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Showing posts from February, 2023

Can RFK Jr Make America Healthy Again?

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     Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has been chosen by President Trump to oversee the Department of Health and Human Services. Robert Francis Kennedy Jr. or RFK Jr. as he’s affectionately nicknamed, hails from the very promininent and politically involved Kennedy family. He has a great legacy to uphold as the Kennedy family has so strongly and positively impacted the historical and political landscape of the United States. That family has experienced so much tragedy amongst its members but they’ve managed to overcome. The matriarch and patriarch of the Kennedy family, Joseph and Rose must be smiling down with joy about the impact that their entire lineage has made on society. RFK Jr. is an environmentalist that has been a leading figure in the mission to protect the planet and could be considered a Godfather of environmentalism due to all of his environmentally focused work and generous efforts to create change within the field. He founded the Pace University Environmental Li...

Sitting For Too Long Linked to Dementia and Alzheimer's Disease

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Spending a great deal of time sitting in your cubicle? Do you love to be indoors sitting down while watching your favorite TV show? Do you find yourself sitting down very often on your college campus after lectures? It’s been suggested that 13 percent of the global ailment of Alzheimer’s can be attributed to sedentary behavior. 100 million people will be affected by dementia by 2050 (Hughes et al., 2010).   It can be alarming when finding out that a sedentary activity such as sitting is no bueno for your health but it’s best to learn earlier so as not to continue actions that can be detrimental to health. Researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles discovered a link between sitting for long periods of time and decreased brain thickness in a region that is essential for the formation of memories (Siddarth et al., 2018). This is an area of the brain that declines with age. Thirty-five adults between the ages of 45 – 75 took part in the study. The adults were given q...

Dark Chocolate Contains Heavy Metals Cadmium and Lead

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Dark chocolate has frequently been lauded by health fanatics for its numerous benefits.  It’s classified as a source of antioxidants and has been even said to help regulate blood pressure and cholesterol levels.  It's even been claimed to help with weight loss.   A  New York based non-profit named Consumer Reports tested heavy metal levels of 28 different brands of chocolate including Hershey’s, Godiva, Tony’s, Lindt, Endangered Species and Trader Joe’s.  Consumer Reports measured levels of cadmium and lead against standards set by the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA).  According to OEHHA, human exposure to cadmium should not be more than 4.1 mcg per day and their exposure to lead should not be more than 0.5 mcg per day. Many of the dark chocolate bars contained more lead than they should have.  Ten bars contained more than the OEHHA recommended level of lead while eight contained more than the recommended level for c...