Di-Hydrogen Monoxide: Chemical Alert Warning

As you travel on spring break, make sure you are aware of your body’s levels of Di-Hydrogen Monoxide. Too little Di-Hydrogen Monoxide can result in the following symptoms:

• Increased thirst
• Dry mouth and swollen tongue
• Weakness
• Dizziness
• Palpitations (feeling that the heart is jumping or pounding)
• Confusion
• Sluggishness
• Fainting
• Inability to sweat
• Decreased urine output
• Yellow or amber urine output
• Fever over 101 degrees
• Vomiting

As you may have figured out, Di-Hydrogen Monoxide = H₂O. For you the chemistry-averse among you, that’s what’s commonly referred to as “Water”.

In all seriousness, how much water you drink is important for your health, safety, and ability to enjoy spring break. As you can see from the list above, dehydration can have some very serious health effects.

If someone does exhibit signs of dehydration, get them to a cool place and have them sip water, chew ice chips, suck on a Popsicle, or sip a sports-drink. Loosen their clothing, and seek shade or air-conditioning immediately. If symptoms worsen or persist, take the person to an emergency room or call an ambulance.

Prevention

College students, if they choose to drink alcohol over spring break, can be especially susceptible to dehydration. Alcohol, like caffeine, is a diuretic. Diuretics act on the kidneys to make you pee more than usual, which results in your body losing too much of its water and becoming dehydrated.

The symptoms of a hangover are mainly due to your body being dehydrated, and can best be cured by drinking water, not a caffeinated beverage.

Hydration is especially important on spring break, when people travel to warm weather where they may be sweating more, enjoying the sunshine more, and expending more energy traveling than they normally do in Chapel Hill.

So to stay hydrated and prevent the above symptoms, follow these 5 easy steps:

1. Have a full water bottle with you at all times.
2. Sip water before and during exercise or exposure to heat.
3. Break up the time you spend in hot temperatures. Find air-conditioned or shady areas and allow yourself to cool down between exposures to the heat.
4. Wear light colored and loose-fitting clothing, and carry a fan or mister to cool yourself. Doing so will lessen the amount of water you lose by sweating.
5. If you choose to drink alcohol, alternate between alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages. This will help you pace your drinking and stay more hydrated.

So now that you know the signs of dehydration and how to avoid it, have a great, safe (and well-hydrated) spring break!

It’s National Eating Disorders Awareness Week!

In case you haven’t heard, it’s National Eating Disorders Awareness Week and there are some awesome events going on to raise awareness here at UNC!

First, a little information on eating disorders from the National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA): In the United States, approximately 20 million women and 10 million men suffer from an eating disorder at some time in their life, including anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge eating disorder, or an eating disorder not otherwise specified (EDNOS). Many others struggle with disordered eating behavior/attitudes and body dissatisfaction. The emotional and physical consequences of eating disorders are wide-ranging and can include social isolation, depression, muscle wasting, bone loss, and even cardiac failure and death. In fact, anorexia nervosa has the highest mortality rate of any psychiatric disorder.

If you or someone you know has an eating disorder, there’s help! For more information about eating disorder signs and symptoms and how to help someone dealing with an eating disorder, visit the NEDA website. If you are struggling with food, exercise, and/or body image issues, please visit UNC’s Counseling and Psychological Services at Campus Health for a walk-in appointment 9-12 and 1-4 Monday through Friday. For general healthy eating questions and advice, you can make an appointment with the Nutrition Education Consultant at Student Wellness at 919-966-3658. For those with medical conditions and/or eating disorders, you can schedule an appointment with a Registered Dietitian at 919-966-2281.

So, what’s happening this week? These fun events will increase your knowledge and awareness of eating disorders, promote a healthy view of food and activity, support positive body image, and raise much-need funds for eating disorders research. Come to any and all events – your name will be entered into a prize raffle for each event you attend. Visit the UNC Center of Excellence for Eating Disorders Facebook page for more information on all of these events.

 Monday

• Eating Disorders Myth Busters, 11:30am-1pm, Lenoir
• Eating for Exercise, 5:30-7pm, SRC
• Benefits for Eating Disorders Research, Sweet Frog, all day; Clothes Hound, 6-9pm & party at 7pm

Tuesday

• Eating Disorders Myth Busters, 11:30am-1pm, Rams Head

Wednesday

• Information and Research Fair, 11am-1pm, The Pit
• Hip Hop Master Class with Joseph Nontanovan, 6:30-7:45pm, SRC
  Come celebrate your body at a FREE Hip Hop Dance class with renowned dancer and choreographer Joseph Nontanovan from Step Up! Every day your body allows you to walk, dance, breathe, and laugh – so celebrate that fact! Joseph’s hip-hop class will be about having fun and feeling good (not about burning calories or changing your shape). When you feel good about yourself, you project a confidence that makes you beautiful, so come to dance and appreciate all that your body can do!
• Free Film Screening: CHISEL, a CWS Peer Health Organization and the MRC are co-sponsoring a showing of Cover Girl Culture: Awakening the Media Generation, 8pm. Undergraduate Library Room 205. Come watch the film, enjoy free snacks, and participate in a discussion afterwards

Thursday

• Greek Groove, 7pm, Memorial Hall
  Greek Groove is a dance competition open to every Panhellenic chapter on campus, requiring each team to submit a dance of around 3 minutes.  This year’s event benefits NEDAwareness Week!

Give Yourself a Hand: Part Two (Female Masturbation!)

Our guest writer is a UNC graduate student in public health who focuses on sexual health and the social factors that influence it.

GIVE YOURSELF A HAND, PART TWO

Female masturbation! In Give Yourself A Hand: Part One, I explored varying perspectives on female masturbation throughout history and some of its less obvious benefits. Here, I offer an introduction into its mechanics for those female-bodied readers newer to the solo no-pants dance. Because I wanted you to be informed by more than my thoughts and experiences, I solicited the input of lady friends across the country. To those wonderful women who opened their bedroom doors to us, I offer my sincerest thanks.

Masturbation can be defined as self-stimulation of genitalia for sexual pleasure. I like this broad definition, because it reminds us that there are no rules about how and with whom you masturbate, and that masturbation does not need to result in orgasm in order to be pleasurable. Still, in the varied forms that female masturbation takes, there are a few key things to keep in mind:

Healthy Heels Weekend 12/6 – 12/9

Congratulations, Healthy Heels! You’ve finished with a semester of classes and will soon get a well-deserved break. Here are some ways to enjoy your last weekend on campus until the New Year!

• If you want to take a break from school-related activities, here are a few options:

Safe Passage Documentary Screening Thurs. 7-9 pm. FREE
Come learn about Safe Passage (www.safepassage.org), an NGO working with the community around the Garbage Dump in Guatemala City. We will be showing “Manos de Madres”, a film that follows a Safe Passage mother’s life around the dump, and a recent documentary by a Guatemalan TV station. After the films, long time Safe Passage Board Member Arnie Katz recently returned volunteer Tristan Green will lead a discussion about the project, about local support activities in NC, and about an upcoming service trip by UNC’s Ultimate Frisbee teams.
Location: Chapel Hill Friends Meeting,    531 Raleigh Road Chapel Hill, NC 27514

The Dark Side of Chocolate: Film Screening and Fair Trade Chocolate Taste Testing Thurs. 7-9 pm. FREE
Journalists investigate human trafficking and child labor in the Ivory Coast. They use hidden cameras to delve into the gritty world of cocoa plantations. Sponsored by the Net Impact Club of UNC.
Location: UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School, McColl Building, Room 2575

Chapel Hill-Carrboro Holiday Parade Sat. 10 am – 12 pm. FREE
This holiday tradition will begin at 10 a.m. on E. Franklin Street at the Morehead  Planetarium and end about noon at Carrboro Town Hall, 301 W. Main St.

•  And, for multiple exam study break opportunities here on campus:

Thursday Dec. 6th 11am-4:15 pm in room 211 of the UL: Exam PAWS will offer students the opportunity to visit and engage with certified therapy dogs. Advisors will be present to talk with students and hand out home-baked cookies. Sponsored by Academic Advising

Thursday Dec. 6th 6pm-9pm in Great Hall: P.A.S.S. Exam Support Fair will happen in the Great Hall on December 6th from 6pm-9pm. Join us for a study break full of food, games, crafts, and more. Sponsored by Housing and Residential Education.

Friday Dec. 7th, 10am-11am in front of Davis Library: Get a free tumbler and fill it with your choice of hot chocolate or coffee. Blue books and scantrons will be provided. Sponsored by RHA.

Dec. 6, 7, 9, 10, & 11, 7pm-9pm in room 205 of the UL:  CHISEL will offer stress management programs ranging from a Meditation session to puppy petting to an arts and crafts night. On the 6th, Linda Chupkowski from Counseling and Wellness Services will lead a meditation at 7pm. The other days and times for specific programs are TBD

Keeping Calm and Carrying On During Finals

It’s astounding, time is fleeting: last day of classes is Wednesday and final exams begin Friday! I would like, if I may, to take you on a strange journey, to the intersection of easy and helpful in the Venn diagram of finals study tips. Follow some of these simple steps and make your finals experience your personal happy place.

First, clear your head. Start from a space of calm. With calm.com. You heard right. Calm.com : a place to relax on the internet. A sweet, 2-minute, guided meditation experience. Since everyone has two minutes, when you start losing your intense focus, scoot on over for a 2-minute refocus. You can choose music/not and whether you want your meditation guided/not.

Now you’re calm, clear-headed, ready to study. Next step: Simplynoise.com. Simplynoise is free as free can be and will pipe “white noise” (actually comes in brown, pink, and white) into your headphones. White noise is amazing tool to block out background distractors and allows your brain to fully latch onto your work. It can turn 30 minutes sessions into 3-hour marathons, painlessly.

Maybe you’re all set, calmed, white-noised, but you’re having trouble finding your study groove. In that case, maybe the Pomodoro Technique is for you. It’s a time-management system that breaks your time into 25-minute intervals (called pomodoros) with breaks in between. The steps are simple and five in number:

1. decide on the task to be done
2. set the pomodoro (timer) to 25 minutes (there are chrome apps for this!)
3. work on the task until the timer rings; record with an x
4. take a short break (3-5 minutes)
5. every four “pomodoros” take a longer break (15–30 minutes)*

If you still feel like the internet is still pulling you into its distracting depths, it might be time to go all out and unplug, with freedom. Freedom only does the one, simple thing, and that is: disconnect you from the internet. You chose the amount of time, any amount of time up to eight hours, press FREEDOM!, and presto: no internet for you. This program is ideal for that phase after you’ve finished all of your internet research and now are just marathon writing/revising/flash-carding. A little disclaimer: Freedom is the only hot tip in this blog post that costs money, $10, to be exact.

*Thanks, Wikipedia!

50 Shades of Curious: Beginning a BDSM Conversation with Your Partner

BDSM is an acronym for bondage, discipline, and sadomasochism. BDSM activities can range from light slapping, to bondage, to intense use of sex toys and other tools. Despite what popular media may like us to believe, there are no significant differences in rates of psychopathology, depression, anxiety, OCD, and psychological sadism and masochism between folks who practice BDSM sex play and those who don’t (Connoly 2006). In essence, folks who practice BDSM are not violent, they aren’t “crazy”, and their BDSM practices don’t leave them psychological troubled. According to the National Coalition for Sexual Freedom, approximately 18-20% of folks have been blindfolded during sex, 30-32% of folks have tied someone up or been tied up during sex, and 38-50% of folks have been spanked during sexual activity.

Knowing that so many folks engage in BDSM, and that it doesn’t have to include being locked up in a basement dungeon…are you thinking you may be interested?

talk first, then play

Communication is the first step to exploring BDSM with a partner. Be clear about what you want, what you’re open to exploring, and what your limits are. It’s also important to keep in mind that your sex partner(s) may be exploring BDSM for the first time, or they may have previous experience.

Just as you would like your sex partner to do for you, it’s important to:

• be respectful of your partner’s limits
• be willing to explore their desires
• not criticize, ridicule, or poke fun at their sex play interests
• uphold agreements and privacy

There are helpful worksheets  and checklists you can print out to get the conversation started, which list a range of light to intense BDSM activities and provide space for you and your partner to voice whether you think each sounds super-hot, is something you’re up for discussing, or is something that is off-limits.

ready to explore?

The urge to engage in or explore consensual BDSM may be confusing for some folks, especially those who identify as feminists, whose ancestors have historically been enslaved or beaten, or folks who have experienced sexual assault or relationship abuse in the past. For more dialogue on the reconciliation between BDSM play and feminism, check out feminist sex and relationship columnist Jessica Wakeman’s articles First Time for Everything and Slap Happy and Sylvia Fox’s article Reconciling Feminism with an Interest in BDSM which can be purchased online or in print.

Being a survivor of interpersonal violence who is interested in BDSM does not necessarily mean you have not healed from your experience.  Abuse and assault are not about sex, they’re about power and control. BDSM is about the consensual play of dominant and submissive sexual relationships and mutual arousal resulting from these activities.  Just as a survivor of interpersonal violence can maintain or regain interest in sex after being assaulted or abused, they can also regain or become interested in consensual BDSM.

Here are some red flags that a BSDM sex partner may in fact be abusive:

• Ignoring safe words
• Not respecting your limits, negotiations, agreements, or contracts
• Pushing you into a D/S relationship too quickly
• Belittling your ideas or suggestions for sex play
• ONLY interacting with you in a kinky or sexual manner as if they are always role-playing
• Threatening or coercing you into engaging in submission or BDSM activities outside of your comfort zone

Check out the books The Loving Dominant (Warren & Warren, 2008) and The Ultimate Guide to Kink: BDSM, Role Play and the Erotic Edge (Taramino, 2012) if you’re interested in learning more about BDSM practices and the BDSM community.

If you’re concerned you or someone you know may be being coerced, pressured, or forced into engaging in sexual activities they’re not ready for or aren’t interested in, check out the information and resources at safe.unc.edu or the Orange County Rape Crisis Center.

                                                          References
Connoly, P. (2006). Psychological functioning of bondage/domination/sado-masochism practitioners. Journal of Psychology and Human Sexuality, 18(1).

Is Pre-Gaming a Good Idea?

College students, if they choose to drink, pre-game at higher rates than other populations. But is pre-gaming a good idea, or does it lead to more negative consequences than good?

College students tell us they pre-game for a variety of reasons: to avoid underage drinking tickets at a bar or dance club, to spend less money on alcohol, or because they attend a party ahead of time where drinking occurs.

While avoiding legal trouble and spending less on alcohol are admirable goals, does pre-gaming help? According to the research, pre-gaming actually results in a higher likelihood of heavy drinking, spending more money, hangovers, blackouts, and risky behaviors like vandalism.

This is because pre-gaming lowers your inhibitions and impairs your ability to make good decisions later in the night, like alternating alcoholic drinks with water, or knowing to stop drinking when you’ve reached your limit. The research, by author Florian Labhart of the Addiction Switzerland Institute in Lausanne, indicates that on nights that don’t involve pre-gaming people drink less on average, and are less likely to experience the negative effects associated with having too much alcohol.

Here at Campus Health we have harm-reduction approach, which means that we are not making any judgments with regards to alcohol or drugs. We focus on helping students identify ways they can reduce their risks for alcohol and other drug related harm, and we help students put in place strategies that they find useful to avoid the negative consequences that they identify.

So if you choose to drink, make sure that you are aware of the risks involved, and make sure you know that pre-gaming is not always as good of an idea as it sounds.

As always, stay safe, and stay healthy!

Inspired by this post in Men’s Health

Healthy Heels Weekend 11/8 – 11/11

Happy Thursday! It’s Homecoming weekend here at UNC, so take some time to enjoy being a Tarheel. Here are some fun ways to take a break this weekend.

• Laughter is the best medicine, so go enjoy some comedy as two teams face off in the the DSI Improv Slam: Friday and Saturday at 7:30 pm at DSI Comedy Theater in Carrboro; $10 with Student ID

•  Celebrate Homecoming at the football game vs. Georgia Tech: 12:30 pm

• Impress your friends and family with your paddle tennis skills when you go home for Thanksgiving. Learn Paddle Tennis from the Pros and then watch an exhibition game featuring some paddle tennis pros, sponsored by Campus Rec: Sunday at 12 pm at the SRC Paddle Tennis Courts (on Skipper Bowles Dr. across from the Smith Center).

• Free Movies, need I say more? See The Bourne Legacy (Friday at 7 and midnight, Saturday at 9) and Ted (Friday at 9:30 and Saturday at 7) at the Union. Bring your ONE Card for free admission!

Exercise…your rights!

A monumental day approaches! For most of the year, this blog is about health and wellness, but this week, the excitement of living in a battleground state is running to high to ignore. So, today, instead of chatting about healthy behaviors, we’re going to talk about healthy voting habits.

For most of you, this will be the first general election that you’ll be taking part in, and research shows that initial voting behaviors may set up a lifetime of healthy voting habits¹, so let’s make this one count.

If you’re a first-time voter, you may have to show proof of residence. If you’re interested in learning more about what types of ID or documentation can be used, this NC State Board of Elections website is here to help you out.

This election is about a lot more than presidential candidates though, and if you’re looking to inform yourself about the people you would be voting for, the NC Voter Guide (brought to you by the North Carolina Center for Voter Education) is a good start. This is one of those instances in life when it’s totally fine to bring in a homemade “cheat sheet” into the voting booth with you.

But don’t stop there: UNC also provides a whole range of resources that allow you to watch the debates, get poll results, read election news and candidate profiles. It’s all HERE, thanks UNC Libraries!

Finally, here are some pro-tips to keeping your election stress-free and for setting up those aforementioned life-long healthy, happy voting habits:

1. Know your polling place. As of October 12^th, you’ll have to vote where you’re registered. Not sure where you’re registered? Click HERE. This next part is important: All polling locations are open from 6:30am-7:30pm. 
2. Make a plan. Defeat that voting inertia with best-laid plans for when, with whom, transport, who you’ll be voting for, etc.!
3. Bring a friend. This isn’t about science, this is just for fun. Isn’t everything more fun with a buddy?
4. Document the moment. Take those silly pictures in the (no doubt, very short) line with your voting buddy! It’s a big moment, especially if you’re a first-timer. You can put snaps on Facebook, Twitter, or in your holiday newsletter.
5. Spread the word. Wear your ‘I voted’ sticker proudly! You’re all about civic engagement and you don’t care who knows.

One last thing! First-time voters want to know:

What the heck is the deal with the Straight-Ticket/Party Voting?

The name implies this a little bit, but straight-ticket/party voting is when you vote for members of the same party for a variety of positions. The NC ballot has a straight-ticket option on it, and you can select it if you are planning on voting for all candidates of the same party.

As with all things in life, this one comes with a word of warning!  If you select the straight-ticket option, you will still need to check the box for your presidential candidate choice AND vote for judges (don’t forget to turn over your ballot!).

REFERENCES

1. Plutzer, Eric. “Becoming a habitual voter: Inertia, resources, and growth in young adulthood.” American political science review 96.1 (2002): 41-56.

Healthy Heels Weekend

Hi Heels!  Halloween has come and gone, but there are still lots of fun things to do this weekend.  Check them out in this week’s edition of Healthy Heels Weekend.

Ackland Film Forum: Barefoot Gen – (Free for students, $4 for everyone else)
Thursday, November 1 at 7:00 PM
Varsity Theatre (123 E Franklin St)

(Mori Masaki, 1983) This animated wartime films tells the story of the bombing of Hiroshima from the perspective of a child named Gen. The film follows Gen through the apocalyptic aftermath of the bomb, bearing witness to the devastation but allowing for an eventual sense of hope. This is the third film in the series “Aesthetics of the End: Cinema of Apocalypse in Japan” presented in connection with the Ackland’s Season of Japan. Tickets can be bought directly at the Varsity Theater.

Free Films in the Union – Magic Mike
Friday, November 2 at 7:00 pm
Saturday, November 3 at 10:00 pm

International Games Day @ Your Library
Saturday, November 3from 10:00AM – 2:00 PM
Orange County Main Library
137 West Margaret Lane
Hillsborough, NC 27278
Phone: 919.245.2537

The Orange County Main Library will participate in the fifth annual International Games Day @ Your Library on Saturday, November 3. This event is an initiative of the American Library Association. Games Day is designed to reconnect communities through their libraries around the educational, recreational and social value of all types of games—proving libraries are about much more than just books. This event will be hosted by hundreds of libraries throughout the country, allowing them to showcase gaming programs and services. Last year more than 27,000 people played games at more than 1,400 libraries across the U.S. and in other countries. The Orange County Main Library will provide visitors of all ages the opportunity to engage in games, from puzzles and checkers for the kids… to video games and board games for teens and adults. The Library will also be participating in a national Super Smash Brothers Brawl video game tournament. The tournament starts at 1:00 p.m. and allows participants in libraries all over the country to play together. Everyone is welcome to take part in International Games Day @ Your Library. For more details, please visit http://bit.ly/tabgames2012

UNC Lab Orchestra Inaugural Concert (FREE)
Sunday, November 11 at 7:30
Hill Hall Auditorium

The UNC Lab Orchestra under the direction of Vincent Povázsay presents their inaugural concert. The concert will feature the music of Mozart, Grieg, and Britten. This is a great chance enjoy an evening of beautiful music!