Nutrition

People are experiencing a growing curiosity concerning the latest innovation in home beverage production. Sodastream is a revolutionary product that allows consumers to produce their own carbonated beverages at home while using water right from their taps or home filtration systems. Although there are many positive points to creating drinks of this type on your own, the health benefits of such a product is dubious at best.

Consumption and Product Use

The average soda drinker can certainly gain a few benefits from switching to a home beverage maker. The Sodastream soda mix flavorings have a lot less sugar, carbs and calories than traditional soda brands. Someone who drinks an excessive amount of store bought colas will find a number of benefits in the dramatic reduction of sugar consumption among other things. Ultimately, however, it remains true that carbonated drinks, especially flavored sodas, can have a negative impact on numerous aspects … Read More

Companies that operate in industrial settings use cleaning procedures to prepare parts for surface finishing and to protect sensitive equipment. Typically, companies use industrial degreasing solvents for this procedure. These solvents are cleaning agents that are directly applied to the machine using brushing, spraying, or wiping. Once applied, these cleaning agents remove dirt, oils, and other contaminants from the surface of parts and machinery. However, organizations should recognize that many degreasers contain harmful chemicals. This poses health risks for employees who work with industrial degreasing solvents. They also harm the environment. This article will list some of the chemicals that organizations should watch out for when evaluating degreasers.

Hazardous Air Pollutants (HAPs)

When HAPs are included in degreasers, they pose an environmental threat because they emit toxins into the atmosphere. This is also dangerous for those that work with these chemicals, as they are likely to breathe in HAPs once … Read More

Education that is "a way of life" may create vulnerability

Grad school is a long haul educational enterprise. Many Doctoral programs last 5 to 7 years, on top of the five to six years typically required to get the BA and a Masters degrees which preceded it. Students who aspire to graduate degrees usually have a history of dedicated scholarship which extends back into high school or even elementary school. For many Grad students education has traditionally been "a way of life" … sometimes the only way of life that is well known or familiar.

Linda Curci of the Caltech Counseling Center suggests that:

"Burnout is a process that happens gradually over time. It creeps up on a person through an accumulation of rare minor negative thoughts, sporadic lost hopes, and a series of small disappointments in itself." Burnout is a painful process that includes emotional exhaustion, a loss of … Read More

Single Premium Whole Life Insurance (SPLI) Explained

Most of the time, when we purchase life insurance, we agree to make monthly, quarterly, or yearly payments. There are some whole life policies which can be paid off, usually over a period of 7 years or more. But another way of purchasing coverage has begun to get more attention lately. This simply involves making one large payment in the beginning. The single premium is set to fund the coverage for the rest of an insured person’s life.

One obvious advantage might be the guarantee that life insurance is taken care of without having to worry about paying any more bills. One obvious disadvantage, as you may have already guessed, is the fact that this first premium must be pretty large.

Who Considers SPLI?

The type of person who may consider this unusual way of paying for a life insurance policy would have … Read More

The Sphincter of Oddi, named after Ruggero Oddi, an Italian anatomist who described this structure in 1887, is the muscle valve that regulates the flow of bile and pancreatic juice into the duodenum (beginning of the small intestine). Regulation of the Sphincter of Oddi is accomplished through the nervous system and the blood by special messengers- digestive hormones.

If there is no food in the intestine, the Sphincter of Oddi valve remains closed. Bile is retained in the gallbladder and pancreatic juice is retained in the pancreas. Spasms or blockage of this valve may cause bile and pancreatic juice to back up.

If a tiny amount of bile gets into the pancreatic duct, serious trouble can ensue. Bile can activate digestive enzymes inside the pancreas and these enzymes start to digest their own pancreatic cells, causing pain, congestion, inflammation and even the death of pancreatic tissue. This is referred to … Read More