Environmental Influences on Health: Air Quality, Food Safety, and Neurotransmitters - Prof, Study notes of Psychology

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Lifestyle and Health

Holistic Health

Healthy Lifestyles

Sedentary Behaviors

How can an environment influence

health?

 (^) How can an environment influence health?  (^) Air: Human health effects of poor air quality are far reaching, but principally affect the body’s respiratory system and cardiovascular system; this especially occurs closer to cities, where toxic chemicals saturate the air  (^) Deep breathing—as opposed to slow, shallow breathing—is critical to ridding the body of toxins  (^) Nasal irrigation has been employed by yogis and practitioners of Ayurveda for centuries; using a Neti pot, one can cleanse and moisturize the nasal cavity, which may protect against the flu or common cold viruses  (^) Clearly, respiratory health affects the body holistically  (^) Food safety, including in agriculture, transportation, food processing, wholesale, and retail distribution and sale  (^) Medical waste management and disposal  (^) Safe drinking water  (^) Toxic chemical exposure, whether in consumer products, housing, workplaces, air, water, or soil  (^) Vector control, including the control of mosquitoes, rodents, flies, cockroaches, and other animals that transmit pathogens  (^) Social environment-stress: places of frustration, anger, sadness, and depression may suppress bodily processes, particularly those involved in the immune system; alternatively, anxiety-provoking places may increase stress levels

5 Stages of behavior change

 (^) Precontemplation Stage: characterized by denial and ignorance of the problem behavior; for instance, smokers in this stage may not even grasp the fact that health warnings about smoking apply to them, a food addict may have tried so many weight-loss programs that he/she has simply given up, or an alcoholic may vaguely realize he/she has a problem, yet assumes he/she can handle it  (^) Contemplation Stage: characterized by ambivalence, uncertainty, and conflicted emotions; individuals in this stage are becoming aware of the risks associated with their behavior and the potential benefits of making a change; for example, after many bad nights of dry heaving, an alcoholic may consider limiting his/her drinking  (^) Preparation Stage: the first active stage; the addict begins to experiment with making small changes and begins collecting information about change and recovery; for example, a problem drinker may plan to limit alcohol consumption to the weekends only and may seek information on local self- help groups  (^) Action Stage: action, for approximately 21 days, results in significant change in behavior and cravings  (^) Maintenance Stage: individuals in this stage focus on maintaining their new patterns of behavior and avoiding temptation; also, they are learning to incorporate their new behaviors into their long-term identities, goals, and activities; for example, an alcoholic may continue to keep up with his/her plan of drinking only on the weekends

An example: Caffeine It’s just as potent as alcohol and tobacco, yet legal; caffeine was formerly on the same list as marijuana, cocaine, heroin, and other dangerous and addictive drugs to be banned, but it wasn’t made illegal—and unfortunately, it’s now considered to be a “safe drug”—because of its legal status; caffeine elevates blood pressure, impairs liver function, leads to fatigue (or a “crash” period), causes massive swings in metabolism, etc. Caffeine is addictive according to several definitions of “addiction”: it causes withdrawal symptoms after cessation of heavy use (most commonly headaches), and regular users develop tolerance and experience cravings when ceasing use; regular users can also become emotionally- and mentally-dependent upon their daily caffeine (coffee, soda, etc).