Chemical Risk Increases With the Back to School Rush

With the back to school rush, you can walk down the aisle of any office supply store or back to school section of your supermarket and think you’re shopping for surgical ward supplies. The antimicrobial chemical triclosan, which has been linked to hormone disruption, allergies and thyroid problems, is now being applied to everything from pens and pencils to scissors. It’s being marketed as being safer for kids thanks to its antibacterial properties, but is this really the case? The bulk of triclosan that floats around in the environment and most likely in the body comes from the personal care products that have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration. According to the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, triclosan levels in humans has increased by as much as 50 per cent since 2004, and it’s now even been identified in human breast milk. There’s currently no evidence to show how much triclosan is lost from products such as lunch bags, binders and sports clothing. But this lack of knowledge could be damaging the health of millions.

The number of products containing triclosan, and its relate chemical triclocarbon, have increased significantly over the past few decades. These chemicals are no longer just restricted to soaps, hand cleansers and toothpaste. They can be found in anything from workout clothing, sports equipments, towels and sheets, including the back to school supplies that your children are using day in, day out. There’s much evidence to suggest that using this chemical to prevent bacteria is a bad idea. Beyond the research that shows that triclosan damages the thyroid, researchers have found that overusing this chemical could increase the superbug bacteria strains that are becoming resistant to modern medicine. Aside from these alarming health concerns, there’s yet more reason to avoid triclosan in school products. It’s also a rip off. You pay more for the products that contain triclosan and there’s not actually any evidence that it works or is any good for people. Consumers currently use on-fifth to one-tenth of the amount of triclosan that hospitals use to kill germs just in everyday products. The concerns is that overusing these chemicals could render valuable antibiotics useless due to the resistance our bodies will build up.

Companies marketing triclosan may not make it clear, but washing your hands with regular soap and water or an alcohol-based hand sanitiser is safer and more effective than applying antimicrobial chemicals such as triclosan to your skin. This is because there is little to no evidence to suggest that triclosan impregnated soaps and products for the household have any advantage. Because triclosan is in so many products, we’re even eating it. It’s finding its way into the water supplies and, as such, into the crops that we’re later eating. The safest way to avoid this is to learn the code words for this ingredient. Products listed as microban are often to blame, but the best way is to call the manufacturer and ask. You should also choose safer sanitising methods, which happen to be using water and soap to wash your hands! If you’re not by a sink, opt for a hand sanitiser than has alcohol in it. There are plenty of ways to stay safe, but it will require reading labels more thoroughly and not necessarily relying on the marketing that many of these product provide in order to get your information.

Categories: antibacterial, chemical, Child Wellness, Evidence, hand sanitiser, products, School, triclosan

Can Supplements Help People with Bipolar Disorder?

Many people choose supplements, whether to target a specific wellness problem, or to improve their general wellbeing, but are they advisable when you have bipolar disorder? Supplements can be beneficial for ensuring you get all the vitamins you need every day, especially for the optimal functioning of your brain and nervous system, but when it comes to the direct treatment of bipolar disorder, there’s no real consensus as to how useful they are. Are supplements an option, or just a waste of your time and money?

 

Some supplements have been designed to prevent deficiencies of certain nutrients in your body. Multivitamins and fish oil capsules fit into this category. In bipolar disorder, researchers have made links between mood swings and deficiencies in B vitamins, and so arguably this is where supplements come into the equation. Plus, you have pills that are marketed as sleep aids or antidepressants, but the effectiveness and safety of these supplements have come under some scrutiny.

 

As it stands, there isn’t a great deal of evidence that proves supplements are effective for helping treat major medical conditions, so before you use them, it’s important to consult your doctor. This is especially important when you have bipolar disorder, as there are various negative side effects to supplements if you take them with certain medications. Depending on the supplement you take and how it interacts with your body, it could worsen your depression or mania symptoms. Plus, no matter who you are or what condition you have, you can have too much of a good thing; even too many vitamins can be toxic to your body so, again, medical supervision is key.

 

In fact, Dr. Soroya Bacchus, who practices in California, discourages the use of supplements other than a basic multivitamin. She notes that as people who are bipolar are often already taking a lot of pills, and supplements can interact with standard bipolar medications, there’s really no point in bothering. She explains, ‘Supplements are a waste of time and money. I would rather you save your money and spend it on something you can really enjoy.’ Obviously, this is just one opinion in a wide range of perspectives, so research supplements thoroughly and consult a doctor you trust to find out what’s right for you.

Categories: bipolar, bipolar disorder, body, Deficiencies, Disorder, Evidence, money, Supplements

Why Is It So Important to Speak About Rape?

Rape is an incredibly serious subject and affects thousands of people of all ages. For many victims, their suffering goes unnoticed because rape is still not discussed openly. A lot of people who are raped or were in the past are ashamed of it and feel as though they are in some way to blame, so they never speak out about their situation.

 

Sexual crimes are the most under-reported crimes, with victims who do speak up often made to feel as though they deserved it from their behaviour, dress sense or looks. There is a lot of help available for rape victims though, that also isn’t publicised in the way that it should be. This is the very reason why speaking about rape is so important. Highlighting your own suffering and circumstances helps to create a dialogue about rape, that adds to a body of evidence that could well help a future victim. The more rape is discussed and dealt with, the less crimes that will be in the future that surround this issue. This is particularly the case with men, who hardly ever report their rape as they feel too ashamed or emasculated by the situation.

 

Most people who are raped won’t report the crime. This may be for a number of reasons, such as fear of it happening again if they know the attacker, judgement from others who may blame them or say it was deserved, or the fear of not being believed by the police. There is, however, no good reason for not reporting rape. In doing this, all you’re achieving is allowing the attacker to roam free and potentially strike again – either to you or someone else. It also perpetuates the belief that rape is something to be ashamed of and tucked under the carpet.

 

There’s no perfect crime, and there will always be potential evidence that could serve as proof of your attackers crime – it may not seem relevant at the time, but it may lead to them being caught either straight away or in time when they no doubt attack again. However, without your evidence, they will certainly walk free – this is why it is so important that you report the crime and give evidence wherever you can to help stop rapists from being able to attack at will.

 

Rape doesn’t define who you are and it isn’t something that anyone is deserving of. There is a huge body of help available to rape victims, from support groups to therapists, who can help you work through your feelings and issues about what happened to you. If you’ve been the victim of rape, speak to your GP who may be able to advise of support in your local area that can help you. Rape is a terrifying thing for anyone to have to go through, and while you may feel as though you are fine to deal with it with just the support of your family and friends, this is often not the case.

 

As supportive as your loved ones are, they won’t be equipped to deal with the wealth of emotions you’ll be feeling about the rape – you would be well advised to seek the help of a professional to get you through this period and help you to move forward. Even just speaking to someone at the end of a call centre line can help you feel as though an enormous weight has been lifted – never underestimate the power of speaking about your emotions.

Categories: Evidence, feel, nbsp, rape, rape victims, situation nbsp, speak, victim

The HCG Diet: Weight Loss Tool or a Colossal Waste of Time?

Thanks to a lot of celebrity endorsement, the HCG Diet is more popular than ever, but is it actually beneficial to your wellbeing? Let’s explore the controversies surrounding the HCG Diet.

 

What is it? Human Chorionic Gonadotropin, or HCG for short, is a hormone found naturally in the urine of pregnant women. Yep, people are injected with the same hormone found in pregnant women’s urine in order to lose weight. The theory goes that the hormone causes your hypothalamus to release fat reserves, which it then uses to fuel your body.

 

What are its claims? The HCG promises a quick fix for weight problems, but considering any wellness expert will tell you that there is, in fact, no quick fix for weight loss, this promise falls a little flat. Users assert that they have lost as much as 10kg in 30 days, as well as stubborn fat that hasn’t previously responded to diet and exercise. However, as the weight loss programme also involves a very low-calorie diet, since the reserved fat is what fuels the body’s energy needs and excess caloric intake is not required, it’s more likely this element – rather than the injections – that causes weight loss.

 

What’s the science? Although there is a plausible theory behind the HCG diet, there is no scientific research to back it up. According to a research analysis published in The British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology in 1995, HCG has absolutely no benefits for weight loss, but rather it is the dangerously low 500 calorie diet that users follow, and this has harmful repercussions. All clinical trials have concluded that HCG is ineffective and pointless, while a 2009 report from the American Society of Bariatric Physicians stated that HCG isn’t recommended to any obese person for weight loss.

 

Is it approved? In short, no. The Federal Trade Commission and the FDA issued strict warnings in December 2011, telling almost seven companies that their product didn’t have the necessary FDA approval and the claims they were making were not backed by research or examination by experts.

 

What are the side effects? The low calorie diet will cause vitamin, mineral and fat deficiencies, as well as headaches, loss of muscle tissue, stomach ulcers, hormone imbalance, and blood sugar imbalance. Plus, any weight you lose will always come back, and this time as all-fat instead of the fat-and-muscle combo that you lost.

Categories: calorie diet, dangers, Evidence, hCG Diet, loss nbsp, Pregnant Women, Weight Loss