Many research studies have shown that stress is linked to many illnesses. According
to studies stress is also linked with the health of the immune system. Too much
stress and the immune system will become weak, lowering it's defenses to fight off diseases and illnesses. These are called antigens which are foreign substance that induces an immune response in the body such as bacteria, viruses and cancerous cells. This is mainly true for a person with a serious and continuous chronic stress issue.  This suppresses the immune system slowly wearing it away. A weak immune system is more susceptible to infections, illnesses and diseases. Stress also affects the body indirectly when a person may use unhealthy behavioral coping strategies to reduce stress, such as using drugs. 
 

Reference

Daruna, Jorge Hilarion. The Introduction to Psychoneuroimmunology. Boston: Elsevier Academic Press, 2004. Electronic Resource.

Olegario, Janainna and Marcos Silva. Pulmonary Innate Immune Response and
Melatonin Receptors in the Perinatal Stress. Hindawi Publishing, 2013. Print.

 

For this assignment I decided to watch "The Science of Sex Appeal". It's a documentary that goes in-depth at the scientific side of human sexuality and attraction. Experts look and examine how men and women react and evaluate the opposite sex. It wasn't surprising that most women look for attractiveness, good dad traits, security and overall stability in men. What was interesting in men was men with high testosterone levels usually don't think as clear. What shock me was that men usually find women more attractive when they are the most fertile. In general men are more attractive to more feminine women and women are more attractive to more masculine men. People who have not watch this video series should know that the bottom line is that men and women are looking for attractiveness and with deep pockets.    

Reference
 
Discovery Communications (2011) The Science of Sex Appeal. Retrieved from http://dsc.discovery.com/tv-shows/other-shows/videos/other-shows-science-of-sex-appeal-videos.htm

The movie "Bully" is a documentary about bullying. This
documentary follows several students that are victims of bullying at school.
Some of the victims in the film took it to the point where they ended their
lives because they couldn't take it. This film is moving because it shows how
bullying is a huge issue, specially in schools. This is a great film to show
students that bullying is not right and how they can turn this around by not
doing it or standing up for the victims of bully. You can go watch this film at
Netflix or YouTube. For more information check out the website www.thebullyproject.com 
 
This movie had a huge impact on me because it reminded me when I was bullied
at school and no one did anything to help me. I remember that I was physically
pushed around, teased, and laugh at simply because I was the smallest
one but I never did anything about because I was not life threatening. 

Another things that impacted me was that school is still the same as I
remember, nothing has really change regarding bullying. The principles, teachers
and other staff and the government still haven't done anything to stop it. This
is the reason why maybe bullying still continues today.     

After watching the documentary my only question was why is the staff acting
like bullying is not a big deal when it is? I couldn't believe that teacher when
she told the two boys to shake hands and told the kid that was being bullied
that they could even become best friends with the bully. I mean who says that.
Really?

This documentary made me feel angry to know that there are still kids out there that
are going through this and yet nothing is done to stop it.

"AHA" Moments chapters 1,10,9,11,2,3,7,8,16

Chapter 1
1) Leading cause of death among Americans age 15-24 is automobile accidents.
2) 8% of Americans have diabetes, but about one-fourth of them don't know it.

Chapter 10
1) 15% of tested supplements contained substances that would cause an athlete to fail a drug test.
2) Physical inactivity increases the risk of cardio vascular disease by 50-240%.

Chapter 9
1) 42% of Americans never eat whole grains.
2) Consumption of whole grains has been linked to a reduced risk of heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, stroke, and certain forms of cancer.

Chapter 11
!) Americans spend $40 billion annually on weight-loss products and programs.
2) Estimates of genetic contribution to obesity are from 25% to 40% of an individuals body fat.

Chapter 2
1) Two thirds of visits to family practitioners are due to stress-related issues.
2) High levels of chronic stress cause brain cells to shrink in size and die, this impairing learning and memory.

Chapter 3
1) 5.7 million Americans have bipolar disorder.
2) In  2004, the FDA required for antidepressant drugs to have a warning label that it increases suicidal thinking.  

Chapter 7
1) In 2005, 1.4 million emergency room visits were related to drug misuse or abuse.
2) In 2006, injection drug use accounted for about 13% of all new HIV/AIDS cases.

Chapter 8
1) Alcohol and Tobacco are responsible for most illnesses, injuries, and deaths.
2) Alcohol use contributes to over 50% of all murders, assaults, and rapes.

Chapter 16
1) An alcohol related traffic fatality occurs every 31 minutes in the U.S.
2) More than 2.4 million poisonings and over 19,000 poison-related deaths occur every year in the United States.

        For this assignment I decided to watch "Piano Stairs-The Fun Theory". This
video is very interesting because it shows you how most people regardless of age
prefer something fun and pleasant over the boring and unpleasant things of
life. In this video an inspired group by Volkswagen first started-out by setting-up
some cameras inside a subway station by the stairs and escalator. They noticed that most
people take the escalators rather than the stairs. But this changes when this  group
decides to transform a staircase into piano stairs with sound. When people see this 
piano stairs, most decide to take the stairs instead of the escalator. Not only that but
 people's mood and behavior also changes. Some people where jumping, running,
laughing but almost everybody had  a smile on their face for getting on the piano
 stairs. This experiment relates a lot too stress because it gets people to forget a little
 bit about their daily lives and have a little fun. This experiment goes to show you
 how simple fun changes can really put a smile on people's face which is a good
 thing because laughter actually helps relieve stress. Laughter is also said to
 be a very good medicine if not the best to relieve stress. 


Reference

Volkswagen (2009) The Fun Theory. Retrieved from http://www.thefuntheory.com/


 

One stress soother technique is to read a book you like to read or interests you. When reading the book you have to digest everything you read for the greatest effect. Reading a book can reduce stress because it gets your mind of the real world and into a world of imagination. Reading can reduce stress because your mind is invited into a literary world that is free from stressors.

Listening to music can reduce stress. Simply pick a type of music you like or your favorite songs and play them. Listening to music can reduce stress because it makes you feel happy, sexy, energetic, or relaxed. It all depends on what you listen too. This stress soother technique can reduce stress because it can calm your heart rate and it may increase breathing.

Another stress soother is running. Running is a good stress soother technique because you get stronger physically and mentally. A stronger heart and mind can deal better with stress than a weak mind and heart. When you run your heart rate goes up therefore making it stronger and you also  produce good hormones that improve cognitive function, elevated mood and learning.

Showering can help stressful people feel better. Showering it's a good way to reduce stress because it relaxes you, it wakens you up and it refreshes the mind and body. This technique works because the feeling of the water and the sweet smells of the soaps and shampoos are pleasant to the mind which makes it release good chemicals in our brains.  

Praying and spirituality can also help reduce stress because we are putting our trust in God to help us. Prayers in Christ can relax, strengthened, reduce anxiety and gain inner peace. The practice or praying and spirituality works because we understand that we are not like God and so we feel less pressurize for the little things of life. 

Carbohydrates:

1. I consume a daily average of 300 grams of carbohydrates.


2. This means that I consume about 1148 calories of carbohydrates every day.


3. This means I consume about 41% carbohydrates from all my calories.


4. My carbohydrate intake percentage is just under the recommended 45%-65% so

           I'm ok. 
  .

Complex Carbohydrates- 100% Whole Weat Bread

Simple Carbohydrates- apples,
  strawberries

Concentrated simple carbohydrates-
  butter, pudding, lemonade

Fats:

1. My average daily intake of fats is around 150 grams.


2. These 150 grams equals 1206 calories of fat.


3. My total fat intake is at 46% which is pretty high according to the recommended 25%-35%.
     After analizing myself,  I think I could cut back on some of the sweet bread and chips to
     lower my fat intake.


4. My cholesterol intake is at 500mg which is not that bad for my age. I could cut back on my 
      bad cholesterol by eating more eggs. Atleast 2 a day. 
   

Protein:

1. My average daily intake of protein is 60 grams.


2. I consume about 240 calories of protein.


3. My protein percentage way below the scale only at 12% which falls very short of the recommended amount of protein 25%-35%.

Vitamins and Minerals:

1. The recommended amount of salt intake is 6 grams, but I consume an average
     of 1 grams of salt daily so I need to consume more salt. I will go about doing this by eating a lot of salt everyday.

Conclusion:

This nutritional journal is eye oppening. I tought I was very healthy just because I ate a lot of veggies and fruits. However, I didn't realize I had a terrible balance in my diet. Now that I know my eating habits: I will fix my diet so it's balanced.

Carbohydrates:
 

1. I consume a daily average of 300 grams of carbohydrates.
   
2. This means that I consume about 1148 calories of carbohydrates every
   day.
    
3. This means I consume about 41% carbohydrates from all my calories.
    
4. My carbohydrate intake percentage is just under the recommended 45%-65% so

           I'm ok. 
 
Complex Carbohydrates-
100% Whole Weat Bread

Simple Carbohydrates- apples,
 
strawberries

Concentrated simple carbohydrates-
  butter,
pudding, lemonade

Fats:
 

1. My average daily intake of fats is around 150 grams.
    
2. These 150 grams equals 1206 calories of fat.
    
3. My total fat intake is at 46% which is pretty high according to the
   recommended 25%-35%.
     After analizing myself,  I think I
   could cut back on some of the sweet bread and chips to
     lower my fat
   intake.
4. My cholesterol intake is at 500mg which is not that bad for my age. I
   could cut back on my 
      bad cholesterol by eating
   more eggs. Atleast 2 a day. 
   

Protein:
 

1. My average daily intake of protein is 60 grams.
    
2. I consume about 240 calories of protein.
    
3. My protein percentage way below the scale only at 12% which falls
   very short of the recommended amount of protein
   25%-35%.

Vitamins and Minerals:
 

1. The recommended amount of salt intake is 6 grams, but I consume an average
   
     of 1 grams of salt daily so I need to consume more salt. I will
   go about doing this by eating a lot of salt
   everyday.

Conclusion:
This nutritional
journal is eye opening. I thought I was very healthy just because I ate a
lot of veggies and fruits. However, I didn't realize I had a
terrible balance in my diet. Now that I know my eating habits: I
will fix my diet so it's balanced.