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Group Calls for ‘Spanking Ban’ Citing a Negative Impact on Kids’ Mental Health

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Kids' mental health

Spanking has been the center of debate since the early 2000s. Many people believe spanking is unnecessary and some even consider it child abuse. Now, groups are calling for a ban on spanking altogether because of its potential impact on kids’ mental health.

The Great Spanking Debate

Parents have long debated whether or not spanking was an acceptable method of discipline for their children. If you’re reading this as an adult, chances are you were spanked as a child. Despite numerous studies pointing to spanking as a harmful practice, most parents think, “Well, I turned out okay.”

Of 1,000 parents surveyed, 22 percent said they spanked their children once a week or more. Thirty-one percent say they have spanked their kids at least once.  Additionally, parents with toddlers are much less likely to feel bad about spanking their children… but, should they?

Effectiveness of Spanking

While those who still use spanking as a consequence for bad behavior quote its effectiveness as the reason why spanking actually proves to be less effective than non-violent manners of discipline. One study found three-year-olds who were spanked twice a month or more were 50 percent more likely to act out.

“We’re constantly discovering new risks associated with the act of spanking — like increased anxiety and a number of other mental-health problems — which makes the ‘It worked for me’ argument outdated,” stated Catherine Taylor, Ph.D., a professor of global community health and behavioral sciences.

Most parents who spank their children were spanked themselves, and so on. When it boils down to it, spankers breed spankers. If you were spanked as a child, it is more likely you’ll end up spanking your kids at some point.

But before you do, you should know the impact it may have on your kids’ mental health. Like secondhand smoke, seat belts, and lead-based paint, spanking has had a negative impact on your child’s long-term health.

Impact on Kids’ Mental Health

There have been a number of groups and organizations that have come forward against spanking for a number of reasons. Most recently, the American Psychological Association joined that list of organizations, citing short and long-term harm to children.

This isn’t the first warning by APA officials either. The association has long warned parents against physical discipline and its potential impact. As mentioned above, it leads to an increase in behavior problems.

Children who are spanked are also more likely to be aggressive, develop depression, and have relationship problems later in life. A 2017 study found children who were spanked are also more likely to commit dating violence than others.

“The research on the adverse outcomes associated with physical discipline indicates that any perceived short-term benefits of physical discipline do not outweigh the detriments of this form of discipline,” the group wrote in its statement.

Instead of spanking, consider using one of the APA recommended “positive” disciplinary actions. These include things like time-outs, withholding items, warnings, and ignoring any misbehavior.

“The use of physical punishment on children has been declining in the United States over the past 50 years,” APA President Rosie Phillips Davis said. “We hope that this resolution will make more parents and caregivers aware that other forms of discipline are effective and even more likely to result in the behaviors they want to see in their children.”

Readers, were you spanked as a child? Do you think it had a profound impact on your mental health?

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10 Important Things Money Can’t Buy

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things money cant buy
We talk a lot about money: How to get it, how to spend it, where to spend it, and how to save it. For all the time we devote to talking about, worrying about, and dealing with money, you’d think it was the most important thing in the world. If the time spent obsessing about money truly equated to its worth, there would be nothing you couldn’t do or have without money. Money would be the only thing that mattered. But is money really as valuable as our obsession level leads us to believe?

Money Can’t Buy Everything

Money is important, obviously. Without it we’d have no roof over our heads, food in our bellies or clothes on our backs. Money allows us to do and have more things than we can without it. It’s a means to an end. But, for all that money is useful and good to have around, for all that it can buy, there are quite a few things that it can’t buy. Even if you have millions of dollars, there are some things you’ll never have with money alone. So what can’t money buy? Here’s 10.

1. Lost Time

Money cannot buy back lost time. As each day passes, it is lost and you can never get it back. When you miss that chance to say, “I love you,” to someone special, or you tell your kids, “Not now, I have to work,” that opportunity is gone. No amount of money that you make in the future will get that day, that moment, back.

2. Happiness

It’s a cliche that money can’t buy happiness, but it’s also true. It can buy you some fun and fleeting joy-a cool vacation, a big TV, a fast car-but it can’t buy the true happiness that comes from liking yourself, having stable relationships, and good a familial support system.

3. Happy, Well-Adjusted Kids

Money can buy your kids a lot of clothes, toys, and gizmos, but it can’t turn them into secure, responsible, well-mannered, intelligent people. That only comes from the time you spend with them and the things you teach them. Money might help with some aspects of parenting, but it’s been proven many times that kids, once their basic needs are met, benefit more from parents spending time with them than the amount of money spent on them.

4. Love

It’s another cliche that money can’t buy love, but a true one. Money can buy initial attraction or even lust, but “true” love comes from mutual respect, caring for each other, sharing experiences, and growing together. There’s a reason that people who marry only for money rarely end up happy. Love at it’s best functions regardless of whether you have a lot of money or very little.

5. Acceptance

True, you can buy things that make you fit in-the latest cars, clothes, shoes, or electronics — but these things don’t represent true acceptance. If you really want your peers to accept you (beyond high school where a pair of shoes really does make you part of the in crowd), you’d do better to focus your energies on making yourself valuable to those around you. Being a good friend, a kind and helpful person, and someone who excels at what they do will go further in gaining acceptance than the stuff money can buy.

6. Health

Money can buy healthcare and medicine, but it cannot replace health once it’s lost. It’s far better to take preventative action such as watching what you eat, exercising, not smoking, and getting regular physicals than to rely on money to save you once your body has started to fail you. Money also can’t buy back your youth. No amount of money you make in the future will replace those days when your body could do anything easily and look good doing it. You can spend thousands on “treatments” to preserve your youth, but it’s an illusion. Once your youth is gone, no amount of money will get it back.

7. Success

Some people succeed by being slimy and paying/bribing their way to the top. But these are the exceptions, and I would hope you wouldn’t aspire to that. Success comes from hard work, applying your gifts in the best way possible, and paying your dues to move ahead in the world. There is very little that money can buy you to help you succeed. It might be able to buy you some training or equipment, but the majority of your success is determined by the work you put in, not the money you spend.

8. Talent

People are born with certain talents. Money can certainly nurture a talent. You can buy music lessons or coaching sessions to nurture your talents, but money cannot buy a talent. You can learn to do certain things well — I’ve learned to play the piano after years of lessons — but you can’t buy the true gift to do it well. Even after years of lessons, I don’t have the ability to make the piano truly sing, whereas others in my family have had that talent from birth.

9. Class/Manners

There are plenty of rich people who are rude and crude and plenty of poor people who demonstrate perfect manners and respect for others. And vice-versa. The amount of money you have doesn’t determine whether you behave well or poorly. You can’t buy manners and classy behavior; parents and family members who want to see their offspring behave well in society teach and practice it at all levels of society. Money doesn’t confer good behavior. Money can buy you entry into a better class position, but it cannot make you behave with class.

10. Peace

If money could buy peace, I think we’d be there by now. Think of the amount of money that governments have spent over the years in the name of “peace.” Has it worked? Nope. Peace isn’t something you buy. I think peace only comes from acting fairly, humanely, and treating others (people and countries) as we would want to be treated. And even then, it might not be possible. But for sure money won’t buy it.

Considering What’s Really Important

I’m not suggesting you give up the pursuit of money and go on some monastic quest for deeper meaning. It is important to manage your money well, to educate yourself about money, and earn enough to secure your financial future. However, it pays to stop and think every now and then about the things you would still have even if you didn’t have money. How much money you have doesn’t determine your family, your health, and your gifts and abilities. There are things that no amount of money can buy and it’s worthwhile to pursue them even as you worry about money. Money is important, but maybe it’s not the most important thing in the world.

Is there anything else money can’t buy? Share with us in the comments below!

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(Photo Credit: Flicker.com/Photo4jenifer)

Beware: Zombie Deer Disease Could Spread to Humans Through Infected Meat

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zombie deer disease

Many people have turned to venison, or deer meat, to help them save money. However, a new disease may be passed through infected meat – and this isn’t your typical stomach virus. Health officials are concerned a zombie deer disease may spread through infected deer meat.

The Spread of Zombie Deer Disease

Obviously, no one is saying the zombie apocalypse is upon us but doctors are concerned about what eating the tainted meat may do. Currently, any deer that has been infected has had its brain and spinal cord “eaten” by a parasite of some sort. This has led to its name in the media: Zombie Deer Disease.

While it seems like something you’d see in a horror film, there is nothing fiction about it. According to The Hill, there have been reported cases in 24 states and two Canadian provinces ass of January. Areas that have been heavily impacted by this disease have been in the American West and Upper Midwest. This includes states like Illinois, Wisconsin, and Minnesota.

“It is probable that human cases of chronic wasting disease associated with consumption with contaminated meat will be documented in the years ahead,” said Michael Osterholm, director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota. “It’s possible the number of human cases will be substantial and will not be isolated events.”

Chronic Wasting Disease

Chronic wasting disease, or CWD, spreads through deer in contaminated bodily fluids, drinking water, and food. It was first spotted in wild animals 40 years ago. In the late 1960s, it was also found in captive deer. Between 7,000 to 16,000 animals in the U.S. are infected with CWD every year.

Numerous studies have shown it can be transmitted from deer to other animals, even primates. While no human cases of CWD have been documented, it is possible it could pass on from infected meat to humans.

Researchers are likening the likelihood of falling ill to that of the Mad Cow epidemic in the early 2000s. Keep in mind, 156 people in the United Kingdom died from Mad Cow Disease. So, how do you keep yourself safe from the zombie deer disease?

How to Avoid Falling Ill

There are some state and local regulations that would prevent humans from consuming any infected meat. However, Osterholm believes more oversight is needed in the process. He pointed out that if any infected venison was to make it into a processing plant, there could be a large-scale outbreak. Right now, there is no information on how ingesting infected deer meat may affect humans.

The best way to avoid falling ill with CWD or “zombie deer disease” is to avoid eating any venison that isn’t processed through a plant. If you kill the deer yourself, consider having it professionally butchered to ensure your meat isn’t rotten.

Lastly, be sure you are cooking everything to the correct temperature. Deer meat needs to be heated to a core temperature of 145 degrees Fahrenheit.

Readers, do you eat deer meat? Are you at all concerned by the zombie deer disease?

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Men Who Can Do More Than 40 Push-Ups Have Lower Risk of Heart Disease

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When was the last time you did a push-up? New research has found that the cardiovascular benefit of doing push-ups may be greater than we initially believed. In fact, men who can do more than 40 push-ups seem to have an overall lower risk of heart disease than those who cannot.

The Cost of Heart Disease in the U.S.

A 2016 study found the cost of cardiovascular disease in the United States may continue to climb. The annual cost is estimated to be $749 billion by 2035. Cardiovascular disease and stroke account for 14 percent of the total health expenditure in the U.S. (more than any other major diagnostic group).

On top of that, heart disease and other cardiovascular disease costs the U.S. a number of lives as well. In 2016, cardiovascular diseases accounted for one in three deaths. It claims more lives than all forms of cancer combined.

Because of the major cost of heart disease throughout the country, doctors and researchers are constantly looking for ways to help prevent and treat it. The American Heart Association has funded more than $4.3 billion in research since 1949.

How Push-Ups Impact Your Heart

Most recently, researchers have found that exercise may have a more profound impact on your heart than originally thought. More specifically, doing push-ups may play a role in lowering your risk of heart disease.

Researchers took a look at more than 1,100 male firefighters. Each of them was followed for 10 years. Findings were published in the JAMA Network Open. Those who were able to do 40 push-ups or more had a 96 percent lower risk of cardiovascular events, like a heart attack or stroke, than men who were able to do fewer than 10.

At baseline, the firefighters’ average age was 39.6 years and their average body mass index (BMI, a ratio of weight to height) was 28.7, which is in the “overweight” range. “With firefighters pictured on calendars as muscular and very fit, we tend to think of them as different from everyone else, but this group is pretty much the same as the rest of the population,” Yang said. “Half of them were overweight or obese.”

What This Means

Outside of continuing to encourage regular exercise, doctors believe these findings can play an important role in early diagnosis. Lead author of the study, Dr. Justin Yang, believes clinicians may be able to use push-ups to asses a patient in-office.

“Using push-ups could be a no-cost and simple method to assess one’s functional capacity and predict future cardiovascular event risk,” Yang said. “For clinicians, this is really important since a lot of tests vary in their results and are very expensive and time-consuming. This can be done within a minute.”

While many of the men were overweight, as mentioned above, Yang quoted the push-ups as the strongest factor in the study. This is likely because anyone able to do 40+ push-ups is in good shape. Overall fitness is often correlated with a number of other factors as well. Health benefits of being physically fit include having better control of your blood pressure, cholesterol, and stomach fat.

How to Decrease Your Risk of Heart Disease

When all is said and done, you need to balance a healthy diet with plenty of resistance and aerobic exercise to lower your risk of heart disease. Doing a few push-ups wouldn’t hurt but they certainly aren’t going to fix your health problems.

Physical inactivity is what poses the most risk when it comes to your heart health. The American Heart Association recommends at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise each week. Keeping up with that standard may be the key to maintaining your ticker.

Readers, how much exercise do you get each week? 

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Teens Defy Parents and Get Vaccinated Amid Washington Measles Outbreak

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Amid the Washington measles outbreak, some teens have decided to defy their parents’ wishes and get themselves vaccinated. Anti-vaccine efforts have undoubtedly cost the United States economy billions of dollars and more people are beginning to fall ill with diseases that were previously eradicated.

Why is this happening and, more importantly, why are teens fighting for their right to get vaccinated?

Measles Cases on the Rise in the U.S.

Currently, there are at least 54 cases of measles in Clark County, Washington. Another four cases have been reported by the Oregon Health Authority. The majority of the diagnoses are children under the age of 10.

Measles is an airborne virus that can cause death in the worst cases. Until the discovery of a vaccine in 1963, measles claimed thousands of lives. By 2000, the virus was declared eliminated in the U.S. However, in the last year or so, more cases of measles have been popping up. Cases have increased by 30 percent, according to the World Health Organization. The main driving factor behind this increase is the reluctance to vaccinate children.

“The reluctance or refusal to vaccinate despite the availability of vaccines…threatens to reverse progress made in tackling vaccine-preventable diseases,” the WHO report explained. “The reasons why people choose not to vaccinate are complex; a vaccines advisory group to WHO identified complacency, inconvenience in accessing vaccines, and lack of confidence are the key reasons for the underlying hesitancy.”

Washington Measles Outbreak Caused by Misinformation

It seems as though the Washington measles outbreak may have had other contributing factors as well. The American Journal of Public Health performed a study in 2018 that found combating the anti-vaccination movement has been made more difficult by Russian internet trolls.

These individuals have been deliberately spreading false information on vaccines on the web. Disinformation agents have been focused on finding issues, like vaccines, that will drive a bigger wedge between Americans. According to the data collected from the study, Russian trolls tweet about vaccinations 22 times more than the average Twitter user.

That isn’t to say Facebook users aren’t contributing to the misinformation as well. The social media site has been under pressure to combat anti-vaccine groups. Facebook has done this in the past by shutting down groups that supported the Flat Earth Theory and the QAnon Conspiracy. Some anti-vax groups are HUGE. Stop Mandatory Vaccination is one that has 154,000 members. Oftentimes, information shared within the group is not backed by science at all.

“Whereas bots that spread malware and unsolicited content disseminated antivaccine messages, Russian trolls promoted discord,” the study’s authors wrote. “Accounts masquerading as legitimate users create false equivalency, eroding public consensus on vaccination.”

Teens Fighting to Get Vaccinated

Eighteen-year-old Ethan Lindenberger decided to get his first round of vaccinations (ever) amid the Washington measles outbreak. Now, more reports of other teens defying their parents’ wishes and getting vaccinated have been surfacing.

An 18-year-old from Georgia named Mayci shared her plans for getting vaccinated as well. As an employee at a doctor’s office, Mayci felt as though she had more information to make her feel comfortable getting the vaccines. So far, she’s gotten both tetanus and flu shots. She has plans to be vaccinated for more illnesses in the future.

More and more teens are coming forward with a desire to receive the vaccines their parents neglected to allow them to have as children.  Washington State legislators are now attempting to put a law on the books that would lift any non-medical-related exemptions. This would require them to get their children vaccinated.

Readers, what is your stance on vaccinations? 

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Anti-Vaccination Parents Are Costing You Money

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Do you live in a city or state where there has been an outbreak of preventable disease? The anti-vaccination movement is undoubtedly having a profound impact on the rise of such instances. Anti-vaxxers are costing the United States economy $7 billion a year.

The Anti-Vaccination Rally

Clark County, located in Washington State, has had a measles outbreak. Although the illness was largely eradicated from the globe, the virus has been able to make a comeback, thanks to the efforts of those behind the anti-vax movement.

Anti-vaccination

There have been a startling number of cases since the beginning of the year (at 50 and counting as of February 10). However, there is no reason to really be all that surprised. Of the measles cases in Washington, 43 of the kids hadn’t received a vaccine. Only 78 percent of incoming kindergarteners in Clark County had all of their inoculations in 2017.

Vaccination Loopholes

While many public schools have vaccination requirements, there are ways around them. Many parents go out of their way to receive a religious exemption or other health-related exemption to avoid having their children vaccinated.

Additionally, there are 17 states that allow parents to forgo vaccinating their children because of personal beliefs. For now, Washington is one of those 17. Legislators are looking at tightening the requirements and, at the very least, requiring parents to vaccinate their children for measles.

Washington wouldn’t be the first state to do so. After a measles outbreak impacting more than 147 individuals in California, legislators passed a law that did not allow any non-medical exemptions.

How Anti-Vax Could Cost You Money

The outbreak in Washington isn’t the only instance of measles we’ve seen in the U.S. so far this year either. Since January 1, there have been a recorded 79 cases throughout 10 states. There have also been a few outbreaks in large cities, like New York. If outbreaks become large enough, they can begin costing you quite a bit of money.

People who don’t get vaccinated already cost the U.S. economy $7 billion a year. This $7 billion is in lost production, outbreak containment, as well as any public health assistance that is received in the area. Not to mention, if you or a member of your family falls ill, you will have a pretty hefty medical bill on your hands as well.

Readers, what is your stance on anti-vaccination movements? 

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