Say What?: bottom of a purse

In following up with the last Say What? and the fact that I'm giving in to my germaphobe-side I remembered hearing about this a couple years ago and didn't really want to believe it. But after doing the research I got really grossed out. Rather typical.

Following up from not only my new purse, and the fact that its flu/cold season but the fact that the bottom of the average purse has more germs on it then the bottom of your shoe makes sane minds try to contemplate how dirty the bottom of their purse is.

source

From E. Coli and fecal matter, to viruses that cause skin infections and multiple strains of the cold or flu viruses the average purse has anywhere from hundreds of thousands of germs on the bottom to tens of millions. Think about it: everywhere a woman goes so does her purse. On a normal day my own purse touches the floor of the car, to the lunch tables at work, to my locker, to the floor while I put on my coat, to the check out stand or floor while I check out at multiple stores, and back home to my kitchen table.

You may be thinking, "Well that doesn't matter, it's not like I lick the bottom of my purse" but think about where you're transferring all those germs into your own home...kitchen counter, passenger car seat, couch, chairs. and then you or family members might touch those surfaces and then accidentally touch your face or mouth or eyes. And these germs don't die because they're not on a living thing, if that was so no one would ever get sick. Flu or cold virus can live longer than 48 hours and you would think it doesn't survive as long on hard, plastic, or metal surfaces and you'd be wrong. It actually lives longer than on fabric and soft surfaces.

It's really very easy to keep this bacteria and virus transport system ineffective. Just clean the bottom of your purse, and make sure to use Clorox wipes to kill those tough viruses as well. Genius idea right? But honestly, I can't tell you that I've ever regularly done that. Clearly I need to start.

p.s. Worried about hurting your leather purses? There are special cleaners for those.

Say What?: Poo dust

It's a true nasty little fact that every time you flush the toilet dust, poo particles, and multitudes of germs are released into the air. After watching ten quick minutes about this subject in a documentary, I immediately started searching for covered bathroom containers instead of the previous open ones we had. I got one for the q-tips, cotton balls, and another for my hair ties because poo dusted hair ties just isn't an outfit make.

And the main event was throwing away our toothbrushes and then I was on the lookout for a covered toothbrush holder. Why you ask? Well in this Mythbusters episode they had an experiment with 24 toothbrushes, keeping only a few outside the bathroom and the rest inside by the toilet. The results were that EVERY single toothbrush had poop particles on them, but the ones in the bathroom left on the counter were more thoroughly contaminated. To put this in perspective for any of your doubters, the average toothbrush can hold up to 10 million germs and up to trillions! That. Is. Gross. Since we had been leaving our toothbrushes just on the bathroom counter across from the toilet for quite a couple months I had a slight panic attack. Kind of like when you see a spider unexpectedly and just scream out of habit. But more like a Gladiator warrior scream. You get the picture.

The good news is that I found one after weeks of searching. I finally went into Bed Bath and Beyond (magical store right there) and found this glorious invention after some help from a clerk. After over a week of using it I can say that I rest easier when I brush my teeth now (you can't put a price on peace of mind), and I don't find stray hairs in my toothbrush anymore. Totally worth it, and it helps keep your toothbrushes more sanitary so total plus! I promise I'm not a total OCD/cleanfreak/germaphobe kind of person. But the only thing that I would love more is if they made a sanitizing toothbrush holder that is great quality, works, and isn't a fortune...but I digress.

Oxo covered toothbrush holder $19.99

Should this be on your New Year's Resolutions list? I'd hope so. Or you could just go around everyday after brushing your teeth with a poo dusted toothbrush. Nasty thought huh? Morning breath ain't got nothin' on that.

Say What?: Proper Denim Care

This one was a reader request, even though its not a health concern it is a general concern of anyone who wears jeans, which I can safely say is practically everyone. Since I work in the fashion industry I see jeans that sometimes are upwards of $150 go out the door and come back destroyed because the customer wasn't aware of proper denim care. If you love those designer jeans (even if you aren't willing to spend more than $20 on jeans) these tips will make any denim last much longer, and to help keep their color and shape.

The True's I found that were only $30! Ignore the unmade bed and laundry please

• Firstly you should know a lot of denim doesn't come pre-shrunk so if you are having alterations done to them you need to take them home and wash them first. They won't shrink more than half an inch at most, just don't wash and dry them in scalding water. 

• Also for designer jeans that use real indigo dye (Hudson's and True Religion's particularly) it is critical to lock in the color by washing them alone with one cup of household vinegar in moderately cold water. This will help lock in the color so those gorgeous Hudson's don't fade. This also applies for any dark or bright colored skinnies you might have that you don't want to fade.

• A seriously common misconception is how often a pair of jeans should actually be tumble dried in the dryer vs. hang dried. The rule of thumb is about every three washes, you need to tumble dry your jeans to help them re-shrink to their original cut so that they don't stretch too much. I've had customer's complain that their $100+ pair of jeans stretched out a size larger. I've even had one person say three sizes! Denim is temperature sensitive and responds when it is warm. As you wear them they are warm and stretch with your body. When you dry them because they have no resistance the heat helps them re-shrink. When you hang dry them they are not exposed to any heat and therefore do not re-shrink. 

• Make sure that you are hang drying your jeans two out of every three washes on a drying rack that you can get from Target, Walmart, or Bed Bath and Beyond. They're about $20 but totally worth it and they last forever. If you hang dry your jeans frequently the denim will last longer then if you tumble dry them each washing. This is because the denim fibers (especially if they're 'stretchy' jeans) wear out from re-shrinking under intense heat from frequent tumble drying. 

• Lastly as you should already know good denim stretches to fit your body as you wear it between washes, great denim (designer denim) is meant to fit your body and 'mold' to it inspite of washes. Don't be worried if your denim stretches somewhere you don't want it to like if you tried to do the splits in them and the inside leg is now baggy (I've personally never tried to do that). A quick solution to this is get that area wet with a squirt bottle and throw it in the dryer for ten minutes and it should be back to its normal self afterwards.

I promise if you follow these denim care rules you will be proud of that designer denim, you'll even be confident in those jeans if they're not designer! And they will last two to three times as long if you follow these tips. 

Say What?: holiday hazard

They're back!

Now that I'm just a working gal, and am done with classes on campus I decided I really wanted to bring back Say What? posts because I had so many people who got a lot out of them, just like I did. So say hello to the return of this Thursday treat! Given the time of year I really wanted to do a holiday applicable subject, and I feel like the most common hazard that many don't think about during the holidays-but they pay for after the parties-is food poisoning!

The real issue here is logistics of the food and how long it is in the 'danger zone', which is room temperature or anything below 160 degrees Fahrenheit. If your guests are bringing food and have to travel for more than two hours (bless their cotton socks cause I would never go that far for a holiday party) and their item is not kept hot the whole time, or their chilled item thaws to room temperature it will need to be reheated to at least 165 degrees to kill any bacteria that could have grown on the way. Likewise if the guests are two hours late to the party, their food can't be only kept in a 'warm' oven but needs to be reheated to 165 degrees or more. Also buffet style foods should NOT be kept out for more than an hour.

Any foods containing eggs need to be reheated to 165 degrees no matter how long they've been at room temperature to prevent salmonella, as well as turkey must be reheated to prevent Campylobacter, which is the most common source of bacterial diarrhea. Also make sure that if you actually cook your stuffing in the turkey to rinse it out prior to putting in the stuffing because bacteria can transfer into the stuffing and will then also need to be reheated if it falls into the danger zone for any amount of time. Plus cold stuffing is nasty. Happy holidays, and remember the goal is to not make family members sick with your food unless you really don't want to go or something like that...just kidding!

Don't the holidays just make you fat happy?

If you have any other questions or ideas for Say What? posts that you would like answered please email me at melissajoymills@gmail.com

Say What?: chapped lips

So we all get this issue occasionally, some of us more then others. For me its in the season changes from summer to fall, and winter to spring. But what do chapped lips indicate? Most people automatically assume that its only from either wind burn or just dehydration. However it can also be a sign of more serious issues.

"If lip balm doesn't do the trick, you should consult a doctor" 

(source)

Chapped lips can not only be a sign of vitamin deficiencies, but also more serious conditions particularly in children. Pellagra which results from a niacin or B3 deficiency is something that you shouldn't mess around with. It can lead to death if not dealt with properly. Another issue that isn't very well known is Kawasaki disease that primarily affects children under five and can cause heart problems if untreated. Both of these disorders have chapped lips as side affects although if you do more research there are of course other side effects that accompany them. (source)

 If you have chapped lips constantly, make sure to check your chapstick for eucalyptus or camphor, both of which actually dry out your lips instead moisturizing. (source) If you can't get your chapped lips to go away, it would be best to bring it up with a doctor and to not take it lightly. It may be an easy fix such as a multivitamin, or something more serious if you have other symptoms.

Burt's Bees Chapstick $3.50

If you want a great chapstick I live and die by Burt's Bees chapstick, it's the only thing that makes my lips feel happy. I swear I have at least one in each purse, my backpack, and my car. Do you have a solution you use for chapped lips?

Say What?: Agave Nectar

When I first heard about this substitute for honey and sugar additives I was so excited to try it. But it took me forever to buy some. I will note that while I've been trying to cut down on my daily caloric intake it has helped quite a bit to cut out honey. For the most part it does seem like its a great solution, but unfortunately there's a bit of controversy surrounding the pro's of agave nectar.

"[Agave Nectar is] indeed made the same way [as HFCS], using a highly chemical process with genetically modified enzymes. They are also using caustic acids, clarifiers, filtration chemicals and so forth in the conversion of agave starches into highly refined fructose inulin that is even higher in fructose content than high fructose corn syrup." source

A great many people swear and die by their thinking that Agave Nectar is amazing for you. While it does have its benefits specifically being listed as the only sweetener Diabetics can use because it has extremely low glucose levels, it contrastingly has rather high fructose levels which is what makes it so sweet but appropriate for diabetics. So what does this mean for you? Well if you recognize the phrase 'high fructose' than 'high fructose corn syrup' should come to mind. And we all know (hopefully) that HFCS is bad bad bad bad bad for you. As a matter of fact to give you an idea of how much fructose is in Agave Nectar, HFCS is about 50-75% fructose while Agave Nectar can sometimes be approximately 75-90% fructose. 

So you ask why does this matter since diabetics can have it? Well its extremely bad for people who are trying to loose weight or diet which often is anyone who uses it is. You see fructose is digested by your liver and then stored as body fat bypassing your blood system which is why its acceptable for diabetics to use. Who wants to be ingesting something that is said to help you cut out sugars that make you gain weight, when in reality this sweetener will cause the same amount of gain if not worse? A study done on fructose' affect on the body actually proved that substituting fructose for glucose cause the same amount of weight gain, but visceral gain which is the most dangerous. Additionally since the liver is what metabolizes the fructose if, over used could cause damage to your liver in the long run. Last but not least, Agave Nectar is not a natural substance and only occurs after long and numerous chemical manipulations. Essentially it's processed, and with all processed foods they can be potentially bad since you don't have a guarantee they're healthy for you.

In the end if you do supplement sugars with Agave Nectar do it sparingly and with awareness that it is in the end stored fat and can have negative effects on your body just like any other sugar and processed food.

Say What?: 5-hour energy shots

I had never really paid much attention to these things since I pride myself on never needing caffeine to stay awake, cram homework, etc. Jared uses them on a weekly basis when he has to stay late or work swing shifts. However this last finals I needed to bust out sixteen pages, and rewrite another sixteen for a final all by a five pm deadline. So I took one super-charged grape flavored one. And besides the strong after taste, I didn't notice anything right away. Until I finished all of my written final a whole hour before my deadline because my brain was moving ten paces ahead of where it normally does.

However I paid for it later. As soon as I left the library I noticed I was dizzy, queasy, off-balance, and nauseous. I was still a little jittery, and literally my fingers had been twitching since I took the five hour energy shot. I felt like I was a psychotic robot. My joints weren't working properly and I was using any stable object to help me walk to my car. Somehow I drove the hour ride home without any incident, but I remained nauseous until the following evening about 30 hours later. And I hate being nauseous. For that reason I will never take one of these again, but I wanted to do some research on it.

According to the Mayo Clinic, other, more serious side effects include “liver toxicity, worsening of stomach ulcers, and altered blood sugar or insulin levels or uric acid concentrations” (source)


Since 5-hour energy falls under Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act that stipulates drinks made from healthy substances, vitamins, and herbs; it does not have to be regulated by the government and that it falls to the company to ensure that its products don't have a negative effect. Amongst the negative effects that are quoted above, is a "Niacin Flush" that elevates blood pressure, blood circulation causing body temperature increase, because of the high levels of Niacin present.(source)  This is probably partially what I experienced and my system just couldn't handle it.


One specific tactic 5-hour energy uses to market is that their product is healthy because it contains good vitamins in addition to the caffeine that ensures increased mental capacity and energy. However, consuming 8000% B12 and 2000% B6 isn't going increase your mental capacity right away. The majority of that will just be flushed through your system without any benefit, and will actually overwork your system with the excess it doesn't need. And that isn't even including what the caffeine is doing to your system.

Overall, 5-hr energy shots are not FDA regulated or approved and their dangers have not been fully uncovered. If you are going to use 5-hour energy shots do it sparingly, and since regular contains as much as a cup of coffee, and the extra strength contain as much caffeine as from 12 oz. worth of coffee you need to be careful about how much you take at a time (source). If you can continue on without any that would be best. 

"These energy shots have over a dozen ingredients all together, and consumers are ingesting them at very high doses but there is no research of how the ingredients react all together," Bauer said. (source)

 

Say What?:MSG

From my younger years I always have been careful about this additive but after asking a Dietician at one of my facilities he said it was false it had any side effects...but the research says differently. And when its really rather an unknown issue. Most people say, "what is that?"

What MSG looks like

"Although less than 15 percent of Americans are sensitive to MSG, according to the University of Illinois Medical Center, in those who are sensitive symptoms range from headaches and nausea to heart palpitations and chest pain."

(source)

Side effects can include anything from skin rash, nausea, migraine headache, heart irregularities, seizures, and depression. I can personally attest that these are real side effects, whenever I have anything with MSG in it I get a splitting headache, sometimes even migranes.

But many people are totally unaware of what contains MSG though. A quick list includes some chips, frozen meals, canned soups, gravy, soy sauce; specifically Hamburger Helper, Lipton’s Onion Soup Mix, Progresso soups, Campbell’s soups. Additionally a lot of fast food chains use a lot of MSG including McDonald's, Taco Bell, KFC etc. Another huge food type that has MSG in bucket loads is Chinese. So essentially its almost everywhere in prepackaged food.

So just some small side effects, what's the big deal right? Well, as some studies are starting to show there are some serious health risks that are long term and unalterable once the damage has been done. For example testing on mice has started to reveal that obesity and reproductive sterility is common in mice consuming MSG and also in mice that were exposed as infants and fetuses. Also recent research has shown that MSG may act like a 'slow neurotoxin' which can result in dementia in later years.


Obviously its clear intake of MSG needs to be restricted, and of course those who consume a large amount consistently i.e. once a day if not more. But be aware oftentimes products that contain MSG do not mark it as MSG. Other names include,

• Glutamic Acid
• Yeast Extract
• Hydrolyzed Protein
• Caseinate
• and they can even name it as Natural Flavors

So check ingredient lists and BE CAREFUL! The best and most thorough way to avoid it is eat healthy and unprocessed food.

Say What?:Lettuce

So I know its been a lot of dieting posts, but I felt like since its the start of a new year, a lot of people's focus is on health. Plus swimsuit season is coming fast so this is applicable.

"Dieting Commandment: Lettuce not eat lonely salads"

Warm Goat Cheese Salad from Red Rock

Get it? Anyways, a lot of people when they start dieting or changing habits albeit probably from worse ones think that they should only eat salads with as few calories as possible. I.e. salads that are only lettuce. However, its important to bring the fact to light that this can actually be more destructive than people realize.

You ever had the experience where you want to make the healthy choice so you have just a plain salad for dinner or lunch? And then less then two or three hours (sometimes even less) you are starving again? This obviously can lead to serious overeating because you will feel the desire to eat something more filling which can often be an unhealthy choice for ex. fast food or sugar. Either way you intake more calories than you wanted too. 

But what causes it? Is it just because you're not eating enough calories from the salad or is it because the majority of what you're eating is water? 

It actually has to do with the chemicals that your body produces. The hunger signal is produced by the secretion of a hormone ghrelin. When you eat a balanced meal with high carbohydrates the hormone stops being secreted and goes away. Then when you need to eat again the hormone is produced again. When you eat just salad you are not taking in enough carbohydrates to stop the secretion of ghrelin, therefore the hormone continues to secrete and you feel the desire to eat more causing you to eat more calories. 

The key is when you eat a salad (which is the healthy choice) make sure it has nuts, seeds, some kind of protein, berries, or even low-fat cheese on it. Or eat it with a small carb food such as a small sandwhich, soup, or pasta. My favorite salad is the warm goat cheese salad from Red Rock pictured above-try it. 

Just keep making simple healthy choices and it will pay off. Most importantly find healthy things that you do like so that you can make it a habit to like eating healthy things.

Say What?: JambaJuice

Sorry for my absence, midterms have been looming ever overwhelmingly. This weeks post is all about another brand of drink that a couple of my dance friends were talking about in class and saying it was healthy. I was interested since in HS I worked at a smootheria (Keva Juice for all your Bountiful people) and I remember the calorie numbers being ridiculously high for one smoothie.

 

 Did you know that Jamba Juice has its own SECRET menu like In&Out? Except everyone knows about In&Out's and isn't it posted on their website? Anyways, highly suggest the above flavor. It was just like a Starburst® Candy and was SOOO good!

And of course the numbers were pretty comparable. From Jamba Juice themselves, the popular....

Aloha Pineapple          550 Calories

Peach Pleasure            490 Calories

Razzmatazz                 520 Calories

Strawberry Surf Rider 580 Calories

all for a power size smoothie. Granted that's the largest size, but taking into consideration the facts of exercise condition, dieting, and BMR can have a rather large impact individually. 

For example if you are a low energy, stagnant person who is dieting (watching calories), and you are at a healthy weight but still want to maintain your weight you only need about 1800 calories a day. If you have one of these popular smoothies at average 535 calories between the smoothies I listed then that is about a third (29%) of your daily caloric intake. However if you are someone who is overweight by twenty or so pounds and you want to lose weight but are sedentary you should only be intaking 1400 calories or so (this is no exercise remember), this then makes up almost 40% of your calories for the day. 

Looking at another aspect of these smoothies their sugar content is through the roof. The American Heart Association has listed that the recommended daily intake of ADDED sugar "for women, 5 teaspoons (20 grams) of sugar per day, for adult men, it’s 9 teaspoons (36 grams) daily" (source) Compared to the 123 grams, 96 grams, 100 grams, and 126 grams listed its no wonder these smoothies taste great! They are PACKED PACKED PACKED with sugar. One smoothie on average for a women contains 550% of your daily suggested sugar intake. Holy sugar! As I told many friends when they asked my about when I worked at Keva Juice, of one smoothie more than half the ingredients were concentrated juice (sugar), and sherbet or ice cream (sugar).

If it has a creamy taste, it probably has ice cream in it, if it is tart and tangy probably sherbet. If its sweet enough to make you feel like you need a big drink of water after its probably packed with sugar!

So what are the most healthy choices then? Out of the ALL Fruit smoothies that boast of being better for you than their Classic smoothies, only two have 0% added sugar. Five Fruit Frenzy, and Mega Mango. And of those two only one has low sodium content and high vitamin percentages, Mega Mango.

This is just another example of how companies who boast of being 'healthy' don't always fit that criteria completely in everything they sell. Just because they say they have fruit in them doesn't even come close to meaning they are good for you. And as always this is where personal choice comes into effect. Essentially if you go to Jamba and want healthy, look to the ALL Fruit smoothies as they will be better for you, and go small in your portion size.

Be smart, do your homework, and be aware that quickest and cheapest (especially as a college student) are more often the farthest from healthy.

Say What?: Neti Pots

Remember that amazing little white pot that Oprah endorsed a couple years ago? I vividly recall how it boasted of reducing sinus infections, allergies, colds, etc. But a scary thing is that its recently been implicated in TWO fatalities. Before you throw yours away, read on.

"In both cases, the victims, both in the New Orleans area, contracted a deadly brain-eating amoeba after using these devices to rinse their sinus cavities with tap water."

 (source)

Upon further inspection of the article it is noted that the two individuals used straight tap water and that the water was contaminated with bacteria that led to a brain eating infection.

What does this mean for you daily/weekly/seasonal users? Well with anything that comes out of your tap even if you consider your tap water just so clean, I would still even filter it. Filters are cheap, and effective. And you seriously never know what is in your water even if you can't taste it.

Additionally Dr. Oz when first promoting the Neti Pot specifically suggested adding non-iodized salt to help hydrate and to specifically use distilled or filtered water. This way you won't be putting infected bacteria in your sinuses.

So the lesson?
Clean water, clean water, clean water.

Happy sinuses!

Say What?: Flight health

 
How fitting this post is compared to how recently Jared and I bought our second set of tickets to the beautiful paradise my parents are living in currently. We found some super great deal tickets through Delta for only $646 roundtrip per person which compared to how much we spent for our December tickets is literally half the price. Once semester is out we're off again for a little over two weeks. I can't wait!

But when I ran across this article a week ago I just had to report to you on it. It's important information for anyone that is planning on flying in the near future.

"Potentially dangerous blood clots in the legs known as deep venous thromboses (DVTs) got the nickname "economy class syndrome" from widely publicized incidents involving passengers on long-haul flights."

(source)

Symptoms of DVT's can be any of the following...

• Swelling in one or both legs
• Pain or tenderness in one or both legs, which may occur only while standing or walking
• Warmth in the skin of the affected leg
• Red or discolored skin in the affected leg
• Visible surface veins
• Leg fatigue

And if a clot breaks free and travels to your lungs or makes it to your brain it can cause serious health complications including health attack, shortness of breath, seizures etc. 

If that doesn't make you worried I don't know what does. Of course health, age, pregnancy, elderly and previous clots all factor into the probability that one will be more inclined to develop a blood clot in your legs. However would you believe that so does where you sit on the plane? 

In fact studies have been done to show that those who sit in the aisle have a lower chance of developing a DVT in comparison to those who sit by the window or in the middle. This is because those who sit by the window are less likely to get up and move around on a long flight because they don't want to make everyone get out of their seats. Additionally those who sit by the window have less room in general to move around and thus are more likely to develop a DVT. 

So if you're going on any long flights, even if you sit by the window or the aisle, get up at least once or twice and try to keep readjusting your legs every once in a while.

Say What?: Onions make me Cry

 
Ever been that person who starts cutting an onion when cooking something and you just can't hold back the tears? Have you ever wondered why? If its just if you're allergic or if you get sad at the idea of cutting a vegetable? Well, I have found an answer.

When you cut into an onion, you rupture its cells, releasing enzymes that produce a gas called propanethial sulfoxide that when it reaches your eyes creates a mild sulfuric acid which hurts and causes your eyes to water. Which makes you look like you're feeling sad for a vegetable. Whimp.

But there is an easy fix! If you keep the onions in the fridge or chill them in the freezer temporarily before cutting them, it slows the release of the enzymes and therefore not causing you to weep. Additionally there are more enzymes near the bottom of the onion so cut that last. Happy cooking!

(source)

Say What?: Cracking your knuckles

Continuing with cracking myth's (no pun intended) I wanted to concentrate on something that I personally have an issue with, and that I have been chastised for over years because of this habit.

"cracking knuckles causes damage such as arthritis in the joints"

-Your mom

The cracking sound is actually the gases that are produced in the fluid that surrounds your bone ends i.e. joints being released from the synovial fluid once the joint capsule is stretched. This allows for better range of motion and stretches the tendons and muscles surrounding the joint capsule.

Yes, cracking knuckles can be gross. Sometimes I even cringe when I hear someone crack their entire back or do the hard twist of their head to the side thing. But no, cracking your knuckles is not the cause of arthritis. So next time your mother says to 'stop that' because it causes arthritis, you can tell her she's wrong. As a matter of fact it can actually decrease your chances of getting arthritis.

Instead you can tell her that it causes capsular joint loosening and eventually can lead to weakened grip. Sound better? Studies and testing are ongoing to prove this but cracking knuckles has been shown to lead to a correlation in decreased grip. So if you're a habitual cracker (I am under stress) then you may want to find another way to release the tension. Maybe a stress ball for while taking tests or count to ten and think namaste?

Say What?: Being cold can give you a Cold

 
You know how when you were young and your mother said that during the winter when you got cold, that's what caused a Cold? Or when someone says you could catch your death of the cold? While this made sense to our undeveloped minds that accepted what seemed to be a logical concept, that being cold caused the Cold; its really more of a correlation than a causation.

“Colds are caused by viruses, and the contact with these viruses usually occurs inside from air droplets” 

 (source)

Kind of a nasty thought, but the cold virus actually grows/multiplies in your nose, and that by sneezing, coughing, or touching your nose combined with poor hand-washing practices is how Cold's are spread. So maybe the myth that being cold causes a Cold was believable was because winter is when its cold and when outbreaks occur; however it is really the coincidence that when you go outside and are cold it causes your nose (and almost everyone else's) to run and by then consequently wiping your nose with your hand (gross) or a tissue, you could be causing the virus to spread by then touching objects that someone else has or will touch i.e. toys, public drinking fountains, door handles, keyboards, handshakes.

So stay clear of anyone who has a runny nose or just coughed right? Well, yeah that may get you so far but another Cold myth is that all people who are contagious are those who are showing symptoms, but actually 25% of those who are infected with the Cold virus only have an asymptomatic reaction meaning they don't have symptoms!

So for those that don't want to get sick, wash your hands FREQUENTLY. Not just after going to the bathroom. Additionally avoid touching your hand to your mouth or nose or eyes if you haven't just barely washed it. And I mean still wet kind of just washed it.

And for those that think that hand sanitizer is a cure all, think again! As taught in Microbiology, handsanitizer is only effective if allowed to stay wet on your hands for approximately a minute. However because of the high alcohol in it, it evaporates really fast especially if you rub it in, which makes it useless against killing the germs. If you're going to use it, put on enough to wet your hands, especially fingers, and don't rub it in. Let it stay on wet for about a minute and then it will really be effective.

Say What?: Crystal Light

 
Continuing along with our specific health myths because of the spike in 'healthiness' because of NYR's I figured this was the perfect time to add this information to your pile to consider what you use to become more 'healthy'. A lot of people along with diet's and overly rigorous exercise programs start doing everything they can to cut sugar, fat, and even essential nutrients out of their intake. However, often when they go to the efforts of switching from regular to diet sodas or sugar free drinks they often put something into their body even worse than the real thing.

Did you ever wonder how sugar free drinks still taste so good? I mean, there's no way the product would stay afloat on the market if they tasted nasty. They have to be putting something in that is substituted but doesn't break down as natural sugar. My friend Emily Ferguson wanted to know specifically about the substitution in Crystal Light and the implications of its health risks. I loved that I got this idea, because I had never really thought about it because I avoid diet or sugar free drinks as a general rule.

So for the down and dirty details, "Crystal Light...depend for their low calorie content on two artificial sweeteners: aspartame and acesulfame potassium" (source)

Among other things, Aspartame's side effects include...

Abdominal Pain
Anxiety attacks
Arthritis
Asthma
Asthmatic Reactions
Bloating, Edema (Fluid Retention)
Blood Sugar Control Problems (Hypoglycemia or Hyperglycemia)
Brain Cancer 
Breathing difficulties
Burning eyes or throat
Burning Urination
Chest Pains
Chronic cough
Chronic Fatigue
Confusion
Death
Depression
Diarrhea
Dizziness
Excessive Thirst or Hunger
Fatigue
Feel unreal
Flushing of face
Hair Loss (Baldness) or Thinning of Hair
Headaches/Migraines dizziness
Hearing Loss
Heart palpitations
Hives (Urticaria)
Hypertension (High Blood Pressure)
Impotency and Sexual Problems
Inability to concentrate
Infection Susceptibility
Insomnia
Irritability
Itching
Joint Pains
Laryngitis
Marked Personality Changes
Memory loss
Menstrual Problems or Changes
Migraines and Severe Headaches (Trigger or Cause From Chronic Intake)
Muscle spasms
Nausea or Vomiting
Numbness or Tingling of Extremities
Other Allergic-Like Reactions
Panic Attacks
Phobias
Poor memory
Rapid Heart Beat
Rashes
Seizures and Convulsions
Slurring of Speech
Swallowing Pain
Tachycardia
Tremors
Tinnitus
Vertigo
Vision Loss
Weight gain

(source)

Does anyone else find it slightly ironic that the additive that is being used in place of sugar to help 

reduce weight gain can actually cause weight gain as a side effect? 

Another little tidbit is that 10% of aspartame is Methanol also known as Wood Alcohol and can be a  

poison and can cause serious vision problems when consumed in high amounts. 

Aspartame may also trigger or contribute to these other diseases,

Aspartame may trigger, mimic, or cause the following illnesses:
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
Epstein-Barr
Post-Polio Syndrome
Lyme Disease
Grave’s Disease
Meniere’s Disease
Alzheimer’s Disease
ALS
Epilepsy
Multiple Sclerosis (MS)
EMS
Hypothyroidism
Mercury sensitivity from Amalgam fillings
Fibromyalgia
Lupus
non-Hodgkins
Lymphoma
Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) 
(source) 

In addition, aspartame is shown to lead to cancer in lab rats....does that worry you? It worries me. READ CAREFULLY: aspartame is the number one additive in over 75% of adverse reactions reported to the FDA and is present in almost all popular sugar substitutes such as NutraSweet, Equal, Spoonful, Equal-Measure, and other common foods such as...

Carbonated Soft Drinks (anything that advertises Diet)
Some Cereals
Chewing Gum
Fruit Spreads (jams and jellies)
Sugar free Ice Cream
Juice drinks
Maple Syrups
Pudding
Sugar Free Cookies
Sugar Free Ketchup
Fat Free Yogurt
Sugar Free Yogurt
And many many many more. 
(source)

Aspartame is actually present in over 6,000 food and drink products that are marketed world wide. So since its so widespread, what do you do to help keep it out of your foods and your families? READ THE LABELS! I will be the first to admit, I have my favorite prepackaged foods. But I don't eat them everyday, and I severely limit my consumption of them.


So obviously, drinking water sweeteners, or Diet drinks can be very unhealthy for you and even worse than a real sugar drink. A lot of people go overboard trying to change all their habits at the beginning of the year, thinking that they can make extreme changes and no harm will come of it. However, I suggest and practice rarely ever drinking soda, and I do not use any water additives except Airborne. Instead of going cold turkey from sugar and high carbs on your body to drop that beginning of the year weight, try changing a simple habit like what you drink. Until you are thru withdrawals from whatever carbonated beverage you intake I wouldn't suggest making extreme changes to your diet as well, or the lack of sugars and fats your body is used to ingesting will make your hormone and neuron impulses to and from your brain go Jackie Chan and you will cave on your diet and relapse. Big time.


Suggestions to helping water taste a little bit better than just normal water would be putting a lemon slice in (only one) or cutting some cucumber and adding that in. Personally I don't find anything more refreshing than ice cold water straight out of my Brita pitcher. If you think you're tap water tastes off, it probably is. Tap water on average has lots of additives that make it taste funky. The solution is a filter system. Either way drink lots and lots of water. 


p.s. did you know the solution to helping someone who is detoxing, dieting, recovering from illness, surgery, extreme exercise, etc. faster is to drink water to help get rid of the toxins. 


p.p.s. if you want more information of food additives to avoid, this list may interest you.

Say What?: HCG Diet

This topic, is something very important to me. I wanted to focus on extreme dieting at some point and it seemed perfect because its that time of year when everyone and their dog tries to lose weight by radically extreme measures. And it is SOOO unhealthy for you. One diet in particular caught up one of my girlfriends in its promises of lost weight, and unfortunately has resulted in very real consequences for her.

"Thousands of people are latching onto a diet that promises rapid weight loss—up to 30 pounds a month—and, judging by its recent surge in popularity, actually delivers. But the so-called hCG diet is either a weight-loss miracle or a dangerous fraud, depending on who's talking." (U.S. news: health)

So lets delve deeper into the facts. The HCG diet revolves around a combination of two efforts, limiting your daily intake to 500 calories, and either taking drops or shots daily of hCG (human chorionic gonadotropic) which is actually a hormone produced in pregnant women. All this to help you, "drop into the new you" (source). So what does this get you besides being terribly hungry, and "lose a lot extreme"? (source)

Well some of the side effects include gallstone formation, irregular heartbeat, hair loss, oh and of course our dear friend constant constipation. Additionally the FDA has even come out saying that hCG supplements are illegal and fraudulent (Dr. Oz). So why between all these warnings and side effects do people still use it?

Because they're dropping weight. However if any person were to limit their daily caloric intake to 500 they would also lose weight. But that is considered starving yourself, and ultimately the weight you lose during this diet is all regained once you return to your previous lifestyle. When your body is coming out of starvation mode after being starved of its needed calories for extended period of time it is going to take every single calorie it can get and then store them away like a bear preparing for another long winter.

On some occasions in addition to regaining the weight in women specifically injecting all of that hormone found in pregnancy can actually disrupt your natural reproductive cycle, which is what happened to my friend who is now trouble with infertility.

Overall, the hCG diet has been, "thoroughly discredited and thus rejected by the majority of the medical community" and there are much safer ways to lose weight. (source)

Say What? Bathroom Hygiene

So this post may seem rather sexist, but I am going to direct the majority of this post towards men because according to a study noted by the NYTimes only 75% of men really wash their hands compared to 90% of women (source).

"It's not about education," said Dr. Osterholm. "It's about hygiene education. We have a problem at hospitals with doctors and nurses who don't wash their hands after seeing a patient. You can't get more educated than that."(source)

Men's issue with hand washing after number one

The idea to do this weeks Say What? comes from an issue very close to my home...quite literally. My husband actually. After noticing that he only washes his hands post bathroom sitting visit, I was really grossed out to say the least about his bathroom habits. After asking about it, he insisted that he didn't, "pee on myself so why should I have to wash my hands?" my initial retort was, "because that's disgusting!" But after some research I've concluded on a much more educated reason of why he should ALWAYS wash his hands.

"Your boxes-shorts region- from belly button to mid thigh-is crawling with germs known as coliform bacteria" (source), and it can transfer from your private parts skin to your hands in the short time it takes to go number one. Consequently if you don't wash your hands afterwards, that coliform bacteria- which can give you serious and possibly fatal infections if it enters into the blood stream- will be spread to everything you touch after going pee. So its not a matter of if you pee or don't pee on yourself, its an issue of transferring germs to others in spite of not peeing on yourself.(source)

Now I can see many of you men saying, "Me? Have germs on my privates? nah." Well, in truth even showering and washing that area won't get those germs out because its more porous. Since your hands are not as porous it is much easier to wash the germs off them with simple soap and water. In fact, probably the most cleanly man around still has plenty of germs in his unders' because they're extremely difficult to get off! (source) So just get over it, you have the germs on you. Right now. Yes, you! So even though you think peeing on yourself is the only reason you should wash your hands, think again. And women remember, if you continue to allow your man to think its alright to not wash their hands after going number one, you are directly saying it is OK for them to spread all kinds of nasties around your house and onto your children as well. Think about it.

Hand Washing in General

Now, in the stats listed above only 90% of women and 75% of men wash their hands, which leaves 25% of men and 10% of women who don't. So aside from the well known e.coli which you can pick up from fecal matter that makes you sick (source), there are also these diseases you can contract...

          Hand-Foot-Mouth disease from coxsackie virus from fecal matter causes blisters in your mouth and on the bottoms of your feet,

          Hepatitis A from food that was contaminated with fecal matter (yum!) attacks your liver and causes nausea and vomitting,

          Shigellosis also from contaminated food but this causes awesome uncontrollable diarrhea (looking for a way to shed some extra pounds?)

          and Giardiasis that causes gas, cramping, and more diarrhea, which you can get from hand to hand contact and untreated water also contaminated with fecal matter.

(source)

Don't those all sound lovely? Makes you really want to go out and shake peoples hands knowing that most likely one or two of them didn't wash their hands after their last bathroom trip. Or go out to eat aware that your waiter possibly didn't wash their hands either?

Another rather troubling issue that I didn't even think of, is people not washing their hands after changing diapers. I've actually watched many new mothers not wash their hands after changing diapers at church. So not only do they get their own babies germs on the baby themselves, but also spread it to whoever and whatever they come in contact with at the church. 

Cleaning and Education

So how do you help keep your own home clean from bad germs and bacteria getting spread from those guests or family members (gasp) that don't wash their hands post bathroom visit? Key places to clean and disinfect are the toilet handle-which personally I rarely remember to clean when cleaning the toilet-and the sink handles as well as the bathroom door knob on both sides.(source)

To help bring those numbers up from only 75% of males and 90% of females we need to educate our children and those around us who are unaware of the diseases and issues that come from not hand washing when you go to the bathroom. Potty training is hard, but implementing hand washing each time you help your little one to the bathroom is not. If you get them in the habit early, just like buckling seat belts each time, they will retain that habit later. And women, even if it feels like a loosing battle with your man, show them the evidence that it really is important to wash after each bathroom trip.

Sorry for all the potty talk, better to be aware than to be ignorant though!

-M

Say What? VitaminWater

Any requests, suggestions, or ideas for future Say What? posts please email them to me at melissajoymills@gmail.com

So for all you athletes or those who are doing anything you can to be healthy including changing your diet, make sure to read the fine print on all food and drink items you buy and don't just go with a companies word that it's 'healthy'.

“The way that vitaminwater is marketed and positioned it’s made to look more healthful than other sugary beverages, but it’s not – it’s still just a soft drink,” said Margo G. Wootan, Director of Nutrition Policy

source

I along with the many of people who wanted to read those spunky quotes, and look all schnazy and healthy with my bottle of VitaminWater drank it a great deal my freshman year of college. I thought it was good for me based off the sole fact that it contained a great deal of my needed daily vitamins. And of course that it contained the word Vitamin. I mean come on, anything that has 'healthy', 'vitamin', or 'diet' in it is good for you right? This was before my nutritional class, and also prior to some research into the issue.

To start with, just check out the label on any bottle of VitaminWater. On average they each contain about 33 grams of sugar and 125 calories per bottle. That may not seem a lot to you so let me put it in plain words. That's more than a 12 oz. serving of Coke (source). Now do I have your attention? In addition, the second ingrediant is Crystalline Fructose. Ever heard of it? Neither had I. After some quick research I found that it is, “produced by allowing the fructose to crystallize from a fructose-enriched corn syrup" , which essentially is High Fructose Corn Syrup. (source)

So you're not really drinking something thats good for you. In fact, the majority of it is SUGAR. And not just any kind of sugar, but the kind of sugar that is known for causing serious damage to your liver, and it can make your aging process speed up. HFCS=early wrinkles. In addition to this kind of sugar being essentially HFCS, is specifically has trace amounts of arcenic, heavy metals, and lead.

Well what about all those awesome vitamins on the label? They're still good for you aren't they? Well there are two different types of vitamins and minerals. Water soluble, and fat soluble.

Those that are fat soluble vitamins to be absorbed and used by your body have to be ingested with a meal, or else they are just passed through your system (source). Additionally the water soluble vitamins that are included in VitaminWater are most of the time not needed in the typical american's diet as they frequently already have their daily required amount from other natural sources. Vitamins such as riboflavin, thiamin, and niacin are needed in such small amounts, that they frequently have already been acquired in a day and are also just passing through unneeded.

Granted, if you are a completely fast food eating, nutritionally starving person, some of the vitamins in VitaminWater would be benenficial. But for the majority of people, they don't need to drink VitaminWater to gain those essential vitamins.

So do the benefits outweigh the risks?

Ingesting arcenic, making my kidneys work hard to filter out those unneeded vitamins plus all that extra HFCS that I really REALLY don't need on my butt and thighs makes my answer a resounding no.

And besides, VitaminWater doesn't even taste that good.

p.s. the saddest thing of all of this is the VitaminWater can keep going on marketing that its good for you even though it really isn't. Read this article on their awful marketing ploys and see if you even want to support this company.

p.p.s. what kind of surprising things have you learned about some of the products you use that you wouldn't have ever guessed were an issue?

Say What?: Air Fresheners

For our second health Say What? I wanted to do something that was widespread, and that I had NO clue about personally until I did some real research. 


"A test of air freshener products recently conducted by the Natural Resources Defense Council found that 12 out of 14 popular air freshener products contained a chemical known to be harmful to the health of humans, called Phthalates." 

 (source)

Of course, many things can cause 'harmful effects'. Driving can cause harmful effects for goodness sakes, but unfortunately this commonly used device marketed by multiple companies and stores is 1) not tested for health problems or effects by the USDA and 2) effects not only humans, but pets as well. Therefore, it really is a problem that needs to be spread by word of mouth and will not be controlled by the govt. 

Specifically air fresheners (any brand) from plug-in's to air-soles, when burned or sprayed puts out dangerous chemicals called Phthalates which not only cause multiple problems from epilepsy to incontinence in animals, but can cause serious effects such as reproductive problems and hormone disruption in humans. 

Of course your chances of cancer or reproductive issues from a small exposure is small, but people who use these such as myself by a $8 starter kit and then buy the refills by default consequently have them burning almost 24/7. 

When I brought this up with my physician and asked if it could be a partial cause to my constant headaches/migraines he said it very well could be contributing. That really got me going into checking into the details of Phthalates. 

If you are looking for any more reasons to not use store bought air fresheners, they also can cause neurological issues from prenatal exposure, and also increase carcinogenesis (cancer) by damage to your liver.

Just google it if you have any remaining doubts. 

But wait, don't go and throw away that expensive plug-in you have. There is an easy, affordable and HEALTHY alternative. 

 

Most plug-in's look like this, and the refills obviously come in the little things you stick up into the plug-in. The 'scent' in the bottom is what is bad for you. 

An easy solution is to dump out the 'scent' or liquid and then refill with an essential oil. I went to Target and found an essential oil that I really liked and was pure and undiluted. Mix 1 part water to 1 part oil, remove the wick from the refill and pour the essential oil solution you made into the refill. Replace the wick and you're good to go. 

This continues to keep your home smelling wonderful, while not being a health hazard.  

 

-M