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Belluck, Pam. "People With Mental Illness More Likely to Be Smokers, Study Finds." The New York Times. The New York Times, 06 Feb. 2013. Web. 13 Feb. 2013. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/06/health/more-smoking-found-by-mentally-ill-people.html?ref=mentalhealthanddisorders&_r=0 Found from the Center for Disease Control and prevention and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, people with mental illnesses are 70% more likely to smoke cigarettes than people without mental illnesses. As there are nearly 46 million adults with mental issues in the United States, most of them smoke more cigarrets per month and are less likely to quit than people without mental issues. For patients with mental issues, the marketing by the tobacco industries and the historical use of cigarettes as an incentive to improve behavior in psychiatric hospitals cause them to have substance abuses. At the same time, the nicotine in the cigarettes mask some of the negative effects of mental illnesses. The continuous substance abuse of cigarettes result in making medications less effective. As the patients experience the "positive" affects of cigarettes on their mental issue, they realize that smoking helps them cope with the stressful symptoms of their illness.  

I believe that this issue can lead to large negative consequences for the patients and the health industries that take care of these patients. Even though the tobacco industries benefit from this current issue, as it is receiving a lot of profit, the patients' health is deteriorating. Even though their mental illness is already causing pain and trouble in their lives, if they start abusing cigarette substances, their mental and physical health will cause large consequences. If both their mental and physical health is damaged, their lives will be in great danger. The nicotine in the cigarettes may make the pain deteriorate for a little while, however, the long term effects of nicotine will not only damage their physical health, but will also slow down the process of recovering their mental illness. For the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service Administration and the doctors that deal with these types of patients, they should further research about the substance abuse occurred with the patients with mental illnesses, and should securitize the patients by making them not have access to any drugs that could slow down their recovery process.

PÉrez-peÑa, Richard. "Transgender Students Gain Visibility, and College Health Plans Respond." The New York Times. The New York Times, 13 Feb. 2013. Web. 13 Feb. 2013. Colleges today have started to become more aware of transgender students and have recently added transgender surgeries to their student health care plan. Although the number of transgender students in college is unknown, many elite universities have taken initiative to give students the attention needed to fix their gender identity. This issue was brought up by students who took a place for gay rights and hope to do the same with transgender people.  This article is intriguing since I did not know there was such thing as transgender surgeries or hormone injections. I think it is a good thing that colleges are starting to improve their health care plans for their students, because it shows that colleges are following up with their nondiscrimination policies. Students from different backgrounds stood up for something they believed in and helped make college a better environment for others who may be suffering from social, mental, or physical issues. Even companies today are adding sex change treatments to employee health care plans. 6 years ago there was no such thing as healthcare for sex change surgery but now over 36 colleges cover healthcare for transgender treatments. I am happy to hear that colleges today have started to put more effort in creating a safe, healthy, and comfortable environment for all their students.

"Aspartame's Hidden Dangers." Mercola.com. Mercola.com, n.d. Web. 14 Feb. 2013. . "Aspartame Is, by Far, the Most Dangerous Substance on the Market That Is Added To Foods." Mercola.com. Mercola.com, n.d. Web. 14 Feb. 2013. . Summary: This article covers the negative health effects that come with the human consumption of aspartame, a natural sweetener found in "diet" foods and beverages such as Coca-Cola Zero. Among the health risks are birth defects in pregnant women, worsening of diabetes, the development of brain tumors, epilepsy, and emotional disorders such as clinical depression. The consumption of aspartame can cause headaches/migraines, dizziness, seizures, nausea, numbness, muscle spasms, weight gain, rashes, depression, fatigue, irritability, tachycardia, insomnia, vision problems, hearing loss, heart palpitations, breathing difficulties, anxiety attacks, slurred speech, loss of taste, tinnitus, vertigo, memory loss, and joint pain, according to Mercola.com. Studies done on the adverse health effects of aspartame have often been altered to remove the negative results.

Personally, I find it sickening that the FDA is allowing this substance to remain on the market. The FDA has offered no statements regarding the countless adverse health effects caused by aspartame, even though they obviously exist. Hopefully, it will be banned sometime soon.

Citation Brody, Jane E. "Smoking’s Gender Gap Closes." Well Smokings Gender Gap Closes Comments. The New York Times, 18 Feb. 2013. Web. 27 Feb. 2013. Summary This was a report published last month in The New England Journal of Medicine. Half a century ago, the risk of death from lung cancer among men who smoked was five times higher than among women smokers. But now the risk equalized and the risk is 25 times greater than non smokers. Some of the data showed that today, women smokers face 17 times greater risk of dying of lung cancer than women who do not smoke. On average, your life expectancy is 10 years shorter if you smoke daily. Smoking doesn't only cause lung cancer, bu also hear disease, stroke, cancer including breast cancer. Also changes in the way cigarettes are made, increased the amount of nicotine going into your body. But in US, the percent of adults smoking have decreased dramatically. In 1970, 42% smoked but now it is down to 19%. They found that raising taxes help decrease the number of smokers. The state with the highest prevalence of smoking have the lowest tax on cigarettes.

I chose this article, one because I think that it fit well to what we are going to learn in health class. But also because I was surprised that before, it was said that there is higher risk on men. Also I was surprised how the percent of smokers have decreased by about 20% i 50 years. I think that countries all over the world should try to decrease the number of smokers.

Citation Belluck, Pam. "Promising Depression Therapy." Well Promising Depression Therapy Comments. New York Times, 11 Feb. 2013. Web. 13 Feb. 2013. Summary There is a new form of treatment for depression - it's still experimental, thus far, but it involves electric shocks to the brain. It's similar to electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), but unlike ECT, which is only administered for a couple of seconds while the patients are anesthetized, the new form of treatment, called transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), is given consecutively for 20 to 30 minutes to a fully conscious patient. It doesn't have nearly as high risks as ECT (which can cause memory loss), or transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), another form of treatment, which has risks of seizures. With tDCS, there are few side effects. Not only that, but it's fairly inexpensive. Eventually, if the tDCS leaves the trial stages, it is simple enough that it may even be used at home. Michael Donnelly, one of the trial patients, vouches for its positive effects, as it worked where his medications did not.

I found this article very interesting in a hopeful sort of way. Depression is part of the foundation of many other mental issues or disorders and can even lead to suicide; if we find a way to combat depression effectively and with few side effects, then we may be able to help more people. For an example, we've learned in class that traumatic experiences can cause people to have eating disorders, from depression or from a feeling of lacking control in their life. But if this kind of therapy leaves the testing stages, because of it's low-risk and fairly low price, as well as easily administered, we can help more of those people. In particular, I think it would be a great thing because many people, especially parents of depressed kids or teens, worry about letting them take medication with high-risk side effects. From what the trials have shown so far, it also seems to be pretty effective. So I think that this therapy shows a great hope for people who are depressed and need help. Personally, I can't imagine being sad all of the time, so I think that being able to help these people, who are trapped in a perpetual state of despair or lethargy is something very hopeful and wonderful.

Roberts, Michelle. "Lung Cancer 'overtaking Breast Cancer in European Women'" BBC News. BBC, 13 Feb. 2013. Web. 19 Feb. 2013. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-21424754 Over this decade, it is predicted that lung cancer is set to overtake breast cancer as the biggest cause of female cancer death in Europe. As of now, this is already the case in the UK and Poland. With the brutal substance abuse of smoking is increasing amongst the women in Europe, lung cancer death rates are continuously rising during these few years. In 2013, it is predicted that 82, 640 women in Europe will die from lung cancer, and lessen the difference between breast cancer, which is predicted to have 88,886 deaths. In the long run, it is said that by 2015, the balance will have shifted and lung cancer will take the lead. With the longer life spans that the people have now, fewer are dying from diseases such as cancer. However, despite the decline in total cancer deaths, the death rate amongst women from lung cancer is continuously increasing. With the sudden increase of lung cancer deaths, medical researchers are currently trying to find a better solution to prevent these deaths as they are avoidable. However, by 2020 or 2025, it is said that the new generation of women will decrease death rates of lung cancer. This reflects the improved knowledge and prevention of cigarette addiction. 

I found that this article significantly reflects the reality of substance abuse. Nowadays, smoking has become a cultural symbol that reflects a message of being "cool". This brings attention to many people, and now, the number of people smoking has increased. Even though breast cancer can cause many dangerous medical conditions, the increasing rate of lung cancer can greatly affect humans. Lung cancer can cause many life-risking affects on the human body, and the continuous substance abuse of tobacco and cigarettes cause many deaths per year. I believe that researchers should advertise the many ways to stop smoking and the addiction to nicotine and other chemical properties in a cigarette. I believe that the government should also come up with strict rules about smoking and any action that connects to tobacco.

Sample, Ian. "Sleeping Less than Six Hours a Night Skews Activity of Hundreds of Genes." The Guardian. Guardian News and Media, 25 Feb. 2013. Web. 27 Feb. 2013. . This article, from The Guardian, talks about an English study on sleep patterns and genes. The study found that the genes of people who sleep less than six hours per night become suppressed and much less functional than those of people who sleep for healthier periods of time (i.e. 8 hours or more, typically). These changes can affect more than 700 genes that govern the human body's immune system, metabolism, sleep and wake cycles, and responses to stress. 

This is very relevant to not just the Health course, but to people's everyday lives as well. As high school students, many of us are too preoccupied with doing schoolwork or procrastinating to go to sleep on time, which leads to sleep deprivation. We all know that sleep deprivation will also deprive one of his or her ability to focus properly, but this article provides a very solid scientific explanation as to why we should be sleeping right. I think that this kind of stuff is fascinating -- the whole idea of digging deep into how the human body works is just amazing, especially since we're always learning new things.

Singer, Natasha, and Peter Lattman. "Workout Booster, and a Lawsuit." The New York Times. Nytimes, 13 Feb. 2013. Web. 18 Feb. 2013. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/14/business/death-after-use-of-jack3d-shows-gap-in-regulation.html?pagewanted=1&_r=0&src=recg  Recently, GNC, a dietary supplements retailer, has been running a special on it's website for a supplement called Jack3d. However, due to a federal health issue last April, the FDA isued a warning on the stimulant called dimethylamylamine, or DMAA. This drug raises blood pressure and the heart rate, and has been linked to the deaths of two soldiers. In December 2011, after the deaths of two soldiers who used Jack3d, the Defense Department removed products containing DMAA from stores on military bases including more than 100 GNC stores. The parents of these soldiers have filed lawsuits against the producer, marketer, and seller of Jack3d. Although the lab that creates Jack3d has filtered out the DMAA, there are still sites everywhere that sell this supplement, now labeled a drug. It was originally made as an inhalant for nasal congestion. Now it's in what some people are eating. Just last month a woman running the London Marathon collapsed late in the race. The cause? DMAA "on the balance of probabilities, and in combination with extreme physical exertion, caused cardiac failure which resulted in her death." This drug needs to be taken off of the market completely, or other people could suffer the same fate.

My dad often use GNC products after he works out, and hearing that they sell a dietary supplement to make you stronger doesn't sound like anything out of the ordinary. However, this doesn't seem like your average protein powder. Normally here at ASIJ after strength class, some people take protein powders. Knowing that companies are knowledgeably selling protein powders that contain a drug that can kill you is not something you want to hear about. This is an article that talks about drug use...but the people that buy it aren't the abusers. The sellers are. If people have the power to do what is right and not sell something harmful then that's the way it should be. Unfortunately, life is not like that.

Citation Schwartz, Tony. "Relax! You'll Be More Productive." The New York Times. The New York Times, 10 Feb. 2013. Web. 13 Feb. 2013. Summary So as people of a world in which the 9 to 5 job is a dream for most, we probably all know that more time worked means more work done, which means that all that time was spent more productively than if we had worked less... Right? According to a study of around 400 employees, this may not be true. More work and less sleep increases chances of burning out on-the-job. Harvard conducted a similar study, but they researched what sleep deprivation was costing us. The amount? $63.2 billion a year. Cheri D. Mah, who is a researcher for Stanford, found that 10 or more hours of sleep for basketball players increase performance. Similar tests were performed on those doing different jobs - night shift workers, accountants and athletes. All did better, especially with longer hours to sleep. Vacations did wonders, too. The reason for this is that humans are not build to expend energy continuously. We need breaks, and especially sleep. Through all of these studies, researchers have found that 90 minutes of consecutive work and then a break is the most ideal for maximization of productivity.

I thought this was really useful information to know, because a lot of people that I know like to keep working even though they're tired or sleep deprived. Well, knowing that their performance overall is affected by sleep deprivation to the point where the quality drops dramatically, maybe would encourage them to take the time to rest a little bit and refresh themselves. It also shows how vital sleep is to our overall health.

Sifferlin, Alexandra. "Does Your Diet Influence How Well You Sleep?" Time. Time, 7 Feb. 2013. Web. 27 Feb. 2013. http://healthland.time.com/2013/02/07/does-your-diet-influence-how-well-you-sleep/. Sleeping and eating right are key to good health, and now, a study done at the University of Pennsylvania shows that a good diet is key to good sleeping habits. Data from the NHANES of 2007-2008 shows that short sleepers (5-6 hours) consumed the most calories, followed by normal sleeper (7-8 hours), and then very short sleepers (>5 hours), and finally long sleepers (9+ hours), who consumed the least amount of calories. The normal sleepers also had the most variety in their diets with very short sleepers having the least. The very short and short sleepers also didn't get as much of certain vitamins or water in their diets.

Social Anxiety Disorder Sick Building Syndrome Orthorexia Nervosa E-Thrombosis Earbud related hearing loss Computer Vision Syndrome These are the six modern disorders or syndrome that affect our daily life today. Some of these are caused by some of the modern inventions.

Citation: Louis, Catherine Saint. "Effects of Bullying Last into Adulthood, Study Finds." The New York Times. New York Times, 20 Feb. 2013. Web. 24 Feb. 2013. . Summary: Both bullies and victim of bullies at a young age experience psychiatric problem when they're adults. Researchers followed 1420 subjects who were assessed 4-6 times between the age of 9 and 16. They categorized them as bullies, victims, bullies who were also victims, and children who weren't bullied at all based on the children themselves and the caregivers. Later, at the age of 19, 21 and between 24-26, they tested them again. Researchers then found that victims of bullying were 4.3 times more likely to have anxiety disorder at adulthood, and bullies who were also victims were 14.5 times more likely to develop panic disorders and 4.8 times more likely to experience depression as adults. Men who were both bullied and victims also were 18.5 times to have suicidal thoughts in adulthood. Bullies who were not victims were 4.1 times more likely to have an antisocial personality disorder as adults. Female bullies were 26.7 times more likely to have developed agoraphobia (anxiety). These were all being compared to the people who weren't the bullies nor the victims. Victims could have anxiety disorders, bullies who were victims can have panic disorders/depression/suicidal thoughts, and bullies could be antisocial when they are adults.

I found that this article informative that what may happen in schools will have a long time effect to the student's life. I know that bullying will have a psychological and emotional effect at school, but I have never thought it would last when the bully or the perpetrator reach adulthood. Knowing how the effects are long-lasting, I feel this should be a warning to bullies and victims to not get involved with any type of bullying, or else it will leave a bad psychological scar in your memory. Hopefully I will never see an incident of bullying during the time at school.

Funnell, Nina. "There's No Shame in Teenage Sextual Relations." The Sydney Morning Herald. N.p., 10 Sept. 2011. Web. 27 Feb. 2013. . This opinion piece was written by a women named Nina Funnell and published into the Sydney Morning Herald. It states her opinions on teenage sexting and the sentences and punishment those taking the photos and sending the photos should receive. She believes that the people who take pictures of themselves and send them should not be charged, that people charged with sexting shouldn't fall in the same category as molesters and pedophiles, that sexually filming others without their permission should be illegal and charged the same way regardless of the age of the victim, and that all sexting should have universal charges instead of deciding on the charge depending on how bad the picture or video was. I agree with a majority of the points that Funnell makes except when she says that people that take pictures of their own body and send them around shouldn't be prosecuted. If you're going to be so strict on the child pornography part in all this, you have to accept that fact that naked pictures of a minor is child pornography no matter who sends it. I have little pity for girls who take pictures of themselves and send it around because they did it to themselves. They deserved to be charged just like the rest of people that send naked photos of underage people around.

Citation: "Rise in Drug Overdose Deaths." Well Rise in Drug Overdose Deaths Comments. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Feb. 2013. Summary: By 2006, the rate of prescription analgesic overdose fatality among white men was twice as high as that among Latinos and almost three times as high as the rate among blacks. Rates of heroin fatalities in 2006 were about the same as in 1990, while methadone deaths peaked in 1991 and 2006.

Schwarz, Alan. "Drowned in a Stream of Prescriptions." The New York Times. The New York Times, 03 Feb. 2013. Web. 13 Feb. 2013. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/03/us/concerns-about-adhd-practices-and-amphetamine-addiction.html?pagewanted=all Richard Fee, aged 24, committed suicide after failing to renew a prescription for a drug called Adderall. Aderall is a medication for those affected by A.D.H.D, but it helps people acquire tunnel-like focus, thus leading to growing numbers of students or people who think they need help to fake systems to get this drug. He was an athletic, college class president, and aspiring medical student who faked having symptoms to his doctor. His doctor continued to supply him with the drug until his parents told the doctor to stop. Richard continued to receive a prescriptions. After becoming delusional and violent, and spending a week in a psychiatric hospital, Richard received 90 more days of his prescription. He hanged himself two weeks after it expired.

The fact that people have to pretend to have a disorder just to get a drug is both wrong and inhumane. I feel like they aren't educated enough to know what they're putting into their bodies. Although Richard was a medical student, maybe he didn't know what addiction felt like, and once he was under the influence of drugs, he couldn't control himself. One thing that I think should come under question is the manner in which people decide if someone has a disorder or not. It's not a good thing that someone was able to fool an educated doctor. Now I know there probably isn't any concrete way to prove to someone that you have a disorder unless the symptoms are physical, however, there should probably be some more screening or testing for these people to make sure that they have what they say they have. Other than that, this is just another sad story, and it's unfortunate that such a successful young man with a long road ahead of him would kill himself like this.

Citation Carey, Benedict. "Study Questions Effectiveness of Therapy for Suicidal Teenagers." The New York Times. The New York Times, 09 Jan. 2013. Web. 13 Feb. 2013. Summary According to the journal JAMA Psychiatry, 55% of suicidal teenagers have already received some therapy before they thought about suicide, planned it or tried to kill themselves. About one in eighth teenagers had persistent suicidal thought at some point and a third of those who had the thought attempted within a year of having the idea. The study also suggests that access to treatment of depression in fact doesn't make a big difference and help prevent suicides.  In 2010, just between the ages 13 to 18, 1386 people committed suicide. Also they researched 6,483 adolescents and found 9% of male and 15% of female experienced some stretch of having persistent suicidal thoughts. They found out that suicidal behavior was often complex combination of depression, eating disorders, drug abuse.  Alice McConnell is a 17year old girl who committed suicide and her mom claims "there might have been some carelessness in the way the treatment was done." It turns out that Alice was not taking treatment regularly although her mom trusted her that she could take care of her medication. Ms.McConnell claimed " I think therapy does help alot of people, if it's handled right" 

I chose this article because I thought that this was a very relatable article and talks about suicides of our age. I was very surprised by all the facts and made me realize once again that suicide is a big problem and not a rare thing. I found it interesting that therapies and medication doesn't always help and could worsen suicidal thoughts. I agree with Ms.McConnel and I think there needs to be better ways of therapy and medication and many more people need to know the right way to handle people with suicidal thoughts.

Citation: Chapman, Paul. "Coca-Cola Addiction Contributed to Mother's Death." Telegraph.co.uk. The Telegraph, 12 Feb. 2013. Web. 13 Feb. 2013. . Summary: Thirty year old mother Natasha Harris drank up to 10 liters of Coca Cola a day, more than twice the 400mg safe limit of caffeine.  This is what is reported to be a possible reason for her death.  Coroner David Crerar found out she died of cardiac arrhythmia due to caffein and poor nutrition.  It was reported she smoked 30 cigarettes a day, ate a little, and would drink Coke in the morning and before she went to bed.  Her teeth were pulled out due to decay, One of her children was born having no tooth enamel because of her Coke addiction.  Coroners recommended Coca Cola to put caffeine content on the labels and warnings for excessive consumption.  Coca Cola became disappointed about the information, but are uncertain her death was caused by her Coke consumption or her unhealthy lifestyle.

It seemed very bizarre how someone could be addicted to Coca Cola, drinking more than what I usually drink everyday. I consider this as substance abuse, because she was damaging her health by taking too much caffeine. Surprisingly, the death was believed to be caused by her Coca Cola addiction, and most substance abuse death involve tobacco, drugs, and alcohol. People should know more about what they consume before it may kill them.