Reshaping Universities as we know them

This NYT Column by Mark C. Taylor, the chairman of the religion department at Columbia University, caught my attention. As a matter of fact, he managed to put into words what I have been trying to articulate for a while: the reason why even though it sounds like such a fun idea, I cannot find one good reason to attend Grad school.

The University system as we know it produces two types of people: those technically equipped to deal with non-intellectual yet essential parts of society, such as Engineering or Medicine, and those who study Liberal Arts, whose destine is to continue to study them. They will get degrees, get underpaid as TA’s and go deep into debt in order to become professors. That is, those of them who manage to go through all of it. Wouldn’t all these intellectuals agree on the fact that they could do something to actually help society improve with all that amazing knowledge ammased in disserations read by so few?

Taylor proposes an end to the University as we know it, and a begining of productivity. Philosophy, religion linguistics and political science are indeed subjects essential to solving world crisis. Why not organize Universities around solving problems?

“Consider, for example, a Water program. In the coming decades, water will become a more pressing problem than oil, and the quantity, quality and distribution of water will pose significant scientific, technological and ecological difficulties as well as serious political and economic challenges. These vexing practical problems cannot be adequately addressed without also considering important philosophical, religious and ethical issues. After all, beliefs shape practices as much as practices shape beliefs.”

Birth control pills lessen muscle mass gain in women

Apparently, there are other non-hormonal reasons not to take oral contraceptives. The findings are contained in a new study, “Oral Contraceptive Use Impairs Muscle Gains in Young Women,” It was conducted in Texas A&M University, and the University of Pittsburgh.

The study: 73 healthy women between the ages of 18-31 were assigned to two groups and completed a 10-week whole-body resistance exercise training. Group 1 consisted of 34 women who used oral contraceptives (OC). Group 2 consisted of 39 women who did not take birth control pills (non-OC).

The women were encouraged to consume at least 0.5 grams of protein per pound of body weight per day (a third more than is called for by the U.S. government nutritional guidelines) to make sure they consumed enough calories and protein to promote muscle growth.

The results were that the women on birth control generated 60% of the muscle mass than the women who were not on them. The reason for it is still unclear but the results were so drastic that there is no much room for doubt.

The soy myths

While waiting to retrieve my daily non-Starbucks iced Chai soy latte yesterday,  a  40-year-old-looking man whispered in my ear in a very incospicuous manner to watch out for soy milk, since it has high levels of estrogen, and this had made him shrink. I didn’t say anything back, especially not to ask exactly what type of shrinking had gone on with this man, but smiled nervously and walked away. I don’t think a little bit of estrogen would really have an effect on a girl.

So then I began to think, really, of how much soy I ingest on a daily basis.  And I am not even a vegetarian! The soy trend is probably just that, a trend, even though it started as an alternate source of protein for vegetarians and vegans.

Soy milk is a good alternative for all my lactose intolerant friends whose fate I am not jealous of, because there is yet to be some sort of close replacement for cheese. There have been studies though that have shown men who have at least one glass of soy milk a day to have a lower sperm count (back to not-Starbucks character) and that it will never be a good replacement for breast milk, unlike formula.

There are all types of arguments regarding the use of oy. There are women who use the hormones to help them through menopause. There are arguments that it may reduce breast cancer, since the cases are much less in Asian countries, where the consumption of soy is much higher than western countries. The health benefits though are still a little controversial.

Most of these myths have yet to be proven. The opposite side of the argument though is the food you are replacing when eating soy, which tends to be greasy, fatty foods. For adults replacing red meat with soy products is a safe bet, same as those suffering from heart disease.

Some soy products really have no downturn to them, like Tofu, which has magnesium, iron,calcium,  omega-3 fatty acids, selenium and copper and it is extremely easy to digest.

Here are my favorite tofu recipes, as a random but yummy aside:

Spicy Stir-Fried Tofu With Bok Choy

Miso Soup! (although this recipe uses regular mushrooms, I recommend Shiitake)

My conclusion being, what you are not taking in when taking soy is proven to be unhealthy, while the effects of soy have yet to be determined quickly. Asian people do tend to be healthier than us, so, why not adopt a healthier habit?

A herbal medicine that could treat mild depression

St. John’s Wort is a mild extract of a yellow flower, taken by many to treat depression, often without prior doctor consultation. Companies who sell it say it promotes a positive mood and emotional well-being.

The extract has been used for centuries to treat mental disorders and nerve pain, St. John’s wort has also been used as a sedative and a treatment for malaria, as well as a balm for wounds, burns, and insect bites.  Today it is used by some for depression, anxiety and  sleep disorders.

Many studies have found it effective for clinical depression, but physicians say more evidence is needed, particularly for severe cases. They equate it to the use of placebo, saying the lack of anything at all could serve better than this herbal medicine. Then again, there are also studies that say placebo to be more effective than Zoloft.

“The study, which found the plant extract no better than a placebo for treating major depression, followed a U.S. trial published in 2001, which found it ineffective.

But a review published late last year by the Cochrane Collaboration concluded that St. John’s Wort is better than a placebo for major depression and ’similarly effective’ to standard antidepressants, with fewer side effects,” The Wall Street Journal Health Blog.

Those who use the extract could think their depression is not severe enough to consider going to a physician. For some, it is a healthier, cheaper way to get the same result as a prescribed medication, with less side effects and stigma.

Skepticism from physicians also comes from the fact that the positive results tend to come from German-speaking countries such as Germany, Switzerland and Austria. The reason for this is still unknown but the discrepancy has to somehow come more from a sociological factor rather than a physical, since there is no biological reasons to back it up.

In the end, could the extract be a placebo itself? If someone believes to be depressed, I think should visit a physician nonetheless and let them make the decision. If not, exercise is an excellent placebo as well.

Finally, a real reason to not smoke pot?

According to the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, men who began using marijuana as adolescents or who smoked pot at least once a week were twice as likely as those who never tired the drug to develop testicular cancer.

“Researchers interviewed 371 men aged 18 to 44 who had been diagnosed with testicular cancer. They interviewed an additional 979 men of the same age group and from the same three Washington counties who did not have cancer.”- Mary Engel, LA Times.

According to this LA Times Article, the researchers found a 70% higher risk of testicular cancer in those who were using pot at the time of diagnosis, with an even higher risk associated with younger age at first use and frequency of use. Apparently, any hormonal change during puberty are believed to make that a particularly vulnerable period for environmental influences, like, smoking marijuana.

I wonder, really, how accurate this type of research has been. Hasn’t marijuana been used to help deal with Cancer for many years? Should money be spent in research such as this one that seems to have a set agenda from the start? It has been, apparently, the first research of its kind. Hopefully it will spark a new discussion and more input can be placed upon this theory.

Should we shed a tear?

How healthy is it to cry anyways?

I remember that for two years of my life I decided not to cry. It was my personal, childish way of protesting my parent’s divorce, as if a lack of tears stood next in sacrifice to a hunger strike. I have always wondered if it would have done me better to cry, to vent and accept the fact that this was happening; would tears have been an easier and quicker way to cope?

According to this Nwe York Times article, which is based on several academic studies published in the past year, the effect of tears may not be as beneficial as commonly believed.

“Now, some researchers say that the common psychological wisdom about crying — crying as a healthy catharsis — is incomplete and misleading…Placing such high expectation on a tearful breakdown most likely sets some people up for emotional confusion afterward.”

It first depends on what kind of crier you are, to what public you are crying to and what is the purpose behind the  burst of tears. People who are confused about the origin of their emotions — a condition that in the extreme is called alexithymia — also tend to feel not much of a benefit from crying, studies have found. it is likely that you won’t find any true benefit from tears since they become less of a release and more of a reaction. Also, if the people around you react negatively toward your tears, as opposed to the empathy that they usually search for, the feeling will be more unpleasant than calming.

And then there are the “protest criers,” those who, according to the article, keep the childish reason for crying and that is to get some sort of result or resolve from the shedded tears.

The conclusion for the misleading common belief is pretty much that people tend to remember better memories than worst, and when it comes to crying they recall those few times when it did, actually, help.

Eating in Christmas

For me, coming home entails a four hour flight, passports and crossing an ocean. I have been in Bogota for a week, seeing my family, friends and most of all, eating.

I have always pondered about the obesity problem in the U.S. I have been here, eating more than I have eaten all semester, yet I have barely put on any weight. What is the difference?

First. It is all home cooked. Thanks to huge social and economic inequalities in third-world countries, middle class families tend to have cooks who will assure a healthy and delicious meal three times a day. Now I know that is not solvable in the U.S where exploitation in such a manner is not considered legal, but the principle of eating in most of the time to well, cooked meals to share with the family does happen to influence much.

So for the rest of the season I give you a piece of advice. Cook, and take your time to eat. If you eat slowly, you’ll eat less, and enjoying the whole thing with your family will not only bring you peace of mind but of heart.

Have some fantastic holidays.

The happiness effect

So I have been absent due to finals and packing but I guess that’s never an excuse. Won’t happen again. Today I traveled back home to Bogota to spend the holidays with my parents. It should be fun. I bought some magazines, reading I have also nelgected due to recent life management crisis, like Time. And found this article about something I have always known but is nice to see researched. The happiness effect, is how emotions and behaviors spread through social networks like contagious deseases. Conclusion? The more happy, positive people with good habits and high hopes you have in your life the more likely you are to emulate.

It may mean that an individual’s well-being is the product not just of his behaviors and emotions but more of the way they feed into a larger social network.

So… how can you make this benefit you?

Be selfish. Stay away from negative, whining, cynical people. Some may be family, so I am not saying to cut them out of your life entirely. Just don’t be with them so much; be there without becoming their constant shoulder, because listening to them whine is not going to help them either.

Accept the fact that your mom was right. Peer pressure is not that evident but it is nonetheless existent. So if you want to be healthy, hang around people who enjoy cooking, playing sports, who don’t smoke or do drugs. It is common sense yet until scientific data shows it most of us remain skeptic. Now it is here so it is time to surround yourself adequately.

Tips to optimize your study time

Final exams are around the corner and it is time for a game plan. Stress is good every once in a while but in excess it will certainly harm you. Follow these tips and make sure you get the best grades you can get. It is not about cramming or stressing, it’s all in time management!

Prepare to be busy. Before you even start studying,  let everyone know how busy you are. This is not the week to have club meetings, to go out or spend hours on the phone with your best friend. This week you will become anti-social. Also, make sure you go to the grocery shop and buy loads of healthy snacks (granola bars, carrot sticks, peanuts…) and quick-to-prepare meals so you won’t have to spend time eating out.

Find a good place to study, and keep it. I am what people call “verbose,” and my quality becomes an obstacle when it comes to learning my stuff. So the only place I get anything done is the fourth floor of my school’s library. The whole floor, labeled as “QUIET STUDY AREA,” will land you the ugliest looks you will ever get by the utterance of the slightest whisper or cell phone vibration.

Pace yourself, and don’t stress. If you are lucky like me, you have all your tests in the same day. The key to less stress is planning and prioritizing. For example, I have gotten two A’s in my first two exams in my History of Journalism class, so it won’t kill me to get a B this time. On the other hand, I have gotten high B’s in Law of mass comm, so I need to get a very high A on this final. Conclusion? My priority will be law.

Sleep. I am a morning person. Since I am more productive in the morning, I go to sleep early and wake up to study. Staying up late is simply a waste of time for me. Figure out at what time you are more likely to concentrate, and sleep around it.  BUT PLEASE, DO SLEEP! The idea of studying instead of sleeping is counterproductive. You need to know your material as much as you need your brain to be functioning at a full capacity.

Meet with study groups. Make sure these people are as serious about studying as you are. The reason for doing this is that different people always remember different things from lectures so you can complement each others knowledge. It is also a good way to obtain notes from the classes you’ve missed.

Keep a lid on the caffeine The only time I advocate caffeine is if you are already a regular drinker. The truth is, if you never drink coffee and you decide to start with it in exams week, it is more likely to make you nervous and jittery than it is to make you concentrate.

Reward yourself. After hours of studying make sure you go out for a walk or do some sun salutations. Call your mom and let her know of your progress.

The day before the exam, relax. DO NOT stay up all night studying. Cramming like that is never a great idea specially if you have various tests in a row. I close my book at about 8 p.m. the night before the exam and not open it again. That tendency of looking over notes right before the professor walks in with the exam is not going to help you as much as it will bring you closer to a nervous breakdown. Breathe, find your center, and concentrate.

Good luck! If you have any other tips please comment.

Leftover recipes

Photo by Bree Pettis

I came to my roommate’s house for Thanksgiving because my family doesn’t live in the country. Half of the turkey was left over and we sat down to try and figure out what to do with it.

I found this blog post about leftover recipes.

The ones I think are easier, and more college-student geared are the

1. Mushroom, Turkey and Rice Casserole
2. Cran-Turkey Enchiladas

Hope you find it useful! Save yourself some money and steal your leftovers from home. I am sure your mother will thank you.