Inhale, Exhale, Now relax!!

Inhale, exhale, now breathe! Have you ever tried yoga? Yoga is a Hindu spiritual and ascetic discipline, a part of  which, including, breathe control, simple meditation, and the adoption of specific bodily postures, is widely practiced for health and relaxation. When I was a freshmen in high school my gym class had to do yoga. At first I wasn't really into it and never tried it but after a couple of days of doing yoga it became really nice and relaxing. So I decided to share information and the idea of doing yoga with everyone. As a teen we have many responsibilities and tasks. We go to school, do sports, play activities, study, etc. So therefore most teens deal with stress, have body aches, and need or want to stay in shape. Yoga helps with all of these. Yoga and mindfulness allows teens to relax and unwind, and help the task of becoming an adult. Their are over 20 ways yoga can improve your health, but I will just share some.

image courtesy of
http://www.keepcalm-o-matic.co.uk 

Physical Benefits 

The more you do yoga eventually the body will start to loosen, and the cool and weird yoga poses that you thought you will never be able to do will become possible according to http://www.yogajournal.com/article/health/count-yoga-38-ways-yoga-keeps-fit/. Yoga lengthens the muscles to increase mobility in the joints which improves flexibility. When you build strength through yoga, you balance it with flexibility. Strong muscles also protect us from conditions like arthritis and back pain,and help prevent falls in elderly people. Did you know poor posture can cause back,neck, and other muscle and joint problems? When you slump your body may compensate by flattening the normal inward curves in your neck and lower back. This can cause serious pain and degenerative arthritis of the spin. When you do yoga you develop the understanding body mechanics, healthy movement patterns, and ideal postural alignment.    

Teens meditating!
image courtesy of www.huffingtonpost.com

When you do yoga, your joints go through their full range of motion. If you do many back-bends, forwardness, and twists, you'll help keep your disks supple. This can help prevent degenerative arthritis or mitigate disability by "squeezing and soaking" areas of cartilage that normally isn't used. The joint cartilage receives fresh nutrients only when its fluid is squeezed out and a new supply can be soaked up. Without the proper sustenance, neglected areas of cartilage can eventually wear out. Yoga also encourages you to relax, slow your breath and focus. Yoga also promotes breathing through the nose, which filters the air, warms it, and humidifies it; removing pollen and dirt and other things you’d rather not take into your lungs. Not only does yoga do that but it also balances your energy, so it wont be too low energy, and you wont be hyperactive. 

Mental Benefits

Image courtesy of
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/10/28/body-on-yoga_n_4109595.html

Yoga is also known to help with stress management. It allows teens to experience a sense of space around their concerns and provides techniques for redirecting thoughts and calming the nervous system. If yoga is being done often, over time you will most likely overcome fear and find confidence. (short example):

• Teens make choices that respect themselves and others 
• Concentrate on focusing on a action 
• Provides a healthy way to experiment 
• Take risks 
• Explore the body 

 Doing yoga while young will keep the body in shape so when u get older you will not experience the strange elder symptoms. Such as back & neck pains, high blood sugar levels in Diabetics, and high blood pressure. Your posture will be good, have a great sense of balance (elders seem to fall a lot and get injured),  will have a great lung capacity, and you will be relieved of anxiety, so their will be a less chance of heart attacks. I can go on and on all day about how yoga can benefit you, but for more information and facts please visit this site http://www.yogajournal.com/article/health/count-yoga-38-ways-yoga-keeps-fit/     

Sources: 

*http://teen-yoga.com/top-five-ways-teens-can-benefit-from-yoga-and-mindfulness/  

*http://yogaminded.com/benefits/ 

*http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/05/29/yoga-for-selfacceptance-5_n_3348153.html 

*http://www.yogajournal.com/article/health/count-yoga-38-ways-yoga-keeps-fit/  

*http://www.webmd.com/balance/guide/the-health-benefits-of-yoga 

        

"Sleeping Off Them Zannies!"

ZANS! ZANS! ZANS! Ughh! How much I hate those things. How do Xanax a.k.a “Zans” really make you feel? What is the real reason of people popping zans? I know so many people who pop them or want to try one, just because that's what everybody else is doing. This is mostly for a teenage audience, cause the people that I know are popping them are in my age group. I want to inform them about the dangers.
The reason for companies and doctors giving people Xanax is to treat anxiety and panic disorders things like depression, and it slows down the nervous system, but still people abuse them. I've seen many people slob, and they can't talk right, or they either just fall into a deep sleep. I guess it makes them feel good and it puts them to sleep. Xanax can put you to sleep real quick and they make you look real drunk, your words become slurred, you can't keep your eyes open and their head starts to droop, and also some people slob a lot. That's disgusting, right? When people use Zans way too much they have a higher risk of overdosing, or it could cause an allergic reaction. So I don't understand why people want to pop Zans.

image courtesy of
xanaxkingbiwheethe.ciki.me

I want to talk about the bars, specifically the "Yellow School Buses" which is highly abused and has a street value of $2 a mg. The name comes from the 2mg Xanax that is shaped like a bar and is yellow and it can be broken into 4 pieces of .5 mg each. There is also a white colored Zan and the big difference between them is the company that makes them. Everyone says that the yellow ones are actually stronger than the white ones. I have interviewed two teens to learn more about why they "pop zans." One teen stated they currently use zans and the other answered they don't use it anymore. The person that answered no, I asked "Why don't you use zans anymore?" His response was "They started making me tweak (act crazy) too much." so I said "You figured they were bad for you?" and he responded "Yea." I asked the other teen "Why does he pop zans?" He responded "Because they make me feel good and I just love drugs." I followed up with "You know they're not good for you right?" and he said "Yea, I know and guess what I don't care." Being addicted can cause problems with memory, and people don't really care, because it's what they are addicted to, and that's what make them happy, so they don't care about what effects it causes for them. That's crazy isn't it how he knows what they do to him, but he doesn't care. The other person finally noticed that they weren't good for him and was able to quit. He felt his body was getting to weak, and he was going too far with all the drugs he was doing, since he knows about the dangers he would probably also get people to not pop them.

In just the year 2005 there was 57,419 trips to the emergency room related to the use of Zans, and in 2011 it grew to 123,744 visits. The visits were from overdosing, or people feeling a change in their body. I just think if you doctor doesn't give you a prescription for Xanax, then there's no point of taking them.

References:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/gquery/?term=xanax
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Yellow%20School%20Buses
http://www.drugs.com/xanax.html

LOVE MAKIN'

SEX, SEX, SEX, SEX,AND MO' SEX.This is not a satire about the chronicles of booty poppin'. Booty poppin' is a serious point of concern that has been overlooked through the eyes of my peers for far too long. Every article I've ever read about the issue of booty poppin', or, for my easily offended readers, premarital sex, in teenagers has been focused on the actual fact that teens are having sex. Aside from those articles sounding redundant, the creators of them held a biased, prejudiced, and indignant point of view towards premarital sex in general, regardless of the ages. We should talk about why they do it, instead of the actual fact that they are doing it. A start would be to claim sexual intercourse as a decision, because every act delivered is a choice.

Dr. Adriana Galvan, asst. professor in the Psych Dept. at the University of California proves that humans use the structure called the frontal cortex that executes decision-making. Since the frontal cortex is not fully developed at our age, the teen ages, we tend to act solely on impulse. Acting on impulse is something super common in teens. We get mad, we act out. We get sad and frustrated, we act out. We even act out when we're hungry, just like babies do. Very rarely do we consider the consequences when we behave on impulse.

Psychology Today proclaims that there is actually a commonality between the sexual promiscuity and depression in female teenagers (Ugo Uche, M.S., L.P.C.). In a survey of 30 girls aged 14-19, 93% agreed that they felt some extreme forms of guilt. The remaining 7% said that they only felt pleasure, satisfaction, and happiness. If the vast majority of subjects chose the guilt route, this should ring several bells. Bell one: these girls are having sex o satisfy their partner. The fact that they feel guilty more than satisfied themselves after sex says that there is a high amount of peer pressure.

In all honesty, I'm not trying to shun or ridicule any of my peers who may like to engage in sexual intercourse. Also, I'm not trying to make fun of my peers who chose the path of abstinence. But, be careful, my friends, of the decisions you make because long term effects will overwhelm you.

New and Better You

Water Detox made with water, lemons,
Strawberries, cucumber
(Photo By: Pinterest)

Who loves food? Because I know I do, my heart breaks a little when I can’t have Nutella. I want to push myself away for eating the bad things in life. Are you that type of person that has bad eating habits but don't really like having healthy foods? Maybe you don't know where to start or just the don't like the taste. I know a lot of people want to be healthy and want to feel happy so they can fix their eating habits. 

Start by detoxing to introduce your body to new things. You can start by juicing, water detox, smoothies, fruits and veggies. You can use these things a few days or even a week. If you miss your other foods you can still eat those but only in moderation. Lets began with water detox but first let me tell you a little about it. What is water detox? Water detox is a natural way to cleanse the human body without machines that cost a lot and put a hole in your pocket. What materials do I need for water detox? 

• Water is beneficial for the aid of detoxing your body simply because it aids in keeping your body fuller, for longer for being hydrated.
• Fruits & Veggies (All according to (www.shape.com)
• Pineapples : "This enzyme has been proven to aid in digesting protein, breaking down fats and reducing inflammation. Pineapple is also packed with manganese, which has been recommended by nutritionists as a way to boost your mood if you're experiencing symptoms of PMS."
• Lemons : "Lemons contain antibacterial properties that help purify the blood and balance the pH level of your colon. The citrus fruit's vitamin C will also help boost your immunity."
• Berry Green Smoothies : "These leafy greens contain chlorophyll, a molecule that helps eliminate harmful environmental toxins that can contribute to illness and liver damage." 
• Cabbage: "Is a natural diuretic that can help expel excess fluids from the body and is also packaged with glucosinolates, organic compounds that contain nitrogen and sulfur which help flush out unwanted toxins"
• Green Tea : "Polyphenols, antioxidant-rich phytochemicals found in green tea leaves, help to detoxify the body by eliminating harmful free radicals. Studies have also shown that increased consumption of green tea may reduce your risk of several cancers."

If you are looking to lose weight with water detox. Detox water will not help but, you can try other things Detoxing may cause symptoms such headaches, nausea, body aches, sore throat, nasal or sinus congestion, constipation, diarrhea, skin rashes, or maybe even full blown flu-like symptoms. (The Healthy Home Economist) I myself have never felt these symptoms when detoxing. Many people ask can you die for detoxing. You can not and I mean you can not die from detoxing. Unless you overdose your body on detoxing. If you would like to find out more information you can contact your nearest doctor or nutritionist.

Fibro-What?

    Fibromyalgia is a chronic disorder that causes pain in your muscles and joints. It makes you feel tired. Fibromyalgia is not currently curable. A variety of treatments are available such as acupuncture, chiropractic treatments, medicines and exercise.  A lot of doctors don't believe fibromyalgia is a real disorder. they believe that  it's all in the persons head. But in reality millions of people suffer from it every day. It can cause people to become depressed, have severe anxiety and develop stress disorders. Many people say that it feels like you have the flu everyday. It is not yet known what causes fibromyalgia. Researchers believe that fibromyalgia patients have a lower tolerance for pain than a generally healthy person because of the pain-sensitive nerves in the brain and spinal cord over processing pain signals. Basically your brain is constantly sending out pain to all the parts of your body because it thinks that everything is trying to hurt you. 

   Anyone can be affected by fibromyalgia. According to Dr. Mehmet Oz about 5 million people in the America are currently battling fibromyalgia. It is more common in women than in men. People who have family members with fibromyalgia are at a high risk for developing fibromyalgia. If you have experienced any trauma to the spinal cord or brain there is a possibility of inhibiting symptoms associated with the disorder.  Though uncommon children are at risk. 

    

   Fibromyalgia can be diagnosed by doing a physical examination by a Rheumatologist. It cannot be ruled out or confirmed with a simple blood test. The physical exam tests 18 test points but patients only need 11 out of the 18 along with other symptoms to be diagnosed with fibromyalgia. Other symptoms include: fatigue, insomnia, trouble sleeping, tension or migraines headaches, sensitivity to odor, lights and foods, numbness and tingling in various parts of the body and abdominal pain.  Doctors usually wait 3 months after a patient has had ongoing pain to consider fibromyalgia as a possible illness. Those who have all the symptoms should talk to their primary doctor about fibromyalgia and then their doctor might refer them to a rheumatologist if they deem it necessary

 There are many treatments and medications available for fibromyalgia but many don't work. Personally I have tried an extensive list of medication and I have tried acupuncture and the chiropractor but nothing has really worked or they only worked for a certain amount of time. After doing a lot of research the most effective drugs for treating fibromyalgia is marijuana and xanax.Most doctors prescribe xanax as a last resort for treatment because of the side effects of the drug. 

Need for Weed

Weed, loud, and reggie,over 94 million people admitted to using marijuana at least once. A lot of teenagers and adults can admit they love getting high. Marijuana can really make you feel good after a stressful day. Among 12 to 17 years old 6.7% were currently using marijuana in 2007. Marijuana has so many different ways to get into your system. Marijuana may not be the most harmful drug and it does have some good effects however, there are some bad effects as well.Weed, another known word for marijuana makes the body feel mellow or ''high'' some say. Smoking weed absorbs in the body right away, but there are others ways like brownies, cookies, or lollipops. The body usually notices right away and you begin to feel dizzy, hungry, slow reaction, and red eyes.

                                             
What does it do?

A lot of people like to use marijuana because being high makes you feel happy, silly, relaxed, and separated from reality. Being high usually lasts up to 3 or 4 hours depending on how much you take in. Weed is also used as a medicine to treat pain from HIV and cancer patients and people who have trouble with eating. No matter how it gets into your system, it affects almost every organ in your body, and your nervous system and immune system also. Marijuana benefits those with stress and anger problems because it may calm you. Although many favor on the good side of weed, yet there are many harmful effects. Of adults 26 or older who used marijuana before age 15, 62% went on to use cocaine at some point in their lives; 9% went on to use heroin at least once; and 54% made some non-medical use of mind-altering prescription drugs. Not only can smoking progress to using of harder drugs, but cause damage to the lungs. One major research study reported that a single cannibis joint could cause as much damage to the lungs as up to five cigarettes smoked one after another. This breaks the healthy body down and serious problems in the respiratory system can occur. Marijuana also affects the brain and when heavily used by young people it effects thinking, problem solving, learning, and memory skills.
                                                     
   Bad effects 

• Depression/sleepiness
• Rapid heart beating
• Deforms sperm cells
• Disorientation 
• Anxiety
• Suffer from bronchitis 

Marijuana causes problems in a persons physical and mental health that effect their daily life. Marijuana may seem to be a stress relieving drug, but once it fades users may turn to stronger drugs as shown. This drug will destroy your lungs as well as the brain research has proven. Marijuana is a drug that should not be acclaimed and all users should abstain from using this dangerous drug.

                 

                   References

http://www.drugfreeworld.org/drugfacts/marijuana/the-harmful-effects.html

http://www.m.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/marijuana-use-and-its-effects

http://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/drugfacts/marijuana