THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
OPINION
WWW.KANSAN.COM
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 26, 2006
OUR OPINION
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Law cannot be changed with marches alone
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Students marched on City Hall last week to get the noise ordinance changed, but the march went unheard. The City Commission didn't make any changes to the statue.
The ordinance may be vague and prone to abuse, but the reason it wasn't changed wasn't an unsuccessful march. Besides rowdy college students, no one has a problem with it. The majority of Lawrence citizens — the constituents of the City Commission — don't want to change the law.
This means there will be little momentum to get the law changed from any of the city commissioners.
Marching may generate press about the law,but,as we were shown,it not nearly as effective in changing the law.
To get a change, students who want to see the law changed need to march to other students, not the city commission.
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If concerned student can motivate students they could get a direct link to changing the law. How? Through good-old fashioned participatory democracy.
Issue: Protesting the city noise ordinance
Stance: Marching changes nothing without changing the minds of constituents.
Students have the numbers to possibly elect a fellow student to the commission.
It's happened before. Current magazine reported that Michael Taylor, a college student from Ithaca, N.Y., ran for a local government position to
— guess what — oppose a noise ordinance law.
It's a stretch. It would take a supremely dedicated student and a focused campaign to get a student on the Lawrence City Commission.
But that's the best way to get a noise ordinance changed - not marching to a group of commissioners whose constituents don't care.
— John Jordan for the editorial board
Free for All Call 864-0500
Free for All callers have 20 seconds to speak about any topic they wish. Kansan editors reserve the right to omit comments. Slanderous and obscene statements will not be printed. Phone numbers of all incoming calls are recorded.
ing for it
You will regret your abortion when you finally have a baby and realize what you killed.
ing for it
Yeah, all my neighbors have scabies. Scabies makes me want to punch people in the throat.
Abortion girls, you probably didn't deserve to be a mother anyway.
Don't care to swallow?
Use the kiosk.
ing for it
So I most certainly foresee a paternity test in my roommate's future.
ing for it
Free-for-All, dude, you don't understand. I can say without exaggeration that I have been completely stoned for 38 hours. That's a long time.
Cryptoquote, if loving you is wrong, I don't want to be right.
So I just got a test back in my English class over books that I've never read. I beat it, so I'm never reading books in that class again.
I am naming my first-born Sudoku. Thank you.
图
Hey, what ever happened to the guy who played Budnik on Salute Your Shorts? That guy was money as a bank.
To the guys playing croquet in front of Templin, that's totally sexy.
ing for it
I just saw a guy giving his two dogs a bath in the Chi Omega fountain, so sorority girls, enjoy
that.
Hey Free-for-All, I am in New Orleans right now going to school, but I did go to school at Kansas University and I miss you all. I hope this gets in the paper. My friends have been looking for it
can I say?
I was totally naked when the power went out and it sucked.
--can I say?
Tell me again why we can't have candles in the towers.There's no electricity and I can't see to go
pee.
So my room got in the Free-For-All on Monday. I'd like to apologize for the mattress squeaks. I'm just a playa, what
Bye.
Dear Kansas Mother Nature, please tell me when you're done breaking my windows, because I'd really like to stop getting them fixed. Thanks!
I never knew that GDIs and Spangles were so fond of one another.
Hell yeah, it's the G-G-G-G-G-G-Geo Prism!
from toenail fungus to social anxiety.
from toenail fungus to social anxiety.
Be wary of herbal remedies; educate yourself beforehand
COMMENTARY
Millions of Americans have caught "pharmacy brain," a condition classified by an unnatural desire for pills as the solution to every single health problem.
BECCA EVANHOE opinion@hansan.com
Even the first option for treating obesity, which can clearly be improved upon by better diet and exercise, often involves a prescription drug. Obviously, the drugs on the market help millions of people live healthier and more comfortable lives. But they often have side effects — we've all heard them listed at the end of pharmaceutical commercials: Nausea, diarrhea, cramping, headaches, sensitivity to sunlight — or they interfere with the body's other processes, such as absorption of vitamins.
A new field of emerging medicine, called complementary medicine, combines so-called "natural medicine" with "Western medicine." The focus of natural medicine, in its most pure application, is different from the pill-popping view. Natural or herbal medicine focuses on a person's entire body and lifestyle as they interact. Instead of treating the symptom as if it were isolated, its aim is to get to the bottom of what's causing the symptom.
"We have a few things. But let me ask you this: Do you eat and sleep well?"
Unfortunately, "pharmacy brain" seems to be infecting complementary medicine, too. I work in a wellness department that sells herbal medicines, and I've had many a customer come in looking for — you guessed it — some pill, any pill, really, that will give them more energy or help them sleep better. Here's a hypothetical conversation between myself and a customer:
"Oh, no. That's why I don't have any energy."
"Do you have anything for energy?"
This "gimme pills" attitude misses the point, and it reflects a misunderstanding of natural medicine, which focuses on the whole health picture.
not just on a single symptom. What this person needs is balance in her life, better eating habits, less caffeine during the day or booze at night, some exercise, less stress — not a supplement that will probably leave her feeling more tired in the end. Not to mention that sleep is free, and it doesn't have any negative side effects.
Treating your body right isn't easy to do, but it's clearly the best way to be healthy. If you're willing to take a more holistic approach to health, then herbal medicine can be a better option when health problems do crop up.
Herbal medicines can be powerful. For example, ginger is a very effective safeguard against motion sickness, and St. John's Wort can be as effective as prescription medications in preventing mild to moderate depression.
But herbs can have side effects too, and their effectiveness is often debated or unclear. Every week, new studies appear in magazines hailing the merits of a supplement — and the following week, scientists often refute the claims. Do a Google search on the supplement Echinacea, an herb used to boost the immune system, and you'll get thousands of hits, some supporting it and others dismissing it.
Whatever you choose, either prescription drugs or herbal medicine, avoid pharmacy brain. Don't just pop a pill without knowing what it is. Do your own research. This includes talking to a doctor or naturopath — someone trained in herbal medicine — and reading information from credible sources.
And ask yourself, Do I really need a pill to fix this?
Evanhoe is a Derby senior in chemistry.
HERBAL TIPS
Be wary of the Internet!
Often, "research articles" praising a supplement are thinly veiled advertisements.
Analyze marketing claims.
What makes a particular vitamin "high energy" or "super absorbable"?
Know the company that produces the supplements.
How carefully does it regulate its products? Does the company do third-party testing on every batch? A good company will openly share this information.
Find out the source of the supplement.
Is that calcium for coral or cow bones? Where do the fish come from that constitute your fish oil?
If the product is a blend of several herbal components, research every single one.
Always read credible books, such as those published by the American Botanical Council, for side effects or drug interactions.
For example, you shouldn't take melatonin if you're on antidepressants, and you should avoid Vitamin K if you're already taking blood-thinning medication.
▼ COMMENTARY
Reactive training boosts workouts
ABBY CARTER opinion@kansan.com
Some people never change. No matter how many times research proves that people benefit most from combining cardiovascular exercise with resistance training, they still don't listen. You know who I'm talking about. The cardio queens who guard the treadmills like watch dogs and the meatheads who walk from bench to bench with their 95-pound dumbbells. And they wonder why they're not seeing results when they go to the gym every day and do the same thing.
People see more results when they combine both cardio and resistance training.
Muscle burns more calories than fat, which is why you should lift weights. When you lift weights, you build lean muscle, which will in turn burn more calories when you are at rest.
Cardiovascular exercise strengthens your heart and can burn a large amount of calories which helps melt away excess fat.
Still, many people only choose one or the other. Perhaps this is due to a missing piece of the puzzle: Reactive training.
The National Academy of Sports Medicine defines reactive training as a quick, powerful movement involving an eccentric contraction, followed immediately by an explosive concentric contraction. This comes through pylometric exercises such as squat jumps, box jumps, tuck jumps and other explosive movements.
You don't have to be an athlete to incorporate reactive training into your workouts, but you do need to have a proper amount of core strength and stabilization before attempting reactive training.
According to a study conducted at the University of Canberra's center of sports studies, the most significant results were in the group using reactive training. One group did just squats, one group was cardiovascular-based and the last group did reactive training.
Reactive training is great because it combines a strength type movement, like a squat, with a powerful anaerobic burst, like a jump, so you benefit from two areas, and see results faster. No matter what your goal is, you can benefit from reactive training.
Try gradually incorporating reactive training into your workout routine. If you keep at it, you will be amazed at not only the gains you make within your workouts, but the results you will see by combining reactive training with cardiovascular and resistance training.
Carter is a Shawnee sophomore in health, sport and exercise science
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Jason Shaad, editor at kansad@jebakter.com
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