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One Puff Of E-Cig Increases Chance Of Heart Attack, New Research Finds

by August 21, 2017

Recently many people have made the phenomenal swap from cigarettes to electronic vaporizers, or E-cigs. While anything is better for you than a cigarette, new research finds that E-cigarettes are rather dangerous too.

Many people have made the switch from tobacco cigarettes to electronic cigarettes, especially in the past few years. However, new research suggests that just one puff of an electronic cigarette could increase your chances for heart disease and even a heart attack. The research was performed by the American Physiological Society (APS) after conducting tests on lab mice.

The researchers conducted tests on mice that showed the effects of five minutes of vape exposure. Just five minutes of vapor exposure caused the mice’s arteries to narrow by a significant 30% within just one hour! Narrowed arteries are one of the primary symptoms of heart disease and put you at risk for having a serious heart attack or stroke. The researchers also discovered that the mice’s blood vessels were less capable of dilating after exposure. This is necessary for your body to be able to lower your blood pressure.

The mice were also given long-term exposure to vaping, approximately 20 hours per week over the course of an eight-month period. The vape exposed mice had developed stiffer arteries. In fact, the mice who had been exposed had over twice the stiffness than mice who have been exposed to nicotine.

Researchers who conducted the study came to the following conclusion:

These data indicate that e-cigs should not be considered safe and that they induce significant deleterious effects.

Smoking, vaping, or inhaling anything but the air is probably not a good idea, to begin with. Smoking is a habit of the past! We just started to really kick it, let’s not replace it with vaping. Smoking is bad for you in basically all forms – so stop trying to sub it out for something else! Just kick the habit as a whole!

NASA Launching Bacteria-Filled Balloons During Monday’s Solar Eclipse

by August 21, 2017

You’re probably aware that we have a full solar eclipse on the way! Expected to hit on August 21, the entire United States will get to enjoy seeing a total solar eclipse!

The solar eclipse has a lot of spiritual significance. The Earth will be flooded with interstellar energy, filling you with positive vibrations. Many people believe there will be lots of paranormal activity during this time, some even believing werewolves will be about. However, on a less metaphysical note, scientists from NASA are releasing bacteria into the sky during the eclipse. Why, you ask?

During the anticipated solar eclipse, NASA will be releasing balloons filled with bacteria on Monday. The experiment is named ‘NASA’s Eclipse balloon Project‘. It is headed by Angela Des Jardins, director of the Montana Space Grant Consortium at Montana State University. Her, alongside her team, will be releasing 75 different balloons into the stratosphere in an effort to Livestream aerial footage of the Eclipse.

“Total solar eclipses are rare and awe-inspiring events. Nobody has ever live-streamed aerial video footage of a total solar eclipse before,” said Angela Des Jardins. “By live-streaming it on the internet, we are providing people across the world an opportunity to experience the eclipse in a unique way, even if they are not able to see the eclipse directly.”

More than 30 of the balloons will be used to conduct MicroStrat, a low-cost experiment that releases a highly resilient strain of bacteria known as Paenibacillus xerothermodurans. They are doing this to simulate life’s ability to survive on Mars. Each of the teams will be provided with two coupons or small metal cards about the size of a dog tag. They will contain bacteria that NASA assures is “harmless, yet environmentally resilient.” One will be released with the balloon, while one stays on the ground.

Via

“While most of these tiny forms of life that exist in abundance around us won’t survive the trip through space, it’s understood that some resilient types could ‘go dormant’ on the trip and then survive on the surface of the other planet. Therefore, in order to be prepared to keep planets we visit absolutely pristine, it’s important to understand how bacteria might behave there,” explained Des Jardins.

During the eclipse, the stratosphere will have Mars like conditions, such as cooler temperatures and a thinner atmosphere. “Mars’ atmosphere at the surface is about 100 times thinner than Earth’s, with cooler temperatures and more radiation. Under normal conditions, the upper portion of our stratosphere is similar to these Martian conditions, with its cold, thin atmosphere and exposure to radiation, due to its location above most of Earth’s protective ozone layer. Temperatures, where the balloons fly, can reach -35 degrees Fahrenheit or colder, with pressures about a hundredth of that at sea level.

During the eclipse, the similarities to Mars only increase. The Moon will buffer the full blast of radiation and heat from the Sun, blocking certain ultraviolet rays that are less abundant in the Martian atmosphere and bringing the temperature down even further.”

Image Via

How Toxic Relationships Affect Your Health, According To Science

by August 21, 2017

For whatever reason, relationships have gotten increasingly more complicated in the last decade. Toxic relationships are abundant these days, and it’s destroying our health!

A toxic relationship can be really hard to identify sometimes. Many people may think that it is a black and white picture, but it’s not. They say you’ll do anything for love, but then shame you when you stick around for the bad parts. However, there is a fine line between a healthy relationship and a toxic one. Toxic relationships make you change into someone you are not, abandoning you of all hope and fulfillment. A toxic relationship can not only destroy your mental health, but it can additionally tear down your physical health too. According to science, a toxic relationship is seriously bad for you.

A toxic relationship can wreck all of your attempts at a healthy lifestyle. They make you lose your drive for life, depressing you and making you feel almost lifeless. It’s not just dating and spousal relationships that can be toxic either; you can have a toxic relationship with a friend, coworker, or loved one. According to science, the emotional distress it causes can easily turn biological.

The study, known as the Whitehall II Study, followed more than 10,000 people for over 12 years. By doing so, they confirmed that there is a link between toxic relationships, stress, and an increased risk of developing heart disease. Humans have adapted something called conserved transcriptional response to advisory (CTRA). It is a type of expression associated with inflammation and low immunity. Its primal function is that when being chased by a predator, it allows you to have short-term benefits such as increased health, physical recovery, and an all around increased chance of survival.

Chronic stress from a long term toxic relationship can cause the activation of our brain’s CTRA. This eventually leads to other health issues such as adrenal failure. It isn’t always easy to identify a toxic relationship. However, if you all around just don’t feel like yourself, it’s very possible.

Take some time to assess the state of your relationships. If a relationship is causing more stress for you than fulfillment, you need to at least try to address the issue. If it is ineffective, cut the tie. You’ll be happy you did.

Scientists Transform Spinach Leaf Into Beating Human Heart Tissue

by August 20, 2017

Medical science is rapidly expanding as new research takes place. A great example is a new study in which scientists turned a spinach leaf into live heart tissue.

Video via the Washington Post

The study was published in the Journal of Biomaterials earlier in August. In the study, researchers were able to successfully build a working human heart muscle from a spinach leaf. Researchers from Massachusetts Worcester Polytechnic Institute have been able to manipulate the physical properties of spinach to create a living human heart muscle. The tissue engineers stripped green spinach leaves of their cells, turning it translucent. They then seeded the gaps the cells left behind with human heart tissue!

The research study is absolutely revolutionary and gives new light to people who suffer from a weakened heart or heart defects. The heart tissue that filled the cell gaps in the spinach leaf was able to beat for up to three weeks in their usual environment, as reported by the journal Biomaterials. WPI engineers Glenn Gaudette and Joshua Gershlak came up with the idea over lunch. They were brainstorming ideas of how to solve the lack of donor organs and the 100,000 people on a list waiting for one.

Scientists have already been trying to print a 3D heart, but not any of them were perfect. “One of the big problems in engineering heart muscle is getting blood flow to all of the cells,” Gaudette, a professor of biomedical engineering at WPI, told The Washington Post. “Heart muscle is pretty thick.”

Instead of creating, or printing, the perfect heart, the scientists decided to borrow from what nature already evolved – the spinach leaf. “We use detergent — soaps — which strips away the cellular material of tissues,” said Gershlak, a WPI graduate student in Gaudette’s lab. “This leaves behind the protein matrix and structure.”

Alongside the cells from the spinach leaf, they also removed cells from parsley, sweet wormwood, and peanuts. The researchers say that the spinach leaf is likely to work best for heart tissue. The template improved over time and developed so that damaged tissue can be replaced in patients who had a heart attack or were even likely to suffer from one.

They hope that one day this technology will be able to generate new heart matter. It truly is an amazingly groundbreaking study! “We have a lot more work to do, but so far this is very promising,” study co-author Glenn Gaudette said in a press statement. “Adapting abundant plants that farmers have been cultivating for thousands of years for use in tissue engineering could solve a host of problems limiting the field.”

Image via ArmyAnonymous.com

This is What You Are Consuming Every Time You Smoke a Cigarette

by August 20, 2017

While there was a time that we were naïve in regards to the potential health ramifications of cigarette smoke, this is no longer the case. In depth research and studies have led to the necessity for warning labels to be printed on every cigarette carton sold in the country.

In fact, experts have found that cigarette smoke contains over 4000 different chemicals, including 43 chemicals that are known to be carcinogenic. Another 400 chemicals have been classified as toxins. When you inhale, most of the smoke from a cigarette remains in the lungs. While you may feel better in the moment the more you inhale, you also increase the damage to your lungs by prolonged exposure.

While most people are well aware of the presence of tobacco and nicotine in their cigarettes, here are some other chemicals that you are consuming with each drag:

Hydrogen Cyanide

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have classified hydrogen cyanide as a systemic chemical asphyxiant. This means that this dangerous chemical prevents oxygen from reaching the organs and tissues in the body, impacting symptoms such as the central nervous system (brain), pulmonary system (lungs) and cardiovascular system (heart).  Highly toxic, it can rapidly lead to unconsciousness or death.

Ammonia

This highly corrosive chemical is often found in household and industrial products, and carries a number of warning signs for those using these products. Low levels of exposure can cause coughing, burning sensations in the nose and throat, chest pain and fatigue, while long-term exposure has been associated with the destruction of the body’s airways, leading to respiratory distress and ultimately complete respiratory failure.

Mercury

A known neurotoxin, mercury has been banned from a number of other uses in the US in order to avoid the toxic effects of exposure. Experts warn that mercury has been connected with behavioral changes, hypertension, headaches, and changes in the body’s cardiovascular function. The Environmental Protection Agency warns that mercury exposure should be taken lightly as even low exposure can cause extreme damage to the body!

Formaldehyde

While formaldehyde is found in very small doses naturally as part of the metabolic process, the National Cancer Institute warns that exposure to levels that are higher than .1ppm can lead to negative health effects including watery or burning eyes, nausea, skin irritation, wheezing or a burning sensation in the nose and throat. Long-term exposure has been associated with an increased risk of nose and throat cancer.

Carbon Monoxide

As of January 2017, a total of 32 states have enacted statutes that require that buildings are equipped with proper carbon monoxide detectors due to the serious concerns of carbon monoxide poisoning, however each time you inhale smoke from a cigarette you are inhaling the colorless, odorless chemical. Symptoms of carbon monoxide exposure include shortness of breath, weakness, dizziness and blurred vision, and long-term exposure has even been connected with heart disease.

Lead

The impact of lead poisoning on the body is known as a silent killer, happening slowly and often without noticeable symptoms for a significant period of time, often going unrecognized. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states that there is no safe blood level. Symptoms of lead poisoning include fatigue, inability to concentrate/brain fog, feelings of irritation, loss of appetite, abdominal pain and vomiting. It has also been connected with an increased risk of kidney disease and high blood pressure. 

Potassium Citrate

Unlike the previous chemicals, when used under medical supervision as prescribed potassium citrate can be an effective treatment for serious kidney problems by helping to eliminate acidic urine. Regular, prolonged exposure without medical supervision can be extremely dangerous. Side effects include dizziness, muscle weakness, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhea and an increased or irregular heartbeat.

The American Lung Association also lists the following harmful chemicals:

  • Benzene (a chemical found in rubber cement)

  • Naphthalene (an ingredient in mothballs)

  • Acetone (found in nail polish remover)

  • Methanol (the main ingredient in rocket fuel)

  • Toluene (used to manufacture paint)

  • Butane (used in lighter fluid)

  • Acetic Acid (an ingredient in hair dye)

  • Tar (used for paving roads)

  • Cadmium (an active component in battery acid)

  • Arsenic (used in rat poison)

  • Hexamine (an ingredient in BBQ lighter fluid)

Featured Image Via Shareably.net. 

The Ancient Cure for Depression

by August 19, 2017

Depression is a malicious mental illness to suffer from. It destroys every aspect of your daily life, and we treat it entirely wrong today. The correct way to treat depression has been used by our ancestors for years!

Suicide claims over a million lives per year worldwide. Depression is extremely common in today’s society, we have almost romanticized it. Depression is a horrible thing to suffer from, and it demands to be taken seriously. The approach we have on the disease has a huge impact on those who suffer from it. Many people still believe it could be an attitude problem and that causes people to refrain from asking for help. Depression is a serious mental health ailment and you have to take it seriously.

Depression is horrible in itself, but the way we are treating it makes it that much worse. The big pharma and medical industry see depression as a way to drug people up and make a buttload of money. According to author of The Depression Cure, Stephen Ilardi, depression robs people of their sleep, energy, sex drive, focus, and their basic ability to experience the pleasures of life. He even says if left unchecked, it can cause permanent brain damage.

Depression is not a natural disease. According to Ilardi, depression is not inevitable. He says like many diseases, it is a disease of the society. “Many begin to look to death as a welcome means of escape,” he said in a Ted Talks presentation. Depression is the result of a prolonged stress response. He says that it is similar to the body’s fight or flight system, almost like a runaway response.

“The problem is for many people throughout the Western world, the stress response goes on for weeks, months and even years at a time, and when it does that, it’s incredibly toxic,”

Ildari said.

One study focused on a group of 2000 Kaluli aborigines from Papua New Guinea. They found only one marginal cause of clinical depression. Because the Kaluli lifestyle is so closely related to our ancestors hunting lifestyle, they lasted almost 2 million years before agriculture, according to Ilardi.

“99.9 percent of the human experience was lived in a hunter-gatherer context,” he added. “Most of the selection pressures that have sculpted and shaped our genomes are really well adapted for that environment and that lifestyle.” According to Ilardi, all the drugs in the world couldn’t cure depression. While he is not opposed to medicine, he explains why antidepressant use is setting us back. He says the answer to our depression issue is in a six step program. He says that the result exceeded his wildest dreams of curing depression. It includes:

  1. Exercise
  2. Omega 3 Fatty Acids
  3. Sunlight
  4. Healthy Sleep
  5. Anti-ruminative activity
  6. Social connection

He emphasizes the importance of regular physical activity and a good social connection. He says these are the two of the hardest parts of the program for modern-day Americans. The dirty little secret about exercise, Ildari says, is “it is not natural.” We are designed to be physically active “in the service of adopted goals,” not to exercise on a hamster wheel.

“When you put a lab rat on a treadmill … it will squat down on its haunches, and the treadmill starts to rub the fur and the skin right off its backside,” he said. “When you stare at a piece of exercise equipment, there is a part of your brain that’s screaming out ‘Don’t do it! You’re not going anywhere!’”

A social connection is just as important because it has caused a modern-day nuclear family bubble. “Face-time with our loved ones puts the breaks on our stress response,” Ildari says.

The problem is we’ve replaced face-time with screen-time.

“Our hunter gatherer ancestors spent all day in the company of their loved ones. “

The answer to depression is baby steps. You have to realize that you are not plagued or stuck in an endless cycle of sadness and depressiveness. Take baby steps away from the modern day civilization and try to expand your consciousness. Do this while eating a healthy natural diet, and you’ll be alleviated from the symptoms of depression. You’ll never know until you at least try, right?

Inspired by an article written by UpLiftConnect.com

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