Source: The Global Beauty

Nicole Kell

As finals season approaches, many students are beginning to feel anxious as these tests can make or break their grade in a class. It is often recommended people use lavender for calm with the rationale that the lavender some essential oils possess promotes relaxation. A few studies support the anxiety-reducing effects of lavender.

The effect of lavender is posited to be due to the scent stimulating calming messages to the limbic system. Lavender is not the only scent to have this effect. Lavender scent can be placed on the wrists, on the tips of your hair, in a diffuser, in the bath, and on your pillow. In 2005, a study published in Physiology & Behavior observed 200 people who breathed  the scent of lavender while waiting for dental treatment and experienced an increase in mood and a decrease in anxiety.

Several papers published in Phytomedicine (a relatively low tier journal that addresses the alternative medicine realm of herbalism) in 2012 suggest that the consumption of lavender oil as a dietary supplement is another way that lavender can be helpful with symptoms of major stress and anxiety. There were decreases in blood pressure, heart rate and skin temperature, and autonomic arousal. There is no evidence that lavender oil supplements are better than simulated lavender oil supplements (i.e. placebo), which is a key step since a lot of our comfort, capability, and calm is part of our own physiology.

Using lavender for calming now and then is one thing.  But if you find yourself using it a lot, there are more effective ways to manage substantial anxiety using various types of mindset training (variations of cognitive behavioral therapy).  Sometimes prescription medication from a mental-health-professional is helpful.  

https://www.verywellmind.com/lavender-for-less-anxiety-3571767

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/323422.php

https://www.netdoctor.co.uk/healthy-living/wellbeing/a26737/lavender-pills-anxiety/

https://www.themiracleofessentialoils.com/where-to-put-lavender-oil-for-anxiety/

Source: Food Network

Nicole Kell

Have you ever wondered what causes you to be so sleepy after your Thanksgiving turkey feast? Spoiler alert… it is not the turkey! Many people believe that turkey causes sleep. These claims come from the known fact that turkey contains tryptophan, an amino acid that forms the foundation of the brain chemical serotonin. Serotonin is converted to melatonin, a sleep inducing hormone. However, turkey does not contain nearly enough tryptophan to be the main cause of  drowsiness. According to experts, consuming copious amounts of carbohydrates such as mashed potatoes, stuffing, dinner rolls, and pie, is the main cause of the infamous post-Thanksgiving meal nap.

There are many other factors that contribute to drowsiness on Thanksgiving. This is a time of year where many are taking a break from work or school and may be worn out. Scarfing down large quantities of food and stretching the small intestine also induces sleepiness. Thanksgiving is a holiday spent with friends and family, so many people are consuming alcohol with their company. Alcohol tends to have a relaxing effect on the mind and body. So do not solely blame the bird for your snooze!

https://www.livescience.com/41543-thanksgiving-myth-busted-eating-turkey-won-t-make-you-sleepy.html

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/fact-or-fiction-does-turkey-make-you-sleepy/

Source: Science

Shika Andhole and Nicole Kell

The idea that electromagnetic fields cause cancer captured people’s imagination. Some studies have correlated instances of childhood Leukemia with distance from power lines, concluding that the closer families lived to power lines, the more likely their children would grow up with cancer. Currently, cell phone usage is now ubiquitous- since up to 90% of adults own a cell phone. Both cell phones and cell phone towers emit radio frequency waves that some people claim may be potential risk factor for cancer.

There are other factors that may account for the differences in cancer rates. People who lived closer to power lines live closer to large city centers where the population was mostly made up of poor and disenfranchised people. Poor and disadvantaged people are often face greater exposure to secondhand smoke, problems with water sanitation, pollution from factories, higher prevalence of obesity, and greater alcohol consumption. It is difficult to pinpoint direct causes of cancer because there are so many hereditary and environmental influences that can contribute to it.

In March of 2018, the National Toxicology Program conducted a study on the harmful effects of radiofrequency waves. This 2018 study concluded that there was no significant evidence that linked radiofrequency wave exposure to developing cancer.  The American Cancer Society says that radio frequency waves are not nearly strong enough to penetrate and damage human DNA. Due to the height at which cell phone tower antennas are placed and the distance that most of the population lives from the towers, the strength of frequency that humans are exposed to is several times smaller than what the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) deems harmful.

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/

https://ntp.niehs.nih.gov/ntp/about_ntp/trpanel/2018/march/tr596peerdraft.pdf

https://ntp.niehs.nih.gov/ntp/about_ntp/trpanel/2018/march/publiccomm/rfr_comment20180221.pdf

https://www.cancer.org/cancer/cancer-causes/radiation-exposure/cellular-phone-towers.html

https://www.drweil.com/health-wellness/balanced-living/technology/cell-phone-tower-threat/

http://hps.org/publicinformation/ate/faqs/cellphoneqa.html

https://www.zdnet.com/article/wiring-for-wireless-5g-and-the-tower-in-your-backyard/