At this year’s holiday celebrations, try to avoid rooms filled with second-hand smoke (especially if you’re pregnant): Exposure to nicotine during pregnancy leads to a decrease in adult stem cells and a change in the brains of the offspring. Researchers say this could be a possible cause for behavioral problems such as attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) seen in children whose mothers smoked.
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Around this time of year, our thoughts turn to the people who will NOT be going home for Christmas. How do people cope going from prison back into society? Not well, which is why so many of them end up back in prison, usually sooner rather than later.
Psychologist Lindsay Phillips says, "There is a defined process experienced by participants, which is initial optimism about release, followed by craving substances, facing practical barriers, or feeling overwhelmed. This eventually results in avoidance of managing problems and emotions and substance abuse relapse, which culminates in recidivism."
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When we celebrate Christmas, we remember that Jesus was (supposedly) born in the winter, but this is not the best time to emerge from the womb. The season in which babies are born can have a dramatic and persistent effect on how their biological clocks function. The imprinting effect, which was found in baby mice, may help explain the fact that people born in winter months have a higher risk of a number of neurological disorders including seasonal affective disorder (winter depression), bipolar depression and schizophrenia.
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This is the season for classical music! Listening to Mozart may (or may not) increase your intelligence, but one thing we know for sure: Playing that lovely music in the fields helps bananas to grow and Japan (where beautiful fruits and vegetables command high prices) is taking advantage of this fact.
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