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Wednesday, May 3, 2017

Why Multitasking Is a Bad Idea

Here's How You Can Tame Your Distracted Mind

This article originally appeared on Fortune.com.

How can you tame your distracted mind?

It’s not easy these days, given that many of us have a smartphone—if not smartphones, plural—and the ability to be accessible, connected, and theoretically productive around-the-clock. According to Adam Gazzaley, a professor in neurology, physiology and psychiatry at the University of California-San Francisco—and the author of The Distracted Mind: Ancient Brains in a High-Tech World—the evidence is all around us: 95% of people multi-task, and on average, we do so for one-third of the day. Some young people multitask with up to seven devices at once. Having grown accustomed to constant stimulation, our tolerance for boredom is lower than ever, tested even while waiting in a short line at the local grocery store.

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Gazzaley, who spoke at Fortune‘s Brainstorm Health conference in San Diego on Tuesday, points out our modern state is both natural (we are by nature information-seeking creatures) and sub-optimal. That is, the day’s many distractions—from working on multiple web windows to falling into the Facebook “sinkhole”—mess with our cognitive control. The resulting limitations in cognitive control—i.e., attention, working memory and goal management—in turn interfere with what Gazzaley considers the pinnacle of human brain evolution: our high-level goal setting abilities.

Gazzaley makes clear that technology did not create this distracting “interference” in the brain, but he says it has aggravated it, and that it has impacted all sorts of brain function, from the way our memory works to the way emotion gets regulated. Those changes in turn affect how we act in the real world, whether it be at work or in relationships or considering our own personal safety.

“There are many examples of decreased performance quality and productivity, and an increase in stress,” says Gazzaley of what he has labeled “the ancient brain in a high-tech world.”

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Gazzaley says there are two ways for people to take back control: modifying behavior or enhancing the brain. The former involves a greater level of personal awareness—multitasking is not necessarily a bad thing; knowing when to multitask is key to winning the battle. He recommends we all take a break from multitasking—nature and exercise are good for concentrating the mind; so are attempts at “single-tasking.” (He concedes this can be hard for people, and he advises a “baby step” approach to assuming singular focus.)

In terms of enhancing the brain, both physical and cognitive exercises can help. Gazzaley, with Akili, a company he co-founded, have also been developing a video game that can help the brain better deal with distraction; it’s currently in a phase III clinical trial, and he hopes it will soon be the first non-drug treatment for ADHD, as well as the first video game prescribed for medical purposes.

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How Worrying Can Actually Be Good for You

This article originally appeared on RealSimple.com.

Good news for worrywarts everywhere: Your fretting and fussing can actually have health benefits, according to a new scientific paper. Not only can worrying serve as an emotional buffer against worst-case scenarios, say researchers, but it can also be a strong motivator for proactive, healthy behaviors.

The article, published in Social and Personality Psychology Compass, also argues that people who worry a lot may perform better in school or at work, and that they engage in more successful problem solving. “I think there’s a lack of understanding when people are made to feel bad for worrying, or told to ‘just stop worrying about it,’” says author Kate Sweeny, Ph.D., psychology professor at the University of California, Riverside.

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While worrying generally gets a bad rap, it does make sense that the habit could be protective: Naturally anxious people might be expected to follow health and safety advice to a T, like wearing their seatbelts, applying sunscreen every few hours, and keeping up-to-date with doctor’s appointments and screenings, for example.

And that’s partially correct, says Sweeny, although the truth is more nuanced: In one study referenced in her article, women who reported moderate amounts of worry—compared to those with relatively low or high levels of worry—were the most likely to get screened for cancer. “It seems that both too much and too little worry can interfere with motivation,” she says, “but the right amount of worry can motivate without paralyzing.“

In fact, Sweeny suggests a three-step explanation for worry’s motivating effects: First, it serves as a cue that a situation requires action. Second, it keeps that situation at the front of people’s minds. And third, the unpleasant feeling prompts them to do something about it, in order to feel better.

Worrying about a future outcome can also help people brace for bad news, or make good news seem even better by comparison, Sweeny writes. That may be why even optimists tend to expect the worst about uncertain news, as her previous research has found.

Sweeny stresses, however, that extreme worrying is still harmful to one’s health; rumination and repetitive thoughts have been associated with depressed mood, poor physical health, and even mental illness.

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She doesn’t advocate for excessive worrying, but she does hope to provide reassurance to the occasional worrier, the nitpicky planner, and the overly prepared person who has to mentally run though every detail of a scenario while others simply kick back and relax.

“I think the primary message is that when you’re feeling worried, take a minute to think about whether those thoughts are productive—maybe there are things you should be doing and preparing for to prevent bad things from happening—and in that case it’s a good thing,” she says. (If you’ve done all that and you’re still stressed out, then maybe try to distract yourself and think about something else.)

Sweeny also adds that some people clearly don’t worry enough about certain things, like what could happen to them if they engage in unsafe or unhealthy behaviors. “If you find yourself not caring about those things, it’s worth asking yourself why you’re downplaying those risks,” she says. “In those cases, worrying the right amount is far better than not worrying at all.”

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What Causes Hiccups and How to Get Rid of Them

This article originally appeared on RealSimple.com.

At best, hiccups are a nuisance. At worse, they could be a symptom of something seriously wrong. Luckily, it’s usually the former—a brief episode triggered by nerves or something you ate. But if hiccups persist for more than a few hours or if they show up frequently, it may be worth getting checked out by a doctor.

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Before we get into the scary stuff, though, it may help to understand exactly what hiccups are. A hiccup is an involuntary spasm of the diaphragm, the muscle between your chest and your abdomen. The diaphragm usually expands down and contracts back up smoothly as you breathe, but it can jerk down suddenly if it becomes irritated.

That sudden jerk triggers a closure of the glottis, the slit-like opening between the vocal cords and the voice box. “You quickly swallow air and your voice box shuts, and that’s what causes that hiccupping sound,” says Roshini Rajapaksa, M.D., a gastroenterologist at NYU Langone Medical Center and Health magazine’s medical editor.

Lots of things can cause the diaphragm to become irritated, from a larger-than-normal meal, to sudden temperature changes, to the carbonated bubbles in soda. Alcohol, cigarette smoke, and swallowed air (while chewing gum, for example) are also likely culprits. Even feelings of stress or nervousness can set off a bout of hiccups. “And sometimes they can come out of the blue,” says Dr. Rajapksa.

Irritation to the vagus nerve or phrenic nerves, which run from your sinuses down to the diaphragm, can also trigger hiccups. That means that a sore throat or an ear infection—or even a hair touching your eardrum—can be to blame.

Most hiccups only last a few minutes or hours. When they last more than 48 hours, they’re known as persistent hiccups; when they last more than 30 days, they’re called intractable hiccups. You should see a doctor if your hiccups last more than a couple of days—they can not only begin to interfere with eating, sleeping, and mental well being, but they can also signal a hidden health condition. In severe cases, hiccups can even cause nerve damage.

If you’re a heavy drinker or smoker, cutting back on these habits could help reduce your hiccups. Your doctor may also look for signs of gastroesophageal reflux disorder (GERD), also known as acid reflux, which is a treatable condition and a common cause of hiccups.

In rare cases, hiccups can be caused by nerve damage or by a tumor in the stomach or neck. “There’s also an area of the brain involved with the hiccup reflex, so rarely a condition in the brain, like an infection or a mass, can cause them, too,” says Dr. Rajapksa. Hiccups can also indicate a stroke or heart problem, according to Texas A&M University, and a few cases have been associated with serious blood clots.

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Finally, hiccups may be a side effect of advanced diseases like cirrhosis (scarring of the liver), or liver or kidney failure. But usually they’ll occur along with other hard-to-miss symptoms—like fatigue, nausea, and swelling of the legs and abdomen—so it’s unlikely that hiccups would be the first indication that something is wrong.

Obviously, working with a doctor to address any serious underlying causes is the best way to treat hiccups that last for longer than a few days. But if you know you’re in good health and you really just need relief right now, Dr. Rajapksa says there are a few things you can try: “Sometimes drinking cold water or gargling with cold water can help, because it stimulates the back of your throat,” she says. “Holding your breath also works for some people.” If your hiccups become uncomfortable and painful or won’t go away on their own, doctors can prescribe muscle-relaxing medicines that can help.

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5 Things Everyone Gets Wrong About Transgender People

An estimated 1.4 million adults in the United States identify as transgender, according to recent data from The Williams Institute at the UCLA School of Law. Even if you don’t personally know someone who is transgender, there’s much greater awareness for gender identity than there used to be, thanks in part to public figures like Laverne Cox, Caitlyn Jenner, andJazz Jennings from the TLC reality show I Am Jazz. But still, many misconceptions about what it means to be transgender persist. Below, Jay Wu, spokesperson for the National Center for Transgender Equality, clears up five of the most pervasive myths.

The myth: There’s only one way to be transgender

People who are transgender do not identify with the gender they were assigned at birth. But exactly how that’s expressed can be different for everyone. It doesn't necessarily mean a transgender person has had gender reassignment surgery—although it could. When someone is transitioning, they’re in the process of living according to their gender identity. This may include asking to be called by a different name, or requesting a different set of pronouns (whether it’s he/him, she/her, or they/them), officially changing their name, dressing differently, or undergoing medical procedures (such as gender reassignment surgery, or hormone therapy).

“For some people, they don’t necessarily need medical care to live fully as themselves; others find it’s incredibly important,” Wu explains. They add that there are many others who would like to undergo a medical transition but are unable to do so due to financial reasons, or because they don’t live near a medical provider that offers it.

The myth: It’s offensive to mess up your pronouns

If someone you've known for many years comes out as transgender, you’ll probably wonder how you should refer to them. The best course of action, Wu says, is simply to ask. “This is something a lot of people feel awkward asking about, but it’s 100% okay to do so,” they explain. “They’d rather you ask than make the wrong assumption."And if you do accidentally let an old pronoun slip, don’t worry—it’s understandable. Instead of apologizing too profusely (which can take over the entire conversation), Wu recommends casually saying, "Oh, I meant to say 'he,’” and then moving on.

The myth: Transgender people are trying to get attention

“Yes, transgender people do get attention—but that attention can come in the form of extreme harassment and violence,” says Wu. As they begin the process of transitioning, transgender people need to overcome fear and doubt about whether they'll be supported by their family, friends, and community. And sadly, these fears are often legitimate. In the 2015 U.S. Transgender Survey from the National Center for Transgender Equality, 46% of transgender people reported being verbally harassed in the previous year, while 9% said they were physically attacked due to their identity. In school-age children, these numbers are even higher: 77% of transgender students said they received some form of mistreatment, 54% were verbally harassed, and 24% were physically attacked.

“I don’t think anyone would fake it so that they’d have a higher chance of being assaulted by a stranger,” Wu says.

The myth: Being transgender is a mental illness

At one point, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-V)included gender identity disorder as a psychiatric illness. But today the DSM-V lists gender dysphoria, which is when someone is experiencing extreme emotional distress about their gender identity versus assigned gender.

“That’s when someone is having such a strong disconnect with their body that it interferes with their day-to-day life,” Wu says. "It’s the distress coming from being trans and living in a society that’s telling you you’re not supposed to be this way.”

While a therapist may be able to help someone with gender dysphoria work through this distress, being transgender itself is not the problem. "It’s the world around them that’s the problem,” Wu says.

The myth: Transgender people are a threat to bathroom safety

Although supporters of the controversial bills that seek to prevent transgender students from using the bathroom that corresponds to their gender identity often point to public safety as the main concern, opponents maintain there’s no correlation between anti-discrimination bills and a rise in crime.

“This is a major myth that has been debunked by sexual assault and domestic violence groups,” says Wu.

Many LGBQT advocates point out that anti-discrimination laws have existed for years, and there isn’t any evidence that they have contributed to an increase of attacks on women in public bathrooms. Last year, the National Task Force to End Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence Against Women released a statement giving their full support to equal bathroom access for the transgender community.

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Baby Born with Four Legs, Two Spines Reunited with Family After Surgery to Remove Her 'Parasitic Conjoined Twin'

Friday, April 28, 2017

8 Things You Need to Know About Your Body's Energy Levels

Replenish your reserves with these research-backed tactics (including a life-changing food swap).

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