Tag Archives: college health

Overheard On Campus: What is a vaporizer? Is using one safer than smoking tobacco or marijuana?

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Contributed by Lisa Salazar, M.P.H, A.C.E.-C.P.T., & Daniel Gittins, M.A.
Introduction by Tyler Achilles, B.A.

I haven’t heard anyone refer to a vaporizer in a long time. Maybe it’s because I’m becoming more removed from college culture as I get older, but I’m sure vaporizers are still around, especially since many states have loosened their stance on marijuana. In fact, vaporizers are probably becoming more popular because of that fact. There are risks involved with using a vaporizer, though. Check out what Lisa Salazar, director of the wellness center at Idaho State University, and Daniel Gittins, coordinator of alcohol and drug programs at Duquesne University, have to say about vaporizers below. For information on similar topics, check out the Overheard On Campus category or log in to MyStudentBody.

Male using a vaporizer

Photo credit: Gizmodo

Lisa Salazar, director of the wellness center at Idaho State University, says …

Vaporizers experienced resurgence in popularity after Johnny Depp was seen using one in the movie Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. Vaporizers are instruments often used with herbal drugs like marijuana, salvia, etc., although they may also be used for other drugs including meth or crack cocaine. Vaporizers may be made from crude materials, such as light bulbs or expensive purchased models, but all have the same general function. Unlike rolling a joint, or using a pipe where herbal drugs are burned directly, a vaporizer is used to create convection heat that warms the entire substance to a temperature that releases chemicals, such as the tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) from the plant matter forming a steam or mist. A tube or pipe is used to inhale the steam vapor and initiate the “high.”

Advocates for marijuana use claim that using a vaporizer is safer than smoking, as the vaporizer doesn’t release burned materials (carbons, tar, benzene, toluene, naftalene, etc.) into the lungs; therefore, it is less of a health hazard than smoking the herb directly. Instead, the volatile or essential oils of the plants are released with the vapor that is to be inhaled, and these are said to be more pleasing and calming to the imbiber.

From a health standpoint, however, it’s important to remember what THC actually does to the brain. Scientists know that THC has an impact on the parts of the brain that impact memory, thinking, perception, pleasure, and coordinated movement. There has been a direct correlation with marijuana and mental health issues, as well including violence, psychotic reactions, and even onsets of schizophrenia.

In addition, marijuana has been shown to impact more areas of the body than just the lungs and brain.  In fact, marijuana users have a nearly five times higher risk of heart attack in the first hour after smoking the drug and often experience elevated heart rates for up to three hours after smoking. Because the chemicals released when using a vapor are said to be less diluted, these risks could also be amplified. Regardless of what the word is on the street, vaporizers do not offer any less risk than traditional drug use methods.

Daniel Gittins, Coordinator of Alcohol and Drug Programs at Duquesne University, says …

According to Got Vape?, a blog dedicated to vaporizers, a vaporizer is a product used to smoke a blend of tobacco like substances. It says that a “vaporizer works by using heat to bring the temperature of your blend to the point where it boils the active ingredient out of the blend without burning the plant material. The vapors that result are much cleaner and tastier than smoke, and more highly concentrated as well.”

There has been an increase in the visibility of these type products recently, perhaps in response to the growing number of states that are allowing the use of marijuana for medical purposes. Additionally, the increase in vaporizer use could result from an increase in the amount of synthetic “smokeable” products marketed as well as the ongoing quest to find safer ways to smoke tobacco products. Vaporizers are marketed as a safer way to smoke tobacco and/or plant products (though there hasn’t been enough research conducted to support this claim). Proponents of this claim say that “vapors are free of tars and other unhealthy bi-products produced when blend is burned instead of being vaporized.”

There are many kinds of vaporizers. Many college students have been using them under the thought that they are smokeless and odorless (not true), and, therefore reduce the risks of getting caught smoking illegal substances, or legal ones in areas where smoking is not allowed. There are risks involved.

Bottom line: Although there are claims that using a vaporizer is safer and, in some ways, better than smoking tobacco or marijuana, there is no evidence to support this claim. There are real risks associated with using these substances.

For more tobacco-related posts, check out the Tobacco category in Health Topics or log in to MyStudentBody and navigate to the Tobacco section. You can take a self-assessment of your tobacco use and find educational materials to help you quit.

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Overheard On Campus: Why do certain types of alcohol, like whiskey or tequila, make some people act differently than when they drink beer?

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Contributed by Rebecca Smith, M.A., L.C.P.C., C.S.A.T.

Different types of alcohol have different amounts of alcohol content by volume. What does that mean? Well, if a bottle of tequila is labeled as 80 proof, then it means it contains 40% alcohol and 60% other ingredients. Tequila and most other hard liquors, like whiskey, rum or vodka are usually 40-50% alcohol by volume, or 80-100 proof. Unlike liquor, most servings of beer are going to be 4-6% alcohol. Many times people who drink hard liquor will add more than a standard shot to their drink (sometimes equaling 2 or 3 shots!) because they are not aware of the proper amount. Adding 2 or 3 shots to one 12-ounce drink is the equivalent of drinking 2 or 3 whole beers.Bartender pouring shots, college students looking on

Most people are going to get drunk faster when they consume hard liquor because they don’t have to consume as much liquid to get a high volume of alcohol. Alcohol shuts down the judgment and coordination center of the brain. This is why most people act differently while drinking hard liquor as compared to just drinking beer. The amount of water in beer slows down the absorption of alcohol into the blood stream, so a person has to drink several beers to feel the same effect of having one glass of hard liquor, which will be absorbed more quickly.

Be safe and smart while drinking. Most people can only consume one beer, one glass of wine, or one shot of hard liquor per hour before going over the legal limit of a .08 blood alcohol level (alcohol tolerance and weight will affect this number, but in general this is a good rule to follow). If you drink more than one drink in an hour, your body won’t be able metabolize the alcohol, and your blood alcohol levels will go up. This will definitely affect the way you are behaving toward and around others.

Bottom line: Alcohol is alcohol, but pay attention to how much you’re drinking, especially if it’s hard liquor. Click here for more Overheard On Campus posts.

Any other advice to add? Have a story to share? Write a comment below!

Body Sense: You (don’t) snooze, you lose!

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Contributed by C. Claire Armagnac, B.A.

A recent article in Inside Higher Ed titled “Turn Your Zzz’s Into A’s” got me thinking about how sleep affects the daily lives of college students. Many Americans, especially college students, do not get enough sleep due to stress and busy schedules, but sleep problems are an international phenomenon. For example, a 2002 study involving 10 countries showed that 32% of the study participants in Belgium, and 16% of the participants in Germany, reported that they frequently do not sleep well. In the U.S., things aren’t much better, with a 2009 poll by the National Sleep Foundation showing that Americans average 6.7 hours of sleep per night on weeknights, and data from the past 10 years show that the number of people who average less than 6 hours of sleep per night is steadily increasing. The primary reasons for decreased sleep levels are stress, general anxiety, and devices like smart phones and iPads that allow us to be connected and active at all hours of the day.Student catching some Z's

For college students, stress and distractions are compounded by term papers, exams, and dorm living. Many dorms have “quiet hours” to allow students to study and sleep, but in the dorms at my school the hours were rarely observed, and students were resigned to studying in 24-hour computer labs and lounges. The fact that computer labs and other venues were open 24/7 often made me feel as though I should have been working or socializing 24/7, which is very risky. Some students brag about the amount of sleep they don’t get, claiming to have aced an exam or partied all night on 2 or 3 hours of sleep. These students may appear to have superhuman energy abilities, but the truth is that long-term sleep deprivation is dangerous to everyone’s health.

Sleep deprivation impacts many areas of our daily lives, including our ability to drive. A study conducted in 2000 showed that driving after staying awake for 17 to 19 hours can be as dangerous as driving with a 0.05 BAC (blood alcohol content) level. Sleep deprivation can also lead us to consume unhealthy amounts of caffeine, which leads to dehydration. Plus, sleep deprivation can also change the way we eat, which can lead to obesity because our bodies crave high-energy foods that are easy to digest (such as refined flour and simple carbohydrates that give us a short boost of energy but leave us hungry again in a short amount of time) when we are tired. Exercise plans are often abandoned when students don’t have enough time to sleep. A lack of exercise combined with lack of sleep and a poor diet leads to a lifestyle that isn’t safe or sustainable over a long period of time.

The good news is that it’s never too late to improve your sleep habits, and summer may be the perfect time to do so. Living away from school may provide a quieter environment that is more conducive to sleep, and the absence of homework and tests leads to lower stress levels for many students as well. Summer is often less regimented than school, but for better health it is still important to set a regular bedtime, perhaps by telling yourself that you will go to bed after a favorite show every night or that you will always go to bed 2 hours after getting home from work.

Summer is also a great time to renew your dedication to an exercise program or to go to a local gym and try a fitness class that you did not have time for during school. The price of a gym membership varies by region, but in my town the YMCA offers summer memberships for young adults that cost about $20 per month and include unlimited fitness classes. Summer’s warmer weather also makes it easier to exercise outdoors and play games, such as volleyball and baseball with friends or with a town league. And, with all the extra sleep you’ll be getting, you’ll actually have the energy to do so!

Everyone is busy and stress has become the norm in many of our lives, but I can tell you from personal experience that allocating at least 7 hours per night for sleep has improved my health as well as my mood. Science and common sense both suggest getting more sleep, so please try to do it if you can. Good luck, and happy sleeping!

Questions? Comments? I welcome your feedback at carmagna@stetson.edu!

Sexy & Savvy: How to tell someone you have a sexually transmitted disease or infection

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Contributed by Rebecca Smith, M.A., L.C.P.C., C.S.A.T.

Telling someone you have a sexually transmitted disease (STD) or infection (STI) is probably one of the hardest conversations you can have.* It gets even harder when it’s an STI that can’t be cured. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that even though young people ages 15-24 represent only 25% of the sexually-active population, they acquire nearly half of all newly diagnosed STIs. College students may think they are immune to getting an STI because everyone around them looks healthy, but many college students are facing the horrible facts that they have contracted an STI. Once you find out you have an STI, the conversation to let your partner or future partners know can be devastatingly hard.Guy telling girl he has a sexually transmitted infectionI have met with a few students who have STIs that can’t be cured. Genital human papillomavirus (HPV), Hepatitis B and C, herpes simplex virus 1 and 2 (HSV-1 and HSV-2), and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) can NOT be cured. That is why STI testing and using condoms every time you have sex is so important. In most cases, HPV and Hepatitis B or C won’t cause any long-term effects. HPV is usually fought off by the body within a couple of years, and it’s typically caught before it can cause cervical cancer in women through a pelvic exam. Only rare cases of Hepatitis cause long-term health effects. Herpes is harder for people to accept because it doesn’t go away, and it can be easily transmitted sexually even when a person isn’t having any symptoms. HIV is obviously more life threatening, and the news is often very unsettling. Having the conversation about STIs with your partner or future partners may feel impossibly hard, but the best way to deal with it is to say something as soon as possible.

If you’re already in a relationship, it can be terrifying to tell the person you love that you may have infected them with an incurable illness. Putting this conversation off will only develop trust issues and put a huge strain on the relationship. Go into the conversation with a calm demeanor and stick to the facts at first. After telling your partner the facts, you can share your own feelings and grief about finding out. Remember that grief has many stages—denial, bargaining, anger, depression and finally acceptance. You may still be struggling with your own acceptance of the STI while you are trying to have this conversation. However, it’s very important not to put it off. Only wait if you are feeling a lot of anger because it may lead to you be very defensive, which won’t be helpful to you or your partner.

If you contracted the STI before you were in the relationship, let your partner know this and take the responsibility. However, sometimes it’s hard to know who gave the STI to whom. Encourage your partner to get tested as soon as possible. Sometimes this will help determine who had the STI first, but it is not always possible to figure out. Do not start to blame each other. Unless one of you has cheated in the relationship, it may not matter who had the STI first.

This conversation is only going to be the first of many if you plan to keep your relationship intact. The psychological and emotional effects are sometimes worse than the physical, so give yourselves time to work through the emotions. It can be hard to accept, but some couples now realize that they can’t reinfect each other and go on to have a healthy sexual relationship. Acceptance is possible with strong communication and trust in place. It’s emotionally hard because it isn’t something people often talk to others about. Some couples may decide not to tell anyone else and only have each other for support.

What if you find out you have an incurable STI and you aren’t in a relationship? In counseling, students work through a lot of self-esteem issues and deal with their guilt. They have to learn to forgive themselves for not protecting themselves in the past. A lot of students state they feel gross and contagious. It’s hard to confidently put yourself out there to meet new people when you feel this way.  I see people who feel so ashamed that they are afraid to start a new relationship. The conversation about their STI with someone new paralyzes them. We work on focusing on other things they have to offer in a relationship.

After a while some people who are tired of being alone may start to date, but break it off if anything remotely becomes sexual. They have often been alone for a long time and have a lot of anxiety about being with someone again. Some students decide to use internet dating sites for people who have STIs to find others who are already infected. This has helped some people find satisfying relationships with someone who would automatically know about their STI. Some students who meet someone they really like ask when they should have this conversation. I encourage them to wait until they know they want to be committed in the relationship and before they enter the sexual realm. I suggest they be upfront and honest and share the risks with their new boyfriend or girlfriend. Facing the possible rejection is excruciating, but a lot of students have reported positive results when having this conversation in a loving, positive relationship. It is a very courageous thing to tell someone about your sexual past, but it’s very important to keep everyone as safe and healthy as possible.

Please be smart about your sex life. If you don’t have any STIs, be thankful and continue to practice safer sex. Get tested to avoid the devastating consequence of spreading an STI to someone else. If you have a STI that is incurable, life isn’t over. Many people with STIs are living happy, healthy lives and many are also in relationships. Click here for more Sexy & Savvy posts.

*While in the past, these illnesses have mostly been referred to as STDs or venereal disease (VD), in recent years the term sexually transmitted infections (STIs) has been preferred, as it has a broader range of meaning; a person may be infected, and may potentially infect others, without showing signs of disease.

Body Sense: Rethink your drink

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Contributed by C. Claire Armagnac, B.S.

Many people count calories when dieting to lose weight, but few remember to include beverages in their daily calorie count. Calories from beverages are processed by our bodies just like calories from food, and they can definitely derail a diet. Drinks that are most likely to derail a diet are often those that are falsely marketed as being healthy, such as fruit smoothies from large restaurant chains and all natural fruit juices that actually contain large amounts of added sugar. Diet damage can also come from ingrained habits, such as drinking coffee with cream every morning, or (if you’re 21) automatically reaching for a beer when your favorite sports game is on. You don’t have to be confined to a life of black coffee, but be aware of the calories in common beverages, and plan to make smarter drink choices for better health. Check out some different beverage options below.

Bottled waterWater is obviously the world’s best beverage choice in terms of health benefits because it helps our bodies fight fatigue and allows many of our vital organs, such as our kidneys and liver, to function properly. Frequent exercisers notice that they have to drink a higher-than-average amount of water during and after their workouts, and many turn to sports drinks as a flavorful alternative to water. Sports drinks claim to help athletes by providing electrolytes and the sodium that is lost through sweat, but they are not appropriate for everyone because of the calories they contain. Sports drinks are healthier than soda and can promote re-hydration after a workout, but it’s important to remember that the workout itself should have burned enough calories to compensate for the calories in the drink. For example, if your workout burned 500 calories, but you drank a sports drink that contained 700 calories, water would have been the smarter beverage choice. Some sports drinks and sodas are now made with a sugar substitute so that they contain fewer calories, but nutritionists have yet to agree about the benefits and health risks associated with these substitutes. Until further research is done, it is probably best to consume sugar substitutes sparingly.

Smoothie with strawberry and pineappleSmoothies can be a great way to get calcium and vitamins after a workout, but be aware that some smoothies from chains, such as McDonald’s and Jamba Juice are not as healthy as they appear to be. For example, an original size Jamba “Mango-a-go-go” smoothie contains vitamins C and A, but it also contains 85 grams of sugar while only providing 10% of your daily recommended amount of calcium. A smoothie made at home using real fruit, non-fat yogurt or skim milk, ice, and a natural sweetener such as honey would be a healthier option, in terms of sugar and calories. Making a smoothie at home could also be a more cost-effective option because bags of frozen fruit, which can be used to make multiple smoothies, usually cost about $5 per bag, whereas smoothies at chain restaurants usually cost between $3 and $7 per smoothie.

The calories in smoothies and sports drinks should be on every student’s radar, and those of us who are 21 and indulge in an alcoholic beverage from time-to-time should also be aware of the calories in alcohol. In general, dark beers, such as Amstel and stout beers, such as Guinness contain the most calories. Beers that are labeled “light,” such as Bud Light are lighter in color and lower in calories, but a 12-ounce serving will still contain an average of 100 calories. A shot of liquor usually contains between 115 and 200 calories, and prepared mixers, such as margarita mix and sour mix are often packed with sugar and artificial flavoring. Wine is often the lowest-calorie alcoholic beverage; a 4-ounce serving contains between 62 and 160 calories, and red wine (when consumed in moderation) can provide healthful antioxidants.

Reducing the amount of calories you consume through beverages is all about small steps that can make a big difference. The calories saved by choosing to make your smoothie at home a few days a week, choosing a glass of wine over a shot of liquor on weekends, choosing to cut your sports drink in half with water at the gym, and choosing to put skim milk instead of cream in your coffee can really add up over time and can help you to achieve your weight-loss goals.

What have your experiences been, readers? Have you ever taken the time to rethink your drink? Have you had more energy or weight-loss success because of it? I would love to hear about your experiences. Email me at carmagna@stetson.edu!

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References

http://www.rochester.edu/uhs/healthtopics/Alcohol/caloricvalues.html

http://www.jambajuice.com/component/nutfacts