UNLV Health Media

Do you have the spunk to outlast the funk and quit showering? By Darren Woods When you were little, do you remember your parents forcing you to bathe? You’re playing outside all day, maybe even getting muddy, but when it was time to come inside you didn’t want to get anywhere near the bathtub. I can relate. But as I got older, I want to shower as much as possible. The tranquility of the shower became a place of refuge or break from the outsider world. Especially, me, being an athlete, I cannot wait to wash away that layer of hard work that your body sweats up from a workout. I’m a college football player, so between classes, workouts and practices I can find myself in the shower three times a day. But, now I’m starting to question if I may be overdoing it. That’s because I came across an online article titled “You’re probably showering way too often.” This made me LOL… literally. I was puzzled. My mind drowned with questions. How can you shower too much? Do you not like to be cl...

8 Things I Learned While Being Vegan in College Like most diets, going plant-based began as a personal challenge to see if I could actually do it rather than truly wanting to do it. That can be tough in college considering pizza, Hawaiian take-out, and sushi are the seventh, eighth, and ninth food groups at UNLV. It seemed nearly impossible for me at first and even a couple weeks in it felt difficult to maintain, but I was once told it takes 21 days to break a bad habit so I gave myself a minimum of a month to adjust. Looking back on it now I find it funny that I had such a tough transition because I think the transition back would be even harder. Not only am I happy with the effect this lifestyle has had on me, but I’m proud of the small realizations I’ve had along the way. 1. I learned how to cook. Not that I couldn’t before, but it was a lot easier to pick and choose pre-made foods and snacks without double checking the ingredients. You don't realize how many foods in...

By: Priscilla Rogers “So, you’d really date a white guy?” I was asked this question that I never gave much thought to while on the 2-train heading back to Brooklyn from Manhattan. Revisiting one of my favorite films, a classic that is Save the Last Dance , is the best way to put that question into perspective. The movie follows the high school relationship dynamic between Sara, a Caucasian, and Derek, a Black young man, as they attempt move forward through stereotypes and stigmas of interracial dating. One person that did not agree with the relationship was Derek’s sister Chenille, played by Kerry Washington. Her thought process was along the lines of white women are already privileged and can get just about anything they want but why do they want to take black men as well. The movie was released in 2001 but, research proves just how realistic fiction can be. The study, “ Interracial Dating: An Investigation of the Inconsistencies in Personal and General Attitud...

Turning your home into a “smart home” may provide you with a little peace of mind because you have the convenience of everything being automated and activated by the sound of your voice or touch of a finger through an app.  You don’t have to be home to activate the amenities of your smart house.  You can be in another country and turn off your lights, activate your security system and more from anywhere in the world.  CES 2017 unveiled the most innovative and impressive smart home products that include everything from security systems, monitoring systems, televisions, appliances, utilities, remotes, furniture, solar panels, garage doors, water systems, air purifiers, home theaters, and even mops and vacuums.  CES - Opobotics (Photo by Michael Boykin Sr.) These smart products are designed to make your life easier.  But what happens if there is a natural disaster and it affects the internet?   The results of this could be devastating if your ...

By: Tara Mack Fear of going to the doctors? 3 ways to overcome it People are sometimes scared of going to the doctor's office, and fear them for many different reasons, while others can feel informed and powerful. One being the worry of hearing bad news, or finding out that something is wrong with them. Sometimes people become nervous of the thought of having certain tests conducted, like having to take an MRI, where those three letters alone are. However, these exams could help to save your life one day. From experience, when I’ve gone to the doctor, I’ve felt like I was in control of my body and my well-being, because I know the health that it is in. As a child, I used to be afraid of going to the doctor because of receiving shots, but in my adult life, I feel a positive experience about going. From those who are scared for whatever reasons or sometimes find it an inconvenience, we wonder what is fun about going to the doctor? From the cramped waiting rooms and outdated,...

Shalonda Forrest Could You Think Yourself Sick? Your mind works in mysterious ways. Have you woke up in the morning with a stuffy nose and thought you were sick? According to the Everyday Health, 2 to 5 percent of individuals has experienced being a hypochondriac. A hypochondriac is an individual who thinks any little cough, sneeze, or headache is surely a life- threatening illness. Often, it is hard to separate physical sensations and actual sickness. “Hypochondriacs become their symptoms. They have such an inappropriate preoccupation with the smallest physical problem that it gets in the way of normal living, and it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy,” says George Pratt, clinical psychologist and vice chairman of psychology at Scripps Memorial Hospital in La Jolla. This quote came from an article called Hypochondriacs can worry themselves sick . It talks about the problems that people with this disease have everyday pertaining to possibly being sick. Anxi...

Overtraining For Success It all started one morning when I was squatting 295. A guy approached me. "How often do you lift?" He asked. About six times a week, I replied. He scoffed and said that I was overtraining and that I would injure myself. Overtraining is a maladaptive response to   excessive exercise without adequate rest . This results in mood swings and changes to multiple organ systems, according to US National Library of Medicine. Overtraining is probably one of the most tossed around words in the fitness industry. As soon you say you train frequently, someone is quick to say that you're overtraining. However, you can overtrain if you do ignore the symptoms of it.  Lack of sleep, nutrition, and improper training regimens are all symptoms of overtraining.  Without a proper training program someone can definitely feel overtrained since there really isn't a sense of direction, said Youtuber Omar Isuf. He is a nationally certified trainer that ha...

Headline: CSUN’s Conundrum Written By: Kristin Simons Social Media Tweet: Student Governments, Power Plays and the Shadow of Current Politics… Oh My! [Insert Link] When you think of college what comes to mind? Probably toga parties, the freshmen 15, stressing out about school work, and other similar topics. Most likely not the college student government. Colleges have many different varieties on the names they give these student governments. For UNLV, it’s called Consolidated Students of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (CSUN).* Demi Falcon, the Associate Director of Academic Engagement for CSUN, gives a description of the student government, “It’s a student operated organization on campus that is funded by a small fee charged on every tuition. CSUN Student Government hosts events like the Research Forum, Party in the Pida, tailgates before games, etc.” Falcon also touches on the fact that there are other areas that CSUN focuses on, such as diversity and funding. Falcon’s des...

Selyna Bermudez Since When Is It Okay To Freely Smoke Pot In Public? I was recently driving on Flamingo and Las Vegas Boulevard, windows down, enjoying the fresh spring air when I was assaulted! The rank scent overtook my car’s interior, and left me choking. The culprit: weed smoke. The strip was full of people smoking weed as they were walking down the strip with children in sight. With Nevada’s Legalization of pot, it’s no surprise more and more people are smoking it in public. The problem: those people are breaking the law. Nevada law specifically states individuals are only allowed to possess and smoke one ounce of marijuana in a private residence.   Secondhand exposure to marijuana in an unventilated room or enclosed vehicle can cause nonsmokers to feel the effects of marijuana, putting them at risk for minor problems with memory and coordination, according to a new study in the Drug and Alcohol Dependency Journal . As a result, my dad has experie...

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