Student Gripes Have a Point: Campus Dining Fails Exams

 

New York Times, April 20th, 2011
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/20/nyregion/college-cafeterias-get-bad-grades-from-new-york-city-health-department.html?scp=27&sq=Health&st=nyt

This article evaluates the results of health "grades" in campus cafeterias across the U.S. These "grades" measure the cleanliness and standards of the food services provided to the student body. The Student Deli at Fordham University was cited with live roaches and unsanitized food-preparation services to receive a "C" grade, initiating a meeting between administrators and students last week. Across the U.S., students are protesting low-standard cafeterias and raising attention to the expectations that dining halls must meet in preparing meals for students nationwide. Under this new system when campus kitchen grades are publicly posted, students can gain access to details of the evaluation, including mouse droppings and improperly refrigerated food. Now, students are demanding more more alternatives to dining, beyond school dining halls. Food safety has become a big concern on campuses, since the recent rise of food-borne illnesses. Thus, these inspections are calling to all campus dining programs to raise their quality standards.

As a student, this issue is very relatable. As a freshman student, I was condemned to diner food for the entire semester. Being a vegetarian student made eating even harder. These inspections are effective in producing quality dining hall facilities in terms of cleanliness and hygiene, but I believe the problem goes beyond this. It goes into the quality of the food and the availability of options. More than being palatable, dining services need to provide students with a variety of meal types that serve every type of student eater. Healthy choices besides an unfulfilling salad are rare, let alone a delicious meal. Food in diners have become greasy, fatty, salty, and sweet meals, representing the choices available in a fast food restaurant. Moreover, in a dining hall, students look for wholesome, healthy meals that satisfy their daily needs, not fast-food options that resemble the Five Guys and Taco Bell across the street. In addition to ensuring cleanliness, campus dining halls must provide healthy meals that are lean and satisfying. Nevertheless, this thought is quite hopeful and is unlikely to happen during my time in college.

How Little Sleep Can You Get Away With?

New York Times, April 15th, 2011
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/17/magazine/mag-17Sleep-t.html?_r=1&ref=health

This article goes into asking how much sleep does the average person need and the research conducted surrounding this topic. A University of Pennsylvania study was conducted as the longest sleep-restriction study of its kind, assigning three different groups with different sleep schedules: four hours, six hours, and eights hours for two weeks. The subjects were tested every two each day for their ability to sustain attention through the P.V.T, which measures sleepiness. The results demonstrated that those who had eight hours, not surprisingly, hardly had any attention lapses over the study time. The four- and six-hour groups had results that declined each day. More so, at the end of the two weeks, the six-hour sleepers were as impaired as those who had been sleep-deprived for 24 hours straight. Thus, this study show that eight hours of sleep is excellent and six hours is no good. When a similar study tested five-, seven-, and nine-hour intervals, the seven-hour group's response time slowed over the course of the study, showing that even an hour below the 8-hour benchmark is not optimum.

This study is interesting, especially for a college student like myself who runs on little to no sleep during the week. Nevertheless, I agree with the fact that this study does not consider factors in daily lives that stimulate the mind including coffee and bright lights that can counteract sleepiness. It would also be interesting looking at studies that see if catching up on sleep during the weekends lessens one's sleep debt because this is definitely the way I recover on my lack of sleep.  I would say for most students, optimal levels of sleep are not attained and perhaps, more classes that begin later should be offered in order to give students a longer time to sleep and therefore perform better in school.

A New Push to Let H.I.V. Patients Accept Organs That Are Infected

New York Times, April 11th, 2011
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/11/us/11hiv.html?_r=1&ref=health

This article shows how some health experts say HIV-infected organs may be suitable for patients who are already infected. Many people living with HIV suffer from kidney damage, either from the virus or the medication they take. Until recently, patients did not receive organ transplants because doctors were worried that their health was too compromised. Now that they can receive transplants, waiting lists for organ-donors are immeasurably long. Now, federal health officials and other experts are calling for repeal of the provision that makes it illegal for organ transplant between HIV patients. This provision was made in the late 1980s when HIV was a death sentence. Today,  many people with HIV are living long enough to suffer kidney and liver problems, adding to organ demand. The CDC will be conducting research involving transplant between HIV-positive implants into HIV-positive people in order take the first step in lifting the ban.

I think this step in shortening the queue for donor organs is postive and has major potential to serve HIV patients that need transplants. The article even states that transplants involving HIV-positive donors and recipients in South Africa have been successful. This is also an efficient and resourceful way to conduct organ transplant as opposed to just wasting these potentially useful kidneys. Nevertheless, this procedure does raise the question of ethics, due to rejection issues. I believe in certain cases this would definitely be the right thing to do.

U.S. Panel Suggests Research Into Causes and Prevalence of Health Issues Facing Gays

 

New York Times. April 4th, 2011
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/01/health/policy/01gays.html?scp=4&sq=Health&st=nyt

 This article outlines the National Academy of Sciences' report that requested the federal government and National Institutes of Health to collect demographic data on gay, lesbian and transgender people and conduct biomedical research in order to understand disease prevalence and susceptibility among these populations. These conditions include obesity, depression, cancer, and heart disease. Professionals point out that the available eveidence on the health of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people is sparse and researchers must do much more than fill research gaps. The panel mentioned a development of standardized measures of sexual orientation and gender identity to make lines clear of one's sense of gender in order to better classify health risk. They also suggest including "sexual and minority studies" in medical schools to better inform future doctors in treating homosexuals. The article lists several of the points the panel makes in terms of LGBT medical issues.

I found this article especially interesting because gay people "often face barriers to equitable health care" as the article mentioned, since many doctors decline these individuals based on sexual orientation. My group project is on Health Care Worker Conscience and it covers this issue, as many Christian medical professionals choose not to treat homosexuals because it goes against their moral code of ethics based on their religious beliefs.  In this way, many LGBT people refrain from disclosing sexual orientation in fear of discrimination. The points that this article made were very surprising to me, like lesbian and bisexual women may be at a higher risk for breast cancer and obesity than heterosexual women. I believe that the medical field takes steps to advance in this field to better understand LGBT people and the health issues they face, especially as the number of LGBT increases across the world.

A Guide to Smarter, Safer Antibiotic Use

 

New York Times, March 22nd, 2011
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/22/health/22brody.html?scp=12&sq=Health&st=nyt

This article warns readers of the dangers of the misuse of antibiotics in terms of over-prescription, incorrect usage by patients, and overuse in food production animals. These practices and techniques have led to antibacterial drugs losing their effectiveness, ultimately becoming useless before new ones can even be developed to replace them. According to the Infectious Diseases Society of America, 100,000 people die annually in the U.S. due to hospital-acquired infections that are resistant to antibiotics. These concerns have led to the development of a "Symposium on Antimicrobial Therapy" by Dr. Zelalem Temesgen, an infectious disease specialist. This 15-part series hopes to help physicians learn about proper management techniques with antibiotics in terms of prescription. The report includes different factors that could influence prescription of antibiotics including kidney and liver function, age, pregnancy and nursing, drug allergy and intolerance, recent antibiotic use, genetic characteristics, and cultural values.

This article brings to a light a great report and program that is solving one of today's major public health concerns. Antibiotic overuse in the medical and agricultural realms poses significant risk for consumers and animals alike. Education is the most necessary tool in order to raise awareness and lead practictioners to better administer these drugs. This symposium will not only lead to antibiotic resistance becoming less prevalent, but can save money and lives and money by reducing adverse drug reactions and eliminating or shortening hospital stays.

Precautions Should Limit Health Problems From Nuclear Plant’s Radiation

New York Times, March 15th, 2011
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/16/world/asia/16health.html?scp=6&sq=Health&st=nyt

This article focuses on the radiation effects at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant that has instilled fear in the Japanese people in terms of worsening conditions. Fortunately, public health experts say that precautions have been taken to prevent the accident becoming a disaster like that in Chernobyl. These precautions include: evacuation of people closest to the plant, guidance for citizens to remain indoors, and distribution of the drug potassium iodide to protect the thyroid gland from radioactive iodine. The pills are meant to flood the thyroid with ordinary iodine in the hope that it will prevent the gland from taking in the radioactive type released by the plant. And if radioactive iodine has already started building up in the thyroid, the pill can help get rid of it. They are currently being distributed for children and women only because the pills are in short supply. Besides this increase in thyroid cancer, there is no other major public health threat.

This article outlines the current state of nuclear radiation in Japan effectively. It also makes an interest point to exhibit the Chernobyl disaster as an example for future action and precaution in Japan. This is due to the disaster that occured in Chernobyl, which caused over 6,000 cases of thyroid cancer and counting. Nevertheless, the article points out that Chernobyl was a completely preventable tragedy if people were told to not drink local milk produced by cows who fed on contaminated grass from fallout of the reactors. Besides this, victims of the Chernobyl disaster did not suffer any other health impacts.  It also goes on to note that wild mushrooms, berries and animals have been found to be contaminated with cesium in areas contaminated by Chernobyl, and that is expected to last for decades. Lakes and freshwater fish may also be contaminated, but that is of less concern since contaminated can dilute in water bodies. From this text, readers gain an understanding for the public health risk here and that government officials are taking the right measures to ensure the safety of the Japanese people.

Aging: Hearing Loss Is Common but Often Ignored

New York Times, March 8th, 2011
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/08/health/research/08aging.html?scp=20&sq=Health&st=nyt

This article highlights the fact that nearly two-thirds of Americans older than seventy suffer from hearing loss, ranging from mild to severe, according to a pioneer study aimed to understand the prevalence of hearing impairment in a nationally representative sample of older adults. Sixty-three percent of those 70 and older were found to be suffering from impairment that affects their ability to hear human speech. Nevertheless, hearing aid use is not prevalent among older populations, according to Dr. Frank R. Lin, an assistant professor of otology at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.

Deafness as a result of old age is an extremely common problem, affecting millions of people around the world. Unfortunately, little is being done to help people with hearing problems, even though a lot of conditions of the ear are extremely difficult to live with. Not only those with hearing loss receive little sympathy, but even medics and caretakers tend to offer little help. People are not offered the help they should be, and the problem can get worse, since with this negligence comes a sense of isolation that accompanies these conditions. Furthermore, problems associated with hearing loss will be exacerbated in future generations as the "Ipod generation" becomes to age. These issues will arise much sooner than expected, since many people today are constantly listening to music on mp3 devices.