Source: Stack

Isabel Draper

‘Got Milk?’ ads were everywhere at one point. Recently, I saw an ad for drinking chocolate milk for recovery after a workout (https://builtwithchocolatemilk.com/). It seems the milk industry is advertising chocolate milk as a viable choice for refueling after a workout. Is there some value to a specific drink over a balanced diet to get healthy after exercise?

One particular study is often cited as supporting the use of chocolate milk as a post workout drink.  This study has an interesting design: it compared the observed difference between the performance of three different groups of cyclists who rode for two hours and then refueled with either water, chocolate milk, or gatorade. The cyclists then rode until exhaustion. Riders that drank chocolate milk had a greater time to exhaustion and  total work than riders who drank a carbohydrate replacement drink with the same carbohydrate content. The abstract states that these “results of this study suggest that chocolate milk is an effective recovery aid between two exhausting exercise bouts.” One issue with this study, like many other nutritional studies, is that it is observational in nature. The conclusion that chocolate milk is a superior recovery drink is solely based on the observation that those riders who drank chocolate milk had a slightly greater time to exhaustion and total work in comparison to the other riders.

Chocolate milk from the grocery store has a ratio of carbohydrates-to-protein of about 6-1 and contains a significant amount of sugar. The desired ratio of carbohydrates-to-protein for a recovery drink is 4:1. Drinking an excessive amount of calories in the form of sugar after a workout may not be better than a balanced diet. Different levels of activity necessitate different caloric intakes after each activity.  That said, if you enjoy a cold glass of milk after working out, then you can continue drinking it as long as you keep in mind its extra calories. But, don’t add a glass of milk to your routine simply based on marketing by the milk industry.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2569005/

Don’t Believe the Dairy Industry—Chocolate Milk Isn’t An Ideal Post-Workout Recovery Drink

https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/wellness/why-you-should-try-chocolate-milk-after-a-workout/2015/02/02/efe27658-a708-11e4-a7c2-03d37af98440_story.html?utm_term=.4306f8f12a6e

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29921963https://www.acsh.org/news/2015/12/31/if-you-are-fed-up-with-nutrition-science-youre-not-alone

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/