Tuesday, January 10, 2012

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Health, Wellness, Exercise, Reflections:
The Real Effects of Technology on Your Health

By Diane Wedner / January 10, 2012

All you laptop-using, touchpad-checking, two-thumb-texting, MP3-listening grown-ups and kids beware: Those devices subtly change your back, eyes, ears and brains....

Technology has crept into every corner of our lives, from obsessive texting to checking emails more often than a stockbroker eyeballs the Dow.

Sure, you're on top of Kim Kardashian's latest crisis, but smart phones, tablet computers and gadgets "have an impact on [your body], even if you're dealing with irrelevant information," says Adam Gazzaley, M.D., Ph.D., associate professor of neurology, physiology and psychiatry at the University of California, San Francisco.

Most of us absorb three times more information every day compared with 50 years ago, according to University of California researchers. We spend 12 hours in front of TV and computers – and that's just at home.

So is all this techno-toiling bad for us? That depends on the devices you use and how often, medical experts say.

No one expects you to put down your smart phone and live like our ancestors did. Researchers are conflicted so far, though, about whether the effects of media are good or bad for our brains. They do agree that it's changing how we think.

Which in itself isn't alarming: "Throughout our lifespans, our brains always change," Gazzaley says.

Lifescript called, texted and emailed experts nationwide to learn about the effects of media on our health. Read on to learn how it might be changing you.

Effects of Technology on Health - #1: Failing Memory

You drive while talking on the cell phone, text while listening in on a conference call, surf your iPad while watching TV. Multi-tasking is the new normal, and though it feels like we're more efficient, studies show it has the opposite effect.

"Your performance level drops if you stop one activity to pick up another," says Gazzaley, who conducts ongoing studies on the effects of media on our brains.

Multi-tasking participants had more difficulty filtering out irrelevant information than those focusing on one task at a time. Multi-taskers also took longer to switch tasks, juggle problems and wasted time searching for new information when information they had was better and more reliable.

In fact, students from Columbia and Harvard universities retained facts better when they knew they couldn't get them from a computer, according to a study published in Science magazine in July 2011. If they knew they could get the facts later online, they just remembered how and where to get it.

It gets worse as you age: Younger adults can retrieve the temporarily lost memory more quickly than older adults, Gazzaley says.

Tech solution: So, how should we handle the daily barrage of information and multitasking?

Gazzaley sets aside small amounts of times each day to "listen to music while I email and talk to a colleague." Otherwise his door is closed, his phone is turned off and he works uninterrupted. That's when "I can engage in high-quality thinking," he says.

Effects of Technology on Health - #2: Emotional Instability

Most adults don't need 450 Facebook friends to feel validated. Teens, however, are emotionally more vulnerable to the effects of rampant texting and online sharing, psychologists and physicians say. Here's how:

Sleep deprivation: Teens need about 9 hours sleep each day, but often text late into the night, says Sherry Turkle, director of the Initiative on Technology and Self at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and professor of the school's Social Studies of Science and Technology department. That means they can't focus at school and cope well with social pressures.

Too much codependence: Modern teens are failing to separate from their parents and become independent thinkers, a major developmental step for adolescents. Blame cell phones and texting, says Turkle.

"Fifteen years ago, if a kid called his mother 10 times a day for advice, I would be concerned," she says. "Today it's, `What else is new?' It's become the norm, but it's still an issue."

No alone time: Phones and social-media sites prevent teens from experiencing solitude, setting them up to be lonely when they don't have a connection. As a result, they often suffer from "fear of missing out," says Turkle.

"We're condemning a generation to not know how to sit in solitude," Turkle says.Time spent alone helps teens better withstand periods when they're disconnected from their digital devices and improves the sense of intimacy and bonding that face-to-face – not virtual – social interactions provide.

Kids' parents don't set a good example either.

"They can't walk around the corner to the store with their child without a phone attached to their ear," Turkle says. "It's modeling to kids that it's not OK to be unconnected."

Tech solution: Parents should insist that family members turn off their phones at dinner and spend time together, minus the media distractions, experts advise.

Effects of Technology on Health - #3: Strained Vision

About 40% of optometrists' patients experienced eye strain due to computer vision syndrome (conditions related to "near work"), while 45% complained of neck and back pain associated with computer or handheld device use, according to a 2008 survey by the American Optometric Association (AOA).

Many computer users assume awkward postures to position their eyes for better performance, according to the association.

Close computer work can cause light sensitivity, dry eye, blurred vision, double vision, fatigue and headache.Handheld devices force users to position the equipment "closer than eyes want," says Jim Sheedy, Ph.D., director of Vision Performance Institute at Pacific University in Forest Grove, Ore. "You have to exert more muscular effort to see at that distance and experience more symptoms than other technologies."

Tech Solution: To avoid eye problems:
•Limit time spent continuously in front of a computer. Look away from the screen every 20 minutes for 20 seconds, the AOA recommends. For the ideal viewing distance, set your monitor about 20-28 inches away from your body.

•Adjust the top of your monitor at eye level, so you're looking down at the screen by 10°-20° (4-5 inches). That way you'll avoid nodding your head up and down, causing neck and back strain, Sheedy says. Laptops, especially, need to be raised to "that sweet spot" where your eyes are looking down slightly.

•Lighting above your head should be dim. The areas within your line of view – the wall in front of you, for example – should be as bright as your computer screen. Avoid sitting in front of an un-shaded window or with one behind you.

You can "embrace new technologies but organize your day so you spend more time working at a desk, not on your lap," Sheedy says.

It helps avoid eye, neck and back strain.

Also, research suggests that men who work with laptops on their knees may damage fertility. A study published in the November 2011 issue of the journal Fertility and Sterility revealed that men who sat with their knees together and their laptops on them raised their scrotum temperature by about 2°F in just 28 minutes. Earlier research showed that even that small rise in temperature can destroy sperm.

Effects of Technology on Health  - #4: Hearing Loss

Can you hear me now?

Probably not well, if you blast music through ear buds for long stretches, says Brian Fligor, D.Sc., M.S., director of diagnostic audiology at Children's Hospital in Boston and an instructor at Harvard Medical School.

Wear and tear on ears is normal, resulting in some hearing loss in seniors. But what you do early in life sets the stage for how well you'll hear as you age, Fligor says.If you use poorly fitted ear buds, attend loud concerts frequently or shoot guns for target practice, hearing loss can arrive even in your 20s. Teens, in particular, crank up their MP3 players loudly to drown out traffic noise, conversation and even other ambient music. About half of college students in urban settings risk hearing loss.

Tech solution: To avoid hearing loss:
 
•Make sure your earbuds fit snugly.

•Limit your exposure to loud music (80% of maximum volume) to 90 minutes per day, says Fligor, an unabashed loud-music guy himself. You may listen to music at half the maximum volume all day without any risk. That level is acceptable to most people, he says, if it's not competing with loud background noise. "If I listen to cranked-up music for five minutes, then I give my ears a break the rest of the day," he says.

Effects of Technology on Health #5: Muscle and Joint Pain
On average, we send and receive text messages 3,339 times a month, according to a 2010 Nielsen Company survey.

In Britain, about 3.8 million thumb-typers complained of pain from similar activities. Nearly 38% said they suffered from sore wrists and thumbs, the result of repetitive movements, according to a 2006 survey by Virgin Mobile, a British cell-phone company.But not all researchers believe the thumb fatigue claims.

"That's an urban legend," says Peter W. Johnson, Ph.D., associate professor of environmental and occupational health sciences at the University of Washington.

Typing on a computer is like "bingeing and gorging, while texting is like snacking," he says. "It's intermittent, so you don't have the same cumulative effect as working at a computer for 4-6 hours."

Tech solution: To minimize potential pain from texting, Johnson recommends:

•Use both hands to avoid overburdening one appendage.

•Avoid sending texts continuously because it may hurt your hand and neck tendons, muscles and nerves over time, Johnson says. "If you feel pain from texting when you go to sleep and wake up with it in the morning, it's time to give it a rest," he advises. "Ligaments can take 4-6 weeks to heal when damaged."

•Rest your arms on a table to relieve your neck and shoulders.
Effects of Technology on Health #6: Heart Trouble
The longer you sit either in front of a computer or TV, the greater likelihood you'll die earlier – even if you lift weights, jog or swim for 30 minutes a day, according to an ongoing study by physiologist Marc Hamilton, Ph.D., a professor at Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge, La.

Women who remained glued to their chairs more than six hours a day were 37% more likely to die during the time period studied than those who sat fewer than three hours per day, according to an American Cancer Society study that followed 123,000 adults for 14 years.

It didn't matter if they were fat, thin or worked out daily, according to the study published in the July 2010 issue of American Journal of Epidemiology.

So what's an office worker to do?

"Every chance you get, bend over to pick something up, walk or stand. Instead of sitting when you're on the phone, walk up and down the stairs at work – just move," Hamilton says.
Take Action:
  • Boycott Bill O'Reilly and FOX News and their advertisers. Bill discussed a French commercial by McDonalds that was meant to show that McDonalds is Gay Friendly. Bill said what is next? Is McDonalds going to be Al-Qaida friendly as well? Imagine - Bill O'Reilly compares Gays to Al-Qaida! Further, Boycott Fox's Owner "Rupert Murcoch" and get him thrown in jail for illegal - Take Action:
    political donations, corruption, greed, bribery, hacking!
  • Boycott Target, Best Buy, Gold's Gym - for donating money towards anti-gay political candidates/organizations. Update: (12/26/2010): Target is continuing to donate to anti-gay groups/causes/politicians. Update 03/08/11 - Lady Gaga Ends Target Partnership, Reportedly Over Target's Poor LGBT Stance. Update 3/25/2010 - Target displays their hypocrisy and Sues California Gay Rights Group for Lobbying Outside Stores. Target is attempting to block the LGBT right of free speech! STOP SHOPPING AT TARGET!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Update 4/8/2011: Target lost its case to stop the LGBT from canvassing in front of their stores. A huge PR Disaster for TARGET! Perhaps Target should go out of business as they betrayed their investers and customer base. Target contributed massive funds to a politician who would like to exterminate gays. Now, Target can not stop us from Boycotting them, nor picketing, nor talking to customers near their stores; although, Target allows a anti-gay company such as the Salvation Army to stand outside their door and speak with customers and raise money. Isn't this a double standard?
  • End DOMA (Defense of Marriage Act). Prevents Federal employees and Gays in the Military from gaining equal benefits. Prevents Gay Partners from gaining equal benefits.
  • Pass a LGBT friendly ENDA (Employee Non-Discrimination Act). ENDA would prevent employment discrimination of LGBT workforce.
  • Boycott Salvation Army as they will not hire Gays! "DO NOT DONATE TO THEM."
  • BOYCOTT "Chick-fil-a" for donating money to anti-gay groups.
  • BOYCOTT KOCH INDUSTRIES PRODUCTS- to include their products: Angel Soft toilet paper / Brawny paper towels / Dixie plates, bowls, napkins & cups / Mardi Gras napkins and towels / Quilted Northern toilet paper / Soft 'n Gentle toilet paper / Sparkle napkins / Vanity fair napkins / Zee napkins / Georgia-Pacific paper products & envelopes / All Georgia-Pacific lumber & building products (INVISTA Products) / Lycra / Stainmaster Carpet. The billionaire - Koch brothers are ultra republican - tea bag founders/supporters that do not support causes of the LGBT community.
  • Boycott WALMART - The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force criticized Wal-Mart for denying employee benefits to same-s-x partners and for failing to prohibit discrimination based on gender identity. By comparison, the group said two other chain stores with a strong presence in New York, Costco and Walgreens, did much better.
  • "Tune Out Trump", Boycott all Trump Hotel, casinos, holdings, The Apprentice and NBC Network! At CPAC, Trump said he is considering a run for president as a Republican. In a interview with the Des Moines Register, Trump added that he opposes all forms of legal recognition for gay couples, not just marriage. "They should not be able to marry," he said. So why does NBC keep the Apprentice when Donald Trump has stated he may run for president? After making racist remarks about Obama and recv'g public backlash, Trump decided not to run for president after NBC renewed his awful TV Show. How can NBC re-new the clown's show after he pulled such hateful shenanigans?
  • Boycott Georgia for Execution of Troy Davis @ 11:08 EST, Sep 21, 2011:
    Former US President and Former GA Gov. Jimmy Carter felt that TROY DAVIS should not be executed and deserved a re-trial. The Former Director of the FBI felt that TROY DAVIS Was Not Guilty! Do not drive through Goergia as it is dangerous. Do not fly via Atlanta. For your safety -Do not travel to GA. TELL YOUR COMPANY NOT TO PARTICIPATE IN A CONVENTION IN GA! "Georgia Executes Innocent People!"

And Now, Our War of the Fittest!

This group is called "Peckers Pics." The English - slang definition of "pecker" is to pluck at the truth. Therefore, we peck at items such as Gay Men's Health, Male Fitness, Gay (LGBT) Politics & Issues. In this section you may peck at each photo in order to decide the winner of the "war of the fittest!" Whereas, you should select the "Male Athlete" that may inspire you to exercise and "get fit!" Warning: This may stoke you!
Your participation in discussion of health / news articles - appearing in this message is greatly appreciated.
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You Decide!
New Years Eve Party by Jeffrey Sanker & Steve Machuca, DJ Manny Lehman
at the Riviera Hotel, Palm Springs, CA; Dec 30, 2011
Stoked?
New Years Eve Party by Jeffrey Sanker & Steve Machuca,
DJ Manny Lehman at the Riviera Hotel, Palm Springs, CA;
Dec 30, 2011
Romney Likes 'Being Able to Fire People' for Being Gay
Michelangelo Signorile - 1/10/2012 - Huffington Post

Mitt Romney surely gave ammunition to opponents regarding his leadership at Bain Capital when he said during a speech on health insurance yesterday, "I like being able to fire people." But he also unwittingly underscored his position on discrimination against gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people: He likes being able to engage in it.

You'd have to be living under a rock not to know that Mitt Romney has flipped-flopped on gay rights (like many other issues), and the pink flyer controversy is only the tip of the iceberg. That's why it's infuriating when some in the media allow him and other GOP candidates to say they "oppose discrimination" against gays even though they don't support any laws that would ban such discrimination.

Romney once believed it was so important to end discrimination against gays -- or at least thought he needed to convey that to get elected in Massachusetts -- that he said in 1994 if elected to the US Senate he would vote for the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, which would protect gays under federal law. He even said he supported a law banning housing discrimination against gays.

But by 2006, as he was gearing up to run for president, Romney reversed entirely, writing a letter to the Log Cabin Republicans: " I don't see the need for new or special legislation. My experience over the past several years as governor has convinced me that ENDA would be an overly broad law that would open a litigation floodgate and unfairly penalize employers at the hands of activist judges." Yes, he's more concerned now with discrimination against corporations -- they are, after all, people too -- than he is about discrimination against American citizens.

No one knows if Romney also now thinks that way about the same laws currently in place that protect people on the basis of race, class or national origin -- civil rights laws -- since he hasn't been asked. Nor has he been asked how he made such a radical shift on anti-discrimination laws for gays. There was no follow-up, no raising of his contradictions, at NBC's Meet the Press/Facebook Debate on Sunday morning when he claimed he was against discrimination, allowing him to come off as compassionate when he's as cold-hearted as the the rest of bunch.

Similarly, Rick Santorum stated at that debate that though he believes marriage is between a man and a woman he too is opposed to discrimination against gays. Putting the marriage issue aside (and how it is discriminatory not to let gays marry), Santorum wasn't then asked by the moderators why he voted against a federal hate crimes law that would include LGBT in then-existing hate crimes laws. He wasn't asked why he voted against federal employment protections for gays and lesbians as well.

Santorum speaks about homosexuality as if it is an affliction similar to alcoholism or drug abuse: We should have sympathy for these poor souls, but that doesn't mean their behavior should be protected under the law and thus encouraged.

Romney is saying something a bit different -- he doesn't frame homosexuality as a disease -- but it's equally troubling. He's put a gay person in his cabinet and made judicial appointments without asking about sexual orientation, he said at the debate, so it proves he doesn't personally discriminate and that he thinks gays can and do contribute much to society. But he obviously believes he and other employers should always have the right to discriminate against gays, otherwise it would be too much of a burden on business.

There's also the issue of "don't ask, don't tell," which Romney was in favor of keeping in place right up until about a month ago -- after it was gone. How is this a person who doesn't support discrimination?

Some in the media might give Romney a pass and allow him to claim, unchallenged, that he opposes discrimination because they believe deep down he's a moderate on the issue, and unlike Santorum or Rick Perry, is not on an antigay crusade.That may or may not be true, but Romney is as captive to the base of his party as they are. Like most of them, he signed a pledge by the National Organization for Marriage to appoint antigay judges and investigate the group's critics for "harassment." And like the rest of the candidates, he likes "being able to fire people" for being gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender.
 
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michelangelo-signorile/romney-employment-non-discrimination-act_b_1196615.html
Every gay and lesbian person who has been lucky enough to survive the turmoil of growing up is a survivor. Survivors always have an obligation to those who will face the same challenges."

....Jake
 
Important Notice: Our ObamaBiden2008 Group works hand - in - hand with Peckers PICS (Both groups were co-created to work with each-other). To prevent duplication of articles and questions, all members of this group are urgently recommended to join ObamaBiden2008. We have the LGBT boycott list and discuss end of DADT, etc... There are 3 gay teen suicides in the USA - daily! There are Hate crimes against gay people. There are gay people who are fired over their sexual identity. There are gay people who died for our cause! These groups are focused towards Yahoo Members who sincerely care about LGBT rights and are interested in Gay Mens Health! Most important, we have a most critical election in 2012 that shall determine the future of LGBT rights and our health care (as many suffer from pre-existing illness)! Please Join Now!
 
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"Every gay and lesbian person who has been lucky enough to survive the turmoil of growing up is a survivor. Survivors always have an obligation to those who will face the same challenges."

...Jake (Moderator)



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