Lethal Health ‘Myths’ Involved in Penn State Student’s Death
Dr. Jamie Wells read the Grand Jury presentment and found the students charged made a number of serious myths that resulted in the students death. In this article for American Council on Science & Health, Wells details those myths and why calling immediately for emergency medical treatment would have been the right thing to do. Read it here, and share it with others.
Ritalin Changes Brain When Used as ‘Study Enhancer’
Increasingly college students are using Ritalin, a stimulant drug, without a prescription as a so-called “study enhancer.” A new study finds changes in brain chemistry associated with risk-taking behavior, sleep disruption and other undesirable effects are just some of the side effects.
The drug works by increasing the concentration of certain neurotransmitters in the brain that control reasoning, problem solving and other behaviors.
“Although Ritalin’s effectiveness in treating ADHD is well-documented, few studies have looked at the drug’s effect on non-prescribed illicit use,” says Panayotis (Peter) Thanos, PhD, senior research scientist at RIA. “We wanted to explore the effects of this stimulant drug on the brain, behavior and development on non-ADHD subjects.”
Recent studies put college students’ nonprescription use of stimulant drugs (Ritalin and amphetamines such as Adderall and Dexedrine) at rates anywhere between 14% and 38%, depending on the type of college and age of student. The common belief is that these drugs can help students to focus and concentrate when studying and perform better on tests. Alarmingly, these drugs are finding their way into high schools, as well, for the same reasons.
Thanos’ team, which included many UB students he mentors, looked at changes in the brains of rats who received regular doses of methylphenidate during what would be equivalent to adolescence in humans, a time of significant brain growth and development.
“We saw changes in the brain chemistry in ways that are known to have an impact on the reward pathway, locomotor activity, and other behaviors, as well as effects on body weight,” Thanos says. “These changes in brain chemistry were associated with serious concerns such as risk-taking behaviors, disruptions in the sleep/wake cycle and problematic weight loss, as well as resulting in increased activity and anti-anxiety and antidepressive effects.”
Further research indicated that female subjects were more sensitive to the behavioral effects of methylphenidate than the males.
Thanos hopes that studying the effects of methylphenidate on those without ADHD may lead to a greater understanding of how the drug works on the brain and behavior, and can help researchers understand the impact of the drug on young people throughout development.
“Understanding more about the effects of methylphenidate is also important as people with ADHD show greater risk to be diagnosed with a drug dependency problem,” Thanos says. “In addition, this study highlights the potential long-range risks college students take in using Ritalin for a quick study boost.”
Porn Boosts Young Men’s Sexual Dysfunction, Study Finds
This new study’s conclusion matches what most of us would logically take to be true – that as one’s exposure to pornography increases, so do behavioral issues that are tied to sex.
While on that gut, unscientific level, the results of a survey about porn’s impact on sexual behavior are not completely unexpected. But at the same time they are helpful in helping us more fully understand how exposure to graphic imagery affects (1) a young man’s desire to be with a sexual partner, and (2) the incidence of sexual dysfunction that occurs from that exposure.
Researchers concluded that men aged 20 to 40 who preferred pornography were more likely to be dissatisfied with actual sexual encounters, and the more porn they consumed the more desensitized they became to human interaction. In addition, they were at increasing risk of experiencing erectile dysfunction.
“There appears to be a relationship between pornography use and sexual dysfunction in men who report a preference for masturbation to pornography rather than sexual intercourse,” concluded the researchers of the study titled “Survey of Sexual Function and Pornography” which was recently published in The Journal of Urology.
While we have some concerns with how the study was conducted, there’s also reasons to embrace the accuracy of the findings.
“The rates of organic causes of erectile dysfunction in this age cohort are extremely low, so the increase in erectile dysfunction that we have seen over time for this group needs to be explained,” said Dr. Matthew Christman, staff urologist with the Naval Medical Center in San Diego, as quoted by HealthDay. “We believe that pornography use may be one piece to that puzzle.”
The study was based on data collected anonymously from a 2014 Armed Forces Health Surveillance Survey, which included questionnaire feedback from 312 active servicemen and 48 active servicewomen. Using their responses each male was then evaluated on the International Index of Erectile Function, while each woman rated on the Female Sexual Function Index, with the lower the score indicating the greater dysfunction. What was learned was that there was a clear correlation between the two, with increased porn consumption leading to increased sexual dysfunction – and vice versa.
“When asked how they best satisfied sexual desires, 96.6% indicated intercourse (with or without pornography),” stated the study’s authors about one end of the scale, “versus 3.4% who indicated masturbation to pornography” on the other. Meanwhile, the study continued, “weekly pornography use varied:
- 9% indicated less than weekly
- 6% indicated 1-2 times
- 3% indicated 3-5 times
- 0% indicated 6-10 times
- 3% indicated greater than 11 times.”
Researchers “found that the rate of dysfunction was lowest among the 85% of respondents who reported preferring intercourse without pornography (22%),” wrote Medscape Medical News. “The incidence of dysfunction increased in men who preferred intercourse with pornography (31%), and was highest among men who preferred masturbation with pornography (79%).” As for women, while 40% responded that they viewed porn there were “no significant correlations between pornography use and sexual dysfunction.”
As for the study itself, there are two issues that present pause: Since the data was collected by survey, it’s hard to be certain about its accuracy since self-reporting can always skew actual behavior. Moreover, the participant pool of just over 300 is not large enough to garner strong faith. Countervailing forces, however, include that the study’s findings were derived from an anonymous survey, which can improve accuracy; and that it was a survey of military personnel, who we might reason are conditioned to following rules – which would lead to truthful responses. – American Council on Science & Health