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The Student Editorial Board is responsible for providing work structure for the magazine’s production, which includes the content, design, production and distribution. The information contained in this publication is not to be constructed as medical advice. Readers should consult a medical professional before engaging in any activity described. The contents of this magazine may not be reprinted without the expressed consent of the editorial director.
Contents:
1. In the Know. New research in health and wellness.
Mind
2. Mother Nature or Doctor Nature? The benefits of enjoying nature.
3. Social Media: How Much Is Too Much? Know the signs of addiction.
4. Peer Pressure: Think it Through. Managing peer pressure on a college campus.
5. Feeling Lonely? Me Too! Exploring the causes of the loneliness epidemic.
6. Essential Oils: Uses and Benefits. Alternative health methods.
7. Hug Me! How Hugging Can Improve Health. For best results, 12 times a day.
Body
8. Vinyasa and Sun Salutations. The mental and physical benefits of yoga.
9. An Early Start to a Healthy Heart. Adopting early good health habits.
10. Staying Fit in a College Environment. Simple ways to promote fitness.
12. Calling all Vegans, Vegetarians and Pescatarians. Impacting your health and environment.
14. Green Tea: A Drink with Many Benefits. How it reduces rates of diseases.
15. Sunlight: Finding the Perfect Balance. Achieving optimal levels of sunlight exposure.
16. The Nail-Biting Addiction. Saying no to nail-biting.
17. Nailed It! Or Not? Examining the potential risks of gel manicures.
Spirit
21. Personal Growth in Friendships. Knowing when it’s time to let go and why it’s important to do so.
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Receiving a hug, no matter if it is a platonically or romantically fueled one, betters your mood and can provide immune system benefits. A study published in Psychological Science examined the effects of hugging with susceptibility to upper respiratory illness and infection. The study hypothesized that perceived social support, in the form of hugging, could protect against the disease-causing agents associated with stress. The participants participants were all exposed to the common cold virus and those who had “greater perceived support and more-frequent hugs [among participants] predicted less-severe illness signs,” according to the study.
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According to statistics compiled by New York University, stress is the No. 1 academic hindrance for college students nationwide and six out of 10 students report not being able to get work done due to high-stress levels.
Yoga provides both a physical and mental escape. Yoga is most commonly composed of meditation, breathing exercises and muscle stretches and flexes. It emphasizes a positive outlook on life, therefore helping to manage and cope with stress. In a National Institutes of Health study from 2005, 24 women who considered themselves emotionally distressed partook in a three-month yoga program. At the end, the women experienced lower levels of perceived stress, fatigue and depression. Their cortisol levels, a stress hormone, were also lower after participation in each class. The U.S. National Library of Medicine posted a similar study conducted with 64 women suffering from P.T.S.D. After taking a weekly yoga class for 10 weeks, 52 percent of participants no longer met the criteria for P.T.S.D.
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The emphasis of bodily awareness also promotes positive body image and mindful eating habits. Yoga studios usually have limited mirrors. According to Harvard Health Publishing, the low number of mirrors encourages inward awareness of the body above physical appearance. Surveys have shown people who practice yoga are less critical of their bodies, and for that reason, yoga is beginning to be incorporated into many treatment programs for eating disorders. Similarly, those who practice yoga scored higher on mindful eating questionnaires, demonstrating healthy habits such as eating only until satisfied.
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Equally important to eating well is getting enough exercise. According to the Surgeon General’s Vision for a Healthy and Fit Nation, “adults should do at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity per week.” Luckily for S.U. students, the new Barnes Center at The Arch is available for use with a wide variety of options, depending on which types of exercise exercise you enjoy most. For those who aren’t sure where to start, the Barnes Center offers free drop-in fitness classes such as cycling, yoga and strength training. Johns Hopkins exercise physiologist Kerry J. Stewart, Ed.D., says, “Aerobic exercise and resistance training are the most important for heart health.”
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At the end of the day, making heart-healthy choices is a marathon, not a sprint. It is not necessary to completely give up pizza, to work out until you can’t possibly do it anymore or to stay in every weekend while your friends go out. Find healthy choices that you like in the dining halls and incorporate them whenever you can. Try to reduce your intake of high-sodium, high-fat foods. Exercise often and take it easy on the drinks. Your future self will thank you.
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The benefits of a vegetarian diet are similar to the benefits of veganism but less extreme. The carbon footprint of a vegetarian is estimated to be be reduced around 50 percent. The health benefits of a vegetarian are similar in that shedding fat is easier, cancer risks are reduced and fiber consumption is increased. However, the intake of products such as dairy and eggs also give vegetarians vitamins and calcium that vegans tend to lack, so the risk for nutritional deficiencies is reduced.
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How does the meat industry contribute to environmental damage? The World Resources Institute (W.R.I.) explains explains that farming requires cutting down miles and miles of trees, which causes C.O.2 emissions to rise. Additionally, most livestock animals emit methane, a harmful gas. According to the W.R.I., reducing how much red meat we consume could reduce greenhouse gas emissions related to food and land use by 15 percent to 35 percent by 2050 and vegetarianism could cut those emissions in half.
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The properties of green tea are continuously being studied, but researchers have seen a correlation between green tea consumption and reduced rates of cancer. Writing in Medical News Today, Megan Ware, R.D.N., L.D., said, “According to the National Cancer Institute, the polyphenols in tea have been shown to decrease tumor growth in laboratory and animal studies and may protect against damage caused by ultraviolet U.V.B. radiation.” She continues, “In countries where green tea consumption is high, cancer rates tend to be lower, but it is impossible to know for sure whether it is the green tea that prevents cancer in these particular countries or other lifestyle factors.” While no physical evidence proves that green tea reduces the risk of cancer, it can be inferred that the more green tea an individual consumes, the less likely they are to suffer from cancer-causing mutations due to free radicals. This information alone is enough to encourage green tea consumption on a consistent basis.
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Ware also cited a study conducted by Yoshihiro Kokubo, Ph.D., that determined that green tea may have significant effects on reducing the risk of stroke. Kokubo wrote, “This is the first large-scale study to examine the combined effects of both green tea and coffee on stroke risks. You may make a small but positive lifestyle change to help lower the risk of stroke by adding daily green tea to your diet.” It is an easy way to engage in healthier living and become more mindful of what goes in to into our bodies.
Green tea can be found in the vending machines across the Syracuse University campus, and hot green tea is available in dining halls. For the most benefit, drink up to 10 cups a day.
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However, while daily exposure to sunlight can be crucial to your wellbeing, it might not always be available to students on the Syracuse University campus. Especially in Syracuse, New York, where sunlight levels can reach extremely low levels, this lack of sunlight sunlight can be be a huge factor of the mental health of students. One Syracuse University student, who was recently diagnosed with vitamin D deficiency, has explained how her transition to Syracuse has been difficult. She explained, “Coming to Syracuse has made me appreciate sunny days more.”
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For students at Syracuse University, a healthy relationship with the sun is achievable. The many cloudy and snowy days throughout the school year may be affecting your mental health but if you feel that poor weather is affecting your mood, consider purchasing a sunlamp. It can provide health benefits by helping you to produce serotonin, with minimal risk of U.V. radiation. If you are unable to purchase a sunlight, consider a trip to the new Barnes Center at The Arch, where sunlamps are found inside the new Crowley Family Mind Spas.
The sun can provide amazing health benefits; however, certain precautions must be made in order to avoid its harmful effects. Next time you head outside, remember to fully embrace the wonderful effects of the sun , while staying safe and putting on sunscreen.
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Biting your nails is an addictive habit. You do it while solving challenging problems, when you are bored, or even when you are anxious or excited. Many times people bite their nails uncontrollably. But stopping this habit is easier than you think.
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- Short nails. You can start by cutting your nails short every week. That way, if you try to bite your nails, you would be practically biting air.
- Wearing gloves. Yes, you might look like a superhero trying to save the day with your gloves on, but if your fingers are covered, then you are saving them from being bitten.
- Coat them with a lousy taste. If you rub aloe vera, hot pepper or garlic on your fingers to keep them out of your mouth, that can help solve your nail-biting problem.
- Keep your hands or mouth busy. Having a stress ball handy or even chewing gum can disrupt you from biting your nails.
- Think about your nails. When you bite your nails, the result is not pretty. Next time you are anxious to bite your nails, ask yourself, “Do I want to my nails to look bitten?”
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Gel manicures do have some potential risks. Sometimes gel manicures can be tough on the nail, especially if the nail is weak. Additionally, a U.V. lamp is used throughout the process. The effects of U.V. light on skin and nails are unknown. However, Dr. Chris G. Adigun and the American Academy of Dermatologists say that U.V. lamps emit ultraviolet A (U.V.A.) rays. Ultraviolet (U.V.) is a form of electromagnetic radiation that can come from the sun and man-made sources; the most common forms are ultraviolet A (U.V.A.) and ultraviolet B (U.V.B.). Although U.V.A. rays are not as harmful as UVB U.V.B. rays, they can emit rays four times stronger than the sun’s rays, which can damage the skin and collagen. The emission of UVA U.V.A. rays is also responsible for premature aging and an increased skin cancer risk. It is important to realize that getting your nails done once in a while will likely result in minimal damage, but with more frequency, the potential harm increases. Even though the dose of U.V. light is brief, it is intense and its negative effects can accumulate on your skin and nails over time.
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Although research on the potential harm of U.V. lamps is limited, it is still important to prevent and protect your skin. Applying sunscreen on your hands with an S.P.F. of 30 or greater before the manicure can protect your skin from U.V. rays. In addition to sunscreen, you can wear a fingerless glove and try new techniques like nail dip, which does not utilize U.V. lamps, making it a healthier alternative.
As a college student, it can be hard to keep up with a nail care routine. At-home remedies can be easy and may include products that you may already have. Jacqueline Kilikita from Elle.com and Janice Taylor from NaturalLivingIdeas.com recommend taking vitamins and using cuticle oil to strengthen your nails. Massaging coconut oil on your nails and cuticles has a similar effect. Some products that may damage your nails are nail polish removers that contain acetone and the nail polish itself. It is important to use nontoxic non-toxic products. Acetone-free nail polish remover is a better alternative.
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Personally, I struggle keeping in touch with people, and this could be due to the lack of communication and connectedness in my family’s history. My mom has minimal conversation with her father’s side of the family. Now, I have minimal or even any communication with my father’s side. The authors of “Intergenerational Relationship Quality Across Three Generations,” in The Journals of Gerontology Series B: Psychological Science and Social Sciences, wrote, “As a consequence, individuals replicate the early parent–child parent-child relationship with spouses, children, and other significant relationships. These theories of transmission typically focus on how specific parenting behaviors are transmitted across generations. We extend these theoretical perspectives to examine whether feelings about one another (i.e., relationship quality) are transmitted as well.”
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The Syracuse University student population includes students from all 50 states and 125 countries. This has created a diverse university in which students from all backgrounds can feel accepted and celebrated. Recent studies have displayed that living with a roommate of different heritage can promote students to develop inclusive attitudes toward members of all races. To fully understand this statement, we need to understand the driving force behind why students of differing race races do not usually interact.
Natalie Shook and Russel Fazio, authors of the research article “Interracial Roommate Relationships,” which was published in the journal Psychological Science, define the contact hypothesis, stating that “prejudice stems from a lack of knowledge and exposure.” Shook and Fazio performed an experiment almost identical to Sarah Gaither and Samuel Sommers, authors of “Living with an Other-Race Roommate Shapes Whites’ Behavior in Subsequent Diverse Settings.” Gaither and Sommers’ experiment, published in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, entailed pairing a roommate with a peer of the same race and comparing attitudes to an individual with a roommate of a different race. Comfortability and racial attitudes were taken before and and after the semester. The results for both experiments were the same. Sommers and Gaither explained, “Whites who lived with an other-race roommate came to have more diverse friends and believe that diversity was more important than did whites with a white roommate.” Participants in same-race rooms stated more involvement with his or her her roommate, Shook and Fazio explain. “However, automatically activated racial attitudes and intergroup anxiety improved over time among students in interracial rooms, but not among students in same-race rooms.”
Why is this study so valuable? College serves as a melting pot for students with differing values, morals and backgrounds. This experiment displays a foundation for students to become more inclusive about diversity and interact with other students they would not have initially befriended. “Before entering college, I was never exposed to to a person that isn’t my same race on such a personal level. I definitely understand the struggles most minority groups face now that I have started to live with her,” said Emma Dickson ’23 about her growing relationship with her roommate of Pakistani descent. Many campuses have considered pairing students with a roommate of a different race when going through the process of random roommate selection. However, here at Syracuse University, roommate selection is a voluntary process, and students can be willingly paired with a random student if desired.
Keith A. Alford, chief diversity and inclusion officer at Syracuse University, says, “Positive coexistence happens when each person feels deeply welcomed and appreciated. We value diverse identities. Cultural perspectives and worldviews matter to us. Difference should never mean devaluation nor should it result in discrimination.” Visit diversity.syr.edu for more information about inclusiveness on the Syracuse University campus.
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