Consider the dangers before dieting
May 10, 2019
“Lose 24 pounds in 3 weeks!” is a very real and very scary headline. All over the internet, unrealistic clickbait ads target society’s pursuit of perfection. Since society thinks only those with the flattest stomachs are built to succeed, it’s hard to avoid dieting culture. In a 2011 s...
Politicians need to regain control over big food companies
May 10, 2019
Think of the last thing you ate or drank today. Whether it be from the cafeteria or your pantry, Wawa or a vending machine, there is a good chance that one of ten companies manufactured it. These ten companies – Nestlé, PepsiCo, Coca-Cola, Unilever, Danone, General Mills, Kellogg's, Mars, Associated British F...
Exercise is a necessary ingredient for a successful diet
May 10, 2019
As the obesity epidemic spirals in America, the desire for a thin shape escalates as well. As a result, diets are more popular than ever before. According to The Washington Post, 45 million Americans started diets in 2018. In fact, starting a diet and losing weight are two of the most common New Year...
“Fitspo” accounts harm users’ self-perceptions
May 10, 2019
Juice cleanses, kale chips, spin classes and Lululemon apparel: these represent the epitome of fitness in 2019. Fitness and wellness bloggers frequently display these health ‘standards’ on social media through fitness inspiration, or “fitspo,” accounts. According to Pew Research Center of Internet...
Diets fail to support healthy habits
May 10, 2019
From keto to paleo to Whole30, a quick Google search of the word “diet” returns millions of results, but long-term weight loss and body positivity takes much more than counting calories. Diet culture is a trend that, despite providing quick weight loss methods, often results in detrimental eating h...
Vape accessibility grows
May 10, 2019
While e-cigarette companies advertise their products as a solution to help people quit smoking, the effects of e-cigarettes on minors could be detrimental. The nicotine in e-cigarettes can impact brain development in teens, said Yale Tobacco Center for Regulatory Science co-PI Suchitra Krishnan-Sarin. ...
Mold, mold, grow away: CHS responds to humid climate
Alexis Colucci and Sarah McNey
January 20, 2019
Typically, students gather in the CHS cafeteria to socialize. But at the end of September, students gathered to learn algebra. Following the discovery of mold growth in four classrooms, principal James Gleason relocated affected classes to other rooms, including the cafeteria on Sept. 24 and 25. The...
Martin pursues passion for medicine in Nigeria
September 14, 2018
“There is a child running around Nigeria with a scar because of me, so that’s great,” senior Connor Martin of Spring Lake Heights said while recounting his trip. Despite what his story implied, Martin had only good intentions when he stitched up the child’s wound. In the summer of 2017, he tra...
Health insurance companies must provide birth control
January 12, 2018
Whether or not birth control should be provided to women by health insurers has been a point of great controversy. It is clear that birth control is in fact essential to women’s health, and should therefore be provided to whomever requires it. According to BBC News, people that oppose birth control...
Why today’s teens aren’t getting enough sleep: Technology
September 15, 2017
Phones plugged into bedside outlets, televisions blaring at nighttime and laptops dinging with notifications come as nothing new to teens. Neither is the lack of sleep that tech can cause. Technology impacts the vast majority of teens, with more than three quarters of teens having access to cellpho...
Binge Drinking causes health problems for teens who don’t know better
November 9, 2016
The website kidshealth.org defines binge drinking as “the heavy consumption of alcohol over a short period of time.” Even though they are not legally allowed to consume alcohol, teens are the most likely age group to binge drink, according to Pediatrics, a journal for pediatric studies. For girl...
Adults, ads and availability affect teen eating
September 17, 2016
Teens eating habits are not solely built on the basis of health; trends, marketing, convenience and mood are just a few of the factors that affect what young people put in their bodies. On television alone, young people view more than 40,000 advertisements a year, according to American Academy of...