sue wrote that the no joke: “Men may not be exaggerating symptoms, but [they] have weaker immune responses to viral respiratory viruses, leading to greater morbidity and mortality than seen in women.”

My daughter just told me I have the "manny-est man flu in all of mankind."

— Gareth L. Powell (@garethlpowell) February 5, 2018

So let’s take a look at the research to see why the Man Flu might not be such a laughing matter after all.

It’s all about the hormones.

Sue drew upon several studies of mice, which he declares are “good models for human physiology.” And his research revealed that female mice have stronger immune systems than male mice. The reason? Hormones.

Board certified infectious disease physician Amesh Adalja says that while more research needs to be done to validate Sue’s claims, his theory isn’t so far-fetched: “Men and women obviously have different levels of estrogen and testosterone, and those hormones do influence a person’s immune response. The majority of symptoms someone experiences with influenza are an interaction between the virus and the immune system. What some studies suggest are that the higher levels of testosterone that are found in men do cause a more robust immune response, therefore more severe symptoms. So there is biological plausibility for the experience of influenza being more severe for a male than a female.”

Dena Nader, MD, regional medical director at MedExpress Urgent Care, expands upon this, saying, “Men, in general, have weaker immune systems than women due to hormonal differences. Take the female hormone estrogen, for example. Estrogen boosts the immune system, which makes it easier for women to recover more quickly and may even help take the edge off of symptoms. The male hormone testosterone, on the other hand, suppresses the immune system and makes for a longer-lasting, more severe illness.”
What’s more, Nader says that Sue’s theory of an “immunity gap,” which suggests that sex hormonal differences may affect the effectiveness of flu vaccines “could also play a role in how well the immune system can do its job in protecting the body from viruses.”

It’s a numbers game.

Another factor that could support Sue’s theory is that men are more prone to illness. This evidence came to light in a separate study, done in 2010 by the University of Cambridge entitled “The Evolution of Sex-Specific Immune Defenses,” which used a mathematical model that posits that men get sick, and sicker more often, than women.

Olivier Restif, PhD, an epidemiology lecturer the University of Cambridge, discussed the study with The Telegraph, saying that “in many cases, males tend to be more prone to getting infected or less able to clear infection.”
Ultimately, the study states that sex differences in immunities came about due to evolution, leading to “lower resistance in males, ultimately leading to the counterintuitive situation where males with higher susceptibility or exposure to infection than females evolve lower immunocompetence.”

It suggests that men were more concerned with mating than with recuperating, while women were more focused on staying healthy.
More statistics seem to bear this out, including this 2014 study that revealed more adult men suffered lethal cases of the flu virus than women (regardless of other underlying serious conditions) between 1997 to 2007, while a 2015 study entitled “Age and Sex Differences in Rates of Influenza-Associated Hospitalizations in Hong Kong” observed that men under 18 and most over 40 were admitted to hospitals at a higher rate than women in those same age ranges.

Adalja adds that men make it worse for themselves since they’re less likely to go to the doctor than women: “There’s definitely a discrepancy between male and female health behaviors. …It’s hard to untangle some of the biology from some of the cultural differences between males and females. It’s true that if you wait longer to go to the doctor, your symptoms are going to be worse, and you have to couple that that there are some hormonal defensive issues with how males and females handle influenza viruses.”

It’s all in the mind.

It’s not just hormones or lack of self-care that suggests Man Flu might be for real. The mind could also be a major factor with how men process illness. And according to a 2016 study from Stanford University, another reason men may experience more severe flu or cold symptoms is about how big their brains are. Or at least, the size of their preoptic area.

It turns out that this portion of the brain, which helps regulate fevers during infections, is larger in men than women. This could potentially result in symptoms feeling more severe for men.
And there could be another mental issue at play: a separate study from the University of Glasgow suggests that men are less in touch with their biofeedback signals (which help us understand how our body feels), and that could result in reporting their symptoms are more severe than they truly are.

So…is the Man Flu real or not?

Can we now definitively say there is a Man Flu? And do men overstate their symptoms when they get sick? The debates continue.

I have the man flu, unlikely to last much longer. Tell my Twitter followers I lo…ach…arrrghggg

— Charles McGuire (@c_mcguire1982) February 7, 2018

Unsurprisingly, Sue’s study has had more than its fair share of critics. Ed Cara of Gizmodo took Sue to task for trying to sell satire as medical research, only to have the doctor double down on his observations. “The research is all real,” the doctor responded, “despite the humorous lens it’s being examined through.”
In an interview with CNN, Sabra L. Klein, PhD, associate professor at Johns Hopkins University’s Bloomberg School of Public Health, says that Sue’s research doesn’t factor in age, noting that while young men (pre-puberty) and men over 65 are consistently hospitalized more than women of the same ages; females are hospitalized more during their reproductive years as pregnant women have more severe reactions to the flu virus.
She also adds that studies in countries where women have less access to medical care could result in statistics that aren’t fully representative of their population: “In my opinion, we do not yet have enough science to conclude that ‘man flu’ is real.”
Adalja tends to think the notion of Man Flu is also a misnomer, as the study specifically looks at how both sexes react to influenza, not some separate strain of flu only men are prone to. In other words, if we’re going to seriously suggest men react stronger to symptoms, such a divisive, farcical term may be counterproductive.

Nader adds that even if Man Flu doesn’t technically exist, it’s worth acknowledging that the sexes do experience health issues quite differently: “For years, we’ve known that men are more prone to certain diseases, like diabetes and cardiovascular disease, and we test them earlier and treat them differently than we would a woman because of that. Why would the cold or flu be any different?”

How to Treat the Man Flu (If It’s Really a Thing)

So, to play devil’s advocate—if Man Flu is real (or if men experience the flu more severely, according to Adalja), what’s the best method of treatment?

Sue offered his own prescription in the conclusion of his study, which drew chuckles from some and eye rolls from others: “Perhaps now is the time for male-friendly spaces, equipped with enormous televisions and reclining chairs, to be set up where men can recover from the debilitating effects of man flu in safety and comfort.”
In the end, there are tried and true methods to treat the flu (or other respiratory infections), and they work for both genders: Drink plenty of fluids, get lots of rest, use humidifiers (or take hot showers to breathe in steam), and take cough suppressants and fever reducers if needed.

And if you’re still not better in five to seven days, head to your doctor for a checkup.
The Man Flu may be a source of humor to some and annoyance to others, but perhaps we can come together over the realization that it’s just no fun being sick, and no one wants to suffer in silence.
Maybe that last bit is key, according to Jennifer Capezzuti, DO, an internist with Tenet Florida Physician Services, who adds that to be fair to men, a 2010 survey showed that “women call in sick twice as often as men do.”
However, men shouldn’t feel too emboldened by that factoid, because: “Women are 10 times more likely than men to stay at home to care for sick children and elderly relatives.” She suggests that to truly examine whether the Man Flu is a thing, perhaps it is worth contemplating, “If a man has the flu in a forest and no one is around, is it still the Man Flu?”

Tags 50038151, care, hemingway, social

Nosh

Psychology, Made To Order: How Restaurants Trick Customers

Post author By Michael Taylor
Post date January 29, 2018

Eating out is an essential part of the American dining experience. There seems to be an eating establishment suited for every situation. If we’re in a rush, we make a dash to the local fast food joint. If we’re celebrating a special occasion, we like to dress up and enjoy a night out at a swanky, upscale restaurant.
But did you ever stop to think about why we’re drawn to eat at certain restaurants? And why we choose the food items that we do? Is it really what we naturally crave, or are there behind-the-scenes machinations influencing our decisions?
The truth is, there’s a deliberate strategy in nearly every aesthetic decision that comes with designing a successful restaurant. From the color schemes to the music to the menu, there are elements designed to elicit a psychological response from the customer.

So if you’ve ever wondered what tricks restaurateurs employ to earn your business, you’re about to find out. The answers may surprise you.

Musical Meal-odies

Lest you think the music you hear in your favorite eatery is a random choice, or just something that the staff wants to hear, think again. The choice of music in restaurant is picked meticulously to achieve the desired effect—to make you spend more money.
According to a study by the University of Leicester, playing classical music in an restaurant encourages customers to pay more because it makes them feel more sophisticated and affluent.

The tempo of the music you hear is also a factor in how you dine. There’s a reason slower, more relaxed music, like classical or jazz, plays so prominently in higher-priced eating establishments: The slower the music, the more inclined you are to relax and take your time finishing your meal. This means you’re also likely to spend more on food and drinks.
https://twitter.com/AlexPelayre/status/956710686293245952
Fast food joints have a different approach—the music is always upbeat and faster paced. This inspires the customer to order faster and eat quicker to encourage them to hurry up and leave to make room for the next person in line. Rosalin Anderson, chief branding officer for Just Salad, says picking the right music for your establishment is essential, and in their case, required some tweaking.
“When we started the business over 10 years ago, our ordering process was a little more hectic during the lunch rush and to offset this, we incorporated reggae music in all our stores, as it helped the customers to relax and stay in a more generous mood.”

Color Scheming

From the color of the logo to the wallpaper on the bathroom walls, a color scheme is another effective psychological method restaurants use to influence their customers.
The Cornell University study “Turning the Tables: The Psychology of Design for High Volume Restaurants” bears this out, noting that the color chosen for dining establishments “not only affects people’s perceptions and attitudes but can actually elicit a biological response.”
Yellow is an irritating color that can make people feel uncomfortable. Red, on the other hand, is a positive color and has been proven to stimulate our metabolism (and our appetite).

Now think about how many fast food places use red and yellow together: McDonald’s, Burger King, In-N-Out Burger, Pizza Hut, and Wendy’s are just a few prominent examples. Red makes customers hungry while yellow encourages them to leave quickly—that’s an effective strategy.

Upscale restaurants use a different tactic, which is why they utilize blues and greens so often. Both are relaxing to the eye, which works in the same capacity as slower music—it keeps you there longer, and you spend more money.

A Light Meal and Sound Nutrition

Another integral aspect of the dining experience is choice of lighting, which makes sense: You want to be able to see your food (and you want it to look appealing). But you also want to look attractive while you’re eating as well.
In an interview with The Independent, Tom Strother, co-founder and creative director of interior design firm Fabled Studio, said, “From a psychological point of view, one of the key aspects to a restaurant’s design is the lighting. It has to be soft and flattering to make guests feel comfortable so that they are confident and relaxed.”

Fast food doesn’t operate the same way, as we’ve already covered, and by using cheap overhead fluorescent lighting (which is always unflattering), it encourages people to leave. But this also comes at a steep price—our health.
According to a 2012 study by Cornell University, harsh lighting can actually encourage us to overeat, and by modifying a fast food restaurant to adopt softer lighting (and using relaxing music), test subjects consumed 175 less calories than they did eating in harsher lighting. So while fluorescent lighting is de rigueur for the industry now, this could change in the future.

Acoustics are also important. It’s not just what type of music you hear while you eat, but volume and sound distribution matter as well.
“One of our store locations has light pendants that are made out of thin rubber. This helps to catch loud sounds and diffuse it,” Anderson says. “This is a design element that the average guest might not know about regarding restaurant acoustics. It creates a more relaxed environment when it’s quieter in the store.”

Bad acoustics can make a restaurant go from a 9 to a 3 real quick. Can't hear myself think

— Debbie Talia Misan (@DebbieMisan) August 12, 2017

Paula Stanbridge-Faircloth, marketing manager for The Contract Chair, says that acoustics also play a part in the chairs they design for eateries: “Most restaurant chairs that we sell are a combination of wood and upholstery. … Fully upholstered chairs will tend to muffle echoes, particularly important if your restaurant has wooden floors and if you’re going for a cozier, more intimate environment.”

Menu Venue

Anderson says an effective menu is all about simplicity: “We stick to a graphic design hierarchy to help guests navigate the menu in an easy and quick way. We design the menu so it’s not complicated, and the information that they want to see, such as calories and pricing, is very visible.”
Pictures are also worth a thousand words—menus that show photos of entrees can increase sales by 40 percent. Likewise, food items that are bolded, highlighted, or framed in a box draw attention to the eye and drive up sales.

And the more descriptive the menu, the more effective. A study entitled “Descriptive Menu Labels’ Effect on Sales” showed that menus with more verbose descriptions increased food sales, and customers chose descriptive items 27 percent more than barebones descriptions of food items.
Limited menus are another tactic many restaurants use as it takes the pressure off of guests to choose while also encouraging them to place their order faster.

Price Price Baby

Perhaps the most important aspect of menu design is pricing. The way restaurants list their prices on their menu is designed to have a persuasive effect.

One of the most effective strategies is simply leaving the dollar sign off. A 2009 study on menu design showed that guests spent far more money when prices were listed without dollar signs than those that did (or that spelled out the pricing versus numerically displaying them).
Even the smallest of tweaks in pricing yield good dividends. Menu items that price their items ending in 0.95 versus 0.99 are more pleasing to the eye and give the diner the feeling they’re getting a deal (even if they’re only saving four cents).

A Family Meal

Nostalgia is always a draw in marketing. If you can make someone feel emotionally invested in the dining experience, it’s always a win. And any restaurant with a family theme has an edge on the competition. It’s not just the eateries that declare themselves “family friendly,” but those that use a person’s name to enforce the connection.

When customers eat at Auntie Anne’s Pretzels, Mimi’s Cafe, or even Wendy’s (named after late founder Dave Thomas’s daughter), it invokes a familial draw, making diners feel like part of the family.
We’re betting no matter where you live, there’s an individual mom and pop restaurant not far away, and if it includes “aunt,” “uncle,” “mom,” or any other moniker based on a relative, it probably stays busy.

Check, please.

When it comes to the best restaurant experience, it’s all about seeing the bigger picture. According to Kevin Gregory, creative director at AllDay Industry, a restaurant consulting firm, the best way “to capitalize on the benefits of designing the space to capture that profit margin is to focus on the experience you want to create and bring in the project partners that can help bring your vision to life.”

So the next time you’re enjoying your favorite meal in your favorite restaurant, take a look around. See if you can point to all the ways your experience has been crafted by industry experts. It may add a whole new level of intrigue to eating out.

Discovering you’ve been psychological manipulated by the restaurant industry may make you feel a bit uneasy, but perhaps the end result isn’t so nefarious. It’s all about a symbiotic relationship that fulfills both parties: You enjoy your meal in a pleasant environment, and the places you frequent keep their overhead.

Tags 50037781, fuel, hemingway, social

Motherhood

Parents Think These Controversial Homework Assignments Deserve An "F"

Post author By Michael Taylor
Post date January 29, 2018

When kids or parents normally complain about homework, it’s mainly because of either the quantity or the difficulty. One only has so much time in the day to plow through their studies.
But people occasionally get upset about homework for different reasons. Not because it’s too time consuming, but because, in their eyes, it blows beyond the boundaries of good taste.
This is usually not the intent. Controversy is something lower education tends to avoid like the plague. Inciting it can prove perilous for the employment of any teacher, be they well meaning or not. But controversy arrises with homework more than you might think.
Sometimes a child comes home with an assignment so bizarre, incendiary, and insensitive that one it’s a wonder how it was ever assigned in the first place. Perhaps it’s too sexually provocative or racially charged, or maybe it presents moral dilemmas that children simply aren’t mature enough to fully comprehend. A teacher should try to preserve a child’s innocence as long as possible, some say, not offer a preemptive assault on their sensibilities.

We need to play devil’s advocate here, while proceeding with caution: It’s not always a negative to get an assignment that diverts from convention. Sometimes homework provokes intense feelings because a teacher is asking important questions designed to broaden their students’ horizons.
So why do some teachers give out homework that could result in being reprimanded at best and fired at worst? Let’s take a look at some of the most prominent examples of homework assignments that went very, very wrong—either because of poor taste or offending the sensibilities of overprotective parents.

Slavery Math

“Each tree had 56 oranges. If eight slaves pick them equally, then how many would each slave pick?” Could you imagine seeing that loaded question on your child’s math homework? It was a real eye-opener for parents of third graders at Beaver Ridge Elementary School in Norcross, Georgia.
The question appeared on a 2012 cross-curricular activity that mixed basic math questions with a reading assignment about abolitionist Frederick Douglass. And it got worse. Another question read: “If Frederick got two beatings per day, how many beatings did he get in one week?”

So why would any teacher think about including slavery into a math question? Gaye Lynn Seawright, assistant superintendent at Valley Mills Independent School District in Waco, Texas, says, “When people send home questions like that, that are in poor taste, what that tells me, as an administrator, is that they need a mentor teacher. They don’t have enough experience in the classroom or in the community.”
While it’s important to learn arithmetic and American history (both the good and the bad), mixing them together takes things out of context. Seawright also emphasizes that anytime a teacher is teaching about a sensitive topic, it’s important to “change the verbage to reflect a more neutral type of environment.”

How comfortable are you?

This outrageous questionnaire got a teacher in Hernando, Florida, fired. And it’s not hard to understand why.
It was a list entitled “How Comfortable Am I?”, and it included provocative questions that had students rate how they might react to certain social situations. Those situations largely revolved around issues of race, gender, sexuality, and those with disabilities.
In an interview with ABC news, Jennifer Block, mother to a 12-year-old student, said she was offended by the questions, including “How comfortable are you if you see a group of black men walking to you on the street?”, adding, “That’s completely inappropriate. In no world, whatsoever, is that okay to question a child on.”

In the same segment, student Tori Drews was equally outraged by the questions: “I thought some of them were racist. I thought some of them were sexist. I thought it was completely intolerable.”
So why would a teacher assign such potentially inflammatory homework? Did the instructor have good intentions by trying to teach about tolerance? Was it designed to help students confront their on biases, or was the instructor forcing their own bigoted views on their students?
Seawright says no matter the intent, teachers walk a very fine line venturing into such sensitive territory, as there can be blowback from “preaching in a classroom and trying to make your own philosophies to be the kids, because that’s the parents job. You’re just there to teach the content and make sure they pass the class and they grow up with good standards and they have open minds to learning.”

Fat Shaming Children

As adults, it’s easy to forget just how sensitive children can be about their physical appearance. A 2015 study by Common Sense Media shows that one-third of boys and over half of girls as young as 6 to 8 years of age are unhappy with their body weight. And by age 7, one in four children have tried some type of dieting program.

In other words, fat shaming can have a devastating effect on kids who already have body image issues. It’s too bad that some teachers didn’t get the memo—namely, teaching staff in Bellevue, Kentucky.
Third graders were assigned an essay about the Great Depression that featured the insensitive multiple choice question “A very fat child probably…” The most egregious possible answer was “had trouble sharing a seat.”
One parent took to social media to declare how upset she was that her child was exposed to such insensitive material.
In response to her outcry, the school board apologized, stating that the essay, designed for reading comprehension, was sent home without any of the teaching staff aware of the potentially offensive material.

You may be asking, “How could an entire teaching staff not know what’s contained in their teaching materials?” Seawright says that teachers who make these types of reckless errors often lack experience due to only learning the bare basic requirements for their position: “They pay like $2,000 and spend a few months taking online courses, and then they get a job. … So that’s where a lot of your mistakes are made.”
She says that while an online teaching course covers all the major qualifications, it misses nuances which can result in a teacher who is “not attuned to the community, or the age of the kid, or what developmental state the kids are and what’s appropriate for them, because they don’t have a lot of experience.”

White Privilege

In 2016, a controversial homework assignment for students at a high school in Aloha, Oregon, drew polarizing reactions from some parents. The assignment in question was a survey which challenged students to identify if they had benefitted or been harmed by white privilege, a theory stating that white Americans benefit from a social hierarchy that discriminates against minorities.
[pullquote align=”center”]It’s a huge topic and it needs to start somewhere. If it doesn’t start now, it’s not going to start.[/pullquote]
Questions included hypothetical scenarios like, “I can go shopping alone most of the time, pretty well-assured that I will not be followed or harassed,” or “If a police officer pulls me over, I can I can be sure I haven’t been singled out because of my race.”

In an interview with a local news station, parent Jason Schmidt was angry with his son’s assignment. “I think he should be learning actual education and not be a part of some social experiment or some teacher’s political agenda,” he said.
This survey wasn’t met entirely with criticism, however. In the same news segment, Sarah Rios-Lopez countered, saying, “I want [my daughter] to have opinions. Whether it’s for or against, you have to create those, but you can’t without good information, so I applaud teachers getting out that information. … It’s a huge topic and it needs to start somewhere. If it doesn’t start now, its not going to start.”
In response to the news coverage, school officials elucidated on why students were given the assignment, saying it was to help them engage in a civil manner on matters regarding race, sexuality, and religion.

It’s worth noting this study has been distributed to various school districts ever since it was first published in 1988. While it may make students (and parents) uncomfortable, it’s clearly designed to start a dialogue…but some parents aren’t interested in their children joining the conversation.

Teaching Taboos

A 2010 homework assignment assigned to middle schoolers in Greenwich, New York, raised major eyebrows from some parents.
Gary Cella became incensed after he found his 11-year-old daughter’s reading assignment contained numerous racial and sexist slurs, telling a local NBC affiliate she felt “as a parent of a seventh-grader that words that start with the letter ‘F’ and are four letters in duration and that words that start with letter ‘N’ and are six letters in duration are inappropriate.”

When Cella reached out to the school principal, he was told the assignment was intentionally provocative. It was done in conjunction with the American Library Association‘s Banned Books Week. The reason it was assigned? To make students understand (and discuss) why certain classic books are deemed offensive or taboo.
[pullquote align=”center”]It is not a question whether or not the content is offensive —of course it is—but it is the intent of why the content is being given to students …[/pullquote]
Matt C. Pinsker, JD, a professor at Virginia Commonwealth University, says teaching students about free speech is important: “I teach constitutional law, including the First Amendment’s right to free speech and the Fourteenth Amendment’s equal protection clause to combat racism. To understand the law on free speech and equal protection, I have my students read U.S. Supreme Court decisions and do practice problems, many of which arise from speech uttered by some of the worst people in this country.”
“Of course,” he adds, “what those people said is offensive, vulgar, vile, and absolutely disgusting. However, just like a doctor cannot learn medicine without seeing naked people, there is no way to learn constitutional law about free speech and equal protection without reading these important Supreme Court cases and going over real-world examples.”

In instances like these, he notes it’s about getting students prepared for life beyond the classroom. “It is not a question whether or not the content is offensive—of course it is—but it is the intent of why the content is being given to students and that it is done so in a professional manner which is reflective of the real world … .”

Pass or fail?

So, as we’ve covered, when homework causes social outrage, it falls into one of two categories: poor judgment by a teacher or something intentionally designed to push the envelope. Something ill-advised, or something intended to develop a grasp on complex societal issues that well-worn textbooks don’t cover. It’s clear, then, that the most important quality, for both teacher and parent, is the ability to discern between the two.
Seawright says there will always be instances when homework assignments touch a raw nerve, because, in the end, “Everyone comes from different backgrounds. Everybody’s interests are different. Everyone’s political and religious views are different.”

She adds that when approaching such sensitive topics, it’s possible to teach the concepts while being conscious of the age of the child and proceeding with caution.
“I’m for keeping the innocence in the classroom for the kids. I think there’s so much out there right now, and part of what some teachers are missing is that kids grow up so fast.”

Tags 50037851, hemingway, parenting, social

Motherhood

Six Styles Of Parenting (And The Pros And Cons Of Each)

Post author By Michael Taylor
Post date January 10, 2018

We all want to be the best parents that we can be, but choosing a one size fits all approach isn’t in our nature. We’re individuals, and our kids are too. So how do we pick the perfect parenting approach that fits their needs? What style of parenting works best?
Admittedly, being the perfect parent is an impossible goal, and it’s often a process of trial and error. There’s also no lack of advice for what makes for a great parent (or vice versa). Whether it’s your parents, friends, or co-workers, everyone has their idea on what makes for the best approach. So how do you know if you’re doing it right—or worse, doing it wrong?
In truth, many parents fall into their own particular child-rearing styles naturally, often based on how they were raised—we want to emulate what our parents did right while fine-tuning things we wish they had instilled in us as children that got missed either by neglect or over-indulgence. It’s a work in progress.

So what kind of parent are you? We live in an era where labels abound for certain styles of parenting, and some are more flattering than others. So how do we know what category we fall into? And is the style that we identify with working for us, or do we need to adopt a whole new approach to further benefit our children?
All of us could probably use some insight into these categories to help us know if we’re being the best parents possible. So if you’re trying to identify your own parenting style (while also deciding if it’s working for you or not), take a look at each parenting type and the pros and cons of each.

Helicopter

This parenting style (also know as overprotective parenting) has been largely synonymous with the 21st century, but in truth, it was actually first identified back in 1966. By hovering over their child’s activities in a hyper-focused fashion, a helicopter parent works to be a tireless advocate for their children’s success. But it has a fairly negative connotation, right down to its official definition in Merriam-Webster: “a parent who is overly involved in the life of his or her child.”

Pros:

Despite the negative perception of helicopter parenting, advocates say it has positive benefits. In an interview with The Boston Globe, Parenting to a Degree author Laura Hamilton noted that children with helicopter parents were more likely to graduate from college than those raised by less-involved parents.

“The vast majority of those kids who got into Stanford probably got in by virtue of helicopter parents,” she said. “…It’s becoming increasingly difficult for students to successfully move through college without parental intervention and support of some kind.”
Likewise, Maine educator Elisabeth Fairfield Stokes wrote for Time that her helicopter parenting style helped to alert her that her daughter was being mistreated at her school, and if she wasn’t so in tune with her children, she would have intervened too late.

Cons:

Helicopter parents are often seen as anxious and over-controlling; they have the fear that their children can be harmed either by strangers or their peers, both physically or emotionally.

They’re also more prone to giving into instant gratification, rather than letting their offspring develop a sense of discipline and hard-fought achievement to earn goals on their own accord. This can lead to disastrous instances, like Catherine Venusto, a school secretary who was fired after hacking into the school computer to change her children’s grades.
While an extreme example, this shows how helicopter parents desire to help their child both scholastically and professionally can backfire big time. In a piece for CNN, employer Nicole Williams pulled a job offer from a candidate after a call from their mother: “She wanted to know everything from where [the job candidate] would be sitting to a review of her responsibilities. …I withdrew the offer.”

Free Range

When New York mother Lenore Skenazy became publicly criticized for letting her 9-year-old son take the subway alone, she responded with the 2009 book Free-Range Kids: Giving Our Children the Freedom We Had Without Going Nuts With Worry, and it established a new parental philosophy in the process.

Free range parents reject the notion that their children are in constant danger or that their every waking moment must be micromanaged by studying or extracurricular activities.
Free range parents aren’t worried about their child staying at home unsupervised for periods of time or taking off with their friends without checking in constantly via text messages. They feel it’s important for their kids to engage in free play, explore their surroundings, and gain a sense of self-confidence and self-reliance in the process

Pros:

Many research studies show positive aspects of free range parenting: A 2004 study notes a correlation with lower rates of ADHD, while a 2009 article from the International Journal of Early Years Education identified children raised free range as more creative, less likely to bully (or be bullied) and more able to regulate their emotions.

Cons:

The biggest issue with free range parents (beyond public perception that it’s irresponsible) are potential legal ramifications. Depending on your country, city, or state, there may be laws about what ages are too young to be left home alone.

And as always, everything in moderation so one can avoid the fate of Erin Lee Macke, a mother in Iowa who left her four children alone at home while she enjoyed a 10-day vacation in Germany. She was arrested upon her return.

Authoritarian

Authoritarians are the strictest parenting model. Expectations are high, while rewards and displays of affection are minimal. And whereas so many modern parents are concerned with offering choices in lieu of punishment, authoritarian parents have no such compulsions. There is simply no tolerance for misbehavior.
For authoritarian parents, there is little in way of explaining why rules need to be followed, except that they must be followed.

Pros:

Advocates of authoritarian parenting say that it leads to well-behaved kids who have a clear sense of right and wrong, are well-mannered, tend to avoid harmful situations, and, thanks to hard-and-fast ground rules, they have little confusion about what’s expected of them.

Cons:

Donna Volpitta, EdD, founder of The Center for Resilient Leadership and author of The Resilience Formula: A Guide to Proactive, Not Reactive, Parenting, states that while children raised by authoritarian parents grow up to be obedient, “They rank lower in happiness and self-esteem. They tend to have difficulty with social competence and independence.”
In other words, while authoritarian parents may have obedient kids who do their homework and chores with minimal fuss, they may mature into unhappy adults.

Permissive

The exact opposite of authoritarian, permissive parents indulge their children’s whims and avoid all confrontation and punishment. These types of parents are primarily interested in forming a strong bond with their children, wanting to be seen as their children’s friends as well as their parent.

Volpitta explains that, “Permissive parents establish few demands. …They rarely discipline their children because they have low expectations for mature behavior. They are lenient and establish few boundaries or expectations, but rather, indulge their children’s desires without regard to resulting behavior.”

Pros:

The best aspect of permissive parenting is that the bond between parent and child is paramount. Many parents who fall into the permissive category grew up in households where they felt estranged for their parents, and they don’t wish to repeat the same mistakes.

Cons:

Permissive parenting cons far outweigh the benefits according to Volpitta: “Permissive parenting often results in children who rank low in happiness and the ability to regulate their behavior. They are more likely to have problems with authority and tend to have difficulty in school.”

This lack of discipline can have major repercussions. Take Ethan Couch, the Fort Worth, Texas, teen whose 2013 drunk driving accident took four lives. The judge issued the controversial “affluenza,” verdict saying his undisciplined upbringing led him unable to be held fully responsible for his actions.
Some parenting experts think Couch’s case offers an extreme example of the results of permissive parenting.

Authoritative

Not be confused with authoritarian, authoritative parents enforce structure and discipline without neglecting healthy communication. Encouraging children to express their own views and feelings works in tandem with setting rules and boundaries.

According to Holly Klaassen, parenting consultant and founder and editor of The Fussy Baby Site, “Authoritative parenting style means parents have expectations of their kids but help them to meet those expectations. For instance, they may have firm rules about getting homework done on time but are willing to help and support their child with getting it done.”

Pros:

Klaassen says that research supports the authoritative style as the best parenting model on this list, working especially well for strong-willed children: “Difficult babies who are parented with warmth and flexibility outperform their more easygoing peers by grade one.”

“Children with parents who have authoritative parenting styles show the greatest happiness and success,” Volpitta adds. “They tend to be more capable and confident and are able to regulate their behavior. They tend to be the most resilient.”
Volpitta also states that, while authoritative parents have big expectations for their kids, “They teach and guide their children in how to meet those demands.”

Cons:

The main difficulty in authoritative parenting is the parental workload—while it yields the best results, it puts more pressure on parents to enforce a variety of rules that must be modified over time depending on their child’s strengths and weaknesses.
In other words, it may require a periodic rewriting of the rules, which can be stressful for both parent and child to keep straight.

Uninvolved

It’s sad to say, but uninvolved is an actual recognized form of parenting by psychologists. And it’s all cons according to Volpitta, as these types of parents “generally lack any emotional involvement in their children’s lives. They place few demands on their children. They typically meet their children’s basic physical needs, but beyond that, they are not a part of their lives.”

Obviously this is a type of parenting no one would (hopefully) want to be associated with, but if you feel you fit into this category, we recommend seeking professional family counseling; otherwise, you risk your children growing up with no self-control or self-esteem.

Why do we fall into certain styles?

So what determines what type of parent we become? Volpitta says, “Some people mimic their own parent’s style, some rebel against it (someone raised with an authoritarian parent might become a permissive parent because they disagree with the way they were raised), and some may seek out their own style (learn how to have an authoritative style).”

We can also be triggered by our children when they behave in certain ways. That’s always an opportunity for us to learn and grow with our children.

She adds that, “I also think that culture has some influence. I think our generation tends to have a more permissive parenting.”

Psychologist and parenting expert Jodie Benveniste says that, “The touchstone for our own parenting is the way we were raised. We either don’t want to repeat the same pattern, or we want to emulate our own upbringing. But we’re not always consciously aware of this pattern.”
The most important way to identify (and perhaps change) one’s style of parenting, according to Benveniste, is simply by observing their child’s behavior to see the results: “We can also be triggered by our children when they behave in certain ways. That’s always an opportunity for us to learn and grow with our children.”

It’s always good to reflect on our parenting skills. By identifying our particular style and tweaking and adjusting as necessary, we can do right by our children, while also keeping our sanity by going with what works and tossing out what doesn’t. The end result of a happy and well-adjusted child makes all our intentions, actions, and sacrifices worth the effort.

Tags 50037306, hemingway, parenting

Health x Body Wellbeing

Panic Attack Symptoms To Keep In Mind (Even If You Haven’t Been Diagnosed With Anxiety)

Post author By Michael Taylor
Post date January 4, 2018

You’re going about your daily routine, just like any other day when all of a sudden, it hits you: A wave of dread envelops your body. A sense of impending doom that you can’t escape or pinpoint. You can’t breathe. Your chest hurts. Your heart feels like it’s beating out of your chest. You break into a sweat. You feel numb and dizzy, like you’re just about to faint. And the worst part is you have no idea why, or what is making you feel this way.
Are you having a heart attack? Are you dying? And then, just as quickly as it came on, the feeling dissipates. The world hasn’t ended. Things come back into focus. So what the hell just happened?
Odds are, you had a panic attack.
Panic attacks can come on at any time, very often for no discernible reason and without warning. And while they affect people of both genders, women are more prone to panic attacks than men.
Suffering from panic attacks can become an isolating experience, while the causes of attacks can be confusing to pinpoint. Because of this, panic attacks are often mistaken for other anxiety disorders, but it’s important to note there are distinct differences between the two and that, if left untreated, panic attacks can lead to panic disorder, a more serious and debilitating condition.

So what is a panic attack exactly?

While having a panic attack may feel like you’re dying (with symptoms including, but not limited to, difficulty breathing, pounding heartbeat, chest pains, and dizziness), it is something else entirely. It’s actually a chemical reaction caused when the bloodstream is flooded by adrenaline. This signals to the body that a threat is imminent and triggers a fight or flight response. The result is an overwhelming feeling of discomfort and often terror.
According to Gerard Lawson, President of the American Counseling Association, what primarily distinguishes panic attacks from generalized anxiety disorder and phobias is that “Anxiety disorders do not typically have the profound experience of panic with them and present more as worry and preoccupation. Specific phobias will have a have an identifiable trigger, which is not the case with panic attacks.”
He adds that it’s also important to distinguish panic attacks from PTSD. “Post-traumatic stress disorder will have similar features, but a professional counselor will be certain to assess for a trauma history, which may better explain the symptoms of PTSD and not panic.”
It should be noted, however, that PTSD, panic attacks, and panic disorder aren’t mutually exclusive. Those who suffer from PTSD have much higher rates of panic attacks than the general public, which is just one of the reasons why it’s important to reach out to a healthcare professional to help determine the root cause of any recurrent panic or anxiety you’re experiencing.

The Difference Between Panic Attacks and Panic Disorder

Panic attacks and panic disorder are two closely linked conditions, but their relationship is often misunderstood. The easiest way to explain the difference between the two is that those who suffer from isolated panic attacks don’t have panic disorder, but those who have panic disorder suffer from repeat panic attacks.
Repeat panic attacks can cause a snowball effect, and if left unchecked, the sufferer can experience a vicious cycle of constantly worrying about the onset of the next attack. This constantly anxious and exhausting mental state can eventually give way to panic disorder.
When panic attacks lead to panic disorder, it causes many chronic sufferers to withdrawal from normal activities. Lawson says panic disorder can best be described as “a vicious cycle of feeling panic, and then crippling anxiety over whether and when the next one will occur… The very experience of the panic attack causes people to begin to think about not engaging in the activity that caused the panic.”
Lawson adds that early prevention is the key to prevent isolated attacks from developing into panic disorder. “Even if you do not have a panic disorder, if you have had more than one panic attack, it is important to reach out to a professional counselor for assistance. Counseling can help, [but] without treatment, the isolated attacks can begin to develop into a full-blown disorder.”

What are the symptoms of a panic attack?

According to psychologist Anna Prudovski, clinical director of Turning Point Psychological Services, the primary symptoms of a panic attack include “racing heart, shaking, shortness of breathing, sweating, chest pain, dizziness, nausea, and feelings of unreality. Often there’s a fear of dying or a fear of going crazy or losing control.”
The Anxiety and Depression Center of America says other reported symptoms include “feelings of choking, chills or heat sensations, and numbness or tingling.”
Contributing to a U.S. News and World Report piece on panic attacks, Todd Farchione, research assistant professor at the Boston University Center for Anxiety & Related Disorders, said that all these symptoms “are tied to an evolutionarily sound response to protect the individual. It’s really designed to get that person to either fight or flight; it’s primarily to escape.”
So approximately how long does a panic attack last? Normally about 20 to 30 minutes, but it can feel like a lifetime for the sufferer, so it’s no wonder that these symptoms can be extremely alarming and disconcerting to the person who’s experiencing them—necessitating both professional help and personal support.

What triggers a panic attack?

One of the most frustrating aspects of panic attacks is that determining an exact cause is often difficult. But there are a variety of causes and conditions that may contribute to occurrences.
While anyone can experience panic attacks (and panic disorder), certain groups may have a higher risk factor than others, including those who suffer from agoraphobia, alcoholism, and bipolar disorder. Experiences of childhood trauma and abuse—particularly emotional abuse—are also linked to an increased likelihood of an individual developing various anxiety and panic disorders in adulthood.
Research suggests that panic attacks can also be hereditary. According to a 2011 study from The Journal of Korean Medical Science, “Linkage studies have implicated several chromosomal regions. …In addition, an anxious temperament and anxiety-related personality traits may represent intermediate phenotypes that predispose to panic disorder.”
Many people who experience panic attacks recall encountering them early in adolescence. And, as mentioned before, women tend to experience them more than men.
In fact, according to “Gender Differences in Panic Disorder,” a 2004 study published in Psychiatric Times, panic disorder is actually more than twice as prevalent among women as it is in men. Younger participants (those ages 15 to 24) had more occurrences than those ages 35 to 44, which suggests that age may also be a factor in the severity of panic attack symptoms.
Major life transitions are another potential trigger for panic attacks, including milestones like college graduation, getting married, or having a baby. Panic attacks are also associated with divorce or loss of a loved one and can even occur as a result of being overwhelmed by overcommitting or taking on too many responsibilities.
Those with sensitivities to certain medications or oversensitivity to external stimuli also may be at greater risk. Self-care is of utmost importance for panic attack sufferers since smoking, drug use, lack of sleep, and caffeine intake can all contribute to an increase in incidents.

Treatment and Prevention

The first step in treating panic attacks and preventing recurrence, according to Prudovski, is getting properly diagnosed by a healthcare professional. Once you’ve been properly diagnosed, the next step is seeking care from a psychologist or mental health professional. She says, “In many instances, panic attacks are related to another anxiety disorder, such as social anxiety, phobia, OCD, etc. In those cases, you may be diagnosed either with one of the anxiety disorders, or a panic disorder, or both. Correct differential diagnosis is crucial for treatment.”
While not every instance of a panic attack can be avoided, therapy (either cognitive behavioral therapy, exposure therapy, or both) can prove beneficial. Certain medications (including antidepressants and anxiety medications) can also be helpful, but as noted by Lawson “because the onset is unpredictable, they are usually after the fact, trying to manage the physical symptoms.”
Prudovski says that in addition to breathing, relaxation, and grounding techniques, exposure therapy can also be helpful, and when used in concert with cognitive behavioral therapy “is very effective and has a high rate of success.”
One reason so many mental health professionals are fond of exposure therapy for panic attacks and panic disorder is that it helps to lessen the power panic attacks hold over the sufferer. So how does it work? By inducing the symptoms of an attack in the confines of a safe environment, the shock and hold they have can be addressed and lessened.
For example, by inducing one of the most common panic attack symptoms, hyperventilation (through rigorous exercise), a therapist can then show the patient breathing techniques that can help slow and control their oxygen intake so the patient can be better prepared at the onset of another attack.
According to Jill Howell, Board Certified Art Therapist, Licensed Professional Counselor, and author of Color, Draw. Collage: Create Your Way to a Less Stressful Life, “One of the best tips that I tell my patients to use when they are feeling panicked is a mindfulness trick to bring them back to the here and now. I ask them to name everything that is around them out loud. To describe in detail everything that is on the wall, the floor, the counters. Naming colors, textures. Describing everything helps them to become more centered and focused which in turn distracts them from the feeling of panic.”

Potential Health Risks for Panic Attack Sufferers

There’s another very important reason to go visit your doctor if you believe you’re suffering from panic attack symptoms—you could be mistaking them for other potentially life-threatening conditions.
According to Lawson, “Some medical disorders, particularly cardiac or respiratory issues, can masquerade as panic disorders because the physical sensation is similar.”
Other illnesses that might be confused with panic attacks include mitral valve prolapse, hyperthyroidism, hypoglycemia, and even medication withdrawal. This makes it all the more important to check with your doctor if these symptoms keep recurring, as all the aforementioned conditions require proper medical diagnosis and supervision, and can even be fatal if left untreated.
And while many people think panic attacks are benign, research suggests the symptoms might not only feel like a heart attack—they could actually be linked to heart disease. In a piece for Harvard Health Publishing, psychiatrist Christopher Celano, MD, says that instances of panic and anxiety disorders are higher among those who have coronary heart disease and heart failure. Additionally, panic and anxiety disorders are also linked to other health issues including irritable bowel syndrome, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or COPD, and asthma.

When it comes to panic attacks, knowledge is power.

While those who experience panic attacks may feel that relief is unachievable, sufferers should know that there is hope that their condition can improve or even be eliminated. Proper diagnosis and treatment can help an individual suffering from panic attacks manage their symptoms or even stop experiencing them entirely.
If you suffer from panic attacks or are a caregiver for someone who does, seek advice from a doctor or mental health professional to learn techniques and tools that can help those who suffer from panic attacks and disorders live a healthier, happier life.
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Health x Body Wellbeing

From Clearer Skin To Whiter Teeth—Is Activated Charcoal The Real Deal?

Post author By Michael Taylor
Post date December 11, 2017

Activated charcoal—more than likely, you have a friend or family member who swears by its magical properties and isn’t shy about letting you know why. It whitens your teeth! It clears your complexion! And it’s even good enough to eat!
Does it live up to the hype, though? And is it even safe? The cure-all claims aren’t without controversy or misleading information, so delving into the specifics to differentiate fact from fiction is important before deciding how to use activated charcoal, if you should at all.

So what is activated charcoal?

Activated charcoal differs from regular old charcoal in how it’s processed, which makes it more porous. The result is a substance that creates a negative electrical charge, allowing the charcoal to bind with toxins and chemicals.
Before becoming the latest health and beauty trend, activated charcoal’s primary use was as a treatment in cases of poisoning and drug overdose. When taken orally, it helps the body to rid itself of certain contaminants. A study published in the Journal of Toxicology notes that activated charcoal is most effective when taken within an hour of ingestion of the toxin (and that it needs to be administered by a medical professional).
So, what are its proponents’ other health claims? Curing an upset stomach is one, and limited research suggests that when combined with magnesium oxide, it can be effective. But there’s a catch: A 2004 study published in Pediatrics found that ingestion of activated charcoal can cause vomiting as well.
Another potential benefit involves treating cholestasis (a disruption in bile production that affects some pregnancies), but studies so far have been very limited. The same can be said for lowering cholesterol. While a 1989 study showed potential benefits, other research has been inconclusive.
Activated charcoal has also been touted as a hangover cure, but the data currently available doesn’t back this claim up. In fact, charcoal can’t effectively bind to alcohol, which makes it totally ineffective in this application. A study published in Human Toxicology notes that subjects who drank two alcoholic drinks had the same test results whether they took activated charcoal or not.

To detox or not to detox?

Activated charcoal has also been touted as a systemic detoxifying agent, but this is disputed by healthcare professionals. In fact, ingesting it can be harmful to your body. For one, its absorbent properties can make medications (including birth control and acetaminophen) ineffective. Other ingestion risks include colon inflammation and, according to a 2015 study published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, it has even been linked to lung infections.
Detoxes in general are discouraged by doctors, who say the average person’s kidneys and liver do a great job ridding the body of toxins all on their own.

Pitch black for your pearly whites?

One of the most popular claims about activated charcoal is that it whitens teeth. But does charcoal toothpaste actually work?
In a piece for The Daily Beast, American Dental Association spokesperson Kimberly Harms, DDS, says there’s no clinical evidence to support this claim, adding that “like any abrasive, we’re worried about the effects on the gums and enamel on the teeth. We don’t know about the safety and effectiveness of it.”
According to a study presented at the Academy of General Dentistry’s 2015 annual meeting, charcoal could actually become embedded in the cracks of your teeth, causing further damage and discoloration.
Some dental professionals have endorsed Curarox’s activated carbon Black is White toothpaste, which features a lower level of charcoal and reduced chemical agents and plastic particles. It’s not proven to make your teeth whiter, but apparently it won’t inflict any damage, either.

Is scrubbing it on such a good idea?

Charcoal is also being hailed by many wellness and beauty brands as a means of achieving a clearer complexion. Advocates say using it as a face mask draws dirt, bacteria, and chemicals to the skin’s surface, earning you a healthier glow. However, many dermatologists claim there isn’t enough published evidence to back this up yet.
The good thing is that even if its skin-clearing claims haven’t been proven, activated charcoal won’t harm your skin because it’s an inert substance. So give it a go as a gentle cleanser and decide for yourself if it lives up to the hype.

Yum…charcoal.

You read that right. Many chefs and nutrition advocates are claiming that activated charcoal is good for you to eat, and it’s being used as an ingredient in pizza, waffles, coffee, ice cream and more.
Healthcare professionals say this is akin to using activated charcoal as a detoxing agent, so it could be harmful as a source of food, potentially siphoning important nutrients from your body (along with the aforementioned risk of interfering with medications). There’s also the real (albeit rare) risk of intestinal blockages when activated charcoal is consumed in large doses.
In an interview with the Washington Post, Angela Lemond, spokeswoman for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, said that for those who aren’t on medication and want try activated charcoal in their food, the key is moderation: “When [people] start thinking something is good for you, they’re putting it in everything. All of it, it does add up. You have to be careful.”

The Bottom Line

In the end, there simply isn’t enough research to show that activated charcoal has the positive benefits its proponents are touting, so until we have more sufficient data, a cautionary approach is recommended.
Feel free to experiment, but be cognizant of the potential risks, and when it doubt, be sure to consult your healthcare provider for additional information.

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