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Coffee as a hangover cure

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Source: CNN

Shreya Thiagarajan

What do most people reach for the morning after happy hour? Chances are, it’s coffee. The caffeinated beverage is widely believed to lessen the symptoms of or even cure a hangover. It’s possible that these theories are based on the fact that caffeine is a stimulant, and therefore can counteract the effects of alcohol, a depressant.

However, there is little evidence to support this. Many symptoms of hangovers such as headaches are caused by the liver breaking down alcohol to produce a toxic substance known as acetaldehyde. One study conducted at Thomas Jefferson University found that caffeine may block the effects of acetaldehyde and therefore mask headaches caused by excessive alcohol consumption. However the CDC has stated that caffeinated drinks don’t influence how fast alcohol is processed by the liver, and therefore only hides the effects of alcohol rather than eliminating them.

Alcohol is a diuretic that causes people to urinate more. Frequent urination can lead to dehydration, which is responsible for many hangover symptoms. Though drinking coffee may seem like a good way to restore energy in the morning, coffee is also a diuretic and therefore can make dehydration worse.

Instead of reaching for that coffee, try exercising and drinking water to burn off any remaining alcohol and get hydrated. Additionally, drinking fluids like Gatorade that rich in minerals like sodium and potassium can help restore your electrolyte balance!

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3621334/

https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn19942-is-coffee-the-real-cure-for-a-hangover/

https://www.cdc.gov/alcohol/fact-sheets/caffeine-and-alcohol.htm

https://bowlinggreenmedicalclinic.com/hl/?/157014/True-or-False–You-Can-Cure-a-Hangover

https://health.usnews.com/health-news/articles/2012/12/31/how-to-cure-a-hangover

 

All, Common Myths

The Five Second Rule

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Source: It’s Interesting

Nicole Kell

Most have us grown up hearing about the “five-second rule”. Simply put, people say that food is safe to consume if it is snatched up from the ground in five seconds or less.

But is the food really safe to eat or should we throw it away?

High school student Jillian Clarke and Dr. Meredith Agle at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign performed an experiment to determine whether it is safe to eat food that has been on the ground. Jillian swabbed the floors of a lab, hall, dormitory, and cafeteria in order to quantify the number of organisms. She repeated this and then examined swabs from both trials. The swabs showed minimal microorganisms. The lack of microorganisms on the floor is due to the fact that floors she was testing were dry and most pathogens such as E.coli and salmonella only survive in moist conditions.

However, it has been proven that when it comes to damp floors and carpet, or moist and sticky foods such as gum, watermelon and ice cream, all bets are off when it comes to the “five second rule”. A professor from Clemson University performed a similar experiment, but on different types of surfaces. He found that it didn’t matter how long the food was on the floor, but the amount of bacteria on the floor and the moisture of the food/floor play a significant role how much bacteria transferred to the food.

When it comes to the spread of bacteria and eating food off of the ground, researchers and doctors advise people to throw away the food in order to avoid risk of illness.

https://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/features/5-second-rule-rules-sometimes-#1

https://www.ahchealthenews.com/2017/09/12/five-second-rule-myth/

https://mysteriousuniverse.org/2016/09/the-five-second-rule-is-a-myth/

 

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Shampooing and the ‘No Poo’ Method

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Source: Live About

Victor Liaw

From hair stylists to dermatologists, experts now agree that hair does not need to be shampooed everyday. However, a recent movement in hair care has taken this to the extreme. The theory behind the ‘No Poo’ (no shampoo) Method is that the synthetic chemicals found in traditional shampoos damage hair by removing natural sebum. Sebum is the oily secretions from the scalp that protects and moisturizes the skin.  It makes hair feel greasy.

Your scalp responds to frequent shampooing by producing excess sebum, making hair feel even greasier.  Then you need more shampoo for hair to feel clean, and the cycle continues. Proponents of the ‘No Poo’ Method believe they can break this cycle by using gentler options, including baking soda, apple cider vinegar, and even water alone. These alternatives purportedly have the same effect as shampoo, but are much milder. The idea is that persistent use can result in your scalp producing less sebum and hair will become less greasy.

Although some believe that the ‘No Poo’ Method is a better alternative to shampoo, outside of testimonials from celebrities like Kim Kardashian, there is no evidence to support this belief. That being said, the ‘No Poo’ Method isn’t detrimental. How you choose to wash your hair is a personal choice, as neither choice will drastically affect your health. Frequency of hair washing is also largely preferential, but people who sweat a lot, have very fine hair, or a naturally oily scalp might consider daily washing if it helps to limit itchiness, dandruff, and head acne

https://www.nopoomethod.com/

https://www.mcgill.ca/oss/article/general-science/no-poo-craze

https://www.webmd.com/beauty/features/how-often-wash-hair

https://www.businessinsider.com/why-you-should-wash-your-hair-every-day-2018-1

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/319848.php