With all the talk about Mercury contamination of fish, I thought you might love to hear from my beautiful and talented niece, college student, Rachel Lund. She was involved in a research project at her college to look at methyl-mercury contamination in rivers. Here is she is presenting as a guest Blogger. Mercury contamination in fish and a brief look into methyl-mercury research Mercury: the only element besides bromine that is a liquid at STP, it looks like liquid silver, and it is 13.5 times denser than water. The Romans named it after their god of speed and mobility. It is second only to lead as a leading cause of heavy metal poisoning. It has historically been used in mining, industry, and medicine. However, because of its toxicity, it has been widely taken out of manufactured products. Mercury is found naturally in the environment in cinnabar ore and as a product of volcanic explosions. 6 But it is also a very dangerous by-product of burning fossil fuels. So despite ...
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A Fear Based Life No one chooses to live with fear and worry but we all know someone that suffers with these symptoms. For some of us, we don't understand why they don't just change their mind and be happy. It is not that easy. Someone with fear, anxiety and depression is over come with a feeling of dread that is unmanageable. Why is this happening? Does any one ask this before prescribing mood altering drugs? Generally speaking their brain is out of balance . Anxiety and Depression are felt in the emotional part of the brain called the Amygdala. It is located deep in the temporal lobes of the brain. The whole system is called the Limbic System. There are many causes of anxiety and depression A chemical imbalance is is not the only one, or the most common. Things like childhood trauma, concussion, emotional traumatic events, severe life style changes, high fever and illness and an inflammatory diet, these are just a few causes. All of these things can cause a b...
The consensus of peer review studies is that soft drink consumption is related to increased weight and obesity. This may be a no-brainer but we still consume a lot of soft drinks. Some people don't worry about their weight so they think this information does not apply to them, but it does! The incidence of developing Diabetes type II is twice as likely than those people who drink one carbonated beverage per month or less. Researchers found that people who drank soft drinks eat more carbohydrates, and eat less fruit and fiber than those folks that don't. The reason why is speculated that with the fast rise in blood sugar and insulin production, your body is gearing up to take care of that sugar and calling for it. You are eating more before you even know you are full. The body's ability to know you are full is delayed, so your calorie intake is higher. It is recommended that we eat no more than 100g for women, and 150g for men of added sugar in a single day. People that ...
Dementia prevention can be fun. The latest study I am going to tell you about is how your social connections can be so important in preventing dementia. Your social circles and the activities you take part in have proven to decrease your chances of developing dementia. A 10 year study showed that being involved in groups with social interaction and intellectual stimulation is important to preserving mental function. That is great news for you. Getting involved in activities outside of sitting on the couch watching T.V. keeps your brain sharp and is fun too. You can grow and develop new brain cells right up until your brain quits working completely. Growing brain cells takes effort but who says that effort can't be fun. Getting involved in activities and especially donating your time to organizations that need your help stimulates your brain and grows brain cells. You will also experience the added benefit of contributing your knowledge and time in a meaningful w...
Sleep, it's so important for a lot of things but studies have shown it is vital for your memory and brain health. A study in 2013 discusses sleeps role in memory. It is during sleep that you regenerate your body as well as your brain both physically and emotionally. During sleep you get rid of all the waste products and neurotoxins that build up, eliminating Beta Amyloid plaques that are implicated in Alzheimer's Disease. There is a system that distributes nutrients and neurotransmitters while you sleep that is not active while you are awake. That is why sleep is so important! There is REM sleep and Non-REM sleep, Both phases are important for your brain and your memory. Non-REM sleep is where we spend most of our time. Non-REM sleep is also known as Slow Wave Sleep (SWS). Current research is showing that you gather all your memories while you are in SWS. This is also when you get your physical regeneration and make most of your brain chemicals. It's when you are...