Rhodiola Rosea

The week before a much-needed break. With 4 tests, 2 quizzes, 1 presentation, work, AND SOAR... life has been nothing short of hectic. I hate that I couldn't write for such a long time! But in the meantime... I have been doing lots and lots! So, remember when I wrote about the newly re-opened Pickle Barrel on campus? Well, I have finally had the chance to visit and meet with our new nutrition service director, Brittany. I am SO STOKED that Georgia Southern opened this back up and of course I am thrilled that they hired a GSU graduate to run the nutrition services. I mean just take a look at what they have to offer! Oranges, pineapple, baking potatoes, mango, grapefruit, cantaloupe, peanuts, apple, pear, lemon, lime, banana, kiwi, strawberries, grapes, carrots, tangerines, cucumber, celery, cauliflower, broccoli, spinach, tomato, green pepper, red pepper, corn, navel oranges, red and yellow onions, sweet potato, avocado, jalapeno pepper, cabbage, collard greens, portobello mushrooms, iceberg lettuce, romaine lettuce, yellow squash, zucchini, blueberries, blackberries, papaya, garlic, basil, chives, mint, cilantro, almonds, dried apricots, dried pineapple, dried green beans, dried okra, dried mixed vegetables (taro, green beans, squash & sweet potato), dried banana. I think this is such a wonderful time to be at Georgia Southern. So many great things happening!

Today I had 2 tests and a presentation on Alternative Cancer Treatments. I partnered with Kat (whom I have mentioned before-- fellow holistic-loving and nutrition guru) to present this to our Sociology of Health care class.  I must say, I was a little scared considering most people are very close-minded about cancer and treatments specifically. Happy to say, it was a hit. I have never seen a class SO interested in a student presentation much less alternative methods. Numerous classmates told Kat and I that our presentation was going to be hard to follow (ahhh yay!). But, I think I speak for both Kat and I when I say-- Spreading the word about such an awesome topic was greeeeat! :D

Okay, so back to my bloggggin. Came across this today on FoxNews. Ever heard of Rhodiola rosea? Yeah, me either. Well meet one of natures antidepressants.

"Rhodiola rosea, also known as Golden Root or Arctic Root, derives from Siberia and Northwestern China. I have studied the herb in both places, have seen it harvested in the wild, and  have also taken an extract of this herb regularly for years, to ward off fatigue from a heavy travel schedule.  Found on the training tables of athletes across northern Asia, Rhodiola rosea is considered an adaptogen – an agent that allows a person to adapt to both physical and mental stress, while improving energy, endurance and stamina." Studies have shown that this dates all the way back to ancient Chinese medicine, where even they new of the stimulating effects. A study conducted in Sweden on stressed-out and tired subjects found an anti-fatigue effect, increased mental performance, decreased the stress hormone cortisol in the blood, and reduced stress overall. Pretty sweet huh? Want more proof?

Meet Juliette.Surviving both attacks of the World Trade Center (1993, 2001), Juliette has suffered from PTSD and depression since those terrifying days. Like most Americans suffering from these very same symptoms, she was put on a little pill. A little pill that would "cure" her, or at least make her feel better most of the time... right? Nope. Lets try gaining over 35 pounds and never finding that 'happy place' again. In search for an alternative method, she met with Dr. Patrica Gerbarg and Dr. Richard Brown, two psychiatrists practicing in New York City.

 The prescription: A Siberian Herb--Rhodiola rosea. "She went from fatigued to energized, and her depression lifted, just from taking daily doses of the safe, non-toxic herb. This type of result is common with Rhodiola, whose popularity grows steadily year after year, as people experience its significant vitality-enhancing effects."

Over 300 human studies have been done on this herb which have proven there are no negative side effects. Just awesome stuff! The normal antidepressant meds will give you sleep disorders, digestive upset, sexual dysfunction and a variety of mood disorders. Hmm... pass.

With an increasing demand for this herb as more and more people find out about it, why aren't doctors prescribing this natural remedy? Well FoxNews says that its becuase 'Doctors don't know about it". If you wanna know my opinion, I think its because legally the huge pharmaceutical giants could never profit off this. But, that another story for a different blog.

So what do you think? Is this awesome or no? If you want more info, check out Fox News.

Have a wonderful night! Stay happy and healthy :D

Brianna

Don't Skimp with Me Today

And there goes another week! These weeks literally fly by and I have NO IDEA where the time goes!! Speaking of time, today I got advised for the beginning of my senior year. HMM when did I become a senior in COLLEGE? I remember moving into my dorms, taking FYE, and realizing I wasn't at home anymore... Soon enough you will be reading about my internship frets and grad school dreams. I had to update my resume just the other day and I can honestly say that for the first time in a while, I was really proud of myself. All the stress and tears is starting to pull together right here at the end. Receiving a letter to join a honors leadership society topped off my day even more.

Then, today I was reflecting on my resolutions I made in January. While I cant say I have been running as much as I would like, most of my other resolutions are going strong in MARCH! :D I feel better than ever and I want to share this feeling with everyone! SOAR is going amazing and I can not say how happy I am to have such wonderful people in my life! Spring break is also coming up in about a week, which I cant be more stoked for this...! Another side note to my recent happiness... my world lit class. I know this may come as a shocker, but that class is so refreshing. We are currently studying the romantic period-- a time filled with imagination, dreams, and beauty in nature. This is one of my favorites so far-- A poem from Indian poet, Ghalib. A little 'carpe diem' :D

Dont Skimp with Me Today

Ghalib

For tomorrows sake, don't skimp with me on wine today.

A stingy portion implies a suspicion of heaven abundance.

The horse of life is galloping; we'll never know the stopping place.

Our hands are not touching the reins, nor our feet the stirrups.

I keep a certain distance from the reality of things.

Its the same distance between me and utter confusion

The scene, the one looking, and the ability to see are all the same.

If that is so, why am I confused about what is in front of me?

The greatness of a river depends on it magnificent face.

If we break it into bubbles and drops waves, we are lost.

She is not free from her ways to increase her beauty

The mirror she sees is on the inside of her veil.

What we think is obvious is so far beyond our comprehension.

We are still dreaming even when were awake.

From the smell of my friends friend I get the smell of my friend.

Listen, Ghalib, you are busy worshiping Gods friend.

I hope everyone is having a great week and have an even better weekend :D I know this weather is crazy and everyone is getting sick... so read up on this article I found! STAY HAPPY AND HEALTHY! btw, happy national nutrition month! go eat some fruits and veggies!

Chemical Cuisine

Just another magic Monday! Although it is raining AND the worst day of the week, lets put a smile on! My class even got canceled this morning... did not find out till I got on campus... but I could always use that extra hour :D PLUS PLUS PLUS I have on my super sweet purple pants today! How was everyones weekend? The weather was okay for the most part. Kinda got chilly yesterday, but its February so that's okay, right? This is the first weekend in a while I wasn't completely stressed out with homework and man did it feel good! For what homework I had, I took a nice bike ride over to Sweetheart and read in my hammock. Talk about relaxing :D

Its just been one of those feel-good times in my life. I am learning to stress less and appreciate more. I think I have finally found a happy place and it just so happens to be with some awesome people. Cortney is finally home after about 2 months in the CF ward. I can not be happier, she doesn't deserve to be cooped up in the hospital. After all, her personality is WAY to big for that place! 


So with the help of my roomie and fellow nutrition major, Sarah, I would like to share with you something called Chemical Cuisine. Haha that name alone just sounds terrifying. When did it become okay to classify our food as 'chemical cuisine' and have an APP to educate us about what is going into our bodies? Well I cant hate on this too much-- BECAUSE if you are going to eat processed foods (which most of America is currently doing so) it is better not to be completely clueless.Thanks to the Center for Science in the Public Interest, we now have just this.

How many of you knew that the FDA and Center for Science in the Public Interest posted a glossary about food additives? ( <-- check it out!) Well, it is one of the most visited sections on BOTH websites. People are indeed become more interested in what they are consuming and with food allergies more prevalent, this glossary is pretty awesome. For the most part, food additives are safe if consumed in small amounts, but scientists have still flagged the ones that they think the public should avoid.  

"Chemical Cuisine was researched by CSPI executive director Michael Jacobson, who authored "Eater's Digest: The Consumer Factbook on Food Additives" and holds a Ph.D. from MIT in microbiology. CSPI led efforts to restrict or ban the use of such additives as sodium nitrite, sulfites, olestra, Violet dye 1, and others. A CSPI petition calling on the FDA to ban food dyes spurred the Food and Drug Administration to hold a recent advisory committee meeting on the impact of dyes on children's behavior." -- Center for Science in the Public Interest

So, if youre willing to 0.99 for this-- Id say go for it! 

Well have a wonderful day! If you would like a nice workout to this lazy day, come see me at Pilates tonight-- 5:30 :D

Stay Happy and Healthy !

Qnexa.

I more than likely have no right to write about this... simply because I am undergrad nutrition major with no pharm skills BUT, I know my stuff well enough to pick this apart and say, what I am about to write about not only scares me, but I would never recommend. 

Let me introduce you to the new and upcoming diet pill- Qnexa. This is the first diet pill to be approved since 1999 (Qnexa already shot down once by the FDA in 2010). Composed of two drugs, phentermine and Topiramate, the "cocktail" has much controversy. After a 20-2 decision to back the drug, an official decision will be made by April. "While effective at reducing weight, the drug, manufactured by Vivus Inc., was denied approval in 2010 because of its potential side effects. Before making its decision Wednesday, the advisory panel reviewed two years of data on the drug; when advisers last voted on Qnexa, only one year's worth of follow-up data was available."

Anyone remember that drug back in the late 80's/early 90's called Fen-Phen? Taken off the market because of possible links to damaging heart valves. Numerous patients with Tachycardia (increased heart rate) and elevated heart pressure-- caused from the release of catecholamines. Phentermine has the same effect on people as amphetamines, which stimulates the central nervous system, decreasing appetite. But, since it has been on the market for about 40 years now and already approved, testing does not have to be as substantial. "The NIH warns that the phentermine’s “anorectic” effects last only a few weeks, and cautions against increasing the dosage when the drug loses its effectiveness on weight loss." But... I mean if you were shedding 10% of your body weight, all the sudden plateaued, wouldnt you go to your doctor and ask for an increase in dosage? Only the sensible thing, right? But, let me tell you why this is NOT the answer.


Meet the drug Topiramate. Something this currently haunts my medicine cabinet. This anti-convulsant drug is mostly known for memory-loss, confusion, tip-of-tongue syndrome (psychomotor slowing). "Topiramate also carries warnings for depression and mood problems, fatigue and “somnolence” (sleepiness). And then there’s that pesky “suicidal ideation”". Cant forget about the higher risk of giving birth to a child with cleft palate. THIS DRUG IS NOT EVEN APPROVED FOR WEIGHT LOSS? But, Vivus Inc. claims that when you mix it up with phen in the perfect amount, the results are dramatic. 
S I D E . N O T E-- I have been on this drug since I was a senior in high school, with my dosage increasing till I hit about 200mg (A VERY HIGH DOSE). When I was first prescribed this for my migraine headaches, my neurologist said I would have "decrease in appetite/weight loss"... he also said he doesn't like to tell people about side effects because they will demonstrate their own placebo effect?(haha okay? hmm...) Over the course of 3 years, I can honestly agree with him, I did not see any change in my appetite. But, recently I was noticing my memory was not as good and when I told my doctor about this, she immediately asked me how long I had been on Topomax (the active ingredient in Topiarmate). Responding, "3 years" she said we needed to immediately cut down my doses, explaining to me about the psychomotor slowing. Me being me, hating everything about medicine, decided I would just quit taking it. I'll let you know how migraines go from now on... but to be honest, I would rather not suffer from all the nonsense and risk having a baby with cleft palate, all so I could be migraine-free.


Back to Qnexa. "In the panel meeting two days ago, members discussed whether Vivus should conduct further studies before or after approval. The FDA is due to decide on Qnexa by April 17. For its part, Vivus is asking to start a four-year trial of the affect of Qnexa on cardiac health after the FDA votes whether or not to approve the drug on April 17th."... thanks again for the backward ways of America? This makes no sense to me to start clinical trials AFTER approval? Hello guinea pigs.


So anyways, thats my me on my soapbox. I think this is absolutely ridiculous and at the end of the day isn't diet and exercise the best weight loss tool. I understand it is case by case, but there are surely SAFER ways to go about losing weight.

Have a wonderful Saturday night!

Source 1

Source 2

Fruit and Nut Balls

Why hello! And let the week begin! I had the BEST weekend at home! It is always so nice to be with my family and of course the pups! My mom discovered this super awesome dog park... so we took the two crrraaazzy dogs! This place is literally huge... it has everything a doggie could ever want. Water, woods, other doggy friends, tubes to go through, and balls EVERYWHERE! My dogs were zonked out the rest of the weekend after that trip! 

I came home that night and decided to make Fruit and Nut balls! They are super easy to make and I think all of you should make them :D

2 cups of mixed nuts

2 cups of dried fruit ( i used cherries and cranberries)

a dash of cinnamon

crushed almonds (to roll the balls in at the end)

All you are going to do is throw everything in the food processor, grind it up, then put it in a bowl. Roll into balls and roll in crushed almonds. Enjoy :D

 So anyways... thats them! And you must try them! They are perfect for a snack at school! I on to study for my tests this week! Have a wonderful week :D BTW here is my sleepy pup after a fun day at the park! Stay happy and healthy!

if it is to be, its up to me.

haha what a week. All I can do is laugh at how AWFUL this week truly was. Between the tests, activities x434324, work, homework, the boy, and oh VALENTINES day... I'd say this week goes on the top of the list as pretty lame. But, I did get a twitter... as stubborn as I am, I FINALLY gave in! I hope yalls week was better than mine! And, I will be heading home for the weekend for some much needed relaxation :D Cant wait to see mom, dad, and the pups. They always cheer me up. The more I look around at room, it resembles what a week I had. I need to do laundry and clean the heck out of this. But, thanks to mumsie, I have these beautiful flowers to look at! (LOVE YOU!)

Cortney is still in the hospital, I call her as much as I can. She has been in there for at least a month now and I am not sure when she is getting out. Send her lots of love and some prayers too :D I admire her so much and I cant wait to go back and see her! 

I'm getting by lately with the help of my friends. People like Keonnie, my partner in SOAR who I can not say how much I adore. And Kat... she doesn't know it (well until now) that I LOVE HER TO DEATH. She was there for me this week as I was pulling my hair out in frustration. I think I need to step back and realize that I am 20 years old and still living life. I am such an independent person and all I want to do right now is worry about school! I have been blessed with the knowledge to move forward in life and the people to help me along with it. Now it is my turn to take full advantage of this and appreciate every second! I keep thinking about this quote in my management class, "If it is to be, its up to me." The future is MINE and I'm not stopping. What are you thankful for?

Have a wonderful weekend!

Brianna 

the "pink goo"

Bonjour! And it sure is a cold one out there today! What is going on out there these days? I never know how to dress! I feel like everyone is bound to get sick and I am trying to stay away from that 100%! School is going well! I had 2 tests last week, on top of my normal CRAZY week. I have yet another one tomorrow and well this one is going to be a little more difficult :/ Advanced Food Science... dreading this one for sure. SOAR is going FABULOUS, and Cortney (my bff in TX with CF) is holding up, she is back in the hospital... send her your prayers! Oh, and how could I forget, tomorrow is Valentines Day... I'll leave it at that. Shouldn't everyday be Valentines Day? :D

Okay so I wanted to share with you this delicious article I found about my not so favorite place in the world-- McDonald's. I mean I guess it is kind of a good article, since they are cutting out some things, BUT, why the heck were they putting these things in there to begin with!!!!? As of about 2 weeks now (This was published Feb 1st) McDonald's will stop adding ammonium hydroxide in the production of their hamburgers. MMMM I know that deeply saddens you but----- this is the stuff that's commonly found in household FERTILIZERS and even homemade BOMBS???! (Way to go Mickey D's.) Jaime Oliver featured this "Pink Goo" on his show Food Revolution, highlighting that meat scraps treated with ammonium hydroxide creates the "pink goo", extends the meat, and kills the bacteria. I mean yeah, technically/legally it sounds great... but I mean come on, who wants this in their body!? But, hey,  it's regulated by the U.S. Agriculture Department, which classifies it as "generally recognized as safe." Thanks again FDA, I absolutely LOVE putting fertilizer in my body!! 

Sorry, I know I can get a little fired up sometimes, but the stupidity of these companies just aggravates me so much! If you're interested to find out what else could be hiding in your food, read more here! I know my friend/coworker Kat is challenging herself to eat things with less than 10 ingredients! YAY KAT! This is so difficult today and I find myself reading every label! 

I love you all! 

Stay Happy and HEALTHY! :D