Alivia Tait

Last Updated: October 12, 2022

Music Therapy

Think about your favorite music genre, singer, or band. Have you ever had a time in your life where they might’ve been the only thing that helped you mentally and physically? Well what if I told you that back in 1944, Thayer Gaston felt the same way and had developed “Music Therapy.”

According to The Cleveland Clinic, Music Therapy is “an evidence-based treatment that helps with a variety of disorders including cardiac conditions, depression, autism, substance abuse and Alzheimer’s disease. It can help with memory, lower blood pressure, improve coping, reduce stress, improve self-esteem and more.” Music therapists typically work in the clinical setting. Working with a range of people, from veterans suffering from PTSD, individuals who range on the Autism spectrum, inmates in corrections programs, mental health patients, and many more.

Music therapy has been shown to decrease depression, regulate stress, improve time management, and lessen feelings of isolation. Although we often think of mental health when we talk about Music Therapy, Music Therapy is also beneficial with physical health as well. Music Therapy can reduce pain, improve your sleep cycle, improve motor development, assist premature infants in growth, and reduce asthma symptoms. Music Therapy can also assist in your spiritual, social, and cognitive development.

Although Music Therapy still isn’t covered under most health insurances, Music Therapy has been a comforting form of health care to over 1.6 million people yearly since 1944. I believe the medical world will evolve into something more brilliant with the help and recognition of Music Therapy as a true form of mental and physical health care.

Adopt Not Shop

People add dogs to their families every year. There are several reasons why people choose to add a pet to their families. Some reasons include providing company and a way of socializing. People desire a pet to replace a relationship with a partner, children or to simply add to their family. The elderly population may want a dog so they are not home alone. Dogs can be a substitute for standard human contact, and socializing with others can be laid-back when pets are involved (Stoop, n.d.). It is not uncommon for families across the United States to be in search of the “perfect” dog. As people search for a new canine, they are looking for the healthiest animal they can find. The survey of when and where we obtain a dog will be explored.

According to Orvis News (2020), every year millions of dogs enter shelters and hundreds of thousands are now in need of a home and every year three to four millions animals must be euthanized. More people invited more animals into their families than reported a few decades ago. However, one in ten pets adopted were returned to the shelter. Some common reasons dogs are returned to the shelter are the dog was more expensive than expected, human health issues, destructive behaviors, disobedience, barking, hyperactivity, and aggressive toward children or other pets.

Adopting a dog varies from one place to the next. Some organizations who have puppies or purebreds charge higher amounts than a local humane society. Some dog rescues are excellent doorways into pet ownership. Many people need to have realistic expectations and should be prepared for the unknowns. This issue includes hidden behavior problems or unknown traumas that could have left the dog emotionally orphysically damaged. These problems can often be corrected with treatment or training, but each comes at a price. Adopting a dog can be free or a few hundred dollars. People wanting to add to their family needs preparation and have the ability to financially meet their dog’s needs. Charges for adoptions may include having the pet neutered or spayed, rehabilitation or training that was necessary prior to adoptions. The charges may be higher than normal, and if one is shocked by the price tag, then you may not be prepared to welcome a dog into your family.

In addition to obtaining a dog from a shelter, families have an option to obtain a dog through an American Kennel Club (AKC) dog breeder. The AKC dog is a registered dog that has high standards and approved family history. Furthermore, it has the largest and most well-known registry of purebred bloodlines in the U.S. AKC dogs are purchased through puppy mills. According to PETA (2019), “puppy-mill kennels can consist of anything from small cages made of wood and wire mesh to tractor-trailer cans or simple chains attached to trees when mother dogs and puppies spend every day outdoors in the same small patch of dirt in all types of weather.” Oozing eyes, raging ear infections, mange, and abscessed feet are some of the health conditions noted in puppy mills. The puppies are not always bred for quality, but for quantity. Defects in the puppies are extensive. The female dogs have litter after litter until they no longer can produce puppies. The puppies and the mother often suffer from underfeeding and lack of acceptable veterinary care. Financial incentive for puppy mills would end the suffering of dogs if the pet shop trade did not exist.

Since puppy mills overbreed or inbreed the dogs, many of the dogs have behavioral problems that are not detected as a puppy. Families believing the pup is from a reputable bloodline and will grow up to be the “perfect” dog can be very misleading. By no fault of the animal, the pup is left at a shelter or given away to another unsuspecting person. Puppies are a handful and can be often expensive to train, feed and raise. AKC dogs can cost upwards to a thousand dollars depending on the breed. People may have a misconception that all AKC dogs are smart and easy to train and raise. This concept is far from the truth. Regardless of where one adopts from a rescue or buys an AKC registered puppy, people should have the home, funds or patience to have a dog or they may find themselves surrendering the dog to a pound or giving it away.

No matter where people acquire a new dog, they must do research on the place where they are planning on adopting or purchasing the pup. If people are planning on obtaining an AKC dog, they need to acquire a list of references of people who may have previously purchased a dog from their facility. The breed may have a long list of hereditary health problems that may cost thousands of dollars taking the pup to the veterinary. If people are planning on adopting a pet through a humane society or a rescue place, do a background check on the facility. They should require adopters to provide a history of veterinary care. The experience of rehoming a dog is stressful especially if they were coming from a happy loving home. The animal may have depression or anxiety.

Whether you choose to adopt a pet from a shelter or buy one from a breeder, it is imperative to research the place you are choosing to visit. Not all breeders are puppy mills and not all places advertise dogs for adoptions provide the best surroundings for your new dog. Families need to be sure they are familiar with the responsibility and financing that comes with owning a dog. It is not uncommon for families across the United States to be in search of the “perfect” canine. As people search for a new pooch, they are looking for the healthiest animal they can find. They also need to research the best place or breeder to obtain that perfect dog.

Agent Orange

When thinking of the name “Agent Orange '' most would think of a little kids cartoon, but the reality of Agent Orange is disturbing. What if I told you “Agent Orange'' was a highly toxic chemically mixed herbicide that had completely wiped out over four hundred thousand Vietnamese individuals and affected over two million lives with effects still lasting to present day. In the 1960s, the chemical company founded in Missouri called Monsanto's had begun mass producing the herbicide to our military as a wartime government contractor. Later the code name “Agent Orange'' had developed due to the bright orange identification stripe that had circulated around the 55-gallon barrels where the herbicide was stored.

During the Vietnam era, Vietnam had participated in an organization developed around the idea of chemical warfare, Operation Ranch Hand. Through 1960-1971, an estimated 4.5 million gallons (20 times more than the recommended amount for killing plants) of Agent Orange and other related herbicides were dispersed over Vietnam's food & shelter coverage. U.S military, specifically aircraft units, were sent to saturate the roads, streams, and canals with these potent mixtures (History.com). Besides Agent Orange, military forces had also sprayed 20 million gallons of different variants that Monsanto’s had manufactured.

Agent Orange was a mixture of two herbicides, 2,4-D (-Dichlorophenoxyacetic) & 2,4,5-T (trichlorophenoxyacetic acid.) Although the mixture itself did not remain toxic and began degrading as early as 48 hours after it had been sprayed, the mixture contained a less degradable, more toxic contaminate, Dioxin. Dioxin is an unintended byproduct of the manufacturing of herbicides. Dioxin can also be found naturally in burning of gas, oil, coal, smoking cigarettes, trash incineration, and bleaching, another herbicide manufacturing method. However, the TCDD found in the Agent Orange mixture has been said to be the most lethal of all Dioxins. Dioxin is said to remain in particles of our soil for anywhere between seven to eleven years.

As Vietnam soldiers had returned home, the veterans' families started reporting a wide range of side effects caused by Agent Orange, some still existing today. These include rashes, miscarriages, psychological instability, neurological stunts or delays in development, type 2 diabetes, cancers (leukemia, prostate cancer, Hodgkin’s disease etc.), and generational child defects. According to history.com “In 1979, a class action lawsuit was filed on behalf of 2.4 million veterans who were exposed to Agent Orange during their service in Vietnam. Five years later, in an out-of-court-settlement, seven large chemical companies that manufactured the herbicide agreed to pay $180 million in compensation to the veterans or their next of kin.” In the 1990s, scientists and physicians had begun noticing the decreasing levels of TCDD found in the blood in those exposed. However, contradicting this, the veterans who were directly involved or exposed to the Agent Orange herbicide had TCDD in their blood ranging from 6ppt to 130ppt even 20 years after the exposure. More shockingly, veterans and non-vets, who had consumed fish, ducks, or any aquatic life from the ponds of Bien Hoa or Da Nag, had higher levels of TCDD in their blood than the veterans directly exposed.

Caffeine

I think it’s safe to assume the majority of our generation consumes caffeine as a part of our daily routines, but have you ever stopped to think of the effects caffeine has on us mentally and physically? Well, I did the research so you didn’t have to!

We all know the positive effects of caffeine. The quick “pick me up” after a long night of studying or working, better moods, improved athletic performance and alertness. How about the medical effects? According to the American College of Cardiology, females who consume caffeine regularly are less likely to pass away from: kidney disease, stroke, and diabetes. Researchers also found that avid coffee drinkers are less affected by heart failure. Caffeine also has shown to decrease the risk of depression and suicide rates.

While having some beneficial aspects that come from consuming caffeine, there are also quite a number of negative ramifications. Caffeine is known to increase the heart rate, which causes a domino effect into other issues. Some other general issues include: insomnia, headaches, fatigue, dehydration, higher rates of anxiety, and lastly, dependency. Caffeine is uncommonly seen through the eyes of the younger generations as an addictive chemical; reports from the Kuakini Health System, over 90% of American adults have admitted to having an addiction to caffeine and cannot function properly until they have had their regular caffeine intake.

Obviously there are many more benefits, as well as negative effects, to caffeine. I think what we all have to remember is that America lives in moderation. Too little or too much caffeine can have various effects on every person. I think we just have to learn how to limit ourselves with our caffeine intake and become more aware of the influence caffeine truly has on our everyday lives.