Alcohol and Marijuana

I think alcohol and marijuana are involved in a lot of teenager’s life from peer pressure. I think if people are around others or are doing it they will at some point try it too. I think it is becoming more and more of a problem because the consequences are becoming harder but yet it seems people don’t stop. When you consume alcohol it travels right to your blood stream. Drinking alcohol can cause you to gain weight, get liver disease, alcohol poisoning, hangovers, become addicted over time if not controlled, and many other problems. Marijuana can cause long term health problems such as infertility, weak immune system, chance of lung damage, and others. Sometimes I don’t think a lot of people are aware of all the consequences involved in the usage of these substances. Alcohol is not legal to consume until you are 21, but I think it is abused in some situations. I believe marihuana should remain illegal. I don’t think anyone needs to be involved in drugs.
http://www.med.unc.edu/alcohol/prevention/health.html

Response to Sam about the dress code!

I think that the dress code is more strict with girls. I don't think girls should be walking around showing things that don't need to be showed, but sometimes I think the teachers go a little extreme on the matter. Some people abuse the rules and I think that is where it is becoming more of an issue. Boys don't have to worry about shorts being too short or having rips in their jeans. They might have it a bit easier, but all in all I guess we just have to live with the rules.

Response to Erica and healthy lunches!

I think that our school lunches could be healthier. I pack my lunch but I see what other kids buy everyday. I don't think all the food is bad. We do have a salad bar and things. I think one thing is that we should have is more fresh fruits and veggies available. Erica is right. We do talk a lot about being healthy in our gym classes! We all I think can just make healthier choices when it comes to food and being healthy.

New idea to think about

I have liked block scheduling since we started high school. Other high schools still have eight periods a day though. Is one better than the other in terms of receiving a better education? What do you think?

War on drugs

Drugs are something that has taken over some peoples’ lives and even caused them to ruin or end their lives. People have abused drugs. People get so addicted and wrapped up in it that they even will buy medical pills off the shelves in stores and cook it into something new such as methamphetamine. Some people think that drugs should be legalized but I think that could just cause more problems. On http://www.usnews.com/articles/opinion/2008/07/25/public-opinion-should-the-united-states-legalize-drugs.html people state many different opinions on the drug topic. Some think that having drugs legalized would cause less crime problems from people trying to buy and sell the drugs illegally. Also, some state that there obviously would be an age limit and tax but I don’t think that would matter. I think drugs would get abused either way. Also if more and more people get exposed to the drug from having it legalized, we would be the ones paying their medical bills from all the health effects. I also hear having drugs be legalized would help in medical purposes to save lives. I wish if necessary it could be used in these circumstances, but I would not legalize drugs just for that reason.

Tobacco

Tobacco should not be legal. Nicotine is the main drug found in tobacco. Nicotine is highly addictive and many young people are getting into the use of tobacco. Children at age 12 have been recorded of using tobacco! That is way too young to be involved in drugs considering no one should be involved in its use. First of all tobacco is extremely unhealthy for your body. It can cause different types of cancers and lung problems. If you are using tobacco by smoking you are affecting others around you with secondhand smoke. Secondhand smoke can cause lung and health problems as well. http://www.theantidrug.com/drug-information/commonly-abused-drugs/tobacco-nicotine.aspx

According to http://www.drugfree.org/Portal/drug_guide/Tobacco, about 3,000 non-smokers die from lung cancer each year from secondhand smoke and smoke in the environment. It also states the smoke in the environment causes about 300,000 children to have problems from lower repertory- tract infections. Overall this is not a very healthy substance for the user of tobacco or others in the surrounding environment such as their friends and family members. People also spend so much of their money buying tobacco when they could be using it on many other important things.

According to http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/fact_sheets/fast_facts/index.htm, more than 5 million deaths around the world each year are caused from tobacco. I think everyone should stay away from tobacco and try to live a healthier lifestyle and save some one else’s life by not getting involved!

Conflict Resolution

Today we hear so much about bulling. I believe that a big problem is that people try to avoid the situation. They don't want to talk to the person. They would rather talk about them behind their back, gossip, or make a big deal. I think that people need to go and confront the person they are having problems with. Before it gets to involved they should try to work it out. They don't need to involve others or make a big show of it. I think people are afraid to talk face to face to a person, but I believe it is the best way. I think trying to solve a problem by talking to a person will be effective most of the time. I think it is a skill be can all work and improve on.

Vaccines

It seems everytime we go to the doctors offices they inform us on a new vaccine available. I believe vaccines are very important to stay healthy and to protect yourself from certain diseases and from getting sick. This year everyone was worried about the swine flu and wanting to get the vaccine. I did not get the vaccine, but I think it was good to have it available. Normally after a shot you have soreness where you got it. But, some people can have bad allergic reactions. I believe that even though there are risks, it is worth getting a vaccine if necessary to protect yourself.
Vaccines go through intense review to insure their safety. Also some vaccines go through further study to look at possible side affects and effectiveness.
I believe that vaccines are important. You might want to research before you get one, but in the end I think it will have a good benefit.

Soy

I love to drink soy milk! I always just assumed it was healthy, but there are many questions about it affects on our health. In soy is a chemical like estrogen which can lead to changes in sexual development. By researching I found many negative reasons why not to eat soy products because it contains things such as phytic acid and hemagglutinin which can make your red blood cells clump together.
Many people are questioning how healthy soy really is for you especially because it can be used in baby formula. No one would want to feed their child a harmful substance.
I have never heard of all these negatives about soy products. It is very interesting, but I don't know if it will stop me from eating soy products because I have also researched and found many good things soy does for you. It is a great source of protein and has good vitamins and minerals. I also read how it can reduce the risk of certain cancers.

Industrial Farming

When I go to the grocery store I guess I never realized that a lot of the foods and meats are raised and grown on an industrial farm. I eat the food and it never really occurs to me where the food came from. I think that a lot of people are unaware of industrial farming and its affects on the earth and to your health. By using the industrial farming method the food we buy is cheaper in price. Also we are normally promised an abundance of available food. Besides all these good things there are others that are bad. There is more contaminated surface water from all the animal wastes on farms and the chemicals used on the crops. Just using the chemicals and pesticides alone on the food we eat could be damaging to our health. I think that is why a lot of families are looking now towards buying organic even though it is more expensive. With the use of industrial farming also comes pollution which is never good for the atmosphere. I don't know how exactly to reverse these trends caused by industrial farming. I beieve that people will keep eating the food produced by industrial farming. We could think of new ways to safely remove of animal wastes and healthier ways to grow crops without using pesticides. Also we can find better ways to fuel all the farming machines. All this will take time but in the future it will be better for the earth.

All About Me

Hi!,my name is Sarah Podufal. I love to swim and I also play water polo! I don't really do much blogging, but it will be interesting to see what others have to say. I hope to learn valuable information about being healthy all through life. Also I hope we have fun doing activities in gym! Some of my life goals are to have fun and finish high school, go to college, get a job, have a family and be successful!