of students said they had at least tried yoga and 44 percent had done meditation. Some players on the girls’ soc-cer team in-dividually choose to in-clude yoga during practice because they believe it helps them on the field. “After finish-ing a session, I can fully focus on the game and I feel more relaxed and stress free,”

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Omaha Bryan High SchoolTHE ORATORJanuary 22, 2016FOCUSPAGE 6

Omaha Bryan High SchoolTHE ORATORJanuary 22, 2016

Yoga, meditation offers alternate healingGELSEY TIMILSINAReporter

Exercise doesn’t always mean becoming drenched in sweat and be-coming so worked up it’s hard to even breathe. Yoga and meditation can help achieve the same benefits of a healthier life-style through a more calm and relaxed way. Yoga and meditation are closely intertwined because meditation is a branch of yoga. Their practice does dif-fer because in yoga, differ-ent physical postures are used, involving the mind, body and spirit. Meditation, on the other hand, lets the person’s mind focus and calm down, allowing them reach a complete state of relaxation. When practiced regu-larly, these activities can be helpful both mentally and physically. Yoga and meditation helps relieve the amount of stress a person has. This can also reduce

the chance of developing conditions related to stress, like high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease. Teens who can get overwhelmed with the stress of keeping up with school and balancing their life outside of it can use yoga or meditation as a way to handle their stress. Even deep breathing can help release pent up anger and frustrations. “This benefits students because it brings aware-ness for the need to slow down and to think about themselves because it is a lifelong skill,” aerobics teacher Mary Buresh, who includes meditation as part of her class activities, said. Yoga and meditation improves mental focus and makes people feel genu-inely healthy. In a study featured in “Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine,” yoga participants were happy, peaceful and energized while nonpar-ticipants saw no improve-ment. A total of 56 percent

the “Indian Journal of Physiology and Phar-

macol-

ogy” showed that yoga nidra, a specific yoga practice that causes deep relaxation, may reduce the symptoms of diabetes and control blood glucose levels. Anyone can practice yoga and meditation. It isn’t limited to any type of body weight, gender or age. It’s recommended to

practice either yoga or mediation daily for best results.

There are classes available that teach beginners and ad-vanced participants. For others who prefer to practice at home, it’s easy and safe to get

started. For those looking for a new, healthier lifestyle yoga and meditation is a place to start.

Focusing on body improves mental focus, reduces effects of disease

FRANCISCO SALAZARLife & Style Editor

Artificial energy: big in market, big in effects

Names like Red Bull, Monster and Nos remind many people of one word. Energy. It keeps people going, it helps them get things done and most people crave it without re-alizing the harmful effects it can eventually have on their body and mind. Caffeine is a type of drug called a stimulant. Another form of stimulant is nicotine which is found in cigarettes. Stimulants cause temporary improve-ments in enhanced alert-ness and wakefulness. When caffeine is used daily, it can create a mild addiction, like nicotine. Caffeine, however, can usually be prescribed by a doctor to people who expe-rience jet lag or narcolepsy. Some stimulants are even used to treat attention defi-cit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Energy drinks are eas-ily accessible and cheap ranging from one to three dollars. Energy drinks

offer the buzz, but can bring along unwanted side effects. Doctor Emilio Arispe of Methodist Physicians Clinic has seen the health of children and teens af-fected by caffeine. “Caffeine is a thing people need, but prolonged or abusive use of energy drinks can cause all sorts of effects: small things like jitters and headaches to long term things such as caffeine intoxication and heart disease,” Arispe said. Intoxication doesn’t just apply to alcohol. It can also happen with caffeine if the level consumed is too much. An average person takes in about 300 milligrams a day. Anything above 400 and a person can be on shaky ground. How high the levels have to be to actually af-fect someone differs for each person. It can depend on the user’s caffeine tolerance. Tolerance refers to how the body reacts to caffeine over time. A user can have higher

resistance levels to caf-feine depending on their intake. Little intake means it doesn’t take much time for an effect. High intake means it takes longer for an effect to take place. This is different to caf-feine sensitivity, which is the efficiency at which the user’s body can process and metabolize caffeine. But energy drinks aren’t the only source for caf-feine, there’s also coffee. According to caffeineindi-cator.com, it is a 3.2 billion dollar industry, right behind energy drinks. Coffee, like energy drinks, comes in different flavors and can be packed with caffeine. Energy drinks are still the favorite over coffee The drinks are just one form of getting energy. Other people might just exercise or do yoga. If the source of energy fulfills the user, it works. However, participants should be aware of the side effects given that they could be dangerous.

Preventing illnesses during the winter season, easier than it seems with simple stepsNICOLE FISCHERReporter

Colds and flus sound all too familiar during the months of October through February, but can crawl up and hit anyone at any time. Maintaining a strong immune system will help keep cold and flu season at bay by doing little things like washing hands periodically or covering mouths when coughing and sneezing. “The simple task of using common sense plays a big role in staying well. Many doctors will say the same,” retired medical surgical technician Cynthia Hering said. Adding a humidifier to an already sick person’s routine can help reduce na-sal inflammation and make it easier to breathe. Other than using a humidifier, there are other ways to cure or ease symp-toms of colds and flus. According to livestrong.com, dissolving 1 to 2 teaspoons of baking soda in a cold glass of water

can bring relief to an upset stomach. If a sore throat is the problem, gargling a tablespoon of vinegar in 6 ounces of water can soothe the throat, as well as boil-ing a few slices of raw ginger root into a tea. The ginger helps fight against the nausea that usu-ally accompanies influenza and adding honey will soothe painful throats. Adding more garlic into a diet can reduce cold symptoms as well as help prevent the cold and flu. Vitamins are an easy way to keep one’s diet balanced and healthy. Vita-mins contain nutrition that most don’t tend to get in their daily diet, so it boosts the strength of one’s im-mune system when taken. Vitamin C can be found in fresh lemon juice and when put in tea or lemon-ade it can reduce phlegm. Other than vitamins there are other ways to reduce the effects of colds. Consuming different types of soup such as chicken noodle soup or broth will

help slow down the pro-cess of white blood cells. When someone is sweating or vomiting due to the flu, electrolytes need to be replaced. Drinking Gatorade this will replace the electrolytes that were lost. A study that was recently posted in the Archives of Internal Medi-cine suggests that people who get more sleep are less likely to get sick when they come across the cold virus. So, getting enough sleep is very beneficial to the immune system. Along with sleep, two more things one can do to easily keep colds away is not share anything that involves personal hygiene and eating the right types of food. If none of these remedies work and the symptoms are not dying down then, school nurse Lori CoruHemeyen says, “Don’t stay home unless you have a fever.”

BETHANY SZCZEPANIAKOpinions Editor

The mysteries of ancient Chinese medicine have boggled western culture for generations. Among the stacks of herbal remedies is a wealth of helpful, healthful knowledge on a practice society still uses today all around the world: acupuncture. With a focus on increasing overall health, acupuncture improves the blood flow in a specific area. By doing so, it alleviates pain. Acu-puncture targets muscles in which patients are experiencing pain and tension. “Traditionally in Chinese medicine, you’re not really looking to treat a specific condition as much as the person as a whole,” Doc-tor Travis Baker of Balanced Body Acupuncture said. From an Eastern perspective, acupuncture is said to improve the body’s chi. Chi refers to what the Chinese believe to be energy flow-ing through every living creature. Acupuncture moves chi in the body, revitalizing the life within it. Looking from a more Western perspective, not much is known about acupuncture except for its drastic effects. Acupuncture is known to reduce pain, increase blood flow, relieve arthritis and treat multiple neurologi-cal conditions such as chronic headaches, insomnia and anxiety. “We do things as physicians to help heal the body, but really the body has its own healing capabilities and acupuncture is just a way to stimulate those,” Baker said. Acupuncture is meant to be a healing, preventative practice. Many people try acupuncture as a last resort for pain, going to doctors and getting prescribed medicine first. The patient may have been better off if they had used acupunc-ture first. Acupuncture treats the source, not the symptom. “When patients leave, I want them to have a better understanding of their body. I want them to feel educated and empowered,” Baker said. Humankind has looked for ways to heal itself for as long as it has existed. When it comes down to health, the main objective is self-care. Whether it be acupuncture or other-wise, being healthy can truly mean being happy and free of pain.

Acupuncture brings relief to pressure, pain

Los Resfriados suenan muy familiares durante los meses de Octubre a Febre-ro, pero puede sorprender a cualquiera en cualquier momento. Mantener un sistema inmunológico fuerte puede ayudar a mantener tran-quila la temporada de los resfriados haciendo cosas pequeñas como lavar las manos seguido o taparse la boca al toser o estornudar. “La simple tarea de usar el sentido común juega una gran parte en mantenerse saludable. Muchos docto-res dirán lo mismo, “téc-nica quirúrgica jubilada, Cynthia Hering dijo. Al agregar un hu-mificador a la rutina de una persona ya enferma puede ayudar a reducir inflamación nasal y hacerlo mas fácil para respirar. Aparte de usar un humi-ficador, hay otras maneras de curar o aliviar algunos de los síntomas de los resfriados. Según livingstrong.com al disolver de 1 a 2 cucha-radas de bicarbonato en un vaso de agua fría puede traer alivio a un malestar

estomacal. Si dolor de garganta es el problema, hacer gárga-ras con una acucharada de vinagre y 6 onzas de agua pueden aliviar la garganta, al igual que hervir unas re-banadas de raíz de jengibre crudo en un té. El jengibre ayuda a combatir la náusea que usualmente la acompaña la influenza y agregar miel aliviara una garganta adolorida. Agregar más ajo a una dieta puede reducir sínto-mas de resfriados al igual que ayudar a prevenir el resfriado. Vitaminas son una forma fácil de mantener la dieta balanceada y salu-dable. Vitaminas contienen nutrientes que muchos no incorporan en su dieta dia-ria, por lo tanto aumenta la fortaleza del sistema inmunológico al tomarlas. Vitamina C puede ser encontradas en jugo de limón fresco y cuando puesto en te o limonada y puede reducir las flemas. Aparte de las vitaminas ay otras maneras de reducir los efectos de los resfriad-os. Consumiendo diferen-tes tipos de sopas como sopa de fideos de pollo o

el caldo de pollo pueden ayudar a frenar el proceso de glóbulos blancos. Cuando alguien está su-dando o vomitando debido a un resfriado, electroli-tos deben ser restorados. Al tomar Gatorade esto remplazara los electrolitos perdidos. Un estudio que fue recientemente puesto en los Archivos de Medicina Interna sugerio que las personas que duermen más tiempo son menos probables a enfermarse de un resfriado así que dormir suficiente horas es muy beneficial al sistema inmunológico. Junto con dormir, ay dos cosas que uno puede hacer fácilmente para man-tener los resfriados lejos. No compartir nada que incluya higiene personal y comer la comida correcta que balancea el sistema inmunológico. Si ninguno de estos simples remedios funcio-nan y los síntomas no están desapareciendo, enfermera de la escuela Lori Coru Hemeyen dice, “no te quedes en casa al menos que tengas fiebre.”

Prevenir enfermedades durante el invierno mas facil de lo que parese

Photo by: Yoseline Lopez

Practicing yoga positions before soccer, sopho-more Miriam Bolanos focuses and relaxes her body. Bolanos does this before practices to improve her mental focus and life style. Lying on his stomach, the

father of Doctor Travis Baker of Balanced Body Acupuncture receives acupuncture and cup-ping to ease his upper back nd shoulder pain

• Yoga increases life span, aids in expand-ing the lungs and ben-efits the heart. Thus, people who practice yoga live longer than those who do not.

• After every 30 minutes of practicing yoga, 5 minutes of rest must be allowed to the body.

Yoga provides healthy benefits

Photo By: Bethany Szczepaniak

NICOLE FISCHERReporter

*Facts courtesy of indiatoday.org

*50 students polled *Facts courtesy of caffeineindicator.com

sophomore Miriam Bola-nos said. Although many still remain unconvinced in the results of yoga and meditation, studies prove the truth. A study published in

Coffee, energy drinks popular among students

Did you know?

*50 students polled *Facts courtesy of caffeineindicator.com

- Red Bull, Monster and Rockstar are among the top sellers in energy drinks.

-Red Bull sells over $5 billion worth of product every year.

-Folger’s Coffee earns over $2.3 billion in product sales over a year.

-The coffee industry makes over $3.2 billion a year.

• Practicing yoga can enhance the mood of a person. Breath is an indicator of mood. Yoga is all about changing the breath-ing patterns and inhaling and exhaling in rhythm with the postures. Breathing in patterns can lift a person’s mood.