STATES CHRONICLE – If you are trying to lose weight, it might be better to avoid artificial sweeteners. These substances are not only ineffective when it comes to weight loss, but they might also lead to the development of heart disease or other metabolic problems, such as obesity.

Do artificial sweeteners help us lose weight?

A recent study analyzed artificial sweeteners and discovered they might not be a sensible choice to replace sugar. Substances like stevia, sucralose, or aspartame might increase one’s risk of becoming obese over the years.

This is quite the opposite of their intended use, since artificial sweeteners have been developed to combat obesity. They are found in diet drinks or other similar products which people consume when they are trying to lower their sugar consumption and lose weight.

There are more studies on the effects of these chemicals on health, but their results are not consistent. Some of them show a connection between these substances and a higher appetite, but there’s still not enough evidence supporting this hypothesis. Therefore, researchers developed this new study published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal.

Consuming such chemicals increases the obesity risk

This study is more extensive, as it put together data from 37 other studies. These contain around 10 years’ worth of information collected from over 400,000 participants. This is how they discovered the link between artificial sweeteners and an increase in waist circumference and weight.

Also, these chemicals led to more cardiovascular events or problems related to obesity. What researchers couldn’t observe were the deserved effects of artificial sweeteners, namely weight loss or the absence of metabolic problems.

Therefore, researchers warn everybody that artificial sweeteners are not what they seem, and they might lead to the apparition of certain health problems rather than their disappearance. People should avoid consuming the substances and opt for other methods to lose weight.
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STATES CHRONICLE – We all know stress is bad, and excessive amounts of it affect people both physically and emotionally. Nowadays, many kids live in incredibly stressful conditions, and new reports prove this might scar them for life. Ongoing stress during childhood affects both the brain and several body functions of the kids.

Toxic stress is more dangerous for children

If children face way too much stress, it might become toxic for them. This means that they start experiencing several changes in their brain, which then interfere with their learning abilities. If it persists, they are in danger of developing serious diseases later into adulthood.

There are many situations which can trigger such reactions in children. Living in poverty, as well as suffering abuse or neglect from their parents contributes greatly not only to their state of mind, but also to their body health. It’s hard to identify how many children have been victims of toxic stress, but many reports show the bad conditions which lead to the development of disorders.

Abuse and neglect are the main causes of toxic stress

Their results show one in four kids in the US suffers traumas before turning 16. Many of these traumas are related to their parents’ behavior, who might either neglect them, or subject them to an abusive or violent treatment. These traumas then lead to learning difficulties, which affect the child’s school performance.

Almost half of US children under 18 live either in extreme poverty, or their economic level is under the standard. This significantly affects their quality of life, and makes many parents abandon their kids in foster care, since they cannot afford raising them. Most of these parents struggle with drug abuse, so keeping the children wouldn’t have given them a healthy environment to grow up in.

We might underestimate the effects stress can have on a child, but these reports are here to send a warning. Show your children that you love and support them no matter what happens, and try to protect them from anything which might prove too much for them to handle.
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STATES CHRONICLE – Central Florida, especially Orange County, has been swept up by massive rainfall over the past few weeks. This led to more complaints from residents of swarms of mosquitoes invading their homes and households. The situation is problematic, since these animals bear a lot of diseases. Authorities are concerned that they might be carrying the dangerous Zika virus.

Mosquitoes are a nuisance even if they don’t spread diseases

Usually, the Orange County Mosquito Control department receives around 10 calls per day from people who want to ask for help to deal with the insects. In this period, the number of calls and complaints increased almost ten times.

Not all mosquitoes are disease carriers, but such large populations around households are still bothering the residents. Those departments dealing with mosquito control not only help people maintain their health by keeping pests away, but they also maintain the outdoors comfortable and perfect for people to enjoy.

Ways to keep mosquito populations under control

They use several methods to keep mosquitoes away, which have proved efficient so far. Moreover, these techniques are safe for the environment. The substances are applied during the evening, and they do not interfere with other animals and insects, and are not dangerous for humans.

First of all, they get rid of possible environments where mosquitoes can thrive, and all the other areas are sprayed with special substances to keep the insects away. If they cannot apply all these chemicals on the ground, they might resort to aerial spraying.

People can help Mosquito Control as well, by not leaving water gather in flower pots or other small recipients. Also, they should always use mosquito repellent, and cover their skin as much as possible. In the end, they should call the authorities if they can no longer deal with the insects by themselves.

So far, there have been no cases of Zika in Orange County, but authorities are afraid massive mosquito populations might bring the virus there. This is why they are trying to eradicate it from the start, and prevent people from falling ill.
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STATES CHRONICLE – A recent study claims to have discovered the secret to a good night’s sleep. It seems that it is purely psychological, and a great sense of purpose helps you rest. If you have a good reason to wake up in the morning, when the night comes, you are more likely to feel content with your life, which allows you to be well-rested and sleep uninterrupted.

How to cultivate a sense of purpose

Most of the time, older people have a harder time falling asleep than younger ones, and they spent more time without sleep. However, most of them are likely to have a strong sense of purpose, which is one of the main things that help them rest.

If you’re not really content with your life, it might seem hard to control how you feel about it and to make things seem meaningful. However, the research offers a few suggestions. Evidence shows that techniques such as mindful meditation are incredibly helpful, and help people gather more sense of purpose.

Meditation improves sleep quality

Researchers, together with doctors, recommend these techniques, as they seem to be really effective in improving sleep quality. Also, they are a drug-free way to treat insomnia. There’s no need to mention they also improve your psychological state, making you less sensitive to certain ailments.

Now, they are trying to find the best mindfulness techniques which are best regarding sleep problems, as well as those which cultivate a stronger sense of purpose and make people feel better about themselves.

Statistics show those people content with their lives were 52 percent less likely to suffer from restless leg syndrome, as well as 63 percent less likely to have sleep apnea. Also, they showed significantly less trouble falling asleep and maintaining a long night’s sleep. All the results have been collected in the journal Sleep Science and Practice.
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STATES CHRONICLE – Eleven teenagers from Indiana ended up in the emergency room after consuming gummy bears infused with cannabis. This led to an investigation carried on by the authorities, who were trying to raise a warning for parents to be extremely careful with the substances consumed by their children.

The teenagers felt sick after consuming gummy bears

On July 6^th, a teenager from LaPorte, Indiana, called 911 and admitted he had consumed some unknown drugs which made him feel sick. The teenager, aged 19, started experiencing pain, rapid heart rate, and hallucinations, so he decided to call an ambulance and receive the medical assistance he needed.

When the health professionals arrived, the teenager informed them some of his friends had also taken the drug, so they found ten other of them who struggled with the same kind of symptoms waiting in a residence in the area.

Judging from their symptoms, the officials couldn’t determine what drugs these kids had taken. Afterwards, they admitted to consuming six gummy bears infused with different substances. Each of them had taken half of the candy.

The sweets contained THC and probably had traces of other substances as well

After they reached the hospital, doctors measured their heart rate, and discovered it was over 200. Then, they discovered high levels of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) in their blood, and discovered the gummy bears had been infused with marijuana. The teenagers received all the treatment they needed and were allowed to go home by the next morning.

Officials are convinced the teenagers were aware the gummy bears they had consumed were not regular sweets. This is why they are trying to raise awareness among parents, as well as among teenagers.

Since the gummy bears had such a strong effect, they most probably contained other drugs as well, so they should always be careful what they consume. They didn’t reveal if someone would face any charges.
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STATES CHRONICLE – Poor sleep should be a worrying sign for older people, since it might mark that they are at a high risk of developing Alzheimer’s. A new study, published in the journal Neurology, discovered a clear connection between a poor quality of sleep and the development of this neurological disease.

Accounting for both sleep quality and other genetic factors

For the study, researchers questioned a number of 101 people experiencing no problems with their cognitive abilities, and with an average age of 63 years. They had to fill in a carefully designed questionnaire, inquiring about relevant issues related to sleep. However, this questionnaire was not the only way to assess their risk of developing Alzheimer’s.

Participants also had their spinal fluid analyzed, and researchers looked for specific signs which indicate a predilection for Alzheimer’s disease. These can be identified by the presence of certain tangles and plaques floating around in the spinal fluid. Then, they also considered other factors, such as age, a history of the disease in the family, or certain genes which increase the Alzheimer’s risk (ApoE).

Poor sleep increases the number of Alzheimer’s indicators

In the end, they came up with a few conclusions. Poor sleep, including sleeping problems or a bad quality resting, as well as daylight drowsiness and sleepiness are related to a higher percentage of Alzheimer’s indicators present in the spinal fluid.

Researchers are not sure why this happens, but they have a few theories. Previous studies discovered that, during sleep, our bodies clear of certain toxins, including beta amyloid, which forms those plaques which appear in the brain when someone is suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. Therefore, poor sleep interrupts these processes.

However, it’s not a rule that all people who experience poor sleep will automatically develop Alzheimer’s. They are, indeed, at a higher risk but, if you start looking at individual people instead of groups, not all of them have the same pattern.
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STATES CHRONICLE – Women have different opinions on how long they should breastfeed their children. To settle this debate, a team of scientists developed a study which proves breastfeeding after the age of two increases the children’s risk to develop serious cavities. The study was published in the journal Pediatrics.

Prolonged breastfeeding is not that good

The analysis began in 2004 in Brazil, in the city of Pelotas. There, 4,231 babies underwent close examinations immediately after birth, at three months of age, one year, and four years. Also, apart from the examination, scientists interviewed the parents of each child.

In 2009, 1,303 of these children were regarded as eligible to receive an oral examination. Experts looked for S-ECC (severe early childhood caries), as well as dmfs (decayed, missing, or filled surfaces of primary teeth). They also monitored sugar consumption, which came from both how much sugar the children consumed, as well as bottle feeding during night.

This is how they discovered those children whose mothers had breastfed them after the age of two had a 2.4 percent higher risk of developing severe cavities. However, those who had been breastfed for only one year, or up until two years, were not affected.

Why does breastfeeding increase the risk of developing cavities?

Researchers suspect night feeding might be to blame, since it’s more difficult to clean the teeth afterwards. Also, human milk has a different composition than cow milk. It is much richer in lactose, which affects the dental plaque.

Breastfeeding comes with a lot of benefits for both children and mothers. For children, it reduces the risk of sudden infant death syndrome, asthma, or obesity, as well as improving cognitive abilities. On the other hand, mothers can lose weight, lower their blood pressure, and reduce the risk of strokes if they breastfeed their children.

Despite all these benefits, mothers should not continue breastfeeding their children after the age of two. Therefore, researchers want to promote new guidelines and inform women on how they should take care of their babies.
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STATES CHRONICLE – A Legionnaires disease outbreak struck the Graceland hotel, causing three people who stayed at the hotel to fall ill. This determined the Memphis health authorities to close the hot tub and the pool at The Guest House to further investigate where the disease came from.

The Guest House at the Graceland Hotel in Memphis, Tennessee, is one of the main tourist attractions in the state, centered on the life of Elvis Presley. These Legionnaires disease cases are the latest in a series of other outbreaks in Nevada, Florida, or New York.

What is Legionnaires disease?

The disease is caused by the legionella bacteria, which usually infects water. It consists of a severe lung infection which people can contract while inhaling contaminated water vapor, usually coming from cooling systems.

The symptoms include headaches, high fever, or coughing, and they can easily be misinterpreted as pneumonia. If you visited the Graceland hotel between May 15^th and June 26^th and experienced such symptoms, go see a doctor immediately. Left untreated, Legionnaires disease might cause lung and kidney failure, and can even be deadly.

This condition can turn out more serious for people who already have other health problems. However, it leads to complications, so it is dangerous even for previously healthy people. Actually, 10 in 15 people with no pre-existing health conditions are at risk of death if they contract Legionnaires disease.

Contaminated hotels close for disinfection

The first cases of the disease were detected at the beginning of June, when two guests at Rio Hotel, Las Vegas, contracted it after spending time at the resort between March and April. Then, the officials temporarily closed the hotel to disinfect the pools and rooms, and get rid of the infection.

Every year, authorities report around 6,000 cases of Legionnaires disease. The rates increased between 2000 and 2015, when they reached 450 percent. Officials believe the rate didn’t actually get higher, but hospitals are now better at diagnosing and detecting the disease.
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STATES CHRONICLE – A new study on people who benefit from Medicare discovered their health was significantly endangered by air pollution. Certain pollutants might lead to different health conditions and increase the death risk, even if their concentration in the air is deemed safe.

Low-income people and racial minorities suffer more from air pollution

Researchers from Harvard School of Public Health analyzed the mortality rates between 2000 and 2012 among people who benefit from Medicare, namely around 60 million Americans around the age of 65 or older. Then, they looked if these rates were related to the concentration of ozone pollutants and fine particulate matter in the air.

Results were published in the New England Journal of Medicine, and show air pollution and mortality are indeed related. Also, researchers hope to use these results to convince the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to change their National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS), since they regard certain levels of pollutants in the air as acceptable.

Researchers think the lowering of NAAQS might be beneficial for the entire population. However, those who may benefit from it the most are low-income people or ethnic minorities, who were found as the most affected by air pollution.

EPA needs to lower the acceptable limits of pollutants

NAAQS requires that a cubic meter of air should have less than 12 micrograms of fine particulate matter, while ozone must be less than 50 parts per billion. However, researchers discovered that even smaller concentrations of these pollutants are enough to be dangerous for health, so it is important that EPA should change their regulations.

When the study was conducted, the PM and ozone concentrations were a little higher as, in certain years, they reached 15.64 micrograms and 55.86 parts respectively. Also, each increase of 10 micrograms corresponded to an increase of mortality by 7.3 percent, while 10 more parts of ozone increased mortality by 1.1 percent.

This highlights the need to stop air pollution, and one small effort in this sense would be the change of the environmental guidelines. Medicare patients are especially affected by this phenomenon, but the entire populations might suffer from it.
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STATES CHRONICLE – Scientists developed an alternative to flu vaccines which will make needlephobes rejoice. They created a patch which works like a plaster, and is as effective against influenza as any shot. Also, it has no side effects and can be used by anybody.

The patch has micro-needles which deliver the vaccine

The team of scientists from Georgia Tech have been testing this patch since June 2015. Participants were aged between 18 and 49 and, in order to be suitable for the trials, they needn’t have received a flu shot in the previous year.

The patch isn’t completely needle-free, but you shouldn’t worry. It as a hundred micro-needles, but they are as tiny as hair follicles and deliver no sting. Patients need to stick it on their skin, and the needles deliver the immunization shot directly into the skin. You don’t even have to go to the doctor, and you’re safe from the flu.

This type of immunization is cheaper and more accessible

Mark Prausnitz, one of the main scientists who worked on the vaccine, said that they devised this type of ‘needled’ patch to make vaccines more accessible. Also, apart from no longer having to visit a medical professional to get a flu shot, this vaccination alternative brings no adverse effects as itchiness or redness so typical of traditional shots.

This vaccine alternative is also economic. You can administer it yourself, and you can choose to transport it with you wherever you go, without needing to refrigerate it. The patch can be safely sent to other people as well and, after use, it can be thrown away anywhere, since the micro-needles have dissolved and it poses no biological hazard.

This immunization method might be practical and easy to administer yourself, but the most important thing about it is another one. It is effective. Scientists compared the responses of the antibodies in patients who received both patches and intramuscular vaccines, and found them similar. Also, these responses were present in the patch group even after six months.
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