Monthly Archives: February 2012

How Am I Supposed to Breathe

Posted by getPHYT in Environmental Health and tagged with , , , ,

With no air? Or with no clean air?

$$$

We breathe an average of 3,000 gallons of air each day (EPA). Let’s put that into perspective. 7.48 gallons of air = 1 cubic foot, so 3,000 gallons is about 400 cubic feet. According to ggallman.com, “One billion dollars in new crisp one hundred dollar bills would occupy about 400 cubic feet and would fill a space 5 feet high, 8 feet wide and 10 feet long.” Can you say, “MONEYYYY?”

Air pollution continues to threaten our health and the environment. What are some examples of air pollutants? If you guessed dust, dirt, soot, and smoke, then you’re right! Air pollutants can come from primary or secondary sources:

  • Primary sources: Give off particulate matter directly (i.e. forest fires and road dust)
  • Secondary sources: Give off gases that react with sunlight and water in the air to form particles (i.e. coal-fired power plants and car exhaust)

Even the tiniest of particles can be detrimental to our health. Fine particulate matter PM2.5, which is less than 2.5 micrometers, can cause serious illness and death, even though these particles are less than 1/30 the width of a human hair. Since they’re so small, they can be inhaled deep into the lungs and affect the heart, blood vessels, and lungs.

Exposure to particulate matter can cause:

  • increased emergency department visits and hospital stays for breathing and heart problems
  • breathing problems
  • asthma symptoms to get worse
  • adverse birth outcomes, such as low birth weight
  • decreased lung growth in children
  • lung cancer
  • early deaths
Here are some ways to reduce air pollution:

6CO2 + 6H2O + light --> glucose + 6O2

  •  Conserve energy – turn off appliances and lights when you leave the room.
  • Recycle paper, plastic, glass bottles, cardboard, and aluminum cans. (This conserves energy and reduces production emissions).
  • Buy green electricity-produced by low-or even zero-pollution facilities.
  • Connect your outdoor lights to a timer or use solar lighting.
  • Wash clothes with warm or cold water instead of hot.
  • Don’t smoke inside your house (wait- don’t smoke at ALL).
  • Avoid exposure to air pollutants, especially fine particulate matter.

Unless it’s very obvious, we can’t really tell if we’re breathing in clean air or semi-clean air. So how are we supposed to know which air to avoid? Take a break from Scramble with Friends and download AirNow, EPA’s free app that allows you to check air quality and UV index by simply entering a zip code. Seriously, what can’t an iPhone do these days?

image source: youknowyourefromlawhen

Okay, time for a fun fact. Those who live in L.A. often rave about the sunsets. Many even say that it’s the smog that makes these sunsets so beautiful. Contrary to popular belief, smog actually reduces the brilliance and intensity of sunrises and sunsets.

According to noaa.gov, “tropospheric aerosol (suspensions of small particles)— when present in abundance as they often are over continental areas — do not enhance sky colors — they subdue them. Clean air is, in fact, the main ingredient common to brightly colored sunrises and sunsets.”

So the next time you’re driving down the 405 with a friend, instead of saying, “How about them Lakers?” you can impress them with this fact!

By ALYSSA LLAMAS

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More Vitamin D, Please

Posted by getPHYT in Uncategorized and tagged with , , ,

D is for Delightful. D is for Delicious. D is for DUDE, gimme some of that vitamin D please! We’re all familiar with vitamin C (probably because of that one band’s sad but true graduation song) and we know that it’s important. As soon as we got an itch in our throat, we head straight to Vons to pick up some OJ.  However, what most people don’t know is that vitamin D is vital for healthy living.

image source: Alyssa Llamas

“Vitamin D is an essential vitamin that helps your body absorb calcium and phosphorus” (WebMD). Calcium and phosphorus help you develop strong bones- but this would not be possible without the help of vitamin D. Also, vitamin D:

  • Protects the immune system
  • Reduces risk of developing multiple sclerosis
  • Can reduce asthma symptoms

Vitamin D deficiency is when vitamin D levels in the blood are low. It  can occur when you have limited exposure to sunlight, don’t consume enough of it (it’s found in some fish, egg yolks, cheese, plus more), or if you’re obese, have dark skin, have problems with your digestive tract and/or kidneys. Being vitamin D deficient can lead to bone pain and muscle loss.

Furthermore, “Vitamin D deficiency is one of the major causes of rickets in babies. This condition is characterized by bone softening and it leads to serious bone deformities. If vitamin D levels are low, bones will not be properly mineralized; calcium and phosphorus will not be properly absorbed. Skeletal deformities are extremely difficult to treat” (Vitamin D Deficiency Symptoms).

Make sure you get enough Vitamin D

If you’re trying to get some vitamin D from natural sunlight, you have to make sure you aren’t wearing sunblock because otherwise your skin will not absorb it. Fatty fish like salmon, tuna, mackeral are among the best sources of vitamin D.   Talk to your doctor about taking supplements as an alternative.

P.S. Watch this video for more information! Vitamin D Debate.

By HOSNA SAFI

A Catalyst for Hope

Posted by getPHYT in Global Health and tagged with , , , , , ,

image source: blogspot.com

Child trafficking: It’s the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harboring or receipt of children for the purpose of exploitation. Worldwide, children are being shuttled around like imports and exports to serve the physical and financial needs of the cruelest members of society.

The International Labor Organization estimates that 1.2 million children are being trafficked each year. These innocent kids are being taken away from their families and homes and denied the opportunity to reach their full potential.

According to UNICEF, “violence, exploitation and abuse can affect the child’s physical and mental health in the short and longer term, impairing their ability to learn and socialize, and impacting their transition to adulthood with adverse consequences later in life.”

Though poverty plays a significant role in child trafficking, it is a child’s vulnerability that triggers the trafficking. “The many factors that may come into play in determining the level of vulnerability of a child are often described as ‘individual, family, community or institutional-level risk factors” (UNICEF). For example, at the family level, a child may lose both his parents to AIDS and be left to fend for himself. At the institutional level, a lack of access to education can also leave a child vulnerable to child trafficking.

The Catalyst Foundation addresses these issues of vulnerability and raises awareness for child trafficking. They provide access to schools and increase economic opportunities for over 200 children and their families in Vietnam.

The Catalyst Foundation Vietnam is collaborating with the Dragon Muay Thai Gym of Phuket, Thailand to offer the young girls of the Rach Gia community the unique opportunity to learn self-defense. Many of them, victims of child trafficking, are sold and raped just so they could survive. The Making Waves with Muay Thai project will empower these young girls and help keep them safe.

Be the catalyst for hope. Please support their mission by making a donation and sharing their story with your family and friends.

For more information and to donate, click here.

By ALYSSA LLAMAS

AMURRICA

Posted by getPHYT in Global Health, Health Care & Policy and tagged with , ,

image source: pbs.org

Riddle me this: why is our infant mortality rate higher than other developed countries? The U.S. spends about 17% of its GDP on health care while other developed countries spend an average of 9%. Doesn’t that mean we should have healthier babies?

Two main reasons for the high infant mortality rate

-Higher rate of premature babies. In underdeveloped countries, infant mortality can be attributed to preventable illnesses, such as diarrhea. However, the U.S. has a high number of preterm births, with the CDC stating that, ”One in 8 births in the United States were born preterm, compared with 1 in 18 births in Ireland and Finland” (CDC).  One way of preventing preterm babies is promoting education. Women with lower education rates have a higher risk of delivering premature babies(CNN).

-Lack of/barriers to health care. Many women do not have access to health care, whereas many other developed countries offer services to pregnant women. Japan, Sweden, and Spain (amongst other countries on the list) have universal health care (TrueCost).

“Infant mortality is one of the most important indicators of the health of a  nation, as it is associated with a variety of factors such as maternal health,  quality and access to medical care, socioeconomic conditions, and public health practices” (CDC).

 By HOSNA SAFI

It’s Trichy Trichy Trichy

Posted by getPHYT in Uncategorized and tagged with , , , , , ,

Trichomoniasis. It sounds like a rare and fatal brain disorder, found amongst the indigenous populations of a tropical island, that leaves its victims unable to stand or eat. Or an incurable and mysterious skin disease characterized by crawling sensations, lesions, and memory loss.

Protozoa (image source: ontd)

As scary as it sounds, Trichomoniasis is not some obscure, deadly disease. In fact, Trich is the most common curable STD. Around 3.7 million people in the United States are infected (CDC). Trich is caused by  Trichomonasis vaginalis, a protozoan parasite. During sex, the parasite can jump from vagina to penis, penis to vagina, or vagina to vagina.

Symptoms can set in 5 to 28 days after infection, but only 30% of infected individuals develop symptoms. However, the remaining 70% can still transmit Trich.

Symptoms in girls:

  • Itching, burning, redness or soreness of the genitals
  • Discomfort with urination
  • Thin discharge with an unusual smell that can be clear, white, yellowish, or greenish

Symptoms in boys:

  • Itching or irritation inside the penis
  • Burning after urination or ejaculation
  • Some discharge from the penis

Trich can be cured with a single dose of antibiotics. Unfortunately, 1 in 5 people are reinfected within 3 months after treatment. So make sure that your sex partner(s) get treated too and refrain from getting your freak on until all symptoms disappear. If left untreated, Trich can last for months to years and can increase chances of getting or spreading other STDs.

How can you prevent yourself from getting infected?

  1. Abstinence. It’s the only way to be 100% safe.
  2. Use latex condoms correctly every time you have sex. This reduces your risk but is not 100% full-proof. Despite the elasticity of condoms, they just don’t cover everything. Trich can still jump from point A and infect point B.
  3. Talk it out. Yeah, it might be uncomfortable but if it’s gonna save you from itching and burning in places that shouldn’t be, then the 5-10 minutes of awkwardness are worth it.

    image source: funcrunch

In case you were wondering, the blood-curdling illnesses described above are real! During the 1950s and ’60s, the brain disorder, Kuru, occurred at epidemic levels among the Fore Tribe in New Guinea and was caused by cannibalism (NINDS). It was a ritual to eat the tissue and brains of deceased family members. With the decrease in cannibalism, Kuru has now mostly disappeared. According to mayoclinic.com, the mysterious skin disease, Morgellons, is very controversial. Some doctors believe that Morgellons is caused  by a mental illness. So far, scientists  have not yet discovered its cause, treatment, or if it’s even contagious.

I’ll end this on an interplanetary, megastellar, hydrostatic note. To all the ’90s kids that grew up watching Disney Original Movies, this one’s for you: Super Nova Girl (Zoom Zoom Zoom)

By ALYSSA LLAMAS