My interdisciplinary program is titled ‘Pre Physician Assistant Studies’ which focuses on the prerequisites for physician assistant programs. My program combines chemistry, biology, health and wellness, and psychology courses all of which are prerequisites to PA programs. All the courses in my program relate to each other so well, even the ones in different disciplines and has made learning more enjoyable for me. For my applied project I decided to create a podcast, which allowed me to not only expand my knowledge of the field I am going into but also explore the topics that drew me into the field. I was able to research the topics that excite me and encourage me to become a medical professional. I also was able to tie in interdisciplinary studies to the medical field. This project has helped contribute to my education because I got to research topics but I also got to see how my interdisciplinary background will help me in the medical field. I was always nervous about graduating with an interdisciplinary major and I used to feel like no employer wouldn’t take it as a serious major. But this project has made me understand how important interdisciplinary is to my future and career which has helped my confidence for graduating with the degree I have chosen. For my research article I chose to write a meta-analysis on teenage vaping. To me this relates so well to my education. Medicine changes each day, new diseases and treatments are constantly being discovered and vaping was the perfect example. Vaping has been around for over a decade to help smokers quit, but has recently become a significant problem in America and is causing users to fall ill. Since this has become such a big problem, new studies have been trying to investigate and find out why this has all of a sudden been making users sick. It was a really interesting to me to research and find out what chemicals are in vaping products and what health risks come from them.
Together, my research article and applied project have taught me how to research well. I found several primary sources and was able to read, digest and understand the information from the academic journal articles I read. This skill is going to help me significantly in my career as a medical professional because research is a key skill. Finding research that is credible and also being able to understand the studies that were done is so important and these projects have helped me improve my researching and analysis skills.
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For my applied project I have been working on a series of podcast episodes that explore the field I am preparing to go into. I got to have fun with this project by exploring the topics that really drew me into the medical field. I explored the job that I am working towards, responsibilities and the education of it, as well as why an interdisciplinary approach is ideal for the medical field. I also did some research to find out about certain topics, diseases and strange cases of medicine that intrigue me. These are the reasons I want to become a physician assistant, I love learning about the human body and how it reacts to infections and diseases, as well as how to cure and prevent these things from happening.
This applied project is really fun for me as well because while I got to explore things that interest me, I get to share it with people around me. I have friends working towards the same goal as me who get to listen and see if they agree with my thoughts on medicine. I also get to share this project with family and other friends working towards other careers, and see their reaction and thoughts on some of the topics I discussed. I am hoping that I can bring awareness to certain topics that may be overlooked as well as bringing interesting topics to light for people who may not be as interested in medicine. I am currently working on finalizing my podcasts and figuring out the best way to publish and post them. This project seemed very stressful but as I began working on it, I surprised myself with how much enjoyment it brought me and hopefully will also bring others. Meta-Analysis on the Teenage Vaping Epidemic The outbreak of an infectious disease is commonly known as an epidemic, smallpox, polio, and measles are just a few epidemics that have affected America in the past. Fortunately, the advancement of modern medicine helps to prevent against epidemics. Hand washing and vaccines are some of the most commonly practiced prevention techniques used against the outbreak of an epidemic. Today, a different epidemic is taking place all over america, one that is not an outbreak of an infectious disease, and one that has no vaccines to prevent it. This epidemic is the outbreak of teenage vaping. Each year, 480,000 deaths are a direct result of smoking related illnesses. As an attempt to help smokers quit, electronic cigarettes were introduced to the market over a decade ago. E-cigs, vape pens, mods, and JUUL’s are some of the common electronic cigarettes used for vaping. The release of these products has created an industry worth over 2.5 billion dollars (Paynich). While electronic cigarettes are safer than tobacco products, they introduce exposure of contaminants through an aerosol mixture (Burstyn). The Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s research shows the number of middle school and high school students who began vaping between 2017 and 2018 has rose significantly. The number of high school students who began using vape products rose 78% and the number of middle school students who began vaping rose 48%. Approximately 20.8% of high school students (3.05 million), and 4.9% of middle school students (570,000), use vape products. In 2016, the National Youth Tobacco Survey collected data from teenagers regarding the use of these products. The collected data showed that 39% of teenagers began vaping due to family and friends who used these products, 31% of teenagers began vaping because the flavored products drew them in, and 17.1 % of teenagers began vaping because the products were safer than actual tobacco products (Paynich). While these products are advertised to be safer than smoking cigarettes, there are still health risks that come with using electronic cigarettes. With the sudden increase in teenagers using electronic cigarettes, one of the biggest questions to be asked is: Why? As stated previously, teenagers may be introduced to vaping due to family and friends who use, the flavors, and because they think it is a safer alternative to cigarettes(Paynich). Unfortunately, users of electronic cigarettes may be making the decision to vape because they are not fully informed and do not have a complete understanding of the risks of using these products. Two studies conducted at The University of San Diego compared the risk perception of electronic cigarettes between users, smokers, dual users, and nonusers. The studies suggest that users of electronic cigarettes are more likely out of the rest to have a lowered risk perception of the products they are using, which could be a direct result of the marketing of these vape products. This study also shows that users also have the highest likelihood of responding to on-ad warnings of the risks of vaping(Farrell & Hamby). This study is important when looking at the numbers of teenagers using vape products, without the proper information about the dangers of these products, teenagers are making a decision to use them (Farell & Hamby). On September 6 2019 in the midst of an epidemic of vaping related respiratory illnesses among teens, the US Center for Disease Control and Prevention warned against the use of electronic cigarettes. The warning followed 450 reported cases and 5 deaths related to the use of electronic cigarettes (News at a glance). While there is no definitive diagnosis for all the vaping related illnesses, there are health effects that are derived from the chemicals inside the vape liquids. The study, published by the International Journal of Occupational Medicine and Environmental Health, conducted experiments using “ mouse lung cells, human embryonic stem cells, mouse neural stem cells, human pulmonary fibroblasts, and in vivo mouse models” to show the correlated health effects against the cytotoxicity of vaping liquids. The evidence of exposure to contaminants was shown to “induce oxidative stress, inflammatory responses in lung epithelial cells and in the mouse lung, to alter ciliary function and induce cytokine release in lung epithelial cells” (Jankowski et. al). These changes can cause chronic airway inflammation. In the study, nicotine inhaled through electronic cigarettes can be shown to affect nicotine receptors, in turn causing the “influx of calcium into the cell which increases protein kinase C-alpha (PKC-α) and extracellu- lar signal-regulated kinase (ERK) and activates a cascade of reactions responsible for: inducting airway hyper reactivity, airway remodeling, mucin production and apoptosis, emphysematous changes, and increased airway resistance in response to methacholine” (Jankowski et. al). A second study published by the International Journal of Occupational Medicine and Environmental Health, was performed using a questionnaire to show the short term effects of using electronic cigarettes. The results indicated electronic cigarettes were “responsible for mouth and throat irritation, dry cough, headache, nausea, dyspnea, and vertigo” (Jankowski et. al). It is important for the public to know about the health risks involved with using electronic cigarettes, especially the youth of America, as more cases of teenagers falling ill occur each week as a result of the use of these products. Teenage users of electronic cigarettes can be mesmerized by the array of flavor options there are to choose from, but what they can’t choose is the chemicals that make up the vape juices and the contaminants that are inhaled. The chemical makeup of the liquids used in electronic cigarette products vary, but most include propylene glycol, nicotine, water or ethanol, flavoring, and other additives (Jankowski et. al). The inhalation of propylene glycol has been shown to cause acute respiratory effects with a threshold limit volume of 50mg/㎥ over the course of 8 hours as reported by the Health Council of the Netherlands (Burstyn). Exposure of propylene glycerol is 1-6mg/㎥ for a user vaping 5-25mL of electronic cigarette liquid. The amount of propylene glycol exposure ranges with nicotine levels due to the fact less propylene glycol will be included in liquids with higher percentage of nicotine(Burstyn). With extreme daily use of electronic cigarettes, the level of propylene glycol consumption can lead to exposure amounts close to that of the threshold limit value. Nicotine is the most common chemical found in electronic cigarettes, with a threshold limit volume of 0.5mg/㎥ over the course of 8 hours. The use of electronic cigarettes with 2mg of nicotine over the course of 8 hours would place exposure at the threshold limit, and higher nicotine levels would place exposure over the threshold limit. Inhalation of nicotine over the threshold limit does not pose a harm unlike propylene glycol, although nicotine is highly addictive causing increased usage of these products and making it harder to quit (Burstyn). Common contaminants of electronic cigarettes are polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, tobacco-specific nitrosamines, and volatile organic compounds. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), include carcinogenic as well as non carcinogenic contaminants. There have been levels of pyrene, a non carcinogenic, found in some electronic cigarette liquids and only one reported case of chrysene found. The exposure of PAHs are not on the basis of threshold limit volumes, but levels are to be kept as low as possible (Burstyn). Tobacco-specific nitrosamines (TSNA) are another carcinogenic contaminant to be found in vaping liquids. These contaminants are derived from the nicotine of the tobacco leaf, and are commonly found in to smokeless tobacco products like snuff and chewing tobacco. Similar to PAHs, TSNAs do not have a threshold limit volume and exposures are to be kept as low as possible. The amount of TSNAs found in electronic cigarette liquids varies, but 90% were found to have quantities measured in μg/L, 1/1000 of the concentration found in smokeless tobacco products. Volatile organic compounds (VOC) are other forms of contaminants in electronic cigarette liquids with a threshold limit volume of 1mg/㎥. Only one case reported VOC levels in excess of the threshold limit volume, reaching exposure of 1.73mg/㎥. As seen in table 2, the majority of VOCs concentrated during inhalation were <1% of the threshold limit volume, with the exception of acrolein which reached 2% of the limit, and formaldehyde which ranged between 0-3% of the limit (Burstyn). A study, published by the International Journal of Occupational Medicine and Environmental Health, showed levels of cytotoxicity that varied by flavor of vape juice. Cinnamon and chocolate reported with the highest amount of cytotoxicity, sweet flavors reported with the highest levels of diacetyl and acetyl propionyl, and cherry flavors reported with the highest amount of benzaldehyde (Jankowski et. al). Looking at the data, it is clear that chemicals and contaminants should not be inhaled and exposed to the lungs, and do have the potential at certain quantities to cause illness. It is also worth noting a study published by the New England Journal of Medicine found that out of just 41 of the patients with reported vaping related illnesses, only 17% reported vaping only nicotine products and 80% reported vaping black market THC products containing tetrahydrocannabinol, the active ingredient in marijuana(News at a glance). The FDA is currently investigating juices containing THC due to the amount of users coming down will illnesses related to vaping THC products. The FDA has found that THC is being diluted with vitamin E acetate, and medium triglycerides and is still currently performing investigations on how these products affect the health of users (Commissioner). With the number of teenagers who are falling sick to respiratory illnesses related to vaping, it is important that awareness is spread. Teenagers who have never smoked cigarettes are using electronic cigarettes because they are not aware of what chemicals and contaminants make up the liquid and the risks they have on their health. This vaping epidemic, while not traditional, is a serious problem affecting teenagers across america and hopefully through more thorough studies can be stopped altogether.
References: Burstyn, I. (2014). Peering through the mist: systematic review of what the chemistry of contaminants in electronic cigarettes tells us about health risks. BMC Public Health, 14(1), 1–27. https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2458-14-18 Commissioner, O. of the. (n.d.). Respiratory Illnesses Associated with Use of Vaping Products. Retrieved from https://www.fda.gov/news-events/public-health-focus/lung-illnesses-associated-use-vaping-products. Farrell, J. R., & Hamby, A. M. (2019). Vaping Viewpoints: A Multi‐Segment Understanding of E‐Cigarette Risk Perceptions. Journal of Consumer Affairs, 53(2), 545–571. https://doi-org.libproxy.plymouth.edu/10.1111/joca.12203 Jankowski, M., Brożek, G., Lawson, J., Skoczyński, S., & Zejda, J. (2017). E-smoking: Emerging public health problem? International Journal of Occupational Medicine and Environmental Health. doi: 10.13075/ijomeh.1896.01046 News at a glance. (2019). Science, 365(6458), 1062–1063. doi: 10.1126/science.365.6458.1062 Paynich, V. (2019). The Youth VAPING Epidemic: How park and recreation agencies are helping to fight e-cigarette use among America’s teens. Parks & Recreation, 54(6), 44–50. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=136885543&site=ehost-live The outbreak of an infectious disease is commonly known as an epidemic, smallpox, polio, and measles are just a few epidemics that have affected America in the past. Fortunately, the advancement of modern medicine helps to prevent against epidemics. Hand washing and vaccines are some of the most commonly practiced prevention techniques used against the outbreak of an epidemic. Today, a different epidemic is taking place all over america, one that is not an outbreak of an infectious disease, and one that has no vaccines to prevent it. This epidemic is the outbreak of teenage vaping.
Each year, 480,000 deaths are a direct result of smoking related illnesses. As an attempt to help smokers quit, electronic cigarettes were introduced to the market over a decade ago. E-cigs, vape pens, mods, and JUUL’s are some of the common electronic cigarettes used for vaping. The release of these products has created an industry worth over 2.5 billion dollars(youth vaping epidemic). While electronic cigarettes are safer than tobacco products, they introduce exposure of contaminants through an aerosol mixture( bmc pub health). The Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s research shows the number of middle school and high school students who began vaping between 2017 and 2018 has rose significantly. The number of high school students who began using vape products rose 78% and the number of middle school students who began vaping rose 48%. Approximately 20.8% of high school students (3.05 million), and 4.9% of middle school students (570,000), use vape products. In 2016, the National Youth Tobacco Survey collected data from teenagers regarding the use of these products. The collected data showed that 39% of teenaheger began vaping due to family and friends who used these products, 31% of teenagers began vaping because the flavored products drew them in, and 17.1 % of teenagers began vaping because the products were safer than actual tobacco products (youth vaping). With the sudden increase in teenagers using electronic cigarettes, one of the biggest questions being asked is: Why? As stated previously, teenagers may be introduced to vaping due to family and friends who use, the flavors, and because they think it is a safer alternative to cigarettes(youth vaping). Unfortunately, users of electronic cigarettes may be making the decision to use electronic cigarettes because they are not fully informed and do not have a complete understanding of the risks of using these products. Two studies conducted at The University of San Diego compare the risk perception of electronic cigarettes between users, smokers, dual users, and nonusers. The studies suggest that users of electronic cigarettes are more likely out of the rest to have a lowered risk perception of the products they are using, which could be a direct result of the marking of these vape products. This study also shows that users also have the highest likelihood of responding to on-ad warnings of the risks of vaping(Farrell). This study is important when looking at the numbers of teenagers using vape products, without the proper information about the dangers of these products, teenagers are making a decision to use them (farell). Teenagers are drawn to the use of electronic cigarettes is due to the many flavor options they come in, but what isn’t marketed is all the chemicals that make up the vape juices and the contaminants that are inhaled. The chemical makeup of the liquids used in electronic cigarette products vary, but most include propylene glycol or glycerin, nicotine, water or ethanol, flavoring, and other additives (esmoking 332). The inhalation of propylene glycol has been shown to cause acute respiratory effects with a threshold limit volume of 50mg/㎥ over the course of 8 hours as reported by the Health Council of the Netherlands (peering through the mist). Daily use of 5-25mL electronic cigarette liquid, exposure of propylene glycerol is 1-6mg/㎥. The amount ranges with nicotine levels due to the fact less propylene glycol will be included in liquids with higher percentage of nicotine(peering through). With extreme use of electronic cigarettes, build up of propylene glycol consumption can lead to amounts close to that of the threshold limit value causing concern to the health of the consumer. Nicotine is the most common chemical found in electronic cigarettes, with a threshold limit volume of 0.5mg/㎥ over the course of 8 hours. The use of electronic cigarettes with 2mg of nicotine over the course of 8 hours would place exposure at the threshold limit, and higher nicotine levels would place exposure over the threshold limit. Inhalation of nicotine over the threshold limit does not pose a harm unlike propylene glycol, although nicotine is highly addictive causing increased usage of these products and making it harder to quit (peering through). Common contaminants of electronic cigarettes are polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, tobacco-specific nitrosamines, and volatile organic compounds. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), include carcinogenic as well as non carcinogenic contaminants. There have been levels of pyrene, a non carcinogenic, found in some electronic cigarette liquids and only one reported case of chrysene found. The exposure of PAHs are not on the basis of threshold limit volumes, but levels are to be kept as low as possible (peering through). Tobacco-specific nitrosamines (TSNA) are another carcinogenic contaminant to be found in vaping liquids. These contaminants are derived from the nicotine of the tobacco leaf, and are commonly found in to smokeless tobacco products like snuff and chewing tobacco. Similar to PAHs, TSNAs do not have a threshold limit volume and exposures are to be kept as low as possible. The amount of TSNAs found in electronic cigarette liquids varies, but 90% were found to have quantities measured in μg/L, 1/1000 of the concentration found in smokeless tobacco products. Volatile organic compounds (VOC) are other forms of contaminants in electronic cigarette liquids with a threshold limit volume of 1mg/㎥. Only one case reported VOC levels in excess of the threshold limit volume, reaching exposure of 1.73mg/㎥. As seen in table 2, the majority of VOCs concentrated during inhalation were <1% of the threshold limit volume, with the exception of acrolein which reached 2% of the limit, and formaldehyde which ranged between 0-3% of the limit (peering through). A study, published by the International Journal of Occupational Medicine and Environmental Health, showed levels of cytotoxicity that varied by flavor of vape juice. Cinnamon and chocolate reported with the highest amount of cytotoxicity, sweet flavors reported with the highest levels of diacetyl and acetyl propionyl, and cherry flavors reported with the highest amount of benzaldehyde (e-smoking). Looking at the data, it is clear that chemicals and contaminants should not be inhaled and exposed to the lungs, and do have the potential at certain quantities to cause illness. It is also worth noting a study published by the New England Journal of Medicine found that out of just 41 of the patients with reported vaping related illnesses, only 17% reported vaping only nicotine products and 80% reported vaping black market THC products containing tetrahydrocannabinol, the active ingredient in marijuana(science at a glance). On September 6 2019 in the midst of an epidemic of vaping related respiratory illnesses among teens, the US Center for Disease Control and Prevention warned against the use of electronic cigarettes. The warning followed 450 reported cases and 5 deaths related to the use of electronic cigarettes (science at a glance). While there is no definitive diagnosis for all the vaping related illnesses, there are health effects that are derived from the chemicals inside the vape liquids. The study, published by the International Journal of Occupational Medicine and Environmental Health, conducted experiments using “ mouse lung cells, human embryonic stem cells, mouse neural stem cells, human pulmonary fibroblasts, and in vivo mouse models” to show the correlated health effects against the cytotoxicity of vaping liquids. The evidence of exposure to contaminants was shown to “induce oxidative stress, inflammatory responses in lung epithelial cells and in the mouse lung, to alter ciliary function and induce cytokine release in lung epithelial cells” (E-smoking). These changes can cause chronic airway inflammation. In the study, nicotine inhaled through electronic cigarettes can be shown to affect nicotine receptors, in turn causing the “influx of calcium into the cell which increases protein kinase C-alpha (PKC-α) and extracellu- lar signal-regulated kinase (ERK) and activates a cascade of reactions responsible for: inducting airway hyper reactivity, airway remodeling, mucin production and apoptosis, emphysematous changes, and increased airway resistance in response to methacholine” (e-smoking). A second study published by the International Journal of Occupational Medicine and Environmental Health, was performed using a questionnaire to show the short term effects of using electronic cigarettes. The results indicated electronic cigarettes were “responsible for mouth and throat irritation, dry cough [33], headache, nausea, dyspnea, and vertigo” (e-smoking). Meta-Analysis on the What, Who, Why and the Risks of Teenage Vaping.
Introduction:
References: Jankowski, M., Brożek, G., Lawson, J., Skoczyński, S., & Zejda, J. (2017). E-smoking: Emerging public health problem? International Journal of Occupational Medicine and Environmental Health. doi: 10.13075/ijomeh.1896.01046 Farrell, J. R., & Hamby, A. M. (2019). Vaping Viewpoints: A Multi‐Segment Understanding of E‐Cigarette Risk Perceptions. Journal of Consumer Affairs, 53(2), 545–571. https://doi-org.libproxy.plymouth.edu/10.1111/joca.12203 Rangeela, M., & Geetha, R. V. (2019). Awareness and knowledge about usage of e-cigarettes and risk of cardiovascular disease among smokers. Drug Invention Today, 11(10), 2537–2540. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com.libproxy.plymouth.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=139166422&site=ehost-live Burstyn, I. (2014). Peering through the mist: systematic review of what the chemistry of contaminants in electronic cigarettes tells us about health risks. BMC Public Health, 14(1), 1–27. https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2458-14-18 Paynich, V. (2019). The Youth VAPING Epidemic: How park and recreation agencies are helping to fight e-cigarette use among America’s teens. Parks & Recreation, 54(6), 44–50. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=136885543&site=ehost-live News at a glance. (2019). Science, 365(6458), 1062–1063. doi: 10.1126/science.365.6458.1062 Jankowski, M., Brożek, G., Lawson, J., Skoczyński, S., & Zejda, J. (2017). E-smoking: Emerging public health problem? International Journal of Occupational Medicine and Environmental Health. doi: 10.13075/ijomeh.1896.01046
Mateusz Jankowski et al. in the academic journal, E-smoking: Emerging Public Health Problem, 2017 claims the use of electronic cigarettes leads to acute lung responses and induce oxidative stress. Jankowski supports his claims by collecting evidence from 108 studies done between 2010-2016 exploring the chemicals inside electronic cigarettes, the results of experimental studies from usage of electronic cigarettes, and the health risks of smoking electronic cigarettes. Jankowski’s purpose behind this article is to inform the general public so that they will have an understanding of the harmful risks that come with smoking electronic cigarettes. Jankowski writes in a formal tone for the public. Farrell, J. R., & Hamby, A. M. (2019). Vaping Viewpoints: A Multi‐Segment Understanding of E‐Cigarette Risk Perceptions. Journal of Consumer Affairs, 53(2), 545–571. https://doi-org.libproxy.plymouth.edu/10.1111/joca.12203 Farrell, et al. in the academic journal, ‘Vaping Viewpoints: A Multi-Segment Understanding of E-cigarette Risk Perception’ (2019), suggests that vapers are more likely to have a lowered perception of the risks of vaping, but are more likely to respond to on-ad warnings about the risks. Farrell supports his arguments by illustrating two studies, one of which evaluates consumers (vapers, smokers, dual users and nonusers) by their levels of risk perception, and the second study which looks at how the consumers’ (vapers, smokers, dual users, and nonusers) risk perception are influenced by on-ad warnings. Farrell's purpose is to show how different consumers perceive the risks of vaping in order to bring awareness to vapers who are also the consumers with the lowest perception of risk. Farrell writes in a serious tone for consumers. Rangeela, M., & Geetha, R. V. (2019). Awareness and knowledge about usage of e-cigarettes and risk of cardiovascular disease among smokers. Drug Invention Today, 11(10), 2537–2540. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com.libproxy.plymouth.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=139166422&site=ehost-live Rangeela, et al. in the academic journal, ‘Awareness and Knowledge About Usage of E- Cigarettes and Risks of Cardiovascular Disease Among Smokers’ (2019), questions the knowledge and awareness of teenagers about the risks of vaping. Rangeela supports her assertions by providing 100 teenaged vapers a survey of 15 questions to find out how many were aware of health risks, and percentage of vapers who have CVD as a result of vaping. Rangeela’s purpose is to point out how uninformed teenagers are about risks of vaping. Rangeela writes in a formal tone for teenage vapers. Burstyn, I. (2014). Peering through the mist: systematic review of what the chemistry of contaminants in electronic cigarettes tells us about health risks. BMC Public Health, 14(1), 1–27. https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2458-14-18 Igor Burstyn in the academic journal, ‘Peering Through The Mist: Systematic Review of What the Chemistry of Contaminants in Electronic Cigarettes Tells Us About Health Risks’ (2014), argues the different chemicals and contaminants in liquids and aerosols from electronic cigarettes do not pose a health risk under occupational standards. Burstyn supports his assertion by synthesizing evidence of contaminants found in liquid and aerosols from electronic cigarettes as well as defining potential exposures and comparing that to the occupational exposure standards. Burstyn’s purpose is to inform consumers about what is inside of electronic cigarettes liquid and aerosols and how these contaminants may affect their health. Burstyn writes in a formal tone for consumers. Paynich, V. (2019). The Youth VAPING Epidemic: How park and recreation agencies are helping to fight e-cigarette use among America’s teens. Parks & Recreation, 54(6), 44–50. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=136885543&site=ehost-live Vitisia Paynich in the article, ‘the Youth VAPING Epidemic: How Park and Recreation Agencies are Helping to Fight E-Cigarette use Among America’s Teens’ (2019), explains, through the use of different past studies, the epidemic of teenage vaping and how park and recreation agencies are banning vaping. Paynich supports her claims by illustrating the statistics and facts about teenage vaping and explores the different parks across America in which have banned vaping. Paynich’s purpose is to inform in order to draw attention to the growing number of teenage vapers and encourage other agencies to take a stance against vaping. Paynich writes in a serious tone to teenage vapers and their parents. The power of Meditation
With finals right around the corner, projects, papers, and exams in just about every class my stress and anxiety levels have skyrocketed. I spent all of last week trapped in a study room each day for hours staring at powerpoints, taking notes, and studying for exams. The pressure to do well in every class is overwhelming, especially with this being my last semester at PSU. Even though I’ve been stressed out meditation hadn’t even crossed my mind, probably because the thought of doing essentially nothing for 20 minutes makes me even more stressed. But I decided last night would be a perfect time to just stop everything and meditate before going to bed. Like I said before this past week has been so stressful, with finals are around the corner, and life isn’t slowing down. I felt exhausted all week, due to long nights and early morning studying, and my anxiety has been high. But after taking 20 minutes for meditation, focusing only on my breathing and nothing else, I felt so calm. I meant to meditate for 20 minutes but it was probably near an hour before I stopped. Once I started I kind of lost track of time and just kept meditating until my phone buzzed and woke me out of it. I genuinely felt lighter physically when I finished, my head was clear and I felt really calm and almost happy. I was able to fall right asleep, instead of tossing and turning while thinking about everything that I need to get done. I had even felt so good before going to bed I set a later alarm for the morning, allowing myself a few extra minutes of sleep. When I woke up I felt good still and my stress and anxiety levels were definitely lower. I’m sure that by the end of today I will be just as stressed out as I was before I meditated, but at least I know that it doesn’t hurt to take some time out of my day to meditate and leave everything behind for a little while. Importance of sleep for academic success
When I was younger I never wanted to go to bed at night and I was always up before dawn in the morning. I wanted to stay up all the time and I thought sleep wasn’t important. Now, I need sleep, in fact sleep is honestly one of my favorite things to do. I have been told my whole life that between 7-8 hours of sleep is ideal for adults, and sometimes that just is not possible; especially as a 21 year old college student balancing homework, friends, family and a job. In my freshman year of college I had straight As resulting in a 4.0 gpa. At this time I was getting at least 8 hours of sleep a night as well as napping during the day when I didn’t get a full night’s sleep. I thought college was going to be easy, I was having fun, didn’t have to work and I was doing work well in advance for my classes. But this all changed when my workload got heavier this past year. Once I began taking challenging courses for my major and got a job to pay for my bills, everything changed. I am no longer sleeping for 8 hours, and I am lucky if I get 6 hours. My grades have not been straight A’s, although they are not suffering they could always be better. So far this year, my sleep has been rough. It is hard for me to fall asleep at night due to stress of my academics, and I am usually getting to bed later than normal due to working on homework late into the night. I have been using my weekends so far for catching up on sleep and relaxing. I have been making sure on the nights I go out, I get home at a reasonable hour, so I can still get enough sleep and wake up at a decent time in the morning. As hard as hard as getting enough sleep can be, I am working on making sleep a vital part of my routine so that I can thrive academically as a student. The reason sleep affects academic success is because when we become sleep deprived it leads to somnolence, which affects our daily performance. Somnolence causes drowsiness, sluggishness, and it can also alter our mental alertness. Due to this lack of sleep students may perform poorly academically, gain weight, become depressed, use substances, get into car accidents, etc. Sleep is essential for restoring your body mentally and physically, as well as allowing your body to save its energy. While we sleep, our brain has chemicals that clean it out, and while doing this our learning gets synthesized and out memories are saved. This helps students retain the information they have learned during the day. Students health is also improved when we get the right amount of sleep. When students are in good health they are able to perform better and are less likely to miss school. As hard as it may be to make fit everything into our busy schedules as college students, it is imperative that we get enough sleep at night. My journey at PSU
Just over a year ago, I moved into dorm 618 in Merrill Place with my best friend. I remember the excitement I felt those first few days of being in a new school, with new people and now fast forward just over a year and I am preparing to graduate. Even though this is my third semester at Plymouth, I feel like I really figured out who I am as an academic while studying here. For me, I work better in smaller classes and luckily here at PSU, classes aren’t too big. With smaller classes it has been easier to focus in class and even be more involved in class participation. I also love the campus at PSU, everything is pretty close by and within walking distance, which makes day to day tasks easier. The best thing about PSU to me is,(I have said this before and believe me I will keep saying this), interdisciplinary studies. Interdisciplinary Studies has opened so many doors for me and introduced me to new ways of thinking and learning. I sometimes think about how my journey at PSU would differ if I didn’t choose IDS. I can say that IDS has allowed me to graduate a semester early. This is helpful for me, as I will be applying to Physician Assistant programs come springtime. IDS has also allowed me to take the meaningful classes. Every class on my contract has offered me some type of knowledge that will apply to my graduate program and even to my career. I am grateful that I came to PSU and that I discovered the IDS major while I was here, because it has truly impacted my life in a positive way. I’m of course so excited to be graduating, but at the same time I am sad to leave PSU. |